Trinity 5

Luke 5:1-11

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

You can imagine the feeling of failure that Simon Peter and the others are experiencing as they clean their nets in the Gospel this morning. After another night out on the waters with nothing to show for their effort, these men are exhausted; without fish, there is no money, and without money, their families will struggle to pay bills and even eat.  

Peter, James, and John undoubtedly have difficult jobs.  

Maybe you can relate to these men.

Have you ever had a job where your earnings depend directly on your sales performance? What if you’ve been unemployed? You have skills and a strong work ethic, but your abilities are not being used or exercised properly.

Or perhaps you’re a farmer, where your livelihood, much like a fisherman’s, depends on how well your crops grow. There are challenges here, aren’t there? You can’t control the weather or whether it will rain too little or too much. Still, your machinery and tools need care just as Peter's nets do. 

Like Peter and the others, your families rely on the success of your vocations.

But what is a vocation anyway?

We often view vocation narrowly, as what we do for a living or our career. This is a rather limited understanding, as vocation is actually much broader than that. 

As one writer noted, Martin Luther saw vocation as how God acts through people in everyday roles to fulfill their calling to care for God’s creation. 

Are you a husband or wife? A mother or father? A daughter or son? What about a grandfather or grandmother? A brother or sister? Are you a soldier or airman? A student or teacher? A doctor or nurse? A farmer or clerk? 

In all these ways and more, lie your many vocations. Or as Luther says, “The masks of God.”

And why are these called the masks of God? Because God should be within them as you go about your day.

When a mother changes her newborn's diaper, she demonstrates God’s love to her child. When a child cares for their aging parent, God’s love is active through the child for their parent. 

Likewise, when a teacher strives to teach their students well and the students read and study as they should, they all demonstrate love and respect as God would want them to.

When farmers or fishermen have a good harvest, it’s not just their families who are cared for, but ours as well, since food can be brought to our tables. 

You see, the purpose of vocation or the mask of God is to love and serve your neighbor.

However, using this lens shows that our vocations also change over time. You adults were all students at one point, but that's no longer true. You have graduated. So, it would be incorrect to call you students in the formal sense. (I, however, have returned to being a student)

Maybe you were once a farm hand, but now you’re running the farm – your role changed because you must now give directions and care for others.

Maybe you were in the Army and served as a soldier, but you’ve since retired. While you can’t report for duty in your uniform on Monday morning, you can support soldiers and their families in other ways who continue to serve. 

However, the challenge with all these changes throughout life is knowing where to place our trust through the ups, downs, and twists and turns.

Sometimes, okay, often, we tend to be more like Peter in our vocations. We tell God we know what we’re doing. When we do this, we demonstrate a lack of trust in God to work through us to care for those neighbors He brings into our presence.

You see, while we don’t know everything about Simon Peter, we do know from the Scriptures that he had a mother-in-law, which means he had a wife, and for that reason, he was wearing more than one mask – he had more than one vocation as a husband and son-in-law. These women, along with the others fishing with him, depended on him and his ability to catch fish and provide for them.

And thanks be to God for Peter’s example for us. He listened to Jesus’ Word, lowered his nets, and found fulfillment where he least expected—in the deep, dark waters of the mornings rising sun.   

But Peter does not revel in the success of his catch; instead, he drops to his knees and says to Jesus, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

Peter confesses two things here: his own sin and that Jesus is Lord.

That is where your life as a Christian begins by confessing your sin and that Jesus is Lord.

This is the pattern of the Divine Service each Sunday: we confess our sins, our lack of trust and faith in Jesus, then we hear about Jesus, our Lord, and confess Him. And then we carry this confession into our daily lives as husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, soldiers and airmen, students and teachers, doctors and nurses, farmers and clerks.

You see, the presence and word of Jesus changed Peter, and it’s for this reason the Gospel concludes by saying, “And when they had brought their boats to land, ‘they left everything and followed [Jesus].’”

Peter, James, and John received new masks to wear and new vocations as students and followers of Jesus Christ. 

They were still fishermen, but the boat they fished from and the fish they sought had changed because they became fishers of men.

However, this translation is not entirely accurate; the Greek states, “from now on you will be catching men alive.”

This subtle difference changes things: “Catching men alive!”

The net they would now use was Jesus’ word, a word that gives life to those who have not heard the voice of Jesus or those of us who have turned away. And the boat is nothing other than His kingdom—a kingdom of grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

You see, you have also been brought into this kingdom through the font of Holy Baptism, where you were pulled out of the water by the net of Jesus’ life-giving word and brought into this boat of His Church. You are also fed and nourished at this rail with His flesh and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. And through these means, you are anchored in the love of Christ Jesus.

This is extremely important because it reminds you that your identity isn’t based on what you do for a living, but on who you are as God’s children. When you are in Christ, your station or job in life doesn’t matter; it can change many times, and then some. What matters most is that Christ is living in you and you in Him. 

Because when this happens, you get to use your many vocations throughout life, even as they may change, to serve your neighbor, love them, teach them, and most importantly, forgive them. Because where there is forgiveness, there is life and salvation with Jesus; a people being led safely to everlasting life in the ark of Christ’s church. +INJ+

Trinity 4

Genesis 50:15-21 & Luke 6:36-42

Jesus said in our Gospel, “Be merciful.”

Easier said than done, right?

You wouldn’t blame Joseph in our first reading from Genesis today if he were resentful towards his brothers, would you? After all, Joseph’s brothers hated him when they were younger; they saw him as their father’s favorite. So, they stripped Joseph of the precious robe he received from their father. Threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery, telling their father he was killed in the fields by a wild beast. As time went on, Joseph would be locked behind the bars of an Egyptian prison because he wouldn’t sleep with another man’s wife.

In our minds, Joseph would have every right to be vengeful, full of anger, and resentment towards his brothers.

His brothers know this, too, which is why they send a message to Joseph after their father’s death, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” (Genesis 50:16-17a)

Did you notice how the brothers corresponded with Joseph in this instance? They “sent this message” to him. They used a messenger because they were afraid to approach Joseph and were filled with guilt.

You can relate to these brothers, can’t you? When you sin against one another, whether it’s caused by your actions or words, it creates a divide between you and a sibling, a family member, or a friend. There is a fear that fills your heart and keeps you from approaching them and seeking forgiveness, isn’t there?

But after everything Joseph went through—the turmoil, grief, and sadness that filled his family—our reading said, “Joseph wept when they spoke to him.” (Genesis 50:17b)

He says to his dear brothers,

“Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. (Genesis 50: 19b-21)

What a remarkable story and image of forgiveness and mercy.

But is it your story?

Jesus says, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

But you cannot be as merciful as your Father in Heaven. You think too highly of yourself. You’re right when everyone else is wrong. You are quick to defend yourself. You are jealous. You are angry. You are resentful. You think only of yourself.

And yet, you expect others to admit their wrongs. You want your family members to treat you with the kindness you’ve lacked, not hold grudges, consider your feelings, and look past your shortcomings. 

This mirror isn’t pleasant to look into, is it?

It calls you to remove the log within your own eye rather than obsessing over the speck and dust of sin in your neighbor’s eye.

But how can you remove this log from your eye, a cause and reason for such a bitter darkness in your life?

You must repent and confess your sin–your jealousy, your dishonesty, your betrayal.

And the words from the rite of Private Confession and Absolution (found in the Lutheran Service Book) are incredibly helpful as we are invited to confess before our Father in heaven,

I have lived as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most.

My Lord’s name I have not honored as I should;

     my worship and prayers have faltered.

I have not let His love have its way with me,

     and so my love for others has failed.

There are those whom I have hurt, and those whom I have failed to help.

My thoughts and desires have been soiled with sin.

The confession ends with the individual admitting their sin, saying, “I am sorry for all of this and ask for grace. I want to do better.”

And we should all desire to do better, but that must begin with grace and mercy.

It begins with the grace and mercy of your heavenly Father, who sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into our world to take on our poisoned flesh. He walks the battered path of life, endures insults, is stripped of His clothes, and is deserted by His brothers as He hangs upon the wood of the cross. He is then placed into the pit of the grave, only to rise again.

He does all this so that the plank in your eye and the sin within your heart may be removed on account of His death and resurrection - the mercy of His Father for you. 

You see, too often, we find ourselves at odds with one another. When this occurs, we refuse to humble ourselves, to forgive one another, and to dwell in unity.

But St. Luke writes just a few verses before our Gospel today, “As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. (Luke 6:31b)

If the shoe were on the other foot between Joseph and his brothers, do you think he’d earnestly desire their forgiveness and mercy?

Of course, “As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. (Luke 6:31b)

As we journey through this life, we must remember we are not in the place of our God and Father in heaven. We do not stand in the position to judge our neighbors; we do not get to withhold forgiveness. No, instead, just as you come to this rail to receive the mercy of God in the flesh and blood of your Savior Jesus Christ, you are comforted as Jesus speaks kindly and tenderly with you, saying, “Take and eat…take and drink for the forgiveness of your sin.”

And then, just as Christ now dwells within you, you get to be a little Christ to your neighbor, speaking kindly and tenderly to them, forgiving them with the same grace and mercy you've received from your heavenly Father. 

Think about that…you get to forgive your neighbors, to have unity and peace, to be merciful, all because your Father in heaven has had mercy on you. +INJ+

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

Trinity 3

First Peter 5:6-11

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Surely you have heard the fireworks this past week, celebrating our nation’s Independence Day, and soon there will be many celebrations to honor the 250th birthday of the United States of America.

However, since July 4th, 1776, our nation has seen many battles and wars, many lives lost, and much bloodshed to defend this country and the ideals declared on that first Independence Day.

This brings to mind the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John, “Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friends.” (John 15:13) This is, in a way, what a soldier commits to doing when they first take the oath of enlistment – they say;

"I, _____, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

Did you hear the part regarding the enemies? The soldier swears to defend the nation “against all enemies foreign and domestic.” Foreign enemies are often easier to identify, but domestic ones are a different matter.

At the root of the word domestic is the word house, so to speak of a domestic enemy is to talk about an enemy of your house. Or we may say an enemy of nearness, like a neighbor. A significant challenge is that you may not recognize this enemy until it's too late and they've already seduced and overtaken you.

Still, in our epistle today, Peter is not speaking of a domesticated and tame cat that lives within your home, but rather one in constant motion - moving about to devour you – to swallow you up.

Peter says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

“Be sober-minded” – be free of passion, rashness, or confusion. Instead, be reasonable and self-controlled. But, of course, this is easier said than done…

Have you been “Sober-minded” over the past week? Or has your mind rushed to judgment? Has the silent roar of the lion enflamed life's passions, causing you to act rashly toward your brother or sister in Christ, jumping to sinful conclusions while failing to act in love and charity?

If so, then repent. Confess this sin before God, that you may be freed from these transgressions that bind you. Jesus says in the Gospel, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

However, the devil is consistently and quietly prowling, learning, and studying your weaknesses to silently lead you away from the Good Shepherd who seeks you.

C.F.W. Walther wrote:

“Satan deludes the senses of the children of unbelief, so they do not see the clearness of Christ in the bright light of the Gospel. We therefore do not have to struggle against flesh and blood, but with princes and powers, namely the lords who rule in the darkness of the world, the evil spirits under heaven.” (God Grant It, Page 250)

The devil is not as easily detected as a foreign enemy of the state; instead, he has found residence within the comfort of your heart.

He deludes your senses as one who stalks, deceives, and misleads you, his prey, away from the Gospel of Christ Jesus so that it is no longer living and active within your heart. So that it no longer affects your words and conduct in love toward God and neighbor alike.

And while you may be quick to say, “Not me, pastor.” Reflect on St. Peter's great confession as he speaks to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” only to cower and deny Jesus when questioned, and the battle became real on Good Friday. (Matthew 15:15-16)

Still, the words of Jesus remain true for Peter and for you, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Even as your weak hearts falter to love your neighbor as yourself, Jesus laid down His life for you upon the cross – He laid down His life that the jaws of the lion may never devour you.

Do you remember the words from the end of the oath of enlistment I read earlier?

They were, “So help me God."

While these words are meant to assure your oaths within life as true and faithful – this statement also recognizes and ascribes genuine fear and faith in God. He is your only help in times of trouble, when you are under assault from all that is evil within this world - the war of cultures, the war of words, the war within your heart.

But you are not alone in this battle of life. Christ continues to seek you, His little lamb, to bring you back into His flock, back into His fold. He wants to rejoice with you not only now but in His Father's eternal kingdom. So, He gives you a foretaste in this Supper as sustenance to refresh you and strengthen your faith. To defend you from becoming indifferent and impatient in this life. He says come unto me, and I will take your burdens upon myself.

This is all cause for great rejoicing.

My friends, you are called in this life to be, first and foremost, faithful to God. Like your country, you will all experience trials and conflict throughout the days of your earthly life. But you have a Savior who is Christ the Lord. He died for your sins upon the cross. He feeds and grants you strength in this Supper and desires to rejoice with you eternally in His Father's House.

So cling to His Word and permit it to dwell within your heart. Put away your quick words of judgment, but be reasonable and self-controlled. Live in harmony with one another, willing to love one another as He has already loved you by laying down His life for you. +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

The Festival of St. Peter and St. Paul

Matthew 16:13-19

+INJ+

The Festival of St. Peter and St. Paul is one of the oldest in the Church’s history, dating back to A.D. 250. These two Apostles share this date due to the tradition that they were both martyred and died by the order of the Roman Emperor Nero on this day in A.D. 68. St. Peter was famously killed by crucifixion on an upside-down cross, as he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as Christ. St. Paul experienced a quicker death by beheading because he was a Roman citizen. 

No matter the method of their deaths, the cause or reason they were put to death was their confession of faith in Jesus Christ.

As St. Peter said clearly in our Gospel reading today, when questioned by Jesus, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Peter eventually responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Would you be so bold as to make this statement?

Honestly, are you so bold?

Surely you want to say yes, but how often do you ponder and reflect on what it means to confess Jesus Christ in the world, in your homes, and in your lives?

Do you think about how you speak in conversations, the words you choose, or the actions you take when a spouse or sibling makes you upset? What about the banter you exchange with friends? Do they reflect and show that you are a child of God, a disciple, and a follower of Jesus Christ? 

I’d say that too often we don’t realize how our words and actions in our daily lives reveal our beliefs and faith to those people God brings into our contact. Unfortunately, we’ve become conditioned to be reactive, not taking the time to pause or think about what we should say or do; we just act.  

We see this with Peter later in the Gospel of Matthew as Jesus now foretells how the disciples will all scatter and abandon Him, but Peter said, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” (Matthew 26:33)

We all want to be as bold and confident as St. Peter, don’t we?

But we know what happened to Peter: when Jesus was arrested on that first Maundy Thursday and brought before the high priest, Peter was asked three times by people gathered in the courtyard of the high priest whether he was with this man named Jesus. Each time, Peter reacted quickly, saying, “I do not know the man.” After the third instance of Peter’s denial, the rooster crows, and he weeps bitterly. (Matthew 26:74-75)

This bitter weeping of Peter now reveals a genuine confession of his sin – the sin of denying that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world.

So, again, reflect and ponder: Do you confess Jesus with the words that fill your conversations or through your actions with one another? Or are you quick to respond with words that hurt others or with actions driven by a vengeful heart?

Why are your words and actions so important?

As we see with Peter, they either confess Jesus or deny Him.

This morning, Ezra was asked in the Rite of Confirmation,

“Do you intend to live according to the Word of God, and in faith, word, and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even to death?

His answer was, “I do by the grace of God.”

What an incredible, comforting, and bold response to the question, “I do by the grace of God.”

A response that confesses that one cannot truly believe and make the great confession of Jesus Christ on their own without God's help, the forgiveness won through Christ, and the Holy Spirit that enlivens faith and sustains us in the one true Church. This response reveals a heart that trusts in God for salvation.

Yet, like Peter, we do falter and stumble in confessing Jesus as we should. Your words and actions may struggle even before you reach the door of your vehicle to drive home this morning. 

But when this happens, follow the bitter tears of your heart to sincerely confess your sins as if your life depends on it, because in confessing your sin and need for forgiveness, you are also confessing Christ and the grace and mercy He has for you and all who will believe in Him.

And you know what? When you confess your sins and your need for Jesus and His forgiveness, you are as bold as St. Peter and St. Paul, demonstrating a faith that’s even willing to suffer death.

In fact, as St. Paul wrote to the Romans, you already have died, so remember these words with Ezra, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

What comforting and reassuring words to hear today.

So, go ahead and walk past the font today, dip your finger in it, make the sign of the cross, and remember that you have been marked by Christ the crucified; you are a child of God.

Then go forth and walk in the new life you’ve been given today, boldly confessing Jesus in your thoughts, words, and deeds.

+INJ+

Dobbs decision a pro-life win, but there's more work to do – Rev. Noah Rogness

Three years ago, when the Dobbs decision was heard at the U.S. Supreme Court and again when it was overturned, I stood on the sidewalk outside the Court. I heard the impassioned rallying cries on both sides.

At the time I was a pastor at a Lutheran church in Northern Virginia, just a stone’s throw from the nation’s highest court. Leading up to Roe’s overturn in 2022, I had walked many times in the March for Life advocating for the overturn of the 1973 Court decision that gave abortion access nationwide.

My wife, Becky, and I are standing in front of the Supreme Court of the United States just moments after the Dobbs decision was announced.

The pro-life movement was forged out of a common unity set on overturning Roe v Wade. But in those years that followed Roe, the pro-life movement saw the concurrent need for establishing pregnancy centers and passing human dignity laws.

The goal of finally overturning Roe was accomplished through the Dobbs Decision on June 24, 2022. And in the last three years, we’ve seen necessary shifts in the pro-life movement.

Policy battles are now waged at the state level rather than in Washington. State laws vary from state to state and they keep changing.

But the critical needs of women and children are not changing. Their dignity is not changing. So while policy work is still important, we do our best when we start local and care for those God has placed around us.

The day after the Dobbs decision, our family picked up boxes of diapers for families in need; because the overturn of Roe didn’t mean the pro-life movement was over, but rather our work became more defined.

It’s this kind of focus on locally caring for our neighbors that will change hearts and minds, and save lives.

Even in states where abortion is banned or limited, abortions still occur. Wisconsin might only have five licensed abortion facilities, but abortion proponents are all too eager to make access to abortion pills easy and convenient — ultimately turning any dorm or family bathroom into an abortion facility. Two-thirds of abortion procedures are done through pills.

These days I pastor in Tomah, where I’ve been encouraged by the local resources that I’ve discovered upon moving here and that continue to emerge in southwest Wisconsin. The pro-life movement isn’t letting up.

In our area of the state, both New Lisbon and La Crosse have seen brand new pregnancy centers open their doors to serving women, babies and families. Interest in Monroe County Right to Life hasn’t waned as their membership continues to grow.

Over in Reedsburg, Wisconsin’s first Safe Haven Baby Box was installed in case a new parent needs to use Wisconsin’s Safe Haven law to legally surrender a newborn he or she can’t care for.

At my church, we seek to embrace pregnancy and children, seeing these as blessings not burdens, even if the circumstances are difficult. This means we welcome the children’s noise in service and we prepare meals for new parents so they have one less thing to worry about as they adjust to middle-of-the-night wakeups and dirty diapers. And as we put our pro-life ethos into practice, my parishioners know I’m willing to lead a Christian burial for any baby lost before they can take their first breath.

No matter where we find ourselves in our vocations, we all can use the Dobbs anniversary as an occasion to look for ways to serve our neighbors and all those we come into contact with. Opportunities abound to empower families and lend a helping hand to a mother in trying circumstances.

Christ’s words in Matthew compel us to seek opportunities to serve others as he tells us, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

***This column was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune, June 24, 2025***

Trinity 1

Luke 16:19-31

Everyone loves Baskin-Robbins because of their thirty-one flavors of ice cream. Numerous options allow everyone to find something that brings them happiness. Sugar cone or waffle cone? Or maybe a sundae?

Americans love choices: Are you a Ford fan, a Dodge fan, or a Chevy fan?

Or go into a Walmart… do you want organic or non-organic fruits and vegetables?

Whatever you do, don’t get me started on your choices of milk…or nut liquid posing as milk.

We love choices, don’t we?

Does this idea of freedom to choose ever enter the Church?  

Surely, a Sunday morning drive to Good Shepherd often leads you past many churches. If you were brave enough to turn on the television this morning, you would see a large number of televangelists promising you a better life if you do a, b, or c. After all, happiness and success are the true marks of a Christian, right? But have you ever noticed how they all seem to suggest that you need to do something to receive something? That’s called the law. 

But the Gospel this morning reveals a very different story. It’s not about options or decisions; it ultimately comes down to two paths or two religions. One is the religion of the law, which aims for man to reconcile himself to God; it’s all about the actions man does. While the other is the religion of the Gospel, where faith in Christ Jesus grants His forgiveness and life. 

On this first Sunday after Trinity, the Gospel always begins with the reading of the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The Gospel presents two distinct images: one is painted with vibrant colors that catch our eyes, depicting success, wealth, and social status in the Rich Man, who is recognized throughout the community. He has the choice of which social gatherings to attend, where one might gain an advantage over others.

In contrast, the portrayal of Lazarus’ life is painted with the darkest colors of grief and loneliness, a life dominated by physical pain, illness, and torment that seem to be his only realities.  

Which painting would you choose?

Most of us would choose the life of the Rich Man; no one likes to suffer. Additionally, everyone is drawn to shiny objects.

But make no mistake, this is also the way of the law. Everything the Rich Man does is for his own benefit, pride, and fame. Truthfully, he doesn’t even feel a need for God. 

How often do we see everything we do as our own achievements and successes? Every ribbon, medal, and trophy of life that adorns a child’s wall or shelf can become an idol if not kept in perspective.

Now, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work hard or that children should not aspire to do well in individual and team sports; they should, as they teach us to work with others, to have dedication, and use the talents God gives to us. However, we need to maintain a sense of perspective throughout our lives.

The Christian faith is not about what we do or achieve, but about Jesus and what He has done for you. It’s about hearing and receiving God’s Word into our ears, where the Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith. It’s about following Jesus to His cross.

And this is why we do not like the painting of Lazarus this morning; we don’t like it when there are no choices in life, only crosses.

This painting is clearest during trials and tribulations, when a child is bullied for their personality, or picked on for not being the best athlete, or not invited to classmates’ birthday parties – they didn’t choose to be excluded. Or when someone develops cancer and must endure the countless waves of doctors’ appointments and treatments, they didn’t choose cancer. Or when our loved ones die, they didn’t choose to die and leave us with the feelings of loneliness and filled with the sores of grief and sorrow. 

However, when life resembles the plight of Lazarus and choices seem absent, we often gain a clearer vision of the cross of Jesus and His care for us, not just through the assisting hands of fellow Christians and neighbors, but also through the comfort of His Word and the Sacraments. 

These are the instances when we realize there is nothing I can do to save myself; all I can do is rely on my Savior, Jesus Christ, and receive His forgiveness and His life.

And for this reason, we must reject any teaching that speaks contrary to this.

You know, when you narrow the Christian faith down to these two paintings or paths, everything starts to become much clearer.

You can live as if everything depends upon you and what you do, or you can live with the faith and trust that everything within your life depends upon Jesus and what He has done for you by dying on the cross.

This is, after all, why we are gathered here this morning—to bring the sorrows and griefs of life to the gates of this altar, the gates of heaven—where Christ comes to you and satisfies you with the gifts of His flesh and blood for the forgiveness of your sin and the foretaste of eternal life. 

As the Psalmist wrote,

[The Lord] heals the brokenhearted

         And binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)

It’s Christ Jesus who binds up your wounds and gives the balm of His peace to your heart. So don’t become distracted by all the choices of this world; instead, look to Him, hear His Word, and receive His grace and forgiveness, and remember His Words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

My friends, no matter where you are led in this life, follow Jesus, through glory and shame, grief and gladness, peaks and valleys, and He will give to you eternal life. +INJ+

The Festival of the Holy Trinity

John 3:1-17

Have you ever been asked a question by a child that you didn’t know the answer to?

For instance, you know that if you plant seeds in good soil, you water, weed, and take care of the seed, it will sprout and grow into a wonderful pumpkin, tomato, or carrot.

But could you explain the process in detail of how the seed germinates and how the water works with the warmth of the sun to grow the seed into produce you and your family can enjoy?

This is my problem: I enjoy having a garden, growing fruits and vegetables, and teaching my children how to live off the land. But as my children follow me around the yard with their many, many questions about how the water or the sun helps the plant grow, I don’t always have an answer for them.

“It just does,” I often repeat.

I wonder how many fathers have shared in this response.

In today’s Gospel, Nicodemus, a wise and learned man, approached Jesus to say, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2)

Nicodemus comes to Jesus believing Him to be from God the Father, but he does not fully understand how Jesus is from God or who He truly is.

This is reflected not only in Jesus’ response, but also in the follow-up question by Nicodemus. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:3-4)

Nicodemus embodies Israel perfectly. The people of Israel were aware of God’s plan of salvation, as foretold by the words of God the Father, delivered through the prophets, yet they did not fully grasp how this plan would come to fruition. 

They did not understand how Jesus would need to enter the flesh of man, to go to the cross and die and rise again, nor did they understand how His death and resurrection would be for the salvation of all people, even the Gentiles (nonbelievers – those outside of Israel).

Do you struggle with understanding this great and glorious truth, too?

Are you like Nicodemus, petitioning your heavenly Father for guidance? Do you find yourself struggling to understand your faith or to articulate the Christian faith to your children or grandchildren? Or perhaps to a family member or neighbor? 

You are not alone.

But just as the answer to Nicodemus’ questions was right in front of him, so are the answers to your questions of the faith – they reside in the Words and testimony of Jesus.

Jesus tells Nicodemus that to see and know the kingdom of God, one must first be born from above, through the work of the Spirit, where they are united with Christ and made children of their heavenly Father; they must be baptized. You must hear and receive my Word and testimony from above, He says.

But then, Jesus points Nicodemus back to the prophetic words of Numbers as He said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:13-14)

Jesus answers Nicodemus by saying, you must believe in me.

In me, the Son of Man, who will be lifted up and placed upon the cursed tree, in me you will receive eternal life.

But how do you explain this mystery to a child? How do you answer and explain this to someone inquiring about the faith that is within you?

How do you explain to another how the Son of God took on your human flesh and became a man?

How do you explain how the Son of God grew up as a child, growing in wisdom and knowledge?

How do you explain the greatest news of how the Son of God died on the cross for your sins and the sins of the whole world and then rose again?

How do you explain that even as Jesus ascended into the heavens, but still remains with us today?

Sometimes we get caught up in answering other people’s questions, attempting to rationalize our answers, that we forget the answers to the faith are to be confessed from God’s Word and the Creeds handed down throughout the ages, as we just recited the words of the Nicene Creed a few moments ago.

“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth…”

“And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God…who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate…And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven…”

“And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life…”

The faith of the Christian Church is succinctly explained and confessed with these words of the creed that we speak every week as we gather here in the sanctuary of the Lord. Think about that, every time you confess the creed, you are being catechized and prepared to confess and give an answer for the faith within you.

What a wonderful gift for you. You don’t have to rationalize or support your faith in worldly or scientific ways; your only need is to confess what God has done, to look to the cross and rejoice that you have a Father who loved you by sending His Son to die for you on the wretched cross so that you might live.

As we celebrate the festival of Holy Trinity today, let us remember that this is not a time for us to investigate or rationalize the Trinity. Instead, it is a time for us, the children of God, to petition our Father in heaven to grant us the fruit of faith so that we may confess what we hold to be true: that it is the Father who created us, the Son who redeemed us upon the cross, and the Holy Spirit who continues to keep us in the faith of this true church on earth so that we might be plucked from the soil of this earth on the last day when we shall see our God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, face to face. 

+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit+

Pentecost

John 14:23-31

When I teach Confirmation or theology classes, Children will often ask, “Pastor, is there an unforgivable sin?”

It’s a difficult question; it’s a sad question. None of us wants to envision any family member, friend, let alone us, living in an unforgivable sin – of not being in paradise with Jesus.  

But the challenging answer to the children’s question is, “Yes, there is an unforgivable sin.”

Twice in the Gospels, in Mark and Matthew, Jesus gives us this warning as He says,

Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven…whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:31-32)

So, what does the unforgivable sin look like?

It happens when man turns away from God, when they cease to hear His Word, when they fail to come and gather around this altar to receive His blessed meal of forgiveness.

Remember how faith comes and is created within you? It’s by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Paul writes in Romans, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

Or as our Gospel said today, “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

How will the Holy Spirit teach you, by the Word of God, the Word that we are to hear with our ears, so that faith would be created through the work of the Holy Spirit who comes to you.

Do you remember what you learned from the meaning of the Third Article of the Creed in Confirmation? Let’s review the meaning,

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day, He will raise me and all the dead and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.

Ponder these words of the Catechism.

The Holy Spirit not only creates and sustains faith in you through the Gospel of God’s preached Word but also calls and gathers you as a church—a community of believers—so that you may be kept with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.

Being a member of this Church on earth is also intimate, much like a family gathering around a table for supper. The Church is led and gathered by the Holy Spirit around God’s Word and His sacraments, such as Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. 

Without God’s Word and the Sacraments, there is no Church.

Contrary to a common folklore, you cannot be in church from a fishing boat, a baseball diamond, or while walking among nature any more than you can be the Church from under the sheets of your bed.

No, the Church is where Christ is present for you now and where He has promised to be for you.

And this is why God has continued to send pastors to you at Good Shepherd, to preach God’s Word to you, to baptize the faithful (To which there is no greater joy), and feed you with the forgiveness of your sins in the Lord’s Supper.

For over thirty years, God has faithfully done this by sending His undershepherds to care for you: first Pastor Willie, then Pastor Benning, followed by Pastor Wurdeman, and now me. 

Pastors are sent to watch over you, to reach out when you drift away, to contact you if they haven’t seen you, to bring God’s Word to you while you lie in a hospital bed, and to teach and guide both the young and the old not just to receive this foretaste of heaven at the altar, but ultimately to the other side of the altar, where you will dwell with Christ and the entire company of heaven forever. 

Pastors do this because they don’t want anyone, especially the lambs and sheep entrusted to their care, to commit the unforgivable sin of turning away from the Holy Spirit, God, and His Word.

This is why we continue the tradition of distributing Bibles to the children of the church this morning: we want them to know their Heavenly Father’s voice, to hear the Word of Jesus, and to have faith instilled and created in them through the work of the Holy Spirit.

We want these children to grow in faith, so as they grow and maybe go off to college, begin families of their own, or go through the trials and tribulations of this world and life – they won’t turn away from God, but turn towards Him and run here to His Church on earth where He has promised to be for them and for you, today and always.

For this reason, let us keep the children of God, near and far from Him, in our eternal prayers.

And should any of us, young and old, find ourselves drifting, let us repent and return to Christ our Lord, remembering the words of the Psalmist,

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. (Psalm 86:15)

Remember these words: Your Lord is slow to anger; He hasn’t left you but continues to faithfully send His Spirit to work faith and peace within your heart.

And if you ask, does God really love me?

Look to the cross; He loves you so much that He died for you. +INJ+ 

The Ascension of our Lord

Acts 1:1-11

I love the hymns of Ascension Day! They are full of joy, adoration, and jubilation. However, it always saddens me that so few sing with us on this great feast of the Church. 

We gather on Christmas in waves to welcome the newborn King who came to redeem us, even singing sweet lullabies into the evening hours. Yet few gather to sing His praises this night as Jesus, having fulfilled the purpose of His birth by dying on the cross and rising again, returns to the right hand of His Father.

This should cause great rejoicing; it should be a reason for parades. We should gather around the cross like dear children awaiting the day when we no longer sing on this side of heaven but yearn to sing with the heavenly angels. 

And this is where our hymns tonight lead us, to sing with the angels as they welcome their Lord and Master.

As we heard the first reading from Acts tonight, two angels appeared while the disciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven. But make no mistake, as our hymn of the day proclaims, these two angels were the first of countless layers of angels, archangels, and the whole company of heaven, welcoming their King home.

But the key to this first stanza of the hymn is in the third line, where it says, “Having vanquished all their fears, Christ looks down on His faithful.”

What is it that Jesus vanquished? Well, what do you truly fear in this life? It’s the devil; it’s death itself. But now, on account of His cross and resurrection, Jesus has vanquished it, meaning it cannot harm you if you abide in Christ. 

The great comfort of the second stanza of the hymn is that when temptation comes and you fall into sin, the Ascension of Jesus provides you with an advocate before your Father in heaven. As we read in 1 John, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1) 

The role of having an advocate is that you now have someone petitioning His Father on your behalf to grant you pardon and forgiveness for your sins—binding the wounds of this life, your sadness, your ailments, your darkness.

Yet, when these situations arise—when grief and death affect your life, when your doctor’s visits don’t go as planned, when you cannot escape the darkness of depression or the unknown—you need guidance. You require the Holy Spirit to lead you and protect you from succumbing to these fears. The third stanza serves as a prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide you.

So, how does this guide begin?

It begins at the font of Holy Baptism and guides you through the shadows and valleys of this life by hearing God’s Word and participating in the liturgy, leading you to this altar where you receive a foretaste of the feast that is to come – the feast of an endless Easter.

In other words, the Holy Spirit is always pointing and guiding you to Jesus.

Remember what Jesus says at the end of St. Matthew, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

But here’s the rub: when you go through trials and tribulations, you fail to see God. Like the disciples that first Easter, you are locked behind the doors of fear and sadness.

When classmates bully you, their words hurt. When children of God kill one another, as we saw at UW-Platteville recently, we’re left questioning why. When the doctor gives the diagnosis, our hearts and minds are filled with dread. When you stand at the grave's entrance, there is nothing but grief and sadness. 

But the cross changes all of this.

Because Jesus died for you, He has the last Word.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, you have life in Him.

Because Jesus appeared to the disciples and you have received their account, you have hope and faith.

Because in Christ Jesus, the grave is not the end, but the beginning of your eternal Alleluias.

As we sang the fourth and final stanza of the hymn of the day, it is a doxological stanza like no other. It’s a confession and a longing for the eternal presence of God, to breathe in the spirit’s grace. To see the Father’s face. And to feel the Son’s embrace. 

And the thing is, these actions are only done physically, in a forgiven, resurrected, and glorified body.

So, what does the Ascension of our Lord teach us?

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus as the disciples did this night, no matter the challenges of this life.

Long for your Savior, hear Him, and be led to Him. If you ever find yourself confused about where He is, return to the font, come to this sanctuary to hear His Word, and visit the gates of heaven where Jesus stands and abides with us this night to grant us His peace in the flesh and blood of His risen body.

The Ascension of Jesus teaches us to keep our eyes and hearts on Him. So come here, where He continues to be for you, and never stop looking and longing for Him. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

Easter 6 + Rogate

John 16:23-33

As it’s Memorial Day Weekend, I thought we’d begin with some mottos, penetrating and figurative sayings, and provocative military proverbs, which are meant to capture the mind and inspire the heart to fight triumphantly.

Some are more subtle than others.

A Japanese Samurai Maxim or fighting proverb said,

“Tomorrow’s battle is won during today’s practice.”

Simply meaning, prepare today to fight tomorrow.

An unknown soldier in Vietnam is recorded as saying,

“The Greatest glory consists not in never dying but in rising when we fall.”

For this one, get back up after you’ve been knocked down.

Or for those who have served, the very well-known saying of,

“Kill’em all, and let God sort’em out”

On the surface, this is a hard saying. Some might say it’s a horrible thing to say.

Some believe this saying is a misrepresentation of 2 Timothy 2:19, which states, “The Lord knows those who are his.”

The belief is that this military saying comes from around 1210 AD, when Pope Innocent III was not so innocent and ordered fire and sword against heretics throughout Europe, where over 100,000 people were killed. Pope Innocent III believed that even if the good were killed along with the heretics, God would know them, and they would know God, and they would still receive eternal life.

It's a hard saying to hear, but its history and meaning go deeper than what is heard on the surface, and this is a challenge with figures of speech, whether they are good or bad sayings.

Now, proverbs and figures of speech have been a part of humanity since the beginning. They are often used to inspire one to ask, “What does this mean?” They possess greater meaning, a meaning that was, for a time, veiled from one’s understanding.

Today, Jesus says to His disciples, “I have said these things to you in figures of speech.”

In other words, sometimes, “My words have been veiled from your understanding for the time being.”

In these instances, Jesus is not only telling them that His words will need further pondering to gain clarity, but He’s inviting them to ask Him for greater clarity and understanding.

A classic example of Jesus speaking in figures of speech is found in John chapter 10, where He describes the duties of a shepherd in protecting the flock from the attacks of the wolf. The disciples didn’t get it, so Jesus goes on to say, “I am the Good Shepherd.”

He is the one who cares for His flock, for you.

But what is Jesus referring to today when He says, “I have said these things to you in figures of speech.”

He’s referring to our Gospel from a couple of weeks ago when He said to the disciples, “A little while, and you will see me no longer, and again a little while and you will see me.”

There’s a deeper meaning to these words.

Remember that the “Little while” refers to Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. He’s speaking of His cross.

Keep this in mind as Jesus speaks again today.

But also take into account these dear words of Jesus as He says, “In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”

This is profound.

Up until this point, the disciples would go to Jesus, just as children go to their teacher, and ask questions. But now, Jesus says, “You get to go to your heavenly Father on my account and in my name.”

This would give them pause all on its own, because Jesus is telling them to go directly to His Father.

And this is really what’s at the core of today’s Gospel—learning to petition and pray to God the Father for understanding.

The name of this Sunday is Rogate, meaning “to ask” or “to beg.”

There are many sayings in life that we don’t truly understand. There is scripture we don’t understand. There are diagnoses of health, deaths, and heartache we don’t understand.

And these are all invitations for us to ask questions of God, to ponder His will, and most of all, meditate upon His Word.

This is one of the reasons I love Bible Class and the opportunity we have to ask questions and learn together.

But more, when we encounter God's word and do not understand it, we should also pray and ask God for help.

It’s His Word, and He will reveal it to us in His timing, so that you might be led to eternal life.

Just reflect on the Old Testament reading today from Numbers, the raising of the bronze serpent gave those of Israel who looked to it healing and salvation for their sin, their lack of faith, and words against God.

But in this raising of the bronze serpent, the cross sits in the shadows, veiled from the people’s eyes and understanding.

This was all looking forward to Jesus’ death upon the cursed tree for you.

We are like the people of Israel. We lack understanding, so we grumble and turn away from God, and when we do this, tribulations are all around us. The snakes of this life are nipping at our heels. Your anxiety increases, as does your bewilderment.

But with prayer, you turn your lack of understanding of God’s Word, His will, and your particular lot in life over to Him. You express faith and confidence in Him to deliver you, to give you understanding, and ultimately, life everlasting.

This is, after all, the purpose of God’s Word, Jesus says,

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

No matter the situation of life you find yourself in this day, take heart, because your Jesus has overcome this world. Through the laying down of His life upon the cross, He overcame every illness and disease, He has defeated death and the grave, for you.

Why?

Because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, “Knows those who are his.” (2 Timothy 2:19)

He knows you.

In fact, He laid down His life for you.

As the crosses, the mental and physical battles of life rage all around you and in you, look to the cross of Jesus, because it’s the key and the beginning of knowing and understanding the words of your Savior, Jesus Christ.

And then learn to call out and pray for the peace only Jesus can give – the forgiveness of your sin and eternal life. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

Fifth Sunday of Easter + Cantate

Text: John 16:5-15

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

Most of you have probably heard of Johann Sebastian Bach, the great German composer and musician of the 18th century. His musical abilities reached extraordinary heights as he composed pieces large and small. Some of his most familiar pieces of music, which you might encounter, are played at weddings today, including “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”

But if you did not know, Bach was a Lutheran, and most of his music focused on Cantatas, which were written to be played and sung during the Divine Service. As the director of music at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Bach was charged with writing cantatas that corresponded to the readings of the day and leading the choirs.

These cantatas typically last 10-30 minutes, and each service might have more than one. But the people didn’t mind because almost everything within the Divine Service was sung at that time. Until then, only the sermon or admonition for confession to the people had been spoken.

Times have obviously changed as the Church has moved away from the rich singing that planted the seeds of faith into the hearts of the young in the past. There are several reasons for this in the Lutheran Church. One is that when The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH) was compiled, the music for the pastor to sing or chant was placed into a separate book. However, few pastors would have had the additional funds to purchase such a book. Also, in an attempt not to be Roman Catholic, many Lutherans gave up the liturgy of old as a means of protest.  

The results of these items from our recent history have led much of Lutheranism in a way that has abandoned its musical roots.

Yet, it would be good for us to reflect on how Martin Luther, for whom we receive our name from, viewed music, as he 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)

So, why do we sing?

Well, first because God invites us to sing.

As we heard from Isaiah in the Old Testament,

“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)

In the Gloria in Excelsis, we sing with the angels at Christmas. In the Sanctus, we sing of Jesus as He comes that first Holy Week to grant us His forgiveness. After the distribution, we sing the Nunc Dimittis, praising God with Simeon as we have received Jesus’ flesh and blood, a foretaste of heaven, and declaring our readiness to depart this earthly life in peace.

We Lutherans are a singing people, and the Fifth Sunday of Easter is called Cantate, meaning to sing, which comes from the antiphon of our introit today.

Sing to the Lord a new song,
            for he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.

The Sundays that have come to pass this Easter season have focused on the risen Jesus, but now our attention begins to shift toward the Ascension of Jesus. As the introit goes on to say, these Sundays start to reveal how the

[Father’s] right hand and his holy arm
            have worked salvation for him.

These Sundays show how Jesus’ return to His Father at His ascension is a sign of His victory and the fulfillment of why He came to earth in the manger that first Christmas: to win salvation upon the cross for you and all who believe in Him, to pay the debt of your sins. And now we prepare for Jesus to ascend to His Father’s right hand, where He will send the Holy Spirit to us.

As Jesus said in the Gospel today,

And when [Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me. (John 16:8-9)

How often do you catch yourself singing a hymn and find yourself full of guilt, remorse, and anguish? Your eyes well up with tears. Your lips quiver as you confess with a whisper how you have failed to be faithful.

How can this music do such a thing upon the heart?

Because the Holy Spirit abides and works through the Word of God, and as we sing, just as the Church has for millennia, God’s Word fills the pages of our hymns, and you are now singing God’s Word.

It’s at a time such as this that you can resonate with the second stanza of our hymn of the day, “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice,” as we sang,

Fast bound in Satan’s chains I lay;
    Death brooded darkly o’er me.
Sin was my torment night and day;
    In sin my mother bore me.
But daily deeper still I fell;
My life became a living hell,
    So firmly sin possessed me.

What a sad and dreadful day if this were where the hymn ended. But now, instead, the Father has compassion, sending His Son to set you free and slay death itself. And in a moment, we will complete the hymn as we sing,

“Now to My Father I depart,
    From earth to heav’n ascending,
And, heav’nly wisdom to impart,
    The Holy Spirit sending;
In trouble He will comfort you
And teach you always to be true
    And into truth shall guide you.

The ninth stanza is a beautiful commentary on these words of Jesus today,

When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13-14)

He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. (John 16:14)

The Holy Spirit now comes to lead and guide you to Jesus, to reveal Him to you in His Word, at the font, and at the rail. The Work of the Holy Spirit invites you to sing the song of faith, so that as your last day comes, your song will not end, but continue with the eternal choirs that now circle the Lamb, singing a new song unto the Lord without ceasing.

But make no mistake, this song is already being sung today, here and now, as we gather each and every week to confess our sins in order to receive God’s forgiveness. Each Sunday is a choir rehearsal for the greater feast that is to come, so don’t be bashful, but as the introit says,

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
            break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Sing praises, for your Lord and Savior has won Salvation for you.

Going back to Bach for a moment, at the end of each of his cantatas, he would sign them with the letters SDG, short for Soli Deo Gloria – “Glory to the only God” or “Glory to God alone.”

What a wonderful way to end, not only a hymn or piece of music, but this life itself, giving glory to God with heart and voice. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

Fourth Sunday of Easter + Jubilate

John 16:16-23

This morning, the disciples said to Jesus, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech.”

Yet, the words of Jesus remained obscure and veiled to His disciples, even as they remain shrouded to our ears today.

From this, we should, like the disciples, learn that what Jesus is speaking of in today’s Gospel cannot be understood apart from Him; He must be the one to reveal His teaching to us.

So, what lies at the core of the disciples’ and our failure to understand Jesus today? It’s the words, “A little while.”

What is “A little while?”

For a child, this time measurement is how long it takes their parents to say goodbye at a family reunion.

As the child grows into a teenager, this becomes the time from being asked to clean their room to a vacuum actually being plugged into the wall.

Still, for the young couple getting married, it’s the time from their engagement to the day of wedded bliss. Or a pregnant mother waiting impatiently to meet their child, or the elderly widower waiting for Christ and His eternity.

What a statement by Jesus today, “A little while.”

How can we think of this measurement of time theologically? How do we ponder it through the lens of Jesus?

Well, think of the creed and the words we confessed, “Crucified, dead, buried, and risen again from the dead on the third day.” In his sermon for this day, Martin Luther draws our attention to these words as he says these are the “little whiles” Jesus speaks of in our Gospel. (AE 77, p. 206)

These words need to take us back to the cross, to the time when the disciples of Jesus looked on from a distance in fear and trembling as their Savior was being crucified, or as His mother appeared near to him with sorrow filling her heart. Jesus entrusts her to the care of his disciple, John. This had to be the darkest and longest period, a time of grievous sorrow, right?

You have felt this sorrow too, haven’t you? There is the sorrow of betrayal from a loved one, a friend, or a spouse. There is the sorrow that fills the heart of one being bullied, having insults and slanderous words shot at you as arrows from the devil’s quiver. Or the weighted thoughts of depression and anxiety that torment your minds as you worry and fret over a medical diagnosis.

Yet, there is still a worse sorrow, and it’s that of a heart of faith that no longer clings to Jesus and His cross. The life that no longer seeks to receive the comfort and benefits of His cross – His forgiveness and life.

As Luther puts it regarding the disciples in the aftermath of Christ’s death, “These disciples truly had to feel and put to the test what it meant to lose Christ out of their sight, when He was taken from them not only bodily but also spiritually, and so also to have at the same time twofold distress and sorrow.”

What had these disciples so twisted up is that they not only saw Jesus as their heavenly King, but they also saw Him as a new earthly king of Israel.

Now, both were gone. All that’s left is a joyless dirge to the tomb and grave.

But remember, “a little while... Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.”

Like the disciples, it’s hard to see this joy as insults are hurled into your ears, or you endure the pains of medical treatments, or you stand over the grave of a loved one, all while havoc is being caused within your heart.

But take your confession of faith in the creed to heart: “Crucified, dead, buried, and risen again from the dead on the third day.”

What has died in this life does not remain in the grave, nor define you, or your life in Christ.

No, instead, go to where you are crucified with Christ, where you are joined to His death and enter His grave. Go to where you rise with Him – go to your Baptism. Drown the “little whiles of life” in Christ – His cross, His death, His grave, because as He rose from the dead, you are raised with Him and, “Your sorrow [is] turned into joy.”

And what is this joy? It’s new life, made possible by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

This is the image of a mother experiencing the pains of childbirth, only to rejoice as her child is born.

Like the disciples, your sadness and pain throughout this life are not permanent, even as they appear to be as you live in the moments of anguish.

Remember the Gospel reading from a couple of weeks ago: The disciples were locked up behind closed doors out of fear for the Jews, fear for their lives. But then in an instant, their pain and sorrow were no more, because their Jesus was risen from the dead and standing before them, just as He had promised.

Today, Jesus stands before you, speaking the same words He spoke to His disciples that first Easter: “Peace be to you.”

And this is what He gives to you in His Word, at this rail, and the font – His peace—the benefits of His cross.

As you depart today, do not leave your faith or the cross of Jesus behind, but take it with you. Take it to school, take it to work, bring it to your doctor’s appointments, and by all means, plant it in your homes so that when you approach difficult and sad situations, your confession of faith will not be far: that Jesus was “Crucified, died, buried, and rose again from the dead on the third day.”

Then remember that you, too, were crucified, died, and were buried with Him through the waters of Holy Baptism. But most of all, remember that just He arose from the dead, so He has raised you to new life too and made you children of the Most High.

In fact, He has marked you as His own, with the very sign of His cross.

As the “Little whiles” of life come to you, my dear friends, keep this cross of Jesus close, because through the crosses of this life, the cross of Jesus turns your sorrow into joy. +INJ+

Second Sunday of Easter + Quasimodo Geniti

John 20:19-31

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

As a pastor, I often receive the question: "Who gives you the right to forgive my sins?"

The answer is timeless and never changes - “Jesus!”

It's the best answer and place to start for all things theological – Jesus, and His words.

Just as we heard Jesus speaking to the Apostles in the Gospel today,

[He] said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

The Word of Christ is the authority granted to the Church on earth for lowly pastors (human men) to announce the forgiveness of sins to the repentant sinner, true words of comfort and peace.

But, I fear our love of self and independence hinders our faith and the churchly order God has established to announce His grace to His Church on earth.

Luther rightly stated in the Large Catechism:

“Everything, therefore, in the Christian Church is ordered toward this goal: we shall daily receive in the Church nothing but the forgiveness of sin through the Word and signs (sacraments), to comfort and encourage our consciences as long as we live here” (LC II 55).[1]

The Augsburg Confession goes on to say, “Our people are taught that they should highly prize the absolution as being God’s voice and pronounced by God’s command.” (AC XXV 3)

But the conscience that does not audibly hear the peace of Christ Jesus in the absolution of sin cannot know this joy. Remember, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) So, without this hearing of God’s Word of absolution, the conscience remains bound up in the terrors of sin and death.

In other words, one remains intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually locked up behind the doors of sin. The door is only opened when Christ opens it through His peace. He now speaks to His Church through the apostles and pastors He sends to be among those who remain shut up from the sin caused by the fears of this life.

A new phobia I’ve learned of is Cleithrophobia, which is the fear of being trapped or locked in a confined space.

If you recall, the disciples in the Gospel today found themselves locked up behind closed doors – “For fear of the Jews.”

At the root of this locking and shutting of the door for the disciples and those who suffer from Cleithrophobia is κλείω – “to shut or to lock.”

The challenge is that if you have been shut in or locked up in your conscience and heart, you cannot release yourself from what consumes you.

What kept the disciples held up was "Fear."

And guess what the Greek word is for fear? That's right, φόβος. Which means phobia.

Just as the Apostles were fearful of the Jews, the world will tell you today to fear your neighbor, fear change, fear the person of opposite views, especially political views, and fear the government.

But are these really the genesis of your phobias in life? Are they really what keeps you trapped and locked behind the walls of your heart? Or is there a more profound fear that has brought disorder to your life? Silencing your confession.

Maybe the greatest fear in life is a loss of control. Perhaps you can't handle others taking the lead.

Or maybe your fear resides in your inability to enter where the seeds of sin and distrust have been sown between you and your neighbor, co-worker, or family member.

Or do you suffer from bouts of melancholy and anger that have you bound in isolation?

You will never have any semblance of peace if you are unwilling to open your ears and permit Christ’s greeting of peace to pierce your darkness. So, likewise, and in good order, you will never be able to enter and confess this peace to your neighbor in need unless you are willing to enter their darkness with this Word of peace.

Quite honestly, it’s all so frightening, confronting the phobias of your life, the fears that lead you into unbelief – your sin and the people of your life.

As you know, one thing you should avoid online is looking at the signs and symptoms of a disorder or disease. Still, I did anyway, and did you know the signs and symptoms of Cleithrophobia can also be related to the signs and symptoms of sin and a lack of confession:

• Chest pain

• Chills

• Difficulty breathing

• Dizziness

• Fear of losing control

• Insomnia

• Nausea

• Racing heartbeat

• Shaking

• Sweating

Isn’t this how you feel when you are at odds with a spouse or a friend? Isn’t this how you feel when you are unwilling to forgive another who stands before you, or find yourself trapped in that sin of unbelief?

If so, you aren't alone, and the website is correct when it says these signs may be life-threatening if left untreated. That is why these feelings of sorrow and guilt should drive you to hear and exclaim the Easter message of peace again: “Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

This message of peace frees you, the captive, from the fears and phobias that threaten to paralyze and trap you.

This message is a corporate confession of faith—it confesses with all of Christendom that great Easter message of peace—or, in other words, that the day of forgiveness has arrived.

So, as the antiphon for the introit for this Sunday says, we need to “put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

He is good, kind, and charitable. For even as your faith falters like that of the disciples, Jesus does not leave or forsake you but returns to you again and again and again.

So rejoice as I do that Jesus continues to enter into your lives of disorder to speak the words of absolution through His pastors. And then He opens His wounds to you as you are invited to take the flesh of His body into your hands, and the chalice upon your lips at this rail, and He says to you again, His troubled little lamb, “Peace to you!”

“Peace to you!” - This is why pastors stand not only before you today but are called to crossover into the muck and dwell with you in your homes, your lives, your misery, and personal prisons - to announce the good news they’ve been called and sent to proclaim – the news that frees you from your fears and the imprisonment of your heart.

So rejoice for the incredible ways Jesus continues to reveal Himself to you today. Having heard with your ears and received with your lips, let your heart join Thomas in confessing before Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”

And then depart and confess these words of Easter joy in your lives for all to hear:

“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!

There are no truer words of peace! Amen!

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

[1] Luther. (2017). Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation (p. 315). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.

The Resurrection of our Lord

April 20, 2025

1 Corinthians 15:51-57

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

We live in a world of transformation.

Transform the government, transform our laws, transform education, transform your health, transform your life, and transform who you are, down to your very character and nature.

But do we ever stop to ask what it means to be transformed?

The Greek here is derived from μεταμόρφωσις. It’s the process of experiencing a visible or internal change that alters what something is or who a person is. An easy example of this is when a caterpillar dies an ugly death in order to become a beautiful butterfly.

And just as this transformation is somewhat of a mystery to those of us who have not majored in biology, an even greater mystery is described by the Apostle Paul this morning as he wrote in the epistle,

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51b-53)

The passage should cause us to stop and meditate. What does Paul mean by “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed?”

He means we shall not all sleep the sleep of death.

Why?

Because Paul says you shall be changed at the sound of the trumpet, you shall be transformed, “The perishable body must put on the imperishable.”

Or, as the very literal translation of the text says, “The corrupted body must now be clothed with incorruption.”

In other words, the rotting and dying flesh that now clothes and clings to you is to be clothed and become immortal and eternal.

This is a difficult saying for us today because culture tells us that death is no longer to be feared; instead, death has been transformed into man’s friend, simply a part of life. So, embrace it, get over it, and move on.

But not so fast, the Apostle Paul writes a little before our epistle this morning, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:26)

This leads us to remember that man was not created to die but to live.

A man should fear death in the sense that it is a hostile enemy of God’s children, delivering the punishment and wages for both man’s transgression now and the sin inherited from their first parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden.

It’s in this Garden where God spoke to Satan after the Fall into sin and said,

I will put enmity

            Between you and the woman,

            And between your seed and her Seed;

            He shall bruise your head,

            And you shall bruise His heel.

For Martin Luther, the word “bruise” in his German Bible means “Crush, bite, or sting.”

He writes about the use of the word “bruise,”

That word really means to bite as a serpent bites as it shoots the venom in. It means to say that the serpent will bite Christ’s heel, but He (Christ), in turn, will bite its head, that He will be a mortal venom and a pestilence for it.

Here is the image of Christ’s death upon the cross, where the fatal blow of His death puts an end to death, and the power of the grave is undone.

For this reason, we can hold the cross before our closing eyes and say with Paul and all the faithful when death draws near.

“O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

(1 Corinthians 15:55)

Now, this doesn’t remove the physical consequence of our sin; our bodies will also enter the grave, just as those before us. However, the grave has been overcome because Christ Jesus died on the cross for you. No longer do you die in your sins, but now rest as one who has been liberated, absolved, and transformed into the likeness of your resurrected Savior.

So, where does this transformation occur for you now?

It begins outside of you, at the font of Holy Baptism, where you were clothed and received the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. There, you entered the grave of Christ Jesus and died with Him so that you might be raised again to new life.

This transformation continues even now as you gather each week with the saints on earth to confess the sins that have left you in the most wretched and corruptible state so that you might hear God’s Word of peace and forgiveness.

And it continues as we gather around this rail and receive the very flesh and blood of Christ bodily, where He now dwells and transforms our hearts from the inside out, forming our character and nature into the likeness and image of His love.

This is how we are to be transformed and made ready for the day of resurrection, the day when the trumpet shall blow, the day that comes in the twinkling of an eye, so confess with all the faithful of heaven and earth…

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.

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

The Great Easter Vigil

In the beginning, God said, "Let there be…."

and there was light, and there was darkness,

there was an expanse,

there was land, seas, and vegetation,

there was sun and moon,

there were swarms of living creatures upon the earth and in the sea,

and there was man – created in God's image.

But through the devil's temptation and one man's disobedience, all creation fell into sin and darkness.

Having been expelled from the Garden, the corruption of mankind propelled creation towards destruction…. God would now send a flood to blot out the wickedness of man.

Still, Noah and his family were kept safe in the ark.

Departing from the vessel of God's protection, He promises Noah and mankind that He will never again permit such destruction to occur.

God keeps His promise, and He keeps Israel safe from the wrath and hardness of Pharoah's heart as they are led through the dry ground of the Red Sea.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God speaks again, calling His people to repentance and promising salvation through His redemptive Word.

A Word that abides with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they enter the fiery trials of faith. He grants them protection through this time of testing so that they would boldly confess the name of God in the darkness of this idolatrous world.

We remain in this world of sin and darkness today. The testing of one's faith continues.

But the Father kept His promise and sent His only begotten Son to be your light and salvation.

Still, you are like Mary Magdalene, who approaches the Lord's tomb in the darkness of the morning.

The gloom of sadness haunts your eyes.

Your hearts are weighed down as the world crumbles around you and despair grips you.

Your faith has been shaken with Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, and John – where is your hope when the body is in the pit of the grave?

But out of the grave's deep darkness, out of its prison, Christ arose, and we now join in saying,

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

Today, death is undone, and the grave is but a portal to life everlasting.

Today, Satan and all that haunt you have been defeated and are continually drowned in the life-giving flood of baptismal waters.

Today, the Father has kept His promise, and His Son Jesus Christ has led you out of the darkness of death to the light of life everlasting; He forgives all your sins and has given you His abiding Word.

So shout for joy, for creation is restored, 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!

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

Good Friday

John 19:5

“Ecce homo!”

These are the words of Pilate to the crowd, “Ecce homo!”

Meaning, “Behold, the man!”

If you were standing among the crowds that first Good Friday, what image would form within your mind as you heard these words of Pilate?

How would you see Jesus?

Would He still be your Savior?

Or, as the blood dripped down His brow, was He, as Pilate said, simply a man?

Pilates’ words are those of mockery, emphasizing the perception of Jesus’ weakness and vulnerability. They are to say, “Look at this poor fellow here.”

But there is a sermon for us in these words of Pilate, “Ecce homo!”- “Behold, the man!”

This sermon must have its genesis at the beginning of Holy Scripture when God creates Adam and places him in the midst of the Garden to tend and care for it.

You see, the meaning of the name Adam is “man.” And this man was created in the perfect image of God.

But as you know the creation story, you are aware of Adam and Eve’s fall into sin – which signifies that you understand how humanity lost the image of God in which we were created. For this reason, the face of mankind became unrecognizable and marred by sin, a sin that still separates us today from our Father in heaven.

Yet, God the Father speaks to Adam and Eve, declaring that a seed and offspring of the woman shall come into this world not only to defeat the great tempter of God’s children but to redeem His creation.

For this reason, the Psalmist writes,

            What is man that you are mindful of him,

                        and the son of man that you care for him?

            Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

                        and crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:4-5)

Here, the Psalmist foreshadows Jesus’s humility as the incarnate one takes on your flesh in Mary’s womb and becomes a man. He breathes your poisoned air as He departs the womb, bears your sins and transgressions, and fulfills His Father’s will so that He might restore the image of man.

But to do so, Jesus must, as the Psalmist wrote, be crowned in glory and honor.

And this is where tonight leads us, to Christ’s enthronement and exaltation, to His cross and Passion.

As Jesus stood before the crowd and Pilate declared, “Ecce homo!” The words of Isaiah are fulfilled,

There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

            He is despised and rejected by men,

            A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

            And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him. (Isaiah 53:2b-3)

Just as the disciples ran and hid from Christ’s cross and Passion, you too have rejected Him and cannot bear to look to His image now as He hangs upon the cursed tree, nor see His sorrow or your guilt reflected in Him.

Because upon the cross, Jesus is a mirror of your image. When you look to Him this night, you see yourself - a poor fellow, a sinner.

As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV)

Isn’t that something, the One who knew no sin, nor possessed even a sinful motive, had our iniquity placed upon Him? This was done so that you might become righteous, reconciled, and redeemed in Christ Jesus.

So, yes, hear these words of Pilate tonight and look to the cross, see the Man, see yourself, a new Adam, a new man, whose image has been redeemed and restored by the blood of Jesus Christ, shed for you. +INJ+

Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-15, 34-35 & 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

St. John wrote at the beginning of this evening’s Gospel,

“When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)

This is an intimate statement, “Having loved his own who were in the world.”

“His own”

From this, one can surmise that there are those individuals who do not share in Christ Jesus and who are not His.

But these words also speak to the exclusiveness of being a disciple of Jesus, which conflicts with today’s world, where everything is to be inclusive. But is anyone or anything ever truly “inclusive?”

Can anyone simply enter your home unannounced, make themselves comfortable, and take a place at your table for supper?

Absolutely not, because the table is reserved for the family or invited guests. It’s a place of intimacy, where there is trust among those who converse, and the deepest matters of life and faith are discussed, prayer and supplication are made on behalf of the family, and Jesus is revealed in the breaking of the bread.

For this reason, the table is a sacred place.

Likewise, the table before the Lord’s altar is also a sacred place set aside for Christ’s body and blood. In fact, it’s His table where His meal is served; for this reason, the meal has been called “The Lord’s Supper.”

He is the one who prepares the meal. He invites us to partake, but only if we are His.

As St. Paul writes to the Corinthians,

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread… You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 21, KJV)

The word communion here comes from the Greek word Koinonia, which means fellowship, proof of unity, and the intimacy of a shared confession of faith.

This shared confession is confessed externally as we partake of the bread and receive from the one cup because this meal is a familial meal among brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.

For this reason, Paul warns not to participate in a table of demons and pagan worshipers. Meaning you cannot worship and participate in a table of unbelievers as the world does.

You cannot have it both ways; you cannot be a child of the devil and a child of God. Where you eat and partake of this holy meal instituted by Christ confesses whose family and table you belong to.

Sadly, this understanding can rip the earthly family apart because the world does not appreciate the exclusivity of being God’s children. We no longer fear nor respect evil, let alone the judgment of God.

But what did Paul say in this evening’s Gospel?

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord... For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (1 Corinthians 11:27,29)

These are legal declarations of sin and disobedience, the breaking of God’s Word, where the bonds and unity of God’s table are broken.

This not only happens when we commune at another table of another church, or someone approaches this table unworthily, or another confession, but it also occurs when we approach the table of the Lord without first being made worthy.

So, where does worthiness begin?

The Small Catechism states,

“That person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’”

But what about the forgiveness of sin between the brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus?

Jesus said,

“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)

Where there is no forgiveness, there is no unity and no family.

It’s for this reason, Jesus says in tonight’s Gospel,

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

How did Jesus love you? He loved you by humbling Himself to the point of death upon the cross to grant you His forgiveness and His life.

Likewise, you are to have this same form of humility and love among one another.

It begins where the benefits of Christ’s cross are present for you now: at the Lord’s table, the place of true fellowship and love for one another - the forgiveness of sin.

You see, this table is where we as a family are intimately and exclusively connected beyond human understanding, carrying the burdens of one another’s life, rejoicing with the brother who has been reconciled, and crying with your sister who grieves.

It’s the location where faith’s deepest conversations occur, and prayers and supplications are made on behalf of you, God’s family. Because it’s where Jesus continues to be revealed in the breaking of the bread, and the joys of heaven are present, even now.

All because Jesus loved you, His own, to the end. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

Palm Sunday

John 12:12-19

In the events preceding our opening Gospel this morning, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This news of resurrection spread and captivated the people of Jerusalem, who then gathered to welcome Jesus that first Palm Sunday with palm branches in their hands and loud shouts of Hosanna from their lips, meaning “Save us now!”

Little did the people know or understand in what kind of way Jesus’ salvific work would occur by the week’s end, a gory death upon a cross. A death that would now give life.

It’s for this death and resurrection of Jesus that the early Church, all the way back to the Fourth Century, would traditionally gather outside the city of Jerusalem each year on Palm Sunday to process into the city with palm branches, repeating the words of Scripture, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (John 12:13)

Throughout the centuries that have followed these first practices, churches throughout the world have continued the tradition of processing into their sanctuaries with palm branches in their hands; in fact, since the ninth century, it has been tradition to make this yearly pilgrimage by singing the hymn “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” as we did this morning.

But what’s up with the palm branches? Where did they come from, and what is their significance?

Well, first, the palm tree is a symbol of magnificence, grandeur, and steadfastness. In some cases, a palm tree may live for around 200 years, and for this reason, in Biblical times, it was seen as a symbol of life and immortality.

In Exodus, after Moses led the people of Israel through the Red Sea and into the wilderness, the people were thirsty and in need of water. But it was a desert all around them. Yet, in this desert were palm trees with springs of water to quench the thirst of God’s people. These trees often signaled to those lost in the wilderness of life and an oasis near to them.

In other accounts throughout the Old Testament, Palm trees and their branches were a refuge and protection for God’s children. As time went on, the tree was minted on coins and placed in temples. The palms were an intimate part of history and life, known to all.

So, how do we regard the continued use of these palms today?

They are a symbol of God’s victory and triumph.

As St. Augustine wrote,

See how great the fruit of [Jesus’] preaching was and how large a flock of the lost sheep of the house of Israel heard the voice of their Shepherd. . . . “On the next day many people that came to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees.” . . . The branches of palms are psalms of praise for the victory that our Lord was about to obtain by his death over death and his triumph over the devil, the prince of death, by the trophy of the cross.

I love this line from Augustine: “The branches of palms are psalms of praise.” In other words, these palms are songs and hymns of praise to God. They tell a story even today.

It’s the story we sing of in the Sanctus as our voices unite before the Lord’s Supper, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”

For this reason, these palms and their hosannas are the church’s song. They direct our voices of faith in calling out to Jesus to save us—to save us now.

To save us from discord and strife among one another, from pestilence and famine, war and bloodshed, calamities of fire and water, and even sudden and evil death.

This is all why Jesus came, isn’t it?

As today’s epistle said,

Being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross… so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:8, 10-11)

He humbled Himself and came to suffer your death and put an end to death itself.

And this is where this great week leads us, the cross of Jesus, with palms in hand, singing hosanna all the way.

But it’s also interesting to note that palm branches are only mentioned twice throughout the New Testament. Once in the opening Gospel today and secondly in the book of Revelation, as St. John writes,

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. (Revelation 7:9)

In a fascinating way, the first palms appear after the raising and resurrection of Lazarus. They continue as a means of welcoming Jesus, the resurrection, and life into Jerusalem and then find their way into the hands of God’s children, who now stand in His eternal presence.

For this reason, besides the cross, there may not be a more profound symbol of Christ’s victory than the palm branch.

So don’t be bashful, but join the train of God’s Church on earth processing to the cross and grave of Jesus this Holy Week with palm branches in hand and hosannas on your lips—trusting that God has saved you through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

And then, as you look and see these palms throughout the year as they hang behind your crosses, permit them to be a reminder that you, as all the faithful who have gone before,

[are] blessed heirs of heaven,
You’ll hear the song resound
Of endless jubilation
When you with life are crowned.
In your right hand Your maker
Will place the victor’s palm,
And you will thank Him gladly
With heaven’s joyful psalm.
(Entrust Your Days and Burdens, St. 5, LSB 754)

So do not grow weary and weighed down, but pick up your palms, sing hosanna, and like Lazarus, know that God will raise you too. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

Lent 5 + Midweek

Psalm 90

We don’t enjoy it, but the whole season of Lent forces us to contemplate our sins and the life hereafter.

This is the cause of the Psalmist’s lament in the middle of this evening’s Psalm,

            For we are brought to an end by your anger;

                        by your wrath we are dismayed.

            You have set our iniquities before you,

                        our secret sins in the light of your presence. (Psalm 90:7-8)

The Psalmist admits that we cannot hide our faults from God. He is omniscient, meaning all-knowing. He sees and knows your heart.

But this doesn’t dissuade you from trying to conceal your trespasses, like a child who tries to superglue the family heirloom back together after they knocked it off the end table, hoping their mother and father won’t notice the cracks.

As we know, this doesn’t always work; you can’t always piece back together what was broken. So, then the confrontation and interrogation come, and how do you respond, “It wasn’t me?” Or, “I didn’t do it.”

In the end, maybe you outrun your parents’ anger and wrath; perhaps, as they look into your eyes, they don’t see the guilt in your heart.

However, what this has all done is laid a foundation for trying to conceal your sins, your most secret and personal sins, from your youth.

St. Jerome, an early translator of the Holy Scriptures wrote,

Our life hurries on at a great pace, and when we least expect it, it slips away, and we die. These very words we speak are of death, and we do not take thought. “We have spent our years like a spider…” In the same way that the spider produces, as it were, a thread and runs to and fro, back and forth, and weaves the whole day long, and his labor, indeed, is great but the result is nil; so, too, human life runs about hither and thither. We search for possessions, and we accumulate wealth; we procreate children; we labor and toil; we rise in power and authority; we do everything; and do not realize that we are spiders weaving a web.

What is the web that you have weaved throughout this life?

Contemplate this question with me tonight, for the Psalmist wrote regarding the Lord,

            You return man to dust

                        and say, “Return, O children of man!”

            For a thousand years in your sight

                        are but as yesterday when it is past,

                        or as a watch in the night.

            You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,

                        like grass that is renewed in the morning:

            in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;

                        in the evening it fades and withers. (Psalm 90:3-6)

These are frightening words—words that remind us how fleeting this life is. Not only is our time dwindling, but it is a moment compared to God’s timing; the frailty of our mortal life is like a dream that is quickly forgotten, like a flower that withers and dies in the heat of the day, returning to the dust of the earth.

And yet, this is where our lives also lead, returning to the dust of the earth, the consequence of sin and disobedience.

As the Apostle Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

This is where our lives ought to lead us “to eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So we pray and petition God to,

            Teach us to number our days

                        that we may get a heart of wisdom.

We pray that God grants us the Holy Spirit so that we can understand the frailty of this life and its fleeting days, that we would learn to confess our sins, all of them, due to the number of days we have… because through this confession, we exercise faith, which in turn, leads us into the way of wisdom.

And in return, the Lord hears your pleas; He returns and has pity upon you. He grants you the forgiveness of His Son, Jesus Christ, won for you upon Calvary’s cross – He undoes the web of your sin so that you may arise tomorrow, seeing each new morning as a reminder of His steadfast love for you that’s what each new day is.

If you should take nothing else from this evening’s Psalm, realize how short this life truly is. While the flowers will soon bloom in these days of spring, their demise is not far, as they will fade away in mere months. This, too, is a picture of our lives, and as we enter these final weeks of Lent, they serve as preparation for life’s end – do not delay confessing the sins of your heart so that the Savior may draw you close to Him and bring you into His eternal presence. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Lent 5 + Judica

John 8:42-59

Who are you?

This is a complicated question today. It’s unlikely any of our ancestors are from here. Many of our families came to the United States from Europe. We move more now than ever, and few people can say they were born here, live here, or die here. It’s just not how we live anymore—even in rural Wisconsin. Take the military, for instance. How many people moved here for Fort McCoy or the VA and didn’t leave?

But this doesn’t mean we don’t want to know who we are, and this can become tricky, especially with the rise of genetic testing.

Genetic testing has been in the news recently because the popular DNA testing company 23andMe is going bankrupt. Individuals who used the company to learn about their heritage, medical history, or gene makeup are being told to contact the company to have the spit they submitted for genetic testing and their results destroyed before they can be sold to other companies. Who knew your salvia would be worth money one day…

Honestly, I contemplated taking one of these tests years ago. As a child, I learned my mother was adopted, and there’s always been a part of me that wondered, “Who am I?”

Am I German, Scandinavian, Irish, or maybe Russian?

My mother didn’t speak of her adoption. But as the years went on, I learned that she had searched for her biological parents; she wanted to answer the question, “Who am I?”

She did locate her biological mother – but for reasons unknown, the woman preferred not to meet with my mother. I have no ill will for that; I can’t imagine what either woman went through over the years.

But all of this brings me to this question: as one searches for who they are, their ancestry, and so on, will you like what you learn?

The Gospel today is very much about who Jesus is, and He draws a line in the sand between being a child of His heavenly Father and a child of the Devil.

In many ways, this is what the season of Lent does; it reveals who you truly are. Whose genes and life are pumping through your veins?

Are you a child of your heavenly Father, or are you a child of your father, the Devil?

What reveals which side of this line in the sand you stand are the desires of your heart. This is why Jesus says to the Jews,

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. (John 8:44)

As St. Augustine writes,

You are [the Devil’s] children because of your desires, not because you are born of him.

What are his desires? “He was a murderer from the beginning.” The devil, too, harbored ill will toward the human race and killed it. For the devil, in his envy of the human race, assumed the guise of a serpent and spoke to the woman, and from the woman he instilled his poison into the man. They died by listening to the devil, who they would not have listened to had they but listened to the Lord.

For man, having his place between [God], who created, and [the devil], who was fallen, should have obeyed the Creator, not the deceiver.

Therefore “he was a murderer from the beginning.” The devil is called a murderer not as armed with a sword or steel. He came to humanity, sowed his evil suggestions and killed him.

Who you are comes down to the voice you listen to.

It’s no different than you become what you eat. Or as parent warns their child to be careful whom they associate with because, as the Apostle Paul writes, “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

So, who are you?

Do your words, desires, and actions reveal a child of the Devil?

Or do they reveal a child of God?

Jesus says, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.” (John 8:51)

So, do you awake each morning with God’s Word in your ears, a prayer upon your lips, or does the heritage and genetics of your first parents, Adam and Eve, cling mightily to your heart, telling you another time? After my morning coffee or after the kids get off to school. Or worse, is there a whisper in your ears that says, “I don’t need God’s Word; I’m not that bad of a person; I’ll be okay.”

When this occurs, when you fail to hear God’s Word and make it the priority for life, or have been led to believe that you do not need God, you should listen to these words of Jesus in your ears,

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.”

Is this who you really are?

If so, then confess your sin of unbelief, renounce the devil and all his ways, and return to your baptism because there in that water, along with God’s Word, you received adoption and were made God’s child.   

As we enter these final two weeks of Lent, the time is at hand for you to return to your Lord, Jesus Christ. If you have been lax in reading His Word and praying, the time is now.

Are you a son or daughter of the Devil?

Or do you join your Savior, Jesus, in calling out to your heavenly Father?

And if you don’t know where to begin, start by simply praying the prayer we’ve all been taught and instructed to pray. Do it every day,

“Our Father who art in heaven….”

Because with these words, God tenderly invites you to believe that He is your true Father and that you are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence you may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.

Then, conclude by praying, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us not only from evil but the evil one.”

Pray that you would not be deceived or misled into false belief, despair, or other great shame and vice. But instead, be rescued from every evil of body and soul so that when your last hour comes, you might receive a blessed end and be taken from this valley of sorrow to your Father in heaven.

This is why your heavenly Father sent His only Son to the cross, to traverse this valley of sorrow or broken and divided families for you, to redeem you.

It’s a redemption now shielded from your eyes as the cross has been veiled; this signifies the consequence of the unbelief we heard in this morning’s Gospel and the violent death Jesus would suffer. (LSB, Companion to the Services, p. 233)

But while the cross remains veiled, you are invited all the more to draw near and, with your ears, hear the story of your Savior’s Passion and take it to heart, because as Jesus said, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.” (John 8:51)

No, you won’t taste death but instead receive the great inheritance of your Father in heaven, eternal life, because you are His child. +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI