Easter 5 + Cantate

Text: Isaiah 12:1-6

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

I know, for some of you, singing “isn’t your thing.”

That makes me a little sad for a couple of reasons. First, music is such an important part of Scripture.

Think about this: In Genesis, God created the music of even the birds.

The people of Moses sang to proclaim God’s victory over Pharoah in the Red Sea.

The Psalms were written to be sung; they’re meant to be sung.

Jesus even sang the Psalms on the night of his betrayal and arrest. It says in the Gospel of Matthew, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:30)

But secondly, my sadness is because I love music. As a child, I remember how my mother would sing her heart out whether we were in the car traveling to see Grandma and Grandpa or in the church pew. One of the things about my mother was that she didn’t care what others thought of her singing either. She just sang.

In a way, she was an image of Will Ferrell, who played Buddy in the movie Elf, who said, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”

Just sing and sing loud.

I know, for some of you, “Singing isn’t your thing.”

But think about the tremendous gift my mother provided me as she sang not only the songs of this world but especially the Church’s song. Reflect on how the hymns of the Church taught me the faith she was taught and how they confessed the faith she possessed.

You see, whether we like it or not, we are images or icons of our parents. We take on their characteristics and traits. As children, we look up and love our parents, often wanting to be them.

This is one of the reasons I grew to love music: because my mom loved music.

But I know, for some of you, “Singing isn’t your thing.”

Well, you're in luck today, or maybe you aren’t. The Fifth Sunday of Easter is known as Cantate Sunday. This title, of course, comes from the introit, and it simply means to “Sing!”

For that reason, it seems incredibly appropriate that this be a Lutheran Sunday, as the Lutheran Church has long been known as the “Singing Church.”

One reason for this is Martin Luther’s love of music and how he employed music to teach and confess the faith to young and old alike.

Luther once said,

“Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music.” (Martin Luther)

In fact, Luther used hymnody to put the whole Divine Service to music; look at Divine Service Setting five sometime in the hymnal.

But why should we sing? Well, again, look to the words of the introit today, it read,
Sing to the Lord a new song,
            for he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.

A “new song” must imply there was an “old song,” too.

So, what was that old song?

The old song was very real. It was known as the song of Moses, the song of God’s triumph over Pharoah and his army in the Exodus; it proclaimed Israel’s redemption from slavery.

However, the new song not only looked forward beyond the Old Testament but became your song in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

You heard this great joy being proclaimed in the Old Testament reading today as Isaiah wrote,

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” (Is 12:2)

But what is the cause of this song for Isaiah? What is the force that propels Isaiah to tell God’s people to break forth in hymns and songs of praise?

He says, “[God] has become my salvation.”

Well, how does God become your salvation? Look to the first verse of the Old Testament reading, where Isaiah wrote,

You will say in that day:
             “I will give thanks to you, O LORD,
                        for though you were angry with me,
             your anger turned away,
                        that you might comfort me.

Salvation is the result of God turning away His anger from you.

While your sin, your lack of faith and trust in God alone, causes Him anger, your confession of these sins now causes Him to turn away His anger from you, and instead, He now grants you His forgiveness and comfort.

In this way, the “Lord God is [your] strength and [your] song, and he has become [your] salvation.”

Martin Luther puts it this way as he wrote regarding these passages he says “This is a description of the peace that comes after the forgiveness of sins has been received” (AE 16:129)

And so, the Church rejoices and sings in the glory of this great Easter news that continually finds us returning here to this sanctuary as Isaiah writes, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Is 12:3)

This sanctuary becomes an oasis, a well for God’s people.

Just as Israel was rescued out of Egypt and the waters of the Red Sea drowned hardhearted Pharoah, the waters of baptism continue to drown your sin with every confession you make. And in the absolution of your sin, your baptism continues to spring forth the heavenly joy drawn from the well of salvation, drawn from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

So, for this great gift of forgiveness, peace, and salvation, we join Isaiah as he wrote,
“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the nations, proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.”

(Is 12:4–5)

This is what we do as we gather here each and every Sunday: we “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; [we] let this be known in all the earth.” (Is 12:5)

Why?

As we gather here around God’s Word and Sacraments, we are brought into the midst of the “Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 12:6b). We are brought into the midst of God where He feeds and nourishes us with His salvation. The forgiveness won for you upon the cross.

For this great joy, we can do nothing other than sing loudly for all to hear.

To make known in all the earth the glory and salvation of God here among your brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Especially the littlest that look upon us with attentive ears and adoring eyes.

So sing, my friends, tell of God’s Salvation, tell of His resurrection and the resurrection He now gives you in word and song; sing the song of heaven now. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Fourth Sunday of Easter + Jubilate

Text: John 16:16-22

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

A little while, a little while, a little while…. These are the words of our Lord to His disciples in today’s Gospel reading. He uses this phrase seven times. This theme emphasizes time; it looks forward in time, a duration of time.

What’s the significance?

The reality is that we only have a grasp of time once we are in the very midst of life (Like the disciples).

For a child, time is endless; for the aged, it is fleeting; and for those in crisis, it is a prison. The reality of our lives on earth is that our perspective of time is out of synch; the ebbs and flows of life distort.

Even as our time on this earth is utterly short, today's Gospel reading is one of preparation. It’s preparation for the Christian life, the disciple’s life, your life, and the trials and crosses you will have to bear. If you are to apply the teachings of Christ to your lives, if you are to use this Gospel reading in your lives, you cannot do so unless you first understand the original intent of the Words spoken today.

So, we ponder today these words spoken in the upper room—the words of preparation for the disciples on the night of Christ’s betrayal, the night of His arrest.

Jesus wished to prepare the disciples for the troubles before them. Soon, they would abandon Jesus, lose faith, and dwell in despair. The time had arrived for sadness. The time was at hand for the Son of God to be lifted up, for Him to be mocked, ridiculed, spit upon, tortured, and put to death. The time had arrived as Jesus told the disciples, “You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.”

Their sorrow arrives, but it is not permanent, as their sorrow becomes joy at the resurrection of Jesus.

The resurrection, you see, changes everything.

Your own experiences tell you a different story, though—cancer diagnosis, troubled relationships, employment difficulties, barren wombs, aging bodies, cold tombs.

How does the resurrection help this? How does the resurrection change these things?

The Lord also says to you, “In a little while.”

And so He speaks a parable of a woman in labor. The parable seems out of place; what bearing does it have on His current situation? The fact it is Holy Thursday, and He will soon be arrested? What bearing would this parable have on you? Even the language appears to be out of place.

The parable goes like this,

“A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.”

This is not a common way of thinking, even when it comes to the birth of a precious baby boy or girl. No one buys balloons or teddy bears for newborns that exclaim, “It’s a human!” But, I do wonder, if we did, would it change the view this world has that a baby is a human being and worthy of life?

You see, when we hear of a human - being born, we don’t think MACRO, we think micro. We don’t think cosmic; we think personally. We say, “Look at this sweet child.”

A father looks on and says, “This is my baby girl,” or a mother says,  “This is my baby boy.”

But something bigger happens when Jesus says, “A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.”

He uses this illustration of the excruciating pain of a mother in labor and the uncertainty of childbirth to give way to the joy of the brief “Little while” of labor.

The deeper message goes back not just to Christmas; it goes back to Genesis when the Creator and giver of life promised a seed to Eve that would bruise and crush the head of the serpent. The promised seed is He whom we hear, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”

Jesus is the long-awaited Son of Adam and Eve, not born exclusively for Mary and Joseph, but for every child descending from the lineage of your first parents in the Garden.

Jesus was born for one reason, for one purpose: to become man, to become human, to suffer and die for the sins of the world, to give His peace and mercy to those who confess their sins and call upon His name. But for this, He first must become sin; He must for a little while suffer trial and tribulation.

The disciples understand nothing of what Jesus says. Their great hope had been crushed; the Savior was buried, sealed in a tomb, and guarded by Soldiers.

He is gone, placed into the cold earth, out of sight. The time of sorrow, the time of fear, the prison of time had arrived. Thus, the disciples said in the Gospel of Luke, “We hoped the Christ would redeem Israel (Luke 24:21), as if to say, “Hope is lost.”

But Jesus also says today, “Again after a little while, and you will see me!” The disciples' despair and sorrow were not endless, as Jesus' words, “A little while,” also gave way to the end of this sorrowful time and season.

His words, unknowingly to the disciples, speak of His victory. They speak of how His faithful obedience to the Father leads Him to triumph over Satan, sin, and this world, a world that rejoiced in His death.

“A little while” is the hope the disciples have that their sadness will end, the shackles of doubt will be crushed, and their joy will return.

Trials and tribulations come to all of your lives. It may not be the persecution the disciples suffered; maybe it is the prisons of fear and anxiety experienced when death comes to those close to you, or perhaps it’s the sorrow of betrayal or the terrors of illness. 

But if Christ appears dead and buried to you, run to His Word, hold on to His peace, suffer the darkness of night, endure the storm, trusting in His resurrection. Trust that as He has brought you out of death and into life through the waters of baptism, so He continues to abide with you in these latter days.

As crosses approach, keep your eyes focused on the cross of Jesus. As the world cheers your sadness, your afflictions, and your periods of imprisonment, Jesus stands with the peace and comfort of His Word; He nourishes you with His flesh and blood. He does not forsake you, nor does He leave you. So run to Him, elevate your eyes to He who has risen from the dead, and sing of the Easter joy you possess as His dear child.

A mother loves her newborn baby, so He loves you as His own. Trust in His steadfast love, believe, and hear His promise to you this day, “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.”

Spring storms pass, and babies cry, so the sorrows of this life last only a little while.

But the joy of your resurrected Lord is endless. It’s the joy you sing with angels and archangels, the joy of all the company of heaven.

It’s the joy and comfort that your Heavenly Father will be gracious and merciful to you for the sake of His only begotten Son.

By His death and resurrection, He will bring you into everlasting life and a time of joy that has no end. +INJ+

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Easter 3 + Misericordias Domini

Text: John: 10:11-16

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Today is often called Good Shepherd Sunday, hence the Gospel reading. The first image that probably comes to your mind today is that of Jesus carrying a little lamb upon His shoulders or safely within His arms, as you can see on the bulletin cover.

Yet, I don’t care for this image of Jesus much.

These words of mine must be scandalous to your ears, aren’t they?

But it’s true, and here’s why.

The life of a shepherd is full of danger. A true shepherd goes into the wildernesses of life with their sheep.

