Mark 13:1-13

Enduring to the End

Proper 28C

November 15, 2015

There is no question, God requires Christians to be gathered into His presence. This is not an option for a Christian, this is not a suggestion, but the fulfillment of the 3^rd Commandment.  The author of Hebrews comments 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” So you may endure until the end.  That you may get your strength and your confidence and your hope in Christ, through the assurance of the forgiveness of your sins. To hear the Word, receive His Sacraments, pray, sing, and give thanks.

But where are we to meet God in His mercy? Where does He locate Himself for our good and not to our harm?  In the Old Testament the answer to those questions was easy – the temple.

At the time of Jesus, Herod’s temple in Jerusalem was one of the most impressive man made structures of the ancient world. People came from all over to see it. At times it was a much of a tourist attraction as it was a place of worship. For a faithful Jew, it was the center of religious life, the place where the glory of God dwelt with His people, the place where the Sacrifice of Atonement was made once a year in the Holy of Holies to cover the sins of the people.

It’s no surprise therefore that Jesus’ disciples comment on the beauty of the temple.  It would have been quite the source of pride for them.  Look at what these hands have made, what our efforts have done.  It would have been a little surprising then that Jesus says the Temple would be destroyed.  It would take a disaster, a national tragedy. Surely that wouldn’t happen, much less anytime soon. Yet Jesus’ words are fulfilled almost 40 years later, in the year 70, as the Romans level the city of Jerusalem and tear down the temple because of their rebellion.

It’s not the first time God knocked down the works of the hands of men, nor will it be the last. He did the same during the flood, He did the same with the tower of Babel, He did the same to the temple when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem 600 years earlier.  The church, the people of God, isn’t built upon the authority of men, nor upon the works of human hands, but solely upon the rock of Christ. All our efforts to rise above this sinful world, all our achievements in medicine and science and engineering and the will power of mankind come to naught when presented before the creator of heaven and earth.

His disciples wondered about this and so Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Jesus privately when this would happen and how they would know that it was coming.  Rather than giving the disciples a time table, Jesus urges those who would follow Him to be on their guard against false prophets, the evils of this fallen world, persecution, hatred and death. The final judgement comes unexpectedly, and we are to be ready to meet that day without fear or anxiety, but with the faith in the Son of God.

We live in the days foretold by Jesus. We hear of wars and rumors of war. Lawlessness is increasing. The love of many is growing cold. There is no fleeing to a temple made of human hands that can stop or postpone this Day of our Lord.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved. The Gospel of Christ is being proclaimed through the whole world as a testimony to all nations. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

In our current world and culture, terrorism and evil seem to be spreading more and more and rapidly.  The murder of innocents, the lies, sexual immorality, destruction – life as a Christian for us will not get easier in the future. We need to be ready to suffer all, even death, for the sake of the Gospel.  One day, these bricks and wall will crumble.  Not just this building, but all our efforts and all our righteousness will not stand in the presence of a Holy and righteous God who demands perfection. So what are we do to?

And as we wait His final coming, we gather together here in this place with fellow Christians, not neglecting to meet together.  With the incarnation of Christ, the temple no longer served as the location of God’s presence for His people.  Now, God Himself dwells bodily among us.  Jesus is the temple where the glory of the Lord dwells with and for His people.  The temple that was torn down upon the cross and built up again three days later at the Resurrection.  He serves us not only as the High Priest who would make the sacrifice and offering for the forgiveness of sins, but He also serves as the offering itself, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.  As the high priest passed through the curtain to enter the Most Holy Place where the glory of the Lord dwelt, we enter into God’s presence only through Christ.  His body and soul were divided in death as the curtain of the temple was torn.  Due to Christ’s sacrifice, God grants His people faith, hope and love. Where there is forgiveness of theses sins, there is no longer any offering for sin.”  Assurance of our salvation through faith in Christ.

