Maundy THursday 2010

Maundy Thursday 2010

“A Meal for the Wounded”
Mark 14:12-26
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Exodus 24:3-11

In the Name of the Father, and of the  Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When Jesus “Woke That Thursday Morning” (LSB #445), it was the last time He would wake up this side of the grave. That day would bring His usual teaching in the Temple, His prayers in the garden, and then His betrayal and arrest, His all-night trials, and then the cross. He knew how the day would end. He knew, and so He gathers with His disciples one last time, alone, in the Upper Room. Because your last will and testament is what you put in order before you die. But having no earthly possessions to leave them - for as we are told: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matt 8:20) - He gives them, and us, what is of infinitely greater value than anything of this world: His body and blood. The same body and blood sacrificed to satisfy the hunger for revenge of the Jewish leaders, would first and forever be given to satisfy those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and forgiveness. And not as simply an exercise in remembering for us, but as a gift to be received by us. For as Jesus Himself said: “My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” (John 6:55) “Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:58b)

That is why we are gathered here this night: to remember the New Testament of our Lord’s Supper, and to once again receive this gift. That our sins be forgiven, our faith strengthened, and the life we live be eternal. And so how appropriate that we gather this night here, whereon a feast unlike any other feast is set for us. As on that night when Jesus met with His disciples, the world outside these doors is making all kinds of plans - some for evil, some for good, some rather ordinary. But here, and on altars all over the world, is the portal to another world; the in-breaking of Heaven into this world of sin, as our Savior God comes to us as both Host and Meal. Here we are not the doers, we are simply privileged to be here with our Lord. We have no “right” to be here; we are in no position to demand anything from our Lord - we are here in repentance for our sins - for who we are and what we have done; and here in faith in His Word of promise. That when He says This is My Body, we believe that it is. That when He says This is My Blood, we believe that it is. We ask not how, but believe His Word. That when He says For the forgiveness of your sins, we believe that they are. And that by eating His body and drinking His blood and receiving His forgiveness, we begin to live that life given to us. The Christian life. His life of forgiveness and love which begins here, and will never end.
How such a small and simple meal could do such exalted things seems silly to the human mind - unless this is no small and simple meal. Indeed, what is happening here is as St. Paul wrote: this cup is a participation in the blood of Christ; this bread is a participation in the body of Christ. In this meal we are united to Christ by His real body and blood, that we live in Him and He in us. And thus united to Christ, we are united to each other in Him. Members of one body; brothers and sisters in Him. And so here we are given a glimpse of the unity of heaven, as folks from every nation, tribe, people, and language (Rev 7:9) gather around the Lamb of God. To be sure, here it is an imperfect unity; but still, we receive a glimpse of what will be. Of the perfect unity of heaven, where neither age, race, status, privilege, prejudice, or pride divide us - but Christ is all in all.

So we come to this meal in repentance. There is no room for pride here, or for measuring ourselves against others. If you want to measure yourself, use the Holy Law of God and see how you measure up. Like the people of Israel we heard about in Exodus earlier, we too have pledged that “all that the Lord has spoken we will do, and will we be obedient.” But we know that we have not. We have not loved the Lord with all our heart. We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. And our love for ourselves and our lack of love for God and for others has manifested itself in so many ways. And so we are here in repentance. Not defending ourselves and our actions; not denying our sins or placing ourselves above others - but knowing (like St. Paul) that we are the worst of sinners (1 Tim 1:15), and praying: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13)
But we come to this meal not only in repentance, but also in faith. Faith in His Word and His promise. That just as He mercifully offered up His body and shed His blood on the altar of the cross, so too He mercifully gives His body to eat and His blood to drink on this altar of wood. And so seals His covenant with us. His covenant of forgiveness. That He is our God, and we are His people. And so this is no mere physical eating, to nourish our bodies; but a sacramental eating, a spiritual eating, a supernatural eating, to nourish our souls. That joined to Christ and He to us, we feed on this bread and live forever. An eternal life that lies not just in the future, but which begins even now. And so we live like it. Not clinging to the things of this world, not following the wisdom of this world, not walking in the ways of this world, but clinging to Christ alone. That as He laid down His life for us, so may we lay down our lives for others.

And in so laying down our lives, you know what? We will be wounded. That is what we have been considering all this Lenten season - that we have wounded others by our sin, that we wound ourselves with our sin, that Christ was wounded by our sins, and that we are often wounded by the sins of others. For sin is never harmless. We may think it is, and we may not always see the harm, but it is harmful - and even worse, it is deadly. Cross deadly. And as long as we live in this world of sin, we will be wounded; we will be less than our good and gracious God created us to be.

