"Use Those Blessings"

A sermon on Matthew 25:14-30

 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

In the name of Jesus, the giver of all good gifts, dear fellow redeemed,

            This week, with the celebration of Thanksgiving, we should all take a look at our lives and count our blessings. We should recognize everything the Lord has given to us and thank him. Everything we have is a gift from his hand. It all comes from his “Fatherly divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness” in any one of us.

            Those blessings are all wrapped up in this parable about talents today. When we hear the word “talent” we think of its English meaning, a special skill or ability someone has. In a strange twist of linguistics, our English word “talent” comes from this parable. In Greek, a talent was a measure of weight. One talent is about seventy-five pounds. So when the Lord in this story is giving out talents, he’s giving out huge weights of cash. Someone did the math based on the current value of gold and one talent is worth around $2.3 million dollars. That gives you an idea of how much money we’re talking about in this parable.

            So, the talents Jesus is speaking of here includes both meanings of the word “talent”. Your “talents” in this sense not only your money and your skills, but everything God has blessed you with; your family, relationships, time, and everything you have.

            Now there’s a reason that the different servants were given different amounts. Jesus says that they were given five, two, or one talent according to their ability. So we see it today. We all have received gifts from the Lord, but not everyone receives gifts the same way. Some receive more and others less. Some receive gifts of one kind, and some receive gifts of another kind. One person is blessed with lots of money to be generous. Another person is blessed with a large family to raise in the faith. Another person is given lots of time to serve. All are given something, but that something is not always the same.

            So what do we do when we see that someone has been given more than us in one area? We shouldn’t be jealous. We fall into that trap sometimes and it is obviously wrong. Instead, we should thank God that he has given that gift to that person just as we are thankful that we have been given the gifts that we receive.

            To that end, who are we that we should receive these great gifts? Here the clue comes in the relationship. The word for servant really ought to be translated “slave”. It’s the same word Paul uses to describe himself in Romans 1:1 “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus.” This is good news! If we, like Paul, are slaves of Jesus Christ, that means that Jesus has paid the price to have us. We know made us his own “not with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death.” This good news is the greatest treasure we have received. It’s one that doesn’t shrink when it is shared, it only grows and grows.

            On the cross Jesus shed his blood to make us his own. Now that he has risen from the dead, he claimed us in the waters of baptism, just as he did for Lainie today. She received a great treasure—the greatest she’ll ever receive. Remember the words of our opening hymn:

God’s own child I gladly say it: I am baptized into Christ!

He because I could not pay it, gave my full redemption price.

Do I need earth’s treasures many? I have one worth more than any!

That brought me salvation free lasting to eternity. [i]

 

We belong to him. Jesus gets to call the shots. We live our whole life in service to him. That’s why he has entrusted these things to us.

There’s something Jesus doesn’t mention in the parable but it totally true. We can take what God has given us and use it together with what God has given to others and have even more that way. This is certainly one of the blessings of marriage. A husband and a wife combine their “talents”, their blessings from the Lord, and the Lord blesses them even more. Certainly, the blessings a husband and wife have together are more than twice what they would each have alone.

The same thing is true for our life together as a congregation. With our resources, our time, and our skills combined there is very little that our congregation is unable to do. Imagine then, what would have happened if the servant who received just one talent had instead taken it to the servant with five talents or two talents and asked to work together with them. You can bet he would have come out better at the end of this parable for sure!

God has given us so many different resources, people, skills, and other things. I am personally convinced that if we want to find our place in the story, Holy Cross is definitely the servant who received five talents. Look at the children, the projects we’ve accomplished, the people we have who give time, and so many other things. This parable shows us that with great blessings comes a great responsibility. We have to do something with this. We have to put our blessings to use. That’s part of the reason we brought on a Director of Christian Education this year. You could see his job as simply helping our congregation use the blessings we’ve been given and using them together.

Look at what happens to the talents the Lord gives his servants. This should give us hope! The one who was given five talents brings back five more! The one who has given two talents brings back to two more! The Lord blesses the blessings we’ve been given and make them even more of a blessing. The gifts grow not because the servants are so great, but because the master is so generous and blesses so much. Jesus provides everything we need to do the work he’s called us to do. Notice that the servants are commended, not for their accomplishments but for their faithfulness. “Well done good and faithful servant.” Again, “You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.”

