6th Sunday of Easter

Text: John 16:23-33
Rev. Kenneth W. Wieting

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before His throne (that is the Holy Spirit) and from Jesus Christ, the first born from the dead.

“I have said these things to you that you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Dear hearers of the Word: in the world’s eyes, your pastor is a moron! By the world, I mean the natural reason of unbelieving man. By the world I mean the philosophies of mankind – both academic wisdom and backyard common sense apart from Christ. St. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth “the word of the cross is folly (Greek – moronic) to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” In the world’s eyes your pastor is a moron. But then so are you!

This is not just because you believe in God. Many people believe in a higher power of some kind. Spiritual experiences, hope that their might be something better than life and death on earth – these do not automatically merit the label of “foolish” from the world. Whether it might be the spirit of nature or your inner being or some angelic or star-powered force – who knows? But, if you confess faith in the one Man Jesus Christ and His work of redemption on the cross, that is seen as foolish (moronic) by this dying world.

Jesus said, “…the Father loves you, because you loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” This one man came from God the Father – equal with the Father! It was now Holy Week. In a little while – a few short hours – He would be hidden from the eyes of His disciples in the darkness of the tomb. They would not see Him! Then, in a little while, on the third day, they would see Him. Their hearts would be full of joy as the risen Christ taught them and fed them again. Then, in a little while, forty days more, His Ascension would remove from them His visible, presence. They would not see Him. Yet, in this “little while” until He comes again, He continues with us more then ever through the Holy Spirit. We live by faith, not by sight until we see Him face to face.

How foolish this sounds to an unbelieving world and to our hearts by nature. Jesus keeps talking about Himself as if He is the key to everything! Jesus keeps talking about His person and work as if He makes things right for us with the Father. Jesus keeps talking about things we cannot see as if He gives peace and purpose for what we do see in this troubled world. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. Either He is a proud and misguided man or He is the marvelous Prince of Peace and Savior of the world. What He cannot be fashioned into is nonetheless the most popular Jesus today - a religious nice guy suitable for blending with this world’s idols.

Even the disciples at this crucial hour had misguided thoughts about what He should do. “I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” The disciples thought that they finally understood. “…now you are speaking plainly…they said, we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.” Years of teaching, hours of praying, multitudes of healings, magnificent miracles on land and sea, yet now they will all leave Him. The hour has come when they will be scattered. Such is the strength of the sinful disciples. Such is our unaided strength as well!

No more than had Jesus predicted their failings, however, than He also made the most astounding claim about His faithfulness. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” The Greek word for tribulation means to be pressed in on, to be squeezed in a narrow place. It includes persecution (I Thess 1:6) and derision (Heb. 10:33) and poverty (Rev. 2:9) and inner sorrow (Phil 1:17) and anxiety and fear (II Cor. 7:5). In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart… The Greek word for take heart means to be bold and of good courage. To the man sick with palsy, to the woman with the flow of blood, to the disciples in a sinking, storm-tossed boat Jesus said “take heart”. Then He acted to heal them and save them! Take heart; I have overcome the world. The Greek word for “overcome” is abstracted from the Greek goddess “Nik-a”. It is the word now used for marketing “Nike” shoes and sports equipment. Those who wear them are winners – so the advertisement says. The New Testament uses this word to proclaim Jesus’ complete victory over sin and death and the devil. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

How foolish that claim seems to the naked eye! Jesus asserts victory just hours before His shameful and brutal crucifixion. I have overcome the world! I, Jesus, who will soon be bound and led away! I, Jesus, who will soon be abandoned by all of you! I, Jesus, who will be humbled to death on a cross and my body placed in the tomb. I have overcome the world! We see again, dear Christians, that there is no doubt in heaven about what will occur on Good Friday and Easter morning! This is the very reason He came from the Father for us.

The world is unbelieving! The world is dying! The world is hostile to Christ and His Church! In open derision or unspoken elitist pity, the world views Christ’s exclusive claims as moronic and us as morons for believing in Him. Therefore the world will put His disciples through all manner of tribulation. The unbelieving world will put you through the same. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world.

