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May 18, 2025 - Revelation 21:1-7
Welcome to the fifth week of Easter. He is Risen. He is risen indeed Alleluia. A couple years ago I attended a family reunion of Stephanie’s side of the family up in Detroit. If you’ve been to Detroit recently, to their credit they have come a long way. None the less, you can still find places with blocks of burned out buildings, pitted roads littered with garbage, abandoned houses, and even day-cares with bars on the windows. It is obvious people living in those conditions are suffering. But the people that live there don’t necessarily see it that way. They love their city and they have a dream, a dream for themselves and a dream for their city and that allows them to see beyond the current state of things. My hope is Revelation 21 can function to do that for us today, to give you a Revelation, a vision, a dream, a mental picture of the future, and as we consider the scene, my prayer is that God will not just remind you of who and what you will be but also who and what you are today. By Revelation 21 John has seen a lot. (It being the fifth week of Easter, I hope you’ve seen a lot too). He has seen the throne of God. He has seen Angels and saints in the throne room. He has seen the victorious lamb who is also the Good Shepherd. He has seen the seven seals unlocked and the book of life opened and read. He has seen beings with crazy horns. Demons and serpents and dragon. He has seen Armageddon, the return of Christ, the judgement of all humanity, the resurrection of all the dead, and now after all of that, God gives him one more vision. Interestingly enough the vision is anything but new. Yes it’s true, the new heaven and new earth… is nothing new at all. For Isaiah had Prophesied: 17 “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. 20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; It is a vision of old and a vision of new… all within the same vision. At the end of the vision, you find John with his face down in the dirt. All John can muster in response is “Come Lord Jesus.” That’s how the vision affected Him. How does the vision affect you? In a sense it has the power to turn our eyes to the future. Some might even be moved to cry for our Lord to come quickly. But does it, could it, do more than that? I think it can. A professor of mine once told a story about when he went to a nursing home. He said he was there to visit a member of his church named Lola. He reflected on the linoleum floors, the whitewashed hospital walls, and woman in the hallway crying out woo woo woo woo, the whole time he was there. If you have been to any number of nursing homes, you know what he is talking about. He said, how he hoped to never be forced to die in the place like that…. But he also said, it made him want to be there all the more for the people that were there to die. Into the midst of this, he said on one occasion, he was visiting Lola, when a woman in a long white dress walked passed the room. It was striking enough that he got up from where he was sitting, walked over to the door and looked down the hallway. Apparently others had seen it too because there were several people looking out down the hallway, some people were clapping, and rejoicing, making loud commotion. Lola asked, What’s going on out there and that’s when he realized the woman in a white dress was a bride and she was with her groom. She had come to see her grandmother. Her grandmother could not come to the wedding, so on the way from the church to the reception she brought the wedding to her. He said, that on that day, the nursing-home, and even that woman with her incessant whooping, was transformed into something glorious. When he got back into the room and told Lola what he had seen, He said it changed their conversation. At that moment that bride reminded Lola about her wedding and she began to talk about it. Apparently, she had no white dress and no church. She was a war bride with a simple service before the justice of the peace, but it was still a wedding, none the less. And on that day, even though Lola was in a nursing home and she was dying, She was reminded who she was… a bride. If you would allow it now, that is how I hope Revelation Chapter 21 could function for us today. Revelation 21 is not just about our future. But it can also remind us of who we are. We are God’s creation…. And more than that, we are the bride of Christ, glorious, and beautiful, but also, waiting to be revealed at the proper time. Of course that’s the problem, isn’t it? The waiting to be revealed part. John saw this glorious vision of the new heaven and new earth and God dwelling with his people, but that did not change the fact that he was currently exiled on the Island of Patmos and he had been sentenced to die in a vat of boiling oil. If you have ever seen the shows “Say Yes to the dress” or “Bridezilla” or something similar, sometimes brides fall into the trap of thinking the day is all about them. The fundamental error is that those brides think they can make themselves into brides. First listen to what Jesus has to say to the bride in revelation Chapter 3 and 4. Jesus tells the bride, the church, she has lost her first love. She is filled herself with false teachings, she idle, full of gossip, and immersed in sexual immorality, and she’s luke-warm and He’s about to spit her out of His mouth. Do those charges sound familiar? Because they echo down the halls of history and surely you can hear Jesus saying the same thing to you. But here’s the important point, no amount of dresses and flowers and make-up and invitations, can make you a bride. No amount of doing all the right things, trying to be a good person, or spiritual self-help will make you a bride. You are a bride because someone loves you. And in Revelation Chapter 21, that someone is Jesus. Can you imagine? Jesus loves you for better, for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness, and health, to death do us part. You never hear that on the shows… you have to open Scripture for that. Jesus, is the broom, and he makes you a bride. At the heart of the vision in Revelation 21 is not just the bride but the intimacy of the groom, who dwells among us. This is only the second time God the Father talks in the entire book of Revelation and what does he say? “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. I’m not surprised that Revelation ends where John’s Gospel begins. John 1:14, “The word became flesh and dwelled among us.” Can you see it? The plan is in plain view. God has woven his eternity with you for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, not even death can do us part. All things considered, we murdered the groom, we put him on a cross, yet he still loves you and I so much he still wants you as his bride. So it shall be. Because You are his bride. He has done it all for you. Paid the price of the wedding. Paid the price of your sin. There is nothing left to do but wait. His life and death has been done for you. And so we wait but we do it clothed in his righteousness… You are beautiful. You are dazzling white, You are a bride. Embrace the dream for you and for your city. Come Lord Jesus come quickly.
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May 11, 2025 - Revelation 7:9-17
Brothers and sisters in Christ, today marks a very special day. As I’m sure you are most readily aware; today is Mother’s Day. To all of the mothers in our congregation, happy Mother’s Day! Stephanie said something the other say that I think is very true. She said “the difference between fathers and mothers is that fathers love their children but the number one person in a father’s life is their wife. Mother’s love their husband but the number one person or persons in their live is their children.” Darlene recently posted, “A mother is the only person who falls in love with you before you’re born and never stops loving you no matter what.” A children grow inside a mother for 9 months. And then children are exclusively dependent upon the mother for milk for a least six months after that. And then children want/ need their mother for a lifetime. I guess it is a good thing that mothers, for the most part, love their children as seemingly unconditionally as humanly possible. Why? Because children are difficult. Already by 4 years old they say “I hate you” and when you tell them no, they say things like, “You don’t love me.” They lie about who hurt who or who stole what. But through it all, mothers read bedtime stories until the cow jumps over the moon and they’ll sing “Ten Little Monkeys” until they themselves want to call the doctor. Motherhood is a prime example of putting others before your own needs. Although Mother’s Day might not be a liturgical holiday, I believe a mother is a link to a child’s first impression of God love. For that reason I am not surprised that God the father would say about himself in the last Chapter of Isaiah, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” And that verse comes directly after a verse that says, “for you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts. You will delight in her overflowing abundance.” God the father describes himself as maternal and motherly. In seventh grade I had an English teacher named Dottie Wilhite, that’s a good ole southern name. Several things she taught me I still remember to this day. One day we had a creative writing assignment. The following day she used my paper as an example to the class. She held it up and read it out loud to make a big point. She said “do not mix your metaphors.” Miss Wilhite cared about communication and she said, “If you mix your metaphors people will miss-understand what you are trying to say.” So she took my piece of creative writing and she said, “An event can get burned into your memory and an event can wash over you all at once, but it cannot burn and wash at the same time. Fires burn. Water washes. But you have to make a choice because water and fire don’t mix. Don’t mix your metaphor.” I understand the point she was making. But I wonder if she would have held up the poetry of Isaiah to make the same point. In Chapter 64 Isaiah wrote “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” And then in Isaiah 66 he wrote, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you;” I guess one thing in Isaiah’s defense is that those metaphors are not in the same verse, not even in the same chapter. And perhaps in their original context they may even have been delivered in the context of different sermons. Either way, calling God a Father and calling God a mother is mixing metaphors. Is mixing your metaphors so bad? I can still hear her voice. And I think that is part of the reason I have a hard time hearing John’s voice in Revelation 7. Because John also mixes metaphors. I don’t know if you caught it, but he tells you about a throne where you would expect to find a king, but on that throne is seated a lamb… and before you can get over that, he says that lamb is a shepherd. And if that is not bad enough, at the very very end he puts them all together. He says “the lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will wipe away every tear.” Miss Wilhite is in the back of the church cringing because this is so wrong. In contrast, everyone present in the throne room is moved to worship and confess “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Why? Because what they saw was so right. Like last week, I want to emphasize John is recording for you what he saw. “After this I looked and behold…” Looking verbs, seeing verbs, and the interjection “Behold” appears throughout the Book of Revelation to make the obvious point that John saw the living, reigning, returning Jesus. And you should too. In Chapter 7 what are you to see? “The lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd.” God mixes metaphors not because he does not care about communication. He does. But he mixes metaphors because he cares about you. He knows it is only by mixing metaphors that you can see something that otherwise you would never be able to see in such clarity. It is like going to a theater. And in the balcony there is blue spot light on the left and a red spot light on the right and a green spot light in the center. And it is only when those lights come together when all of a sudden you see white. And something that was always there stands out as if you had never seen it before. That is what is happening in this reading. Did you notice the detail so small you might have otherwise missed it? “the lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will wipe away every tear.” The lamb wiping away a tear so small. How did you even notice it? Think about this vision. John has just seen thousands upon thousands of angels. He has seen 4 living creatures too bazar to describe. He has seen 24 elders on 24 thrones taking 24 crowns and laying them before the lamb. He has seen so many people from so many nations speaking so many languages none of them get named. Surely John is in sensory overload. And then when you think it can’t get any better, greater, or bigger, it gets greater by becoming smaller. So small that all you see is a lamb stooping down to wipe away a tear. Is that what you would notice? When there is so much to notice, like you just walked into the Sistine chapel, to your right and to your left and above you there are murals painted by Michael Angelo. When you first walk in, would the first thing you would notice in that building be some nun wiping a tear from a crying woman? In the throne room, that is what John sees “the lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will wipe away every tear.” A lamb becoming a shepherd is like a patient becoming the doctor. Of course