What makes a house worthy of worship and refuge for the sinner is not its outward appearance, but the Word of God. The church building is the location where heaven and earth intersect, for God visits His people through His Word and Sacraments.  While this is always the main focus, our buildings ought to reflect this reality.  Our attention is on the pulpit and lectern, from where God’s Word is proclaimed.  On the altar where the body and blood of Christ are delivered to His people. On the font where the Lord takes a person dead in the sins and brings them to life and enters into the family of God.  The shape of our building is that of the cross. Stained glass windows reflect symbols of our faith. Above all, the cross of Christ.

These things are here for the sole purpose to teach, to preach, and to deliver Christ crucified to His people so that we may endure to the end. It is through His means of grace that not only He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. He preserves us in this faith through His presence with us still.

Pray for God’s Church on earth. Pray for the victims in Paris. Pray for our missionaries at home and overseas as they proclaim the gospel to all nations. Pray for those who place themselves in harm's way as they try to protect us. Pray for the end, and endurance for the Advent of our King. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.

Where does faith come from?  This was a questioned asked not too long ago by a young man not too different from many of you, our school children, today. A good question it is, and one which we answer today. St. Paul writes in Romans 10, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” There you have it. The source of faith is the Word of Christ. It is His work, it is His gift He delivers through His means of grace of Word and Sacraments.  This is also why when asked about which is the greatest Commandment, Jesus answers that the first and greatest commandment begins with hearing, quoting from Deuteronomy 6, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One!” In other words, listen up!  Pay attention! And not just to anyone, but the Lord our God, the Lord who is One!

When we gather together for worship, when we are gathered together like we are today, first and foremost, we do so to hear Christ speak to us. Our Lord speaks and we listen. His Word bestows what it says. The promises that He speaks to us create and sustain this faith.

We listen as our Lord speaks, we receive His gift of faith and His grace in Christ. What do we hear? From God’s Word we learn to believe that we are sinners, we learn repentance, we learn to confess our sins, learn to forgive the sins of others as Christ has forgiven us, learn to confess the faith to the world, to live faithfully in their vocations in life. This life of faith flows from the Word of God that is received and believed. 

Faith that is born from what is heard acknowledges the gifts received with eager thankfulness and praise. When this takes place, the Lord working through His Word, He establishes a culture of prayer. How to listen to God’s Word correctly, how to receive the Sacraments for our blessings, how to pray and confess the faith and how to live in our vocations.

This is part of the beauty of Luther’s Small Catechism, the main tool of teaching God’s Word in Lutheran churches.  It starts with the 10 Commandments which preaches the will of the Creator for His creation. It is a Law that preaches death to sinners for not perfectly obeying all of God’s holy Ten Commands. Then follows the Creed, which preaches faith, or the resurrection from the dead, the Gospel which gives life and salvation through the forgiveness of sins received by fitgh in Christ crucified. Then the Lord’s Prayer preaches the holy life, a life of faith which clings to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.  Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension become the personal story of every Christian, who by grace alone, has been baptized into Christ for absolution and communion with Him in the forgiveness of sins.  Hearing, believing, teaching, confessing Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

What a contrast to the way that many of us think and operate about learning and education.  “Modern education is founded on the idea that children learn best on their own, and that all we can do is direct their self-education. Teachers exist to inspire, encourage, and then get out of the way and let the child discover what wonders the world has in store for himself or herself. Most modern efforts to instruct are based on this understanding. If only we present the material to children in the right way, and in the right quantity, we cannot fail.

“This model cannot work in the church. We are all sinners in need of God’s grace and mercy. But the cross of Christ is a stumbling block. We do not want to acknowledge our sin, or confess those sins before God. It is the Holy Spirit who creates faith, not our efforts” (Lincoln Winter, Teach These Things, p. viii). The Spirit crucifies the inner lusts of the heart, puts to death the actions of the flesh, contends against our corrupt inclinations, and begins new desires in us which are in keeping with the law of God.  And this all worked by the Word of God, in preaching and in teaching.

We must trust the Word of God to do what He has promised: Create faith that grabs hold of the promise of Jesus.  The goal of teaching is not mere instruction. The goal is to bring God’s people into the life of God through the Church. The main purpose of teaching these things, the goal of our school, the goal of our Daycare, our Sunday School, youth group, catechesis classes, Bible studies is simply this: faith in Christ. We preach and teach the truth of God’s Word to shape the faith and understanding of God’s people to God’s Word. The Christian may daily die to sin and rise to new life by the Gospel to claim the promises of salvation in Christ.