So it is the relationship with the master and his goodness that gives the blessing. That’s why the servant who only receives one gets the response he does. This servant is wrong about the Lord. Is he a hard man to be feared when he has given you millions of dollars and an open invitation to be creative? No! The Lord is gracious and kind. He wants to see his servants try. But this servant did the one thing that he shouldn’t have done—stick the money in a hole and forget about it. Had he done anything with it, the Lord would have blessed it more than he could imagine.

This parable is a description of the time between Jesus’ Ascension (the man going away on a journey) and his return in judgement (the Lord returning and settling accounts with the servants). In other words, this time right now. God has entrusted his work to us. He has given us everything we need to carry out his work.  

In the Lord’s Prayer we pray “Thy Kingdom Come”. That’s an interesting thing Jesus asks us to pray. Certainly, God isn’t waiting for anything from us for Jesus to return and for his Kingdom to come in all it’s glory. Even now God reigns in the world whether we pray for it or not. God is going to do his work. His Word is going to go out. As his Word goes out the Holy Spirit is going to convict people of their sins and then bring faith in Jesus as their Savior. This love is going to be reflected in the lives of the people who hear it. This is going to happen. It is necessary.

            Jesus asks us to ask this so that we would be included in God’s work. We pray that God’s Kingdom would come among us also. If we don’t do God’s Work, it will be done somewhere else. Let’s not lose the opportunity to be part of this work.

If we don’t use our talents, the same thing will happen to them as happens to a muscle that doesn’t get used. Gradually it will waste away. An unused talent will be given to someone else, just as we see happening in this story.[ii]

            We cannot let this happen to us. Everything we have personally, in our families, and in our congregation is a gift from the Lord. Those are our “talents”. The Lord has graciously entrusted them to us to be used for his purposes.

If you drive around Washington County Illinois, you’ll find Hahlen Church Road about five miles southwest of Nashville. The road is named for St. Peter’s Lutheran Church which used to be out there. It’s quite a bit like the Flora community out by Alma. St. Peter’s began in 1858 and the congregation lasted for 110 ten years, closing its doors for the last time in 1968. At that time, the twenty-five remaining members joined the church in Nashville which they helped start.

Now, over the course of those 110 years, St. Peter’s Hahlen sent ten men into the ministry. What would have happened is those ten men had stayed in the community, raised families, and served there? It’s plausible that this congregation could still be in existence today.

So, we could ask the question, did St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on Hahlen Road fail? No, they didn’t. They were faithful with what they had been given, sending workers into the harvest and then joining with other Christians to continue to work together. They certainly weren’t taking what they were given and sticking it in the ground. Their faithfulness did not look like the world’s version of success. That’s often the way it goes in the kingdom of God.[iii]  

This parable should make us think about the ways we’re using our talents here. How are we investing them? We’re not giving so that someone would get a bigger house or another jet. We’re giving and working so that kids can go to Lutheran schools, and that seminaries would provide pastors so other congregations can hear the Word of God clearly. We’re giving so that missionaries can be in the field bring God’s Word to people. We’re giving so that the Bible can be translated into other languages and God’s Word can be spread over the airwaves and internet to people who would not be able to hear. We’re giving so that works of mercy would be done throughout the world and in our own community.

God makes a great promise about his Word in Isaiah 55. His Word going out is going to be like the rain and snow that comes down from heaven. It doesn’t return without doing what God sent it to do—watering the ground to give people food. In the same way, as his Word goes out, it will accomplish the purpose God sent it to do. There will be a gracious return as we support God’s Word. God promises it and it will happen. Amen.  

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[i] LSB 594 “God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It” verse 1

[ii] See Albrecht, People’s Bible Commentary: Matthew p. 364-365

[iii] See Mueller, Our God our Help in Ages Past p. 91

“Rejoice in Suffering, Rejoice in Hope”

This is the Funeral sermon for Kimberly Lynn Haesemeier who passed away on Wednesday, February 15 after battling cancer for three years. Kim leaves behind her husband David and daughter Emmie. You can listen to this sermon here. 

Romans 5:1-8 (ESV)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In the Name of Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, dear friends and family of Kim,

How can someone have so much peace with so much trouble? How can you smile when you go through so much pain? How can you endure trial after trial like that? Here’s the secret. Really it’s no secret at all. Kim knew she had peace with God. Since she had peace with God then no other battle mattered.[1] Since she had peace with God that meant she had hope. Since she had peace with God she could actually rejoice in her suffering.

            That’s what you saw in Kim over the last three years. That’s also what our text describes for us here today. When we look at the way Kim endured, we see a good example of the way God wants us to remain faithful through any kind of suffering that comes upon us. You can also have peace and even joy.

