5th Sunday of Easter; John 16:12-22

Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!

            What’s this world coming to?  Have you found yourself asking this question lately?  As you watch the news what do you see?  North Korea is huffing and puffing, several European countries are in serious financial trouble, and the conflicts in the Middle east continue.  What’s the world coming to?   But not just the world, look what’s happening in our own country: a bombing in Boston, an explosion at a fertilizer plant, poison-filled letters sent to our elected leaders and that’s only what has happened in the last week and a half or so.  What’s our country coming to? 

            What’s a Christian to do?  We live in a world where marriage is on it’s way to being redefined.  Babies are still being killed inside the womb (and even outside the womb if you’ve heard of Dr. Kermit Gosnell in Pennsylvania.)  What’s our country coming to? 

            The Words of Jesus in our text certainly ring true in our ears don’t they? “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.”  We look around at this old world and we can plainly see that there is no lack of sin and trouble.  The world rejoices in sexual sins of all kinds, it rejoices in redefining marriage, it rejoices in a “woman’s right to choose death” but these things send the heart of a Christian into sorrow.  What are we to do?  What’s our world coming to? 

            In our text for this morning, Jesus is preparing His disciples of a life proclaiming God’s Word in a world that was hostile to it, and as a result, there were many times of sorrow.  Jesus says in our text, “A little while, and you will see me not longer; and again a little while, and you will see me… Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.  You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”  

            The Apostle Paul was stoned at Lystra, though he survived, James, the brother of John, was killed by the sword, and many of the disciples were crucified.  And throughout their lives of proclaiming Christ, they were rejected by their own people.  Society demanded that they conform to the ways of the world, to rejoice with them in all that the culture celebrated.  But they, instead, went the way of the cross.  They suffered for the sake of Jesus, they went through their birth pangs.  No doubt, they, too, asked, “What’s this world coming to?” 

            The Christian Church in America, those who hold fast to the unerring Word of God, is entering a time of persecution.  Will there be a time when Christians are rounded up, like the apostles, and thrown in prison for gently calling a sinner to repentance?  It’s very possible.  Will the Church have to choose between proclaiming God’s Word and her tax-exempt status?  It’s likely.  As Matthew Harrison, President of the Missouri Synod, once said in his own pithy way concerning these matters, “The world has gone berserk.” 

            Yet, even in the midst of this sorrowful world, even in the midst of Christian persecution, even in the midst of bearing the cross, Jesus gives us comfort that the sorrows that we bear won’t last forever.  The cross is for a time but the joys of eternity are forever. 

            We tend to agonize over the future; we dwell upon what may be ,but our future is sure and certain because our future is in Christ.  Jesus also bore His cross, He was also hated, but His cross that He bears, He bears for you.  He spent three hours on His cross, winning salvation for you and the world, and now He is risen, never to die again, and He shall return.  He’ll end sorrow. Rejoicing in His presence will last forever.  The woman in labor bears her pain for a moment but the pain is temporary but after, rejoicing over the child begins.   Even in her pain, she focuses on the joy to come.  As we bear our pain, the Lord is coming.  As I’ve said before, the Day of Our Lord is closer than it once was, dear friends in Christ. 

            And until His coming, He has sent to us the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, who guides through this world of sorrow.  And this Spirit of Truth always leads us back to Jesus.  The world is going berserk but the Spirit, through the Word of God, leads us back to the crucified Jesus.  The Church is undergoing persecution, but the Spirit of Truth leads us back to the cross.  The world hates us, but the Spirit leads us back to the empty tomb. 

            In a world of crosses, trials, and pain, the Holy Spirit shows us Jesus who has overcome all of these things.  He works through the Word so that in the midst of sorrow, your heart would yet have the joy that Christ has died for you; the joy that salvation is yours and even though the world may take away your goods, fame, child, and wife, there’s one thing that this old world can’t take from you:  your salvation.    Jesus has prepared for you a place where sorrow has ceased to be, where joy reigns for eternity. 

            Having been justified by faith, you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You have peace! Through Jesus Christ you have access by faith into this grace in which you stand.  So, in the midst of this sin-sick world, rejoice!  Rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that – not only that!- but you also glory in tribulations. You glory in them because you know that tribulation produces patience; and patience, character; and character, hope. And hope doesn’t disappoint.  Because the love of God has been poured out into your heart by the Holy Spirit who was given to you in the gracious waters of Baptism. You are baptized. God loves you.  He died for you, for your hope, for your character, for your patience. And He’s coming back. So wait on the Lord. Be of good courage as the world calls you its enemy.  Since Christ is for you, who can be against you? 

            He is risen and that’s our focus, that’s what matters.  Though we’ve been sent out as sheep among wolves, the Lord is risen and sorrow lasts for a short time but the joys of paradise lasts forever.  So let the world do its worst.  Let the world persecute, lie, and slander you for the sake of Christ.  Let the world take away the Church’s tax-exempt status, we have something far better anyway.  Fear not, the time of sorrow is short, but the risen Lord is coming and our sorrows and crosses that we bear as Christians shall end and the joys of paradise will be for eternity.  Come, Lord Jesus!  Come quickly! Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.

2nd Sunday of Easter/Confirmation Sunday; John 20:19-20

"The World Brings Doubt but Jesus Brings Peace"

Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!

            What are you afraid of?  Are you afraid of things that go bump in the night?  Are you afraid of snakes?  Bugs?  Mice?  Are you afraid that you won’t be able to pay the bills?  Are you afraid of dying?  Are you afraid of someone else dying?  Are you afraid of being a Christian in a society that’s increasingly becoming secularized?  Are you afraid of confessing your faith in front of a bunch of people?  (Clarissa had better get over that one pretty quick)

            In 1933, the country was in the thick of the Great Depression.  There was fear.  Jobs had dried up.  For some, food was a luxury.  In his first inaugural address, the newly elected President Franklin Roosevelt famously said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  It sounds nice, but it’s kind of like telling someone, “Don’t worry, things will be alright.”  Which is way more easier said than done. 

            When there’s a bump in the night, being told that you shouldn’t be afraid is hardly comforting.  When a snake slithers across the floor, someone telling you that it’s a harmless garter snake really isn’t all that helpful to a person who’s terrified of snakes.  (I can personally attest to that.)  When the bills are piling up remembering Franklin Roosevelt’s inaugural address doesn’t really bring a sigh of relief to a burdened soul.  When a loved one is dying saying that it will be ok, falls a bit empty.  So how do we, as Christians face the fears in our lives?

            You’re not the first to be afraid.  The disciples also knew fear.  Even after Jesus’ resurrection, even after Peter and John stooped down to see the empty tomb, the disciples, minus Thomas, barred themselves into a room, locked the doors and sealed the windows out of fear.  And it wasn’t the Romans they feared; they weren’t afraid of Pilate, Herod, or the Roman guards.  But, as the text says, “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked for fear of the Jews.”  They feared their own people.  They feared the same people that had seen to it that Jesus was crucified would also go after them.  They were terrified for their lives.

            Yet, in the midst of their fear, in the middle of their trembling, “Jesus stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side.  Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.’” 

            The resurrected Jesus turns their fear into gladness.  Their cowering turned to rejoicing.   Jesus lives!  He who was dead is alive again.  He is who He said He was- the Son of God,-God in the flesh.  He comes to them in that locked room, bearing the marks of His cross that still scarred His body- that Thomas will, later stick his hands into.  And even though they all abandoned Him, scattered like sheep whose shepherd had been struck down, He comes to them not to condemn them, not to punish them, not to chew them out but to bring them peace. 

            Jesus lives, so they didn’t need to fear the Jews, Pilate, or Roman guards.  Jesus lives they don’t have to be afraid of the pain, the suffering, or the dying that they will all endure.  Jesus lives, they didn’t even have anything to fear from God Himself. 

            Three times in the text Jesus says, “Peace be with you,” and that’s what the risen Lord brings to you: peace.  He brings to you peace in the midst of fear, anxiety, and doubt.  The peace that your sins are forgiven before God in heaven.  The peace that no matter what happens in this life, the risen Lord is still for you.  Peace that covers your fears. 

            Jesus has been raised from the dead for you.  What’s the worst that anyone can do to you?  Your bills may be piling up, but don’t be afraid, Jesus lives.  He, too, had no place to rest His head.  Your loved one may be dying but Jesus lives, He too, went into and out of the grave.  Do not be afraid.  The world is becoming more and more hostile to the Church, but do not be afraid, Jesus wasn’t always looked upon with favor by society either.  Jesus lives.  When our fears are cast at the feet of Jesus, the risen Lord, fears turns to faith. 

            Because Jesus lives, we can face the future with confidence.  Because Jesus lives, the world has been overcome.  We will face trials and pains and anxieties in this life, but they shall, at last, give way to the joys of Paradise.  And until that time, our God sees your fear, your hurts, and pains as He beheld those of His Son.  Jesus also knows your fears and pains because He Himself has endured them for you.  Apart from Jesus there is fear, but in Christ there is peace.  And no matter how you feel, no matter how burdened you are, no matter how many fearful nights you’ve lied awake in bed, you have peace with God and forgiveness of sins through Christ.

            And that this peace would continually be placed into your ears, He sends His disciples out to bring the peace of the risen Christ to all.  “Peace be with you,” Jesus tells the 10 disciples there, “ ’As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’  And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.’”

            Like pastors today, that’s what the apostles’ primary duty that all other duties drive toward- forgiving sins.  To speak those words of forgiveness that brings you peace with God.  And to even speak those words of forgiveness to each other when someone sins against you.  That’s the center of the Church, to forgive sins; to take all that the risen Lord has done for you and the world and pronounce His perfect peace of forgiveness.  To turn the one who has fear and doubt and point them to Christ, who lives and reigns for you.

            The risen Jesus still comes to you, bringing you peace.  He comes to You in His Word, that says, “Your sins are forgiven through Jesus’ cross and resurrection.”  He comes to you under bread and wine.  He comes to you under water and the Word.  So that no matter what happens, no matter your fears, Jesus still comes to you with His peace and forgiveness.  The words, “Don’t be afraid,” on their own when things go bump in the night may not be all that comforting.  But the proclamation of “Don’t be afraid, Jesus was dead but is alive again all for you,” brings peace.

            Today we’re also celebrating Confirmation Day.  Clarissa, it’s a scary thing to get up in front of God and everyone and make the confession that you’re going to make.  Yet, Clarissa, the Jesus who suffered and died on the cross but was raised again is also for you.  You, too, will face some scary things in your life as a baptized child of God, yet He continues to come to you in His Word and Sacraments.  He is your Savior who died and rose again for you.  The Lord richly bless you all your life as you continue to make the good confession.

            That’s how we face fears as Christians: with faith that your Lord has gone before you to the cross but lives again and because He lives, you’re at peace with God.   He lives so that at last, at His coming, we too would behold His nail-scarred body, put our fingers into the holes that He bore for you and proclaim with Thomas and all the apostles, “My Lord and My God!”  Be glad and rejoice! Jesus lives!  Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.    

The Resurrection of Our Lord; Luke 24:1-12; 1 Corinthians 15:19-29

Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!

            Big Surprises don’t happen very often in life and when they do, they’re (hopefully) a great joy.  Reuniting with family or friends that you haven’t seen in a long time.  A marriage proposal.  Pedro Quezada, a New Jersey man, just got the surprise of his life as he recently won the 338 million dollar Powerball.  Surprises don’t happen very often, but when they do, there’s unspeakable joy.  Well, today, this joyous day, God gives His people a big wonderful surprise. 

But first, let’s go back to the beginning, as Paul does, where the surprise first was promised.  When God told Adam and Eve that when they ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would surely die.  They ate and, though God created them to last forever, our bodies now wear out.  Death is now our enemy, and it would have been our end.  But God has something else to say to Adam and Eve; a surprise that they surely didn’t expect.  Instead of squishing them like bugs for their sinful rebellion, He gives them a promise that there would one to crush the serpent’s head, that the curse of the fall would be undone.  And today, this joyous day, God makes good on that promise. 

Can you imagine those women who went to Jesus’ tomb that Easter morning?  They saw it all happen right in front of them.  They saw the nails pierce through Jesus’ hands and feet.  They saw Jesus lifted upon the cross.  They heard Jesus cry out, “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.”  They saw Jesus taken down from the cross and laid it in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb.  They may have even witnessed as the large stone rolled into place with a great bang.  If there was anyone who could testify to the fact that Jesus was dead it would be these women. 

            But, three days later, they go to the tomb of Jesus, with spices in hand expecting to anoint a dead body but finding everything has changed.   A big surprise.  A surprise that changes everything.  A surprise that even changes the way we view death itself.  The great stone has been rolled away, the tomb is empty and Jesus is nowhere to be found.  What’s more, two men with dazzling white garments tell them something they wouldn’t in a million years expect, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.  Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”   

            That’s what Jesus said, isn’t it?  It shouldn't have been a surprise.  Time and time again He preached that it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up and on the third day rise?  That’s Jesus mission, His task, to be the sacrificial lamb who is to be roasted on the cross and raised again.  And He does it.  He fulfills everything that the Father sent Him to do.  For the world, for you, He goes to the cross and then to life. 

            He, Himself, undergoes Adam’s curse of death.  Death sank its teeth into Jesus and sank them in deep.  Its icy breath overshadowed Him and for three days Jesus was devoured whole.  But death couldn’t hold Him.  To death’s great surprise, the Passover Lamb was poison in His mouth.  Death has lost forever.  Death has forever lost its grip on our Lord and on you.

And, like Adam and Eve, what a surprise for those women that morning that brings unspeakable joy.  The Jesus who the women saw placed in the tomb is there no longer.  The women who came to anoint the body of Jesus have no one to lay their spices on.  The Jesus who those women saw give up His Spirit in death is alive!  His body is forever risen from the grave.  He is Risen! 

            And, dear friends, do you know what that means?  It means that you’re forgiven.  For everything.  It means that the Father has fully accepted the sacrifice of His Son on your behalf.  It means that death has also lost its grip on you.  That’s the reason Jesus died and was raised again, not for Himself, but for you!  All for you!  To fulfill the promise to Adam and Eve; to be the One to crush the Serpent’s head and undo the curse of the fall.  To bring to you eternal life.

The resurrection of Jesus changes everything.  It changes the way we view death.  It’s been made into a pathetic joke.  It changes the way we walk through a graveyard.  For the grave is no longer a “final resting place” but a bedroom where we and our loved ones rest for a time.  It changes the way we view our loved ones who have departed in the Faith.  For their souls are today with the Lord, but their bodies sleep in their earthen bedroom to be awakened to new life.  Death had been undone!  It’s been been defeated.  He can snarl and scowl all it wants but its teeth have been removed. 

            That’s the good news of Easter.  That because Jesus lives, death’s dark grave has been made a temporary resting place, just like Jesus’ tomb that was occupied and them empty.  For those who are in Christ, death no longer has dominion.  It lost. 

            And God has one more surprise, a surprise that’s sheer joy for you.  At the right time, in God’s good and gracious time, like a thief in the night, when we least expect it, the living Jesus, who still bears the scars of the cross, shall come again and, since death has been undone, will call His faithful from the bedrooms in which they now sleep.  With a great cry of command, “Wake up and arise, my dear people, it’s time to come home!”  The ones sleeping in the ground will breathe once more.  Blood will pump through their veins.  Souls will be reunited to their bodies and the people of God, that’s you, shall live in the New Jerusalem forever with the Lord forever.

That’s what He’s done for you.  He’s won for you forgiveness and eternal life.  Believe it, it’s yours, it’s for you.  Jesus thought you worth it to suffer, to die, and to rise again.  This, the day of resurrection, is our triumphant day, when God gives to us a surprise, something that we don’t deserve or expect.  But since He loves you with a love that sends Jesus into and out of death for you, He gives His salvation to you.  He defeats death for you.  He opens heaven’s gates wide open for you.  What a surprise.  What joy.  A most blessed Eastertide to all of you.  Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.