All Saints
November 6, 2005
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Wieting
Text: Rev. 21:22, Matt 5:1-12
In the Name of Jesus, Amen: Blessed is the Bride of the Lamb in heaven described by John. She walks in light yet has no need of the Sun. The Lamb is her lamp (21:23). She touches nothing unclean. No lie touches her heart or her ears for such cannot enter God’s presence (21:27). She lives from the river of life and the tree of life. From them she receives perfect healing. The curse of this sinful world is removed (22:1-3). She sees the face of her Holy Bridegroom and with Him she reigns forever and ever (22:4, 5). Blessed is the Bride of the Lamb in heaven.
Dear Christians this is the beating heart of all our hope. Our Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose again, is coming back. He will not abandon us to the grave. The best is yet to come! The Blessedness to come is so far beyond the joys of this life that “no eye has seen nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him” (I Cor. 2:9). If you can’t quite get heaven downsized to your earthly thoughts and emotions, then God be praised. If you have it all figured out in your imagination and from the spiritual ideas of others, that isn’t heaven. The best that is yet to come is beyond our imagining. Yet, by God’s clear promise, this is the beating heart of all our hope.
This is also the present state of your loved ones who have died in Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose again will not abandon us to the grave. Those who have died in Christ are not dead. Their bodies sleep in the grave, returning to dust, awaiting the return of Christ on the last day. That resurrection of all flesh will take place in the twinkling of an eye. Yet even now, their souls live. They live as the blessed Bride of the Lamb. They live seeing the face of Christ (the beatific vision) and they delight in His presence. They enjoy eternal pleasures at God’s right hand. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them” (Rev. 14:13). Yet their deeds were really not done on their own. As the prophet Isaiah said so clearly, “LORD, You will establish peace for us, Since You have also performed for us all our works” (Is. 26:12).
Today we remember with thanksgiving the departed saints whose works God performed for them; saints such as Moses and Isaiah, Matthew and Paul, Mary and Martha, Luther and Walther. Today we remember with thanksgiving and mark by reading their name recently departed members of this congregation, whose works in faith, God performed for them. Today we also remember departed saints from years ago, including your own friends and relatives who confessed Jesus as Lord in this place. To name just a few: Anita, and Bud and Charlotte and Donna and Ethel and Frieda and Gladys and Helen and Ida and Irma and Jerry and Lorraine and Lester and Marvin and Nadine and Paula and Roy and Tom and Vi and William and on and on, including those you name in your hearts.
Those who have died in the faith, receiving Christ’s forgiveness join us with angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven as we sing with them their song, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. Here as the risen Christ comes to teach and feed His people, His saints accompany Him. Here heaven meets earth. This is the beating heart of the Church’s life. This is what we must stop speaking of as “going to church”. This is what we must lovingly bear witness to as “meeting with the risen Christ to receive His gifts.”
Yesterday the lead article in the Milwaukee Journal spoke of young adults and baby boomers who desire a different path to God. Sunday worship and sermons are out. Small group study and service projects are in. Attending Church is out. Attempting somehow to be the Church is in. Detailed creeds confessing Jesus and His work are out. Allowance for divergence from biblical teaching is in. The people interviewed were serious and sincere. But in the most basic truth they were sincerely wrong.
What is crucial to understand is that right from the beginning the beating heart of the church was weekly worship to receive God’s Word and Sacrament. This is exactly what the Holy Spirit led the Christians after Pentecost to be devoted to with all their strength (Acts 2:42). This is what the very word “church” meant in the first centuries – not a building – not primarily people trying to be the church in various ways – but the people of God gathered together weekly to meet with the risen Christ and to receive His Word and Sacrament.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t seek to know one another more personally or to serve one another more purposely as those interviewed expressed a desire to do. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get together for other purposes of study and discussion. What it does mean is that what occurs weekly when the crucified and risen Christ comes to teach us and feed us is not some optional activity called “going to church”. It is the beating heart of all our hope. It is where Christ comes into our midst to give us forgiveness, life and salvation. It is no simple oversight that this article discussing other paths to God made no mention of the true body and the true blood of Christ given us Christians to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins. If you know someone misled by the views of those called “revolutionaries” do speak the truth, do humbly bear witness to the hope that we have in Christ Jesus, with gentleness and respect (I Peter 3:15, 16).
Dearly beloved, this is the beating heart of all our hope. The crucified and risen Christ is coming back. He will not abandon us to the grave. He comes into our midst now to prepare us to dwell with Him for eternity. His Word does what it says. So does His blood. That which He shed upon the cross, the blood that washes the robes of the martyrs white as new fallen snow, also passes your lips. Received in faith, His Blood washes your soul as sparkling clean as their robes. Is it not a wonder that as He comes among us today to serve us, the saints at rest are in His presence.