Let’s get this straight right off the bat. Kim did not get cancer and die as a punishment for any particular sin. She was not denied healing because of a lack of faith on her part or on yours. It is not as though God was just wanting for five more prayers or something like that to heal her. No. God doesn’t grant healing based on a mathematical formula or anything like that. The exact reasons for this are hidden from us and we will not know them this side of heaven. Even if we did, I doubt we would be satisfied.

            Rather than speculate about God’s hidden plan, we can turn with certainty to the things he has revealed in his Word. We can cling to these things with all our heart and we will not be put to shame. Instead of wondering why this happened, what does our text say, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

            Here’s what that means: If we want to see what God thinks of us, if we want to see if God really cares or not, if we want to see where we stand before him, we don’t look to ourselves. We don’t look to how we feel. We don’t look at our bank account or the latest news from the doctor. If we look to those things to see what God thinks of us, we will often think that he was against us.  

            If we want to see what God thinks of us, we look at the cross. We look to our Lord Jesus Christ who suffered for us there. We heard the promise from the last verse of our text, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” There is the proof of God’s love. Jesus died for you. Jesus died for me. And today we rejoice because Jesus died for Kim. Not only did he die, but he also rose again, defeating death and opening everlasting life for everyone who believes.

            It’s clear we need this. Earlier in the argument, Paul tells us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” And in the next chapter it’s worse, “the wages of sin is death.” This is why we are here today. This is why you know that your time is coming too. You will not live forever. We all sin, and we will all die. That’s true for me, it’s true for you, and it was true for Kim.

            But look who Jesus died for. Paul says it very clearly in the last verse of our text. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Jesus died for sinners. Yes, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace.” Yes, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Notice here what God is offering to sinners like you, like me, and like Kim. Jesus died for us and since he rose again, he gives eternal life away for free! Kim received that free gift in the waters of Holy Baptism and trusted this promise.

            Simply trusting this promise, Jesus died and rose again for me, is enough to justify, to make you right with God, and give you peace with him. If you knew Kim, if you read her posts of Facebook, if you talked to her about what was going on, even if you were her doctor, you knew that she had this peace—peace with God that only Jesus can give.

            That peace did something incredible for Kim. As you saw her go through this battle, you noticed that what our text describes is exactly what happened to Kim. Let me explain:

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,” (Romans 5:3) Kim didn’t give up. She fought this monster, and she fought it hard. She tried every trial available. Even three days before her death she was ready to keep fighting for David and Emmie especially.

All throughout her battle, Kim had the same attitude that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had when they were threatened with death in the fiery furnace after refusing to give worship an idol. When the king asked what god could save them, they gave an amazing answer. Yes, God was able to save them from the fire, but even if he did not, they would not give in and worship the idol. In that case you remember God was with them and saved them when they were thrown into the fire.[2]

Kim knew that God was able to save her, to heal her miraculously, or grant success to the doctors and their work. But even if he didn’t, even if this day came, she would not give up. She would not loose faith in the Lord and his goodness. Instead, she took one day at a time, daily relying on what God provided for her each day. God was with her too.

            The result was amazing. It happened just as our text continues, “endurance produces character.” Over and over again we all marveled. Could we have gone through such a battle with such grace and dignity? Could we have endured with hope and with a smile like she did? Could we have kept our faith through such a battle?

            Cancer changed Kim and her family in a lot of ways. While it showed them their own weakness—she had her tear filled moments—they also saw God’s strength. God did give them more than they could handle. But God didn’t give more than he could handle. The answer then is yes, in your troubles God promises to give you the same strength he gave Kim. That’s what the Holy Spirit does as the comforter.

            That’s what this should produce in us. “character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:4-5) The goal is hope, looking to Christ and knowing his life and his love.

            To see what this hope means, Dave, I want you to remember when you first met Kim. You each had coworkers who were already married, and they thought you should meet. So Kim calls you and you decide to meet this woman you’ve never met, hoping that there could maybe be something there. So you went to meet her and the rest is history. Who knew, right? Who knew who much love you would eventually have for each other, you probably couldn’t imagine it at that moment, right?

            Here’s the comparison. As much as you loved Kim, there’s someone who loved her more. As much as Kim loved you and Emmie, there’s someone who loves you more, we just haven’t seen him yet. As much as anyone of us loves anyone else, Jesus loves us more and he loves them more too. He has shown his love for us by bleeding and dying. He has given his life for us, sinners though we are. If Jesus is willing to do that for his enemies, just think of what he will do for his friends now that he is alive forever!