Do you believe this? On the sixth Sunday of Easter, 2007, do you see the triumph you have today in Christ? On a day when our society celebrates mothers, do you see the incomparable gift you have received through your mother, the Church? We can scarcely understand the blessings we receive from our earthly mothers? From the knitting together of our bodies in the womb, to years of tender care, to needed correction and ongoing counsel, how they love us! What gifts we receive in this way! Concerning mothers, more than any other reason we should thank God for their encouragement to receive the gifts of the risen Christ. We should praise God chiefly for their part in bringing us to our mother, the Church, for through the Lamb, the Church receives life eternal.

“Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” Her radiance is like a most rare jewel – the holy city, Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. So fully does she participate in the triumph of Christ over the world that in eternity she has no need of sun or moon – the Lamb gives it light. By God’s grace through our mother, the Church, we are born again in the washing of rebirth. This is not life or light that we can work our way into. Nor is it life or light that the love of our earthly mothers can bestow upon us.

The church Fathers anciently said that no one has God as their Father who does not have the church as their mother. Thus, among all the tribulations and weaknesses and faults of the Bride of Christ, this is where we receive forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

The human eye is never sharp enough to discern between genuine and apparent victory. God’s victory should be recognized by all, but it is not acknowledged. Rather, human hearts seek refuge in self-delusion. Thus the Greek, when faced by the ultimate threat to existence was taught to draw courage and take heart from what lies within him or herself. Not so with you Bride of Christ. You are to take heart in Christ. Beloved, you are in the hands of the victor over the cosmos. Heaven and earth will pass away but His words will never pass away.

Every tribulation that we will encounter in this passing world is anchored in death, the wages of sin. Whether it is persecution or derision or pain or depression, all of the pressures of this life come from the last enemy. We sang in the Introit, My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. If it weren’t for our sin and God’s curse against it we would not have tribulation.

That’s why Jesus became a curse for us - to unlock the door to the Father’s heart. That’s also why He gives us a sweeping invitation to use His gift of prayer to call upon the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Fathers and mothers and children – be encouraged in the use of this gift! Parents pray for your children and children pray for your parents in Jesus’ name.

To pray in Jesus’ name does not mean to ask for anything you want with the tag line “in Jesus’ name.” This is not a “name it and claim it” promise. To pray in Jesus’ name means to pray with faith in what He has done to save you. For the name “Jesus” literally means “The Lord saves”. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are asking the Father for all of the saving gifts that are given us in the name that is above every name. Such prayer is shaped by God’s Word. Such prayer is offered in faith which asks “Thy will be done” not “My will be done”. God’s will for you in Christ is so good and gracious and grand. Ask and receive that your joy may be full. I have overcome the world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ after a little while of tribulation there is an eternity of peace and pleasure awaiting you. Pray with boldness in Him who is the risen Conqueror, who has given you His victory. Believe him when He says, Ask and receive that your joy may be full. Whatever tribulation presses in on you today believe Him who says, “Take heart; I have overcome the world”.

Each week in the Liturgy and again today, He says it to you this way, “Lift up your hearts”. You are right to say, “We lift them to the Lord”. He who has blessed you from your mother’s arms with beautiful gifts of daily bread is here to bless you as the Bread of Life. You are never foolish to love Him and believe that He brings you the Father’s love. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; Amen.

5th Sunday of Easter

Text: John 16:12-22
Vicar Gary Schultz

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

So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus said to them… “You have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

We do not know what he is talking about. Here Jesus’ disciples don’t convey much hope or confidence for us. They’ve been with Him daily, hearing Him as He teaches and seeing the works that He does. But when Jesus tells them: A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me, they are confused. If His own disciples didn’t get it, how are we, who didn’t get to walk and talk with Jesus, going to understand?

St. John records these words of Our Lord not long before the betrayal and arrest of Jesus in the garden. In effect, Jesus says: A little while, and you will not see me as I die on the cross and leave this world. A little while, and you will not see me as my body rests in the tomb and I descend into hell.

There was great disappointment and sorrow among the disciples and other followers of Jesus at His death. They thought that all was lost. Their hopes for Jesus to establish a great earthly kingdom and restore the nation of Israel were over. But after a little while, on the third day, Jesus brought joy to them all as He rose triumphant to stand before them to bring peace and comfort in His new creation. After a little while, a three day rest in the tomb, they saw Him again.

