Sermon - Easter 7 - John 17:20-26

“Jesus Prays”

John 17:20-26

Quite often the lectionary sets before us a reading of Holy Scripture that turns out to be hauntingly applicable to current events in the news of the day.  I suppose it should not surprise us, for God’s Word is always relevant.  But it struck me this week as I studied our Gospel reading from John 17 and heard about yet another school shooting in our own state of Texas.

What’s the connection?  Prayer.  Even as Christians we may disagree about what the best solution is for school gun violence (or if there is any practical solution at all), what we can all agree on is prayer.  Prayer for the victims and their families.  Prayer for the parents who will be grieving the loss of dear children.  Prayer that God would work through this senseless violence to bring about good, as he promises to do for those who love him.  We can even pray for our enemies, and that God would turn the hearts of those who seek violence toward peace.  And so forth…

If you follow some of the conversation about this on social media, however, and we’ve seen this play out before – there always seems to be a few hecklers who instead mock us for offering up prayers.  “As if prayer can do anything.  You foolish Christians, keep calling on your made-up grandpa in the sky, while the rest of us get about fixing these problems with real solutions!”  But as this broken record plays over and over, both of violent tragedy and the angst and conflict that follows in public discourse – it can all seem rather discouraging.

But as Jesus says, take heart!  He has overcome the world.  He has overcome the violence and death of this world.  He has overcome the mockery and persecution of this world.  He has even overcome the prince of this world.  And take further heart, in this, dear Christians.  Jesus prays for you.  Jesus prays for us all. 

That’s a big takeaway from today’s Gospel reading.  John 17 is called the “Great High Priestly Prayer” of our Lord. Jesus is, of course, praying for his apostles – for they will face incredible challenges from the world.  A world which hates Christ will also hate his disciples.  Most of them will die for the faith.  All of them will suffer.

But Jesus also prays for those who will come to believe through the Apostle’s teaching of his word.  And that means us.  The future church.  Jesus knew, of course, that this message of good news would grow and take root even to the ends of the earth.  The Gospel preached to all nations.  That many would come to believe in him.  And so he prays for them, for us.

Now, friends, this is no small thing that Jesus prays for you.  Scripture tells us the prayer of a righteous man has great power as it is working.  How much more the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ?  How much more, the prayer of the Son to the Father on our behalf?

So we might ask, for what does Jesus pray?  What does he ask the Father on our behalf?

From John 17 we can see several themes.  I’ll highlight 4 key ideas today.  Jesus prays for our unity.  He prays that we would be with him in glory.  He prays that his love would be in us.  And he prays that the world would know him through us, as we proclaim his name.

First let’s take his prayer for unity.  Unity with one another – and unity with Christ which brings us unity with the Father.  Just as the Father, Son and Spirit are one – three persons united in one God – so he prays that we, his people, would share in that same unity. 

We might observe that unity is hard to come by in our day.  Sin separates and divides people – nation against nation, tribe against tribe, church against church, even, Christian against Christian.  Even the members of a family can be at enmity with one another. But the worst of it is our own alienation from God because of sin.

Jesus, of course, has come to deal with sin.  And one of the benefits of his saving work at the cross, when sin is destroyed – unity is fostered.  We are reconciled to God in Christ Jesus.  And only in him.  And only in him can we be truly reconciled to one another – made one, united.

The unity of Christians that Jesus prays for and gives – is no mere outward unity.  Outwardly, we see much division in the church today.  Though inwardly, we recognize an invisible church is united in faith – all who believe in Christ are one body – the body of Christ.  It’s sort of like the sinner-saint paradox, isn’t it?  We are united, but also divided.  And Jesus prayer for perfect unity among his people is only fully answered when we reach the glory he is preparing for us.

That’s the second idea embedded in Jesus’ prayer, here.  Glory.  Now, Jesus states that the Father has given him glory – and here he speaks of his human nature receiving glory – because his divine nature had all glory from eternity.  He alludes to that, too, and the love he shared with the Father from before the world began. 

But what belongs to Jesus, he wants us to have, too.  And so he prays we would have a share in that glory.  He even gives it to us.  He tells us earlier in John that he is preparing a place for us to be with him in the mansions of heaven.  Here Jesus speaks of our eternal destiny – glory in heaven with him and the Father.  You get a picture of that today in Revelation 22 – the heavenly city with the river of life and the tree of life, no more night or curse.  But there’s even more in store for us:  A glorified body, resurrected, incorruptible, never subject to sin and death again.  Like Jesus’ own resurrected body, death has no more power over him.  So what Jesus has, he prays for us – and he provides for us.  A glorious resurrection.

The third request, or key word in his prayer, is love.  And what a powerful love it is.  The love that the Father has for Jesus, Jesus prays would be also for us.  This love that goes right along with the unity we share in Christ, that it would also abound among us and between us.  Love is the sum and summary of the law – love God and love your neighbor.  But we only love because of his love, shown especially at the cross.  For greater love has no one than that he lay down his life for his friends. 

Which brings us to the fourth theme of Jesus’ prayer, making known Jesus’ name.  This love that we have received, that it would flow from us even to the unbelieving world, so that many more would believe in his name. His name, of course, means more than just the moniker “Jesus”.  His name means everything about who he is and what he does for us, his people.

Making known his name means first of all believing on his name.  Trusting in him for full and free salvation.  Ever coming to the cross, where Jesus shed his holy precious blood for us, and won for us forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. 

Making known his name assumes we know his name well.  That we never stop hearing his word.  That we always hear, and ever grow in our appreciation of all he does for us.  This word creates the unity he desires.  This word proclaims the love he has for us.  This word promises the glory that is to come.  The word, the word, the word!  So important.

And it is only then by his word that the world has any hope at all.  Only the Holy Spirit creates faith by gospel – faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.  Only the word of God can quench the thirsty soul.  Only the word can show us how to live, and forgive us when we fail.  Only the word can defeat the old evil foe – in fact when it’s God’s word, even one little word can fell him.

And so the church fulfills Jesus’ prayer as we make his name known.  Here in our own backyard, and even to the ends of the earth.  We make him known to a world that does not know him, when we are called to witness to the hope within us.  We make him known as we support the preaching of his name near and far, and support the work of the gospel.  From the early Jewish pilgrims on Pentecost, to the Man from Macedonia, to Lydia and her family, to the palace of the Roman Emperor to the shores of the Missisippi to the people who go to church on Whitley road.  The apostles’ teaching, the word of God, the name of Jesus have gone forth.  Jesus’ prayer is answered, and continues to be answered.

These words of Jesus are so important.  This “Great High Priestly Prayer” is really worthy of our deep and enduring meditation.  For Jesus is indeed our great High Priest.  He prays to the Father for us. Not only did he, as is recorded here by John, but now, even now, our ascended and glorified Christ continues his powerful prayers for us, his people.  Even now, he intercedes for his church.

And he is the priest who offered up the once and for all sacrifice of his own self.  The Lamb of God, without spot or blemish.  He was given into death that we might not die eternally, and just as he is risen from the dead, so shall we rise. 

