Here We Go Again

Here's my notes from yesterday's sermon. You can listen by clicking this link (mp3).

It’s been an interesting week, a historic week. The first time this church had an interesting, historic week was the week of its founding, in January of 1870, 140 years ago. Here are a few words from the church’s history:

While it is not possible to judge how accurate and objective the minutes were, it appears that the proceedings were self-assertive and frank.

There was a dispute at the organizational meeting of this congregation… and I quote “There arose a most unpleasant controversy… According to early members who recalled this incident in later years, the disagreement was called by dissidents who were opposed to being bound by Lutheran confessions and practices… But these persons withdrew from the meeting and ‘peace and unity prevailed.’”

When difficulty and disagreements arise, we should not panic! We should simply say “here we go again.” The God who brought the congregation safe through discussion and disagreement and division in the past—that same God will be faithful today.

And it’s clear that none of this begins with us or with our church. The scriptures assigned for today speak the truth about a complex and difficult road, but a wonderful road—the road of faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let’s first look at the scripture from First Kings—when I first read this I thought it was Elijah’s retirement! Elijah had been depressed and hiding in a cave. He’s hiding because he’s gotten in huge trouble—and he’s in trouble because he’s been obeying God.

He is depressed and in hiding… he goes in God’s strength for forty days into the desert of the Sinai peninsula… he goes to a mountain where he experiences wind and earthquake and fire… and finally hears the whisper of God’s voice. This is in First Kings 19:9 and following—page 320 in the church’s Bibles…

“What are you doing here, Elijah?” says God in verse 9… Elijah is up far away from everyone else, hiding in a cave. Have you felt like hiding lately? If so the Word of God come to you in your hiding place? What are you doing here?

Elijah answers honestly—I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, FOR THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL HAVE FORSAKEN THY COVENANT, THROWN DOWN THY ALTARS, AND SLAIN THY PROPHETS WITH THE SWORD, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.

And then the reading for today begins with verse 15.

What happens next looks like a retirement story. The Lord tells Elijah to do what looks like is going to be the wrapping up of his work. He’s to go anoint a couple kings and to “anoint Elisha as prophet in your place.” It looks like Elijah’s retirement.

But it’s not. Elijah actually continues his ministry, standing up and witnessing to the one true God—except now he has Elisha by his side as an assistant. When Elijah is so depressed—that isn’t the end… God strengthens Elijah with his Word and sends him out to do many things like he has done before. Here we go again.

And something similar happens in our gospel with Jesus.

Luke 9:51-62. Like Elijah, Jesus is standing up for a particular, specific TRUTH. Jesus is not someone who always gets along with everyone. People are leaving his meetings all the time. It’s clear from this passage that it’s important to be kind and not to call down fire from heaven on those you disagree with. It’s important, as it says in Galatians 5, to love one another and not “bite and devour” each other… but that doesn’t mean just saying every opinion is alike.

That wasn’t true for Elijah and it’s not true for Jesus Christ himself. When we have disagreements about truth, we ought to sigh and say “Here we go again…” and trust God to bring us through.

When we are dealing with matters of truth, there are going to be disagreements. It’s just how it is. It’s important to make sure that what any of us are standing up for is supported by God’s Word, but the mere fact that there are disagreements should NOT be surprising! It’s simply a time to hold even tighter to God’s hand, and in a sigh to deep for words---in a sigh that says “Here we go again” pray and pray… and ask God to bring us through.

There are many times in scripture that God’s Word divides.  That is why the Word of God is called "the sword of the Spirit." There are many times that God's Word does not unite. We ought always to be kind and gentle with one another, we ought to be way more sad than angry, we ought to LOVE those we disagree with no matter what, but that still does not always bring us together. Oh, Lord, we pray you will be with us as here we go again.

The gospel for today shows how hard it is to follow our Lord. Many times what we do will seem harsh and uncaring. When Jesus speaks to his followers he says things that seem very harsh today. There are deeper reasons for what he says in verse 60 for example, and in verse 62, but those reasons do not take away the fact that following Jesus usually, normally, time after time, it is hard. So we cannot claim that those who are “upset” or seemingly divisive are wrong simply because the things they bring up are difficult to handle. Everything will not always be peaceful on the surface or even way down deep—at least not until we reach the kingdom of God.

Why?

Why are these things of God so important that it’s worth it anyway, even though there are divisions—I mean, the words of Jesus to those who would follow him are not all that peaceful!

Why is it worth it?

Early this morning I heard a message by Pastor Mark Larson on the radio. He compares what Jesus says to what first responders—fire and police and other emergency personnel—Pastor Mark Larson compares what Jesus do to what “first responders” did on 911.

Here I quote from Pastor Mark’s sermon:

Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God." These words are very blunt. It seems perfectly reasonable and proper that a man be allowed to attend the funeral of his father. These words seem harsh. Why is Jesus in such a hurry when He calls to us, "Follow Me!"?

To answer that, put yourself in the big shoes of the first responders after the Twin Towers were attacked on 9/11. Huge plumes of smoke are rising to the sky. Many people have already died. . . . And it's raining . . . raining people, people who are forced to choose between death by fire or death by jumping out of the buildings a hundred stories up. The sirens of the fire and police vehicles howl and echo back and forth in the skyscraper canyons of the city. The first responders speed toward the task appointed before them. Many in the Towers have already died, but some people still need to be rescued. The firemen and the policemen set their faces toward the Twin Towers. Their eyes are fixed on this catastrophe; I don't think they could look back if they wanted to. They could not say good-bye to their families. There was nothing more important at that moment than the task of saving the lives of those still trapped in the Twin Towers.

What an important task, saving lives. Yet this pales in comparison to the task of saving eternal lives. The brave first responders went to save earthly lives. Jesus and those who respond to His words, "Follow Me" set their faces to save the eternal lives of those who are trapped in sin. . . It's still raining. . . Raining the souls of men being lost from our Heavenly Father's tender care to a hopeless, despairing eternity. So Jesus says, "Follow Me. Right Now! Don't look back!" That's the meaning of this passage of the Bible.