A little while longer, and Jesus would ascend into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. A little while longer, and He would be seen again as He poured out His Spirit upon the apostles at Pentecost. The joy Christ speaks about in today’s Gospel is reflected in the early church as Peter reports of the glorifying of God because He has granted to the Gentiles repentance that leads to life. Christ’s presence through the church led to joy that no one could take away. After a little while more, Jesus promised to return again to the earth to judge the living and the dead at the Last Day.

We are in the time of the little while of not seeing Him. To us, this “little while,” going on 2000 years, seems like a lot more than a little. But Our Lord is working on His time, not ours, and He has things under control in ways that we cannot see.

Jesus says: “So also you have sorrow now.” There is sorrow now in this life on earth. There is war throughout the world. There is violence in our communities. There is unexpected murder of 32 students on a college campus. There is sickness and injury among ourselves, our friends, and our family members. There is depression and sadness. Jesus expressed that there will be sorrow now, during the little while that He is not seen. That’s the result of Satan, the prince of this world, working temptation and sin and evil in the world. There was sorrow at the sight of the dying Jesus enduring suffering on the cross. There was sorrow over the fact that the Lord was dead. But after a little while, He appeared again in victory to bring joy. And for us, after a little while, our brief life on this earth, we will be with Christ in heaven, as He says: But I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

The sorrow from the sadness and sin of this world, contrasted with the joy of the life of the world to come does not mean that we must resolve to be sad and destitute for all the days of our earthly life. We also have joy now, even in the midst of the hardships and trials and problems of this life. That’s because in our baptism into Christ, we already have the guaranteed inheritance of eternal life in heaven. That gives us hope now for our new life in Christ. Dear Christians, you have been washed of your sins. Whatever the devil, the world, and our sinful nature throw at us, our hearts still rejoice at the peace that comes from new life in Christ.

This little while of not seeing Christ does not indicate His absence from us. His 40-day appearance on earth before His ascension into heaven does not mean that now He has abandoned us for a little while. Your washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit has brought you into His family, made you an heir of Our Father, so that with all boldness and confidence you may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.

Though we don’t see Him walking about, He is still bodily and physically present with us as He serves us in the Sacrament of the Altar. That’s why we can sing of the Sacrament:

Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen;
Here grasp with firmer hand the eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon Thee lean.
Feast after feast thus comes and passes by,
Yet, passing, points to that glad feast above,
Giving sweet foretaste of the festal joy,
The Lamb’s great marriage feast of bliss and love.
(LSB 631:1, 7)

At the Lord’s Table, we are just as close to Our Lord as the disciples who stood with Him, discussing what He was talking about. At the Lord’s Table, we are sustained for our little while of sorrow on this earth, before we rejoice in the perfect rest with Christ in heaven. At the Lord’s Table, we are together with Him and all His saints, rejoicing in the salvation won by the Lamb who was slain and now reigns for us in heaven.

It is a unique custom of the Lutheran church to sing the Song of Simeon after the reception of Holy Communion: “Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel.” We come into the same presence of Christ as Simeon did as He held the infant Jesus in his arms. And His presence gives us joy that no one will take from away. Joy among sickness. Joy among heartache. Joy among distress.

After a little while, we will be joined together with Our Lord in the heavenly Jerusalem where there will be no more mourning nor crying nor pain anymore. There we will be together forever. After a little while, Our Lord will come and bring about the new heaven and the new earth at the Last Day. Then we and all the saints will no longer wait for a little while, but we will see for ourselves the Victor saying: “Behold, I am making all things new… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Amen.

4th Sunday of Easter

Text: John 10:22-30
Rev. Kenneth W. Wieting

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne (that is the Holy Spirit) and from Jesus Christ, the first born from the dead.

Martin Luther once wrote that even a seven year old child knows what the church is – “sheep who hear the voice of their Shepherd”. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Dear hearers of the word, we go down this sheep trail every year at this time in the Church seasons. The gracious provision of Jesus as the Good Shepherd flows directly from the glaring problems of His sheep. As we have considered in years past, there is good reason that no athletic team in this community names itself the Shorewood Sheep.