He stays awake and on guard while the lambs sleep. He’s constantly preparing for the next battle, the next encounter with the wolf, who desires nothing more than a pound of flesh from the shepherd’s flock.

This is a tiring and challenging life. When the shepherd goes out for one of His sheep to bring it home, he, too, is returning from an engagement with the enemy.

So, no, I would prefer to see my shepherd a little more battle-tested, a little worse for the wear, because His actions and life must reveal His great love for me.

You see, one of the things we must also wrestle with is the reality that there would not have to be “good” shepherds if there were not also shepherds who are called “bad.”

For this reason, you must listen to the voice of the good and faithful shepherd so that you are not led into danger and distress.

You must listen to the voice of the good and faithful shepherd so that you do not become scattered and depart the good pasture He provides for you.

But this is the challenge. Today, there are many alluring voices, many wolves who wish to snatch you from the tender care of the Good Shepherd. But make no mistake, who the true enemy is…

One church father wrote regarding the great enemy of Christ this way,

There is another wolf that ceaselessly, every day, tears apart minds, not bodies. This is the evil spirit that goes about attacking the sheepfolds of believers, seeking the death of souls. Of this wolf it is said, “And the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep.” The wolf comes, and the hireling flees. The evil spirit tears apart the minds of believers in temptation, and the one holding the place of shepherd does not take responsibility. Souls are perishing, and he enjoys earthly advantages. The wolf snatches and scatters the sheep when he entices one to drunkenness, inflames another with greed, exalts another by pride, destroys another by anger, stirs one up by envy, trips up another by deceit. When the devil slays believers through temptations, he is like a wolf dispersing the flock. No zeal rouses the hireling against these temptations, no love excites him. He seeks only the outward advantages and carelessly allows the inward injury to his flock. (Gregory the Great)

So, who are the hirelings? Who are these terrible and selfish men?

Throughout history, they have been thought of as the bishops and pastors of the Church, those who have become shepherds in name only, those seeking outward rewards and accolades.

Another challenge for the hireling is that he is a hired hand; he needs to remain faithful and confident in the Good Shepherd. Instead, like so many, he looks to the money and mammon of this world.

Reflect on how the Scribes and Pharisees treated Jesus and how they put traditions and self-preservation above all, even to the point of killing Jesus. Or think how the priests of the Roman Catholic Church were not caring for their sheep, especially throughout the time of the Reformation, but instead, taking the money of their people through false words, false doctrine, and teachings to build their cathedrals. Or today, as so-called “pastors” fill the internet with catchy videos and share-worthy memes that never truly confess the voice of Jesus Himself. 

A grave concern here is that these hirelings, like the one in our Gospel this morning, have not been battle-tested; in fact, they have avoided and not been faithful to their training to guard and protect the sheep entrusted to them, and they have never been willing to risk entering the dark places of this life where the evil one, the wolf, resides for you, the sheep.

In other words, these hirelings have yet to be willing to follow the path of the Good Shepherd.

So, who is this Good Shepherd willing to lay down His life for you? It’s none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

The one who entered this world and traveled this valley of the shadow of death for you. While the sheep of His fold scattered from Him as He hung in the darkness of Good Friday’s cross, it’s here that His arms remained stretched forth to gather His Church into His tender care. With the words, “It is finished,” the voice of the Good Shepherd calls you unto Him—for in His death, He has defeated your death.

And by His rising, you now receive life and good pasture to graze upon.

What does this pasture look like? Well, you’re in it now.

Jesus said before our Gospel reading this morning, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10: 7)

So, to enter the good pasture, one must hear the voice of the Shepherd; one must listen to the voice of Jesus and know Him. This occurs as one enters the Church through the waters of Holy Baptism – this imagery can be seen historically as baptismal fonts were placed at the entrance of a church, serving as the gate through which the little lambs of Christ were brought into the flock.

In this way, the sheep continue to learn and know the familiar voice of their Shepherd as a child knows their parent so that they wouldn’t be allured away or scatter when difficulties, temptations, or challenges arise.

Why?

They know the voice of the Shepherd, the one who protects them, cares for them and comes after them.

So, how do you continue to know the voice of the Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for you? You continue to be among the sheep of His fold, you continue to come and hear the Word of God as often as it is read and proclaimed, and you come to receive the food of immortality here in the Lord’s Supper.

Why?

Because you have a Good Shepherd, one who left His home for you, one who in humility went and battled the wolf and defeated him by the laying down of His life for you upon the cross.

Think about that; that’s the kind of Shepherd you should want—one willing to go to battle for you, one willing to die for you. In fact, you cannot think or imagine the cross without seeing Jesus upon it; you cannot imagine your Savior without the battle scars of the nails upon His hands and feet, nor the place where His side was pierced.

Why?

Because Christ Jesus is a faithful Shepherd, He is, in fact, the Good Shepherd, your Shepherd.

This is the image of the Good Shepherd I wish to see. One where the battle-tested, tired, and worn body of Jesus now carries you His lamb into the heavenly pasture He has prepared for you.

So, my friends, listen to His voice, learn it, and know it as you read the Scriptures. Then look and see how His cross reveals His deep love for you, His sheep, and be led by it, as it is the rod and staff that not only leads but comforts you this day. +INJ+

Second Sunday of Easter + Quasimodo Geniti

Text: John 20:19-31

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In today's Gospel, it's the evening of the first day of the week, the evening of the first Easter, and the disciples are now assembled behind closed doors, except for Thomas. The locked doors provide security from the world, protecting them from the Jews who remain hostile towards followers of Jesus. Outwardly, this group appears safe and at peace, but inwardly, it’s a different story.

Their lives are in chaos; their souls are in deep distress. The death of Jesus sent the disciples into a tailspin; it rocked them, leaving them searching for peace in the world and their lives. None of this was how things were supposed to go…

You can sympathize with the disciples. You, too, have experienced moments like this, where externally, you look great – even strong, but internally, it’s a living hell.

I’ve often reflected on how this is also a reality for many who have served in the U.S. military as Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen. They are sent and placed in the most hellish places throughout the globe, fighting battles against our nation’s enemies. They are pillars of confidence and strength. But, upon returning home, many believe they are now safe; they are locked behind the safety of their front door.

Sadly, this couldn’t be further from the truth in some situations. Dive past the external appearance of strength and calmness of a military member to the inner confines of the heart, and the actual war rages due to the loss of battle buddies, broken relationships, or the simple reality that war is unnatural.

Like the disciples and often the military members, the actual war, the true battle for you, is within your heart.

However, the world desires to quiet these wars through governmental programs, law enforcement, or the very might of militaries. Economic growth, healthcare, and retirement plans are other ways we place our trust and desire for safety and peace. Even the Church falls into these types of traps. But, properly speaking, these are gifts from God and can also lead us to the delusional belief that we are safe and secure in this life.

For you today, just as He did for the disciples, Jesus comes and says the only thing that will ever truly matter, “Peace to you.” It is far more than a wishful greeting. Instead, it's a pronouncement of what Jesus gives to you. Jesus enters the room where His disciples have barricaded themselves. He comes to them with His Word, and when Jesus says, “Peace to you,” He gives it to them.

These words deliver the benefits of what Christ accomplished for you upon the cross. On Good Friday, the war was fought upon the battlefield of Calvary; Jesus suffered and endured the pangs of death, declaring with a cry, "It is finished." Yet, the angels announce on Easter morning, "He is risen!"

His rising on Easter now says death no longer wins, the grave no longer wins, and sin no longer prevails. In reality, you cannot have the cross without the rising of Easter morning. That first Easter evening, Jesus comes to where the Church on earth is gathered behind locked doors and announces to them the benefits of His victory, His peace.

If you are like me, you, too, would desire this lasting peace in your life. Your life is a mess; you miss your loved ones who you haven’t spoken to since that last fight. You miss the children who have moved away. You miss those who have been placed into the grave. For reasons you cannot honestly explain, your heart is in turmoil with fits of anger and outrage with the government or your neighbor. You experience the dark places of this life because of bouts of envy, depression, and despair. Thoughts of dying ravage your mind—thoughts of becoming ill distress you.

All these things imprison you.

Yet, Jesus does come to you behind the fortified walls of anger, the built-up hills of mistrust, the pits of depression, and through the pastor He has sent to care for you, He announces the glad tidings of forgiveness and peace.

Today, pastors continue to be sent as Christ's messengers to announce this forgiveness to you. Absolution is all about this at the beginning of the Divine Service. God the Son breaks down the walls you have erected, and through the pastor, He declares to you, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

This is God’s declaration of peace to you.

Today’s Gospel sets forth a pattern of worship for the Church. Jesus comes to the Church on earth that first Easter evening, on the first day of the week, on Sunday. He announces grace and forgiveness. The pattern continues today as we gather around His Word of resurrection and receive His presence through His flesh and blood.

But we struggle in another way, don’t we? We struggle as we depart the church with the sin of doubt and unbelief. For instance, in today's military, Soldiers are taught that success and the mission depend upon them. Even in my workouts at home, the virtual trainer says to me over and over and over again—only you can dig deep enough, only you can make the decision, only you…

We are in a heap of trouble if it all relies upon us. 

Thomas was in a bit of a situation; he wasn't there when Jesus first appeared to the disciples. Thomas said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Some pious Christians may want to chastise Thomas for his lack of faith, but don't we also demonstrate similar unbelief by our doubts and sins?

The Scriptures attest to the eyewitness testimony so that you may believe. At the end of our reading today, John wrote, "These [things] are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name."

Your faith is objective, meaning the evidence you need to believe these things is written in the Scriptures by the eyewitnesses of Jesus' life and ministry, those who witnessed His death on Good Friday, and the multitudes who saw the risen Lord with their own eyes. Faith does not rely on the subjective nature of emotions or feelings but on God’s most holy Word.

What does this mean for you this day?

The world around us is at war with itself. We are at war within ourselves. But, just as Jesus not only appeared to the disciples, He also appeared to Thomas as well, and He appeared to many others in the days and weeks that would come.

Today, He appears and presents Himself to you and for you.

In the historical sequence hymn for the Gospel, “Christians to the Paschal Victim,” it says, “Christ is arisen; From the grave’s dark prison.”

But Martin Luther provides this translation, “Christ is risen from all His agony.” Christ is risen from all His torments.

As you prepare to depart this day and walk through the days of this week, remember this – Jesus entered the battlefield of this life, He suffered your internal agony, all the torments of Satan that assault you, and He defeated them, for you.

So, gather together this day, hear the Word of truth, receive with your mouth the true flesh and blood for the forgiveness of your sins, and as you depart - permit the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus this day and forevermore (Phil 4:7). Amen. +INJ+

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

The Resurrection of our Lord

Text: Mark 16:1-8

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The Gospel this morning says that as Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were walking to the tomb, they asked a simple yet practical question, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”

But are these the only questions and fears pulsating through them in the twilight of this new day?

You’d have to imagine as they walked this road to the grave, their bodies were grief-stricken, their breathing quickened and intensified, and their legs and feet weighed down to the point that each step they took was as if they were walking in quicksand. Would this be their final journey to the one whom they loved?

What about their hearts? Were they filled with the sorrow that floods one’s eyes with perpetual tears that never seem to end?

Or their minds, were their questions more profound than “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”

Were they asking, “What’s next for us?”

“Where do we go from here?”

“Is this hole in the belly of the earth really the end of all our hopes?”

Surely, you can relate to these women; you, too, have had to make this journey and dirge from the hearse to the deepest pit of the earth for your father or mother, husband, wife, or even child.

Is this grave and tomb really the end?

Does death end in such a way?

These are the hard questions you wrestle with, but this morning’s Gospel begins magnificently as it says, “When the Sabbath was past...and when the sun had risen.”

Sure, this may not seem like much to you, but a deep joy is already beginning to arise with these words, “When the Sabbath was past...and when the sun had risen.”

You see, it’s in the darkness of night, the darkness of this world and this life, when God works His greatest acts of redemption. For this reason, when the sun rises, it reveals the great and mighty deed God has done for you.

Or as the Psalmist wrote, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

This couldn’t be truer for the ladies traveling to the tomb in this morning’s Gospel.

They proceeded out of the twilight hours, their hearts and minds still living in the grief and darkness of Good Friday’s cross. In fact, as they approached the tomb, they found the stone rolled away and the young man sitting on the right side, and they became even more worked up.

But then something else happens. The young man, God's messenger, says, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen!

What beautiful words to hear, “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.” You know, the one who died upon the cross, “He is risen!”

Where death and darkness persisted and dwelled, now life and salvation exist.

For this reason, the pastor’s final words as he stands at the entrance of your loved one’s grave deliver to you the same angelic greeting of hope and salvation as he says, Alleluia! Christ is risen!

What wonderful news to hear, what great words to keep!

He is risen!

So, dear friends, do not depart the grave, nor this day, in the same way you arrived.

Instead, remember the words of the Psalmist, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

Or, as the prophet Malachi wrote,

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. (Malachi 4:2)

Oh, what comfort for you who fear, trust, and believe in Christ Jesus – that in Him you have healing of body and soul. In Him, you have hope and salvation.

So, when the night of sadness and grief arrives, do not permit your hearts to become a grave of grief and despair. Instead, call out to Jesus and confess your sins and sorrows.

And then look to the cross and grave of Christ Jesus, the crucified, and say with all the faithful,

O Death, where is your sting?

O Hell, where is your victory?

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown.

Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen.

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice.

Christ is risen, and life reigns.

Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.

For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Amen.

***Note: The concluding portion of this sermon is from John Chrysostom's Easter sermon. ***

Easter Vigil

Text: John 20:1

***This is an adaption of an Easter Vigil sermon I preached previously***

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

We entered the sanctuary this evening in the silent darkness. It's uncomfortable and eerie. We do not like the darkness or the silence it contains. But we are not people of the darkness, nor were we created to be silent creatures.

Yet, “In the beginning…The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.” (Genesis 1:1-2)

Out of this darkness, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.” (Genesis 1:3-4)

The light of God’s creation was without impurity.

However, Adam and Eve, the image of God, created in human form, destroy the goodness of God's creation through their fall into sin and death, your fall into sin and death.

The Serpent who led your mother, Eve, and father, Adam, into this pit now strives to lead a history of mankind into a permeating darkness of death - a shadow that now creeps closer for each of you with each step you take throughout this life.

For this reason, it's easy to be led into believing with the disciples and followers of Jesus that the cross is the end, death is the final word, and the darkness now wins.

But as we heard at Christmas, 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

Hear these words again, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

In the Gospel, Mary Magdalene proceeds to Jesus’ tomb and grave “while it was still dark.”

We see a beautiful pattern of Scripture here: Not only does God conduct His redemptive work while it is still dark, but the darkness of this world always gives way to the Light.

It’s been the pattern of life since the Lord of Life first spoke creation into existence, and now, as we meet the silent darkness of this night, we learn to say again with Mary Magdalene the great Easter news: “Alleluia! Christ is risen!”

“He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

For this reason, “this is the night when all who believe in Christ are delivered from bondage to sin and are restored to life and immortality.”

“This is the night when Christ, the Life, arose from the dead. The seal of the grave is broken, and the morning of the new creation breaks forth out of night.” (Easter Proclamation)

So run into the darkness of the font’s grave and bring your anger, envy, and malice - drown these chains of sin and death in the life-giving flood of baptismal waters.

And then rejoice as God raises you in the Light of His reconciling act of redemption!

For tonight, your heavenly Father has kept His promise of old.

Tonight, His Son Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, has led you, His child, out of the darkness of death and the grave to the Light of His everlasting life.

Tonight, He forgives all your sins and opens heaven again.

So, shout for joy, for creation is restored, sing with the Mary Magdalene, sing with the saints and angels heaven's song - your Savior lives.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

AMEN!

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

Good Friday Chief Service

Text: John 18-19

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Last night's service ushered in the silence. However, silence this night is meant to provide an opportunity to be still before the Lord so that you may meditate upon the readings of Holy Scripture, your Lord’s Passion, and your status before the cross of Christ.

Silence is uncomfortable.

But there is a deep, dark silence that dwells within you. It’s the silence that avoids the confession of your sin. It’s the silence that retains forgiveness from a spouse or child, a friend or co-worker. It’s the sad state of man that lacks peace with God as man’s heart becomes hardened and cold.

The situation you often find yourself in is that you think and behave like children who don’t listen to the voice of your father or mother.

When a child breaks a family heirloom or a teenager totals a car, the parent calls the child to confess their sin. The weight of the law convicts you while the air becomes heavy, and anxiety fills your mind standing before the judgment.

But as a child, you begin to think, “If I don’t confess, they can’t blame me, the law cannot accuse me, and then they cannot convict me of my sin.”

This is the history of mankind. Your history.

Adam and Eve did not listen to and obey God’s command in the Garden of Eden. They hid from God, believing if they remained silent and hid from their Creator, they would not receive punishment.

David, the great king, tried to cover his sin of adultery with the sin of murder, yet God sent Nathan to call David to confess his sin, a sin that could not be hidden from the eyes of God.

If you remain silent, you would like to believe you can hide your faults, worries, heartaches, and trespasses from the Lord as you would a parent or friend. But Scripture clearly reveals that your lives are fully known to Him, who created you.

But for this reason, God is faithful, and his promise to send a Savior is fulfilled in His Son, Jesus Christ. The savior whom John the Baptist proceeds in calling all to repentance and announcing the arrival of “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

This is why you are led to sit before the cross of Good Friday, meditate upon the nails that pierced Christ’s hands and feet, and hear of his betrayal, denial of his closest friends, and the scourging and beating He suffered.

The cross reveals the Lamb who is sacrificed for you and in your place.

The journey to the cross this night is the culmination of Lent. This journey forces you into quiet contemplation of how you have not confessed your sins to God or your neighbor, nor have you extended grace and forgiveness to those who have sinned against you.

Soon, the Reproaches will be sung. They leave no room for escape from sin as God calls you through His Word to task.  But the choir’s petition and the congregation’s prayer are your plea for mercy and forgiveness.

When you sing and pray, “O Lord, have mercy,” you confess your complete trust in Jesus and His salvific work upon the cross. Your pleas for mercy, confess your unwavering faith in the words of the epistle this night from Hebrews, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

How is this possible?

Because Jesus took upon Himself the flesh of man, Pilate’s exclamation to the crowd, “Behold the man!” confesses just this. Jesus was born in a manger to a virgin. He suffered the temptations of the devil, felt sadness over death, and was filled with joy over the repentant.

However, when your lips cease to confess your sins, when your pleas for mercy quiet, your faith begins to diminish, and by this silence, your voice joins those of the crowds of Good Friday, saying, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

Yet, as the prophet Isaiah writes, for you, “The LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.”

For you, Christ Jesus opened not His mouth until the appointed time, crying out, “It is finished!”

With these words, He gives up His spirit, and “death has rattled life’s last breath within His throat,” but in that moment, death has been silenced.

“It is finished” pierces the isolation sin causes you; it penetrates your ears and your hearts this night so that your tongues may be loosened to confess the sins of your life, so that with your ears you hear the joyful words of forgiveness and peace.

Yet silence remains uncomfortable for you, at times even fearful. But you dear friends already know the end of this story. So, do not be afraid. Sit quietly and hear the word of the Lord—use your words to confess your sins boldly before one another as before God your Father in heaven, knowing and trusting that Jesus intercedes for you.

If you find yourself in the silent struggle of sin or temptation, broken relationships, or shame, look to the cross. Run to it!

From the cross flows to you Christ’s mercy. The sacrifice of the Lamb on the cross is now present for you in the flesh and blood of the altar for the forgiveness of all your sins. By this sacrament and Christ’s Word, you are nourished and given a hope that will sustain you all the days of this life.

So be still this night and ponder what Christ has done for you and how He has defeated sin, death, and the devil. Ponder how He has won for you the forgiveness of your sins by His crucifixion, and trust that when you submit your pleas for mercy to Him, you are forgiven. +INJ+

Maundy Thursday

Text: John 13:1-15, 34-35

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We live in extraordinary times, don't we? I mean, look at your feet, look at your shoes.

Sure, some of you are wearing well-loved shoes; you don’t care if they are coming unglued and worn down; they fit like a glove. They still protect your feet from the snow, salt, and dirt of the paths you journey on a daily basis.

When you get home, you’ll probably remove your shoes and socks, and your feet will be clean—maybe smelly, but clean.

Well, the feet of Jesus and His disciples were not clean. Their paths and terrain were rugged, with dust and the earth’s soil. In addition, they possessed no socks to add an extra layer of comfort or protection. As a result, their feet would be absolutely filthy and probably stink just as much.

Yet, in tonight's reading, Jesus does something odd: He assumes the position of a servant and begins to wash the tired feet of His disciples.

This is unexpected because this is not a task appropriate for a King.

Kings are to be served.

But contrary to the belief of many as Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He is not an image of earthly kings and princes, is He? No, He is a Savior who shows us an example of self-sacrificing love.

Jesus said in tonight’s reading:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you... By this, all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another."

The Maundy for Maundy Thursday is often translated from the Latin mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus’ words, “I give you a new commandment.”

So, Maundy Thursday is about Jesus giving us a new law to love one another as He has loved us.

How did Jesus reveal His love for us?

He humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, the form of you – a mere man.

Then, He didn’t just wash the feet of the disciples but washed away the world’s sin by humbly giving up His life and dying on the cross to grant you the forgiveness of sin and everlasting life.

This is an image of true sacrificial love.

But we struggle with humbling ourselves and expressing love to others, don’t we?

We have no desire or will to wash our neighbor’s feet any more than we desire to forgive one another.

That's a problem.

Because as Jesus says,
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you... By this, all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.”

If you are Jesus’ disciple, then you must learn to forgive your neighbor. You must realize that true love is found in these sweet words, “I forgive you.”

This understanding is inherent in the Fifth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer as you pray, “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Stop and listen to these words on your lips, “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14–15)

No, we cannot earn God’s forgiveness; that is a gift won upon the cross. But if we refuse to forgive others, we reject the gift of forgiveness from Christ Himself.

The forgiveness He so enjoys giving to you in the bread and wine, His flesh and blood, here in the Sacrament of this Altar.

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians, “[Bear] with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, [forgive] each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (3:13)

But we are like Peter, aren’t we? We approach Jesus, asking, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”

This means your forgiveness, like Christ’s, has no end, even among those whose sins have cut the deepest.

Look no further than the words of Christ as He speaks such comfort to the confessing criminal who hung beside Him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

There is no withholding of forgiveness, even among the worst of sinners.

For this reason, if you are Jesus’ disciple, you must learn to humble yourself, take the form of a servant, confess your sins, and forgive your neighbor’s trespasses.

You must realize that true love is found in these sweet words: “I forgive you.”

These are the words that remove the filth and stench of sin that clings not only to the feet you traverse this life with but also to your heart. These words make you disciples of Jesus Christ and demonstrate love for one another, as Jesus now reveals His love for you through His passion and from His cross. +INJ+

Palm Sunday

Text: John 12:12-19

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

When one reflects on life, some moments and events will forever remain imprinted upon you; in fact, they often form your future.

Maybe you can still remember the time when a friend uttered such hurtful words to you on a playground; you vowed never to be friends again. You still remember the conversation when your first love spoke the sad words, "I don't love you." Or you still remember the sadness when you arrived home or received the dreaded phone call informing you that your loved one is dead.

This all begs the question, what is the event that caused the crowds to gather and flock to Jesus today?

It was another death. It was the death of His friend Lazarus. This is the event that occurs just before the Triumphal Entry in John’s Gospel.

Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, are bound in tears and sadness. Surely, you can relate to this sadness. You become immovable and, in some instances, paralyzed in time. While your life calls you to continue, your mind remains at the grave with death. Through all of this grief, you begin to wonder if things will return to normal or whether someone will call you from this dirge and give you back your life.

If you recall, when Jesus learned of His friend Lazarus’ death, He waited, He waited to travel to console Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus.

Why did Jesus make Mary and Martha wait on Him?

He does this for a couple of reasons. He does this to reveal He weeps with them. He shares their sadness and their life, rather publicly, in fact.

But secondly, He also permits the corpse of Lazarus to lay in waiting – to begin rigor mortis and the decaying process to reveal His power over death. That in Him, the power of resurrection resides that He answers the pleas of God's children not at the time of your choosing but at the right time and according to His will. 

But what does the raising of Lazarus have to do with today?

Again, it’s the moment and event that causes a stir among the Jerusalem crowds, captures their hearts, and inspires their voices. By calling Lazarus out of the grave and calling him to life, it’s a tipping point that now led the people to line the streets and say with great joy,

“Hosanna!
            ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”

The crowds are led to line the streets and follow He, who is the resurrection of the dead.

The end of the Gospel from John says, “The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, ‘You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!’”

What have you gone after this past year? What has led you in this life? What captures the attention of your heart and mind more than anything else? If it is not the Lord of life, then repent and return to the only Son of the Father. Join the crowds going after Jesus in saying,

“Hosanna!
            ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”

Hosanna: Save us now! Come and help us.

If these words have been absent from your lips, then place them there now. Sing with all the saints in the Sanctus in preparation for the Supper, “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”

Life is full of instances where we misplace our trust, when our words mock the fears and concerns of neighbors, and when we begrudge the crosses God places upon us.

Yet, this week's focus is on the cross. It’s the moment when Christ Jesus lays down His life and saves you from your sins.

It’s the moment that fully reveals Jesus as “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

This is why He came into this world and into Jerusalem, to help and to save you.

So, where do you go from here, and what do you do now?

Your lives are full of many moments when you will be left sad, full of rage, or quite honestly feeling the bands of death tightening within you.

During these periods and moments in time, remember the word "Hosanna."

Save us now! Come and help us, dear Jesus!

Then, as we will do this Palm Sunday, depart, joining the crowds as we heard at the end of the Gospel, going after Jesus - being led in the way of Him, who is the resurrection and the life. +INJ+

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

Lent Midweek – Part 5

***Our Lenten Midweek services are meditating upon the Passion of our Lord Drawn from the Four Gospels. Tonight, we meditated upon Calvary.***

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As we consider the Passion reading this evening, it’s important to remember and have the story of Creation in the back of your mind.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. (Genesis 1:3)

So, how did God create? He spoke His Word of Creation.

But what is that Word?

Let’s hear the Gospel of John again,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

So, who is the Word but Jesus Christ Himself?

The darkness He has now entered is the world that fell into the corruption of sin at the hands of your first parents, eating from the forbidden tree of the Garden.

This sin of disobedience led Adam and Eve to usher into this world a perpetual darkness that often seems to abide with us wherever we go. 

Look around your lives and examine the words of your heart and lips. Do they continue to reveal a present darkness?

Do they call out to God in times of trouble and despair?

Do they confess the joy of heaven as Jesus Himself said to the criminal this evening, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Or do the words and meditation of our heart reflect an unending grief that has consumed you as many of Jesus’ followers shared as they looked upon His cross? 

Is this you?

If so, Jesus entered this darkness for you.

He entered this world taking on your lowly form – not only as a child in the manger on the night of His birth, but also we see his humanity, his human frame, hanging upon the cross of Good Friday.

The Gospel of Mathew recalls the period of Christ’s crucifixion, saying, “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land.” (Matthew 27:45)

Our reading tonight says,
     When Jesus had received the wine, he cried with a loud voice, “It is finished!”

What a wonderful thing to hear, “It is finished!”

Or as the Greek renders it, “τετέλεσται!”

Honestly, there is no better word than this, “τετέλεσται!”

“It is finished!”

What is finished?

The God-Man, Jesus Christ, has paid the debt of your sin and redeemed you. He faced and entered the darkness of death brought upon the human race through the hands and heart of your first parents, only to defeat it and restore what was lost.

In fact, after saying, “τετέλεσται!” There was only one thing remaining for Jesus to do, and the Gospel records, “Then he said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

He gave up His spirit and died for you.

This is a transformational moment in time and salvation – for in it, the true light of the world shone upon the cross for all to see, and the darkness did not overcome Him.

Johann Gerhard, the great Lutheran theologian, wrote regarding these last words of Jesus,

The fact that Christ called out loudly caused one of the ancient teachers to express these thoughts: that death did not overcome Christ in the same way that it overcomes us humans. Death takes away our speech; it stops up our mouth so that no coherent word any longer proceeds from it. However, Christ here dies much differently. He calls loudly and coherently; and with [the cry] He gives us His spirit. Death, as it were, knew in advance that Christ was going to devour it and conquer it. That’s why death did not want to step up too close. Thus, Christ shouted out so loudly, and His clear voice causes Death to tremble, telling Death that it should step forth and carry out upon Him the right and power that it usually held over the human race.

Hear the great comfort in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians,

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
      “O death, where is your victory?
                  O death, where is your sting?”

Where is the victory? It’s in the very Word of God, the incarnate Son of the Father, as He said, “τετέλεσται!”

“It is finished!”

May this Word of God abide with you throughout this Passiontide and as we approach the cross of Good Friday. Remember how the Word became flesh and dwelt among us in our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the true Light of the World who has overcome the darkness of your life for you. And now He, the Word of God, forgives you, feeds you, and makes you His new creation. +INJ+

Lent 5 + Judica

Text: John 8:42-59

While much of the world sees March 17th on the calendar, they know it’s St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a day of green rivers, beer, and leprechauns.

However, we continue to travel through the season of Lent today. We observe the fifth Sunday of Lent, Judica Sunday.

The tone and character of the season take a hard turn from the rose-colored stole of last Sunday. This is highlighted by the black veils that now adorn the crosses and crucifixes of the church and sanctuary and the omitting of the Gloria throughout the service, such as at the end of the introit and Nunc Dimittis. As your vision is shielded from the cross and your voices are stripped of the praise you are so used to singing, you now have nothing to do but listen to the Word of God and meditate on what Jesus has done for you.

The attention of the Church is now solely on our journey to Good Friday and our Lord’s Passion.

Judica Sunday gets its name from the introit. In the King James translation of the introit, we hear, “Judge me, O God.” This is where the historic name for the Sunday comes from. However, this morning's ESV translation of Psalm 43 is, “Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against ungodly people.”

But what is it you need to be defended from? Who are these people you need defending from?

It’s interesting that if you look back at the Gospel readings over Lent, the Devil or a demon is mentioned in all of them. Still, last week, we saw a reprieve from the intensity of Lent and heard of the feast we enjoy at this altar. We looked forward to eternity with all the company of heaven.

But as we set out on this Lenten journey this year, we set out in the first week, hearing the story of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Lent highlights this battle of temptation and spiritual warfare with the devil and his minions, his foot soldiers. Thus, today, we shouldn’t be surprised to hear again of this evil foe in the words of Jesus as He says to the Jews, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.”

How do Jesus's words strike you today? “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.”

What a statement.

It cuts to the core of a person. You might think to yourself, “Well, I wouldn’t blame them for wanting to stone Jesus. Maybe you would have wanted to join them and pick up stones yourself.”

“You are of your father the devil.”

This is the kind of stuff that might get you hurt if you said it to someone. Not only that, today this would be seen as offensive and just plain hurtful speech.