And so when Jesus “Woke That Thursday Morning,” He not only knew how the day would end, He knew what He was going to give His disciples: a Meal for the Wounded. A meal that flowed from His wounds, from His life, from His love, that by His wounds we be healed (1 Peter 2:24). That by His wounds, we have life. That by His wounds, we love one another as He has love us. That by His wounds, we be all that He has created us to be.

So come now, my fellow wounded. Come in repentance, come in faith. Take eat, take drink. This is the blood of the New Testament, shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Easter Festive Service 2010

Easter Festive Service2010

“True Hope”

Text: John 20:1-18 (1 Corinthians 5:6b-8)

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!]

St. John told us today: Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. We can certainly picture the scene, and understand it. For it is a scene that we see often - men, women, and children, weeping outside the tombs of their loved ones. Whether that tomb be in a cemetery, or a tomb of fallen cement after an earthquake, a tomb of collapsed house after a tornado, a tomb of crumpled steel after a car wreck, a tomb of collapsed towers after a terrorist attack, a tomb of a wiped out village after a tsunami, or a tomb of tubes and machines in a hospital. There is no shortage of tombs or tears in our world today. Death, however it comes, is an equal opportunity tyrant, which effects us all, and will come for us all. For all have sinned, so all will die.

Yes, there is no shortage of tombs or tears in our world today. What there is a shortage of is hope. True hope. Not the false hope we hear so often - the platitudes of those who are grasping for hope. But true hope. Real hope. Solid hope. Hope that comes not with pious sounding wishes, but from the certainty that death is not the end. That there is an answer - a real answer! - to the tombs we face; the tombs that seem so fearsome; that look so great and final; that cause us to sob such tears.

Today, we have such an answer! And we have such a hope! For the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead means that we have a Savior who has met our enemy, and won! A Savior who entered death to deal death itself a mortal blow from which it will never recover. A Savior who entered the stinking gullet of death, and like Jonah’s great fish, forced it to vomit Him back to life, never to die again. And so our most fearsome enemy has been defeated. Whatever tombs we see and face, the steely grip of death cannot hold those who are in Christ Jesus. For when death comes for us, the Word of God made flesh will speak to death and say: Release my child. You have no right to her. For I have atoned for his sins. Therefore your claim is empty. Release her! And like the creative Word spoken in the beginning, it will be so. And we too will bodily rise from death to life, in Jesus.

And so today, the Church calls out all over the world Christ is risen! Because this is our hope! And because this is a victory that is not known unless it is proclaimed. Because like Mary, all we see are the tombs. We look around and nothing looks victorious. We see sadness and pain, wars and fighting, disease and struggle, death and defeat. And it all looks and feels so fearsome and final. . . . But for Mary that morning, there was a word that pierced the darkness; a word that flew through her ears and entered her heart and caused her such joy as she had never felt before. It was the voice and the word of the Good Shepherd - her Good Shepherd. For as John told us earlier in His Gospel: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) So when Jesus spoke her name: “Mary” - she heard that voice she knew so well! She heard and knew that her Redeemer lives! (LSB #461) And her tears of sorrow were changed to tears of joy. At His voice, she is released from her prison of sadness and grief, and given life again. A life of joy and hope. A life of confidence and peace.

And so it is with us as well. There is a Voice and a Word that pierces the darkness of sin that enshrouds us; that releases us from the prison of sin that seeks to hold us captive; and that takes away the fears that try to overwhelm us. The voice of our Good Shepherd that raises us and gives us life again. His voice that makes every day for us an Easter Day. A day of joy and hope. A day of confidence and peace.

For His is the voice and the Word that sounds forth at every baptism, releasing us people of death and raising us to life, joining us to Himself, and making every day an Easter day.

His is the voice and the Word that sounds forth in absolution, proclaiming in His “I forgive you all your sin” His victory over sin and death, releasing us from sin and raising us to life, and making every day an Easter day.

And His is the voice and the Word that sounds forth at every Supper, as giving us His body to eat and His blood to drink, He joins Himself to us, releasing us from the famine and drought of sin and filling us with His righteousness and life, and making every day an Easter day.

Like that day was for Mary. That wonderful day in that garden that Jesus’ presence made Paradise again. And though we still live in a world of thorns and thistles, of disease and death - where Jesus is and speaks, there is no garden so lovely and no day as joyful. And we live again in joy and hope and confidence and peace.