You have heard from this pulpit that sheep are stubborn, high-maintenance animals. They are prone to straying, inclined to snack on poisonous weeds and drink from polluted water. They are quick to butt heads with fellow members of the flock. They are defenseless against predators. They are in constant danger of going along with the culture, that is, with the momentary instincts of the flock.

Not long ago (July 23, 2005) World Magazine carried the account of a stampede in Gevas, Turkey. Shepherds did not know what to do when the flock began to follow one sheep that turned away from grazing and leapt off a cliff to its death. Ignoring the voices of their shepherds and their efforts to stop them other sheep took the plunge. 10 then 20 then 100 sheep went over the edge then 200 then 500 then 1000 and still they kept coming. In all over 1500 sheep followed one another over the edge. As they fell they created a wooly mound in the narrow ravine below. As the pile grew larger the mass of animals provided enough padding to absorb the shock of late leapers. Nonetheless, the death of nearly one third of the flock in a matter of minutes was a painful economic loss in that poor town of Eastern Turkey.

Dear Christians, sheep are sheep! Dear Christians, we are sheep! Of all the animals in the world, sheep is the predominant figure that God uses in Scripture to picture us. The prophet Isaiah said it this way, We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way (Is 53:6). To say, “The Lord is my Shepherd” and to confess that Jesus is the Good Shepherd means that we are sheep. We are “the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand” – stubborn, straying, high-maintenance, easily misled, ornery sheep.

That is why St. Paul expressed the work of pastoral office in this way to the pastors at Ephesus, Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock…I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them (Acts 20:17-35). How easily we sheep follow after other voices than the voice of Christ. We’re tempted to snack on any tasty weed, no matter how poisonous it might be.

Look at all the religions and philosophies popping up around us today. Some are just reruns of ancient pagan beliefs dressed up in new-age garb. Others are more recent inventions. But all of them have one thing in common. The god you seek is ultimately in you and you are not a sheep in need of a Savior and Shepherd. If you want to find the divine, look within by meditation or by communing with nature or by dreaming on the stars. Never mind the cross and open tomb of Jesus Christ. The truth is viewed as yours to find in your own experience.

But remember what Jesus said, “Out of the heart comes murder, adultery, theft, lies, slander.” Remember what St. Paul wrote, “I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing.” If we don’t understand ourselves as on-the-edge-of-disaster sheep, then we won’t trust Jesus as our nothing-can-separate-you-from-Me Shepherd.

That alone which sets the Christian faith apart from the philosophies of this world and the spiritual imagination of man is Jesus – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. That’s what saves us dying sheep in this world of sin and death – not our doing nice things, not our feeling religious, not our bodily exercise, not our getting close to any created thing in reflection and rumination.

The Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly.” They knew His claims to be equal with God, to be the eternal “I AM” (John 5:18; 8:58). They knew His miracles of healing and feeding. Yet they continued to accuse Him of being unclear. They continued to ask questions He had already answered. Jesus answered them again, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.

We also like to accuse Christ of being unclear in what He has revealed – perhaps not in direct protest but in lingering questions and recurring doubts. Our ears are easily tickled by other voices than that of the Good Shepherd. A charismatic college professor jumps off the cliff of eastern mysticism or secular humanism and students follow his voice like sheep. The voices of celebrities or fun-loving, have-it-together peers promise freedom and fulfillment apart from the full counsel of God. Many follow them over the cliff. Only years later, does the imprisoning emptiness of their choices become evident. Voices, voices, voices – sweet voices, seductive voices, serious voices, sincere voices, spiritual voices, self-generated voices. We are often influenced by voices without even knowing how much we are listening.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” What pure and pointed Gospel! Twice were are told we cannot be plucked out of God’s hand because of the tender care of the Good Shepherd for us, His sheep.

Yet, what of the one perfect sheep? He who from eternity was God our shepherd, became the Lamb of God in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He has two natures. He is both Shepherd and sheep. As the Lamb of God, He laid down His life in sacrificial payment for our sins. . “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” Isaiah wrote, but He didn’t stop there, “and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Is. 53:9). He was crushed for our iniquities.