But you are of your father, the devil. His lies and speech fill your mouth when you communicate with your brother or sister, your mother or father, your son or daughter. You rebel against God and do not love Him as you ought. Your relationships can be seen crumbling; they suffer from the strain of turmoil and discord. You trust in the ways and workings of the devil rather than in the ways and Words of God, the words of peace and reconciliation.

Why? Because the devil lies. He’s a liar.

Just as Jesus said, “He is a liar and the father of lies.” And the devil doesn’t just lie; he tells the lie that God is not good, that He will not care for you, your family, or your life – do not trust in the Lord your God.

The lie of the serpent is what drove our first parents to grasp what was not given to them in the Garden. It brought your first father to ignore God’s Word.

The devil is a liar and a murderer, and so are you.

But you say, “I haven’t murdered anyone.”

St. John writes, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:15)

However, the opposite of the lie is the truth.

The whole creation narrative is one of love, care, and compassion. God created out of love; He desired to bestow His benefits on man. Even after the fall into sin and man’s embracing of the lie, God provides; God clothes and feeds Adam and Eve as they depart the Garden as He clothes and feeds you today. God doesn’t take the sacrifice of Isaac from Abraham, but instead, He sends His own son in a manger to live as you live, to breathe this poisoned air that you breathe, so that He, Jesus Christ, would be the sacrifice for you, to die in your place.

As Jesus said in the Gospel of John, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

It’s this blood of Jesus shed upon the cross that vindicates you and grants you forgiveness. It’s this blood shed upon the cross that brings peace among neighbors, peace among siblings, peace amid family, and peace into the darkness and turmoil of your lives. It’s the blood of Jesus that brings you into the Father’s eternal presence.

If you look at the baptism rite we use, it’s the rite developed by Luther. In many ways, the language seems out of place, kind of like the words of Jesus today, but it reveals how the battle of this life begins at the font. The battle to resist the devil and all his ways and live as a child of God. It’s for this reason the baptismal rite (and Confirmation Rite) has historically had what is known as renunciations; you’re familiar with the three that are present in our baptismal liturgy: “Do you renounce the devil, and all his works, and all his ways?”

The response to these questions is, “Yes, I renounce them.”

But how do you continue renouncing them today?

One of my seminary professors, Dr. David Scaer, wrote, “A secular age requires not only belief in God, but the awareness that the world remains under the sway of the prince of darkness. Certainly, we cannot renounce Satan by our own power (We are sinful), but only because Christ by His Word has forced him to flee.” (Scaer)

For this reason, when we prayed in the introit, “Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against ungodly people,” we are praying for Christ Jesus to take up this battle for us, to defend and protect us from the powers of darkness – it’s His Word and life that defend and keep us safely in His Church.

So, return to your Baptism where Christ promises to be for you. Take up the prayer of St. Patrick as he wrote in his great baptismal hymn,

I bind unto myself the name,
    The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same,
    The Three in One and One in Three,
Of whom all nature has creation,
    Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation;
    Salvation is of Christ the Lord!

Keep these words upon your lips and in your ears as we journey to the cross, as our Lenten fast of the eyes and the quieting of our voices set in; allow yourself to meditate on Him who keeps you.

We cannot defeat Satan or this world, but in our Baptism, Jesus’ work and His victory claim you as His own. He now gives you His Word to assure you; cling to it, abide in it, and cherish it. For it is this Word that vindicates and forgives you; it brings you resurrection and life everlasting. +INJ+

Lent Midweek - The Praetorium

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He had the power to free Jesus. But he didn’t.

His name was Pontius Pilate. You speak his name every time you confess the creed; you cannot escape him. His name is cemented in the confessions of the Church.

But why?

Well, one of the reasons is quite simple: Pilate’s name reinforces the historicity of the Lord’s Passion.

Pilate is a real man who served as governor of Judea, and his name is written in the books of history. But like all leaders, he’s human, and by all accounts, Pilate was known to be a weak leader.

If you were to take a step back this evening, you can see how he wrestled within himself but ultimately gave in to the demands of the crowd. He had to be fearful when the crowds said,

“If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar.”

But no amount of symbolic handwashing would free Pilate from his role in sentencing Jesus to death upon the cross. It does not work that way, and it was his words that rendered judgment upon Jesus.

And yet, here we are, back to the importance of words again.

The accusation against Jesus is that He is perverting or misleading the nation. Or that He is misleading the people.

And so, what does Jesus have to say regarding these accusations?

The Gospels say, “He answered not a word.”

It’s crazy; for the third week in a row, we travel with Jesus through His arrest and trial, and He answers not a word against the false accusations.

Pilate said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to crucify you, and I have power to release you?”

While Pilate is speaking here of earthly power and authority, one must remember the words of Jesus spoken this night as He says, “You would not have any power at all over me unless it had been given to you from above.”

But Jesus also said in John chapter 10,

No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:18)

And so, why is Jesus silent throughout His Passion, even before Pilate?

For you. For the love of His Sheep, He is obedient to the will of His Father, so far as to take your place upon the cross and to lay down His life that you may live with Him eternally.

Now, there is great truth in the Proverb that says,

            Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
                        and those who love it will eat its fruits. (Proverbs 18:21)

Throughout this Lenten season, Pilate has rendered Jesus guilty and sentenced Him to death upon the cross. We have heard the crowds shout, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” The High Priests have arranged for false witnesses to speak about Jesus, while Peter used His lips to deny His Lord.

Our journey has revealed in many ways how,

Death and life are in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 18:21a)

But we must also see how Pilate, the crowds, the High Priests and false witnesses, and even Peter are a reflection of our hearts and the words of our tongues as well.

Have you attempted to wash your hands of a particular situation in life? Failing to give aid to the falsely accused? You are Pilate.

Do you struggle with using your words for selfish gain, twisting the truth to help your position? You are the High Priests and false witnesses.

Is it hard for you to confess Jesus before your fellow man? You are Peter.

In all these ways, you join the crowds in yelling, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!”

And so it happens: Jesus is sentenced and led to the cross for you.

He takes your place.

As the Apostle Paul writes,

For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Or as Martin Luther wrote,

“That is the mystery which is rich in divine grace to sinners: wherein by a wonderful exchange our sins are no longer ours but Christ’s and the righteousness of Christ not Christ’s but ours.”

What a wonderful gift! Christ Jesus remains silent, even to the cross, to take your place, your sin, and your death into Himself and, in return, to grant you His forgiveness and life.

This is called the wonderful or great exchange. He takes your death and gives you His life.

He gives you His life.

So confess His life as you speak the Creeds of the Church, do not permit the inner turmoil of the heart to sway you, but confess with your tongue the name of Jesus - for in this name is the fruit of forgiveness and life everlasting. +INJ+

Laetare

Text: Exodus 16:2-21, John 6:1-15

Where is your trust?

Do you place your trust in money, in your savings, investments, and retirement?

Or is your trust in man, in your families and friends?

What about the youth? Where is your trust? Is it in education and the idea of a promising career and lifelong happiness, that is, once you can escape the homestead?

Today’s Gospel is set in the context of false trust. John 6 begins, “After this…. or After these things.” After what things? Before our text, Jesus said to the Jews, “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you – Moses, in whom you trust.”

You see, the Jews simply believed in Moses; the foundation of their faith is most clearly seen in the Pentateuch, the Law of God - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Their belief was that they were good people because they worked to keep the Law.

Do you believe you are a good person? Then you, too, trust in Moses and the Law. You see faith as a point system where all your good works may be tallied and your sins, your wrongdoings deducted, hoping in the end, at the last day of this life, the good outweighs the bad, hoping to have more successes than failures.

But Jesus says, “Moses, the Law, will actually be your accuser.” The Law accuses; its function is to reveal your sins, not your successes. The Law reveals how you have allowed your tongue to bear false witness and slander your neighbor by spreading rumors and unfounded accusations. How you have coveted what your neighbor has and what God has not given you. How you have been unfaithful in your worship and prayers, placing the activities of this world above God’s Word, not observing what the First Commandment calls us to do by fearing, loving, or trusting in God above all things. You are, as the Epistle speaks, children of slavery.

The Law can never free you; you can never keep it as you ought; you will always fail.

But another thing the Law does is that it reveals where you have placed your misguided trust.

Think back to the Gospel today and the conversation Jesus had with Philip. Jesus asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” Philip begins his response by speaking of money, saying, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each person to get a little.”

In this question to Philip, Jesus asks where Philip places his trust, and he answers with dollar figures. So, Jesus will show Philip that the answer is not in dollars or denarius amounts and that Philip has not yet believed in God as he ought.

What about you? Do you believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth?

If you believe in God the Father, why do you fret or become disheartened throughout this life?  Why do you worry, become agitated, frustrated, or angry?

In today’s Old Testament reading, we hear of the grumbling people of Israel. They had lost trust in God and their pastors, Moses and Aaron. They grumble and complain, “Give us something to eat; we are starving!” And God provides for them; He gives them food in the morning and the evening. He provides enough for one day, promising more for the next day, the day after, and the day after. In doing so, we are also taught to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread…”

You would think that by now, after rescuing Israel from one crisis after another, they would have learned to trust their Lord. Yet, even in this small matter of the belly, they do not trust in God. They gather more than they were instructed; they do not possess faith in God’s Word.

When Jesus questions Philip, He is testing him. “Does he trust me?” He is also asking you this question: “Do you trust me?”

Jesus said to His disciples, “Have the people sit down.” In doing so, Jesus teaches the people and His disciples to trust. The scene would be folly and silly to those looking on from a distance. Yet, they all sit and wait patiently, and even though there should be no earthly hope in this wilderness where they all find themselves, God provides for these people, these 5,000 men plus women and children. They sit, and they wait patiently on the Lord.

“What will Jesus do?  He is not merely going to fill their bellies.  Jesus ‘will respond to all their real needs in the ultimately satisfying way’ [Kodell].  Only in Jesus should we trust, for only Jesus can satisfy our real needs of body and soul. 

So, on this day, you are invited again to trust in the words of Jesus. Trust in His true body from heaven, multiplied and hidden under this bread for you. Sip from this cup and have your thirst be satisfied. This meal you are about to receive is no less miraculous; it is the meal your Lord gives to you as He gave to those in the wilderness.

When those people had sat and waited patiently for Him, Jesus “took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples.”  These words are nearly identical to the words found elsewhere, words you know well: “Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said:  Take, eat; this is My body…”

These are words to be trusted; these are words of forgiveness, words that give you hope not only for today but for all the days of this earthly life. Like the Israelites, we do not always possess faith in God; we grumble that our needs are not being met, and we become greedy, taking more than God has given to us. Our lives become the food hoarded by the Israelites; it breeds worms and stinks. This is what will happen to our bodies as they are one day placed into the ground, back into the earth.

But that will not be the end. It will not.

Today is known as Laetare Sunday, meaning to rejoice. Today, we rejoice because we are once again fed, nourished, and sustained in this life by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Supper. The rose stole worn by the pastor reflects the brief reprieve from Lent and reminds us, even as we dive deeper into our Lenten journey next week --- of the joy ---- the joy that awaits us, not only with this Easter but the eternal joy of Easter in heaven. The day when our bodies will be called forth out of the ground, out of the grave, to be in the presence of Jesus forever.

No longer will we eat bread and manna in the wilderness of this life, but in the joys of eternity, in the joy and presence of God.

This is your Lord’s promise to you, and it’s the only thing that matters. +INJ+

Midweek + Lent 3

***Throughout Lent, we are hearing the Passion of our Lord drawn from the four Gospels. Tonight we heard “The Palace of the High Priest.”

The Passion of our Lord ended last week with the captain and officers of the Jews seizing, arresting, and binding Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. This evening begins with Jesus now being brought to the Palace of the High Priest.

But to begin tonight, I want to ask, what does it mean to be “arrested” and “bound?”

Well, the Greek here renders the word “arrested” as meaning to seize, apprehend, or grasp. However, the etymology of the word today means to stop a person.

But to “bind” a person implies using restraints, maybe ropes or chains.

In any instance, we should take away from this that a person who has been arrested and bound now finds themselves in a state of helplessness; they are captive.

What has you captive and helpless tonight? What is the darkness that binds your heart and has you living in a state of fear?

I leave this question open, as no darkness and despair are ever the same from one person to the next or from one time to the next.

The heart of man is a twisted and dark place, isn’t it?

Jesus said as much in the gospel of Matthew, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” (Matthew 15:19)

“Out of the heart come evil thoughts and murder.”

“Out of the heart come…false witness and slander.”

The heart of man is a battleground.

The Chief Priests and Council knew the commandments; they knew that it was against God’s law that they bear false witness against their neighbor, but they had also just received the report of how Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, along with the many other signs and miracles Jesus was performing.

So the chief priests and council had no qualms about seeking false witnesses to slander Jesus, that they might have Him arraigned and hung upon a cross.  

For out of the mouth of Caiaphas, the high priest, he said, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” (John 11:49b-50)

The Gospel of John goes on to say, “Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. (John 11:53)

No matter the cost, whether it meant lies, betrayal, or slander, they sought death.

For this reason, as Jesus stood before this audience, the words of the Psalmist come to mind,
            The pains of death surrounded me,
            And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
            I found trouble and sorrow. (Psalm 116:3)

Yet, it’s not just the false witness of the chief priests and the council that is so alarming tonight; think about Peter, too. His disciple, friend, and brother.

Peter had followed Jesus, warming himself by the fire as Peter not once but three times denied Jesus with the words of His lips.

As this denial was occurring the third time, we heard, “And immediately while he was still speaking, the cock crowed a second time, and the Lord turned and looked on Peter.”

There are no words from Jesus to Peter. He simply looked upon Him.

Then it said that “Peter remembered [what]that Jesus had said to him… [and] Peter broke down, and went out, and wept bitterly.”

The heart is a battleground. What turmoil and agony must Peter have experienced as he turned away from his Lord with the false confession of His lips?

How often do you similarly betray your Lord?

How often do your words and actions say, “I do not know the man” – “I do not know the Christ?”

Do you treat your friends and family the same way? Do your words, thoughts, and actions express evil thoughts, false witness, and slander against your neighbors?

Are you any better than the chief priests and council? Or what about Peter? Are you any better than him?

Sadly, no, you are not.

While silence should be your friend in many instances, too often, you speak; you speak only out of self-defense and insecurity. You speak to justify yourselves, your positions, your livelihood, and your personal interests. 

And yet, what did Jesus do when false words and charges were brought against Him, “He was silent and gave no answer.”

This brings to mind the words of Isaiah as he wrote,
He was oppressed, and He was afflicted,
            Yet He opened not His mouth;
            He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
            And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
            So He opened not His mouth.

Something we don’t give as much thought about here is that as Jesus was bound and led to the palace of the high priests, He was led into Jerusalem through what was known as the sheep gate. This is the gate in which the lambs were brought to the temple to be slaughtered as an offering and sacrifice for sin.

And for this reason, Christ Jesus was sent to be oppressed and afflicted, to be bound and led to the slaughterhouse of the cross.

And for the prophecies of God to be fulfilled, “Jesus was silent and gave no answer,” so that upon the cross, He would be not only the final Word but the final atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world and for you.

Interestingly, tonight, the only time Jesus spoke was to affirm the only truthful question posed to Him by the high priest as he asked,
“Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
     Jesus said, “I am.”

Jesus did not entertain or engage the false witnesses nor the slander; He confessed what was true that His Father sent Him to redeem what was lost in the Garden of Eden by the sin of your first parents.

Let this be your confession, too.

Learn again to confess with your lips how you have not kept God's commandments; let us confess how we have slandered not only our Lord but also our neighbors.

But then rejoice, for redemption has come through this one man, Jesus Christ. On the cross, you are set free from the sin and darkness that arrest and bind your heart.

So approach the tomb confidently because, through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, you are redeemed and forgiven. +INJ+

Prayer: Dealing with Anxiety

In the aftermath of my mother’s death, I’ve found myself anxious more often than not. There are so many phone calls and legal documents to submit for processing. It seems like an endless task list where no single task is ever the same (or at least no entity ever requires the same paperwork as the last.

In these times of feeling overwhelmed and anxious, I have turned to a prayer I often encourage others to pray. It is found in the Lutheran Prayer Companion.

I hope it can be of help to you,

Heavenly Father, You are my Lord and God, who created me when I was nothing and redeemed me by Your Son. You have committed and assigned to me this office and work, in which it is not as I will, and there is much that would oppress and afflict me that I find myself no help or solution. Therefore take it into Your own hands. Provide the help and solution, and be all things in these matters. Amen. 
(Luther’s Prayer on the verse, “Cast all your anxieties upon God, because He cares for you”)

Lent 3 + Oculi

Text: Luke 11:14-28

 *** The image for this sermon is from Jerome Witkins, Devil as Tailor.

If we are honest, we don’t hear nor speak of the devil very often these days. Yet, his existence can be seen all around us.

While I was on vicarage in Palo Alto, CA, home of Stanford University, there were numerous sculptures throughout the campus. One sculpture garden was of Auguste Rodin’s Gates of Hell, depicting hell's entrance. Yet, it wasn’t this nearly 20-foot by 13-foot sculpture that caught and grabbed my attention over vicarage; instead, it was an exhibit at the art museum on the campus that grabbed my attention. The exhibit was titled “Sympathy for the Devil.”   

This exhibit depicted the devil in various forms from the 16th century through the 21st century. A commentator wrote regarding the exhibit, “Interestingly, in the 20th century, graphic representation of the devil largely disappears. Hell becomes just an aspect of this world, a notion summarized in one philosopher’s observation, ‘Hell is the others.’ Hell’s inhabitation is now ordinary people who do horrible things, as in one of the paintings in the exhibit by Jerome Witkin, The Devil as Tailor, in which Satan appears as a tailor stitching the attire of those involved in Nazi Germany’s Holocaust.”

This exhibit and pieces of art should serve as a reminder and jolt the Christian; the atrocities of the Holocaust, the destruction of our families, and the danger and terror that seem to linger at every turn remind us that hell and the devil are not aspects of years gone by.

That’s right, hell and the kingdom of the devil are not fantasy, but they linger closer to us than we’d want to admit, and they lead us to be at odds with Jesus. Thus, we must take the word of Jesus seriously; “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Luke 11:23)

Now, there’s this funny name for the Devil today: Beelzebul. It's a name the Philistines gave, possibly translated as “King of flies” or “great bumblebee.” No matter the translation, one can be assured that he is none other than the chief of demons, Satan himself.

It’s also important to note that the origin of Satan’s kingdom was not from the beginning of time but rather a creation after his fall from God’s grace. Since that time, Satan and the angels that fell with him have worked together as bees in a hive gathering pollen for their kingdom.

You are their pollen; their hive is the kingdom of darkness.

Any departure from the grace given in God’s Word brings us into this kingdom of darkness ruled by Satan.

And here’s the thing: the darkness of sin, the darkness of Satan’s kingdom, does not only reside over parts of the world where atrocities occur. Instead, it abides over any man born of Adam; it has been sewn into the fabric of your identity.

So, how has Satan been working to sew his life into yours?

Well, in what ways do you confess your faith not only in church but as you tend to the tasks of daily life? How do you confess your faith at your work, in school, or, most importantly, at home?

Or, more precisely, examine how you confess your sin not only before God but before your neighbors – your friends, your family? Are you eager to confess and be reconciled with your friends, your brothers and sisters, and your family members? Are you eager to forgive? Or do you permit the Devil to have his way with your heart and your lips by keeping you captive in sin, captive to his kingdom?

In today's Gospel, Jesus demonstrates His power over the devil by casting out the demon from the mute man. In doing so, He is accused of casting out demons by Beelzebul. However, Jesus demonstrates to the crowd that He casts out demons by the finger of God because the prince of darkness would not cast out his angels or bring war upon himself.

Jesus demonstrates He has come to defeat the strong man. The strong man is Satan himself, and “He is fully armed, guarding his palace and keeping all that he possesses safe.” (Luke 11:21) The kingdom of Satan is strong; it is fortified and strengthened upon the unbelief of man, those straying from faith and the denial of Christ.

However, Jesus says, “When a stronger than he comes upon [the strong man] and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoils.” Jesus is that stronger man, the one who takes the battle with Satan to the cross. There lifted high above the earth - in the darkness of the day, Jesus defeated Satan and claimed His spoil; he claimed you!

The very reason Jesus entered this world was for your redemption. He came to claim you as His treasure, to release you from the bondage of sin, the bondage of Satan’s grip.

The great victory of Jesus upon the cross continues to say to the world today, “Either you are with me or you are against me.” The reality of the cross is our hope, comfort, and the only way to the Father and everlasting life. As Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) There is no neutrality in this life, only Jesus.