Sermon - Easter 5 - Revelation 21:1-7

 

Revelation 21:1-7

“All Things New”

We have been hearing, this Easter season, from the Book of Revelation in the place of our usual Epistle reading.  And I, for one, really appreciate that the lectionary does this.  Not only because Revelation is one of my favorite books of the Bible, but also the passages that are chosen – some of the highlights, really, some of the most precious passages of promise in this last book of the Bible.

We see Christ as he appears to John in chapter 1.  We see him again pictured as the Lamb who once was slain in chapter 5.  We glance over John’s shoulder, as it were, to see the great multitude clothed in white in chapter 7 – a picture of the church in glory.  And in these last couple of weeks we read from chapters 21 and 22 – the last couple of chapters of Scripture – and see a picture of the eternal destiny of all who are in Christ.  And what a glorious destiny it is.  Like the happy ending of all happy endings.

There appears the new heaven and the new earth, for the first heaven and earth have passed away, along with the sea.  What does this mean?

Revelation makes no sense here without an understanding of the world that is rooted in Genesis.  There we read about creation – how God made the heavens and the earth and everything in them – and it was all very good.  But that all changed when the serpent slithered in with his lie, and our first parents cast their lot with him in rebellion against God.  Not only did Adam and Eve change in that bitter fall into sin, but all their children were doomed to the same corruption.  Their fall was our fall.

And furthermore, all of creation would now be touched by the brokenness that corrupted man, its steward.  In Adam, the first heaven and earth were broken.  And they’ve never been the same since.  Thorns and thistles, to be sure, but also disease and death, disasters and calamities of all manner.  St. Paul further characterizes the fallen-ness of creation as a woman in childbirth – with groaning and labor pains – just like the labor pains that Eve and her daughters would now face – but on a creation-wide scale.

What a sad day it was.  When the newly minted creation was shattered by sin.  Like the first time you wear that new white outfit, and dribble the meatball right down the front of it.  Or the new book that cracks when you open it, and then you spill coffee all over and stain its pages.  Like the brand new car you drive off the lot and at the first intersection gets into a crash.  But far worse than any of these. Creation was marred and scarred by sin.  This world that God created good became the valley of the shadow of death.

Now, in a way, we are all victims of this fallen creation.  And sometimes troubles happen to us through no discernable fault of our own.  Sometimes it’s the wicked world – other sinners – that trouble us, like when Pilate mixed the blood of some Jews with their sacrifices.  Sometimes it’s just a freak accident, like when the tower fell and killed those other poor souls.  They weren’t worse sinners than anyone else, so says Jesus.

And yet, there is also a sense in which we do bear responsibility and blame for this fallen world.  As our hymn puts it, “In Adam we have all been one, one huge rebellious man”.  Adam’s sin is our sin.  We are, in our flesh, fruit of his poisoned tree.  And though we didn’t personally eat from the forbidden tree, we are brought forth in the same iniquity and we ourselves sin just as willingly and whole-heartedly.  We are in our father, Adam’s, image.  And so we can’t really claim victim status.  We deserve death and punishment, temporal and eternal.

It’s a sad state of affairs to be a sinner living in a world corrupted and broken by sin.  Look closely enough and you’ll see the flaws in everything.  No one is good.  Nothing lasts forever.  Moth and rust destroy.  Death comes for all.  But we are not without hope.  For Jesus has come – and he makes all things new.

Jesus, of course, has no sin of his own – he is conceived by the Holy Spirit – his father is not Adam, but God.  He bears no blame whatsoever for this fallen creation, and therefore he is the only one who could truly claim victim status.  Only he suffered without sin, only he unjustly bore the sins of the world.  Only he died without deserving it in any sense.  But he doesn’t play the victim in the sense of whining about it, or expecting some justice for it.  He goes willingly to his destruction.  He obediently fulfills the Father’s will.  He did it all, though, for us.  He did it to make all things new.

It’s been a while since I watched the movie, “The Passion of the Christ”.  And as with all movies based on a book – there’s going to be some artistic license.  One detail that sticks in my mind along that line is that as Jesus is pictured carrying his cross on Good Friday and he stumbles, there is a brief comment he makes to one of the women who followed weeping and wailing.  He looks at her and says, “Behold, I make all things new”.  Now, that’s not something he said then and there, according to the Gospels.  It’s definitely artistic embellishment.  But as a theological statement, it’s actually really good.

At the cross, Christ makes all things new.  By shedding his holy precious blood in his innocent suffering and death, he makes all things good, very good, once again. Like at the very beginning.

By his agony and bloody sweat, he cleanses not only us of our sins – but he purifies all that is touched and tainted by sin – and that includes the creation itself.  So we can rightly see this promise at the end of Revelation – of a new heaven and earth – as rooted in Christ’s work at the cross.

He closes the loop on what was lost in the Garden of Eden.  In the Fall, sin and death came.  Now in Christ they are no more.  In the Fall, man was cast out of the garden, doomed to the wilderness.  Now, in Christ, we are welcomed into a holy city.  In the Fall, sin brought sorrow, pain, and tears.  Not only to Adam and Eve, but it still brings such sorrow to you and me.  But all of that is gone in Christ.  He will wipe every tear from our eyes.

And here’s another connection.  Part of the bitter consequence of sin is the separation of God and man.  In Eden, God walked in the garden and they stood in his presence.  There was nothing to get in the way.  Now in Christ, that’s restored.  The dwelling of God is with man – God makes himself a man, takes on human flesh in the person of Christ.  And because of Christ, we have an eternal dwelling with God in the new creation.  That’s what makes heaven so great anyway – that we get to be with God.  That the dwelling of God is with man.  We his people, and he our God forever.

The next couple of weeks we will hear more from Revelation about that eternal home of ours.  First it will be pictured (as briefly mentioned here) as the bride of Christ, and as the Holy City.  The Heavenly Jerusalem will have perfect dimensions and rich features – gates of pearl and streets of gold.  In other words, our new home will be the best – and a place of perfection.

And then we will see more of what was lost in Eden restored – the tree of life reappears. River water flows – not the 4 rivers of Eden but the River of Life flowing from the very throne of God.  We will have life in abundance.  God will provide for our every need.  There won’t even be night there – for God will be our light and our life.

Friends, when Jesus does something, he does it all the way.  When he says he makes all things new, he means it!  What a blessing that when he returns we will have a new heaven and a new earth, that the former things will pass away, that the dwelling of God will be with man for eternity, and that we will live in newly resurrected and glorified bodies built for eternity. 

Sin ruins everything.  Death touches every corner of this creation.  But Jesus makes all things new.  He undoes the curse.  He restores you and me and creation.  Thanks be to God. 

Now may the peace….

 

Sermon - Easter 3 - John 21:1-14

John 21:1-14

Two meals. One in the upper room. One on the beach. One in Jerusalem, the other in Galilee. One of bread and wine, the other of bread and fish. Both hosted by the Savior. Both providing just what he means to give.