Now, that’s quite a change! From death to life, from despair to hope, from sadness to joy, from fear to confidence. But that is the fruit of Jesus’ resurrection and His victory over sin, death, and the devil in our lives even now. For not only does His victory mean eternal life for us in heaven - it changes forever how we live here and now. How we live, how we grieve, and how we die. For no longer must we worry about what this world and life will bring us - about the future, or what will happen to me, or about dying, or about natural disasters or terrorist attacks or accidents. Whatever tomorrow brings, be it joy or sadness, life or death, we are safe in Jesus.

Death did its worst to Him and lost! And so we can now live in the confidence that it can do its worst to us also, and it will lose again.

But that’s not all - for our freedom in Christ changes how we live in another way also. For if I need not worry about me and my life anymore, but am confident that I have a Savior from sin and death, and a Father in Heaven who is taking care of me always - then now I am free to worry . . . about others. And I can now lay down my life for others because I know my life is secure in Jesus. And so we now live as that “unleavened bread” Paul was talking about in the Epistle - both as individuals, and yet united to one another as the body of Christ here in this place. For free from the “yeast” of malice and evil, of sin and death, we now live a new life. Not because we have to, because it is the Law! But because as Paul said, this is who you really are. You really are unleavened. Cleansed, forgiven, and free in Jesus.

Does that sound like the life we need? It is the life you now have, because of this day! Because Christ is risen, and death has been overthrown.

Christ is risen, and Hell has been vanquished.
Christ is risen, and the demons have fallen.
Christ is risen, and the Angels rejoice.
Christ is risen, and life rules.
Christ is risen, and the grave is open.
Christ is risen, and is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
(From St. John Chrysostom’s Easter sermon)

Yes, Christ is risen, and one day His voice will sound forth once again and - like Mary - call your name. And your ears will know His voice, and follow from the grave. From this life to the next. From this valley of the shadow of death to Paradise - open again. Where the entrance is no longer guarded by angels with flaming swords, but the entrance at which the angels sing the praises of Him who died but lives again - and we too will join their song. Just as we do here, joining the “angels and archangels and all the company of heaven” as Jesus comes to us here - bodily - in His Supper. But then we will see Him no longer veiled in bread and wine, but shining as the sun in His glory. And then the celebration will really begin!

So sing today in full voiced joy! Sing today of our victory that has been won! Sing today of your confidence and hope! For yes, you know that your Redeemer lives! For Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed!] Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Easter Sunrise April 4, 2010

04/04/10

Easter Sunrise

Mark 16:1-8

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jesus, betrayed, bloody, hated, tortured, and dead, lives. Jesus lives. He has suffered all death could give. He has endured all the taunts and missiles Hell had to throw. He has given His neck to the devil. Yet, He lives. He laid down His life, but He has taken it up again. He has fulfilled His Father's Will. The prophecies have all fallen. The Law is full. He was dead and buried, but now, in the Body born of Mary, He lives.

And here is the greatest surprise, not that He lives, that He has conquered death, that He is stronger than the strong Man, but that He is not angry. Adam failed Him in the garden. David failed Him in Jerusalem. Peter failed Him in the courts of Caiaphas. We have failed him in our homes, in our country, in our work. He was tortured and killed for our sins.

Once it did seem as though we would be destroyed, and that at our own hands. It looked as though our sins would overcome us, that we would endure the justice of our shame, that we would be exposed as the wicked, selfish things we are, that we would die the common death of men and go to a Hell worse than that of Dante's imagination. For everything the devil did to us, we really did to ourselves. Adam was a willing accomplice in the garden. He succumbed to temptation, true. He was seduced. But don't forget that he was in paradise. He was not hungry. He was surrounded by lavish, interesting, delicious food. David had wives aplenty. He had everything a man could want. All his desires and wants were met. But he was filled with greed for that which belonged to another. No one made them sin. No one made you sin either. No one made you throw a temper tantrum, send an angry e-mail, call your opponent a name, or say mean things. No one made you steal or lie or cheat. No one made you think those nasty thoughts. No one made you proud or arrogant or afraid of what people might think. Repent.

But do not be afraid. Jesus is back, alive out of the grave, but He is not angry. He bears no grudge. He seeks no vengeance. He comes instead to bestow peace, with mercy and forgiveness, with salvation. Jesus gives Himself alive to His friends made now into His Bride. Adam is restored to his dominion over creation. David returns to his throne and wins the war. Peter retains the keys to heaven. And, you, O Christian, are renewed, reconciled to the Father. For Jesus lives and Jesus forgives.