Now, one of the traditions of Lent is the preparation of catechumens for baptism and entrance into the Church. You see, through baptism, Satan and his angels have been evicted from the home they have found within the souls of man, even the littlest of us. They cannot survive the cleansing waters of baptism that continue to flow upon you and daily release you from the bondage of sin.

Yet, the demons Christ has evicted from within you so that He may take His rightful throne within your heart roam looking for waterless places to find rest. They seek wildernesses and droughts in the homes of Christians who waver in faith, who would rather avoid the conflict of reconciliation and occupy themselves with the fantasies of society than abide solely in God’s Word. They seek the places where God’s Word is no longer feared and loved in all its truth and sincerity. They return to familiar places like an addiction, worse and more powerful than ever before.

What makes all of this even more difficult is that our hearts have been inclined to sin from the day of our conception. We are naturally blind to the ways of God and unable to discern God’s Word without the help of the Holy Spirit.

And so Satan has sewn himself into the very fabric of time and everyday life so that he is unnoticeable to the eye of the Christian without the help of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, his kingdom and minions are often left to the reality of unbelief, movies, and now historical depictions in art.

But for you, the Christian, the cross says otherwise. The cross points you to Jesus, the Stronger One, and the One who defeated Satan and redeemed you with His blood. In Jesus, you have been washed clean of sin that has possessed you. In your baptism, you have been given sight to see the Kingdom of grace flowing from the side of Christ’s mutilated body and ears to hear God’s Word.

Fill your life with this Word of God, and do not turn away from it. Give no room for Satan, his minions, or any evil of this world to enter and pervert your life. Satan is crafty, but Christ is there to call you back to Him when you stumble. Trust that when you hear the voice of God in His Word, you are renouncing Satan and all his ways. When you abide and trust in His Word, you should fear no evil.

God’s Word is your solid footing and confidence, your proclamation to a world that lives in darkness. Through the forgiveness of sin, the Lord will continue the good works He has begun in you until the day He returns, namely, forgiving those who have sinned against you, and Satan, along with his minions, will be destroyed forever.

Lent is an incredibly intense time of the Church year. It is seen as a pilgrimage and battleground that ultimately prepares the Christian for their death. In Lent, we are reminded again and again that Satan and his kingdom are real and our sins are serious. As wars continue to rage throughout the days of our lives, especially within our own lives, we also have the comfort of knowing that Christ is the Stronger One. Christ has already been victorious. The cross is now our banner of hope and the fabric that we live under until we enter into eternal life with Him forever. +INJ+

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

Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Pastor
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI

Lent + Midweek 2 Gethsemane

+INJ+

At the beginning of our reading tonight, we heard, “When they had sung a hymn, [Jesus] went out, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.”

Sometimes, we must remember that Jesus sang hymns or, in this case, the Psalms. It’s widely believed as a manner of giving thanks; it was customary to sing something from Psalm 113-118 after the Passover meal. These Psalms are known as the Hallel Psalms because they give thanks and praise to God. By using the Psalms in this way, they formed a prayer of thanksgiving, similar to the way some of you might return thanks at the end of a meal.

But I revel in the reality that Jesus sang hymns and the Psalms because this serves as a reminder that we, too, are to sing with Him. But also that through the Church’s song, we are directing and making our prayers known to God.

You see, the Psalms are the prayerbook of the Christian. They give focus to what we ought to pray for but also reveal to us the object of our faith, our Savior, Jesus Christ so that we might never lose sight of Him.

But this is the warning Jesus was giving to His disciples at the beginning of this evening’s reading when He said to them,

“You will all be offended because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.”

With these words, Jesus is telling His disciples, by the end of the night, I will no longer be the object of your faith. And when Jesus is no longer the object or focus of their faith, the disciples will fall away and scatter.

Why will they scatter? The reading tonight said the disciples would be “Offended because of [Jesus],” but the Greek here is σκανδαλίζω, and you can hear in the shadows the word scandalize.

So, what will be their reason for being scandalized or falling away?

Their Shepherd will be struck, He will be killed, and that will leave these followers hiding, denying, and lying about their relationship with their Rabbi and teacher. After all, Jesus was to save them; how can He do this from the grave?

Are we not also scandalized by Jesus today? Do we not find ourselves also falling away from Him when the valleys of life arise?

Or are you like Peter, who speaks without understanding,

Peter answered Jesus’ words by saying, “Even if all the others deny you, I will never deny you.”
     Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you this night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
     But Peter said more vehemently, “If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the others said likewise.

One theologian remarked, “Peter was disillusioned, believing he could never fall. While He should have prayed and asked God never to withdraw His hand from Him, Peter relied on his own strength, falling away.” (Gerhard)

And is this not our struggle also? We put up a brave face when darkness and danger approach; we speak words without understanding, and yet they are often just words – words that frequently confess not faith in Christ but, as Peter confesses, faith and trust in our own physical, mental, and spiritual maturity (or immaturity). Yet, the cock and rooster crowed and revealed not only Peter’s lack of trust and faith but ours as well.

Another interesting aspect this evening is that as Jesus and His disciples went to the Mount of Olives, they had to first journey over the brook of the Kidron Valley, also known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat, because this is where Jehoshaphat was buried. But also, there was a time when the idolatrous god Moloch stood in this valley, made in the form and image of bronze. For these reasons alone, this was a valley of death in many ways.

Still, another aspect of this valley is that the brook Kidron now flowed through its narrow way, carrying the filth of Jerusalem as the blood of sacrifices filled its waters as it ran through this valley.

For this reason, as Jesus journeys through this darkness, one might recall from the 23rd Psalm, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”

This valley was one full of darkness and death.

And yet, even in the darkness of this night, Jesus did not fear the shadow of death, but as the very essence and source of life, journeyed through this valley, proceeding to the mount of Calvary.

Do you have the same confidence and faith to journey through the valleys and shadows of death? Or are you as the disciples? Are you Peter, who speaks without understanding?

When darkness arrives, do we not place trust in ourselves to lead us out of danger and despair, eventually being scattered from faith as we simultaneously deny our Jesus? Our true Savior?

But why?

Because, like the disciples, we forget that Jesus journeyed this road for us, and He will lead us out of the valleys and shadows of death. We forget His words as He said, “But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.”

Ah, that second sentence of the paragraph that follows Jesus’ words regarding the scattering of the sheep, “But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.”

How often do we fail to listen to every word that comes from the mouth of Christ? How often do we faithfully take all the words of Jesus to heart?

When we fail to take the words of Jesus to heart and do not confess with our hearts and lips what Christ has done for us, we become like the disciples, scandalized, scattered, and fallen from His presence.

But this valley of sin and death we know transgress is not the end, is it, because through the confession of our sin, we hear again that promise of Jesus, “But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.”

And this is what occurs in Galilee: the risen Christ restores His disciples who have fallen away, granting them His forgiveness and peace.

Your Savior does this same thing for you; by His death on the cross, He now restores and forgives you in His Word and Sacrament.

For this reason alone, let us sing hymns with Christ, pray to Him, and then follow Him as His disciples learned to do – directing our faith and trust in Him to bring us through the valleys and the very present shadows of death to be with Him eternally. +INJ+

Lent 2 + Reminiscere

Text: Matthew 15:21-28

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Gospel of the persistent Canaanite woman today requires some context.

If we go back to the beginning of Matthew 15, Jesus is engaged in a debate or discussion with the Pharisees and Scribes concerning the traditions and commandments of man.

The Pharisees and Scribes, these highly esteemed leaders of Israel, had traveled to converse with Jesus, to ask, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

You have to listen carefully here; they are questioning why the disciples do not keep their traditions.

Jesus responded to them by asking, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?”

You see, the Pharisees and Scribes had been placing their traditions on par or above the Ten Commandments – the Will of God. For instance, they had created loopholes for children to avoid the care and support of their parents as they aged by making future financial vows to the temple and to God that may or may not be kept later in life. However, it would grant the child the ability to continue using their income for themselves now without caring for their parents as was commanded through the Fourth Commandment.

So, they wanted to know why Jesus' disciples didn't wash their hands as tradition dictated, and Jesus wanted to know why they did not keep His Father's will.

Well, the dialogue ends with Jesus quoting the words of the Prophet Isaiah regarding these fine gentlemen:
          These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
            And honor Me with their lips,
            But their heart is far from Me.
            And in vain they worship Me,
           Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

This whole exchange should give us pause to examine how traditions support our worship and lives. How do traditions point us to Jesus, to confess Him in thought, word, and deed? Because let's face it, practices become habits, and habits turn into traditions, and sometimes, traditions even turn into law – we don't always know how or why this occurs; repetition just makes it so.

In the end, the traditions and laws of the Pharisees and Scribes obscured God’s will and misplaced the trust of man’s heart.

Well, Jesus goes on to teach immediately before our Gospel today on what defiles a person as He says:
Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”

The heart remains the location in which faith springs forth. The heart reveals where you place your trust and what kind of faith dwells within you. The Pharisees and Scribes are lost, their hearts are not well, their faith is misplaced.

But then, enter the Canaanite woman into the scene. She finds Jesus as He entered Tyre and Sidon as He withdrew from Galilee. He’s in Gentile country now and might have been simply attempting to get away from the continual opposition by the Jews. But it had to be a grind.

Nonetheless, the Canaanite sought Jesus and wasn’t going to relent. She says, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

A lot is going on here with the woman's plea.

First, she recognizes Jesus as both true God and true man as she says, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!

Her plea sees Jesus as the object of her faith. The usage of “Lord” throughout the Gospel of Matthew is common for the disciples because their faith is, in fact, placed in Jesus, whereas it is striking that this gentile woman would address the Son of David in such as way.

But that's just it; to call Jesus the "Son of David" not only confesses Him as the promised Messiah of Israel but also reveals that He is born of Mary, born of man.

And so, we have in our minds a particular image of Jesus. A cooing baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Or the cheerful Jesus gathering the little children unto Himself as He sits upon a rock. Or even the Shepherd seen with a lamb slung upon His shoulders as He confidently walks through the field or meadow.

All of the images are good and true. However, Jesus' demeanor and continence today lead us to question what kind of Lord He really is because He does not appear to us as the Savior we have traditionally been taught to love. Instead, He’s indifferent to the needs of the Canaanite woman and, as Luther remarks, “as silent as a stump.” (Martin Luther, AE 76, Page 379)

But, she left behind everything in life on behalf of her possessed daughter to seek out this Jesus. Unlike how the Pharisees and Scribes permitted the people of Israel to skirt and manipulate God’s Law for selfish desires, she is faithfully perusing Jesus on behalf of her demon-possessed child.

How far are you willing to go for those you love? How persistent are you willing to be for the mercy of God not only for you but for a son, daughter, or even a friend?

Your heart will reveal the truth, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, [and] blasphemies.”

The heart reveals what truly possesses you throughout this life and where you turn for help in difficult and trying times.

I wonder if part of our problem is that our unwillingness to humble ourselves before one another now prohibits us from humbling ourselves and confessing our sin before God. This, too, is taught from a parent to a child. Yet, how does one teach a child to pray, humble themselves before God, and sing the Kyrie or Agnus Dei unless they are also willing to get on their knees and open the door of their lips themselves?

But this is precisely what faith calls us to do: to recognize our inability to fulfill God's will and consistently cry out to Him as the only one who can grant us relief from the many things that possess our family and us throughout this life.

Now, you may sympathize with the Canaanite's repeated requests of Jesus as you have also experienced times when it appeared your prayers were met with deaf ears. But Luther has an interesting view on this, he says:
[Jesus] does not say, “I will not listen to you,” but is silent and says neither yes nor no. So also He does not say that she is not of the house of Israel, but that He was sent only to the house of Israel [Matt. 15:24]. Thus He leaves it undecided and pending between no and yes. So He does not say, "You are a dog, and we should not give you the children's bread"; rather, "It is not right [to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs]" [Matt. 15:26]. Again, He leaves it undecided whether she is a dog or not. Nevertheless, all three points sound more like no than yes, even though there is more yes than no. In fact, there is only yes there [cf. 1 Cor. 1:19–20], but it is very deep and secret, and it looks only like no.[1]

Often, our prayers appear to be met with silence or indifference. But we must also remember to seek God where He has promised to be and where He continues to speak to us and reveal His will for us – in His Word.

As we heard in last week’s Gospel, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)

Everything you do must be subject to God’s Word and lead you to your Savior. You have failed to keep the commands of God as you ought, and your sin possesses you. But Jesus hears your confession, and through His death and resurrection, you have mercy and forgiveness.

So, join the Canaanite woman, set your heart on Jesus, permit your voice and faith to cry out to Him, trusting that He hears you and will grant you the mercy needed for all the days of this life. +INJ+

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

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

[1] Luther, M. (2013). Gospel for the Second Sunday in Lent. In B. T. G. Mayes, J. L. Langebartels, & C. B. Brown (Eds.), Luther’s Works: Church Postil II (Vol. 76, p. 381). Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

Lent Midweek: Part 1 - The Lord’s Supper

***Note: Throughout the season of Lent, we hear the Passion readings drawn from the Four Gospels. This is part 1 of the readings based upon the Institution of the Lord’s Supper.***

***Second Note: This sermon is written in the immediate aftermath of my mother’s death and funeral.***

+INJ+

As I reflect on memories of my mother, it’s hard not to think or have memories of family dinners. Especially those around the holidays.

She would prepare, make the food, set the table, and assign the seats – you couldn’t have the left-handed family members sitting next to the right-handed. There was much to be done, and it required great thought, attention, and love.

Family meals are important; they reflect community and intimacy. Not just anyone can approach your table, sit down, and join in the conversation or feast alongside you.

No, meals are for families, friends, brothers and sisters. And for this reason, a table is exclusive because a meal together confesses unity, understanding, and love for one another.

This is what we heard in tonight's reading regarding the institution of the Lord’s Supper. We heard,
When the hour was come, Jesus sat down and the apostles with him. As they were eating, he said, “I have longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I say to you I shall not eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

This meal was not for anyone; this meal on this night was for Jesus and His Disciples. It was an intimate affair. Because it is here Jesus gives to them and His Church a table to gather around, to receive, and know where forgiveness is located for them and for us.

The Gospel of Matthew records,
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28)

Why was this meal established?

“For the forgiveness of sins.”

Not just anyone can receive the forgiveness of sins; only the contrite, those who are sorry and confess their sins. For this reason, Jesus is not speaking to the world here as He institutes the Lord’s Supper; he is speaking to His disciples, His apostles, and the Church gathered around His table. His family.

And yet, Jesus institutes this meal and prepares it for us, even as He knows He is about to suffer and die upon the cross.

How great is His love for us, His dear children, to provide for us even as He prepares for His death? To institute a meal for us to come and gather around, to receive the forgiveness of sin and be united with the Church in heaven and on earth.

You see, the Apostle Paul went on to write regarding the Lord’s Supper, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16) 

And here is the great news that we already know: the cross was not the end; it did not defeat Jesus. Rather, Jesus lives, and for those who live in Christ and for those who die in Christ, they remain and abide in Christ.

For this reason, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Lord’s Supper, is a family affair. It’s where we gather together to confess our faith in Christ Jesus. It’s where His preparations to suffer and die for us are now faithfully received by us in the form of bread and wine for the forgiveness of sin. It’s where heaven and earth are joined together, where heaven and earth kiss, and we are once again connected and joined with all the faithful departed – because in Christ Jesus, we are one.

So come to the meal Christ has prepared and instituted for you regularly and often. Come and be fed the food of eternal life and the forgiveness of sin. Come and join in heaven’s song as we receive yet again – a foretaste of the feast to come.

Because Jesus lives, and in Him, we live eternally. +INJ+

 ***The photo below was taken of my mother and me on Mother’s Day last year.***

Ash Wednesday

Text: Matthew 6:16-21

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The words you heard at the beginning of this evening’s service should echo within your head, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Instead, they likely will fade from your memory even before you arise tomorrow.

The thing is, you don’t want to hear these words – they speak to your sinfulness, your lack of repentance, and ultimately your mortality.

In seminary, a certain professor would not only request but demand to serve during the Ash Wednesday service on campus. In the deafening silence, you heard the feet of the Christians shuffle across the cement floor to the front of the seminary chapel. Then boom – one by one, the professor’s voice did not silently utter but rather boldly proclaimed the words as the sign of the cross was traced upon every student, every community member, even the littlest of babes, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It was as if you were participants in a death march.

What brings you to this death march? It’s not simply a lack of repentance here or there; instead, it is the continual hardening of your heart toward God and toward your neighbor.

Only in the shadows and whispers of nights like tonight do we realize that this whole life is one complete march to the grave.

We heard in the Lenten address read at the beginning of the service, “From ancient times the season of Lent has been kept as a time of special devotion, self-denial, and humble repentance born of a faithful heart that dwells confidently [in Christ’s] Word and draws from it, life and hope.”

In other words, Lent is a time of fasting.

Lutherans, however, have long correlated fasting with the works-righteousness of the Roman Catholic Church. The world often correlates fasting as a discipline for the body to trim up or lose a little unwanted weight. Yet, another manner of fasting is required before having your blood drawn. This fast reveals your body's true health, the blood that pumps and flows from your heart and within your veins below the mask of your exterior surface.  

So, what does it mean to fast? It means to set aside a time of “special devotion, self-denial, and humble repentance born of a faithful heart that dwells confidently [in Christ’s] Word.”

We heard from the prophet Joel in the Old Testament reading, “‘Yet even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.’” (Joel 2:12-13a)

As you approach this season of Lent, fasting, weeping, and mourning are expected of Christians. But what is most important is what is within you – what is beneath the shell and lies within your heart and pumping throughout your veins.

Jesus said in the Gospel, “When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites.” In other words, do not be an actor playing a role within a production or a pretender. But, as Luther writes, “True fasting consists in the disciplining and restraining of your body, which pertains not only to eating, drinking, and sleeping, but also to your leisure, your pleasure, and to everything that may delight your body or that you do to provide for it and care for it.” (AE 21:160)

What often occurs when you remove food or leisure from your lives is that you quickly fill the void with drink or other pleasures of this world. While one aspect of life is disciplined, another aspect receives new life.

Discipling the body is a challenging endeavor for man to engage in, one that desires accolades and the approval of others. But, when preparations are done in this manner, the true motives of your heart are revealed along with your role as an actor, a pretender, and a hypocrite.

Now, what does all of this have to do with the treasure mentioned at the end of the Gospel? Everything.

When this life ends, all that you own, your prized possessions, clothing, and food will cease. And it will end in dust and ashes. What will remain is the Word of the Lord, what will remain when this world ceases is eternal life for those in Christ Jesus, and what will remain is you, the Church.

Around the third century, there was a deacon named Lawrence. A deacon assisted the bishops or pastors; they collected, managed, and dispersed gifts for the poor and those in crisis.

While Lawrence was serving as a deacon to Pope Sixtus II, the Roman Emperor Valerian declared that Christians would be executed. Lawrence was brought before the Roman officials and ordered to turn over the treasures of the church he had been entrusted to manage and guard. So, Lawrence asked for three days to assemble the treasure and spent those days giving away as much of the wealth as he could to the sick and downcast those in greatest need.

On the third and final day, the Roman official once again demanded the treasure, and Lawrence called together all who had received the church’s treasure and boldly proclaimed to the Roman official, “These are the treasures of the Church.”

Lawrence would be martyred over the flames of a gridiron. He would become nothing more than dust and ash – yet he would also receive eternal life in the presence of God the Father as His faith did not waiver.

Lawrence provides valuable teaching for you this night as you continue your march through this life – you are God’s treasure. The saints on your left and right – those who have sinned against you or those whom you have not forgiven – are your brothers and sisters in Christ and are also God’s treasure. The Church is God’s treasure.

We heard, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Where is your heart?

Tonight, your Lenten fast begins, and it begins within your heart. Now is the time to approach the Father with a broken and contrite spirit – seeking reconciliation that comes only through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is His death upon the cross that gives you pardon and peace and now flows through your veins with the blood of life.

Here in the sacrament, you are given the foretaste of what is to come, the heavenly banquet and marriage feast of the Lamb of God in His Kingdom. It is a foretaste to sustain you as you journey through this life, as you march to the grave, and as you are brought into the eternal presence of your Father in heaven.

Only in the shadows and whispers of nights like tonight do we realize that our whole life is one of continual repentance.

Tonight, the sign of the cross was traced upon your heads, just as the cross was traced upon your forehead and your heart at Holy Baptism – to mark you as one redeemed.

While the cross of ash this night reminds you of your mortality, the cross of Good Friday takes your death into Christ Jesus and becomes the instrument of life.

Permit this truth to dwell within your heart as God’s Word will give you confidence for the days to come and be your life and your hope. +INJ+

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

Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI