Genesis 18:1-14; The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost; July 20, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”” (Genesis 18:1–14, ESV)

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

Sarah was skeptical. And who could blame her. She was 89 years old. “The way of woman had ceased to be with her”. So, technically, it was impossible for her to have children. She laughed at having a son. God would call the child “He laughs”, Isaac, pointing to her doubt. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” God indeed does what is impossible, notwithstanding Sarah’s doubts.

When you consider the context of the text, you can see how all this was set up. Abraham looks up and “suddenly” three men were standing before him. Abraham knew it was a special appearing of God. All at once they were there. His reaction says so. Abraham bowed down to the ground in worship. He offers them what he has. His actions were urgent; quickly ran to the tent to ask Sarah to prepare bread. He ran to the herd to get a calf to slaughter.

The contrast is quite strong. Mary and Martha like. Martha was busy with much service. Martha is busy in the tent. Mary was sitting a Jesus’ feet. Abraham is clinging to faith while he listens to the Lord. What Abraham saw, was God’s appearing, God’s presence with them. Did Martha just see three visitors?

In a way, you can’t blame her. God appeared in a plain ordinary way. Three travelers. There was no lightning, no thunder, no kings, no temple. Only a tree, a tent, a meal and a kitchen. But God was there, and he was there to offer Sarah a promise.

Where is Sarah your wife? She is in the tent.

God continues:

“I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

Sarah was skeptical. She laughs at the promise. Maybe it was all too simple. Maybe unlike her husband, she didn’t see God in the three visitors. But she laughs at the thought of having a son. God is faithful, just like he was to Martha.

Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. Luke 10:42:

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

And God was faithful, even when Sarah doubted. He came with a word of promise, and Sarah hears it. She has a son of promise. Maybe she doubted from the outset of the promise 25 years earlier, or maybe her hope just faded. But until the baby was born, who could blame her.

So, here we sit, week after week, month after month, year after year. We come to hear God’s promises. We come to receive his forgiveness—won by Christ. It is delivered faithfully by God, even when we are faithless. We wait in weakness. We wait with doubts. There are distractions and even laughter at the idea that God could use our weak, little congregation to do anything. That he can bring life from bareness and joy from sorrow.

We sit here in our temporary space; the same space used for LGBT+ celebrations and speak our quiet words of God’s hope and promise. While our building project struggles at every step; red tape, shifting timelines, and unexpected delays. It’s enough to make us laugh like Sarah. It’s enough for us to ask the question Did God really want us to build?

We sit in doubt when our prayers go unanswered. Like Sarah, who must have thought that God had long forgotten about his promise of children like the stars of the sky. Family issues persist with no end in sight. A child that has gone astray. A brother or sister that refuses to be reconciled to us. Healing from a deep emotional wound. Prayers about our community, our country and the world seem to go unanswered. Natural disasters pile up, our prayer seems ineffective. Maybe he doesn’t hear my prayers. The doors seem closed. Has God forgotten about me?

But God is faithful. Not because we have a great vision. Not because we have made a great plan. Not because we are persistent in prayer, or not. Not because we are strong. But because he is faithful above all our doubts and all our sorrows and all our frustrations. The same Lord Jesus who comes to us faithfully every Sunday is the same Lord who sat beneath the oaks of Mamre. He comes to us in Word and Sacrament. He comes to us in preaching. He comes to us when, as he promised, we gather where two or three are gathered in his name. The same Lord who said, ‘I will return, and Sarah shall have a son,’ now says to us: ‘I am building My Church. I am with you always. Take and eat… given for you.’

Now, I want to speak very clearly here. Our church project doesn’t have a clear promise from God. In fact, after all that we do, it could still fail. Our church could fail. But even in the face of all that, God is still faithful. His promises are not tied our plans, our buildings or our budgets. God doesn’t promise we will always see the fruit of our prayers. The promises he makes to us are tied to Christ. He is not going anywhere. Even if we worship in a tent, even if we lose every earthly support, we still have everything—because we still have Him. Our hope is not in brick or wood, but in the cross and empty tomb. And that promise stands, even if everything else falls.

So, while the foundation still isn’t poured, we don’t look to our success. While we are frustrated with waiting on God to answer our prayers, we look to the cross. We come here because this is where we hear of God promises anew. The cross is where God’s promises are given and received in full. We look to what God does in his church, children are baptized, Christ’s body and blood are given, the Word is proclaimed in faithfulness. This is where we pray continually for the church, the world, our nation, and all people. And this is where we see it. This is why we gather, small as we are, week after week, month after month year after year. God’s promise is true. Is anything too hard for the Lord?

There are doubts. We are more like Sarah than we want to admit. But with those doubts we cling to the cross. Jesus tears down sin and death by sacrificing himself for us. He hung there—not in glory, but in weakness and shame and blood. He bears the curse of our failures. He bears our doubts. He bears our pride. He bears our sorrows. He bears our frustrations. He bears our fear. The cross is stronger than any human sin. The cross is stronger than any human frustration. The cross looks like failure, but it is where God is most at work. There he is as work for you and me. That is where we find our hope, no matter what happens. No matter how dark our lives get. No matter how frustrations cling to everything we do. Christ is still crucified for us. Christ is still risen for us. Christ is still here for us. Christ is still coming again to end all frustration, sin, fear, doubt and failure. And because of his promises, proven at the cross, it means we are still his beloved church. Amen.

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

Luke 10:25-37; The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost; July 13, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”” (Luke 10:25–37, ESV)

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

There was a Fad in the church a few years ago (well in the 90s anyway). It has its origin in the 19 century (1800s). A pastor, Rev. Charles Sheldon, a congregationalist minister, wrote a book. “In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?” In the book, the pastor says that anytime a Christian has a decision to make, he should ask the question: What Would Jesus Do? In the 90s, WWJD bracelets became popular among youth groups. The idea was to use Jesus as the best example of Christian living. If you do what Jesus would do, you’ll make the right decisions.

Jesus is certainly a great example to follow. From 1 Peter 2:21

Christ suffered for you, leaving you and example…

And 1 John 2:6

Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Our Gospel reading for today seems to bear this out. The Lawyer asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus explains with the parable. A guy, a Jew presumably, is traveling and falls among thieves. He is left for dead beside the road. Two people pass by failing to help, the last helps. Be like this guy. Your neighbor is the guy God puts before that needs help to help.

But there is much more going on here than the simple reading. First of all, notice that the one asking the question is a lawyer. The two who pass by, the priest and the Levite (a pastor and a lawyer), are the ones the listeners would expect to help. The crowd would have been shocked. Pastors and Lawyers were highly respected for their knowledge of scripture. They were highly respected for their moral convictions. What’s up with that? They probably asked.

Jesus continues. “Then came a Samaritan. He has compassion on the man. He helps him.” This is another shock, bigger than the first. The Jews would have expected the story to go, “The Samaritan saw him on the side of the road and kicked him for spite. Such was the hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans. And the Samaritan wasn’t just helpful; he spent a fortune to see to the Jew was restored. You can tell the lawyer doesn’t like the conclusion. When Jesus asks,

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?

He replies,

The one who showed him mercy.

He can’t even bear to say he was a Samaritan.

You go, and do likewise. Jesus says.

Implying that he should do the same for Samaritans. Jesus turns everything around on his listeners. He does what no one expects. Of course, the parable is about Jesus. He puts himself in place of the Samaritan, he saves us at great cost, giving his very life for our forgiveness. He beams forth as the ultimate example to follow.

But there is something more here: You are not the Samaritan in the story, you are the man at the side of the road. You can’t help yourself, you have been robbed, beaten by sin, and left for dead. The priest and the lawyer pass you by. They can’t save you, they won’t save you. Jesus, is the true and better Samaritan. He is despised by the world, but full of unexpected mercy. He binds your wounds. He pays the price for your sin. He heals with his own blood. He brings you into the church. The parable isn’t a call to try harder. It is about Christ who rescues you when you could do nothing.

There is an issue with WWJD. And it’s partially set out in this parable. The Samaritan, Jesus, does what no one would expect. All throughout his ministry he confused people by doing what no one expected. He spoke to a Samaritan woman, he touched lepers, he doesn’t condemn a woman caught in adultery and allows a sinful woman to anoint his feet. All of it is shocking. All of it is unexpected. And don’t forget, before you ask, ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ — remember that flipping tables and driving out corrupt religious leaders with a whip is on the list.

The fact is, what would Jesus do? Is often answered in the bible, he’d do only what he can do.

WWJD is law centered. It says we must act like Jesus. The burden is on the believer, not on the Holy Spirit’s work in them. Luther says,

The law says, ‘Do this,’ and it is never done. Grace says, ‘Believe in this,’ and everything is already done. Martin Luther, Heidelberg Disputation (1518)

And what has been done? Jesus, the law keeper, has kept the Law perfectly for you. He isn’t only our example, he is your substitute. On the cross, he hung with the guilt of you passing by people who needed help. Every time you fail to love. Every time you live for yourself.

If you have the wrong mindset, unbound to the work of Spirit and the Gospel, it leads to moralism, Christianity becomes about changing behavior.

Jesus is an example, but an impossible one. He is our savior, not our role model. He is first and foremost our atoning sacrifice for sin. We must always keep in mind, not what he would do, but what he did.

Christ is not merely a teacher and example, but a gift and present given us by God, so that we may be saved through Him. – Formula of Concord, SD III.41

The question WWJD subtly assumes that we can choose the right thing if we just try harder. It often sets aside the biblical truth the sin corrupts everything we are and do. We are saved sinners, yet still sinners until Jesus’ return or death. It is only the New Man, not the Old Adam, that even desires to do the right thing. The new creation lives alongside the sinful self. Sanctification is caused by the word working in our lives, not by our moral striving. We are so prone to shifting the thing backwards. Instead of putting justification first, we like to put sanctification first. Sanctification flows from justification. As the Book of Concord says:

Faith alone justifies… Good works necessarily and invariably follow. – Apology of the Augsburg Confession IV.64

So, of course, ask yourself WWJD. But more than that, trust what he has done. He has put you on his shoulders and carried you to safety. He has paid your debt of sin fully.

And because of that you now have confidence, you are free to love as you have been loved. Not for recognition by God, not to earn God’s favor, you are already his forgiven child. You don’t have to try to be good enough. God himself has declared you righteous on account of Christ. In that knowledge you can serve your neighbor just as you are called to do.

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

Luke 10:1-20; The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost; July 6, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”” (Luke 10:1–20, ESV)

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

It is spiritual warfare. That is exactly what it is. Jesus sends out the 72 disciples to do battle—not with sword, or guns but with the Word. Deamons scream. Satan falls like lightning. The villages and towns are warned. And peace, above all, is proclaimed. The battle is dramatic. The battle is visible.

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

It is filled with victory. It sounds like victory. It looks like victory.

It is what we want, but seldom see. For us our spiritual warfare doesn’t feel like lightning striking villages, or demons fleeing in terror. It looks more like bitterness in a committee meeting. A quiet despair filled night sitting beside an ailing parent. Doubt that God really means that there is forgiveness for all our sin. It feels like when we give up on prayer because we are tired. The creeping sense that the church is failing as churches everywhere close. That it is weak and scattered. It looks like the media mocking what we believe as unenlightened. It’s that awful gut feeling that we are losing.

But don’t be fooled. The battle is the same. In fact, everything is the same.

C.S. Lewis, in The Screwtape Letters, puts it like this—a senior demon instructing a junior one:

You will say that these are very small sins … But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy [for demons the Enemy is God]. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing.

That’s spiritual warfare, a bitter battle of small things not just wild rebellion.

In this battle, Satan stands against God—he always loses. The outcome is already assured. Jesus wins. Satan is defeated. He fails every time the Word is preached, every time a sinner is absolved, every time a baptized child of God, shows up in worship, to sing, pray and give thanks. It is a real battle, bloody and vicious. No prisoners are taken. And God, in Jesus Christ, wins, every time.

And when I say the battle is real, I’m talking about the spiritual combat. When Jesus sent the 72 he sent them saying,

Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

They don’t go with anything worldly substantial. No money, no weapons, and no protection. They are sent with the Word alone. We don’t hear about it from them, but Jesus prepared them for rejection, resistance, and opposition.

That is our battle also. We go into our families, workplaces, and even in our congregation. We are armed with nothing worldly, but with the same Word. It looks a bit different for us. Because it does, we are tempted to believe that the fight isn’t happening—or worse that we are losing.

Our enemy isn’t flesh and blood. It’s not the people who cause us delays or speak against us openly. It isn’t the conflicts we face in the church. The real enemy we face is Satan and his demons. The enemy sows division, fear, and despair.

For the devil… causes such great mischief in order to lead us into sin, shame, and unbelief. — Large Catechism, Sixth Petition

The devil may work with whispers and slow erosion—but the Lord doesn’t leave us defenseless. He arms us with something sharper than shame, deeper than doubt, and stronger than despair:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. — Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

It doesn’t only soothe us in times of despair. It pierces the soul. It exposes sin, kills pride and causes faith in Christ to grow. And remember, it never returns empty but always does what God intends. It doesn’t look like much, but the demons run in terror. The daily battle in the spiritual war isn’t fought with power, but rather with proclamation of Christ.

The real fight is in your forgiving sin in an underserving sinner; in teaching children the faith as found in the Catechism; in sermons preached by a sinful pastor; in showing up for church, even when you are tired, discouraged and angry.

Jesus wasn’t surprised when the 72 returned with their report. They were amazed; he was not.

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (v. 18)

He was saying that the battle and the war are already over. It is not in doubt. The devil is already falling. The language is a dramatic event; Jesus compares it to lightning. He could be saying:

When you were casting out demons, I was watching Satan, already collapsed, cast down, and completely undone.

You may feel tired, discouraged, or even defeated. But Jesus’ victory over Satan is complete.

Do not rejoice in this… but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (v. 20)

That’s you, the baptized child of God, whose name is written in the book. Jesus has accomplished it for you. His death on the cross, brings you forgiveness, his resurrection secures if for you. That’s where the battle is won, forever.

Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill; They shall not overpower us. This world's prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none. He's judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him. LSB 656

Martin also writes:

The devil is called the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), yet the Gospel is stronger. When it is preached purely, it is a lightning bolt from heaven, tearing down strongholds and setting captives free.”— Adapted from Martin Luther’s Lectures on Galatians

This victory, Christ’s victory can’t be taken away from you. The joy of it is not in dramatic spiritual success. The real joy is you and your identity in Christ. You belong to him. He has proved it through Holy Baptism, marking you as one redeemed by Christ the Crucified. That is God’s promise, and it can never be undone. No delay, no conflict, no fear, not even the devil himself, can remove your name from the Book.

You may not feel powerful. In fact, you may feel exactly the opposite. You may not see dramatic results (though sometimes you will!) Your baptism stands.

We are in a war. That war isn’t with flesh and blood. Christ has already won it. He has already stormed the battlefield and defeated our enemies. He has crushed the Serpent’s head and risen in victory. The fight was fierce, but it was never in doubt. It is proclaimed every time you hear about Jesus’ life, death on the cross, and the resurrection from death.

So, we fight—not for victory—but from victory. We serve where we are needed despite the opposition. We forgive the unforgivable. We pray for the others caught up in the battle. But we don’t fight to win. That is already done.

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

That’s all the security you need. Amen.

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

Luke 9:51-62; Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, June 29, 2025

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to . And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward . And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the .” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the .” Lk 9:51-62 (ESV)

Grace and peace to you from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

“It’s hard to find good help” (Special thanks to Edit-O-Earl)

You can’t help but see a twinge of disappointment on Jesus’ face when he turns and rebukes the disciples that had returned from that Samaritan village. Once again, they don’t seem to “get it.” He had rebuked them before, he was going to have to do it again, and well it wasn’t going to be the last time. But maybe it was especially disappointing at that very moment because he has “set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Jesus knew what lay ahead of them. His journey to was a journey to the cross. In that city he would give up his very life. There would be nothing that would turn him aside; his face was set like flint (Isaiah 50:7) to the task at hand. God’s power was to be revealed in the weakness of human flesh. God’s great love was to be shown in innocent suffering and death, and the pouring out of the Holy and precious blood for the sins of the world. The disciples were talking about calling down fire from heaven. They wanted a great display of God’s power, which would teach the people who rejected them a lesson. God’s power was going to be shown in a much different way. And then there were the three “wannabe” disciples saying they will follow Jesus. They don’t “get it” either. Really their promises are half-hearted; they put anything and everything before their promise to follow. Jesus’ determination is set in clear contrast to the commitments of the disciples.

Now it is interesting that when we hear this story our first inclination is to find fault with Jesus. “Isn’t he just a little harsh?” When the first guy says, “I’ll follow, but let me bury my father, first,” Jesus coldly answers, “Let the dead bury their own dead.” When another says, “I’ll follow, but first, I need to say good-bye to my family.” Jesus’ reply is, “No one who has put his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service.” Well, even if we don’t admit it openly, we feel it in our hearts. These requests seem reasonable to us. We cringe at Jesus responses. Isn’t family important to Jesus? Do we have to give up everything to be a disciple?

To really understand what Jesus is saying to these guys we must look at all that’s going on here. We need to remember that the text starts out with Jesus “setting his face toward Jerusalem.” Jesus is committed to his task and the journey that will take him there. These disciples have been told what it all means. Jesus will go to , be handed over to his enemies, be crucified dead, and rise again on the third day. They react the way they do because they think this plan of action is crazy. Who would want to go on a journey that they all knew would lead to death. Jesus is determined, the disciples want to follow him, but they offer excuses. They want to go with him… sort of. When we look at everything from that point of view, these excuses are more like, “I’d like to go with you but I’ve got to stay home and wash my hair.” After the disciples want to burn up the Samaritan village, and give excuses for not going with Jesus, You can almost hear him saying, “It’s hard to find good help these days.”

I wonder a little bit about these excuses. We don’t know what was in these men’s hearts, but Jesus did, because he knows all things. The first disciple says he’ll follow. But we get the impression that he isn’t really committed. “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but not me. I have no place to call home. That’s what you are singing on for. No glorious living. No fame and fortune.” We don’t know how the man reacted. The next man says he’ll first need to bury his father. Was his father dead? If that was the case, why wasn’t he off making arrangements already? Why wasn’t he caring for his mother? Maybe he was saying that he would become a faithful follower of Jesus after his father’s death? That could be years. Jesus’ ministry; Jesus plan was immediate; he was going to Jerusalem right now. There would be no delay. “Let the dead bury their own dead.” The third disciple gets right at the point. Especially with Jesus reply. “Let me say good-bye to my family.” Jesus makes clear what’s going on. “No one who plows looking back is worthy of plowing.” You have to remember in those days the plow was in front of the plowman. You had to watch the animal and the machine as you walked behind it. You won’t make a straight furrow if you’re not committed to the task at hand, if you keep looking back. There is a Latin word for a plowman who keeps looking back. The word is delirious. It means literally “out of the furrow.” A delirious man, one who isn’t paying attention to his work is like a plow out of the furrow. Being a follower of Jesus isn’t a matter of convenience it’s a mater of commitment. There are no part time disciples in the crowd that claims to be Jesus followers. Jesus calls for full time faithfulness. “It’s hard to find good help these days.”

“These days” we have the same view as those would-be disciples. All too often today, Jesus is a part time activity; Sunday mornings and once a quarter meetings. “I don’t have time.” “Everyone is so busy.” “Let someone else do it.” ’s words to the Galatians are words also spoken to us. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13, ESV) Luther says it like this: “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” It was Jesus journey to that set us free. Free from the worry about our own relationship with God. We don’t have to do good things to earn a place with God. Jesus has done them for us. We don’t need our good works, but our neighbor does.

“It’s hard to find good help these days.” I think it was always hard for Jesus to find good disciples. I’m sure I’m one of his most troublesome. The truth is we are all lousy disciples of Jesus. Even when we want to do good things we have to argue ourselves into it. And even when we do things for the right reasons our own sinful pride makes it about our decisions instead of what is best for all. For every good thing we’ve done there are twenty that we didn’t do. For every right thing we do there’s a bucket full of wrong. And there are lots of excuses. School, family, jobs, television, all keep us from being the disciples that Jesus would have us be. Now don’t think I’m just talking about church meetings. We could do all the meetings we want, and still not be “good help.” Our lives of service to others aren’t centered on our gathering for meetings, it’s centered in the life that God has given us. And the new life he gives us through Jesus. Through his life, death and resurrection that is our new life in Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. It has everything to do with the family he’s placed us in. The job we go to every day. The friends we play with. The school we attend. It doesn’t take a church program to serve our neighbor. It doesn’t take a church program to defend life and speak against abortion, or to speak up about the hope that is within you, the hope of eternal life in Jesus. It’s a full-time job. It’s a full-time commitment. “It’s hard to find good help these days.” You aren’t going to do it perfectly. Just like you, I’ve missed opportunities; I’ve left unsaid what needed to be said. We’ve all used every excuse in the book, “Let me bury my father first…” “Let me get my life in order first…” “Let me get through school first…” “Let me settle into retirement…” “Let me raise my children…” “It’s hard to find good help these days.”

And yet we just sang a beautiful hymn: Take my life… take my hands… take my money… are we saying that we didn’t mean any of it? No of course not. We really didn’t mean every word. After all we are Jesus disciples. He has called us to be his. We know that Jesus walked that road to for us. We know it’s for us because of the promises he made to us in our Baptism. He reaches out with a pastor’s hand and pours water on our heads and says, “The trip to is for this one.” That’s the most important part of faith, clinging to the promises of God, knowing that Jesus did all these things “for me!” That’s the essence of a personal faith in Jesus. That’s what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

Jesus is the perfect model of loving service. Don’t think for a moment that he wasn’t in complete control of events. The Chief Priests and teachers of the law weren’t in charge. The Roman governor didn’t call the shots. Jesus wasn’t even the puppet of His Father. Jesus chose the path that he was on. He made his choice freely and without being forced. His choice was service through sacrifice. He really “took up the cross” of his own free will. And most important of all, he did it for you. He did it for your sins. He did it for your failures. He did it despite the excuses you make for not taking up a cross of your own. That’s exactly why he set his face to . That’s exactly why nothing was going to stop him from going. For Jesus, there are no excuses that will stand in his way of setting you free.

We heard also from Paul in the Second reading: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, ESV) The freedom that Paul is talking about, the freedom Jesus won for us, isn’t the kind of freedom we often think about, especially as we think about upcoming celebration of our Nation’s independence. It’s not a freedom to do whatever we want. That kind of freedom is self-indulgent. Christ set us free from our need to earn our own salvation. We don’t have to work to make our place with God. We don’t have to do good works to earn anything. Jesus has earned it all for us. In fact, Jesus freed us from the slavery to sin, death and Satan, so that we could be his servants. Just like the Declaration of Independence didn’t mean that our forefathers were free from dependence. They were just dependent on each other instead of the King. “Take my life, O Lord, renew, Consecrate my heart to you;” Disciples of Jesus are dependent on him. We are dependent on Jesus. We are free to serve. Free to follow Jesus… full time, with our whole heart, soul and mind.

As Pastor Earl Feddersen wrote: “Paul has a message for us [today]. It is rather simple really: Christ has already set us free! Get out into the light of His day. As Jesus implied, the spiritually dead can bury their own dead, but you get out and proclaim the !” Amen.

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

Psalm 143; June 8, 2025; The Festival of Pentecost;

Psalm 143:title–12 (ESV) A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!

2 Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.

3 For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.

4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.

5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.

6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

7 Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails!

Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit.

8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge.

10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me

on level ground!

11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!

12 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant.

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

A prayer;

Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my pleas for mercy! In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!

God you are, above all righteous. Our history, human history, has been plagued by pride. In your righteous judgment you drove us out of the Garden of Eden because of pride. At the tower of Babel we strove to reach you, not in humility but out of rebellion formed in pride. We tried to reach you in the heavens, but you are only accessible through your work in Jesus Christ. We try to climb up to you but you must come down to us. In righteousness, you confused languages and scattered your people. In this psalm David calls out to you in humility. Answer us in righteousness, as you are righteous. When you sent your Holy Spirit to the church at Pentecost, it is an answer to this prayer, offered in humility. You came down, not to scatter, but to gather. Not to confuse but to proclaim mercy, in Christ, through your church. Guide and guard your church against selfish pride.

Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.

We pray that you would continue, not in judgement, but in mercy. We are filled with sin and death. We deserve nothing but punishment. You sent your son, Jesus Christ. On the cross he bore our judgment. He was perfectly obedient to your will. When he prepared for death he said, “I do as the Father has commanded me.” We thank you that, through faith, his obedience is credited to us. We have no righteousness of our own. You come down to us, through Christ, to give us your righteousness.

For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.

Our enemies, the Devil, the world and our sinful flesh, are all around. They stand in opposition to you and your word. Protect us against our enemies. We are crushed to the ground before them. Satan constantly seeks division. The world pushes its false ideas and false hope. And our sinful flesh is apt to listen. You said, through Jesus, 'Let not your hearts be troubled.' Give us that peace that passes our understanding, the peace that is anchored in the cross and the Spirit’s presence.

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

Precious Jesus Christ, we remember your works. We are ever thankful for what you have done for us on the cross, offering us forgiveness. Continue to bless us with your Holy Spirit, that he may bring to mind all you have done. Help us to always focus on your word, that we may be anchored in the cross and the Spirit’s presence.

Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Holy Spirt, life giver, come to us quickly, as at Pentecost and as you have always done. Then you came in fire and language. You don’t come to us in thunder, or mighty works, instead you come to us through the Holy Scriptures. We are hell bound, except for your prompting to faith in Jesus. Show us the face of the Father in the reading and preaching of your Word. Guide and guard our worship, that we may hear of God’s unfailing love to us again and again. Help us to keep what is most important at the center of all we do as the Church of Chirst.

Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge.

Precious Jesus, our enemies, especially Satan are powerful. He comes without mercy. He comes as the accuser of our sin. He comes to bring despair. He comes with lies that sound like truth. There is no hope for us to win the battle. Keep us mindful that building and programs won’t win against Satan. You have already defeated him. Your resurrection was the final stroke that takes his power over people away. We flee to your cross, we flee to your empty tomb. As you have said in Psalms 18,

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10 (ESV)

You are that strong tower, and we are righteous, not on our owe but because of your righteousness that you give as a gift through faith.

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me

on level ground!

Holy Spirit, font of wisdom. You work to teach your church the Father’s holy will. Continue to guide us through the teaching and preaching of your word. The road is never smooth. Through your prompting help us to avoid the rough places. Open our hearts to God way, described in the Ten Commandment, that we may live lives according to your will.

For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble! And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies, and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul, for I am your servant.

Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Your name is a precious gift. You gave it to your children to use in times of trouble. We call upon you now to give the gift of life, through the work of your Son on the cross. In your love protect us from all our enemies. Keep our souls safe from all our adversaries in your everlasting loving arms. We trust that you will do this for the sake of your name. It is the heart of all that we believe: sola gratia, grace alone; sola fide, faith alone; and solus Christus, Christ alone.

At Pentecost Peter preached to the people of all nations. His preaching of the law, cut them to the heart. His preaching of the Gospel of Jesus offered forgiveness through the cross and gave peace and hope. Cause this gift of Pentecost to be echoed in the church always, that we may see our sin clearly and turn to you in repentance. Also, keep the cross of Christ, and the forgiveness offered before our eyes and in our hearts.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forever. Amen.

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

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

Acts.1.6-11; June 1, 2025; Ascension of Our Lord (observed);

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” ” (Acts 1:6–11, ESV)

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

There they stood on the Mount of Olives gazing up into heaven. For all they could tell Jesus was gone. A cloud took him away. I think they were wondering what to do next. Of course, Jesus told them,

“…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (v. 8)

But how could they possibly do that without Jesus? As they were standing there with their mouths hanging open in wonder the angels appeared. “Hey, why are you looking up there? You’re looking for Jesus in the wrong place. Look for him, instead, where he has promised to be. He’ll come again just like that. You’ll see him that way again. But for now, he’s giving you something else.” The disciples were there standing in two great promises. First, the angels tell of the promise of Jesus coming again. We Christians stand with the disciples in between. Jesus came first in the womb of the Virgin. He completed all that was necessary for our forgiveness. His life lived for you and me. His death died for you and me. His resurrection too for us. Everything is done. He goes into heaven and is coming again to bring it all to its conclusion; a world without sin and death and pain and sorrow. That’s the joy of the Ascension. That is the ultimate joy of those baptized into God’s name. We are his children, adopted through Holy Baptism by God putting his name and promises on us with water. We live our lives looking forward to Jesus’ glorious return, just as he promised.

To put some flesh on the second promise of the Ascension we turn back to St. Luke’s Gospel, the Gospel reading for today. Jesus promises the disciples what they’ll be doing.

“…repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in [Jesus] name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.” (Luke 24:47-49, ESV)

The Good News of Jesus is going to go out from Jerusalem. They are witnesses of these things; the forgiveness of sins that Jesus has won. They saw his life. They saw his miracles. They heard his teaching. They saw his death. They were witnesses to his resurrection. When he promises they know it is true. The one who can rise from the dead can do whatever he promises. The disciples are the ones sent with this Good News the forgiveness of sins won by Jesus. And they do not go alone. Jesus’ Ascension comes with the promise of the Holy Spirit. He is the promise of the Father. It is through the Holy Spirit that Jesus promises to be with us always is true. He is with us in God’s Word and worship, in Bread and Wine and Water. Creating and strengthening faith in Jesus, through the proclamation of repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

These are the two great promises of the Ascension, and we confess them in the Apostles’ Creed when we confess the story of Jesus:

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

Jesus sits at that right hand of God. As one of my seminary professors says, “The right hand is what you use to do things.” (Norman Nagel, 2010) What God is doing right now in the world he is doing with his right hand, Jesus. In his life, death, and resurrection Jesus gains forgiveness for you. His “It is finished” on the cross restores your broken relationship with God. He takes your sin, your deserved punishment into the grave, and rises to your new life. He is active and working right now in your ears, on your wet head, and in your mouth. In fact, this means that Jesus is closer now than he has ever been. It is what Jesus did on the cross, delivered. In these means, the spoken word, water, and bread and wine, he delivers forgiveness to you.

It’s as Luther confessed in the Small Catechism:

What benefits does Baptism give? It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. (Small Catechism, The Sacrament Holy Baptism)

What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. (Small Catechism, The Sacrament of the Altar)

There is nothing more practical than the daily remembering of the forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ. Every day we sin. Every day we live with the knowledge of broken relationships, broken promises, and broken dreams. Every day we struggle with the knowledge that death waits for us. It is ours because of sin. But we live every day also in the promises of the Crucified One, the Risen One, the Ascended One, the One Who is Coming Again to be our judge. For those who are his children, Jesus’ return is not a day of dread or fear. We already know the Judge. What God promises is already true. Jesus is already, right now, our judge. He has declared us “not guilty” through his cross, his word, and his sacraments. We are his forgiven children now. We can only be lost from him if we reject his promises to us, wanting to be our own savior. We look forward to his return, because then we will see him, just as the Ascension angels promised. We will be with Jesus forever. This great Ascension joy compels us to live differently. Forgiven sinners forgive sinners. We forgive those who sin against us and strive to live our lives according to God’s will.

This is the joy of the Ascension. There is no question as to why the Christian church has celebrated this as one of the highest festivals of the church year. We rejoice in Jesus coming the first time, in flesh and blood for our forgiveness. We rejoice in the message passed down to us through the Apostles; repentance and forgiveness of sins, proclaimed beginning at Jerusalem and ending in our ears. And we rejoice in our Lord’s second coming as our judge, our Savior. Amen.

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

John 5:1-9; The Sixth Sunday of Easter; May 25, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.

I break the reading here to tell you that his next sentence isn’t included in most texts of the Bible. It isn’t found in the earliest manuscripts. So, it is quite certain that John didn’t write it. However, it does tell a bit about the context. It is believed to be a gloss to cover a question that comes up in the text. “Why was he waiting for the water to be stirred?” More on this later:

[waiting for the moving of the water; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred the water: whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.]

The reading continues after the gloss.

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.” (John 5:1–9, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The setting is important. It was a feast of the Jews. John doesn’t say which one, but a feast. On major feasts, Passover, Booths, etc., adult males were expected to make the trek to Jerusalem to make sacrifices. Jesus is in Jerusalem, near the temple doing what the law required. The Sheep Gate was a small doorway near the temple where the sheep for sacrifice were brought into the temple. The pool, called Bethesda (House of Mercy), was there to wash the sheep before they went in.

Around the pool, there we five colonnades, and the text tells us,

In these [colonnades] lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. waiting for the moving of the water.

The gloss we read earlier was added by some later scribe, not too long after John wrote the Gospel. It explains what the blind, lame, and paralyzed where waiting for. It isn’t scripture, but it isn’t necessarily fiction either. The people in Jerusalem believed this was the case, that an angel stirred the water and the first one in it would be healed. That is why they were gathered there waiting. After all, the man Jesus talks to says as much.

Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” (John 5:7, ESV)

Back to the account in John. Jesus approaches the lame, blind, and paralyzed who are among to colonnades at the Sheep Gate, near the washing pool, called Bethesda, House of Mercy. Lying there is this man who had been paralyzed a long time, 38 years, the text tells us. And Jesus knows how long it has been. He asks a question,

“Do you want to be healed?”

In his answer you can hear that he has given up all hope. He has no one to lift him into the pool when it is stirred. He has been there for a very long time. Others are faster than he.

Jesus makes no comment on the healing properties of the pool. He simply tells the man,

Get up, take your bed, and walk.

It seems simple enough. But the command is very specific. Get up, take your bed, and walk. Take your bed. Jesus has asked him to do the work of carrying the pallet, or the bed, he was lying on and walk around. At once the man did exactly what Jesus said. He was healed, he took up his bed, and he walked.

It seems just a simple case of Jesus doing another healing. At this point in the Gospel, he has already done a great many. He sees someone in need, and he acts in God’s gracious will and mercy, at the House of Mercy. Jesus, the Son of God, shows himself to be who he is by doing what only God can do. Then comes the most significant line in the text, the turning point. John has told the story, in all its detail, and then at the very end he adds the zinger. The thing that would make Jewish ears perk up. The reason everything is done.

Now that day was the Sabbath.

Everything erupts. The Jews confront healed man. They hate Jesus and they want something to use against him. It was the Sabbath. On the Sabbath no work is to be done. Jesus commands the lame man to carry his bed in direct violation of the Sabbath. Well, it wasn’t the Sabbath as God had designed it. It was their own creation.

Among all their laws, the remembrance of the Sabbath day, is the most important. In their minds it was the least anyone could do. They made a bunch of rules specifying what you could and couldn’t do on the sabbath. Carrying things from one place to another was one of them. It wasn’t just nitpicking to them. They, the Jews, believed that if every Jew would only keep the Sabbath perfectly, two times in a row, the Messiah would come. It must have been exasperating. If only the people would listen, and do these few things, God would act. The Messiah would come and everything would be better. It was so close and yet so far away.

Jesus deliberately confronts these laws and their delusion. He doesn’t only heal the man (also a crime on the Sabbath), but he tells him to break the law by picking up his mat and walk around. Jesus knows exactly what he is doing. He is provoking the confrontation.

Why? Jesus is doing what he always does. He confronts sin. The Jews believed that that could force God’s hand, make him do what he promised. All they had to do was keep the Sabbath. They boiled down the God’s law to its simplest point. To keep the Sabbath, to do what God demanded, all they had to do was keep the law. They simplified it. They crafted it into simple rules. They made specific what they thought God had commanded. Don’t work. Don’t carry anything from one place to another. All their rules did the same sort of thing. Make God’s law, doable.

In another account, Mark’s Gospel, the disciples are accused of breaking one of these rules. They were walking though a grain field on the Sabbath. They were picking grain and eating it. The Pharisees accused them of breaking the Sabbath. They were working, harvesting. Jesus condemns their legalism.

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27, ESV)

God gave the Sabbath for the sake of his faithful people. Not as rules to follow but as a time of rest, renewal and most of all worship. Luther understood this very well. Listen to his explanation of the Third Commandment.

The Third Commandment

Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

The Sabbath day is kept holy, not by keeping rules and regulations, and not by resting alone, but by using the day to hear, meditate and discuss God’s Word. The Sabbath was made for man.

God’s Word is the true holy thing above all holy things. (LC I.91).

You must daily govern yourself according to the Word of God… that you may learn to know God rightly. (LC I.95–98).

The purpose of the commandment, that was made for man, is that people should take part in Catechesis. That instruction in God’s Word.

Isn’t it ironic that Jesus uses their false belief, their own web of delusion, to tie them up, to convict them of their sin. They thought they could force God to action. The action they wanted was already among them. They refused to see him.

In verse 15, John writes,

And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:16–18, ESV)

Not very far from here, to the west, in a few days our old church building will be coming down. It is sad in a way, and yet, not sad because God had made it possible for us to have a new church building. Soon the dirt will turn, and the timbers will go up. It is our church, but it is not ours. It is the place that God has set aside for us to keep his Word holy. A place where we will gather to hear over and over again of God’s Grace in Jesus Christ. God’s amazing forgiveness won for us by Jesus’ death on the cross. A place where we will hear that God forgives our sins, not because of anything we do but because of his mercy. God’s mouth house, as Luther said. God, in Jesus, is what makes the place special. His promise to gather us as people anxious to hear and discuss his Word and promises. It will be a Sabbath place. A Bethesda, a house of mercy.

And that is exactly what it will be, by God’s grace. A house of mercy. A place where we will gather to hear God’s Word of mercy. A place where we will strive to keep the primary thing primary. A place where the proclamation of God grace in Jesus Christ is foremost.

Just as the sheep were washed in the pool, just as the paralyzed man was healed, this is our pool for washing, cleansing, healing and the hearing of Jesus work to free us from our sin. That’s what Jesus was telling the Jews. You have missed the point. You can’t earn God’s favor; you can’t force God’s hand. Jesus the Messiah comes to you through God’s Mercy. He earns God’s favor for you. He cleanses you from sin and delusion by his death on the cross. His death is the It is Finished for sin, death and hell. It is the point of faith. He has done it all, and there is nothing left for us to do, but to be washed by him in the pool of the house of mercy. Amen.

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

John 13:31-35; The Fifth Sunday of Easter; May 18, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 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 13:31–35, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus’ love is better than we can ever achieve. His love is selfless, ours is selfish. His love doesn’t tolerate sin, it exposes, condemns, and removes it. He forgives sin, not by ignoring it, but by his holy and precious blood, and his innocent suffering and death. He pays the debt of sin against God, it cost him everything. Our love wants to tolerate sin for the sake of unity. We don’t want to condemn, because others think it is unloving. We do little to speak the truth of sin, even though it usually costs nothing. There is nothing loving in ignoring sin, it is, in fact, quite the opposite. Sin is an affront to God’s purpose. It opposes God’s design for human life. It tears down relationships. It destroys trust. Left to its own devices, it is all consuming and all corrupting. No part of life can escape its influence. We rank sin. Murder is worse than speaking against our neighbor. Adultery against your spouse is worse than pornography. Homosexuality is worse than cohabitation. Lying is categorized as white lies and outright lies. Denying Christ is worse than overlooking an opportunity to speak about him. On and on it goes. We justify ourselves with excuses when there is no justification. In God’s eyes, sin is sin. It all comes from the same place. The corrupted human heart. It is all rejection of God. It is all damnable.

Jesus confronts sin. One example is in John 8, where the scribes and Pharisees bring before him a woman caught in adultery. “Moses commanded us to stone such women.” they said. Jesus stoops down and begins writing in the dirt. We don’t know what he wrote, but it was apparently convicting.

Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.

Her accusers all left; she was alone with Jesus.

Has no one condemned you?... No one, Lord. She replied. Neither do I condemn you, go and from now on, sin no more.

Jesus doesn’t ignore her sin or the sin of her accusers. He calls for repentance. Sin no more.

Love is not love when it ignores or justifies sin. A toddler will play in the street, ignorant of the danger. A loving parent will not allow it and may even punish the child. They must learn that the street is an unsafe place to play. Ignoring sin is the same. In Lutheran terms it is the First Use of the Law. That is to curb, or control dangerous sinful behavior. There is no salvation in the First Use, only condemnation, only correction, only expected behavior change. The means is the cattle prod, not grace. This is why God has established Government,

for [the government] is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:4, ESV)

Or as Luther stated:

The sword is necessary in the world, and without it the world cannot exist. If there were no law and no sword to restrain the wicked, everything would go to ruin. — AE 45:91

The church is different, yet the same in one respect. The church, that is Christians, act with love, the government acts with the threat of force. Both are commanded by God to confront sin. The government acts to restrain sin. The churches’ reason for confronting sin is much different. It speaks the truth in love, hoping for the unrepentant sinner to repent. Hoping for them to see their sin and turn to Christ for forgiveness. The church cannot function, as God has designed it, by ignoring or justifying sin. A church that doesn’t practice discipline isn’t loving.

Why doesn’t the church confront sin, as it ought? We don’t really understand the depth of it. We see it as a small thing, especially our own. We think that God simply overlooks it, because he is loving. But that isn’t the case. Sin sick is what we are. It is dangerous and deadly. There is no such thing as a small sin. And even Christians struggle with deep-rooted sin. Paul himself says:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. Romans 7:18, ESV

For a loving God, this is an intolerable situation. His love can’t put up with sin. There are two responses from him. Eternal hell for sinners, or grace. But grace isn’t just ignoring sin. He can’t do that. Instead, he chooses to deal with sin in the only way possible. He pays the price, the debt himself. So caught up and trapped in sin are we, that we can’t resolve it. But God does.

So, once in history, God became a human being.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5, ESV)

It is only in understanding the depth of our own sin that we take grace seriously. It is only in the cross that we clearly see the cost of sin. Instead of hell, that we deserve, we receive grace. God’s undeserved favor. When we look on the cross, as ugly as it is, with Jesus there, in all his gory glory, we see the price paid for our little sins, our great sins, everything we have ever done or will do against God’s law. It is utterly amazing what God does through the cross. What Jesus was willing to do for us, to resolve our sin problem.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5–8, ESV)

There is no grace without the bloody cross. God can’t just set aside sin; it must be dealt death. Forgiveness without the cross, and Jesus on it, is cheap grace. Detrich Bonhoffer, the Lutheran Theologian during the Third Reich, said,

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession... Grace without the cross.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again... It is costly because it cost God the life of His Son; it is grace because God did not reckon His Son too dear a price to pay for our life. (from The Cost of Discipleship)

It is right there, Jesus, bloody, broken, bleeding and dying. It is the cost of your sin. That is why the real symbol of the truth of the cross is a cross with Jesus on it. It speaks to your sin, its depth, its seriousness. We dare not take our sin lightly. God, in Jesus, didn’t.

But there is more. Going back to Luther, he understood that it wasn’t enough to believe that the Gospel is true in general.

It is not enough to believe that Christ died and rose again. This must be for me. If I do not believe that it is for me, it does me no good. — Galatians Commentary (1535), AE 26:177

That’s faith. That’s the key. Because my sin is so great, your sin is so great, Jesus did what was necessary, for me and for you.

The Gospel is not only a story about Christ, but it is the power of God for all who believe. It does not say, ‘Christ is such and such a person, who lived and died,’ but rather: ‘He is your Savior; He is yours and all that He has is yours.’ — Sermons on John 3, WA 17/I:463

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Text: Isaac Watts, 1707 Common Tune: “Hamburg” (by Lowell Mason)

1. When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.

2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast Save in the death of Christ, my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.

3. See, from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

4. His dying crimson, like a robe, Spreads o’er His body on the tree; Then I am dead to all the globe, And all the globe is dead to me.

5. Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a tribute far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Jesus’ love is better than we can ever achieve. How can we confront sin in our brothers and sisters in Christ, when we can’t even see it clearly in ourselves? Lord, help us to see it thus.

The church, and I mean here the whole church, not just the LCMS, is corrupted by sin. It has always been. It will be so until the bridegroom returns to make all things new. He is the only hope for the church. Jesus is the only answer. It begins right here (in the heart), through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. First, we repent of our own sin and take it to the cross. There we receive Jesus, for me, for you, for forgiveness. Then, we proclaim clearly the truth of God’s Word, that speaks clearly about the churches sin. We speak the truth in love, not to judge, but toward repentance. Jesus’ love is better than we can ever achieve. Amen.

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

John 10:22-30; the Fourth Sunday of Easter; May 11, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”” (John 10:22–30, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus is in the temple. It is Hanukkah. We think of it as Jewish Christmas. For Jews it commemorates the dedication of the second temple in Jerusalem. The building of it marked their return from exile in Persia. Zerubbabel and Joshua (not the Joshua associated with Moses, but the High Priest at the time) had it built by decree from Cyrus the Great, King of Persia. The temple itself was an important theological and cultural symbol for them. God was present there. The sacrificial system was daily practiced. It was the center of atonement, purification and forgiveness. Jesus is there. The Jews believed that the Messiah would come to that temple. And there he was standing among them.

The significance of the temple, and Jesus standing in it, can’t be overestimated. The question they ask is pregnant with meaning. How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. It is the right question, in a way. If Jesus is the Messiah (the Christ), then their long wait is over.

But there is an issue. They say, tell us plainly. Jesus must have been exasperated. I have told you. And you didn’t listen, you don’t believe. The word believe is a faith word πίστις, in Greek. It holds the meaning to assent, trust in the speaker, and commit the heart. Their unbelief isn’t just not knowing, it is willful, ongoing unbelief, regardless of what he says. You refuse to believe. You reject the Holy Spirit. No matter how many times he tells them plainly, they won’t believe.

Jesus drives the point home. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, Jesus hasn’t only said who he is, but he has shown it to them by his words, his miracles and his redemptive mission, all that he does in obedience to the Father. And yet, with all of that, they refuse to believe. but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. It is the clincher. They have no faith, they can’t believe. They are not among Jesus’ sheep.

Just think about that for a moment. They are not Jesus’ sheep. Jesus judges them and finds them lacking. There they stand, looking into the face of forgiveness. Despite all they believe that the Messiah is coming, that he would stand in that temple, that he would do the works of God, the Father, that he would give the words of eternal life, and they are committing the only unforgivable sin. They lack faith in the Messiah standing right there, where God said he would be. There is no forgiveness for them. They are still in their sins, and hell bound.

This text is a stark reminder about what is at stake. God judges the heart according to faith. Faith is the key, the all-important fact that determines our eternal destination.

If we look at the Gospel of Matthew (25:31-46) we see this played out at the final judgement. Jesus says, [the Father] will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left... ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom.’ They are blessed because My sheep here my voice, I know them, and they follow me. The sheep are known by Jesus; they belong to him. They are saved. It’s not because of what they do, what they do is because they belong to Jesus.

The goats, on the Father’s left, are those who do not know Jesus, and Jesus doesn’t know them. They do not serve him because they don’t have faith. They have rejected the Savior’s voice.

The contrast couldn’t be stronger. Jesus spells it our for them.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Jesus outlines a faithful relationship with him.

My sheep hear my voice – The Word of God, comes to us from outside of ourselves. It sinks into our ears. It impresses on our minds. It does what God sends it to do.

Jesus knows them – Jesus has intimate knowledge of those who have faith in him for salvation. It was on the cross that he displays exactly what it means. He knows each of us, his sheep, so personally that he does what is most necessary for us. He brings forgiveness of sins through his death on the cross. So personal is his knowledge of you, that if you were the only Christian ever, his response would have been the very same. He would have died on the cross for you only.

He gives them eternal life – He gives. It is a gift, not deserved by you. Nothing you do can make Jesus love you more. All your works are nothing, compared to faith. Faith in Jesus, and all that he has done is the key. This life isn’t just for the future either. Jesus says it begins with faith. Right now.

They will never perish – Jesus is speaking in the strongest terms here. They will absolutely never, ever perish. There isn’t any doubt. It isn’t they will probably not perish. This is one of the strongest statements of Christian security in the whole bible. Jesus’ sheep will absolutely never, ever perish.

No one can snatch them – It is a double grip. I and the Father are one. The Father and the Son are both gripping you. Holding on to Jesus’ sheep. You are not saved because you hold fast to Jesus, but because he and the Father hold fast to you. And no one, or no thing is greater than that grip. Not Satan and his demons, not the world’s hatred and persecution, not even your own sin and doubt. And not death. It’s bind on you was broken when Jesus rose from his tomb.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38–39, ESV)

Your past sins are forgiven. They won’t snatch you out of Jesus hand. Your present struggle with sin won’t pull you away either. Jesus died on the cross to ensure his grip on you, even in your weakness. And all your future failures are forgiven, done and paid for. His sheep are held tightly, and no one, not even yourself, can snatch you out of his hand.

It’s a sheep thing. That’s who you are through faith in Jesus. He is the shepherd. He stands guard over you. When you stray, he comes to get you. When you are in danger, he protects you. When you are hungry, he feeds you. Psalm 23 is loved by Christians, because it says all that it means to have faith. Why don’t we, as the sheep of the Shepherd say it together.

Psalm 23 A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Amen.

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

John 21:1-14; Third Sunday of Easter 3, April 4, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. (John 21:1-14, ESV)

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

You know, lots of times when I read about the disciples in these accounts, I get to feeling sorry for them. I mean, often in these lessons they come off pretty much like failures. How many times have we heard of how they didn’t do what Jesus wanted? How often have we heard about how they didn’t understand what Jesus was saying or what he was doing? Like when they misunderstood what Jesus meant when he said that Lazarus had “fallen asleep.” (John 11:1ff) They were walking along the road, and they received word that Lazarus was sick. Jesus waited three after hearing before going to him. “It’s time to go, Lazarus, our friend, has fallen asleep.”

“Lord, if he sleeps, he’ll get better!” the disciples answered.

“No guys,” Jesus answered, “you’ve missed the point again. When I said he was sleeping, I meant that he is dead.” I have this image in my mind of the twelve standing around with a puzzled look on their faces. “Lazarus is dead.” Jesus finally says in response.

“Oh!” they answer, “I guess we missed that.” Oops, another mistake.

It has always amazed me that the gospels, even though they were mostly written by the disciples, aren’t very flattering for the authors. They failed often and they failed big, especially when Jesus was in the most danger. As Jesus waits in the garden for the betrayer, they fail to stay awake. When the guards show up to arrest him, they fail again. All Peter can do is cut off the servant’s ear. (John 18:10) Not only has he failed to protect his master, but he’s also a failure at wielding a sword, too! He didn’t do what he should have done and what he did is all wrong. “Put away your sword.” Jesus says. All the disciples run away in fear, and let Jesus be taken.

And again, in the court yard outside of Jesus trial Peter fails when he is accused of being Jesus disciple. “I told you before, curse you, I don’t know that man! He’s nothing to me! Now leave me alone!” And then faced with that failure he ran out and wept bitterly. (John 18:15-18; 25-27)

Now later after Jesus has been crucified, they gather in a darkened room, huddled together afraid, for three days. And even when Jesus appeared to them, they had their doubts. Thomas speaks for all of them when he says, “Unless I see him, and touch him. I refuse to believe!” They had all failed to remember what Jesus said to them, they had all failed to believe in Jesus.

And that brings us to the account for today. After so many failures… so many misunderstandings, and now they are about to fail again. We’ve heard about their failures as disciples, now we hear how they can’t even seem to go back to their old lives, “that night they caught nothing.” Looks like failure again. There they are in the boat, even after Jesus has risen from the dead, failing again. They couldn’t do what Jesus wanted, and they couldn’t go back to their old life. There they sat early in the morning looking at their empty nets wondering if they would ever again be successful at anything.

“Boys,” came a voice from the shore, “Have you tried the other side of the boat?” Now, I don’t know of many professional fishermen who will take instructions from a stranger on how to fish. But the disciples did on that morning. Maybe it was the sense of failure that led them. Maybe they didn’t have the energy to dispute it, but they took the criticism. And when they did… 153 large fish jumped into the net. John was the first to realize that it was Jesus. “It’s the Lord!” he said. Peter put John’s words into action and leapt into the water to make the hundred-yard swim to shore. Jesus had turned their failure into success. He gives them what they need. Fish in their nets, and once they get to shore, he feeds them breakfast.

Are we failures too? We don’t like to think of ourselves that way. But I think that if we look honestly at ourselves, we can see that we are. We can’t help but be failures. That’s our sinful human nature. We try to make progress against it but no matter how hard we try we fail again. For instance, we know the resurrected Jesus, but there are many times in our life that what we know about Jesus just doesn’t seem to make any difference in how we live. Jesus says, “Love your neighbor” There are many times when we don’t even seem to love our family. How easy is it to hurt our parents, or our children, or even our spouse? Our hurtful words aren’t often blasted over the news, but we often take out our frustrations on those who are closest to us. And just sometimes we do it because we mean to do it. We are just like the twelve we fail; we fail to love.

How often have we stood in Peter’s sandals, denying Jesus? Maybe we don’t outright say that we don’t know him, but what about when we act as if being a Christian doesn’t mean anything, or when we make light of our faith. What about speaking up against those things we know the God’s Word tells us are wrong. What about being tolerant of open sin? Whenever we pretend that sin isn’t sin, or try to carve out exceptions for ourselves and others we are participating in that sin ourselves. When we participate in open sin either directly or in a failure to confront our brothers and sisters who are in it, we deny Jesus’ sacrifice for sin. We know the failure of Peter very well.

And as far as being successful fishermen… we fail there too. We know who the absent members of our church are, and yet we let year after year go by without a word, without an invitation. We know there are folks who don’t go to any church, and we do nothing. We know friends and family who out right deny the faith and we say nothing. We think that the church is only a place for those who have their lives straightened out, those who have money to give, and those who have good reputations. Jesus died for sinners. We are about to give that message to everyone.

The truth of the matter is, the disciples were failures, and we are failures, poor miserable failures… poor miserable sinners. That’s the real problem, isn’t it? Our sins threatened to separate us from the God who created us. Our sins are the real problem. In the eyes of a God who demands perfection, we are utter failures because we aren’t perfect. No matter how hard we try we can’t be perfect.

But Jesus is perfect. It is perfect Jesus that gives us success. When the disciples listened to advice from the shore, they knew it was Jesus because they had success. They ended up with a net so full that it should have broken; it was too large to fit in the boat. It wasn’t only success it was SUCCESS! It wasn’t just a good day fishing; it was an amazing day fishing. Imagine the best fishing story you’ve ever heard. And it was because of Jesus. They couldn’t wait to get to shore. And Jesus was there waiting to feed them.

That’s what Jesus does. He forgives failures. I’m not talking about a plastic Jesus on the dashboard to bring good luck. He’s not the kind of God that helps you to win the lottery. He’s the kind of God that lives in you through his Holy Spirit and show you how to do the right thing. He prompts you to show the love of Jesus in the community through what you do and speak. He makes success out of you, even when you fail.

What Jesus Christ has done makes a difference for your failures. In his great love he paid the ultimate price for your failures. He suffered pain and death. He hung on the cross and endured the punishment that we failures deserved. Even though he was treated as a failure, he changed that awful event into success. On Easter morning some 2000 years ago, he turned what seemed like the failure of his death into the success of life. The tomb was opened, and he breathed again. He lived and walked, smiled and laughed again. He met with his disciple, he met them on the road, he met them in the darkened room, and he met them on the shore of the lake. He was alive. Death had failed! Jesus succeeded!

But the most important thing to remember is that Jesus’ success wasn’t just his success. Everything Jesus did, his whole life, his whole horrible death, he whole glorious, successful, resurrection; everything he did, he did for you! He gives that success to you in Holy Baptism. There he washed you clean of your sin and your failures. There he gave you, his success; His perfect life, His self-giving death, and even His glorious resurrection. He covered you with the perfect robe of his perfect life. Now when God looks at you, He sees Jesus. In God’s eyes you are a perfect success.

We really do know all this. Most of us have been hearing it all our lives. It is rather funny though that as much as we know it to be true, we don’t really feel that much like a success. There are those days when we just can’t seem to get it right. There are those days when the love we should have just isn’t there. There are days when we don’t really want to risk exposing ourselves as a Christian. There are days when we just want people, we think don’t who don’t fit here in this church just to stay out. That’s the sinful nature, dragging us to failure again. That’s the failure in us trying to take control again. That’s when it’s important to remember the success that Jesus has won for us. That’s when it’s important to remember when our heads got wet. That’s when we turn to Jesus and say, “You have forgiven me. I am yours. Jesus, help me!” And our loving and gracious Lord says, “I’ve died for your failure already. I took them all to the cross. You don’t have to live with it anymore. My success is yours.” And then sometimes we can love as Jesus would have us love, even when the people around us aren’t very lovable. Then we can set aside our prejudice, even when I don’t feel like it. And sometimes we even find ourselves speaking words about Jesus, even when we’re afraid. And sometimes we can even ask people to come to church that we really don’t even want to sit by. It isn’t because of us, because our failure only gets us empty nets, just like the disciples. It’s all because of Jesus. It’s the Holy Spirit working in our hearts to bring success as only He can do.

The disciples enjoyed breakfast that early morning. Jesus brought them success in their fishing. For them there would be many more failures. But Jesus would turn them also into successes. Through His Word preached, through His Sacraments, Baptism and Holy Communion, given, Jesus used those fishing failures to build His church. There were bigger nets to drag ashore, more fish to count. They weren’t fish from the sea; they were people that God, in Jesus, died to save. They were failures like you and me that Jesus died to save. Amen.

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

1 Corinthians 15:26; The Festival of the Resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ; April 20, 2025;

Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

The grave. Everyone must face the grave. That rectangular, deep, black hole waits for us all. It is no respecter of persons. The richest man in the world to the penniless. The Buddhist, the Mormon, the atheist, the Christian. Life ends in the grave. It is the single biggest mystery of human existence. For millennia people have struggled with the grave. Religion tries to give an answer. The struggle with the cause of death is the province of world religions. It is a natural thing, some say. Dharma and karma are the ideas that we die because we haven’t figured out life, so we must do it again and again until we do. Still others say death is willed by God as part of his divine plan. And still another says death comes from suffering, that is caused by desire and ignorance. But all are the same, in one way. The solutions they offer are living a better life makes what happens after death better. Even those who don’t believe anything lies after death, promote doing good things as the answer to life’s fulfillment.

All these things that world religions struggle to answer show how serious the human condition is. None has an answer that satisfies. The grave is still waiting. The grave is patient. The grave is persistent. The grave is eternal. The grave is totally inclusive.

The biggest problem with religion is it offers no real proof. All the ideas that are touted as the answer were made by people… who died.

So, how do you choose? Most people are born into a religion. They don’t question its teachings. They simply believe because their parents believed. Others have bounced around from one belief to another, until all meaning in any is lost.

You could just try each one out. It seems like a worthwhile project, until you consider how many there are. ChatGPT tells me that religions are countless, but world religions exceed 4000. So, how do you start, alphabetically? How much time do you give each one? World life expectancy is 70 years. If you get started at 20 (quite early actually) divided evenly that would be 4 days for each. How can you evaluate the truth of a religion in 4 days? Even if you narrow it down to just the top 12 (those with the most adherents) the number drops to 4 years for each. Even that is unrealistic because the tenants for most of them require you to die to find out.

Maybe you choose the most important doctrine of each (called the Material Principal)?

Material and Formal Principles of Major World Religions

They all sound important. But they all fall short of the real human problem. None of them has an answer to death, that rectangular, deep, black hole waits for us all.

There are only (Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Christianity) four even believe in a resurrection, a physical, bodily raising from death. Since death is the greatest problem that faces humanity, I think this is a pretty poor showing.

Of the four, one (Zoroastrianism) doesn’t claim divine inspiration (from God) for the writings that talk about resurrection. Only three do. Now we are getting to the nub. The three that we have left are Judaism, Islam and Christianity. And yet, only one offers any real proof of bodily, physical resurrection. In fact, of all the religions in the world, it is only Christianity that claims that its major teacher, Jesus, defeated death.

On the point of the grave, only Christianity offers any real solution, that, it claims, is proven. And, in fact, it claims that the religion is ultimately disprovable. Listen to Paul from 1 Corinthians 15:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:14–19, ESV)

While most religions ground their truth in ethical teachings, mystical insight, or subjective experience. Paul, in contrast, puts everything on a public, falsifiable historical claim:

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless.

Let’s make this very clear. If Jesus hasn’t risen, the disciples are liars, Christians are still in their sin, the dead are all just dead, faith in Jesus is futile, and Christians are deluded, pitiful fools. But mostly, there is no answer to that rectangular, deep, black hole that waits for us all.

Paul says,

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20, ESV)

In Greek, Paul uses the phrase Νυνὶ δὲ (But now) translated here as “but in fact”. It stands in contrast to what he said before about the verifiability of Christianity. It is a declaration of reality over speculation. He’s not just stating a hope, but a fact.

From a historical perspective—not theological—the resurrection of Jesus cannot be dismissed easily. It remains one of the most attested and transformative events in ancient history, with no natural explanation that fully accounts for the evidence. (ChatGPT)

To quote the great philosopher Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle),

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” — The Sign of the Four, Arthur Conan Doyle

And of course, Occam’s Razor, that states that the simplest explanation that accounts for all the evidence is likely to be the truth.

Yet, for us Christians, the resurrection isn’t only a historical curiosity. Historians agree that it is defensible, grounded in early eyewitness testimony, and the explosive growth of the Christian church. We don’t get to it by eliminating all the other alternatives. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the very heart of the Gospel. Paul says it has a meaning beyond simple life. He says that because of Jesus we are forgiven.

[Jesus] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4:25).

Jesus’ resurrection is God’s very public declaration that Jesus did just that. His atoning sacrifice for sin was accepted. The solution to death is Jesus. He died on the cross for our forgiveness. Jesus defeated death. We are justified. And what’s more, Jesus, the one who rose from death, the only one, promises a solution for the grave. Our resurrection.

Jesus said to Mary, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.’ John 11:25–26

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 1 Thessalonians 4:14

Knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 2 Corinthians 4:14

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:20–22

So, the rectangular, deep, black hole waits for you. You have some options. You can hitch your wagon to any one of the myriads of world religions that offer no real solution to the very real problem. Or you can put your faith and trust in the one who defeated death. The one who confirmed his promises with his resurrection. The one who offers not only your resurrection but a solution to your sin. There really is no option because,

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26, ESV)

Χριστός ἀνέστη, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

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