Sixth Sunday of Easter (Confirmation)

Rogate – Call upon Me

6 Sunday of Easter

(May 16–17, 2009)

John 16:23-30

“Peace that overcomes the world”

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Our text for today is from the Gospel lesson just read, with focus on Jesus’ words, These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

This Sunday is Rogate Sunday, that is, this is the Sunday during Easter when we reflect and hear how God calls upon us to call upon him. This is the Sunday of prayer. This is the Sunday when God’s Word teaches us that because Jesus rose from the dead, we can go to God bearing His name and know that He will hear us and answer our prayers.

The catechism teaches us this regarding prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven.

What does this mean?

God would by these words tenderly invite us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that we may with all boldness and confidence ask him as dear children ask their dear father.

The Christian faith is not faith in an idea or a concept like peace or love or joy. No, unlike every other “faith” or “religion” in the world, the Christian faith finds its object in a person. In me you have peace, said Jesus. Now think about that, and you will be amazed at the tremendous gift which Christ our Lord gives to us by His great mercy and love. For this closely connects us to our heavenly Father.

Our Father who art in heaven…in me you have peace. So many people the world over try and find their strength, their hope, their power in a concept or a philosophy. Pick yourself up by your bootstraps. Use the Force. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Only you can change you. Indeed, if you were to examine the major religions of the world, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, New Age philosophies, or even atheism, you would find one thing in common: for all of these religions, if God plays any part in their worldview, He is an object to be revered or perhaps a goal to be reached. But in all of those religions, there is no relationship, there is finally no person involved at all. You are left to your own devices to work your way out of your own problems.

Sadly, this is how many Christians act. We act as though God is simply a thing or an object to bring out of the closet and dust off when it becomes convenient, or when you want to impress people. But when things really go downhill, when you begin to have tribulations like Jesus talked about in our text, when that happens, there will always be one part of you which believes that you have to get your life fixed before you can go to God. There will always be one part of you that believes you have to fix all these problems yourself before you can be right with God. This is why some people tremble at the thought of coming to the Lord’s Supper. I am not worthy. I have to get this, this, this and this figured out before I can go to God.

Now, of course, as long as you are living under the Law, that’s true. The Law teaches you that you are not worthy, and that you must be cleansed and purified and perfect before you can enter into God’s presence. And that’s true. But what the Law doesn’t teach you is that Jesus’ death on the cross is your cleansing and purifying. Because you are in Him, you are perfect and holy, righteous and without sin before God.

This is why Jesus says in me you have peace. Your peace is not in your works, not in your pious intentions or goodwill, and it’s certainly not in your holiness or righteousness. Your peace, the only peace you will ever have and the only peace that really matters, THAT peace lies in the wounds of Jesus Christ alone. In the person. Your peace lies in the man Jesus Christ.

Why is this so important? Why is this so central to the Christian faith? This is so central because this is at the heart and core of who God is and what He longs to give you as one of His children. The triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, longs to draw you into His presence and to give you His love and mercy and forgiveness. He wants to share all that He has with you, the sinner redeemed by Christ. This is what St. Paul speaks of in I Timothy chapter two:

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Jesus Christ is the go-between for you. You go to Jesus, for in Him lies all your hopes and dreams. This is why we pray of our collects through Jesus Christ His Son, our Lord, and this is why we pray Our Father who art in heaven. We could not pray Our Father unless Jesus our brother was praying with us and for us.

So how does this bring you comfort and peace in the face of trials and persecutions and difficulties of body and soul? There are three ways this brings you comfort:

First, Jesus is always praying with you when you pray. Your prayers are never alone. You may not even know what to pray for! But Jesus does, and when you open your lips in prayer, Jesus perfects them and brings them to His heavenly Father, so that what you need is heard perfectly.

Second, God promises to answer these prayers. When you pray in Jesus as a baptized Christian, God promises to hear you. Whatever you ask in my name, says Jesus. God hears you. He will answer. In His own time and in His own way, to be sure, but He will answer you.