He comes out of the earth, back to life, to the upper room. Jesus lives! The angelic song to shepherds in their fields is now fulfilled. There is peace on earth, between God and men. The Prince of Peace, the Lord of Life, the Lion of Judah, lives. All other things fail. All things of creation decay and grow old and die, but not Him. He has died, but He has not decayed. He has paid sin's wage in full. He has given Himself as a Sacrifice. He has been nailed to the cross and pierced by the centurion's spear. But now He lives.

Now, the war in heaven has come to an end. Satan has been cast down, secured in Hell with chains. And, so, too, the sins that held us in have been destroyed. We are free. There is nothing to keep us in Hell. There is nothing to keep us out of heaven. Our ancient enemy, that seductive accuser from the garden, has no more to say. The cherubs with flaming swords are removed. They sing God's praise and tell the women, “He is risen! He is not here.”

Jesus lives. And He is not angry. Imagine that! He is not angry. He seeks no vengeance, bears no grudge. He does not blame those who killed Him. He does not blame you. His petition to the Father on the cross, “Forgive them” is granted in His resurrection. He comes alive out of death to forgive, to give His life to you.

The fast is finished. Feasting begins. And that which we refrained from saying, or singing, for a time, what our hearts whispered all Lent-long, now bursts forth with the rising sun, “Alleluia!”

Praise ye the Lord. Jesus lives. Alleluia! Jesus died, but is not dead. Hallelujah! Jesus lives. Death has done its worst, but death is undone, is no more, has nothing left. O death, you pitiful thing, where is your sting? O grave, you wicked liar, where is your victory? Jesus lives. Alleluia! Jesus lives.

Do not be afraid. Jesus lives, and He is not angry. The sacrifice has been made. The debt is canceled and forgotten. Righteousness is declared. Jesus lives. He lives, and He is not angry. Adam, David, and Peter are restored. You are reconciled to the Father in the Son. Your future is assured: Jesus lives. It is not just death and Hell, the devil and his demons, that are undone. Your sins are also undone. They are gone, forgotten, destroyed. Jesus lives. Hallelujah! Jesus lives. And because He lives, you are just. You are right with God, pleasing and delightful to Him. You are forgiven, clean, pure, holy, and filled with His good works and with His Name. He is not angry. He is glad to have you. He wants you. He loves you.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Jesus lives.

Easter Vigil April 3, 2010

Easter Vigil

April 3, 2010

“This is the Night”

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, His first words were “Let there be light.” (Genesis 1:3) Tomorrow, when God our Lord and Savior finishes His work of re-creation with the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, there will again be light. The darkness that reigned on Calvary will be forever shattered as the Light of the World rises from the dust of death, and death is defeated forevermore.

Tonight, we gather in anticipation, for we know the joy that awaits tomorrow. Tonight we gather in the calm, to reflect, to think, to meditate, on the significance of all that we have remembered this week, in the stillness of the night. Tonight we gather by candlelight – not a vigil to remember the dead, but as the wise virgins awaiting their Bridegroom. (Matthew 25)

Tonight we take our place with the Old Testament believers. We will hear as they heard, of the work of Christ in, with, and under history. He is the creative Word that caused the Light to shine into the darkness at the beginning. He is the ark that rescued Noah and his family and creation. He is the pillar of cloud and fire that lead Israel through the Sea. He is the One who gives us His Spirit and makes our hearts new. He is the Redeemer and confidence of Job. He is Zephaniah’s Lord in our midst, mighty to save. He is the fourth man in the fiery furnace, saving the three from the hellish fire. He is the One who fulfills these and all the Scriptures, and now fills us with the joy and peace of His forgiveness and life. For we know these stories are our stories, and this salvation our salvation.

For we have been joined to this Savior, our Savior, in Holy Baptism, which we will also remember this night. And joined to His death and resurrection, all that He is and all that He does, is yours. Nothing has been left undone, and nothing left ungiven. He gives to you all that He is, that all that you are may be His.

Tonight we sit by candlelight, for the news of the resurrection is but a small, flickering light as we are immersed in the mystery of the crucified and risen Lamb, who laid down His life for us. At sunrise, all the world will know. But tonight, we gather in anticipation. To hear the Word. For in this most holy night our Savior, Christ the Lord, broke the power of death and by His resurrection brought life and salvation to all creation. Let us praise the Lord, for He truly keeps His Word. The sun of righteousness has dawned upon us who have sat in darkness and in the shadow of death.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Good Friday Evening

Good Friday 2010

7:00 pm

“Behold the Life-Giving Cross”

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The first words of the Epistle we just heard said this: “For the love of Christ controls us.”

But it doesn’t, does it? Instead, our emotions control us; our anger and temper control us; our sinful lusts control us; our apathy and lethargy control us; our fears and anxieties control us; our love of self controls us. As a result we do what we ought not do, and we do not do what we ought do. We are sinners through and through. Not just in what we do, but in who we are. Therefore we deserve to die.

That is why we are here this night. To see our death. But to see it on another! On our substitute: Jesus, the Christ; Son of Man and Son of God. Tonight we see what we deserve but are not given, that we be reconciled to God; that we be a new creation; that the love of Christ control us.

For what kind of love is this? The King dies for His subjects. The Shepherd dies for sheep who love to wander. The Creator allows His creatures to crucify Him. The Son of God is treated not even as good as a common criminal, but as the worst and vilest of criminals, receiving the punishment reserved for only the lowest of the low.

What kind of God does this? The true God.

The God who loves with a love not of this world, but which surpasses all understanding. The God who in love, in the beginning, created all things; and who now, in love, dies, that His creation be made new again. For not by destroying the old and starting over again does He make His creation new - His love would not let Him do that. Instead, He comes to take our sin and death and destruction into Himself, that dying our death, we then rise with Him to a new life. Not the same old life in new clothes - but a new life. So new that it is as if the old never happened! For that is what forgiveness is - a taking away of your sin so that it is as if it never happened at all.

And if your sin is gone, you are reconciled to God.
If your sin is gone, you are a new creation.
If your sin is gone, you are no longer controlled by your sin, but now the love of Christ controls us.

And you are that new creation!
That is why we are here this night. To see our life.
For while it is true that our old, sinful flesh still clings to us, and therefore we still do what we ought not do, and we still do not do what we ought do, that is no longer who you are.
For you are here tonight not just to think about what Jesus endured for you, and to ponder and meditate upon it - but to receive it.
For you are a new creation not because you willed it, or so desired it, or accomplished it - but because Jesus willed it, desired it, and accomplished it, for you.
He came for you - He did not wait for you to come.
He took your sins - He did not wait for you to give them.
And then He suffered for you, was forsaken for you, hung for you, and died for you. So when, therefore, He said: It is finished - it truly was.
And since our sin and death and destruction were finished, after a Sabbath rest in the grave, He could do no other then rise on the third day. For life has the final word, not death. And life has the final word for you and me.

That life is given you in Holy Baptism, where you are planted into Jesus’ death and resurrection and given a new life.
That life is given you in Holy Communion, where Jesus’ crucified and resurrected body is planted into you and you are given a new life.
That life is given you in Holy Absolution, where our old sins and grudges, lusts and fears, that still cling to us are lanced in confession, and you are given a new life.
A new life of love; Christ’s love.

That is why we are here this night. To see this love.
This love so graciously given to us, that the love of Christ control us.
Control us, not as robots, but as sons and daughters of God.
To live not as debtors, but as free.
To live not in fear, but in confidence.
To live not under the Law, but in thanksgiving.

That is why you are here this night.
To behold the life-giving cross on which was hung your salvation.
See how much He loves you!

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Good Friday Noon 2010

GOOD FRIDAY – NOON SERVICE 2010


The Holy Spirit called together Satan, his armies, and his ministers. They saw that Jesus had triumphed, to their grief, for none of them had not been tormented by Jesus' victory. They began one by one to relate what the death of Jesus did to them. Sin and Hell were terrified. Death trembled as the dead rebelled, demanding life. So also did sinners, now forgiven, rebel against their former master, Satan.

To You, O Christ, be glory, because the Evil One saw You and was troubled!

Sin cried aloud. She gave counsel to her sons, to the demons and the devils, and said to them, “Though you were legion, the sea has swallowed you and your company. This Jesus will destroy you. You, with a snare took Solomon. Yet now, you will be overcome by the holy disciples, takers of fish and ignorant men. For lo! They have taken the draught of men, which once were taken by us. We have lost the prize.

Satan said of Our Savior, “He is the greatest of all evils. Is it not sufficient for Him alone that He should ruin us? But likewise He takes vengeance for Jonah. He was avenging him when He seized and cast him into the sea. For Jonah emerged after three days and came up. He was saved. But not so my demons, my horrid legions, as the depth of the sea closed upon Pharaoh and his army. So too is it closing upon us.