While nothing can pluck God’s sheep out of His hand, the white hot center of the Gospel lies in the one exception to the rule. At His crucifixion, the perfect sheep, the Lamb of God was severed from, cut off from, forsaken by the Father (Mt. 27:46). That divide is more commonly called “hell”.

“I and the Father are one” Jesus said. That means their hand is one as well, a hand you cannot be snatched out of. Yet there was a gracious tearing apart, a profound mystery of mercy when Jesus was plucked out of the Father’s hand, when Jesus and the Father were not one on the cross. The Father did not die for you there. The Father was not damned for you there. But the Son was! Therefore you are now one with God and no one is able to pluck you out of the Father’s hand.

The voice of the Good Shepherd is the comforting voice that makes you lie down in the still waters of your baptism. The voice of the Good Shepherd is the inviting voice of the one who prepares a table before you today in the presence of your enemies. My sheep hear my voice…I give them eternal life.. He does not say “I gave them eternal life” as if He’s finished with the giving. Rather, He says, I give them”, that is, I am continually giving them eternal life and they are continually receiving it. That’s why He comes into our midst again today. That’s what hearing the voice and receiving the food of the Good Shepherd is all about.

The time is coming when there will be no voices seeking to pull you away from the loving care of the Good Shepherd, but that time is not yet. The time is coming when you will be out of the tribulation of this life. But that time is not yet. The time is coming when He will wipe away every tear from your eyes. But that time is not yet.

The time has already come, however when the Good Shepherd has washed your robes and made them white in His blood, the blood of the Lamb of God. You are part of His flock and to you He says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

3rd Sunday of Easter

Text: John 21:1-19
Rev. Kenneth W. Wieting

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne (that is the Holy Spirit), and from Jesus Christ…the first born from the dead (Rev. 1:4). Dear Hearers of the Word:

IT IS THE LORD! He is the one who died and behold is alive forevermore! He is the living one! He is the one the disciples saw on the shore of the lake. He reinstated Peter with the words, “Feed my sheep”. IT IS THE LORD! St. Paul was struck down by Him on the road to Damascus and raised to new life in holy baptism. St. John saw Him in the revelation received on the Island of Patmos…Weep no more; he was told, behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, who are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Dear Christians, IT IS THE LORD! The risen Christ is alive and well! His resurrection has changed all things! In the book of Revelation, the entirety of His person and work is flashed before our eyes. The slaughtered but now standing lamb (that is, the true man sacrificed for the sins of the world) with seven horns and seven eyes (that is, this man is true God who is all powerful and all knowing) can open the scroll (that is He controls the future). IT IS THE LORD! His resurrection has changed all things! His resurrection makes our lives new and full of hope!

Then why does everything still seem the same? Why are thousands starving in Africa? Why for some fifteen years have terrorists been attacking our country? Why are the lives of millions of babies snuffed out in the womb? Why is our culture decaying? Why are 32 students killed by one man on a college campus? If the resurrection of Jesus changes all things, then why is everything still the same?

Why do disappointment and depression and despair and death and destruction continue on and on? Why is it that we all know that more bad news will come and that more senseless tragedies will happen? Why is it that we sometimes grow numb with our own struggles in daily life?
Perhaps the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus really hasn’t changed anything. Take the disciples on the lake. Why are they still fishing for fish? Why have they gone back to their former vocation as if nothing has really changed? They had seen the risen Christ. He had absolved them saying “Peace be with you”. He had commissioned them as His apostles’ to forgive sins. Why were they out all night on the lake doing the same thing they had done all their lives?

We could ask the same of ourselves? Why do we sometimes go about our vocations without the conviction that everything has changed due to Christ’s resurrection? Why do we so readily see the tragedies and disasters of life as evidence that no one is in charge? The One who is in charge tells us that tragedies and tribulation will continue to come and calls us to repentance. But the questions still come. And we are still tempted to blame Him or deny He exists.

Why does the human heart imagine that we are alone and that what we see is all there is? Or conversely, why does the human heart so easily invent spiritual refuge in nature or space or in itself? The vision of John can help us see what the world and what our Old Adam cannot see.
The throne room scene from the fourth and fifth chapters is decisive in understanding everything else in the book of Revelation. Some things are not as clear amid the symbols of this book. But this is crystal clear - God and the Lamb are reigning in victory! Here God reveals to you what your five senses do not reveal to you! The victory is won! It is finished! The result of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection is cosmic. The Lamb is worshipped as the one enthroned God. “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.