Much had happened between these two meals… Jesus took them to the garden to pray. Then Judas came with the armed men. Jesus was arrested, tried, mocked and beaten. Peter denied him that night in the courtyard, even calling down curses, “I DO NOT KNOW THE MAN!” Then the rooster crowed.

Early on Friday the trial went to Pilate, then to Herod, then to Pilate again. Finally to Golgotha, and to the cross, where Jesus was hung and where he suffered and died. They took him down, laid him in the tomb, and rested on the Sabbath. Sunday morning, angelic greeters told the good news, “He is not here. He has risen!”

Then he appeared. He appeared to Mary and the women. He appeared to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. He appeared to the 10 disciples in the locked upper room. And a week later to Thomas as well. Jesus had not fled the scene. He was alive, and he showed it.

Now they had gone from Jerusalem, gone back to Galilee. The angel said Jesus would meet them there. So now another promise is fulfilled. As Jesus appears and once again eats with his disciples. He hosts the meal. He provides and prepares the food. He bestows the blessings, just as he did in the upper room, so he does now on the beach. It’s like before, only different.

Something else is like before. The disciples had returned to their previous way of life – fishing. And like one day about three years earlier, when they spent the whole night laboring -  the fish weren’t biting. And like that day, a strange man gave strange instructions that they should cast the net just one more time. And like that day, a miraculous catch filled their nets. This was all too familiar.

Only this time, it was a little different, too. The last time, the nets started to rip and tear – but not now. The last time, Peter fell on his face in fear in the presence of the Holy One – “Depart from me,” he said then, “I am a sinful man”. This time, he leapt into the water to approach his risen Lord.

It’s sort of comical how excited Peter is to see his Lord.  You usually take off your outer garment so as not to get it all wet when you’re fishing.  But you wouldn’t want to meet Jesus in your underwear!  So Peter gets himself dressed, then he casts himself into the water – so eater to meet Jesus again. And there’s a note for us, too.  Are we so eager to meet our risen Lord, as he comes to us in Word and Sacrament?  Are we eager for his return on the last day?  And when our last hour comes, may we meet him with the same zeal as dear Peter does here.

Now another difference we see between the two catches is the number of fish.  The first miraculous catch – well there were just many, so many the nets broke.  This time, there is a count.  153 we are told.  Perhaps just one of those numbers that sticks in your head – even years later when John wrote all this down.  But more likely, Jesus did this on purpose, just like the leftover 12 baskets after the feeding of the 5000.  A symbolic number with a point.  You see the ancients widely believed, for whatever reason, there were exactly 153 different kinds of fish in the sea.  While before, the Gospel was preached to the Jews – but now, after the resurrection – the good news of Jesus is to go to the ends of the earth.  James would be martyred in Jerusalem.  John would go to Ephesus and Patmos.  Peter made it to Rome.  And Thomas and Nathanael, it is believed, made it as far east as India, preaching the Gospel there.  Thomas is still widely hailed in India as their founding father among the apostles.  And so, we see perhaps in the 153 fish, but certainly in the lives of the disciples, that this Easter message is for all nations, indeed.  That means it’s also for you.

Every Christian, in some sense, is both caught – and catching fish, or men – in that gospel net.  Through the preaching of the word, and the teaching of all things Jesus has commanded us – and through our daily vocations, and our lives of witness, the Spirit works to make us both fish – and fishers of men.

And one day we will be reunited on God’s golden shore, where we too will meet Jesus.

Jesus is different here too. He’s still the same Jesus. He even has the marks of his wounds to prove it. But he is also different. Now he is taking back his majesty and glory. He will soon be fully exalted to his rightful heavenly throne. Yet in his mercy he appears, makes himself known and recognizable to his beloved, bewildered disciples.

They had gone through a lot between that last supper and this first breakfast after Easter. They had seen the lows of Calvary and the highs of the abandoned grave. They had seen Jesus, heard him, touched him. Now again, they would eat with him, and he would give them blessings.

In a sense, we’ve gone with them. As we have followed these events in the course of our church observances, we too have experienced Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. We too have seen the lows and the highs. And now, for us, things are back to normal again, too. It’s the same as it’s always been. It’s as nothing has changed.

But Easter does change things. It changes things for every Christian.

It may not look like it on the outside. You see the statistics… Christians are just as likely as anyone else to get divorced, to struggle with alcoholism and other social problems. We see our churches divided and squabbling, in the congregations and even on the national level. You look at your own life, and you know full well your sins – that you are no angel.

So much of who we are and what we do is tied up in our sinful human nature – which really is the root of all our problems and struggles. Imperfect people in an imperfect world. So what’s different about Christians? What difference does Easter make? A lot.

It may not always look that way on the outside, but we Christians are people of Resurrection. That is, we have been raised to life in Jesus Christ. Just as he died and rose, so our sinful selves were buried with him in baptism, and the new creation, the child of God is raised from those same waters. We are, like Jesus, back from the dead. And though we don’t always see ourselves this way, what’s important is that God does.

And this isn’t to say that Easter makes no visible difference in our lives. It should. It does. Never perfectly, but we do show Christian love and serve our neighbor for Jesus’ sake. The Spirit does move us to good works which exercise our faith. And God accepts this imperfect works of love which are also purified through Jesus Christ.

There’s one more difference that Easter makes. There’s one more resurrection to come. We who have been reborn in the waters will still die. Yet even though we die, yet shall we live. And we who live and believe in him will never die. Oh, our bodies will fail and be buried. But our spirits will rest with the Lord. And then the final resurrection will come, when Christ returns, with sound of trumpet and the dead rise again. When Christ, the firstborn of the dead, welcomes us – resurrected body and soul together – into our eternal home with him.

Easter gives us this hope. And it’s a hope that makes us different. It’s a hope that shapes our lives and gives us direction and purpose. It’s a hope that brings great comfort and peace. It’s a promise that makes all the difference in the world.

And that promise is renewed here today, for us. Where just like usual, we receive the blessings of Christ in a meal. Just like his earliest disciples did, we too gather for a meal, hosted by the risen Christ. We’re not in an upper room, or on a beach, but at a rail around an altar. But we still join in blessed communion with God and with others who share our faith. We still receive all the blessings and promises of God in Jesus Christ. Our sins are forgiven. And that means we live – now, and forever.

Sermon - Easter Sunday - Luke 24:1-12

Luke 24:1-12

Christ is Risen!  (He is risen indeed, Alleluia!)

At dawn, the women arrive.  They’ve got their burial spices.  They’re ready for the grim task ahead of them.  They remember the place.  They saw the body laid there just a couple days ago, and the stone that shut the grave tight.  But now, the stone is rolled back.  The grave is open.  What’s going on?  They go inside.

And what they find there – rather what they don’t find there – is the body of Jesus.  Just the grave cloths.  They are, Luke tells us, perplexed.  At a loss.  They don’t know what to make of it.

I suppose they could have jumped to the wrong conclusion.  That someone stole the body.  That maybe they got the wrong tomb.  That someone was playing a cruel trick on them.  Or maybe some other earthly explanation.  The evidence was there – if only they could interpret it correctly.  They could have known.  They should have known.