And third, Jesus has already gone through the worst, He will see you through this. Whatever your need, whatever your trial or heartache, Jesus has gone through it and much, much worse. If He can die on the accursed tree and rise again from the dead, He will see you through to the end of your journey to heaven.

So this is what Jesus means when He says These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. The victory’s won. Pray without ceasing, for God will always answer your prayers in the name of the One who has overcome the world. In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Daily Lectionary for May 17 - 23

Daily Lectionary

Sixth Sunday of Easter Numbers 3:1–16, 39–48; Luke 14:25—15:10

May 18 Num 8:5–26; Luke 15:11–32

May 19 Num 9:1–23; Luke 16:1–18

May 20 Num 10:11–36; Luke 16:19–31

Ascension Day Num 11:1–23, 31–35; Luke 17:1–19

May 22 Num 11:24–29; 12:1–16; Luke 17:20–37

May 23 Num 13:1–3, 17–33; Luke 18:1–17

NEXT WEEKS LESSONS: EXAUDI—THE SUNDAY AFTER THE ASCENSION

The Spirit of truth testifies of Jesus, who is the Truth. But the world does not receive the Truth. It loves its own and hates those who are of the Truth. Just as Jesus was scorned, so is His church. “The time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.” (Jn 15:26—16:4) Yet it is by Jesus’ suffering and death that we are saved. Therefore we rejoice to share in His sufferings, that we may also share in His resurrection glory. (1 Pet 4:7–14) Through the ministry of the Spirit of truth, we are cleansed from the deceit of our idols and given a new heart and a new spirit, the heart and Spirit of Christ. (Ezek 36:22–28) He is now at work in us to have fervent, self-giving love for one another, love which covers a multitude of sins, “that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Old Testament: Ezekiel 36:22–28 [A new Heart and Spirit]

Epistle: 1 Peter 4:7–11(12–14) [Sober Living]

Holy Gospel: John 15:26–16:4 [The Spirit of Truth]

A Little While John 16:16-22

Easter 3 – Jubilate
(May 2 – 3, 2009)
John 16:16-22
“A Little While”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text is from the Gospel lesson. We focus on Jesus’ words, A Little While.

Jesus Christ is always full of surprises, always full of reversals and apparent contradictions. He says things that don’t make sense, at least not to our dull ears and misted eyes. So when we come to a text like today, it’s somewhat like a “here we go again, Jesus is talking about suffering, and I still don’t get it.” The mind turns off, faith shrugs, and we move on to other things.

Yet when Jesus talks about life on this side of the resurrection, there are always two halves: suffering and healing, pain and healing, sorrow and rejoicing. That is how God talks, and it is how we are to understand our lives here on earth. St. Paul writes about it this way:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

Yet so often we are more like the people of Israel. In Exodus fifteen we read that as the children of Israel were led by the Lord, they wandered for three days and found no water. But when they finally came to Mara, the water they found was so bitter they couldn’t drink it. Sometimes we have to drink bitter water in the wilderness of this world. Sometimes the cup that the Lord gives us is the cup of cross and tribulation (Ps. 75:9), just as our Lord drank gall and vinegar from the cross (Matthew 27:48).

We all face crosses and trials of various kinds here in this life. They may be physical trials, they may be emotional or personal, they may have to do with family or work. Or the trials you face may be of another sort entirely, that no one else even knows about! The trials of this life can be very painful and grueling, just as that bitter water was so hard to swallow for the children of Israel so many years ago.

But God showed Moses a tree which he was to set down into that bitter water in order to make it sweet. God does the same for you. He sets before you the Tree of Life, that is, Jesus Christ in His Word (Rev. 22:2). As one pastor put it many years ago, “When we sink the Tree into the bitter waters of cross and tribulation, when we ponder Christ’s cross and suffering, also when we seize and take to heart the comfort of His Word, even through that our cross becomes light and sweet” (Johann Gerhard). This is what Jesus is talking about when he says, Come to me, all you who are worn out and overburdened; I will refresh and renew you. Take my yoke upon yourselves-for My yoke is gentle and My burden is light (Mat. 11:28-30).

Our text today about the little while of Jesus going and coming teaches us four things about the doctrine of the theology of the cross. First, it teaches us that all true Christians will be subjected to the cross in this life; second, that our reason cannot understand the mystery of the cross; third, it shows why our Lord places us under the cross; and finally, what kind of comfort the Christian may receive by the power of His Word.

First of all, the Scriptures repeatedly teach that the Christian will be under the cross their entire life. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24: If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself and take his cross upon himself and follow me. And Saint Paul says that We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). And St. Paul says again in 2 Timothy 3:6, For those who want to live godly lives in Christ Jesus have to suffer persecutions. And we hear in Hebrews 12:6, For whomever the Lord loves He chastises. And Jesus repeatedly says in reference to His own suffering that this must happen or it is necessary that the Son of Man suffer and the like.

Perhaps the way to think of it is like this. Our Lord wants to make you into living stones that build up the body of Christ. You are His workmanship, His work of art. Now stones, in order to be used in building, must be chiseled and polished and worked until they are just right. God is, in effect, chiseling you out and polishing you for the kingdom of God. He is working away at your unbelief and sin, removing the impediments to faith and building you up into His own image, the image of His only begotten Son.

But this is truly a mystery if there ever was one. This is the second point of our text. The disciples didn’t understand, and neither do we. When we are faced with trials and tribulations in this life, our natural response is much more one of complaining and murmuring against God, than it is rejoicing that He has made us worthy to be fashioned into His likeness. It is a mystery that only God can reveal to us by His Word.

3. So why is it that God must lay crosses and tribulations upon us? It works this way: Our rebirth comes through faith, and faith comes from the Word of God, but the Word of God is seldom planted apart from the cross and tribulation. When things are going perfectly in your life, when you are happy and making money, when everything goes right in your life, who needs God? So in order to cultivate the ground of your heart, God sends tribulations and trials, so that you will hear His Word and trust in Him all of your life.

Now perhaps at first glance this seems mean. I suppose that to a young child, when a parent disciplines them, it does appear just mean. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Our heavenly Father chastens us and allows trials and tribulations precisely because He loves us. When cross and trial grieve you, rejoice and be glad! For this is a sign that God has not abandoned you, but rather that He loves you so much that He wishes to fashion you into something even greater.

4. Jesus’ cross and empty tomb give you a lens for seeing the world and your own life. The devil, the world and your own sinful nature all want you to look at the trials and sufferings of your life, and believe that by them God is proving He has abandoned you. But Jesus in our Gospel today gives you hope. A little while, he says. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? A little while. That’s how long the suffering and trials of this life will last.

Now while you and I are stuck in the middle of things here on this earth, a little while may seem like a terribly long time. We may cry out with the Psalmist, How long, O Lord, how long? Our little while may seem more like the Israelites four hundred years of slavery in Egypt, or their seventy years exiled in Babylon. But just like the Israelites as they prayed in Psalm one hundred twenty six:
1 When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream.
2Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations, ”The LORD has done great things for them.”
3The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad. (Psalm 126:1-3)

Christ our Lord may leave for a little while, as He says in this text, but He returns again and again by Word and Sacrament to give you the strength you need to go on with life. Trust that Christ will take care of you. He who died on the cross and rose again for your salvation will see you through. Believe it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Daily Readings for 4th Sunday Of Easter

Daily Lectionary

May 3 - 9, 2009

Fourth Sunday of Easter: Leviticus 8:1–13, 30–36; Luke 9:1–17
Monday: Lev 9:1–24; Luke 9:18–36
Tuesday: Lev 10:1–20; Luke 9:37–62
Wednesday: Lev 16:1–24; Luke 10:1–22
Thursday: Lev 17:1–16; Luke 10:23–42
Friday: Lev 18:1–7, 20—19:8; Luke 11:1–13
Saturday: Lev 19:9–18, 26–37; Luke 11:14–36

NEXT WEEKS LESSONS: CANTATE—THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Though Jesus has departed from us visibly to the right hand of the Father who sent Him, yet this is to our advantage. For Jesus–who is Lord over all creation, who intercedes for us before the Father, who is preparing a place for us in heaven–has sent the Helper, the Spirit of Truth. (Jn 16:5–15) “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights” through Christ. (James 1:16–21) The Holy Spirit helps us by taking of what is Christ’s and declaring it to us. In the Word of truth the Spirit works repentance and delivers to us the forgiveness of sins, the righteousness of Christ, and victory over the devil. For the ruler of this world is judged and defeated by the cross. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit we have been brought forth to new life in Him who is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Confident of our resurrection with Christ we confess, “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid.” (Is 12:1–6)


Collect
Our merciful Father, the God who alone make minds of the faithful to be of one will, cause Your people to love what You command and to desire what You promise, that among the manifold changes of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Old Testament: Isaiah 12:1–6 [First song of Isaiah]
Epistle: James 1:16–21 [Every good and perfect gift]
Holy Gospel: John 16:5–15 [Spirit promised]

Daily Lectionary for the 4th Sunday of Easter

Daily Lectionary

Third Sunday of Easter Exodus 32:15–35, Luke 6:39–49
Monday Exodus 33:1–23, Luke 7:1–17
Tuesday Exodus 34:1–28, Luke 7:18–35
Wednesday Exodus 34:29—35:21, Luke 7:36–50
Thursday Exodus 38:21—39:8, 22–23, 27–31, Luke 8:1–21
Friday Exodus 39:32—40:16, Luke 8:22–39
Saturday Exodus 40:17–38, Luke 8:40–56

NEXT WEEKS LESSONS: JUBILATE—THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

The people of God are pilgrims and sojourners in this world, looking ahead to a destination yet to come. (1 Peter 2:11–20) Though we are now children of God, the fullness of what we shall be has not yet been revealed. (1 John 3:1–3) We are those who wait on the Lord. “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” (Lamentations 3:22–33) Jesus tells us that the wait is just a little while. “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” (John 16:16–22) Though you must experience sorrow for a time, though you must live as strangers in a world that is at enmity with Christ, yet your sorrow will be turned to joy when He returns. “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:25–31) The little while of weeping shall be replaced with an eternity of rejoicing in the presence of Christ the crucified and risen Savior. “And your joy no one will take from you.”

Old Testament Isaiah 40:25–31 [On eagle’s wings]
Epistle 1 Peter 2:11–20 [Living as free men]
Holy Gospel: John 16:16–22 [Grief into Joy]

Misericordias Domini – Mercies of the Lord

– Easter 3 –
Misericordias Domini – Mercies of the Lord
(April 25–26, 2009)
John 10:11-16
“The Shepherd Who Dies for the Sheep”

In the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our text for this morning is from John chapter 10, Jesus the Good Shepherd.

I suppose that one of the interesting things about this text is the word good. At first glance, this certainly is a common word. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is the one who cares for His sheep, even to the point of giving His own life. But if Jesus is the Good Shepherd, that means that there must be bad shepherds out there, who seek not to feed and care for the sheep, but to fleece them and turn them into mutton.

Our Lord speaks about this in the Old Testament reading from Ezekiel chapter 34. In our Old Testament reading the Lord commands Ezekiel to prophecy against the false shepherds in Israel. These shepherds were not interested in feeding and caring and protecting the sheep. Rather, they wanted to eat and feed themselves. They were interested in their own selfish gain, and in feeding their own bellies.

Of course, the great bad shepherd is none other than Satan himself. Satan would like nothing more than to lead you away from quiet waters and give you the poison of false doctrine instead of the green grass of God’s Word. The so-called shepherds of this world would love to see you leave God’s presence and go off foraging on your own in the world. For without the protecting care of the Good Shepherd, you are a lamb for the slaughter.