While we miss them, they do not miss us. They are free from the pain and suffering of this earthly life. They never again have to hear the evening news. They no longer experience sadness or loneliness or confusion. They will no longer be lied to nor lie to themselves. They will never worry for their loved ones. They will never lose a child. They will never suffer violence. They will never have their hearts broken. They will never feel defeated or depressed. Their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. The peace which they enjoy is the peace that passes all understanding. With Him they reign forever and ever. Blessed are those who have died in the Lord.
But blessed also are you who live in the Lord. Jesus described you in this way, poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those persecuted and insulted and lied about because of Christ and His Word.
The first Beatitude sums up all the rest. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The beatitudes are all talking about the same people – the Church of Christ – you, His saints. Not only are the saints poor in spirit (making no claims over against God), they mourn over the sin and death of this cursed world. Not only do they mourn over sin and death, they hunger and thirst for the righteousness that comes in Christ, for themselves and for others. Not only do they hunger and thirst for righteousness, they are mocked and insulted for such concern. Yet the beatitudes are theirs as a gift.
This gift comes from the only man who lived the beatitudes, Jesus Christ In Christ you are humble and merciful and pure in heart and peacemakers. For you can’t be the body of the humble, merciful, pure Prince of Peace and not be who He is! In baptism you were clothed in Christ (Gal. 3:27). He put His name on you. In Christ your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What John described in heaven is your future as well.
That future is crucial to your present struggle and suffering. It is the beating heart of all that we hope for. Christ will not abandon you to the grave. The best is yet to come! So persevere in confessing His Name. Be strong in bearing the burdens of today.
You are not the only one who grows frustrated and weary. You are not the only one who thinks the church on earth should look and act more like the church in heaven. You are not the only one who mourns the decay in society and the dangers threatening the church from the inside. You are not the only one who is tired and wants to rest. This is how it always is with the saints on earth. They are waiting. In the midst of this waiting there is sorrow and uncertainty and struggle. Some days are better than others, but there are no days when everything is just right. Here, you His saints must bear a cross, not as a piece of jewelry but as a gift of Christ.
We are after all pilgrims here with no lasting city. We are also and always a target for the lies of the devil that promise glory now. He seeks to devour us by offering us life in this dying world apart from Christ. He seeks to make us believe that what we see is what we get.
But the truth is, the best is yet to come and you can’t see it just yet! The truth is Christ who died and rose again is coming back and He will not abandon you to the grave. Your blessedness rests in Him. In Him you shall be comforted. In Him it will soon be said also of you, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” “Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
In the name of Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, to whom be glory and honor, now and forever. AMEN.
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Wieting
Text: Rev. 21:22, Matt 5:1-12
In the Name of Jesus, Amen: Blessed is the Bride of the Lamb in heaven described by John. She walks in light yet has no need of the Sun. The Lamb is her lamp (21:23). She touches nothing unclean. No lie touches her heart or her ears for such cannot enter God’s presence (21:27). She lives from the river of life and the tree of life. From them she receives perfect healing. The curse of this sinful world is removed (22:1-3). She sees the face of her Holy Bridegroom and with Him she reigns forever and ever (22:4, 5). Blessed is the Bride of the Lamb in heaven.
Dear Christians this is the beating heart of all our hope. Our Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose again, is coming back. He will not abandon us to the grave. The best is yet to come! The Blessedness to come is so far beyond the joys of this life that “no eye has seen nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him” (I Cor. 2:9). If you can’t quite get heaven downsized to your earthly thoughts and emotions, then God be praised. If you have it all figured out in your imagination and from the spiritual ideas of others, that isn’t heaven. The best that is yet to come is beyond our imagining. Yet, by God’s clear promise, this is the beating heart of all our hope.
This is also the present state of your loved ones who have died in Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose again will not abandon us to the grave. Those who have died in Christ are not dead. Their bodies sleep in the grave, returning to dust, awaiting the return of Christ on the last day. That resurrection of all flesh will take place in the twinkling of an eye. Yet even now, their souls live. They live as the blessed Bride of the Lamb. They live seeing the face of Christ (the beatific vision) and they delight in His presence. They enjoy eternal pleasures at God’s right hand. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them” (Rev. 14:13). Yet their deeds were really not done on their own. As the prophet Isaiah said so clearly, “LORD, You will establish peace for us, Since You have also performed for us all our works” (Is. 26:12).
Today we remember with thanksgiving the departed saints whose works God performed for them; saints such as Moses and Isaiah, Matthew and Paul, Mary and Martha, Luther and Walther. Today we remember with thanksgiving and mark by reading their name recently departed members of this congregation, whose works in faith, God performed for them. Today we also remember departed saints from years ago, including your own friends and relatives who confessed Jesus as Lord in this place. To name just a few: Anita, and Bud and Charlotte and Donna and Ethel and Frieda and Gladys and Helen and Ida and Irma and Jerry and Lorraine and Lester and Marvin and Nadine and Paula and Roy and Tom and Vi and William and on and on, including those you name in your hearts.
Those who have died in the faith, receiving Christ’s forgiveness join us with angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven as we sing with them their song, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. Here as the risen Christ comes to teach and feed His people, His saints accompany Him. Here heaven meets earth. This is the beating heart of the Church’s life. This is what we must stop speaking of as “going to church”. This is what we must lovingly bear witness to as “meeting with the risen Christ to receive His gifts.”
Yesterday the lead article in the Milwaukee Journal spoke of young adults and baby boomers who desire a different path to God. Sunday worship and sermons are out. Small group study and service projects are in. Attending Church is out. Attempting somehow to be the Church is in. Detailed creeds confessing Jesus and His work are out. Allowance for divergence from biblical teaching is in. The people interviewed were serious and sincere. But in the most basic truth they were sincerely wrong.
What is crucial to understand is that right from the beginning the beating heart of the church was weekly worship to receive God’s Word and Sacrament. This is exactly what the Holy Spirit led the Christians after Pentecost to be devoted to with all their strength (Acts 2:42). This is what the very word “church” meant in the first centuries – not a building – not primarily people trying to be the church in various ways – but the people of God gathered together weekly to meet with the risen Christ and to receive His Word and Sacrament.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t seek to know one another more personally or to serve one another more purposely as those interviewed expressed a desire to do. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get together for other purposes of study and discussion. What it does mean is that what occurs weekly when the crucified and risen Christ comes to teach us and feed us is not some optional activity called “going to church”. It is the beating heart of all our hope. It is where Christ comes into our midst to give us forgiveness, life and salvation. It is no simple oversight that this article discussing other paths to God made no mention of the true body and the true blood of Christ given us Christians to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins. If you know someone misled by the views of those called “revolutionaries” do speak the truth, do humbly bear witness to the hope that we have in Christ Jesus, with gentleness and respect (I Peter 3:15, 16).
Dearly beloved, this is the beating heart of all our hope. The crucified and risen Christ is coming back. He will not abandon us to the grave. He comes into our midst now to prepare us to dwell with Him for eternity. His Word does what it says. So does His blood. That which He shed upon the cross, the blood that washes the robes of the martyrs white as new fallen snow, also passes your lips. Received in faith, His Blood washes your soul as sparkling clean as their robes. Is it not a wonder that as He comes among us today to serve us, the saints at rest are in His presence.
While we miss them, they do not miss us. They are free from the pain and suffering of this earthly life. They never again have to hear the evening news. They no longer experience sadness or loneliness or confusion. They will no longer be lied to nor lie to themselves. They will never worry for their loved ones. They will never lose a child. They will never suffer violence. They will never have their hearts broken. They will never feel defeated or depressed. Their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. The peace which they enjoy is the peace that passes all understanding. With Him they reign forever and ever. Blessed are those who have died in the Lord.
But blessed also are you who live in the Lord. Jesus described you in this way, poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those persecuted and insulted and lied about because of Christ and His Word.
The first Beatitude sums up all the rest. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The beatitudes are all talking about the same people – the Church of Christ – you, His saints. Not only are the saints poor in spirit (making no claims over against God), they mourn over the sin and death of this cursed world. Not only do they mourn over sin and death, they hunger and thirst for the righteousness that comes in Christ, for themselves and for others. Not only do they hunger and thirst for righteousness, they are mocked and insulted for such concern. Yet the beatitudes are theirs as a gift.
This gift comes from the only man who lived the beatitudes, Jesus Christ In Christ you are humble and merciful and pure in heart and peacemakers. For you can’t be the body of the humble, merciful, pure Prince of Peace and not be who He is! In baptism you were clothed in Christ (Gal. 3:27). He put His name on you. In Christ your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What John described in heaven is your future as well.
That future is crucial to your present struggle and suffering. It is the beating heart of all that we hope for. Christ will not abandon you to the grave. The best is yet to come! So persevere in confessing His Name. Be strong in bearing the burdens of today.
You are not the only one who grows frustrated and weary. You are not the only one who thinks the church on earth should look and act more like the church in heaven. You are not the only one who mourns the decay in society and the dangers threatening the church from the inside. You are not the only one who is tired and wants to rest. This is how it always is with the saints on earth. They are waiting. In the midst of this waiting there is sorrow and uncertainty and struggle. Some days are better than others, but there are no days when everything is just right. Here, you His saints must bear a cross, not as a piece of jewelry but as a gift of Christ.
We are after all pilgrims here with no lasting city. We are also and always a target for the lies of the devil that promise glory now. He seeks to devour us by offering us life in this dying world apart from Christ. He seeks to make us believe that what we see is what we get.
But the truth is, the best is yet to come and you can’t see it just yet! The truth is Christ who died and rose again is coming back and He will not abandon you to the grave. Your blessedness rests in Him. In Him you shall be comforted. In Him it will soon be said also of you, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” “Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
In the name of Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, to whom be glory and honor, now and forever. AMEN.
posted by Luther Memorial Chapel at
11/09/2005