But before they can really piece it together… the roller coaster of Easter emotions takes another turn, as they are startled by the appearance of two men in dazzling white.  Fear knocks them to the ground, as usually happens with angelic appearances.  But these angels don’t even bother with the usual, “Don’t be afraid.”  They have some news to tell.  And it’s as wonderful as it is urgent.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.”

And that’s the heart of it.  The angelic message, let it be our theme today and forever:  “Christ is risen!”  (He is risen indeed, Alleluia!)

A pastor friend of mine with a particular sense of humor preached an Easter sermon once in which he entered the pulpit, greeted the people, “Christ is risen!”  They responded, “He is risen indeed, Alleluia!”, and then he immediately sat down.  End of sermon.  But maybe he had a point.  The simple Easter sentence that Christ is risen is the real gem, the wonderful truth, the blessed and eternal confession of the church. 

Yes, it was real, it really happened.  The women saw the evidence.  But they were still perplexed by it.  Until the angel spoke, and reminded them of Christ’s words – “Don’t you remember?  He told you this would happen.  All the way back in Galilee he was already telling you – the Christ must be handed over to the Jews, he must suffer, and die, and on the third day rise!” And then, only then, did they remember his words.

My friends, life can be perplexing.  It can be a roller coaster of emotions.  It can seem hopeless and confusing, it can lead you to despair.  You could look at all the suffering and death in this world, and in your own life, and jump to the wrong conclusion.  You could think that God has forsaken you.  You could reason that he is angry with you.  You might even be tempted to believe there is no God.  And the devil will gleefully cheer you own down any of these paths.

But just when the fog of life’s troubles and sorrows begin to suffocate you, and choke out life and faith, the dazzling message of Christ breaks through the darkness once again.  When we are perplexed, the Easter good news comes again in words that ring clear, “Christ is Risen!” and we remember.  We remember that it had to be this way.

There had to be a payment for sin.  For your sin and mine.  And Jesus had to pay it.  Only he could do it.  The betrayal, the arrest, the trial, the mocking, spitting, the blows.  The purple robe and crown of thorns, the scourging.  The cries of the crowd to crucify.  The cross.  The agony, the forsaking, the death, the burial.  It all had to be.  It had to be: to fulfill prophecy, for Jesus to accomplish his mission, to do the will of the Father and to procure for us salvation.

But there’s more.  Remember what he said.  The son of man must suffer and die, and on the third day rise!  Don’t forget that part!  It was always the plan, that death would be defeated.  It was always the destiny of Christ to live!  The Holy One would not see corruption, or be abandoned to the grave.  The greater Jonah would burst forth from the belly death.  The one who is the resurrection and the life cannot be contained by death, it couldn’t hold him, it has no power over him.  Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands, but he breaks those bands as if they’re made of soggy strips of paper.

The women depart from the tomb.  They go to the 11, and report what they saw and heard.  And you’d think the disciples would rejoice.  But no.  “It seemed to them an idle tale”. 

For too many today, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is an idle tale.  A worthless story.  A meaningless non-event.  They don’t believe it for any number of reasons.

Perhaps it just seems a quaint little story told but one of many religions – just another myth or fairy tale to placate the people – another puff off the opiate of the masses.  Or to some, the resurrection of Christ can’t be real because their god of science forbids it – along with any miracle or spiritual reality outside the bounds of strict materialism.  Still others may simply have hardened hearts – and see no need for a God or a Savior, they have dulled their own conscience along with their own fear of the grave, and thus live in denial of these, our great enemies of sin and death. 

But the words of the women must have had some sway, if only enough to prompt Peter and John to get moving.  To get to the tomb and see.  And when they saw, they marveled, and went home in wonder.  Could it be?  Could it be that he’s really done it after all?

Now, the other relevant texts show us that the disciples were a mess of emotions and a mixture of belief and unbelief in those early days of Easter.  Hiding for fear of the Jews, unsure of themselves and what they should be doing, and yet still holding together and waiting for Jesus’ direction.

As Jesus appeared to them on many occasions, and taught them the meaning of these events, and of his work – they slowly began to comprehend.  He opened the Scriptures to them, and showed them how even the Old Testament made it clear that the Messiah had to suffer, die and rise.

These Easter events are all well and good, and they are true.  But they go hand in hand with the word – the explanation – the proclamation of their meaning.  The women could have seen that Jesus was alive by just looking and seeing no body.  But the word of the angels, really the word given them from above, the Word of God – both confirms it and interprets it and proclaims it as a reality.  That’s why this is not just about what he did, but they tell the women to remember what he said.

Today, we too remember how he said…  and what he said… about his suffering, death and resurrection.  And in a few moments we will receive the resurrected Christ, and also remember his words:  This is my body, this is my blood,  Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. 

Those early disciples met the living Lord Jesus in the garden, the upper room, on the beach, and in many other appearances.  And we meet him today as he comes to us in his Holy Sacrament.  They saw him and heard him and touched his very wounds.  We see him by faith, and hear his words proclaimed by his servants in our day, but they are still his words, and the promises and blessings are the same.

And the resurrected Christ is with us.  He’s not there in the tomb, but he is here in the bread and the wine.  He’s not there, under the thumb of death, but he is here, with his life-giving gifts.  The tomb is empty, but this Sacrament is full of forgiveness, life and salvation for all who believe.

The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is no idle tale.  Instead, it is some of the best news you have ever heard and will ever hear.  But it means nothing if you don’t remember what he said – and see how in this victory over death and hell and devil, Jesus brings you the same victory, and a promise of your own resurrection.  You will rise, because Christ is risen.  You will live, because he lives. Indeed we are more than conquerors, through him who loved us with a love even stronger than death itself. 

Christ is risen!  (He is risen indeed! Alleluia.) Amen.

 

Sermon - 7 Churches of Revelation - Laodicea

(Maundy Thursday)

 Revelation 3:14-22

“Jesus' Letter to Laodicea”

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

“You are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. You're so lukewarm, I am going to spew you out of my mouth!” Wow. Some of the harshest words to all of the seven churches, and maybe in all of Holy Scripture, are spoken to the pastor and people at Laodicea.

We've been meditating on those seven letters in this Lenten season, and applying Jesus' words to the seven churches of Revelation – and simultaneously applying them to ourselves. After all, Jesus himself concludes each letter, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. These are open letters, meant for us all to hear.

And Jesus' call to repentance throughout has been clear as well. His condemnation of sin and spiritual weakness, his exhortations and admonitions about false doctrine and toleration of sin, lack of love and fear of persecution. All these are warnings we do well to take seriously.

But what a picture of disgust, the idea that we are so wretched and distasteful to him in our sin, that he would spit us, spew us out of his mouth.... if we don't repent. Repentance has been the major theme here, hasn't it. A turning away from our sins, and a turning to God in faith. The call to repentance is related to how we are disciplined as his church, as his people.

It would be a mistake for us to say we were “just fine”. It would be wrong of us to say like the church of Laodicea did, that we are “rich, prosperous and need nothing”. In fact, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

But we “say we have no sin” all the time, don't we? Is sin an operative concept for us in daily life outside of church? We live most of our lives, it seems without much thought about what we SHOULD do, and much more thought about what we WANT to do. What feels good, what makes us happy. What makes practical sense at the time. Or maybe we even act without much thought. But we certainly don't often think of our actions as sins, or sinful. Until once in a while, maybe once a week or two, when we come to church and, “oh yeah – I guess I am a sinner after all”.

Lent is all about repentance. The Christian faith is all about repentance. Jesus Christ himself is all about it – as he calls us to a life of on-going repentance.

What a great danger, Jesus here shows us, is apathy. That we would grow so comfortable that we don't care anymore about our sin – don't even see it. We go through life on auto-pilot, never considering fully the true measure of our sinfulness. We take only a shallow glance at the word, rather than a hard look in the mirror of God's law – an examination of ourselves which would show all the warts and imperfections. It's not comfortable to look there. To see ourselves in all our sinful wretchedness. But we must look there first, and look well. Before we can truly see our savior.

We are sometimes neither hot nor cold. If we were, we might be uncomfortable enough to feel the need for our savior. The heat of God's wrath burning down our necks might make us long for the soul-quenching Gospel. The coldness of our hearts might make us yearn for the warmth of his love in Christ. But lukewarm – room temperature? No need, no bother. No thought or care. Just numbness, deadness, apathy.  

Today’s apathetic world even has a new expression for this kind of thing.  Meh!  M-E-H.  A sort of middling so-so, not too good and not so bad.  A sort of verbal interjection of lukewarm-ness.  How was your day?  Meh.  How was dinner?  Meh.  How was the sermon today?

But spiritual “Meh” is no good for Jesus when it comes to faith.  He spews lukewarm apathy out of his mouth in disgust.

Repent, Jesus says. Be zealous and repent! Know the depth of your sin, so you may know the joy of your salvation!

As always in this series, Jesus then makes promises to conclude his letter. He says he's knocking, and if anyone opens the door, he will eat with him. In other words, he's calling for repentance, and if we do, he will surely forgive. And it's interesting that he expresses that forgiveness as “eating with us”. For one of the most powerful ways he bestows his forgiveness to us is in a meal.

This day, Maundy Thursday, we especially consider the meal that Christ has given us. A Holy Supper – unlike any other meal. The food is heavenly – his own body and blood. And its effect is divine – forgiveness, life and salvation. He who would spew unrepentant sinners from his mouth, takes those who repent and feeds us with his own flesh and blood. He puts forgiveness in physical form, into our mouths. There is no more intimate fellowship than this. There is no way to be closer to Jesus, than here at his Supper – where he touches our lips – where he is present for us, given to us.

So, are we apathetic about the Sacrament? Are we neither hot nor cold? When Christ our Lord enthrones himself in bread and wine, and invites us to the feast – is it “just another day”? When God himself comes to you, feeds you, forgives you... is it ever NOT a big deal? 

We repent of our careless and thoughtless reception of your gifts, O Lord. And we thank you that through such gifts, you even forgive such carelessness and thoughtlessness.

And finally in this letter to Laodicea, the promise of a throne. Yes, we know Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. We know he reigns and rules over all. But to the one who conquers – there is a promise. To the one who believes, the one who is saved, the one who repents and is forgiven - “I will grant him to sit with me on my throne”. We will share in his reign forever. What a promise. What a blessing. There and then we will truly be rich, and prosper, and need nothing.  There’s nothing lukewarm or “meh” about that.

But until then – the life of faith continues. A life of repentance, in which he continually knocks, continually feeds us. Be zealous in your repentance, and even more zealous in your faith! For his promises are great, and they are for you. Given and shed for you... for the forgiveness of your sins. For you... unto life everlasting, Amen.

Sermon - 7 Churches of Revelation - Sardis

Revelation 3:1-6

“Jesus' Letter to Sardis”

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

The Church in Sardis was not what it seemed to be. Everyone thought they were alive and vibrant and active and living – but they were sick, about to die, and slipping into a slumber. Perhaps it was apathy. Or maybe you could call it forgetfulness. Or spiritual frailness. Or all of the above.  It kind of reminds you of when Jesus criticized the Pharisees as being “white-washed tombs” – beautiful on the outside, but inside only rotting bones.

Now, there is no perfect Christian, and there is no perfect congregation of Christians. Remember the church in Ephesus, and her lack of love. The church in Smyrna, and her fear of persecution. The church in Pergamum, and her struggles with false doctrine. And the church in Thyatira, which tolerated open sin and heresy. Jesus calls them all to repent, so does he also call to the church in Sardis.

Sardis, the sleepy church, is called to “wake up”. Just what was going on here? He says, “I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God”. And we recall the relationship between faith and works. Faith drives good works. Good works are an expression of faith. So something is wrong with their faith, too, it seems. The lacking works are a symptom of the real problem.

Perhaps Sardis was one of those churches that just went “through the motions”. Every Sunday gathering, saying the same old things, singing the same old songs (though probably with little gusto). Mouthing the words with no meaning or thought. One commentator put it this way, the “rituals of godly pretense”. Oh sure, their pomp and ritual made them look alive and well, but inside there was a sickness – a critical illness – of which Jesus was fully aware.

There are, today, all sorts of gurus and experts, self-appointed and otherwise, who want to diagnose congregations and do growth assessments and community engagement studies.  These well-meaning programs often seek to clarify just what your church is doing wrong, or not doing enough of, in order to grow and thrive.  You should see the junk email your pastor gets about all this.  And, oh, if it were that easy.  To simply diagnose a congregation’s ills.

Some have said to me that Messiah has a problem with getting enough volunteers.  And while that’s fairly subjective, it might be true.  Many people, even the pastor sometimes, find it easier to write a check than to spend some precious time.  Others would probably criticize us for being inwardly focused – not a “mission outpost” but a “maintenance station”.  It’s budget time and the church council is struggling again to crunch the numbers, and weigh how much to spend, and how much giving will be there to cover expenses.  Or even the experience of a visitor who comes here – some say, “oh they were so friendly” and some say, “oh, they were so cold.  No one talked to me.”  I suppose the mileage really does vary.

I don’t know, and they don’t teach at seminary how to do it, and I wouldn’t believe them if they claimed to – figure out how to diagnose a congregation as a whole.  Maybe only Jesus can do that, as he does to these seven churches.  But notice this.  He’s not concerned about outward, but inward realities.  He doesn’t chide the churches for being unfriendly or not volunteering on committees.  He doesn’t exhort them to more pot-lucks.  He doesn’t even say they need to serve the needs of their communities.  He calls them to repentance.

Repent of your lack of love.  Repent of false doctrine.  Repent of your fear of persecution.  Simply, repent of your sins.

And while Jesus speaks to Sardis, he is really speaking to all of the churches, and to all Christians. Just as we too are called to repent of lovelessness, fear, toleration of false teaching and sin... so are we called to true faith which expresses itself in good works. A living faith which is not mere show. A rich and true trust in Jesus Christ – which naturally brings about the evidence in our lives.

So how are we doing? How are we doing as a congregation, and as individuals?

If Jesus looked at us as a congregation, would he see an active and living faith expressed in good works of love? Would he see us helping the blind, the hungry, the poor – the widow and orphan? Well some people volunteer with Braille or swaddling clothes. Some donate to the local food pantry or work at various volunteer organizations. And as a congregation, we send money to support mission and mercy work in our district and abroad. Some might look at us and say, “my how alive! How vibrant and active Messiah Lutheran Church is! What wonderful works they are doing for the Lord!”

But is that just an appearance of life, where death is always close at hand? In our congregational life, do our works really measure up? Could more people be involved? Could we do more to serve more people? Are there works that go undone because we have better things to do? Is there a sense that “someone else will do that”? Do we think that we give “enough”, serve “enough” and volunteer “enough” of our time?

Or in our own personal lives – how would the one who has the seven spirits and the seven stars grade us? Would we get a gold star? Or would we get a mark of, “needs improvement”?

No, Jesus doesn't grade on a curve, nor does he judge us in comparison to others. His standard is the perfect law. And we must admit, this is a test we would all fail, if left to ourselves.

But rather than fail us for our failings, he calls instead for repentance. “Wake up!” he says - “Remember!” he reminds. “Don’t soil your garments” Turn away from your sin and come again in faith to the cross. He calls, because he wants you to believe and live. He calls, because he wants to grant faith in abundance. He calls because he wants that faith to be expressed in good works.

And when we repent, he forgives. He grants gifts we don't deserve, he forgives our sin, enlivens faith, and by his Spirit he brings about those good works in us.

In these letters, he couches his grace in the promises of gifts – and to Sardis he promises 2 – a white robe, and a name written in the book of life. Both of these images appear later in the vision of Revelation, and both remind us of God's grace in Christ.

The white robe is a symbol of his own righteousness – evoking our baptism. There in the waters of grace he washed our robes soiled with sin, washed them in his own blood – taking away each spot and stain. And as we return to our baptism in daily repentance, so does he wash our robes again and again. The Old Adam is drowned, and the New Adam arises to live in faith.

And that book – a book of life – in whose names God has carefully recorded all those who belong to him. It reminds us that God knows us, that he has claimed us, and that he has an intention for us. His plan is in writing – it's just waiting to be fulfilled. The blueprint for our salvation is sure, it's all there in black and white.

So again, like Sardis, we have some repenting to do. Maybe as a church, and also as individuals.  May we repent of our lack of good works, which comes from our lack of faith. Though we may look alive and well, we are sick and dying – apart from Christ. But let us never be apart from Christ! For in the one who died and lives, we die to sin and live for eternity. He calls us to keep his words, remember them, and wake up. Repent and believe – and conquer – by his grace. In his name, Amen.

Sermon - 7 Churches of Revelation - The Letter to Thyatira

 

Some may wonder what our sermon series on the letters to the 7 churches had to do with Lent. Some may think, “how is all of this business from the Book of Revelation connected to the Passion – the arrest and trial, the suffering and death of Christ?” In truth, it's not directly connected to all that. 

But it is a very timely series for the season of Lent. Throughout these letters, Jesus calls the churches to repent. Repentance is a major theme of this season. Lent is the most penitential time of the church year. It is a time for all of us to reflect on our own sins, and listen to God's word which calls us to turn away from sin, and turn to him in faith.

When God calls, and when Jesus calls sinners to repent, he is very serious. And you'd certainly know that if you lived in Thyatira. There, they had a false prophetess among them who was sinning gravely, and also leading others into sin.

Hear the words of Jesus’ letter to the church at Thyatira:

To the Church in Thyatira

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Jesus words are harsh here, jarring, even. He calls this troublemaking woman “Jezebel”, which even today is a name synonymous with wickedness. Jezebel, a daughter of a pagan priest-king from Phonecia, was married to Ahab, an Israelite king whose name is also notorious to this day.

Jezebel was the enemy of God's people in the Old Testament, an evil queen who promoted pagan worship. She persuaded her husband to introduce worship of the nature god from Tyre and Sidon, Baal-Melkart.  And she meant business.  She was responsible for the slaughter of many of the prophets of Yahweh.  In 1 Kings 17 we read about how Yahweh sends Elijah, who prophesies a severe drought as punishment for these crimes.  And it comes to pass, of course. 

Later, when Elijah had his great contest on Mt. Carmel with the prophets of Baal, he didn’t seem all that afraid of them or of wicked king Ahab.  But when Jezebel put a price on his head – he high-tailed it to the desert in terror for his life. 

Jezebel was also behind the murder of Naboth, the man who had the vineyard in the Jezreel valley that Ahab wanted to buy, but Naboth refused.  Jezebel took care of that – having Naboth framed for blasphemy and killed so her husband could just take the vineyard for himself.  But Elijah prophesied that Jezebel’s body would be devoured by dogs in that very valley.

About 10 years after king Ahab died, when Jehu became king, he meted out justice on the whole house of Ahab, and had some eunuchs throw Jezebel out the window of the palace to her death.  And though he then ordered her to then receive a proper burial (for she was the daughter of a king, after all), it wasn’t possible.  In fulfillment of Elijah’s prophecy, her body was ravaged by the dogs, and nothing was left to bury.  Divine judgment for this wicked enemy of God’s people.  So went the story of Old Testament Jezebel.

Here in his letter, Jesus compares the false prophetess of Thyatira with that Old Testament icon of evil. But he is not simply here to make a comparison, or do some name-calling. He has given this woman time to repent, but she has refused, and so he will punish her with suffering, and those who follow her as well. He even threatens her children.

So often we think of sin as no big deal. Little white lies. Peccadillos. Foibles. Almost lovable, laughable character flaws. But Jesus does not. He takes sin very seriously and wants us to as well. He does not turn a blind eye to sin, and to unrepentance. Some of the harshest words of fire and brimstone in Scripture, and most of what we know of Hell, comes from the lips of Jesus Christ himself. He is very serious about sin.

And it's not just our own sins, but the sins of others he wants us to be concerned with. He accuses the Christians at Thyatira of tolerating this great sinner. Tolerance! A watchword of our age. Tolerance has become a sort of god itself, an ultimate value. I saw a bumper sticker once that said, “I tolerate everything, except certainty”. This kind of tolerance for sin is not Christian or Christ-like. He takes sin seriously, and so should we. Ours, and our neighbor's.

Then what of Jesus' teachings like, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone?” or, “take the log out of your own eye before you bother with the speck in your brother's”. Doesn't Jesus want us to leave other people alone, and let God be the judge? Well, yes, and no.

Jesus said to his disciples in John 20, “If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” What? There are times when we are to forgive, and times when we are to NOT forgive?

Ultimately, God is the judge of all. No one can see the faith of the heart. But God does call his church and her pastors to deal with sin and sinners. Not in haste or without care. Not with the goal of bringing down God's wrath, but instead with the goal of repentance.... and forgiveness. Just as God wants all to be saved, so do we. Just as God wants all to be forgiven, so do we. Just as Jesus died for the sins of the world, so do we want the world to believe and live.

If we are quick to pick up stones and go digging for eye-specks, we are not giving the time to repent that God would give. If we judge according to man-made standards, we fall under judgment ourselves. But if we carefully apply the word of God to sinners, and to ourselves, we will see the need for repentance. And we will see that all sin is not the same. Some is repentant. Some is not. Some is private, and truly known only by the sinner himself and God.  But some sins are public, and may scandalize the entire congregation, and so must be treated differently.

Some sins are those we lay at the foot of the cross, and beating our chests, beg for God to forgive us. And he does! This is the very point of our faith. That Jesus takes our sins away – and gives us his own righteousness. So seriously does he take sin, that he dies for us, to take it away. Sin is a big deal. But Jesus dying for our sins is a bigger deal.

But not all will receive it. Not all will repent. Like the prophetess of Thyatira, some sinners harden their hearts, dig in their heels, and hold on to their sins. Jesus doesn't ultimately tolerate this, nor does his faithful church. To the extent that we look the other way with such sin, we too must repent, turn around, and ask his forgiveness.

The beauty and the blessing of our faith, is that God is slow to anger, but quick to forgive. And so should we be. Take the parable from last Sunday’s Gospel reading, in which the gardener comes to the defense of the fruitless fig tree… “don’t cut it down just yet – let me apply some manure and give it another season to bear fruit…”  Jesus truly wants to find faith, and truly wants to forgive even the most wicked and unrepentant sinner. He is patient with sin, but not forever. He gives time to repent, but not without limit. He calls us to turn away from sin and turn to him and believe and live. And we do, by his grace, and in the power of His Spirit. Thanks be to God for such a gift.

And so does he charge his church, and her pastors, to deal with sinners. Patiently calling to repentance, applying law and Gospel faithfully. Always with the goal of forgiveness. Could Jesus, would Jesus have even forgiven that wicked Jezebel? Yes. Of course. After all, he forgives us.

So once again, Christian, repent. Turn in faith to Christ, and be forgiven, and live. And pray that all would do the same, and share in the salvation that is ours in Christ. Amen.

Sermon - 7 Churches of Revelation - The Letter to Smyrna

 

Revelation 2:8-11

“Jesus' Letter to Smyrna”

We’ve begun a series, this Lent, looking at Jesus’ letters to the 7 churches in the early chapters of the book of Revelation.  These 7 churches in Asia Minor, which is today known as Turkey, represent a broad spectrum of the challenges and blessings that all Christian churches face.  Last week we heard about the church of Ephesus, and how while they stood firm against false teaching, their love had grown cold.  We saw that Jesus’ love shines forth to us in the truth of his Word, and that word warms our hearts to love our neighbors.

Tonight, the second letter that Jesus wrote to the churches of Revelation goes to the church in Smyrna. And I have to tell you that this letter holds some personal importance for me. Please bear with me, as I don’t usually include personal things in a sermon. 

Some years ago, I sat down with my grandparents and learned some family history. They told me that my great-great grandparents, whose last name was “Chrystodoulos”, were Greeks living on the coast of Turkey in a town called Smyrna. This is the same town mentioned in our reading.

We're not sure exactly why or when, but sometime in the late 1800s, many of the Greeks living there, including my great-great-grandparents, were massacred there by the Turkish army, and my great-grandfather Sammy was orphaned. Later, he made it to America, where his last name was shortened to “Chryst”.

Many Christians still visit Smyrna today, as part of their “Footsteps of St. Paul” and “Lands of the Bible” tours.  But of course, it’s now known by its Ottoman Turk name, “Izmir”.  Perhaps we will even make such a tour one day with a group from Messiah.

It's interesting, too, that throughout its history, Smyrna has been a place of conflict. I don't know if my great-great-grandparents were Christians or not, but most Greeks were. And the Turks, being Muslim... well I'm sure that the religious differences had something to do with that conflict.

But in the first century, it was Roman emperor worship and traditional Judaism that competed with early Christianity. And when Jesus writes his letter to the church in Smyrna, they were suffering persecution, and were about to suffer more.  He writes:

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

It can only be Jesus writing.  He is the First and the Last – the one who died and came to life.  His eternal divinity and his glorious resurrection are calling cards no other can provide.  Singular credentials.  We do well to take note.

First, he speaks well of the church at Smyrna.  He commends them for being rich, even though they are poor. Certainly he means that their spiritual riches far surpass the earthly wealth they lack. This is the same Jesus who warned about wealth, and of gaining the whole world but losing one's soul. The same Jesus who contrasted the Rich man and Lazarus – one wealthy on earth, but spiritually bankrupt. The other a poor beggar, but who inherits life eternal. So often in Scripture it is the poor who are truly rich in spiritual blessings.

And this should make us reflect. Whenever there is much talk of a poor economy, and tough times with many people losing jobs and losing money in the markets, and gas prices give us a healthy dose of sticker-shock. Still, most of us are blessed with more than what we need to get by. We could be much worse off. But no matter what the economy does, and whether we struggle to pay our bills or not – we can truly say we are rich. We can rejoice, like the Christians of Smyrna, in the riches of God's grace shown to us in Christ. We have the blessings that money could never buy, and that we could never earn – all the benefits won for us by the perfect life and sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are rich. Our treasures on earth pale compared to our treasures in heaven.

Jesus also comforts the church of Smyrna, as they face trial and tribulation. Perhaps their poverty was partly because of persecution. Certain Jews were speaking falsely about them. And wow – Jesus calls those Jews the “synagogue of Satan”. In other words, they think they are the true believers, the true inheritors of Abraham – but they are caught up in Satan's lies. And the devil, perhaps through these blasphemers, will soon persecute and imprison some of the Christians.

Such trials and tribulations are really tests of faith. Like Abraham who is tested when God tells him to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac.  Like Job, whose faith was tested in great suffering. Like the Apostles and St. John himself who saw this vision while he was exiled to a prison island. God's people are often put to the test of faith. And it is God who gives us the strength, and gives us the faith to face and pass those tests.

For those in Smyrna, it would be a short and finite test. Ten days – likely a symbolic number for a short but complete time set by God. And for us, while some suffering seems shorter and some seems longer, there is always an end. Even if the persecution ends in death itself, there is a promise beyond the grave.

One important point to learn from these letters, and from Scripture in more general terms, but particularly from the mouth of Jesus – is this:  That persecution and suffering do not indicate God’s disfavor.  He knows we will face it, he warns us about it, and promises to be with us through it.  And so for the Christian persecution can become something very meaningful, as it deepens the faith, draws you to rely more fully on God’s grace, and as you see God’s faithfulness through to the other side.  Suffering isn’t a sign that God is angry with us, rather, he helps us through the suffering, and brings good from it.  Therefore we do not fear it.

Suffering, especially from persecution, can also draw us nearer to Christ.  For he suffered for us and was glorified.  1 Peter 4:13 reminds us, “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

He includes this beautiful promise, many even have it as their confirmation verse, - “be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life”. Only he can give it, because he has won it for us. He who wore the crown of thorns and shed his holy precious blood give also rose victorious over death to give us a share in that victory.

It is perhaps worth noting that of all the various ranks of angels there may be, in all their power and glory, no angel is ever given a crown or depicted wearing a crown.  No angel is given a share in the reign of Christ.  But the church is.  Christians are.  His promise of the crown of life indicates a share in his victorious reign, beginning even now, and seen in its fullness in the glory of the world to come.  But it is a crown of life – not just to exercise authority and dominion but also in the service of life, and with the promise of eternal life in him.  A crown of life is better than a crown of diamonds and gold.  The crown of life is our heavenly reward which we never earned, but is given to us by faith in the First and the Last, the one who died and rose again. 

Thank God for the riches – physical and spiritual that we do enjoy, especially those blessings that come to us in Christ. Thank God that we are free from persecution and trials, and pray that he sustains us if they ever do come. And Thank God for the promised crown of life waiting for all of us who trust in Jesus Christ.

Sermon - 7 Churches of Revelation - The Letter to Ephesus

Sermon - Ash Wednesday - Revelation 2:1-7

Revelation 2:1-7

“Jesus' Letter to Ephesus”

1"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

2 "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'

We begin another Lenten season in the church, as we always do, with Ash Wednesday. A day of repentance and sorrow over sin, which sets the tone for this penitential time in our church calendar. Ashes are a sign of repentance going back to ancient times, and even today many Christians wear ashes on their foreheads to signify this repentance.

We're also starting a series of mid-week sermons which focus on an important section in the book of Revelation. Each week in Lent we will focus on one of the letters to these 7 churches, in order to hear God's word to us, and prepare us for the observance of Good Friday and Easter.

But first some background. Near the end of the First Century, St. John, as now old man, was imprisoned for his faith on the island of Patmos. One Sunday John had a marvelous vision, a “revelation”, which was given to him by Jesus Christ himself. In fact, the real name of this book of the bible is, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John”.

And in that vision, Jesus appeared to John surrounded by many symbolic images. These things John really saw – but many of them stood for other things, for concepts and ideas. When Jesus appeared, he held in his hand 7 stars and walked among 7 lamp-stands. Jesus himself said these 7 lamp-stands were the 7 churches he would address, and the 7 stars were the “angels” of those 7 churches.

And while some believe those 7 angels to be something like guardian angels watching over the churches, a much older interpretation makes more sense. The Church Father known as “The Venerable Bede” makes the case that these “angels” are really the pastors of those churches. After all, the word “angel” means “messenger”. And God blesses us with supernatural, spiritual as well as everyday human messengers. Also, it makes more sense for them to be pastors since he both commends and criticizes not only the churches but the messengers. And we pastors are certainly in the same boat as the people of the church. We are sinners and saints just the same, and not above criticism.

So Jesus has a message for each of these pastors and the churches under their care. They were certainly not the only 7 churches of their day, and so these letters have wider application. They even apply, we will see, to us. We heed the warnings to the churches, even as we take comfort in the promises at the end of each section. So too, as the criticisms and compliments of Christ for these churches are universal to Christians of all times and places.

Take this first letter, to the church at Ephesus. The Ephesian Christians get a mixed review from our Lord. He commends them for their vigilance against false doctrine. Heretics known as the Nicolatians were active in the area, and the Ephesian church was right to “hate” their works. Jesus, too, says he hates their works. We don't know exactly what the false teachers taught, but it's been suggested they practiced promiscuity and ignored the law of God. So far the Ephesian Christians get good marks from our Lord for avoiding this heresy and enduring in the true faith.

But then Jesus takes them to task. He holds something against them. They have “abandoned the love” they first had. Their first love. What was it? Apparently a love for one another, rooted in their love for God, who had first loved them in Christ. He calls them to repentance and even threatens that if they don't repent, the lamp-stand will be removed from its place. In other words, they will lose their place as one of his churches. In yet other words, they will no longer be his people.

As I said, these words of Jesus have a wider application. For many pastors, and many churches, and many church members do much the same as the Ephesians. We may say the right things, we may even remain outwardly faithful. But inside of us is a rot of lovelessness that threatens our very faith.

Jesus tells us to love your neighbor as yourself. Paul tells the Corinthian church, that even if he speaks in the language of the angels, but has no love, he's a noisy gong or clanging symbol. Love is one of the most important words in all of scripture, one of the highest values.

For Jesus' own summary of the law is to love – to love God, and to love our neighbor. And which of us couldn't stand to show more love, be more loving, put others before yourself more, and basically be a better Christian neighbor? We have all failed. We all need to be more loving. We are all like the Ephesians.

What does it mean when there is no love, or very little? It means that we have sinned, and must repent. What does it mean when faith does not express itself in the works and deeds of love? It means we are sinners whose faith is flagging and failing, and we need to turn again to Christ and the cross for forgiveness, strength and renewal.

Just as it would be wrong for us to focus only on right doctrine and true teaching, and fail to love our neighbor, so also would it be a disaster for us to only care about love but never the truth of God’s word.  The two go together.  We speak the truth in love, and love without truth is really not that loving, anyway.

And Christ loves us. Greater love has no one than that he gives up his life for his friends. Jesus of course, gave up his life for us, even when we were enemies of God. He did it out of love. God sent him out of love for the world. A love which is patient and kind, which keeps no record of wrongs. A love which always endures and never fails. A love so great that not even death could overcome it. God is love, and Jesus is the embodiment of God's love for us.

It's that love that empowers us to love. It's the Gospel that gives us the strength and the will to love God and love one another. Nothing of our own, nothing within us can do it. Only the love from without can inspire the love within. And by his Word and Spirit, he shows that love and speaks that love and sparks that love in us.

You know, the Nicolations, the false teachers in Ephesus, their very name meant “the conquerors”. Again, we don't know much about them or why they would call themselves that. But we do know this, from Romans 8, that “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us”. Yes, Jesus’ love makes us more than conquerors!

In Jesus, not only do we defeat sin, death and the Devil – enemies we could never face on our own but who don't stand a chance against him. But also in Jesus we are more than conquerors. We not only defeat our enemies but we live victoriously. “To him who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God”. Yes that life which God originally intended for Adam and Eve – that life which is restored only by the love of a savior who died.

Each week, as we read the letters to the churches, we will discover spiritual insights and applications to our modern churches, and even to us as individual Christians. We will be called again and again to repentance and faith, as our Lenten journey continues.

Today, we see ourselves in the Ephesians – commended for watching our doctrine. Praised for the endurance of faith we have. But warned not to let our love grow cold. And reminded, that in the love of Christ, we are more than conquerors, who will eat from the tree of life.