And this is why our Lord commands that we teach these things to one another and to our children.  It is a matter of life and death, of heaven and hell.  It may seem extreme to our modern sensibilities that we ought to speak of the things of God when we sit in our house, when we walk by the way, when we lied down and when we rise. It seems silly to us to go through the work of binding God’s word on our hands and homes, our heart and our head. And yet loving the Lord our God with our heart and all our soul and might, and our neighbor as ourselves demands nothing less.

And it is more than we can do. Husbands and wives struggle to love one another as a reflection of Christ and His bride, the Church. Children struggle to love their parents when they are disciplined. Our full hearts, minds, soul, and strength are not on loving each other as ourselves, much less on loving God. Yet the perfect fulfillment of the Law is absolutely necessary for salvation.  But because this is impossible for us, Scripture says in Romans 8:3-4 “For God has done has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh in order that righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” 

Only Jesus has kept the entire Law perfectly. And it is to Christ which we are directed by His Word, by His teaching, by His grace. To the cross of Christ where we see what a true and lasting love actually looks like as the Son of God dies to save sinners.  To faith in Christ, which hears and believes, teaches and confesses the Word of God. 

The last Sunday in October is always a proud day for Lutherans all over the world.  We get to beat our chest and express our pride of heritage at the fruits of the Reformation as we celebrated the 498^th anniversary of the Reformation this year.  The Bible in the language of the people, worship that is focused upon God's gifts and not our works, the Gospel restored to its central place in the life of the Church... why we have a lot to boast about.  It hardly seems fair that one Sunday is enough to stand up here and glory in being Lutheran.

And then every year, the Sunday after we celebrate the Reformation itself and we puff ourselves up in pride, we are humbled once again by the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes as we observe All Saint’s Day.  “Blessed are…”--Words of pure Gospel as Jesus shakes the foundation of what it means to be part of the people of God.  We hear these words and all of a sudden they become a terrible burden to us. We look at our lives and realize we are not as poor in spirit as we ought to be, we are not as good as we ought to be, we do not act as saintly as God’s people should.

But you see, God is not like the Marines.  He is not looking for the few, the proud, or the strong.   He doesn’t say blessed are those whose faith is so strong that they never have doubts or struggle with understanding.  He doesn’t say blessed are those who pat themselves on the back for being good and heirs of the Reformation.  He doesn’t say blessed are those who have it all figured out.   He simply says, Blessed are the poor in spirit… the mourning… the meek, the weak.

We often think that our problem is we are not strong enough Christians, that we just don’t have enough faith.  If only we were stronger we might be worthy of God and useful to God.  If we were only stronger we wouldn’t have the struggles and the temptations and be happy like the person in the pew next to yours.  If only we were stronger we would be better people and more deserving of reward.  If you worry that God cannot use you because you are not strong enough, then you have it all backwards. 

The problem is not that we are not strong enough but that we are not weak enough.  The first beatitude speaks as much, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” We continue to hold on to the idea that we could have fixed what is wrong if we wanted to, that we could make ourselves worthy of God's love, and that we are not so bad after all.  We continue to think that to be a good Christian means not having problems, overcoming temptation by the sheer force of our will.  We have not stopped living on our own strength, trying to be independent and self-sufficient individuals when our only hope is to be completely dependent upon Christ.  We have not stopped boasting of our goodness and our righteousness especially in comparison to that other “sinner” when our only righteousness is that from Christ and what He has done for us.

Until we are ready to give up any and every boast, the grace and blessedness of God will still seem far from us.  Until we are ready to let go of our strength, His strength will not be made perfect in us. Until we are ready to plead only the blood of Christ, the mercy of God, and the grace of His gift, we are still too full of ourselves to have any room for Christ to live in us and through us.  To be “poor in spirit” is not an attitude, not something to strive for so we can get something from God.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit” is not a commandment. Rather, it means that among those who make no claim of righteousness for themselves. Before God, they stand as destitute beggars. They can make no claims in heaven and expect no rewards.