Even though we don’t see Jesus now we love him. He loves us. We are waiting in eager expectation, more expectation than a first date with someone we’ve never met. We know that once we are together all pain and suffering, sin and death, will be done!

Kim’s suffering lead to endurance, that endurance produced character, and she had complete hope and confidence in Jesus. But she doesn’t need as much hope anymore. You don’t need hope once the thing you hoped would happen actually happens. She is with Jesus and now. And  whether we are with the Lord in heaven or the Lord is with us on earth, we’re all waiting for the day when Jesus will come, raise the dead, and restore creation.

            I want to remind you of all of this, because although Kim’s suffering is over, an new kind of tribulation has begun, especially for her family. As you go through grief you will be challenged to do the same things over again. In this suffering you are called to endure, to take one day at a time. Each morning you will need to remember that God’s mercy is there for you. This will change you and shape your character even more. But this will also lead you to hope even more, to be confident of God’s promises to you. This new suffering will also produce endurance, this endurance will also produce character, and since you have the Holy Spirit, you will have hope to meet the days ahead.

Emmie, I want you to remember this everyday for the rest of your life. You mom left you an amazing example of courage, bravery, as she went through this with love for you and even joy. She taught you what it means to trust God’s promises even when he isn’t answering your prayers the way you want him to. She clung to Jesus, and I know you will too.

Kim became one more example that shows we aren’t taken to heaven by an easy path. We pass through this present life through all kinds of danger and difficulty. But we do so with peace and joy because we know. We know! We know that Jesus, who laid down his life for us, is alive! We know that he is Lord of everything—including our suffering. He can work all things for good—yes, even our suffering. Since Jesus lives, we are so sure of the future that we bear the pressure of the present[3] no matter what that might be.

That’s what you saw in Kim. That’s what God wants to work in you. And he will do it. Amen.

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[1] This roughly comes from Origin’s Commentary on this passage written around the year 200. Find it in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, vol. IX edited by Thomas Bray.

[2] See Daniel 3:1-30

[3] This is a paraphrase of paragraph on page 89 of Martin Franzmann’s 1968 book Romans: A Commentary published by Concordia Publishing House.

The Crown of Life

 

“The Crown of Life”

Funeral Sermon for Ella “Faye” Fritsche

Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri

Wednesday of Holy Week

April 13, 2022

Revelation 2:8-11

You can listen to this sermon here

Hymns: I Know that My Redeemer Lives

I Am the Bread of Life

Children of the Heavenly Father

Go My Children With My Blessing

“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.’

“‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’”

 In the name of Jesus, the first and the last, who died and came to life for you, dear Judy, Kathi, along with your family and friends,

                   It doesn’t seem fair. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that your family was all gathered here in celebration of your mom’s retirement. It wasn’t long before one thing started piling up. We know Faye was looking forward to retirement, spending time with her children and grandchildren. This isn’t what you were hoping for.

                   None of this is hidden from the Lord Jesus Christ. When we think of someone we love dearly, it’s good for us to remember that Jesus loves them even more than we ever could. That is what this week above all other weeks show us. Here in this week when we remember Jesus’ suffering and death, we would miss the point entirely if we didn’t stop and remember that this was for us. Jesus died for Faye. Jesus rose from the dead for Faye. But it wasn’t just for Faye, it was also for you.              

                   Let’s look at the promises Jesus makes to us in our text today. In Revelation 2:8-11, Jesus is sending a message directly to Christians in Smyrna—a city in western Asia Minor. It is one of seven letters that Jesus delivers to seven churches. In these letters Jesus encourages each of these churches and us. Let’s take four things out of this letter for our encouragement and comfort today.

                   First, Jesus says, “I know your tribulation”. A good nurse knows what you are going through. That’s one reason that many of you loved Faye so much. She was able to emphasize with all the kids who came in to see her. After all, after twenty years as a school nurse, she had pretty much seen it all. You can’t surprise something who has been a nurse that long. Whether it’s fevers, puking, or someone feeling down, a good nurse doesn’t say, “Yuck! What’s that?” I’ve never seen that before. I don’t want to deal with that.”

                   You know, everything nurses have to deal with is a result of sin. That’s where sickness, injury, and heartache come from. God never intended for these things to be part of the world. We are the ones who have brough them in along with death because of our sin. We all sin and we will all die. We can say the same thing as the thief on the cross, “We are receiving the due reward of our deeds.” (Luke 23:41) We are here today because Faye was a sinner, so am I, and so are you.

                   But we have someone else who knows our tribulation. That is the Lord Jesus Himself. He knows our trouble. He knows it because He felt it Himself. We have a God who knows what it is like to hurt. We have a God who knows what it is like to carry the guilt of sin—not His own, but yours. We have a God who knows what it is like to die.

Jesus died for us and now look at how He uses that. When it comes to our trouble or our even our sin he doesn’t say, “Yuck! What’s that?” I’ve never seen that before. I don’t want to deal with that.” He doesn’t say, “Well, you think you’ve got it bad, why don’t you try hanging on a cross for six hours.” No! Jesus instead says,

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

                   This was a great comfort to Faye during her time in the hospital. She knew that Jesus was there for her. It wasn’t just that. Jesus knew her pain when her husband died leaving her and her girls. He was their through her kidney transplant and thanked God for Jan and her great gift to her. God never promises us that life in this world will be easy. But He does promise to be with us every step of the way.

                   Not only does Jesus know our tribulation, He is actually able to do something about it. Nothing happens outside of God’s control. This leads to our next point. Second, Jesus says, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer”

                   These Christians in Smyrna had the promise from Jesus himself that their tribulation would only last ten days. Jesus doesn’t ever tell us how long we will have to endure our trouble, but we can be sure that there will be an end. God draws the line for where floods should stop and how far waves should crash. He even has the devil on a chain. Evil can’t do anything without God’s permission.

                   God allow this so that He can take it and turn it into something good. There’s no greater example of this than Jesus’ own suffering and death. He is falsely accused, mocked, beaten, and whipped. Even though no one can find any charge that will stick to Him, the only innocent person the world has ever known was sentenced to death. His clothes were taken away from Him and He was nailed to a cross and left there to die. You will not find a greater evil than this.

                   And yet look at what God has done! It looked like evil had won and God raised Jesus from the dead. His body that was dead in the tomb came alive again on the third day. Jesus broke death’s power for all of us—including Faye. Jesus’ resurrection is the only reason we can say that “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” (Romans 8:28)

                   So what happened last Friday? God put an end to Faye’s suffering. Dear friends, as bad as the past months were for Faye, she never has to go through that again. Jesus’ promise to the thief dying next to Him came true for her, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) She is with Jesus. She has joy that is full and compete. What Jesus promised her has come true.

“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” That’s our third word of comfort. The Christians Jesus spoke to here were going to go through very intense persecution. Some of the were going to be thrown into jail. They knew their life was in danger simply for confessing their faith in Christ. When we are confirmed, we make the commitment to do just that, to suffer everything, even death, rather than fall away from Jesus.

Now it’s one thing to think about being faithful under persecution. If someone held a gun to our head and said, “Deny Jesus or I’ll shoot you.” We trust that in that moment the Holy Spirit would give us the courage to be faithful unto death. That’s one thing. It’s another thing to be faithful unto death not just for one moment, but for the rest of your life. Both are impossible without the help of the Holy Spirit.

Although we don’t do this perfectly, there were moments where Faye and Gilbert made faithful decisions that are worth remembering. After Gilbert applied for disability, he and Faye had 13 cents to their name. When it was time for the offering on Sunday, they couldn’t put three pennies in the offering plate, so they put the dime in instead. The next day God provided their first check for Gilbert’s disability.

Kathi was in eighth grade when Gilbert died. They had already made the commitment to send her and to St. Paul High School. That meant it was up to Faye to get her and Judy through St. Paul. That meant a lot of hard work. She did it gladly. Look at how that decision has now affected generations of her family.

What we need to see from this is not what a great person Faye was. She certainly was a sinner like the rest of us. But what we should see how God uses the faithful decisions His people make to bless other around them—and to draw them closer to Christ and His word. With experiences like this of seeing God’s faithfulness firsthand, she endured the suffering that came to her over the course of the last three months.

                   As bad as it got, Faye did not give up. We said before that it doesn’t seem fair that all of this would happen to Faye. But God does something even better than the evil you have experienced. His gift of eternal life is completely undeserved, and He is happy to give it to all who trust in Him and don’t give up. The crown of life is completely a gift

                   As we heard Paul say in Romans 8, “In all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Jesus adds to this here, “The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” That’s our final word of comfort from Jesus. See, Faye died with Jesus in the waters of Baptism. From then on she didn’t have to be afraid of death. In the waters of Baptism Faye received new life. Just like Jesus is risen from the dead, Faye will also rise again when Jesus returns for all of us. Later in Revelation 20:6 it says this, “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! [That’s baptism!] Over such the second death [that’s eternal death] has no power.” God has made good on His promise to Faye. Everlasting life will not be taken away from her.

                   Jesus says, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” You have ears, so listen up! A lot of what I’ve told you today is based on conversations I had with Faye over the last four weeks of her life. These promises from Jesus Himself were comforting to her and she would want God the Holy Spirit to use these same promises to give you comfort as well.

                   May God do that for you as He has promised. Amen.

"Were They Worse Than You?"

You can also view this sermon here. 

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-5

In the Name of Jesus, who is always with you, dear fellow redeemed,

The examples Jesus gives today could just as easily be ripped from today's headlines. You've seen them, "Innocent bystander victim of drive-by shooting" "four killed in Japanese Earthquake". What do we do when we hear these headlines? Usually, we say “that’s too bad” and let our mind move on to the next story or scroll down the page. 

But what about when these things happen in our own families? An aunt has a case of breast cancer, but it was removed with minimal treatment, but her niece faces a much more serious battle with that horrible disease. Another man has cancer removed in only one surgery and does very well while his father-in-law struggles for a long time. “Why?” We ask. Did one person have more faith? Did one person do something horrible? We want to know why these things happen.

That is probably why these people come to Jesus and asked Him about these people from Galilee who were murdered by Pilate as they offered their sacrifices. Jesus was from Galilee, did He know any of these people? 

But listen to Jesus’ response to both of these. Do you think these people were any worse than anyone else? Do you think they were worse than you? He says this because this is our natural reaction. We figure that these bad things must happen as a punishment. How many times have we caught ourselves saying “what did I do to deserve this?” Then there are the voices from preachers on TV that say “If you only had enough faith you would be healed.” This only makes you question your faith and God's forgiveness if you aren’t healed already. Don't listen to lies like this. 

Jesus’ answer to these is completely different. Did this happen because these people were any worse than you? He says clearly “No”. Bad things do not happen because one person is worse than another or because one person has less faith than another. God is not rewarding or punishing people in this way. 

Jesus is doing something different. He wants us to see our own sin and repent. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” He says. Here he’s not speaking of death in this body, but of being eternally lost in hell. 

What do events like cancer, war, earthquakes, and drive by shootings teach us? They remind us how fragile our life is. When we see them, we know that it just as well could have been us. This is what Moses teaches us in Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Today could be the day that any one of us may stand before the Lord, so what then? 

God uses disasters, tragedy, and sickness to show us the law in a very real way. Death is coming for us all because we all sin. When we experience even the worst the world has to throw at us with faith, we humble ourselves, we repent. We turn from our sin. If God uses a disaster or tragedy to turn us from our sin and draw us to Himself, then He has already made something good happen out of something bad. 

That’s what we all should do every day. But what do we do if we are the ones who are suffering? We all know people right now who are between a rock and a hard place, have pain in their body, or are wondering where God is all this. If you haven't been there before you can be sure that someday you will be. 

We should remember we won’t find the proof of God's love in how we feel or what happens to us from day to day. Consider two verses from Romans chapter 5. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (That's verse 1) We have peace with God through Jesus. God isn’t angry at us anymore. On the cross Jesus took all of God’s anger. He was punished for our sins. Therefore, there is no more punishment or condemnation for us who believe in Jesus as our Savior. 

If we want to see what God thinks of us, we don’t look at our own life or the world around us. We know that many faithful people suffer horribly, and many evil people succeed. So worldly success, wealth, and even health are not the ways God demonstrates His love. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That’s Romans 5:8. If you want proof of what God thinks of you, don’t look at how you feel, how much money you have in the bank, or your health. Look to Jesus’ cross. See Him pour out His life in love for you. Look at Jesus’ empty tomb. See that death and sin are defeated there.  

If that’s the proof that God loves us, then why does He allow these things to happen? Is it His will for people to be sick, hurting, and die? Has He lost control over the world or has Satan thwarted His good design? Is He unable to make His will happen? Maybe He doesn’t care at all. 

No, if that’s what we’re thinking, then we’re asking the wrong question. Here’s the question we should be asking. Listen to what it says in Romans 11:33-35 

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”

God doesn’t owe us an explanation for anything He does. It’s like God says to Job at the end, it’s basically, “I’m God, you’re not. Who do you think you are to even ask?” Job does what Jesus says to do, repent in dust and ashes. If we go digging in the depths of God’s will, we may not like what we find. Indeed, we may not even be able to understand it any more than your cat can comprehend calculus.  

So notice what Jesus does here. Jesus is taking us from the mystery of God’s will and its relation to evil to the promises of God’s Word. It is better for us to seek His promises in His Word than to speculate about His hidden will. There in God’s Word, we do see the big picture of God's will is clearly revealed.

We know God's will is clearly revealed in the Ten Commandments, which we have not kept. So we hear again God’s will for all clearly in the Old Testament reading from Ezekiel 33:11 

“As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?”

All are sinners, but God doesn’t want any sinner to die in their sin. He wants people to turn away from sin and turn towards Him. We have this promise attached to that. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) This is part of God’s will too. We in learn in 1 Timothy 2:4 that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Yes, it is God’s will to save you! 

We also learn from the parable that Jesus teaches about the fig tree that doesn’t produce, that it is God’s will for us to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. This is why the Holy Spirit works to produce love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control in us. When we show these fruits to the world, we can be sure we are doing God’s will. Of course, God’s commands to make disciples by baptism and teaching are also part of His will, so is coming to the Lord’s Supper and receiving the forgiveness God offers for you there. 

God’s will is for us to repent, receive forgiveness in Christ, through baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to read His Word and let that guide our lives. Those things have happened for you, so yes, God’s will is being done in your life. Those are the big clear parts of God’s will that we know. This is already being done in your life now. Even at the end of your life, God’s will will still be done. Psalm 116:15 says “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” In Christ, death doesn't get the last word. Jesus does, and He's already been through death and will bring us to life on the other side. We know His promise that He will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body when Jesus comes again. That is His will.

If we trust God with these big, revealed parts of His will, then can’t we trust God with the smaller, personal, but hidden parts of His will? God’s Word promises “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

So, what should you say to someone who is going through something horrible? "God has a plan for you" is certainly true. But for me, it begs the question of God’s hidden will. "God has a plan for you" is not completely good news, or at least we should say it is not the Gospel. God’s will for you does include your death with faith, and there may be a good deal of suffering along the way. Consider saying something like this, "God will be with you no matter what happens, and nothing happens outside of His control." 

            Over the last two years we’ve faced the pestilence of COVID and now we’re staring down the prospect of another world war. This has caused some to wonder which of the four horsemen of the apocalypse we’ll meet this week. When we see these awful things take place, we repent, receive forgiveness, and then rest in God’s love for us which is stronger than death. May God give you peace as you do it. Amen. 

 

Sown in Weakness, Raised in Power

    This is the sermon from the funeral for Bob Loges on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. The text was 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-57. The other readings referenced here were the Old Testament Reading Isaiah 65:17-35 and the Gospel Reading John 11:17, 27, 38-44. You can view the video of this service here. 

“Sown in Weakness, Raised in Power”

    But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
    So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. 
    I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” 
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-57

In the Name of Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, dear Cindy, Kim, Melissa, Jennifer, and Samira, your family, and friends of Bob gathered here today,

Our God is in the business of giving new life. In fact, He holds the monopoly on resurrection. He’s the only one who can make it happen. This is good news for us today as we gather to mourn for Bob. God gives us a glimpse of new life all around us right now as we see the earth springing into new life.

You’ll notice that Paul used something Bob was familiar with in this section, planting and a seed becoming full grown plant. That’s just one example of how God gives new life. Let’s look at how this happens in three different ways, in nature, in Jesus Himself, and finally in us, including Bob.

1. Resurrection in Nature

Paul begins by saying, “You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.” (1 Corinthians 15:36-37)

            Bob used to call himself just a “dumb farm boy.” But here’s the thing, a “dumb farm boy” knows more about new life and resurrection than most people. In fact, when you are farming, you depend on this very thing happening.

            Think about the miracle that happens every time you plant just one seed. You take a corn seed, which looks dry and dead. You take this dry, dead, shriveled thing and you stick it in the ground. Even scientists don’t know exactly how it happens, but it does! That tiny little seed sprouts and grows into an entire plant! It’ll be more than ten feet tall by the end of the summer! That plant is way more impressive than the little seed that got stuck into the ground. It’s even grown more seeds to make more plants of that same kind next year. Multiply that by an entire field growing and it’s nothing short of miraculous.

            All of this happens thanks to one command that God gave back on the third day of creation.

And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:11-12

            God made this process good for you and for Bob too, didn’t He? Through that work done in the ground, God provided for you. He used His creation to put food on your table and on the tables of many others. We can thank God for that today.

            Farming happens according to God’s promise. God said these words just once and it still happens today. As Noah and his family left the ark, the LORD said to him, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22) God has kept that promise.

            Bob loved farming. Even when he couldn’t do it anymore, he wanted so bad to be out there planting every year. The brokenness you saw in Bob’s body and mind is just one part of the brokenness of the world that comes from sin.

2. In Jesus’ own life

Bob’s confirmation verse is Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” I haven’t lived up to that, you haven’t lived up to that, Bob didn’t live up to that either. All of us have walked in ways that show we listen to the counsel of the wicked. We’ve all stood and defended our own sin. We’ve all gotten comfortable scoffing at the world, our neighbor, and perhaps even God.

            No one has done this perfectly, except for one, our Lord Jesus Christ. He came to this world to live the prefect life we could not live. And then He allowed the same thing that happens to a seed to happen to Him. Listen to how Jesus describes His own suffering and death,

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:23-24

            We’ve already seen what happens when a seed is planted in the ground. It grows into something far more amazing that what was planted. The same thing would happen to Jesus’ own body. Just think of the difference between Jesus’ body on Good Friday and on Easter. If you saw Jesus when He died, you wouldn’t even want to look at Him, it was that horrible; blood oozing from head to toe, skin torn by whips, nails through His hands and feet, and a crown of thorns on His head.

Yes, what Paul says here was true for Him, perishable, dishonored, weak, dust like Adam. But He was like that unimpressive seed that gets planted in the ground. Just as God’s Word and promise takes seeds and makes them grow, so Jesus, the Word of God, was changed into something that was so much more! Jesus rose from the dead. His disciples saw Him, talked with Him, touched Him, and even ate with Him. Jesus was clearly alive again! Even now He  is imperishable, incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and very, very real!

Jesus’ lowly body was transformed into something glorious. It’s an even more amazing transformation than a seed becoming a whole stalk of corn. It was the same body, just perfect, the way things were supposed be all along. Death has no more dominion over Him. Because Jesus did this, He promises to do the same thing for us.

3. Resurrection for Us

            We know that promise is true for us because we have already been united with Jesus in His death and resurrection. That happened for Bob when He was baptized here at Holy Cross on July 7, 1940. On that day, God made the promise to forgive all Bob’s sins and gave him everlasting life.

            Just we see God’s promise fulfilled each spring as new life begins, God kept His promise to Bob. All his sins were forgiven. And Wednesday morning, the eternal life that Bob already had overcame death and Bob was welcomed into the joy of heaven. Since Bob died in Jesus, death doesn’t have anymore dominion over him either. Bob is with Jesus! He is enjoying the presence of God our Savior and he is done with suffering and confusion.

We know that’s true now, but we’ll see it again. Jesus promise to come our graves just as He came to Lazarus’ grave and call us out. This means that today we are planting a seed. We’re placing Bob’s body in the ground. It’s weak, it’s perishable, he’s returning to the dust we were taken from. But to God this is a seed. In fact, to God, our cemetery is a garden that will sprout to life when He says the word. We’re planting it today in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection.

But look at how Bob’s going to be when we see him on the last day! Those same things that we said about Jesus’ body will be true about Bob and all of us. We will be imperishable, glorious, and clothed in God’s power. We will live forever with Jesus and with each other. This is where our hope lies even now.

            If we trust God’s promise about seed time and harvest coming each year, shouldn’t we trust His promise of eternal life and resurrection? After all, we see seeds growing new plants every year. That happens because God said it would. Since you can see that promise come true before your own eyes, trust that God will also make this promise come true. Jesus is coming to transform all our bodies, and Bob will be right here with us with that happens!

During Bob’s life, you all enjoyed a lot of fun with him. There were the lame jokes and lots of laughs. There were sleep overs with the girls and their friends and then the grandkids. There was riding in the snow and so many other good memories. Just think, in this new creation that’s coming when Jesus raises the dead, we’re going to be able to do all those things again.

And yes, as Isaiah says, there will be work to be done and we will enjoy the work of our hands. Can you imagine what farming will be like in that new creation? There won’t be weed or thorns, the weather will be perfect, and we will enjoy it all. Bob is going to love it, and so will you.

Dear friends, this is the hope we have. God brings new life. We see in the fields each year. We know it happened to Jesus when God raised Him from the dead. Since God has done this we can be confident of His promise to Bob and to us. Amen.