I tempted Him once with pleasant bread, but He desired it not. To my grief I strove to learn a psalm. I thought that by His psalm I might take Him my prey. I failed. Then I learned it a second time. But He made my second trial vain as well. I brought Him up to a mountain and showed Him all possessions. I gave them to Him. He was not moved. It was better for me in the days of Adam, who gave me no great trouble.”

The Evil One ceased from his speech and then went on, “Jesus makes me idle. For lo! The publicans and harlots take refuge in Him. What work shall I seek for myself? I was master of all men. To whom shall I be a disciple?"

Sin said, “This Son of Mary is come, as a new creation, and has created mankind anew.”

Death lamented and said, “I have learned fasting, which I used not to know; lo! Jesus gathers multitudes, but His feast proclaims a fast for me. One man has closed my mouth. Yes, I, who have closed the mouths of so many, has now had his mouth closed.”

Hell said, “I am hungry also for the first time. This Man Jesus, God of God, triumphs now as at the marriage, when He changed the water into wine. Now He changes the dead into life. Moreover, God made a flood, and washed the earth, and purged her crimes; fire and brimstone He sent upon her, that He might make her stains white. By fire He gave me the Sodomites. By flood, he gave me the Giants. He closed the mouth of the all who hate Him and opened my mouth to receive them.” Hell went on, “How I loved those days! Now, in place of deadly visitations of justice, He has wrought in His Son, the quickening of the dead by grace. He has shown His mercy.”

“Prophets and righteous men,” said Satan, “I have seen a plenty. Though their strength was exceedingly mighty, there was in them something that belonged to me. Their fallen nature and the affliction of original sin in them was our heaven. Yet This Man, Jesus, has clothed Himself with the body of Adam. This is what is troubling us. Our leaven has no power on Him. He is Man, yet also God. For His manhood in His Godhead is intermingled, and destroys us.

I saw Adam, that fountain from whence flowed all races of men, in the garden. I have sought his children through the years and caught them all. Never before did I see a Man, of whom one part was of God, and the other half, man. Even Moses, great as he was, who shone in his splendor, was my prey. I tempted him and he fell. I made his tongue to err. But this Man overcame and sinned not . . .

From where has this fruit of Mary sprung up before me, the grape whereof the wine is not according to nature? For lo! I stand between doubts. To turn away and leave Him, I am afraid, lest by His teaching, they should be sweetened, they, whom we have acquired by bitterness and treachery. But again, to tread on Him and crush Him, is a terror to me, lest haply He turn and become new wine unto sinners, and when they are drunken therewith, lo! they forget their idols and are lost to us. Lo! I Satan, I am afraid of both things. I am afraid of His death, as well as His life.”

Then Satan's ministers answered and gave counsel. “Though both these things be grievous,” they said, “His death is better than his life.”

Then shouted the host of devils and said, “Hateful is the sign that we see in Christ. Never before have we suffered like this. The Son of Mary captures our cities. Arise, and let us go forth. Let us fight with Him. Let us fill the mob with shouts of 'crucify.'”

Then Our Lord subdued His might and constrained Himself. He humbled Himself that His living death might give life to Adam. He gave His hands, rather than hand that plucked the fruit, to the piercing of the nails. To those who smote in the judgment hall, He gave His cheek, rather than the mouth that ate forbidden fruit in Eden,. He gave His feet to be pierced, because his foot bore Adam to heaven, out of the grave. He was stripped, that He might make us modest. He was fed with the gall and vinegar to make sweet the bitterness of the serpent, which Satan had poured forth into mankind. Blessed is He Who gives the victory to mankind for free, by grace. For He has overcome Satan and ministers and undone death. The devils feared His life and His Words. They should have more feared His death, for by it He has lead captivity captive and free us from our sins.

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.



GOOD FRIDAY – NOON SERVICE 2010



The Holy Spirit called together Satan, his armies, and his ministers. They saw that Jesus had triumphed, to their grief, for none of them had not been tormented by Jesus' victory. They began one by one to relate what the death of Jesus did to them. Sin and Hell were terrified. Death trembled as the dead rebelled, demanding life. So also did sinners, now forgiven, rebel against their former master, Satan.

To You, O Christ, be glory, because the Evil One saw You and was troubled!

Sin cried aloud. She gave counsel to her sons, to the demons and the devils, and said to them, “Though you were legion, the sea has swallowed you and your company. This Jesus will destroy you. You, with a snare took Solomon. Yet now, you will be overcome by the holy disciples, takers of fish and ignorant men. For lo! They have taken the draught of men, which once were taken by us. We have lost the prize.

Satan said of Our Savior, “He is the greatest of all evils. Is it not sufficient for Him alone that He should ruin us? But likewise He takes vengeance for Jonah. He was avenging him when He seized and cast him into the sea. For Jonah emerged after three days and came up. He was saved. But not so my demons, my horrid legions, as the depth of the sea closed upon Pharaoh and his army. So too is it closing upon us.

I tempted Him once with pleasant bread, but He desired it not. To my grief I strove to learn a psalm. I thought that by His psalm I might take Him my prey. I failed. Then I learned it a second time. But He made my second trial vain as well. I brought Him up to a mountain and showed Him all possessions. I gave them to Him. He was not moved. It was better for me in the days of Adam, who gave me no great trouble.”

The Evil One ceased from his speech and then went on, “Jesus makes me idle. For lo! The publicans and harlots take refuge in Him. What work shall I seek for myself? I was master of all men. To whom shall I be a disciple?"

Sin said, “This Son of Mary is come, as a new creation, and has created mankind anew.”

Death lamented and said, “I have learned fasting, which I used not to know; lo! Jesus gathers multitudes, but His feast proclaims a fast for me. One man has closed my mouth. Yes, I, who have closed the mouths of so many, has now had his mouth closed.”

Hell said, “I am hungry also for the first time. This Man Jesus, God of God, triumphs now as at the marriage, when He changed the water into wine. Now He changes the dead into life. Moreover, God made a flood, and washed the earth, and purged her crimes; fire and brimstone He sent upon her, that He might make her stains white. By fire He gave me the Sodomites. By flood, he gave me the Giants. He closed the mouth of the all who hate Him and opened my mouth to receive them.” Hell went on, “How I loved those days! Now, in place of deadly visitations of justice, He has wrought in His Son, the quickening of the dead by grace. He has shown His mercy.”

“Prophets and righteous men,” said Satan, “I have seen a plenty. Though their strength was exceedingly mighty, there was in them something that belonged to me. Their fallen nature and the affliction of original sin in them was our heaven. Yet This Man, Jesus, has clothed Himself with the body of Adam. This is what is troubling us. Our leaven has no power on Him. He is Man, yet also God. For His manhood in His Godhead is intermingled, and destroys us.

I saw Adam, that fountain from whence flowed all races of men, in the garden. I have sought his children through the years and caught them all. Never before did I see a Man, of whom one part was of God, and the other half, man. Even Moses, great as he was, who shone in his splendor, was my prey. I tempted him and he fell. I made his tongue to err. But this Man overcame and sinned not . . .

From where has this fruit of Mary sprung up before me, the grape whereof the wine is not according to nature? For lo! I stand between doubts. To turn away and leave Him, I am afraid, lest by His teaching, they should be sweetened, they, whom we have acquired by bitterness and treachery. But again, to tread on Him and crush Him, is a terror to me, lest haply He turn and become new wine unto sinners, and when they are drunken therewith, lo! they forget their idols and are lost to us. Lo! I Satan, I am afraid of both things. I am afraid of His death, as well as His life.”

Then Satan's ministers answered and gave counsel. “Though both these things be grievous,” they said, “His death is better than his life.”

Then shouted the host of devils and said, “Hateful is the sign that we see in Christ. Never before have we suffered like this. The Son of Mary captures our cities. Arise, and let us go forth. Let us fight with Him. Let us fill the mob with shouts of 'crucify.'”

Then Our Lord subdued His might and constrained Himself. He humbled Himself that His living death might give life to Adam. He gave His hands, rather than hand that plucked the fruit, to the piercing of the nails. To those who smote in the judgment hall, He gave His cheek, rather than the mouth that ate forbidden fruit in Eden,. He gave His feet to be pierced, because his foot bore Adam to heaven, out of the grave. He was stripped, that He might make us modest. He was fed with the gall and vinegar to make sweet the bitterness of the serpent, which Satan had poured forth into mankind. Blessed is He Who gives the victory to mankind for free, by grace. For He has overcome Satan and ministers and undone death. The devils feared His life and His Words. They should have more feared His death, for by it He has lead captivity captive and free us from our sins.

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You. Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.

Palm Sunday March 27-28,2010

“All For You”

Text: Mark 14:1 - 15:47 (Philippians 2:5-11)

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

A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth (LSB #438). Why? For you.

For you, Jesus is anointed for His burial.
For you, Jesus is sold into betrayal, and allows Himself to be betrayed.
For you, Jesus celebrates the Passover with His disciples, and gives His body to eat and His blood to drink.
For you.


For you, Jesus suffers and prays.
For you, Jesus drinks the awful cup of God’s wrath and condemnation against sin.
For you, Jesus does His Father’s will.
For you.

For you, Jesus is arrested, and will not fight back.
For you, Jesus endures a mock trial, standing before those who have already decided His fate, but are just trying to make it look plausible.
For you, Jesus does not defend Himself, but takes the slurs of men against Him.
For you.

For you, Jesus is spit on, punched, and mocked.
For you, Jesus is bound and led to the Roman governor.
For you, Jesus is traded for a murderer.
For you, Jesus is a pawn in a game for power.
For you.

For you, Jesus is scourged - whipped until His flesh is open and raw.
For you, Jesus is clothed is purple and wears a crown of thorns.
For you, Jesus carries the cross on which He will die.
For you.

For you, Jesus takes nothing to deaden the pain.
For you, the nails are punched through His hands and feet, crushing bone and sending waves of pain through tortured limbs.
For you, Jesus is humiliated and reviled.
For you.

For you, Jesus is forsaken - by men who mock Him, but disciples who fear for their own lives, by His Father because He bears the sin of the world.
For you, Jesus will not save Himself.
For you, Jesus endures the darkness of sin.
For you, Jesus bows His head and dies.
For you, Jesus’ body is laid in a tomb.
For you.

For you, because you are a sinner.
For you, because you have made God’s beautiful world a sewer of sin.
For you, because you have used your hands to hurt instead of help.
For you, because you love your things more than your God.
For you, because your mouths tear down instead of build up.
For you, because your minds devise and scheme evil instead of good.
For you.

For you, because upon you is inflicted the sins of others.
For you, because you are hurt and in pain.
For you, because you are mocked and reviled.
For you, because your hearts are broken, your love thrown back in your face, your good deeds trampled and gone unnoticed and unappreciated.
For you, because you weep painful tears.
For you, because you mourn the death of loved ones, even as death draws ever closer to you.
For you, because you are afraid.
For you.

For you, because the devil desires to have you; to sift you, corrupt you, and bring you with him to his never-ending death.

But he cannot have you.
Hell cannot have you.
Sin cannot have you.
Death and the grave cannot have you.
Because for you, a Lamb goes uncomplaining forth.

He came forth from Heaven in His incarnation, to be born for you.
He came forth to the waters of the Jordan to be baptized for you.
He came forth into the wilderness to be tempted for you.
He came forth eating and drinking with sinners like you, not ashamed.
He came forth healing, forgiving, and raising the dead, for you.
He came forth to ascend the cross for you; to die for you; to be buried for you; and to rise for you.
That the curtain of the Temple be torn in two from top to bottom.
The curtain that separated sinful man from a holy God.
The curtain of sin, that could be penetrated only with blood.
The blood of a lamb.
The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
And still today, the Lamb comes uncomplaining forth.
For you.

Here, at this time, in this place, tearing the curtain of sin which veils our hearts with His forgiveness and life.
Coming with His Baptism, that you may be washed and reborn and healed.
Coming with His Absolution, that you may be forgiven and raised and holy.
Coming with His Supper, that you may be fed and strengthened and glorified.
Coming for you, that you may live.

For you, that hell be vanquished.
For you, that the grave be opened.
For you, that the devil be undone.
For you, that your sin be removed from you as far as the East is from the West.
For you, that your minds and hearts be made new, and you live a new life.
Sinner: no more; now: child of God.

All this Jesus does, for you.
And so you are never alone, never without love, never beyond hope.
You will never be forsaken, never condemned, never cast out.
For you live in Jesus and He in you.
What is His is yours, nothing withheld.
Now by promise and faith. But one day by sight, when all things are fulfilled.
When the Lamb goes forth once again, one final time, to gather all who are His own, and establish His kingdom forever.
And we will stand in joy beside Him. (LSB #438 v.4)

Until then, “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”
He lives for you, that you may live for others.

Let us now enter into this Holy Week, and consider these things.
Let us now come to this altar, and receive the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Let us now rejoice and confess: Hosanna! Lord, save us.
For He has.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.