It is in this poorness of spirit, that we hear from Jesus’ own mouth nothing less than the Word of complete grace and Gospel, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  The promise of Christ is that already now the blessings of the kingdom of heaven in Jesus belong to those who, in themselves, do not have spiritual strength, who are lost, who are poor miserable sinners.  It is because of this very fact, because of their spiritual poverty, that Jesus pronounces them “blessed!”  Such is God’s reign in Christ Jesus, only the poor in spirit receive the forgiveness and healing that makes us rich in the kingdom of heaven.  Through our baptism into Christ we share in these blessings in Christ.

The real beauty of these words is that they describe above all else the One who makes us saints.  First and foremost, they describe Jesus Himself. They are not really talking about something that we are earning, but that He already is and now that we have as we are in Christ.  St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.” Christ humbled Himself to the point of death upon the cross.  Though fully divine, He submits not only to the will of His Father, but also makes Himself a servant, putting Himself in debt to all people.  In His death for sin, He is both servant and slave, and He requires that His followers assume the same posture.  Christ becomes one with His people, He bears our sins in our stead. For He is the perfect Son of God who became poor, that all those who suffer for Christ share in His poverty and receive the riches of His righteousness.

So on this day, as we remember those saints of God in the Church Triumphant, we in the Church Militant do so focusing on their poverty.  For that is why they are saints.  They were poor, they were week, they were needy.  They brought nothing to the table when before God on their deathbeds, save their poverty, their pleading for the mercy of Christ.  On account of this faith, Christ proclaims His saints “Blessed!”, saved, redeemed,  rich in mercy and righteousness because of the reign of heaven is made present in Him. Just as God gave them new life through His Son in Holy Baptism, nourished them in the communion of His holy people at His holy table, in His mercy He has summoned them to His nearer presence. We wait together with those blessed, departed faithful in the sure and certain hope that Christ may call us “blessed” along with all His saints, His strength made perfect in our weakness, His riches in place of our poverty, as we look to the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

October 28, 2015

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

“You wouldn’t recognize the truth if it was staring you in the face.” We’ve all heard that expression and it’s one, that I often think about on Good Friday.  Just before Jesus was crucified, he stood on trial before the Roman governor. “What is truth” Pilate asks.  Jesus could have yelled out “You’re looking at Him” but it would have made no difference.  The truth had to die, and die He did. But not even a cross nor a closed tomb can silence the truth.  For what the world intended for evil, God intended for good.

Christianity holds an unpopular ideology in today’s day and age.  We believe, teach, and confess that there is a truth, that the truth can be known, and that the truth holds consequences not just in this life, but throughout eternity.  As Christians, we need to speak forthrightly of the nature of the truth that reached its fullness and culmination in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one holy Christian and apostolic faith is not speculation; it is the truest of truth.  This truth is not some kind of objective knowledge floating around out there that we have to find a way to grab a hold of before it floats away. The truth is the Word of God, written, incarnate, for sinners!

We should not mind the world outside the Church challenging this point.  In fact, we ought to expect this as the sinful nature mankind does nothing but reject the truth. But it is entirely troublesome that within the Church we treat the faith as theory and speculation. It is a sad fact today that many within the church treat Scripture more like mythology than facts, and more like human opinions than the Word of the Lord.   It is a sad reality that many treat Jesus more like a morality lesson than the Son of God, and more like a suggestion than the truth.

Gathered by our Lord today, heirs of the Reformation, are faced with much the same question as Luther almost 500 years ago as the Reformation began.  Will we mirror back the lies the world loves to tell and hear or will we mirror back the truth of Christ according to His Word?

There’s an old saying, “You may hurt me with truth but do not comfort me with lies.”  The words are not easy but they do describe how God deals with us.  He refuses to tell us lies and He will not allow us to live with our own lies -- without challenge at least.  The truth is not always comforting.  It goes against the grain of the deceptions we pile upon ourselves in order to deaden the pain of sin.  The lies of our self-sufficiency, of our independence, of our inherent goodness, of our freedom, of our right to happiness, and of the naturalness of death have become the comforting lies we find hard to give up. 