This is why it is so dangerous for us to abandon hearing God’s Word and receiving His body and blood here in His Church. There is always one part of us that honestly believes that we don’t need God. Jesus’ death and resurrection is all fine and good, but when it comes to my salvation, well, that’s my own problem. I’ll work out my own faith and life, thank you very much. But this view completely misses point of our text, and really the whole point of the resurrection.

Let me explain. Our Lord promises in Ezekiel that He Himself will feed His flock and care for them. He will not delegate His responsibility to another. God Himself will feed and take care of you. So where does God feed you? He feeds you here, at His altar, with His very body and blood. This isn’t simply a rite we do because we’ve always done it. The Lord’s Supper is the very heartbeat of the Christian faith. All of God’s work on the cross and in the empty tomb goes into your mouth and soul in Holy Communion. This isn’t like an option on a car, where you can get the electronic windows if you want them. Jesus is what shapes and defines your faith, for He is the one that gave you faith. And the way Jesus shapes your faith is by coming to you in his Word and in His Sacrament. Without Him, you are a lost sheep, hopeless and alone. But with Jesus, you are a part of God’s flock, and He Himself takes care of you.

Hear again the deep connection between the Father and Jesus and you. Jesus said in our Gospel lesson: I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. What our Lord is saying is that the connection between you and Jesus is as close as the connection between Jesus and the Father. As Jesus said elsewhere in John, I and the Father are one.

We live in a day and an age when it is so easy to feel alone or to be alone. I remember a thinker once saying that television has made it possible for a million people to laugh at the same joke at the same time and still feel lonely. But this is not only true of television. Our lives are so compartmentalized and categorized that we can easily be disconnected from our family, from friends, from church, and it seems even from God Himself. This loneliness in some ways is an extension of the separation and loss that we all experience because of sin. Sin drives a wedge between you and God, and between you and others. It creates gaps and holes of loneliness that we all feel at time.

This is where Jesus’ words in our text bring such comfort to the lonely and downtrodden. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. Jesus is not simply the God who died and rose again from the dead three days later. He is the God who has come into your midst, who binds up your wounds, and who leads you beside the quiet waters of Holy Baptism. Jesus is the good shepherd. He is the one who can restore your soul. He is the bridge that reconnects you to God Himself. He is the link between you and all eternity. He is the door to the heavenly mansions, and the one who will walk with you through the valley of the shadow of death. By His stripes you are healed.

So where does this put you this morning, as we reflect on the tender mercies of God? It puts you in His care. It means you are not alone. Indeed, it means that when you eat His body and drink His blood here today in the Sacrament of the Altar, that you are connected to God in a way that is more profound and deeper than any kind of emotional high or feeling could ever give you. God’s tender mercy toward you means He cares for you so much that He sent His Son to die. It means that this same risen Son is now in your heart and soul through Holy Baptism, and that when you hear His Word you are connected to eternity itself. Now that may sound kind of pie-in-the-sky or unrealistic. I suppose it is to the world. To the world there is nothing happening here. But to you, God Himself is giving you everything.

Hear again part of the words from our Introit:
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,*
on those who hope in His mercy.
To deliver their soul from death,*
and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;*
He is our help and our shield. (Psalm 33:1, 18–20)

Notice that it says our soul. It doesn’t say my soul. It says our soul. We are God’s flock, God’s church. We are in this together. By participating in His life, we have life in each other. You are not alone.

We in the Christian Church hope in the mercy of God. God will see you through whatever troubles may come upon you. Now that doesn’t mean he’ll wave a magic wand and make everything better. Rather, it means that God will give you the most important thing of all: He will give you Himself. As Saint Peter wrote in our Epistle: For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

God calls you and gathers you together into His holy flock. You are not alone. You are now a part of God’s family. So rejoice in His Easter mercy! For this is what Christ won for you at the cross and in the empty tomb. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. And that goodness comes to you now in His risen Son, Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.

In the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.