we have all heard or experienced the doctor that has no earthly idea of what it is like to be a patient. They are in the room and out of the room, very efficient at their job but they don’t stay long in that room with the patient. Why? Maybe because they have several other patients or maybe because they have never had to stay long themselves. But consider when the patient becomes the physician. And that physician knows the value of staying in the room. He knows what it is like to have questions too fragile to ask. He knows the value of having someone in the room as you grapple to comprehend your diagnosis. The lamb who has become a shepherd is still a lamb. I, for one, was not expecting a lamb at all. But already somewhat familiar with the lamb imagery from Chapter 5, I would have assumed the imagery to shift away from the Lamb and onto the Good Shepherd sitting on his throne. But once again, that is not the image. In a strange move, the one who is shepherd is also simultaneously the Lamb. The one who guides us, protects us, and gives us strength, is also the one who is vulnerable. That is this image John wants you to see this Easter Season. And in more places than anything else, in the Book of Revelation, you are to see, “worthy to reign is the lamb who was slain for you.” The Lamb knows your suffering and sin, and the price of that knowledge was his own death. But when he rose, He did not forget that experience. He remembers it like the scares on your hand. And that shepherd knows what it means to wipe away your tears. This morning the church read from John’s vision, why? Not to confuse you or to mystify you in the mixing of metaphors, but to help you see something that you otherwise could not have seen. “Behold, the lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will wipe away every tear.” Not to lessen the Great Tribulation being referred to in Revelation Chapter 7, but I’m sure there have been times when you personally were quite convinced you were in a “Great Tribulation”. We have members that fought in wars. We have members what are first responders and nurses. There are people with cancer and people with health problems. Luther thought he was living through the Great Tribulation called the Black Plague. The Black Plague was killing 10,000 people a day, but Luther refused to close the Seminary in Wittenberg. Understand the force, the power, of the image of Revelation 7 is the Lamb, who is in the center of the scene, in the midst of things, He will also shepherd them, you, us. He will lead them, you, us to springs of life giving water. And he will wipe away every tear from their, your, our eyes. And so here we are, and our dear Christ, the Lamb of God, envelopes all of our tribulations into himself, making them his own, while at the same time, leading us, guiding us, protecting us, and strengthening us. Can you see it, the one who is shepherd is also the Lamb? By now, I’m sure you have noticed I like 70’s rock and roll. I believe I was born 30 years too late. There is a song written by the band Styx with these lyrics: And you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it Why must you be such an angry young man When your future looks quite bright to me How can there be such a sinister plan That could hide such a lamb, such a caring young man. Jesus, the Lamb, is in plain view. And the message of Christianity is that the Good Shepherd has become incarnate. The Good Shepherd has become like us in every way, he became broken like us for us, he carried the scares of death so that we don’t have to eternally. What an image to behold, that our shepherds would willingly take on the form of lamb, for us. There are a lot of images in the Book of Revelation, like Jesus on a white horse carrying a giant scepter, but this image of Jesus as simultaneous shepherd and Lamb it the predominant image that ought to inform everything else. Why must you be such an angry young man When your future looks quite bright to me… I don’t know about you, but these mixed metaphors suffices for me, that is, until the day when I get to see Jesus… in my own flesh and with my own eyes. Lord Jesus, in the midst of Tribulation, continue to guide us to springs of living water. In the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Amen.
May 4, 2025 - Revelation 5:8-14
Last week I mentioned “It is still Easter”. The fact of the matter is Easter is not just a once a year thing but a season… And it affects us all year long. This being the third week after Easter, I’ll say it once again… Happy Easter. He is risen, He is risen indeed, Alleluia! I’m sure you noticed that our Easter lectionary has taken us into the Book of Revelation. Revelation is an interesting choice to ease us into the Resurrection, would you agree? It is not controversial or mysterious in the least… The Book of Revelation has never caused anyone terror or misunderstanding… no not ever. Part of me hesitates to preach on the Book of Revelation. The Book threatens that if anyone takes away from it or adds to it, that God would add to him the plagues described in the Book. That’s a fearful position to willingly put myself, especially, when I have a much clearer Gospel lesson I could preach on. Luther once said about the Book, “that all who keep the words are supposed to be blessed, yet no one knows what they mean… so that is just the same as if we did not have the book at all. If there was an award for the most strange and mysterious Book in the Bible, it would go to the Book of Revelation. At times it’s strange. At times its frightening, and some people’s interpretations of those texts do not help in the least. But the question I want you to consider this morning, is whether or not all those strange interpretations are the point of the Book of Revelation. Is the book supposed to scare us or is it supposed to help us in the present see Jesus. I maintain to you the point is that you might see Jesus. It is no surprise that the expression “behold” is the most repeated phrase in the Book. Behold or look is found almost 30 times. The Book itself is called “Revelation” a vision. John wants you to see Jesus through his eyes. In Revelation Chapter 4 John cries out “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him. So shall it be! Amen.” Last week we read from Revelation Chapter 1, and if you recall from last week, John saw Jesus. In the midst of his persecution on the Island of Patmos, Jesus, the firstborn of the dead, the ruler of Kings, the Alpha and Omega, this resurrected triumphant Jesus, showed up. And Jesus commanded John to not only behold but also record what he saw. And what did he see? Before we consider the text, let’s consider your situation. Have you ever been stranded? Maybe you’ve never been boiled alive and left to die on the Island of Patmos, but it might have been a relationship that got overcooked, or you’ve been in a charred up economy… maybe you’ve lost your job, your health, your strength… have you ever had car trouble? It was Thanksgiving Eve and Stephanie, the kids, and I left after the church service on Wednesday night and on our way to TN we hit a deer. The car was wrecked and we were stranded. Sure, I could call the local police department and a local tow truck and I did, but none the less, nothing could change the fact that it was nearing midnight and we were on the side of the highway with the fender wrapped around the front wheel and we were felt stranded… I mention that story because before we get to Revelation Chapter 5:8-14, before we get to John and the angels and all the creatures celebrating, singing, and worshiping Jesus, before we get to that, they are in Chapter 5: 1-7 stranded. Of course being in the throne room of God and seeing the lamb who was slain and now very much alive is reason enough to celebrate and worship; but verses 8-14 only gives us a partial picture. Because in verse 4 John is not worshiping. What is he doing? He’s weeping, uncontrollably. He is weeping because there is a scroll containing the words of God and no one could open it. I must admit I have never wept over a scroll. And to be fair, if you keep reading, you will see what happens when the scroll is opened. It afflicts the earth with wars, with plagues, with famines, and a whole lot more. How are we to understand these things? After all, we are in the Easter Season, and that should inform us of everything else. What is most apparent on Easter? It is that God can and does work through opposites. Meaning, something what might appears evil to us, actually may be in fact the work of God. The crucifixion for example appears evil to us, but in the hands of God, it brings forth our salvation. I once heard someone say, John is nuts. He must have went literally insane after they put him in the vat of oil. Let’s be honest, it’s crazy. Crazy enough to be true. Because had I written the Book, for the purpose to helping people see Jesus in the midst of their trials and persecution, do you think I would have recorded seeing a lamb sitting on a throne, looking as if it has been slain??? John and the elders realize they are stranded, that the whole world is stuck, and that the only solution is that the scroll containing the words of life be opened, but how? Unable to find anyone in heaven or on earth capable, John is moved to weep. John weeps until Jesus showed up. But consider the image, “And then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain,”. Now if I had written this book, I would have wanted to continue the image of Jesus being the Lion of Judah that we get very briefly in Verse 6… or how about the conquering messiah riding on a white horse of Rev. 7, but that is not what John saw. What John saw was a lamb sitting on the throne still carrying the scars of death. There could not be a more surprising and shocking image, especially in the season of Easter. What we have as the symbol of Christianity is not a warrior king but a wounded lamb. Although it appears foolish to the world, the cross and the lamb who was on it has brought us redemption. When this lamb speaks the scroll is opened and the Word of life is proclaimed. Now, and only now, can you have life, redemption, forgiveness in His name. The lamb has done it all, and it is a great preview of what is to come… because in Revelation Chapter 21 every tear will be wiped from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. And He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Given all of what Jesus has done for us, the proper response… the only response is worship. I’d go as far as to say Revelation Chapter 5 is the most powerful display of worship in all the Bible. And interestingly enough, in the Book of Revelation, Angels take up the Song of Moses. They are singing the Song of Moses except this time they renamed it and have changed many of the words. They call it the Song of the Lamb. When we, like them, realize we don’t have all the answers, and on our own we are stranded, stuck in our situation we find ourselves with no hope and nowhere to turn, it is only when the Risen Lord finally shows up that our situation begins to change. He intervenes for our sake. He brings us together. We see the scares, but He is no longer dead, and we are no longer stranded. I cannot say anything about those who are not moved to worship. I will not say anything about those who are not inclined to get out of bed or those who would rather have a bagel than the Lord’s Supper. What I will say is I feel in good and safe company to be here worshiping along with you and along with the elders and angels and the myriads of myriads. And I like them, upon considering what Jesus did for me, am moved to confess: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” I hope you can see the Book of Revelation is not meant to scare you… I mean there are scary things in this book. But it is meant to help you see Jesus in your current situation. This lamb who was slain has opened to you everlasting life. And he has not left you to your own devices. He is with you here and now. There are many who would love to use the book as scare tactics. But what is there to be afraid of? Jesus who was and is, the alpha and Omega, and very Lamb of God, has risen from the dead and now sits on the throne. What a powerful hope filled image. That is not to say, the Book of Revelation is not full of mystery and it at times has troubling depictions of evil which could tempt us to wonder whether Christ is truly on his throne. Reminding you of this truth is the point of the Book of Revelation. At the heart of the book, behold Jesus Christ, your Savior. Let Jesus be a word of hope for you, that the God who brought creation into being, has come into it to redeem it, and more than that, he will return for us. Until then, the proper response, the only response, to all of this is worship. So with all the company of heaven and earth, I too will take up a new song: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” In the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, trust your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Amen!”
April 27, 2025 - John 20:19-33
Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is one week after we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord. Looking forward, we are now in the 50 days leading to Pentecost. That means, we are in the 50 days of the Church year that is symbolic of the 50 days before God sent the Holy Spirit to his followers in Acts Chapter 2. It is 50 days before the conversion of those initial thousands into the Church. We are remembering that in just 50 days we will be celebrating what many would call the “birth of the Christian Church.” Now let us look back for a minute, Lent is over. Those 40 days of penitential personal reflection and self-discipline, they are behind us. But let us for the last time take one moment to reflect. How was your Lenten pilgrimage? Was your devotion an example to anyone? Did you encourage your children and friends to fix their eyes on the cross? Throughout the season of Lent, were you growing and growing and growing in your awareness of Christ’s presence in your faith life? Did your personal piety and devotional life spring forth fresh like an Easter Lillie? I know I’ve said this a lot, but I think if we are honest with ourselves the answer is no… I think the evidence is right in front of us. Those 40 days were yet another Lenten pilgrimage made by struggling sinners rather than saints … we are so easily exhausted by the events of our lives that, now, even one week after Easter, we can find ourselves wandering and adrift, searching for meaning and purpose? God forbid, but it happens at times, we find ourselves wondering if the resurrection actually took place. But let us not forget about last Sunday and how we marched with the living cross held high. The altar was adorned with flowers and we sang all the “alleluias” that had been suppressed for the past 40 days. It was a time of celebration and new beginnings. They are new beginnings because “He is risen.” “He is risen indeed, Alleluia.” I think in the midst of the celebration around us we are able to forget, at least for a short time, about ourselves and our sinfulness. I suppose the short reprieve might be a good thing, but one week after Easter it returns. The struggling, the temptation, the sadness, the sickness, and the bad decisions are back so soon. Jesus didn’t you raise from the dead? I expected things to be different now. As you can imagine, the disciples were a bit baffled by everything that had recently occurred. The disciples were confused about the Messiah and how his death on a cross could be the solution… to anything. It is not surprising they felt this way. I mean, they expected a political leader, a king. The Jesus that rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, they wanted that man… But to be sure, God had a different plan for Jesus. Recall with me the text from John Chapter 20. The Chapter begins on Easter Sunday. We are told that the disciples have locked themselves into the “upper room” because stories were circulating that some of the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus. I would just like to point out that Matthew takes particular care to dispel this rumor because he states three times that the tomb was guarded by armed soldiers. But as you can imagine, the disciples were well aware of the danger that surrounded them. They were afraid that the Jews would come for them just as they had come for Jesus. So now with the body missing, you can imagine the tension. You can imagine their fear filled and troubled hearts cowering in the upper room. I assure you they were not considering the implications of the resurrection at this time. I imagine rather that they were thinking about themselves and how they had lost everything. They had given up everything to follow Jesus and now they had nothing. No Jesus, no jobs, no families, nowhere to turn. Look at them now. They have resorted to locking themselves into a room. Some Easter, Huh? Now we turn to Thomas. One week has passed. That means it was one week after the appearance to the disciples in the upper room. Not surprisingly, Verse 26 reads almost exactly like verse 19 because both events are recorded as if to say they had taken place in the same way: Sunday evening, doors are locked, Jesus stood among them, he said, “Peace be with you.” John is making abundantly clear that the appearance to Thomas was just like the previous appearance a week earlier. This is important to note because Thomas often receives unwarranted chastisement. Unbelieving Thomas, how could you? Let me remind you that Peter, John, and the other disciples (John 20:2-5) demanded to see the empty tomb to confirm Mary’s testimony only one chapter ago. Thomas is not meant to stand alone, but rather to be yet again indicative of the whole. So with that being said, let me ask you this, do you ever struggle with your faith? You probably do and like Thomas John knew you would. He knew his audience would not have the luxury of seeing Jesus. I imagine that is why John made a point to include these words of Jesus, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” I would like to point out that these words of Jesus are not meant to rebuke Thomas, but rather it is providing an opportunity to call for belief which is based upon the witness of others not on sight. John later wrote, “I have written these words that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” These words of John have been written for you this morning. These words were spoken and recorded with concern for you. You see, our faith is not based upon nothing. It is based first and foremost upon the resurrection, but it is also based upon the eye witness accounts. If it were not for their seeing of Jesus we would have nothing to hear. So consider the paradigm… “Come and see the place,” the angels said. “Now go tell the others.” I suppose Jesus could have just made it known to everyone in the blink of an eye, but Jesus wanted for all believers to keep following the pattern. What’s the pattern? The pattern is… the tomb is empty, now go tell the others and do it quickly. Don’t sit around. Go! Keep telling one another… you’ve got to hear what happened… Haven’t you heard? Jesus has risen and He desires to meet with you… every Sunday here in church whether we have failed or have been failed against, he wants you to be in His presence. Only in His presence we can say with certainly that the battle has already been won. It is our mission to fill our lives and other’s lives with the resurrection again and again and again. It is the only comfort in this life. I don’t know if you are familiar with Maren Morris’ song my church that plays on the radio. I find holy redemption When I put my car in drive Roll the windows down and turn up the dial Can I get a hallelujah Can I get an amen Feels like the Holy Ghost running through ya When I play that song again I find my soul revival Singing every single verse Yeah I guess that's my church I guess I should say that I’m not surprised by these lyrics, but I hope that you can see that she has really missed the point. Church is not about the music or the theatrics. It is not about emotions. It is not even about the people. So what is it about? It is about the resurrection because the only way you are going to get any holy redemption for your soul’s revival is through the resurrection. I would like to leave you with some application to consider. Imagine yourself as a musician. But, you play an instrument in the only band of professional blind musicians on the planet… by the way this actually exists. Now the conductor steps up and begins to quietly snap his fingers to give you the tempo. The band begins to play and the whole rest of the song he conducted by his breath… because you can hear him. Now listen to me. This is what you do with what you have just heard. You are all blind musicians. You cannot see the resurrection. There is no way for you to confirm with your eyes the story you have heard with your ears, but obviously that does not mean it did not happen. So close our eyes and experience the word. Although you cannot see it, you can hear it, that is, if you listen close enough. Listen and let me remind you, we will be celebrating the sending of the Holy Spirit in just six weeks. (breath) You’re in Church this day. In this place you can hear the “edges” of his breath. (breath) Jesus appeared among them and breathed on them saying “peace be with you.” (breath) Jesus is among us in this room and just as he told his disciples that evening, I forgive you all of your sins. Peace be with you… believe.” (breath) Take and eat. This is my body. This is my blood. Do this in remembrance of me. (breath) It is still Easter. Jesus is risen, He is risen indeed, Alleluia.
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April 20, 2025 - Isaiah 65:17-25
Grace mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Dear friends in Christ, He has risen! He has risen indeed, Alleluia. Today I dare to proclaim: Alleluia, a word that had been removed from the vocabulary of the church for the past 40 days. And now on account of Jesus my Savior, on account of the empty tomb and the resurrection of my Lord, I dare to say “I know that my Redeemer lives. Alleluia! It has become apparent to me recently that cities spend big bucks on marketing campaigns. A few of years ago, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania spent 20 million dollars trying to market their city. Philos-Adelphos means brotherly love. One might think a name like that would be enough to create a brand. But they paid 20 million dollars for their modo “Philadelphia, the city that loves you back.” I personally don’t think good vibe mottos can make up for things like high crime rates. I wouldn’t want the job of having to market Detroit. Before I lived here, I moved in Florence, AL? I would describe Florence as a classy city. Their symbol was the Fur Elise and it was on everything, street signs, banners, everything. That is until they decided to rebrand. They paid a firm in Birmingham and what they came up with was “live for more city… F!” I’m not making this up. Their symbol went from the Fur Elise to “F!”… that was until there was a public uproar for obvious reasons. What about Wildwood? How would we market our city? And why I’m I talking about this on Easter Sunday? Hear this marketing campaign… “Free” underlined italicized bold-print free golden mansions in a golden city. With 100% pure water. Free transportation. Beautiful music. Perfect climate. Immunity to all pain and pandemics. No taxes, no hidden fees. No fine print. Who could make an offer like that? To a future like that. To a city like that? Answer, Jesus. Only Jesus… Jesus can and Jesus does. Oliver told me the other night he had a dream that he went to heaven and met God. He said it was wonderful and he had no sin. On this day of days, we boldly confess, that although three days ago Jesus was arrested, tortured, and betrayed, although he was crucified died and buried, it was not the end for Him or for us. Good Friday was not the end. Christ is alive. Death has no more dominion over him. Heaven’s best took Hell’s worst and triumphed. Christ is risen… He is risen indeed Alleluia! The Book of Isaiah prophesies Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and the New Jerusalem, but if we are honest, you have to slog through a lot of sin and judgement to get there. Finally, and I mean finally, at the end of Chapter 65, we have arrived at Easter and Isaiah is rolling out his marketing campaign for his favorite city, the New Jerusalem. And let’s be honest, trying to describe the indescribable is honestly harder than trying to market a city like Detroit or St. Louis (Does that offend you? Maybe that’s too close to home. Let’s stick with Detroit). Isaiah resorts to using idioms and images and word plays so we can understand but it will be even greater than anything he could describe or imagine. Perhaps we can understand more than we think. Because the “New” Jerusalem will not be a creation ex nihilo, meaning a creation out of nothing, like the first one. The Bible does not teach that. The Bible teaches it will be creation ex veteret. Meaning, creation out of the old. God could have said, I will make all things new. The former things will pass away. But instead he said “I’ll make all things new and the former things will not come to mind.” Our God is a renewing God, a reforming God, a recreating God, a resurrection God. Therefore, this city is not new it is renewed… just as Christ himself did not get a new body in the resurrection. But he got a renewed body. And as Paul teaches, “Easter informs everything!” The gift of citizenship to this holy city is a gift and it is given to all who trust in the shed blood and the empty tomb of Jesus. And we need it. We need to dare to believe in our risen savior and our heavenly citizenship in this city of perfection. I use the phrase “dare to believe” because our greatest challenge of our time is not a virus, nor is it gas prices, or inflation, or tariffs, or wars, or rumors of wars… it is how we respond to these things. And as people of the resurrection, we choose to respond to these things not with despair, not with hopeless resignation, not with fear or anxiety. No, we choose to respond with HOPE! Hope permeates the Easter message as well as Isaiah 65. And this is God’s promise in Isaiah 65: a Hope for renewed tomorrow will change how you live today. I say that… and assume all of you believe that, but has Easter really changed anything? Turn on the news and it’s not all that obvious. There were 2 mass shoots this past week. Flood waters are encroaching. Tornadoes and more predicted tonight. Tariff wars. Oh how I love the news. God reminds us of a hope for renewed tomorrow- which is so glorious that, it is not so much that we will forget about the past and all that happened in it, but the future present will inform our understanding of everything else and the past will be by comparison irrelevant. Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Biblical hope instills resilience and faith now. Biblical hope gives you the power to get up every day. Biblical hope for renewed tomorrow changes the way you will live now. That is why Isaiah rolls out this Easter Sunday marketing campaign right into the midst of an exiled people. He wants you, even now, to hunger and thirst for Biblical hope. Perhaps you heard this story about a young five year old girl. She was spending the night for the first time with her best friend. It was going well until the sun set and it got dark. She started getting really scared. Her friend’s mother came up to her and said honey are you homesick. And with childhood innocence, she said no I’m not homesick, I’m here-sick. That’s us. We are a here-sick people. And I for one, am sick of being sick. I’m sick of seeing and hear about children dying too soon. I’m sick of seeing and hearing about old men not living out their days in full. Here we are, on Easter, here-sick; because there’s something better there. Until we get there, there is an antidote. Faith in the resurrection. I suppose we should acknowledge that Easter is calling us to think differently about the things we think we know. It is calling for us to have God’s logic even as it relates to something as indisputable as death. James Dean, the American film legion was once asked, “What is the thing you respect above all else? He said, “That’s easy. Death. It is the only undeniable truth. Everything else can be questioned but death is truth. In it lies the only nobility for man. In it lies the only hope.” James Dean died at the ripe age of 24. Do not put your trust in death; however, James Dean was on to something. Because do we realize Christianity was born in a grave yard? On Easter the strangest news that had ever been herald began in a cemetery and spread like a wildfire. Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead. And no one expected it. Today, 2000 years after the fact, I, like them, have been sent, to tell you, Jesus goes before you into Death so that you can have life eternally with him. What difference does the Resurrection of Jesus Christ make? It makes all the difference in the world! Death has been the ultimate victor for ages. But then on Easter all that changed. On Easter our loving God intervened. The truth is that human beings are powerless when it comes to death… that much is indisputable, but the crucial point Easter makes, is that God can and does intervene. Peter made that abundantly clear in his sermon he preached on Pentecost. He said, “You nailed Jesus to a cross and put Him to death. But God intervened and He raised Him up again and God put an end to the agony of death.” How do we know He will intervene for us? Woody Allen once said, “Maybe the lion and the lamb will lie down together but the lamb won’t get much sleep.” We chuckle at that, because we know that seems to be closer to the truth. Jesus, apparently rose from the dead and nothing has changed. And Isaiah preached of a new Jerusalem which still has not come. Isaiah preached never mind your failures. Never mind your sin and mortality. God will intervene to make all things new. Because he is not only capable but he cares and we can certainly see that in Jesus. In a parallel prophesy to Isaiah 65, and I call it parallel; because it also predicts the new Jerusalem, Zechariah in Chapter 14 says how do we know the new Jerusalem is on its way? He says “The Lord will go forth and fight.” The Lord will intervene. On this day of days he is the fighter but also understand the enemy. Paul called death the last enemy in 1 Corinthians 15. On Easter Jesus fought death and death lost. On Easter death died and life is triumphant. Do you feel the victor this morning? Or does it feel everything is against you? Sometimes holidays overwhelm me because I have to work twice as hard, I have to cook an elaborate meal, and many times entertain family. As we should have learned from COVID, those things are not chores, they are a privilege. But the message of Easter is that Christ is the victor and He fights for you. Even you with that bad attitude. Even me with my bad attitude. Open your eyes and behold, yes even you, behold what I am doing in my one-of-a- kind city. There will be gladness and rejoicing forever. No more weeping and no more distress. In this city death is not the undeniable truth. Jesus is. Left to our own devices, your best bet is one of beating the odds. Some like the odds that would say staying out of large groups, stay home and you’ll be healthier or eating only organic foods and filter your water and you will live longer. Maybe but I’m not going to hang my security in the odds. I’m going to hang my security on Jesus. Isaiah says… Isaiah promises… we can have security, maybe not now but in the renewed world to come. Any of you remember that John Lenin song “Imagine”. Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try. No hell below us, above us only sky. That might be your temptation, even on Easter, tempted to think all of this talk about a city of perfection where there is no death is just talk. Easter jargon, imaginative wishful thinking. Pie in the sky sentimental rubbish. It’s not any of that. It is as real as Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is not surprising that the eleven found the words of the women to be unbelievable at best. To be fair, I too admit that it does sound like a remarkable tail, an unbelievable story that is too good to be true even on Easter. But the crucial point Easter makes, is that God can and does intervene. How do we know He will do this? How can we be sure of anything, other than death? Brothers and sisters in Christ, take note of the empty tomb. “Do not be alarmed,” the angel said. “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. But He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” Luke’s account goes on to tell us it was Peter who leaped up and ran to the empty tomb and saw it for himself. The last time we heard about Peter in the Gospel account he was weeping bitterly in the dead of night because he had denied being a follower of Jesus. How gracious is our God. That He was not just raised for the loyal but for sinners… sinners, like Peter,… like me. We have hope. Because dear friends the tomb is empty. And we know Jesus knows all about life. John 6, “I am the bread of life.” John 11, I am the resurrection and the life. John 14, “I am the way the truth and the life.” In Revelation 1 Jesus said, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!” The Lord of Life, who defeated death, gives us all the gifts of the New Jerusalem. He gives it regardless of your past, or race, or economic standing, or nationality, he gives it to all who believe in Jesus, the Lord of life. Someone once asked what gives you hope. People said, the phrase “I love you.” Some people said, “I forgive you.” others said “Supper’s ready.” That’s Isaiah 65. I love you so much that I will give you all these gospel gifts. I love you. I forgive you. And the supper’s ready. The New Jerusalem will have the feast of the lamb. Until then, the Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of the feast to come. But here is the bottom line. You cannot ignore the resurrection. The resurrection silenced all the doubters and every sceptic in the text. So even now, how about you? Believe and you will have life in his name because He is risen. He is risen indeed Alleluia.
April 18, 2025 - John 19
When we began the season of Lent 39 days ago (not counting Sundays), on Ash Wednesday, we remembered that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Today, on the second to last day in Lent, we have gone full circle. Lent began with big ugly black ash crosses drawn on our foreheads and today Lent ends with an equally big black cross-shaped shadow drawn over our lives. I couple of hours ago, I made sure to get here early, early enough to wipe the blood off the cross. I was worried it might be too offensive to some. I probably shouldn’t have done that. Because I would hate for that cross to be less offensive than our sin that put him there. “I find no fault in him,” Declared Pilot. Three times he declared this. For as far as Pilot could tell, Jesus posed no real threat to anything that would concern him. But “Crucify him,” they cried. “Crucify the false prophet,” they demanded. “If you release him you yourself will be guilty of treason against Caesar.” “For anyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” “Shall I crucify your King,” Pilot asked. “We have no king but Caesar.” “You have spoken,” Pilot replied. I mean, as long as we are all clear as to who the one and only king of the Cosmos is. As long as we are all clear about who it is that truly reigns. As long as we have all agreed that allegiance and service to Caesar is everything. Pilot washed his hands and then delivered Jesus over to the Jews to be crucified. As I am sure many of you have already figured out, this evening we will be reflecting upon the trial of Jesus. I imagine I would hear no objections when I say that the trial of Jesus was severely corrupt. As we recall from previous Chapters of John, the environment leading up to this trial was full of scheming, plotting, lies and bribes. In the trial, itself, we can see more of the same. Injustice was rampant. But I think we need to be very careful as to not place all the blame for Jesus’ crucifixion solely on the Jews and Pilot. Sure they played a major role, but you see, we need to recall that in the Gospel of John, Jesus’ disciples betrayed him, denied him, and in the final analysis they, too, abandoned him. This means that Jesus’ crucifixion happened at the expense of everyone, that is, Pilot, Herod, Caiaphas, the disciples, and all the Jewish people combined. This is indeed an important point because the Gospel of John leads us to admit, that if we would have been there, we too would have done the same thing. We would have “crucified” Christ. Yes, it would have been us that betrayed him, denied him, and abandoned him. We would have been among the crowd that cried out, “Crucify him.” So as we reflect this evening, one must admit that Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, at least in part, happened at our expense and by our hand. After all, it is our sin that put Jesus on the Cross. Recall the words of the song, “Were you there when they crucified my lord?” The crucifixion certainly can cause us to tremble, can’t it. And I think that it is only after we acknowledge our guilt in the matter, that we can then go on to acknowledge something far more profound. I say that because of this, God had to do something. If God simply turned a blind eye to sin, He would not be perfectly just. Due to God’s very nature, every sin and every wrongdoing needs its just reward. And so, this brings up an interesting question. You see, so often I hear the accusation from the outside saying, “how could a loving God send anyone to Hell?” “He wouldn’t dare do anything like that, would he?” I think a more challenging question which so few seem to be asking is this one, “how could an all just God send anyone to heaven?” It seems to me that there is a very real dilemma between perfect justice on the one hand that demands punishment for sins rightly deserved, and perfect love and compassion on the other hand that offers reconciliation and forgiveness freely given. We can certainly see both of these themes played out in Scripture. In Genesis 19 God put a stop to Sodom and Gomorrah even after Abraham’s plead. You know the story, no “righteous” men could be found. To be sure, they received their just reward. But in a similar case, why did God choose to spare Abram? “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” At that time in Genesis 12, God declared Abram righteous, but we are forgetting this major point… Let me read to you a note I found in the Lutheran Study Bible which says this at the bottom of Chapter 12 verse 2, “The Lord called Abram out of idolatry, in which he deserved nothing but condemnation and eternal death. This was not because Abram merited God’s favor. Instead, God demonstrated His mercy and grace in calling an idolater out of pagan surroundings and affiliation, setting him apart from the world of false belief to live by the promise of his grace. By choosing Abram, an idolater, God demonstrated that it is not by works but by grace that we are saved.” From these two cases, I think you can see the seemingly incompatibility of these two concepts. So how do they relate to each other? How are we to understand this? Well, I think the answer can be found in Chapter 19 of John’s Gospel. I say this because it is at the cross of Christ where these two themes surely meet. It is at the cross of Christ where we see that God’s justice and wrath is poured out on sin. It is also at the cross of Christ where we see the love of God as God himself takes on human flesh and bears the very death penalty that his own justice demanded. So at the cross we see the unfathomable love of God for Christ suffered and endured our penalty, yet at the same time, we also see the perfect holiness and justice of God as the terrible punishment for sin is perfectly paid by a sinless Savior. As you can see these two themes are reconciled in Christ’s atoning death. For it is at the Cross of Christ that we see the contrast between our disgraceful injustice and God’s perfect justice. I hope that you can see from all of this that God chose to take this unjust trial that was meant to put a permanent stop to Jesus and make it into the trigger for greatest redemptive event of human history. There is one last thing that I would like to leave with you this evening, Christ was crucified because he claimed to be God’s anointed and the herald of the Kingdom of God. God’s raising of Jesus from the dead vindicates Him in the most public way from all the allegedly blasphemous claims for which he was crucified. Jesus Christ’s resurrection, shows us that he is exactly as he claimed to be. He was and still is God’s anointed. He was and still is the herald of the Kingdom of God. Most importantly, He was and still the king of the Jews, but certainly not just the king of the Jews. He was and still is the king of all things. Who is your allegiance to? I hope not Caesar… Like it or not, in the end we will all find ourselves before this perfect king. Know that those of faith will be declared righteous just like Abram on account of the work of Christ. But also know that at that time the world’s corruption and injustice will be stifled and a far better world leader will be put in its place. Ultimately, we await the day when Christ returns.
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