In comparison with the truth of our weakness, our need, our sinfulness, our bondage to sin and its death, our contentment constantly tried by sorrow and struggle, and death as our enemy, the lies are surely easier to swallow.  Yet before we can find true and genuine comfort for our souls, we must meet the truth and face up to its hurt, disappointment, and pain. The truth is this: all who sin are slaves to sin. And all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

This is a hard truth that we do not like to hear.  When we hear the stinging truth of God’s Law many times our reaction is the same as the Pharisees in our Gospel reading, “Nuh uh. I’m not that bad, not that enslaved, not that sinful.”  And we all make our excuses.  It’s the same reaction that goes all the back to Adam and Eve when caught in their sin, passing the buck on down the line. But God in His mercy refuses to let these lies stand unchallenged. The truth destroys the fragile house of lies we build and lays bare our sinful nature.

But the truth does not stop there.  No, the One who is the way, the truth, and the life frees by taking you to cross and to the grave. He frees from slavery, from the effects of that slavery – death.  Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  As the baptismal liturgy says: you are a slave to sin, death, and the devil until Christ sets you free.  Christ sets you free by the power of His sacrificial death, applied to you by water and the word, and by His body and His blood.  He has put Himself in your place on the cross, to die for your sin, and to pay the debt of sin that you could not and would not pay.

But this freedom won for you is yours only so long as you stand in the truth of Christ.  This is what the legendary statement often attributed to Luther meant, “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”  As redeemed, blood bought sinners, we stand upon the truth, the rock of Christ, the cornerstone of our faith. We are free only as long as we abide in the Word in the Christ.  We are not given this precious freedom to simply to indulge ourselves or squander it on selfish living but to live in service to Christ, as a servant of the Gospel.  This freedom brings a life of daily repentance, seeking the grace of the Holy Spirit to live holy, upright, and godly lives; justified by faith in Christ apart from works of the Law, freed from the curse of the Law in order to do the will our Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you have been freed from the curse of the Law by Christ, do not fall back into denial and slavery to sin.  Abide in Christ, abide in the truth.  The church exists solely by the grace of God. And solely by the grace of God will it continue as the Word of truth breathes life into poor, miserable sinners.  The eternal Gospel truth does not change, nor waver, not remain hidden. It is revealed in the only begotten Son of God, delivered to His people through the Word and Sacrament. So come, blessed of the Lord, come to receive the truth of the body and blood of Christ given and shed for the forgiveness of your sins, the truth that sets free. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

For the heirs of the Reformation, Psalm 46 holds special significance.  This is the basis for arguably the most famous hymn that Martin Luther composed, “A Mighty Fortress”. Luther paraphrased this psalm in his hymn, “A Mighty Fortress” asking the question, “Ask ye, who is this” and answering boldly, “Jesus Christ it is, of Sabaoth Lord, and there’s none other God.”  We sing this psalm to praise God for being with us. He miraculously preserves His Word and Church against the gates of hell, against the rage of the devil, the rebellious spirits, the world, the flesh, sin, death.

So the Psalmist begins, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  This is a clear confession of faith in God.  It’s a confession is that God is our fortress that nothing in all of creation can overcome. Imagine the churches in in the Gulf Coast praying this Psalm as the strongest hurricane ever recorded, Hurricane Patricia, approaches. Houses may be lost. Churches reduced to ruins. Disease, feminine, death. Yet through it all Christ remains. He is still in control. He is still victorious.  “Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, through the mountains tremble at its swelling.”  These things have to come to pass, and the reality of God’s very present help is as sure as death and resurrection of Jesus.

It is on this basis that we find comfort in the midst of any and every crisis.  Whether the weather threatens, the heart hurts, or sin delivers death as its sting, the Lord Himself is our only hope and help and, when He is trusted, that faith is a source of comfort. This Psalm was written in view of a previous attack by an enemy of Israel upon the city of Jerusalem. The Psalmist realized that the strength and safety of the city in times of trouble was not in her earthly fortifications and fighting forces.  There has not been a wall built, nor a politician elected, nor a budget passed, nor the perfect plan devised that the devil cannot overcome or twist to his purposes.  On earth, he has no equal.  But our God is not confined to this earth, nor to His creation.

And yet God has chosen to dwell in the midst of His people to speak on our behalf with the same voice that creates, which renders judgment, which raises from the dead, and which absolves sin. The Most High is Lord of hosts has chosen to dwell in an earthly location, in the lowly means of word, water, bread and wine. By God’s grace, God continues to dwell with His people.  In His Church, the “city of God” the Lord dwells as a refuge for sinners in Jesus.

Jesus is a friend of sinners, since it was for the sinners that He died.  He dines not just with the sinners and tax collectors, but He dines with us here, today.  In the Holy Sacrament, our Lord invites sinners to Himself in the midst of a sinful world and a raging Satan, to dine with Him. This is the same thing as Psalm 23 speaks, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.”

Because of all this, as redeemed children of God with His city as our eternal home, we may face this life with confidence in the midst of conflict.  No other religion has a God who serves His people rather than demanding service. That is why for Martin Luther justification was the chief article of the faith. God destroys our holiness by giving us a perfect ransom that we cannot acquire. This ransom frees us from seeking to put ourselves on top. We are free to be last because Christ exalts us as citizens of His eternal kingdom, His heavenly city.

And here in the city of God surrounded by the mighty fortress there is river that makes glad.  Now, there is no literal river in Jerusalem.  This imagery depicts a source of never ending refreshment and inner strength.  In the Gospel according to John, Jesus speaks of such a river when He says, “If anyone thirsts, let him to come Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now this He said about the Spirit…” (7:37b-38a).

By the work of the Holy Spirit, God preserves us in His fortress.  In mercy, God makes Himself accessible to us. He is not far off from His creation, not aloof the pain and suffering and troubles of life. But He takes that suffering upon Himself, He calms creation and a restless conscious by His word, “Your sins are forgiven.” In this He is exalted in the earth and our voices praise the glory of cross.

Our Lord calls out to us today, “Be still and know that and know that I am God.”  What a wonderful Word from our Lord. “Be still.”  The same words that Jesus speaks to calm the storm, He speaks through the Psalmist to calm our soul.  God rebukes the restless, raging world and it must obey the voice of its Creator.  Throughout this life, we experience many troubles on account of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature. Yet in every crisis of body and soul, God is with us in His Son that we may face whatever is thrown at us with the confident faith confessing “A Mighty Fortress is our God

There’s an old saying that carries a lot of truth, “Life is hard, then you die.”  We joke about it, but that’s because there’s more truth in there than we like to admit. Sometimes life is harder for one person than it is another and we see in this how unfair life can really be. 

Another cliché that we like to through around is that the grass is always greener on the other side. Again, we joke about it but it’s because it’s all too true in how we feel. Husbands have roaming eyes. Wives dream of picture perfect husbands.  Children wish for better parents.  Parents wish for better children.  People look for better pastors.  Pastors look for the perfect church.  None of it has ever been found, but that doesn’t stop our coveting and wandering hearts. We all shop for happiness as if we lived in a cafeteria with a menu of choices.  Sin has given us longing eyes but not wise ones.  We want what we do not have, what is easy, what satisfies our desires. 

It is no different when it comes to matters of faith. One of the biggest issues in the church over the last couple of generations is how people shop for religion the way we shop for everything else.  Denominational loyalties do not run as deep as they used to and all too easily people go from one church to another looking for that one thing, that one pastor, that one program that fits into what we think God and His church ought to be. 

Part of what drives this is nothing else than our fear.  We see that in our Gospel reading.  This comes right after a rich man asks Jesus what He must do to inherit eternal life.  Jesus answers him by speaking of the 10 Commandments, then by telling him to give up all that he has in this life to the poor and to come and follow Jesus.  The man walks away sorrowful, disheartened of how difficult that would be.

We fear the Lord’s way is too hard.  We are not wrong.  In the Gospel those closest to Jesus are amazing and disheartened just the way we often are.  This is too hard!   Who can do it?  You want an easy faith with all the right answers and only the amount of commitment you’re comfortable with.  That is what I want too.  But you will not find it here.  Jesus gives us no easy faith with easy answers but the hard truth of sin and death, of the cross and suffering, of salvation purchased with His blood.

And so Jesus speaks of this to His disciples, “‘How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’  And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “‘Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!’”  And it’s true, isn’t it? This is the problem for us.

Being a Christian is too hard.  Of course it is.  Any time we surrender control and will to God we run the risk of disappointment, of prayers not answered, and of sins that still have consequences. But faith has no other way than the hard path of trust, of repentance, of the mystery of water, bread and wine, and of the promise of life already bestowed yet not fully realized.

Doctrine is too complicated.  Of course it is.  Not all churches offer the same Gospel.  Too many offer manufactured hopes crafted by the words, wisdom, and dreams of men.  But Christ gives us truth. A truth that has been revealed. A truth that can be known, believed, and confessed.  The Creed confesses this hard truth but does not explain it.  His truth is the Word made flesh, the Son of God who comes as the Son of Man, of righteousness bestowed instead of earned, and of salvation purchased in suffering and death. 

Truth is too offensive.  Of course it is.  We want some generic truth that everyone can tailor for personal preference. We want a broad truth that is like an umbrella to cover all our mistaken ideas of God.  Instead we get exclusive truth that is inclusive for all people, of all time, of all places.  Every one of us wants an easier faith and an easier Savior than one who leaves us destitute of our riches and our efforts to gain the kingdom of God.

If this is so hard, what can we do?  We certainly can’t thread a camel through the eye of the needle, much less do the 10 Commandments perfectly.  We hear of the vanity of trusting in our wealth and our goods, of the greed that keeps us from sharing the gifts that God has already given us. And the harm that our evil causes.  And no matter how hard we try when one temptation is overcome then another takes its place.  Who trust in our wealth, who trust in our stuff, who trust in our efforts and abilities will be sorely disappointed when death comes knocking at the door.  Death does care how much you have or how easy or hard life has been for you.

Then who can be saved?  What are we to do because it sounds like we can’t do anything!  And that’s exactly the point.  The wisdom of man cannot purchase salvation or cleanse the guilty or tame the wandering desires within.  You cannot reason yourself into the kingdom of God, you cannot buy your way into the kingdom of God, you cannot earn yourself into the kingdom of God, you cannot keep yourself in the kingdom of God.

But Jesus can, and Jesus does.  What is impossible with man is not with Christ, because He is that perfect Son of God.  But make no mistake, this too is difficult.  Jesus took all the suffering of the world and all the difficulties of life to Himself upon the cross. He would be first made Himself last so we who were last might become first in His kingdom.

The life of a Christian is a life of difficulties, of human impossibilities, of suffering.  The Christian has faith in God, but also an idol in which one is bent upon reliance upon the will of the sinful flesh.  When you grow in Christ, the battle against that sinful flesh will not get easier, but more difficult.  The struggle against self-righteousness, against the devil, against the sinful world will increase. The devil wants to you to see the difficulties of life, the difficulties of faith and to question and to despair. God wants you to see the difficulties of life, the difficulties of faith and to see the suffering and death and Jesus. God allows the difficulties, He allows the pain and suffering to draw you away from yourself and your vain pursuits and to bring you closer to Him in His Kingdom.

Yes, life is hard and then you die.  That is the difficult truth of living in this sinful and corrupt world.  But the difficulty of life and of death is not for you.  It is for Christ. For you, O people of God, there remains a Sabbath rest through faith in Christ. The Christian faith, the way of the Kingdom of God, the very cross of Christ is hard but it offers us the only outcome and answer for our sin, our guilt, our despair, and our death.   As hard as it is, Jesus is the only God we can know, the cross is the only place where sins are forgiven, and His salvation is the only hope for life beyond death.  May the Lord give us this faith that we may endure until He ushers in the age to come unto eternal life.  Amen

*This sermon was heavily modified by a sermon prepared by Pr. Larry Peters.

Family and friends of Delbert, grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

What can we say about Delbert? We can reminisce for quite a while, I would bet.  96 years is a long time to live. And Delbert did a lot. He farmed, he worked at the Sugar factory, he helped raised a family, he served the community through the church and through other means.  The list could go on and on.  

Throughout his life Delbert could stand on all these achievements, to be sure.  He was a good man, a strong man, a proud man.  The last year or so, Delbert slowed down and his body started to act its age, even though he still had that sense of humor and hint of mischievousness he had carried throughout his life.  But the last two weeks of his life knocked him off his feet, literally.  When standing on the doorstep to death, the list of virtues crumble no matter how firm they might have been in life.  When faced with standing before a righteous and holy God, all other ground is sinking sand.

But there is hope, hope for Delbert, and hope for you. That hope rests solely upon Jesus.  This isn’t the kind of wishy washy I’m uncertain but I really want it to be true kind of hope.  This hope is certain. This hope is sure.  This hope leaves no room for doubt because it’s not based on us. It’s based upon the solid rock of Jesus, the One who died for us, the one who was raised from the dead for us, the One who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  The one who promises and delivers that eternal life by the victory over the great enemy of death by the resurrection.

This is why the Christian faith is so important. It doesn’t mean that a person is going to be smarter, richer, or better than anyone else.  It doesn’t mean that a person is going to have a long and happy life.  It means simply that we trust in the One who is the way, the truth, and the life.  Without Christ, without faith in the Son of God, there is not just death and nothingness, there is eternal suffering, sadness, pain, and tears.  But with Christ, there is life.

Delbert made evidence of this in his life.  He helped raise a family, was a faithful husband and father. By faith, he did the works of the Lord to serve God and to serve others through God’s church. These were not a cause of his hope nor his salvation, but it was a result of it.  Delbert was not perfect, make no mistake. He could have been a better husband and father, a better friend, a better Christian. And he knew it. He was a sinner in need of a savior. And a Savior he has in Jesus.

And it was his wish that you here today might have that same faith, that same hope, that same future, that same knowledge, that same Jesus; to stand upon that same solid Rock of Christ.  To build your hope, not just for this life, but for eternity upon Jesus’ blood and righteousness.  That knocks down all our pride, all our attempts to gain glory, all our sin so that when face to face with God all that stands is one redeemed, made righteous, declared innocent of all sin, the new creation in Christ.

Delbert is not standing anymore. And one day, the enemy of death will come to us as well. It will knock us off our feet just as it did to Delbert, with none of our good deeds to lift us up. So what are we to do?  What are we to say? What are we to think or believe in the midst of sorrow, of pain, of suffering, of our own grave? Hear the words of the prophet Isaiah concerning Jesus, “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from the Lord, for the Lord has spoken.”

Christ reigns over all enemies, including death, and being raised from the dead He now stands over the grave with victory.  God’s saints will stand with Him, on the solid foundation of the resurrection of the Son of God.  He will lift Delbert back up on to his feet, and what’s more, by His death and resurrection, Christ has gone to prepare a place in eternity for Delbert and for all who believe in Him.  This is not just some hotel room, not wearing white robes and playing a harp on a cloud. The future for those who believe in Christ is in a bodily resurrection to stand, in our flesh reunited with our soul, to see God face to face in the new creation. Shoulder to shoulder with all the saints, all those who know by faith God the Father through God the Son by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

This is the gift of eternal life. Death is not the end for all who believe in Him.  Jesus is the life that overcomes the grave. He brings His everlasting kingdom, a kingdom of righteousness, peace, joy, and blessing. Rejoicing with all the saints, of all ages, in the presence of God. No more sin, no more sorrow. Glorified bodies in a restored creation. Singing and praising and unending joy. This is the treasure that Christ has won and that awaits God’s people.  While the sadness lingers, let us be glad and rejoice in God’s salvation for Christ has killed death. Amen.