Because this church will do what it always has done—preaching and teaching salvation in Jesus Christ alone—there will be challenges and even divisions. But because Jesus is the only one who can save us and the world, let us say with confidence, even in the face of disagreement, “Here we go again…” and follow our Lord.

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I invite you who are reading this to join in our prayers from June 27, 2010.

Remembering always to give thanks, let us pray for the whole Christian Church and for all people everywhere. ...

We praise you Lord, for preserving for us the saving gospel of Jesus Christ alone. Continue to raise up, strengthen, and encourage all who speak your Word for the sake of the world, that many may be saved. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, Master, many times we hide from difficulty. We panic when hard times come upon us. Remind us you are always with us, and come to us as you did to Elijah with your Word. Help us listen and believe. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, Master, many times we seek retaliation and revenge. Too often we would like to see others suffer. But you rebuke us. You reject our self-righteousness. Help us, Lord, know what it means to stand with uncompromising truthfulness and total love. Fill us with compassion. Make it our goal to change every enemy into a friend. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, Master, turn easy words of commitment into action. Eliminate excuse making. May the greater desire to follow you overcome all selfish desires. Give us ears and eyes to see those who are in need of your salvation. Give us a sense of urgency so we leave all else to follow you. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

When there is stress or tension, turn our attention to you. you promise that you will not leave us for forsake us. Help us always trust in you and your Word. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

Bless and protect our youth as they are traveling and working for you in Montana. Give them a blessed experience as they bless others in your name. Thank you for Izabella Grace Bendorf. Bless her and her parents, Nate and Sarah. Grant your healing to Isabelle Mattson, to Jeff Barth, and to the many others who are injured or who are ill or in trouble. Send your healing balm upon all who are living with stress during these days. Give your peace and love to Frank Cruz and his family as they mourn his mother’s death. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the poor and needy, for those with mental illness, for the institutions that care for them, for first responders and our military, that God would work in every situation. Let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

Others were invited to pray... then we continued…

Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

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Jesus - the First Responder

I'll be refering to this sermon this morning at our church... it's worth reading or listening to in its entirety... if you prefer listening, go to the Lutheran Hour website.
 

The First Responder
By Rev. Dr. Mark Larson, Guest Speaker

Text: Luke 9:51-62

Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God." These words are very blunt and challenging. It seems perfectly reasonable and proper that a man be allowed to attend the funeral of his father. These words seem harsh. Why is Jesus in such a hurry when He calls to us, "Follow Me!"?

To answer that, put yourself in the big shoes of the first responders after the Twin Towers were attacked on 9/11. Huge plumes of smoke are rising to the sky. Many people have already died. . . . And it's raining . . . raining people, people who are forced to choose between death by fire or death by jumping out of the buildings a hundred stories up. The sirens of the fire and police vehicles howl and echo back and forth in the skyscraper canyons of the city. The first responders speed toward the task appointed before them. Many in the Towers have already died, but some people still need to be rescued. The firemen and the policemen set their faces toward the Twin Towers. Their eyes are fixed on this catastrophe; I don't think they could look back if they wanted to. They could not say good-bye to their families. There was nothing more important at that moment than the task of saving the lives of those still trapped in the Twin Towers.

What an important task, saving lives. Yet this pales in comparison to the task of saving eternal lives. The brave first responders went to save earthly lives. Jesus and those who respond to His words, "Follow Me" set their faces to save the eternal lives of those who are trapped in sin. . . It's still raining. . . Raining the souls of men being lost from our Heavenly Father's tender care to a hopeless, despairing eternity. So Jesus says, "Follow Me. Right Now! Don't look back!" That's the meaning of this passage of the Bible.

I suppose that there are at least two groups of people listening to this message. For the first group the words "Follow Me" are impossibly challenging. This group is composed of those who are content with their current lives. They are comfortable, and perhaps even complacent. These words of Jesus require radical change. The second group is composed of those who realize that their lost condition, who have no hope of saving themselves or finding their own way. To them, the words, "Follow Me" are sweet hope. When we acknowledge that we are lost, Jesus' words are rescue because only He can lead us to life.

Let's turn to that first group. The Bible reading today from Luke 9:51-62 shows us some people like this. We see the Samaritan turning Jesus away and we have three conversations between Jesus and would-be followers.

The first verse of this passage (51) sets the stage for this passage of Scripture. "As the time approached for Jesus to be taken into heaven, He resolutely set out for Jerusalem." This verse establishes the basis to understand the rest of the passage. Jesus was going to heaven, but first He had to go to Jerusalem. Very important, so let me repeat that: that Jesus was going back to the glory of His throne in heaven, but He had to go through Jerusalem first where He would be rejected, mocked, and even killed, but raised back to life on the third day.

Between Galilee and Jerusalem was Samaria. Verse 52: "And Jesus sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem." The Jews and Samaritans did not get along. Each claimed to be the true worshippers of God, but each rejected the other's claim. The bottom line was that it was common for Samaritans to hinder the travel of Jewish pilgrims to Jerusalem. Here is an example of people rejecting Jesus. They did not heed His words, "Follow Me." They were sure that they had the answers. They did not realize how much they needed Jesus.

"When the disciples, James and John, saw this, they asked, 'Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" This response strikes me as both funny and sad. Funny, because who are James and John to think that they should call fire down out of heaven. But, it is also sad because James and John in no way reflected the loving heart of their Master Jesus, Who didn't want anybody to be lost. In verse 55, Jesus squarely turned to them. He looked them in the face and rebuked them. Proudly calling fire down out of heaven is not the plan. The plan is to humbly go to Jerusalem.

Jesus continues His journey through Samaria. During this time He encounters three people, who are counting the cost to follow Him. In Verse 57, we meet the first man: "As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.'"

We meet the second man in verse 59 "[Jesus] said to another man, 'Follow me.' But the man replied, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.' We meet the third man in verse 61, 'I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.' Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'"

What is Jesus telling us? He is telling us that the matters of the Kingdom of God are incredibly more important than the issues of this world, even family and home, as important as they are.

People have souls, souls that will live forever, either in the bliss of heaven - as God wants - or separated from Him in hell forever. As I said before, it's raining souls, souls of people being lost from the Father's tender care in a world that is ready to collapse. The work of bringing people back to God is so important that the lack of a place to lay your head should not deter you. It is more important than burying your father. It is so important that there should be no reason to look back after having set your hand to the plow.

So Jesus says, "Follow me!" And these words rock our world to the foundation. Do we find ourselves in this first group? Are we stuck? Are we so stuck in the earthly that we are not able to see to the greater purpose that Jesus has for our lives? Or, maybe, we like Jesus well enough, but are we ready to respond to His call to radical commitment?

What about the second group? It is not composed of people who are content and complacent, but rather of those who realize that they are in need of rescue.

They are like the people who were trapped in the Twin Towers after the planes struck. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. The elevators won't work. The stairwells are destroyed. The smoke is thick and choking. The flames are advancing. You will not get out alive. The only thing left to do is to choose between death by fire or death by jumping out of a skyscraper and you have chosen to jump. You balance yourself on the window's edge and glance down to the street so far below. You stay as long as you possibly can, but the fire's heat just keeps coming and building. It is becoming unbearable and searing and consuming.

You are about to jump when you feel a hand on your shoulder. It is a first responder. The rescuer speaks the words . . . "Follow me." Follow me! Of course! He knows the way out! No longer are the choices only about death. Now there is hope and maybe even a future. There must be a way. The rescuer got into the building. He must know the way out.

So, by no means would the rescuer's words, "Follow me" be viewed as an imposition to your busy schedule, but as the only hope for a new life. That is how it is with people who understand their spiritual condition before God. Because of sin, we have offended God and deserve only punishment from Him. The punishment that we deserve is eternal death and separation from Him. We cannot help ourselves out of this situation.

So, hear me on this, friends. You are the person trapped in sin. I am too. This sin has consequences for your eternal life. It poisons everything in your life - your relationships, your job, your family, but most of all your standing before God. Because of sin, you are like that person caught between the fire and the great, big fall. The only choices that you have lead to death.

But there is a way to life. In the same way that those first responders stormed the hell of those trapped in the Twin Towers. Jesus came to ours. He knows the way in and He knows the way out. He says, "Follow me." For Jesus, the way is through Jerusalem. He knew that there was some very nasty business awaiting Him. Yet it must be done. What Jesus was about to do in Jerusalem was the most important event in the history of mankind. Jesus knew that He was going to be rejected by the religious leaders and eventually by all the people. He knew that He would be killed on the cross in disgrace. He knew that the reason that He had to do this was so that He could take the fall for our sins.

Christians talk about the cross a lot. This is because it is the center of our faith. So, please let me explain in the plainest terms that I can, the meaning of the cross. And, if you remember nothing else about this message today, please remember this.

* There is a God. He made everything.

* He's absolutely perfect. He's so good that He can't tolerate evil. We're naturally evil. So we can't be in relationship with Him.

* But God is love. He's not just loving He is love. That's His nature. He wants to be in relationship with us. He's so loving He even made a way for us back to Him. That escape route is Jesus. He took the fall for us by dying on the cross. That was the punishment for our evil. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Through this message that you are hearing right now, Jesus' hand is on your shoulder, offering forgiveness, offering life, offering love. This offer is real. His word is trustworthy and true. With tender love, He says, "Follow me." He came into your world to rescue you from sin. He knows the way in; He knows the way out.

When Jesus turns you around to follow Him, you join a third group. Yes, there is a third group. This group is composed of those, who having felt Jesus' hand of rescue on their shoulders, have left all to follow Him.

These are people who, once having been rescued from certain death, go back into the fiery tower to rescue others because they too now know the way.

Who would do that? History is filled with believers who are so filled with joy at receiving eternal life that they followed Jesus even to the point of giving up their earthly lives. An early church father said that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." To this very day, Christians around the world work to put Jesus first. Believing in Him may cause a rift in their family that can never be repaired. It may cause them to be rejected by their communities. In some places, believing in Jesus comes with a death sentence.

In preparation for the sermon, I asked for input on this Bible passage from some friends at Lutheran Hour Ministries. From this small group arose a couple of examples that illustrate this text so well.

Wayne told me that the day before he was ordained his father died. The day after the funeral he had to bid his grieving family good-bye to begin his ministry. Verse 60 of this 9th chapter of Luke seems to apply, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God."

Roy wrote this to me: "My wife's grandfather is 97 years old. He still pastors a church. Two years ago his wife had a heart attack and died while preparing lunch on Saturday afternoon. The next day, Sunday morning, he was in the pulpit preaching to the congregation. When he was asked why he wasn't at home (as they expected him to be), and why he chose to drive himself a considerable distance to church, his answer was simple. He said, "Mae is fine". "She's in heaven now." "We have a church full of folks who are still trying to get there. I have to be here." He understood that it was still raining, raining the souls of people.

So in which group do you find yourself? It depends on the day I suppose. Some days you may be in the first group: stuck in complacency and completely oblivious to the rain of men's souls. On other days you may feel like that soul on the edge, feeling like you are caught between the flames and the fall. And, you know, feeling that way isn't all bad, because on those days when you feel that there is no hope or escape, there is one in Jesus. Through the Word, Jesus' hand is on your shoulder. He says, "Follow Me. I know the way. By my cross, I purchased salvation for you." His words have amazing power to rescue us. When you know the way back to God, I know that you will want to be among those who suffer and sacrifice for THE First Responder, Jesus Christ. This makes you a member of the third group, which is right where Jesus wants you to be. In His Name. Amen.

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Now You Shall Be Real

Here are my notes for today's preaching.  It's a kind of summary of many things that have already been said this week.  It's based mainly on Second Samuel 11:25-12:14 though just before the sermon we read Luke 7:36-8:3.  The audio from 11:00 a.m. preaching is available by clicking here (mp3 - 21 minutes including the Luke 7-8 reading.)

People who have been forgiven, people who’ve been released from demons, people who have been brought out of darkness—people like that are generous to the point that we might wonder why.

In today’s gospel (Luke 7:36-8:3) there’s a focus on generous and thankful women. The woman who pours her affection on Jesus’ feet, the women who provide for Jesus and his disciples out of their own resources. I wonder if Chuza, for example, the husband of one of the women who gave money so Jesus could carry out his ministry—I wonder if Mr. Chuza approved.

After all, generosity and thankfulness, they need to be kept under control. Let’s not be unreasonable!

But it is unreasonable thankfulness that is poured on Jesus! It’s praise to the highest degree, praise that doesn’t fit here…—we’re too well behaved.

But when you know the amazing grace of God, when you know that YOU are forgiven and LOVED no matter what, when you KNOW the height and depth of your SIN and know you are LOST but that Jesus has FOUND you and will TREASURE you forever… then you shall be FILLED with praise. And, in praising God, you shall be real.

There’s an old children’s story about becoming real. In the story an much loved stuffed animal has become real to a child… and the animal says this: “By the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”

What’s the key to being real for you and for me? Many times we live fake lives. This week at a funeral we shared a song from Emmylou Harris about how we so often go around “bottled up inside”? How is it that we can become real, pouring out our thankfulness like the women in our gospel? There are two keys really—the first is admitting and confessing our sins—and the second is God’s free gift of forgiveness. These keys are illustrated in the story of King David. Let’s look over there for a minute… Second Samuel 11…

By the way, the worship and music committee decided something you should know. Beginning in September we won’t be using bulletins that have the scripture lessons printed on them. We encourage you to bring your own Bible, or to use the one in your row.

Anyway, in Second Samuel 11-12 we have a story about King David. It would be good to read the whole story, chapters 11 and 12. In this story King David takes his neighbor’s wife, just because he can, he covers up that sin, and, when the cover-up doesn’t work, he has her husband killed. The woman is Bathsheba. Her husband is Uriah—a foreign soldier far more honorable than the king himself.

What has happened in this story, before the prophet Nathan comes to David, is that David is living a lie. He is no longer being real. He has retreated from reality. He has barricaded himself in lies and violence. He is lost and he does NOT want to be found.

Read the story in Second Samuel 11. Imagine yourself having used power and influence to push your way. Imagine yourself not wanting to be found out. Imagine the loneliness as you watch every word and plan every detail to keep yourself protected. Unfortunately, many, many people live in lies today.

Can you be real when you’re living in lies? No. You’re as artificial as a toy—controlled and manipulated by demonic fear.

Is there hope! Yes! When God comes to you as He did to David, and when you allow the Word to push you out of your hiding place, so you take off your mask, step out into the light, and LIVE!

And you will be SO grateful, SO thankful, you just might not be able to control yourself. You will shed tears. You will shout for joy. You will be generous. You won’t be able to blend in with the crowd anymore. But it will be worth it—stopping your fake life, you will be REAL!

Today, in this house, as you hear the Word of God, as you let God speak about how you are hiding from God, and as you know that you are LOVED anyway, no matter who you are or how you are, you can stop being false. You can find the real you that you think you lost a long time ago.

I love this story of Nathan and David. In 2nd Samuel, at the very end of chapter 11 it says “The thing that David had done displeased the Lord…” The “thing” David had done was not just the original sin of taking his neighbor’s wife—it was the cover up—the lying—the murder. All of that became ONE thing, one stronghold, that kept David trapped.

So, like God sent MOSES to Pharaoh in Egypt; like God sent JESUS to that sin-filled woman in Luke 7 to set her free, the Lord sends Nathan to David…” … and like a top notch spiritual warrior Nathan gets around David’s defenses… Equipped with God's Word and God’s own wisdom, Nathan disarms David. Through the prophet Nathan God presents David with parable. The parable tricks David into pronouncing judgment on himself. Like the tyrant judge he is so used to being, David speaks his own judgment: "The man who has done this…” The rich man who stole from the poor man so he could party and serve his guest… David says “The man who has done this deserves to die."

David is caught. With that statement of truth David steps out of the stronghold that he has been building for himself. With that true judgment David steps out into the light, and the Word of God roars “YOU ARE that man.” YOU, David, who took Uriah’s wife… you are the man. You are the man who deserves to die for your sin. You deserve the condemnation of God.

The remarkable thing is that David doesn't retreat at that point.  He doesn't go running back into hiding.  He doesn't put up more excuses.  The Lord speaks to David about his sin… and, miracle of miracles, David listens! David must have known that Nathan was God’s man. David does not shut his ears or close his eyes. He doesn’t run back into his shelter of lies.

David hears the truth… "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king, I rescued you from the murderous hand of Saul, I gave you his house and his wives… and if that would have been too little I would have added more! WHY HAVE YOU DESPISED THE WORD OF THE LORD to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah with the sword and have taken his wife… now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house."

God’s Word lays out the REAL consequences of what David has done. Amazingly, David does not hide. He deals with what is REAL.

This is David’s moment of truth. He doesn't run away.  He agrees with the Word of God.  He does what we all must do if we are to be real people with real lives. He says, in verse 13… read what David says… “I have sinned against the Lord.”

And when we do not hide, please say those words with me… “I have sinned against the Lord.” it’s the only way to be free and real and new

Then, when we don’t hide from God’s Word that convicts us of our sin and our cover-ups… then we can hear a still more excellent word. …This is later in that same verse, verse 13… These things come one on top of another.  There's not a moment's gap between them.  Nathan said to David,
“Now the Lord has put away your sin.” Say that with me… “Now the Lord has put away your sin.”

This is the promise—we know this is true because of what Jesus has done on the cross—when we admit our sin—when we stop running and hiding and covering it up—then God comes with his healing and renewing and life giving WORD. But it’s only when we admit our sin. It’s only when we stop running away.

Now there are consequences that sometimes even go down through the generations.  This is true in human life.  But the ultimate penalty is taken away.

Today, now, in this house, it’s time to step out of your fortress, your stronghold of lies and cover-up. It’s time to come clean. It’s time to be real.

Sometimes it’s just when things feel the absolute worst worst, when we’re in the depth of conflicts and trouble, when we’re at the end of our ability to cope, that’s when God’s Word comes to heal and cleanse and raise us from the dead.

Because of Jesus, you never need to be afraid of the truth. Say this with me "Because of Jesus I never need to be afraid of the truth."  Jesus has taken every sin, every guilt, every shame. He has dealt with it and it is gone. Now you can come. Now you can be REAL.

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No Other Aid

Here's a link to the audio from Sunday's sermon - click here.  This is a further meditation on that same journey to "The Third Floor."

The situation of the two widows (in 1 Kings 17:17-24 and Luke 7:11-17) is desperate beyond anything I've ever experienced... but one thing they have going for them--the loss of their husbands and children is something other people could understand.  Often, like in Luke 7, the whole community turns out in sympathy.  Pastor Ken Klaus said the same thing early Sunday morning on The Lutheran Hour.  Everyone can understand that kind of grief.

There are other griefs, however, that bring us to the "second and third floor" of our lives in a way that are more difficult to understand.  In the past 9 months or so, for example, I have wept at times with a depth of sadness that even I don't comprehend.  And others--well, how can they understand if I don't?  "Why is he overreacting?"  "Is he losing his mind?"

I tell people not to worry.  I let them know that sometimes the best way for me to hold things together is to let myself fall apart for awhile.  Even in the depths, I have learned to trust in God.  When I am in the depths I have a hard time reassuring others, but I know I'll be okay.  I know that because of experience, but even more I know from trusting God's Word.  Psalm 30 is a great example of that.

When I feel waves of sadness coming over me, I have very literally gone to the second or third floor of our home to be alone with God.  It's not that I would not welcome an understanding arm around the shoulder or a listening ear, it's just that some things are so deep that the only one who truly understands is my Father in Heaven, God Himself.  Perhaps you have experienced moments like that--when feelings are beyond our human ability to explain.

I want to encourage you to seek an understanding someone to come alongside you.  The situations that "no one can explain" are truly rare.  Often we might need to talk with a listening, praying, caring person who has been equipped for ministry as a pastor or counselor or prayer minister.  Don't go all alone with a heavy heart to the "prayer closet" too soon.  Don't go there alone for long when you are overcome with grief or trouble.  Share your journey with a trusted Christian elder who can guide you.

But, when there truly is no other aid, go and pray alone.  Pour out your heart to God.  Bring your Bible or a Christian devotional book.  Ask God to speak to you.  Let him push you, if he desires, to share your grief with another.  But when there is no other aid, go to God the Father directly.  Pour out your complaint in sighs and groans and cries too deep for words.  In Jesus' name, God will hear.  He will understand.  In Jesus Christ, God has been there too.

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The Third Floor

Here's a first draft of my sermon for Sunday, June 6.  The scriptures for the day can be found by clicking here.  There is a link for the audio at No Other Aid.

Most of us... or at least many of us who are together enough to get together in church today... most of us are getting by pretty well.  Honestly.  If our lives were falling apart chances are we wouldn't be getting together with a group of well behaved people like this.  Many times I've heard about how hard it is for some to come to church because they're afraid that they might cry, or because they might stand out from the crowd.  I long for us to be a church where it's okay to be real.  Because when we're real, and when we do cry out to God or fall apart or plead for mercy, that's when we will truly know the reality of God.

Today we're having an open house over at the parsonage.  You're all invited over this afternoon between 3:30 and 8:00.  It's a celebration for Jonathan and Nga Sin and Haneul,  Our graduates.  Congratulations to them and to each one.

But you know something about our open house?  It's not really an open house.  There are some parts of the house that you won't see.  It's the first floor that's open.  Oh, and you can go down and play ping pong.  The second floor and the third floor, they're not really part of the deal.  Especially the third floor, our room, the attic.  I don't even think I picked up my socks.

So what does all this have to do with the "supernatural"?  And what does our open house have to do with the scriptures?  Let me try to explain.  These things really do fit together.

What we usually do at church, and what we usually do in our every day lives, at least what we do out in public, it's like our open house on the first floor.  The place is pretty clean.  We'll greet you with a smile.  There's food and punch and they're be lots of smiles.  It's a great house and we're very thankful to live in it.  But please don't look in the closed rooms!  And don't go up to the third floor.

The first floor of our house, and most of what happens here at church on any given Sunday, it's what we might call the public or the "physical" world.  Most of what you learn about in school is first floor stuff.  Stuff you can see.  Math, reading, science, music, art--there may be deeper meanings to these things, but most of what we deal with everyday is in the physical world.  And, in order to get along well in this world, we try to behave ourselves.  We ask "how are you" and expect people to say "fine."  That's the first floor.

But there's a second floor to life.  It's stuff you can't see.  You can't see what I'm thinking right now.  You can guess, but you don't know.  The second floor is what is going on in your brain and mine.  It's our feelings--our real feelings--our thoughts--our real thoughts--not just what we SAY we're thinking or feeling.  The second floor is a more personal place.  It's not open, usually, to just anyone.  Some of us are more open with our second floor than others.  Some of us have an easier time letting it out.  I'm an extrovert.  Pretty much, with me, what you see is what you get.  Others have themselves more together than me.  Sometimes, I'm kind of a mess.

That's the second floor.  That's the area of psychology and counseling and psychiatry.  That's the place for deeper personal relationships.  It's not always clean and not always quiet.  It's often a place we go when we just can't keep it together.  I would hope and pray that you know the church is a safe place for you to fall apart--but you may not be able to do that here when everyone is all together.  That's why we've got a prayer room set aside.  That's why Nate and I have our offices--often, those are places of tears.  The second floor.

And from that floor there's a doorway to another place.  The first floor is the physical universe, the second floor is the place of thinking and feeling, and the third floor--that's the place of the spirit--the place where there's not usually a direct connection with the physical--it's the place beyond the physical and intellectual and emotional--it's the place described in Second Corinthians 4:18--We fix our attention, not on the things we can see but on the things we cannot see--for the things we can see are temporary--but the things we cannot see--they last forever.

In the beginning--before the beginning actually--all there was was the third floor.  I know that's a strange thought, but it was from the spiritual place, from the place beyond the physical, it was from that place that God--God is the original inhabitant of the third floor--it was from the spiritual that God spoke "LET THERE BE LIGHT!"  It was from the third floor that God created all the stars and planets and our earth.  It's from the third floor that God breathed into you the breath of life.  And it is that third floor that hears us when we cry out to God in Jesus' name.

In our two desperate Bible stories--in our two desperate Bible stories from First Kings 17 (17-24) and Luke 7 (11-17) we have widows--one probably in her 20s and the other in her 40s--we have widows who have had such devastating losses that they can no longer behave themselves.  The first woman, in First Kings 17--she says--probably yells--or cries--What have you got against me, o "man of God" (that's sacrasm)... What are you doing?  Are you just here to tell God about all my sins and to make my son die???--and... in Luke 7--there's a funeral going on and people are not being quiet.  There is weeping--deep, heart rending cries--this woman has lost her only son.

These women--centuries apart in time--they are the same.  They have left the first floor of the facts--there sons are just dead and nothing can be done--and they have moved up to the second floor--crying--angry--devastated.  They would not fit any more in our church service--I wish our church was a place where people could cry without shame--right here... because when people move from the first floor where everything is organized and sensible--and when they move up desperately to the place where they just can't handle it anymore--then there seems to be access--access to the third floor--access to God--from whom all good things come--and for whom NOTHING is too hard.

So what happens in these stories?  In these stories God hears!  Elijah carries the boy in the first story.  He carries the boy literally to the second floor of the house where he was staying--to a private place--and he CRIES to God--"O LORD MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS?  Have you brought disaster even upon the widow I'm staying with?  KILLING HER SON?"  In desperation he lays himself down on the boy's dead body.  I don't know why.  What people do when they are desperate and in tears doesn't often make sense.  He lays himself down on the body three times and cries "O Lord, O my God, LET THIS CHILD'S LIFE RETURN!  Let him LIVE!"  And, listen--listen what happens as Elijah is up there on the second floor of the house:  The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived...  Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother.

My friends, for some reason it seems necessary to leave the first floor of propriety and "put togetherness" in order to get desperate--and when we do that's when we can see God--or at least see God at work--at least know the power of the Most High.  But as long as we're down here, on the first floor, where everyone is put together, where we're handling things on our own, is it any wonder that we wonder about the reality of God?  Truly, it's when we're desperate, when we know that we can't handle things on our own, that's when God, the highest of all higher powers, that's when God can be seen.

I don't think we should ever be ashamed of moving from the first to the second floor.  There are plenty of reasons to do that.  There are so many who still do not know God.  There are so many who, instead of crying out to God, are just going down in the basement to be entertained, or who are crying down there all alone.  We have a task to carry people, to carry them in prayer, to carry them in love, to bring them to the Lord and to never give up, even, and especially when it looks like everything is desperate, even when it seems everything is lost.

But you know what is the most amazing thing?  God hasn't been content to stay up there on the third floor, listening for our cries.  He has chosen, through his Son Jesus, to come down to the first floor, to live with us in our every day lives, to party with us and to share life with us.  And, through his Holy Spirit, to live in with us in our private moments of tears and joys and thinking, revealing God's truth.  God doesn't wait for us to come to him, he comes to us.

That's what we experience today in the Lord's Supper and through God's Word.  God comes down to us through these physical forms, in the bread and wine, in the physical sounds that reach our ears, and he comes to us to touch us and let us know that even when we are holding it together, even when we are able to hang onto our composure, even if we never fall apart or see a miracle, that he is still with us, that he still loves us, that he gave his life for us at our worst, that he will never abandon us, even at the moment of our death.

Truly, God is faithful.  Truly, God is love.  We do not need to be afraid.  Go ahead.  Collapse in God's arms.  He will carry you.  And, in the end, he will raise you from the dead, in Jesus' name.

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It's Not My Life It's God's

Here's another take on the EXTRAORDINARY gift God gave our family and our church this past weekend as we met the crosswalkers from Bethany College of Missions--written from the point of view of one of the walkers, Andria Jasper:

On Saturday April 10th we were instructed to be out at the flag pole on campus at 5am. We were told we were going on a cross walk, going to be dropped off at least 2 hours from campus, with no money, no food, no phones, and no watches. Basically just water and our bibles. So we got into the van and were told to put our blindfolds on, and off we went with a six foot cross in the van with us. On my team was Luke, Hannah, Julia, and Nicole. We sat in the car in silence waiting to be dropped off in anticipation of what this weekend was going to be like. We had to be back to campus by Sunday night at 8pm or we had to call to get a ride back. Finally we were dropped off in the middle of no where by a lake, at what we think was 7:30am on Saturday. All we could do at this point was rely on the Lord to get us back to campus and provide for us everything we needed. SO we prayed about which direction to start going and headed out left.......

For the rest of the story go to Andria Jasper's blog at It's Not My Life It's God's.  (Mark Anderson from our church plays a role in this--read the rest of the story to find out how.)  Hannah Dunbeck shares her perspective at A Ripple In the Water.  One more P.S. ... My message prep from Saturday (both before and after the encounter on the road) plus audio from Sunday morning is found at Stand Up!

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Stand Up!

Here's the beginning of the message for tomorrow as I've prepared so far... and as the Lord provided for it to be finished!  See the end of this for links to the audio so you can listen one or both of the two parts as preached Sunday morning.

"The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.  God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.  And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." (Acts 5:30-32)

"Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.  But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and through believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31)

David Housholder is a pastor of the ELCA out in California. He recently wrote an article – Why Lutherans Can’t Evangelize. We have great teaching and excellent theology, but, he writes We have no idea how to get someone saved.

He explains in his article how Lutherans grow up with Sunday schools and Confirmation classes, but when it comes to helping someone who did not grow up in a Christian home become a Christian, we really don’t know what we’re doing.

We don’t even know what to do with people who drift away and need to come back. When I left the church in my twenties I had to come back through an independent church down on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis. It was at a non-Lutheran church where I was challenged to get up out of my row and come down front.

In Lutheran churches, we generally don’t know how to do that. It’s very rare, in churches like this to have a time when people are called to stand up as individuals, to just top blending in with the crowd.

But in our scriptures today we have at least two God given examples of standing up or standing out from the crowd—the first in our Gospel, from John 20, and the second from our first reading, Acts 5.

What keeps us from standing up? Why are we so shy about telling our faith stories or asking our questions? At the annual meeting back in January someone suggested that council candidates say how they felt about the ELCA. Then someone else said let’s just have each one tell how they came to know Jesus. Many of us are starting to talk more openly about ELCA issues… I wonder if we can start being more open about Jesus too.

I know it might seem strange to put these two things together—talking about how we feel about our church and talking about Jesus… they do have things in common though—sometimes the reason we don’t want to stand up and say how we feel and what we believe about anything important can be (1) because we just don’t know what we really believe and (2) because we’re afraid to speak up.

The Gospel from John 20 deals with the first—about questions and the First Reading from Acts 5 (and really the Revelation reading too)… they deal with the second—there’s no reason to be afraid.

When we have questions about what we believe, Jesus says that it’s okay. Just bring those questions out and get them answered for yourself. If that’s the reason that you don’t want to talk about Jesus it’s really important that you do what Thomas does and get those questions answered. Don’t be lazy about this! Don’t sit back and think someone else can tell others about Jesus! If you care about your friends and family, if you care about those people you have coffee or a beer with, you will find a way to tell them about our Lord. As we read in Acts 4:12—there is saving grace in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven [ ] by which we must be saved.

If you care about your friends and neighbors you will do as Thomas did and ask your questions so you will have one less excuse about telling others about our wonderful forgiving Lord. When the Holy Spirit is given to us we will want to share that forgiving grace. The key is in our hands. What excellent grace we have to share.
There are many ways you can get your questions answered. You can look at books—The Case for Christianity and The Case for Christ are two… ask a friend if you can’t find them. You can also talk with me or text me or email me.

Last week I invited people to text me questions and during the week I had this conversation by text message.

Someone said:

Why did the stone need to be moved from the tomb entrance?

That’s a good question since the Bible says that Jesus could just appear later in a locked room. Why would the stone need to be moved? I answered that the stone needed to be moved

So the women and the disciples could see evidence that Jesus had risen!

If the stone was still in place they wouldn’t have been able to see!

Then my friend came back with:

The ‘but’ in my head asks how did they plan to prepare Jesus’ for burial, they would have had to move it to get to him.

I answered...

Yes—one of the evidences that the resurrection is real and not carefully crafted fiction is that there are loose ends. I think the women were overly emotional and hadn’t worked it all out. Or they expected that the guards would open the tomb if thaw asked. Who knows?

In any case, we need to get our questions answered if we’re going to be able to tell anyone about Jesus Christ.

And, once we know… once we know enough… then it is time for us to stand up and let others know. That’s the point of the Acts 5 reading. People need to know two things—they need to know they are sinners—and they need to know about the forgiveness that’s given for free… so they will come to Jesus and receive the forgiveness gift.  But how do we do that?  We Lutherans just don't know very well...

So, at this point in my preparation for preaching tomorrow, I decided to take a break and I went biking... coming into town from the west I saw this:

Naturally, I stopped to see what was going on.  It was a group from the Bethany College of Missions who are on a "Cross Walk" of faith and witness.  They were blindfolded in Minneapolis and driven to a random location--ended up being dropped off in the Spicer-New London, MN area this morning.  Totally dependent on God at work in people's lives, only having their clothes, the cross and a Bible, they are to tell people about Jesus and make it back to Bloomington, MN by tomorrow evening.  

So since I didn't know what to say at the end of this sermon about WITNESSING for the Lord Jesus, I naturally invited them to church.  They're staying at our house tonight (picture below with our son Jon) and one of them will be doing the second half of my sermon tomorrow.  We stopped at Marketplace to get food for supper, had a very sweet prayer time, and now are chatting and trying to find space for everyone to sleep.  You'll need to come and hear God will use all this to help call us to STAND UP and share the good news of Jesus with the world.

You can listen to my first part (about 9 minutes including the Gospel reading) by clicking here.  Listen to Luke Cada's second part (about 20 minutes) by clicking here.  (In the picture above, taken when they arrived at our home last night are--left to right--Julia Engebretson, Hannah Dunbeck, Andria Jasper, Luke Cada, Nichole Downer, and our son Jon.)  Thanks to Andria for the first two photos!

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Audio from Good Friday

Last Friday our community was once again blessed with the richness of God's Word from the cross.  We met for three hours--from noon to 3 p.m.  Pastors and musicians from many local churches participated. The sermons we based on scripture readings traditionally called "The Seven Last Words" of Christ.  Here are the pastors who preached at this year's Good Friday worship.  Click on the pastor's name below for a direct link to the sermon (mp3 format).  Thanks so much to the church that hosted us this year, Good Shepherd Lutheran.

• Pastor Michael Nelson on Luke 23:32-28

Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him. When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

• Pastor Steve Thorson on Luke 23:39-43

One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”  But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”  And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”  And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

• Pastor Wally Glucklich on John 19:19-27

Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek.  So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’ ”  Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”  Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece.  So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”  Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”  Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

• Pastor Mark Little on Mark 15:29-35

Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,  save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”  In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself.  “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.  When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.  At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.”

• Pastor Dan Swanson on John 19:28-29

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.

• Pastor Lyndon Korhonen on John 19:30

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

• Pastor Orval Wirkkula on Luke 23:44-49

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.  Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent.”  And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts. And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

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The sermons can also be found and downloaded at a page on the Good Shepherd website that can be accessed through this link.

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The Best No Surprise

Notes for Easter sermon, 2010.  When questions or doubts come into your mind, feel free to text me at 763-291-3499 or email or comment below. You can listen to the sermon from 8:30 a.m. (mp3) by clicking here. 

Christ is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!

How would you feel if you knew everything – I mean everything – was going to turn out great? How would you feel if you knew that no matter how difficult things may seem at the moment, that there is no reason to worry, and that someday, in the end, everything was going to turn out fine? Could you begin each day with a little praise prayer to God – “Thank you, God, for this new day”? Could you be more generous, more gentle, more patient—more full of the fruit of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?

Well guess what? IT’S TRUE! Everything IS going to turn out – not just o.k., not just good, but absolutely BEST. And, if you are a person who trusts in Jesus, that should be no surprise.

The Word of God make it clear that there is NOTHING to worry about, and that EVERYTHING and everyone is ultimately, in the end, in the hands of our loving and most compassionate God.
For the time being, in this life, it doesn’t look so good. For now, it looks like Good Friday crucifixion. For now there is poverty and hunger and weeping and hatred and evil. But what does Jesus say about that? Luke 6:23—when things are bad now? “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great… your reward is great…” Romans 8:18 “I consider-that the sufferings-of this present time-are not worth comparing-with the glory-that is to be revealed-to us.” 8:28 “We know-that in everything-God works for good-with those who love him-and are called-according to his purpose.” And another of my favorites: Second Corinthians 4:17 “This slight momentary affliction-is preparing us-for an eternal weight of glory-beyond all comparison.” And verse 18: “because we look-not at the things are seen-but to the things that are unseen;-for the things that are seen are temporary-but the things that are unseen-they are forever.”

It is all going to work out in the end. That is the GLORY of this day—this day of RESURRECTION. One more verse—and this one is on your bulletin—First Corinthians 15:19-26…

So here is the deal… you know those problems in your life? You know the difficulties and the challenges and the sorrows and the pain? All those things are going to be GONE—and in their place is going to be perfect justice, perfect peace, perfect life, perfect love.

So for now… we’re just waiting… we’re just anticipating…

Yes, it’s a long night.

We don’t know when the morning will come.

You and I, we are like those women who came to Jesus tomb. Maybe it’s still the middle of the night for you. Or maybe there is a hint of light in your sky.

But if it’s a day like any other day you know it can be so disappointing. So you go into the day like you’re on the way to the tomb with the women.

It’s dark but you have a job to do. You’ve brought spices so the work will be more pleasant. It’s not generally pleasant doing this burial work, but you want to honor your friend Jesus so you go.
You get to the tomb and the stone is rolled away. That’s good, you think, a bit strange, but good, because that way you’ll be able to do your work, just checking to make sure all is ready for permanent burial.

But you go in, and the body, the body of your Lord and your friend and your savior-teacher—it’s not there!

It’s confusing! What’s happened? Did someone steal the body? But that doesn’t make sense because the body is the only thing that is missing. The burial clothes are there but no body. Why would someone steal the body but leave the clothes?

But then two strangers come. Strangers in estheyti astrapousi – clothes or robes flashing light lighting! Sound like angels to me!

“Why,” they say, and I imagine them saying this in perfect unison—“Why do you look for the LIVING among the DEAD? He is NOT HERE but has risen. REMEMBER? how he told you? while he was still in Galilee? that the Son of Man—that’s what Jesus called himself often—kind of a polite way—but very important too if you study the Old Testament—Remember how he told you that he must he handed over to SINNERS and be CRUCIFIED and on the third day RISE again?

Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!

Risen? Risen from the dead? This should have been no surprise.

I love the response of those "men in dazzling clothes.” Those words sound make them sound like a frustrated boss or an exasperated teacher. Haven't we already gone over this? Didn't you learn anything? Jesus TOLD YOU this was going to happen! Weren’t you paying attention?

That’s the problem with us too. We don’t pay attention to God’s Word and the wonderful promises we have from God! For God so LOVED the world that he GAVE his only Son that whoever trusts in him WILL NOT PERISH but have EVERLASTING life! Have weak faith? Tiny seed faith? Great! Jesus will come to you and lift you up like a mother picking up her beloved child.

Yesterday we had the funeral of Eleanor Hackbarth. She knew God’s promises. And she could relax in God’s care even through her worries and her pains, because she knew God has a glorious future for her that she is enjoying now.

And those women at the tomb, and the “eleven” disciples they went and told—who thought it was all an “idle tale”… they had promises too... they should not have been surprised when Jesus rose!

Turn to Luke 9:22. This is in a section where Peter has just been inspired by God to tell who Jesus is. Verse 22 says… "The Son of man—that’s Jesus… what must he do? suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."

Then look at Luke 18:31-34—this is another time Jesus tells them what is going to happen… They didn't understand, they were confused, they didn't get it. …Kind of like us.

But that didn’t stop Jesus from doing his work. It didn’t stop him from rising from the dead, and it doesn’t stop him from continuing to work everything about for good.

All he asks of us is just a little bit of trust. So we come to be baptized. And we come to the Lord’s table. We ask for forgiveness and a new beginning. And little by little, the faith inside us grows. Until there is a calm, and there is a sense of “resurrection from the dead? Oh yeah, I know all about that. It’s good… but no surprise.”

We can become secure in that. We have the eye witness accounts that we will hear about in the next few weeks during this Easter season. We have this day of resurrection and we can look back and see how God the Holy Spirit wove the Old Testament together hundreds and even thousands of years ago in a way that it all comes together in the New. We can see how lives are transformed through faith… And our lives--we get to be part of it too.

Read Romans 8 and Second Corinthians 4 & 5, Read the rest of First Corinthians 15! Dig deep into the battle Jesus wins against sin and death and the devil.

Everything is working for good! The sufferings of today will bring perfection tomorrow. Any troubles, no matter how bad they are, they are just the introduction to a glorious future. We don't know just when the promised "tomorrow" will arrive, but it will--and it should be no surprise.

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