Sermons from Grace/Bethel

A platitude is a statement aimed at helping soothe some sort of emotional unease. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Or “Life is a mystery.” Or “Good things come to those who wait.” While platitudes may be well-intentioned, at best, they come off as trite. And since platitudes provide no real help, they can actually make a situation worse. Tell the one whose heart is shattering, “Life is a mystery.” They won’t appreciate your platitude or you. The resurrection gives believers the ability to offer more than platitudes. We have a meaningful message to share—of repentance, of forgiveness, of peace, of power. The reality is we have something important to say to every single person that God brings into our sphere of influence. And our risen Savior gives us the courage and power to share that meaningful message.

In most world religions, the alleged foundational event was experienced by only one person. A self-proclaimed prophet would allege he alone had some special encounter with God. “No, really! Just trust me. It really happened.” The resurrection reality is so very different. In the Great Resurrection Chapter (1 Corinthians 15), St. Paul writes an entire paragraph listing all the people to whom Jesus appeared after he rose, including a group of over five hundred at one time. It is like St. Paul is telling skeptics, “You don’t need to take my word for it. Hundreds of us saw Jesus back from the dead.” The proof of Jesus’ resurrection brought peace and strength to those early believers. They knew there was more to their existence than their time on earth. They knew the reality that eternal life was theirs, a gift from their living Lord. It gave them incredible joy and courage. May the resurrection reality give us the same.

The film director Woody Allen once said, “I’m not afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Studies have shown that most people fear death to varying degrees. This fear is so common that there is even a field of psychological study called thanatology. It examines human reactions to death and dying. One of the biggest reasons people fear death is the perception of its permanency. In the normal realm of human existence, dead is dead. Someone dies, and all you have are pictures and memories. That is how people typically think, but it is far from reality. Today, Christ proves to us that death is not final at all! Easter teaches us that Christ is the first fruits of those who have died. Just as Christ rose, “so in Christ, all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). That changes everything: the way we grieve the death of a Christian loved one, the way we feel when our health fails, the way we look at the purpose of life right now. Let us rejoice in this resurrection reality: All will be made alive!

Most religions believe in a powerful God. It is assumed that God will use that strength to benefit his followers. That is a reasonable assumption, but it begs the question. What is real strength? It is easy to assume that real strength means exerting your will over another using any necessary means, including force. But this week, we see Jesus Christ demonstrate a different kind of strength. We have come to Holy Week. It begins with Jesus humbly riding a donkey colt straight into the hands of his enemies. As the week progresses, it will appear that Christ’s adversaries are the ones in a position of power, and Jesus is in a position of weakness. Yet what Christ does this holy week—setting his divine strength aside, being passive in the face of death—would change the world. To do what Christ did for us and our salvation took real strength.

Religious sociologists sometimes divide Christians into two groups: committed Christians and cultural Christians. The former are usually defined as those who are active in a congregation, pray regularly, and read Scripture. The latter are those individuals who call themselves Christian and perhaps have some Christian beliefs. Yet, they do not strive to live a Christian life. They are not interested in church involvement. Those definitions are interesting when trying to understand shifts in American Christianity. However, they demonstrate a false assumption about the Christian religion. There is indeed a devoted commitment at the center of Christianity, but it is not man’s commitment to God. Even believers will, at times, demonstrate lukewarm commitment at best. Instead, at the heart of Christianity, we find God’s devotion and commitment to us. It is a devoted commitment so strong that it puts God on the cross.

While not every religion uses the word “sin,” they all embrace the concept. Every religion acknowledges that mankind’s flawed attitudes or misguided actions are a source of pain, both now and potentially in eternity. So, every religion offers a solution: a set of laws, a moral code, a path to more enlightened behavior. What do they have in common? We are to solve sin through human effort. Be better! Try harder! This is the heart of every false religion. Those who correctly understand they will never overcome their sin are crushed by guilt. Those who ludicrously believe they have defeated their sin are killed by pride. True religion offers a better way—one that frees us from guilt and has no room for pride. Jesus teaches that the solution to our sin is not to work harder. It is to trust in the work he has done for us. Salvation comes through Spirit-wrought faith in Christ.

Person A never attends worship. He can’t see the point. Person B attends every week out of a slavish sense of obligation. Her mind wanders during the services, for she views the activities of worship merely as tasks for her to complete. Who is worse off? Rather than debating the point, let us just admit neither understand the true worth of worship. And that is exactly what Satan wants. Many think worship is about what we do for God. It is the other way around. As we gather around Word and sacrament, the Spirit moves us to love and trust in God above all things. Moved by the cross of Christ, we bow down before our God. We commune with him. And that’s exactly what God wants.

We know that the cross was an instrument of torture and execution. However, Scripture also uses the term “cross” to refer to any suffering that one endures because he is a believer: the painful denial of the desires of the flesh, ridicule and persecution from unbelievers, etc. This is one reason people reject religion. They see Christians struggling in life with these crosses, while non-Christians often seem perfectly happy. Even the prophet Jeremiah asked, “Why do all the faithless live at ease?” (12:1). Today, Jesus asks us to rethink suffering under the cross. It is not pointless pain. Our crosses are not how we pay for sin. Jesus already did that on his cross. Our crosses are not redemptive, but they are constructive. Any suffering unbelievers face is only bad, a foretaste of worse to come. But the suffering believers face under the cross is only good, a way Christ connects us tightly to himself with fire-tested faith.

“If God loves us, why doesn’t he remove all the trials, tests, and temptations we face?” That question demonstrates the religious assumption that those things are bad. They aren’t. In the hands of a loving God, they are tools by which he refines our faith. He uses tests as a way to compel us to be less self-reliant and instead trust in his strength. He uses trials to teach us that this broken world is not our true home. God even takes Satan’s temptations and uses them for our good. Trials, tests, and temptations are not exceptions to God’s love. That’s a false assumption! These are examples of God’s love. Proof that God allowed his beloved Son Jesus to face trials and temptations so that he might be our perfect savior and substitute.

We began this worship series in the Jordan River. At his baptism, Jesus heard his Father’s glorious voice: “You are my Son, whom I love” (Mark 1:11). From that day, in word and deed, Jesus began to reveal more about himself. He demonstrated the extent of his authority, power, and love. Along the way, we had an epiphany. Jesus has to be the very Son of God! Yet, Jesus looked so normal, like an ordinary carpenter or your average rabbi or just another prophet, until today. We have traveled from the river to the mountain. Today, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus gives us a glimpse of his true glory. As we see him in his dazzling brilliance, the Father speaks again, this time to us: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” This final epiphany prepares us for the journey of Lent, where we will witness the most glorious work that Jesus would do when he came down from this mountain.

Martin Luther once said, “Where God built a church, there the devil would also build a chapel.” Satan and the other demons hate God. They demonstrate hatred by hurting those that God loves in any way they can. The epiphany Christ wants us to have is this: demons are real, they are plenteous, and they are dangerous. But Christ would also have us see that he is continually undoing the devil’s work. More, through his Word, Christ Jesus gives us the power to resist the devil and stand firm in the faith.

Authority is the power to determine what happens, the ability to give direction or even commands. Authority is limited. Authority is limited in duration. Parents have authority over their children until they grow up and move out. Authority is limited in scope. A governor has authority over the people of his state only, not the neighboring state. Authority is limited by levels. A manager has authority over employees unless the company owner—a higher authority—demotes him. Authority is limited in duration and scope. It is limited by higher levels of authority. This week we see that there is one man—only one!—who has absolute authority. There is no one, not even the demons, who is outside his authority. As the Son of God, there is no higher authority than Jesus. And his authority is everlasting. But here is the best part of this epiphany: Jesus graciously uses his absolute authority for our benefit and blessing.

To whom does the work of salvation belong? Simple question. There is only one Savior. But this is how good Jesus is. So that our lives might have profound meaning and eternal purpose, he shares some of that work with us. He calls us not just to be followers, but to be follower-makers. Jesus asks some — prophets, apostles, pastors, missionaries, teachers — to do this full-time. But ultimately, Jesus asks all believers to serve as his ambassadors, sharing the gospel with whomever he brings into our sphere of influence. This lofty charge requires commitment — a willingness to abandon everything else should faithfulness require it. This is the life-changing revelation for this week. Jesus has committed us to a lofty charge: the privilege to play a role in his saving work.

We try to hide our faults and failures from others. We want people to see us at our best. Perhaps we assume that if people knew what we were really like, they would want nothing to do with us. There’s no hiding anything from God. He is all-seeing and all-knowing. Christ Jesus has witnessed our very worst, even the sins that only occurred in our heads. The psalmist says, “You perceive my thoughts from afar. You are familiar with all my ways” (139:2,3). Yet even though Jesus knows all our faults and failures, he badly wants something to do with us. So, he calls us to follow him. He wants us to be with him, secure in his love of forgiveness. Here is this week’s epiphany: Jesus shows kindness when he calls us to discipleship. More, he shows kindness by giving us the ability to answer that call, so that we might always be near him and his blessing.

Guest Preacher: Pastor Bounkeo Lor, Hmong Asia Ministry Coordinator There are various needs we have in this life. Needs for things like food, shelter, and water. In our Gospel reading for today we hear of a Samaritan woman who had needs she hoped would be filled by Jesus as she was drawing water from a well. But Jesus didn’t give her what she was looking for. No, he instead elevated the conversation to the one profound need she had. Jesus led her to see that he is the water of life. He used the mirror of the law to incite in her a thirst for mercy that only he could provide. And this woman who saw Jesus for who he was and what he provided then couldn’t help but go and tell others about the one she believed to be the Christ!

On Christmas Eve a choir of angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” So, where is this peace on earth? Between nations? There are always wars going on somewhere. In our country? Disagreements have only grown more contentious, one group screaming angrily at another group. We might not even have perfect peace in our homes! So, what were the angels singing about? They were singing about peace between a holy God who hates sin and human beings who sin every day. Because of what Christ did as our Savior, there is no hostility between us and God, only peace and love. We have the peace of salvation in our hearts. As we draw near the end of life, like elderly Simeon or Anna, we have the peace of knowing the glorious eternal life that is to come. As this peace with God fills our hearts, it moves us to live in peace with each other too.

How can an omnipresent God be held in his mother’s arms? How can an all-powerful God be too weak to walk? This is the mystery of the incarnation—that God took on human flesh. We cannot understand how it can be so. But the Spirit enables us to grasp that this incomprehensible truth is very good news. This is the Savior we need! As true man, he was born under God’s law, all the commandments that we have broken. Where we have failed, Jesus was perfect. As true God, when he laid down his perfect life, it was a sacrifice valuable enough to pay for the sins of the world, so that we might be adopted as God’s children. Christmas Day fills us with wonder—that the Creator God could become flesh and dwell among us and that, in his great love for us, he would do such a thing. Let us marvel at this good news of great joy!

In Eden, mankind fell into sin, bringing death and despair to Paradise. God immediately promised to send a Savior who would undo that devastation. This Savior would be a descendant of Adam and Eve—a human being. Century after century, through the prophets, God reiterated and expanded upon that promise of a Savior-King. In a manger in Bethlehem, on that first Christmas, God’s promise was fulfilled. The perfect faithfulness God demonstrated in keeping all his promises about Christ’s first coming at Christmas is what gives us the certainty and comfort that God will keep his promises about Christ’s second coming on judgment day. The King shall come!

The historic Christian Church gave Latin titles to each Sunday. They titled the Third Sunday in Advent “Gaudete,” which means “Rejoice!” As we reach the midway point of Advent, we remember that when the King shall come, he will bring us perfect and everlasting joy. Joy is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness is an emotion. Joyfulness is a condition. Happiness comes from your circumstances. Joyfulness comes from your King entering into your heart and assuring you of his abiding love and your glorious future. Therefore, happiness is fleeting. Joyfulness is enduring.

Scriptures teach that King Jesus is the Son of God in flesh and the only hope for salvation. Jesus himself claimed that he is the only way into the glorious kingdom of heaven. You do not approach meeting someone like that casually or carelessly. You prepare meticulously. What does that mean? What does a life of readiness—ready to meet such a King—look like? In one word: repentance. If we insist on hanging onto our sins, how can we receive the One who came for the very purpose of taking those sins away? Throughout history, God has raised up called servants—like John the Baptist—to preach a message of repentance. This repentance is central to our preparation for the Lord’s coming. Without repentance, the King’s coming only terrifies. But all those who believe and repent look forward to the coming of the King and the consummation of his everlasting kingdom.