IT IS THE LORD! It is the Lord born of Mary, the Lord who hung naked on Calvary’s cross, blood oozing from His wounds and finally pouring from His pierced side, the Lord whose dead body was wrapped in linen and placed in the tomb. Yet, this is now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

The risen Christ is alive and well! IT IS THE LORD who called from shore just as day was breaking, “Children, do you have any fish?” IT IS THE LORD who shortly thereafter asked Peter “Do you love me?” and set Him on a new path. It is a path of depending not on Peter’s commitment but on Christ’s knowledge – “Lord you know all things”. IT IS THE LORD who struck down a persecuting Saul and sent forth a proclaiming Paul. And listen carefully to what He told them!

On this side of His open tomb, Jesus did not pretend that there would now be heaven on earth. On this side of His open tomb the exalted Christ was forthright in acknowledging some depressing realities. To Peter, whom He had just given the teaching office in His Church, Jesus said, “when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” In the early church, “stretching forth of hands” expressed death by crucifixion. When the Lord sent Ananias to Paul he said, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles…For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” Even for the Lord’s chosen servants, even for those whom He sent out in His name, life in this dying world would not reflect the hidden reality that the Lamb has begun His reign. What would reflect His victory is the word of peace and absolution that they spoke in His name even as they suffered and died.

Fellow-Redeemed, IT IS THE LORD who speaks that same word to you today! The risen Christ is alive and well and so are you – even when death comes. He has given you new birth to a living hope through His resurrection from the dead. He has washed away your sins. Your new status does not depend upon your feelings but upon His blood. That’s the new song that all heaven joins in singing. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God…”
The victory of the risen Christ comes to you in this life by means of His blood. In Revelation, John wrote of Jesus, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood (Rev. 1:5). He described those coming out of the great tribulation …They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:14). He said of those who conquer the accuser, they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony (Rev. 12:11). His blood is the ground of all our hope. His blood sets us free to be people of God. All the challenges that sin poses in this troubled world must be seen in the light of the eternal victory of the Lamb who was slain. And there is more!

IT IS THE LORD who was persecuted when Saul was persecuting His church. Remember the risen Lord’s question, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” What intimate connection there is between the reigning, exalted Lamb and you! For you are also now His body, His beloved bride, His holy church. He has united Himself with you so intimately that what happens to you happens to Him. His intervention in your life is no less miraculous that it was in the life of Peter and Paul. He has not called you to the apostolic office, but He has redirected your life. He has made you a new creation. You have put on Christ (Gal 3:27). United with Him your future is full of life and purpose. He continues to say also to you “follow me”.

His presence in your life does not mean that troubles will disappear. Sometimes just the opposite! But it does mean that in the midst of troubles, the Lamb is in control. He loves you. He brings an end to the weeping (the hopelessness) of the world. He is worthy to open the scroll and even now is working for the good of His Church and for the salvation of all men.
The tragedy that struck in Virginia can pull one’s insides out and leave one feeling helpless. It is so senseless and evil. How? Why? What should have been done? What can be done now? When such tragedy strikes blame and hope are sure to be found. The blame and hope of which we hear, however, is generally limited by the five senses.

The risen Lord stands in your midst each week to reveal what the world by nature and what we by nature do not see or sense. The blame for all death is sin. The hope we sinners have in the face of death is the blood of the Lamb. For those students and faculty who died in Him on Monday, it was not a day of tragedy but a day of triumph. In an instant the cares of this life were exchanged for the eternal joys of the presence of the exalted Christ. He is our life and our hope!

Just as surely as He stood on the shore of the lake in our Gospel, so he stands on the shore of this earth in your midst this morning. IT IS THE LORD! The risen Christ is alive and well! He knows all things! He knows that you love Him! “Even though you have not seen Him, you love Him. And even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him…and you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (I Peter 1:8, 9). As He prepared a meal on the shore of the lake so He has prepared an eternal feast on heaven’s shore. Even now He gives you a foretaste and says, “come and eat”. And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshipped.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN.