Exaudi - Seventh Sunday of Easter

Introit (Psalm 27)

1 Peter 4:7–14

St. John 15:26–16:4

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Last Sunday, our Lord told us rogate, that means, “Ask.” He gave us a promise that when we pray our Father will answer. This Sunday, we respond to this promise by saying, exaudi, that means, “Hear.” When our God tells us to ask of Him, then it is only right that we start praying. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!

There seems to be a lot of crying aloud these days. Not necessarily crying aloud in grief, certainly not crying in repentance over sin, and probably not crying to God for help either. But there’s a lot of crying aloud in outrage and fear, people crying out that they are offended. Our college campuses are full of young adults crying for “safe spaces.” Our courts are listening to people who are crying that they be accommodated even in their self-delusions, as they insist that there is no created difference between men and women. Now I will admit that a lot of the crying going on in our country has been coming from my own generation, people in their 30s and younger. But these millennials were taught by the generations before them, and in any case, much of our society has bought into the idea that each and every one of us is special, that we can do whatever we think we should be able to do, and that we should be protected from anything or anyone that might tell us “No.” My generation might be the worst, but I think all of us must admit to some degree that we are incredibly weak minded. We are incapable of making distinctions between right and wrong, and holding fast to these convictions. Yet at the same time, our weak minds are quite capable of thinking far too highly of ourselves. So when faced with adversity our reaction is to protest, and cry aloud like the teenager, “Nobody’s listening to me!”

This is not the same as the Christian crying aloud in prayer to the Father, because the Lord has told us to cry to Him. He says, rogate – Ask the Father. We say, exaudi – Hear me. We don’t expect Him to listen because we think He should. We don’t cry aloud for our ideas of fairness or safety. We expect Him to hear because we know He wants to. We cry to Him because He has told us to do just that, and we want His answers, His ideas for justice, protection, and our well-being.

In Psalm 27 the Lord says, “Seek My face.” And we respond, “Your face, Lord, do I seek; hide not Your face from me.” He wants us to find Him and know Him. And that is why we ask Him to hear us. That is why we have confidence to pray and cry aloud, not shouting vainly into a megaphone, but like dear children we calmly and reverently ask our dear Father.

The weak-minded souls of this world have much to fear because they do not have the conviction that comes from the Holy Spirit’s Word. They lack the absolute certainty of salvation by the forgiveness of sins in the blood of Jesus. And they do not know the love that the Father has for all who are baptized into His Son. So when a leaf rustles they shout and cry in fear. When they’re told that they are wrong and must repent, they chafe against it because they are afraid. They have no sure defense, no solid foundation, apart from their own hearts and minds that have been twisted and confused by sin.

But the Christian is not afraid or weak when confronted by danger or lies. Not because the Christian is so courageous or strong on his own, but because the Christian has the Lord. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? The crucified, risen, and ascended Lord is on your side. His death satisfied God’s wrath. His blood demolishes the accusations of the devil and even quiets the fearful objections of our consciences. His resurrection is the proof that we have peace with God and we have power over the enemies of sin and Satan. Jesus lives. The victory is won.

And yet, it’s not over till it’s over. And as long as this world is allowed to endure, the enemies of God still run rampant, threatening and attempting to do as much damage as they can to God’s Church and to themselves. The reason people cry and lash out at the Truth is because they are afraid. They have not known the Father, nor Jesus, so they are afraid of God and they are afraid of themselves, afraid of what they have made themselves by their sinful rebellion against His will.

So when we are attacked by these enemies, attacked by Satan, by our sinful minds, and by the poor deluded souls in this world that reject God’s Word, then we go to our Father and ask for His help. We are not afraid. We pray. Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;  for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.

While none of us want to have enemies, no Christian should be surprised by it. Jesus told His disciples, “The hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me.” Just a few paragraphs earlier Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” Nevertheless, even though we should not be surprised by this, we do not suffer it stoically, without feeling or thinking or speaking out. Psalm 27 cries aloud to God: Hear me and teach me because of enemies and false witnesses. We ask our God to pay attention to the lies that are spoken to us and about us that He may comfort us with the truth. We are surrounded by the noise of false teaching and sin, so we need God to cut through it all and shine the light of His face upon us. We need Him to guide us in His Way so that we know what is right.

Now, Satan is the chief adversary of the Christian, the leading false witness. He accuses us of sin that has been atoned for by Jesus. He would have us believe that we are not forgiven and so cause us to despair of God’s mercy and protection. And then there are the other false witnesses that rise up from among our fellow men. They call Christians bigoted and sexist, intolerant and narrow-minded. They seek to discredit us in the eyes of the world, triumphantly pointing out when we fail to live by God’s commands, calling us hypocrites and liars. Like Satan, they want us to despair of our hope in God and give up the convictions that we have from God’s Word. Satan breathes out violence and it is carried out by the mouths and hands of unbelieving men intent on hurting God’s Christians. Their words do violence to reputations. Their teaching does violence to marriage and the family. Their actions do violence against the womb and the life that is sheltered and nurtured there. They do violence against the Christians who refuse to bend the knee to any other god. In summary, they breathe out violence against God’s Word, that is His Way and Truth, which the Spirit of Truth has revealed in Holy Scripture.           

False witnesses breathe out violence. But Jesus breathes out the Holy Spirit. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. The Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, He bears witness to you about Jesus. He is the opposite of the false witnesses. He witnesses to the Truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection. With His Word He comforts you with the assurance that your sins are forgiven because of Jesus and the Father receives you as His beloved child. Picture yourself in God’s courtroom: Jesus, your Advocate, stands before God on your behalf, contradicting the demonic accusations with His blood. And the Holy Spirit is the counselor, the attorney sitting by your side, whispering in your ear, “Don’t worry. We’ve got this in the bag. It doesn’t matter what any adversary says. You are righteous on account of Christ and you have nothing to fear.”

This knowledge from the Holy Spirit also strengthens you to bear witness about Jesus to the world. Jesus breathes out the Spirit for you so that you may learn God’s Way and confess, speak aloud His Word of Truth. The Holy Spirit comforts and strengthens your conviction in God’s Word so that you may say, your “Amen” when God condemns the unrepentant and also say your “Amen” when God forgives those who repent and believe. Although Christians are susceptible to the ways of this world, they are also different from the fearful and weak-minded belonging to this world. You are baptized. That makes you different. You hear and believe God’s Word. That makes you different. Being baptized and believing means you have the Holy Spirit the Comforter.  Jesus has sent Him and continues to send Him to you in these ways.

So whom shall you fear? The Lord is on your side. He has not hidden His face from you. He bids you to seek Him in His Holy Word and Sacraments, precisely where He has promised to be found. And He certainly hears when you cry aloud.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

            He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Ascension of Our Lord

Preached at St. John Lutheran Church, Clinton, Iowa

Ephesians 1:15–23

St. Luke 24:44–53

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The ascension of our Lord was not an afterthought, or one last hurrah before He was seen no more. It’s not simply a tidy and awe-inspiring way to get Jesus neatly back into heaven where He belongs. His ascension to the right hand of the Father is the consequence of Christ’s victory and the culmination of our salvation. Jesus offered the sacrifice of His blood in payment for the sins of the world. He redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. For that reason, the Father raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named. The same Jesus who was born of a Virgin in Bethlehem is seated on the throne of heaven. The same Jesus who walked the hills of Galilee and hungered in the wilderness is ruling with all authority and power. The same Jesus whose blood was shed and whose head was crowned with thorns is gloriously alive and crowned with divine majesty.

Psalm 47 sings, God has gone up with a shout. But the only way for God to go up is that He first come down. And He did. Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. And your Lord, indeed, the Lord of heaven and earth. The antiphon, God has gone up with a shout, summarizes the two perfect natures of Christ. He is God, and this God goes up, that means, this God is a man. So with His ascension this Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, is enthroned in glory at the Father’s right hand.

And this is where we must leave our limited earthly notions of space behind. The right hand of the Father is not a physical place, and the human nature of Jesus that came forth from the Virgin’s womb and was nailed to a cross, is not now confined to a particular place, strapped to some golden chair. Instead, God’s right hand is a figure of speech referring to God’s power that is active always and everywhere. As true God, the Son of God always possessed this power and already had all things under His authority. But now, Jesus, as true Man, possesses this power and has all things under His feet. This was even true during His earthly life, but He didn’t fully use this power. Now in His ascension, Jesus, the God-Man, always and everywhere possesses and uses His power. The Ascension doesn’t change who Jesus is. He is still true God and true Man. But it changes how He works and how He is present with us, His Church.

This might all seem like pretty high-minded stuff, not very down to earth. Many people would find it strange that we’re taking the time to contemplate such impractical things. But if Christ’s human nature is ascended on high, then certainly we can raise our human minds and hearts to think upon such high and heavenly things. And if Christ is glorified as a man, and is also present with us now, still as a man, then the ascension is no useless theological trivia. It is a source of great comfort and strength for us who share that same human nature.

And the early Lutherans realized this too. The ascension of Jesus became a focus for controversy between the Lutherans and the Reformed. The Reformed asserted that Christ’s human nature was confined to heaven at the right hand of God, so it couldn’t possibly be present anywhere else, certainly not in the Lord’s Supper. Today, almost all Protestant churches hold this view, including the present-day Reformed Churches, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, and the great variety of non-denominational churches. Against all that, the Lutheran Church still speaks with the voice of the Scriptures, testifying that the crucified, risen, and glorified body and blood of Jesus Christ is present and given to us here in the bread and wine, just as Christ promised. Jesus is at the right hand of God, which is present and active everywhere, so He is also present and active everywhere, not just as God but even as a man. And so if He promised to be here with His Church, giving His body and blood for our nourishment, then He is. His Word says so.

What great comfort we can draw from this now. Our Lord Jesus is present with His Church here on earth, even while we are fighting under the banner of His cross and struggling in this vale of tears. Our God shares our human substance. He is related to us and He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters. In His flesh He was tempted like us and He shared in our sufferings. And in His flesh He is risen, ascended, and rules. He knows us and loves us. He nourishes us and cherishes us. You see, doctrine matters. This is not highbrow, academic musings. Doctrine is life – the very life of our ascended Lord given to us, even in the midst of this dying world. He is risen and exalted, but He has not forgotten and He is not gone. He is here with us, giving His body and blood to us, so that we might have communion with Him, being true members of His body, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone.

St. Paul wrote, God put all things under Christ’s feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Christ’s ascension is not the end. When the disciples left that mountain, they were not sad, thinking He had departed, but they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. The ascension means that Christ’s work goes on. In Luke’s Gospel he dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up. Now Christ continues to do and teach in His Church. This is what it means that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations. This is what it means that He gives us His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins in the bread and wine for us Christians to eat and drink. This is how our Lord still works and extends His kingdom. This is how our God and Brother is still with us.

The Ascension of our Lord might (and should) draw our minds and hearts to high, heavenly things, but it’s no afterthought. And He doesn’t float high above us, disconnected from our lives of struggle and pain here on earth. Christ’s ascension draws our minds and hearts to the heavenly things He gives us here on earth: His Word and His Sacrament. And Christ’s ascension draws our minds and hearts on to our final goal, because the Son of God, our Man, has paved the way for us. And so our own human bodies will become like His, risen and glorified, elevated and admitted into the presence of God, finally gathered to Him around the throne.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

            He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Rogate - Sixth Sunday of Easter with Confirmation

St. John 16:23–33

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The disciples are like Catechism students. One minute it seems they understand everything Jesus is saying and doing, and the next minute they say something that betrays their confusion and ignorance. For that matter, the disciples are like most of us, no matter how long it’s been since we read our Catechism. On the other hand, the disciples were really not expected to know or understand everything at every point of Jesus’ ministry because they were living it, right in the middle of it. They were still on the other side of His cross and resurrection, so not everything was clear for them. This is why it’s funny when they act like they know what Jesus is saying on the night before His death. Jesus told them, “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.” So at that moment Jesus knew they were still confused. They were confused and uncertain about His looming death and His promised resurrection. But Jesus also promised that He would speak to them plainly about the Father. After His resurrection from the dead, then the disciples could hear the plain speaking, the clear and confident revelation that they were forgiven and reconciled to the Father by Jesus’ death and resurrection. But when Jesus says this on Maundy Thursday evening, that Easter hour had not yet come. So it is funny what the disciples say next: “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and… this is why we believe that you came from God.” But Jesus wasn’t really speaking plainly. They didn’t really understand. They didn’t perfectly believe. They were acting, hoping they could pick things up as they went along. So Jesus says, “Really? Do you now believe?” This is like when a teacher asks at the end of the lesson, “Are there any questions?” and is answered by silent, blank stares. What teacher hasn’t thought or even said, “Really? No questions at all? You get all this stuff perfectly?” The teacher knows that when the students reply with dumb silence or “Ah, now you are speaking plainly,” they don’t really understand.

This is one of the reasons the Church always examines her catechumens. After they’ve been instructed in the faith, we take the extra time to sit them down and ask them, “Really? Do you now believe? Do you now understand what you have learned? Answer some questions so we can hear your faith and your understanding. And if you have questions, ask them. Don’t hold back or try to hide your confusion. The point of Catechism instruction and examination is your continued learning of the Christian faith.”

Now, Dakota, who will be confirmed today, and many of you, whenever you were instructed, examined, and confirmed, you have learned the Christian faith from plain speaking. We often think the disciples had an advantage over us because they knew Jesus during His earthly ministry. But in fact we have the advantage over them. They learned the faith first in figures of speech, and only got the plain speaking after His death and resurrection. As I said, they lived right in the middle of Jesus’ work, and so they had a hard time seeing things as they really are. You are not like the disciples; you sit on the shoulders of giants. You are taught the complete, clear teaching of the Christian faith. You’re not picking things up as you go; you get it all laid out for you. You have what the disciples didn’t have at first: their own Holy Spirit inspired writings, describing and interpreting the life, words, and deeds of Jesus. You have the New Testament Scriptures. You have the fullness of God’s revelation in His Word. And you also have 2000 years of other Christians writing, teaching, singing, and meditating on the Scriptures. You benefit from all their good explanations and even from seeing where they missed the point. The best example of learning from your fathers in the faith is that you have Luther’s Small Catechism: talk about plain speaking! It is the entirety of Christian doctrine distilled down to its six chief parts in simple questions and answers. So, do you now understand? Do you now believe? Yes. You have learned the plain and clear truths of Jesus. You’re not missing out on any big secrets or insights. You have God’s Word and you know your Savior.

But, on another level, do you now really understand? Do you really, perfectly believe? This is not a question of information or brainpower. This is a question of trust and confidence, even in the face of tribulation. When the disciples boasted of their faith and Jesus skeptically asked them, “Do you now believe?” He also added, “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone.” Only a few hours after speaking these words, Jesus would be arrested; His disciples would flee, abandoning Him to His terrible trial, torture, and death. Only one of those men would even show up at His cross. They did not truly believe or understand who He is and what He was doing and what it meant for them. They would leave Jesus alone. “And yet,” Jesus said, “I am not alone, for the Father is with me.” What Jesus does and suffers is pleasing to His Father, and so He is never truly alone.

As it was for the disciples, so it is for us: the hour is coming and is here and going on all the time – the hour of our tribulation in this world, the hour of our testing, even the hour of our scattering. We believe, we understand Christian doctrine, and yet we also fall away. The Devil, false teachers, and all kinds of temptations are the wolves that attack and scare us little sheep. The goal of the wolf is always to scatter the sheep, to drive them away from the Shepherd and the rest of the flock. When the devil has us alone, his lies can sound like truths because we’re not comparing them and testing them against the pure Word of God and the true preaching of His Church. When the devil has us alone, his temptations seem appealing and harmless because we’re blind to the hurtful and deadly consequences of sin. When the hour of scattering comes and through false beliefs and sins we are driven away from Jesus and away from His Church, we feel like we are left alone.

And yet, you are not alone. Your Father is with you, and so is the Son and the Spirit. So when you see that you have been driven away by the devil, and tricked by false versions of Christianity, and led into sin, then return to Jesus and return to His Church. Repent and believe. Turn back to what you have learned from God’s Word. Come back to the plain speaking of the Christian truth. Confess your sin, your ignorance, your confusion, and be forgiven.

Jesus knew His disciples would fail, so He also gives them comfort: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Take heart. Have courage. Jesus has overcome the evil world by His death and resurrection. He has paid the price for our sins and so no devil, no lies, no sin, no worldly power, not even death itself, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Jesus has overcome the world and we are more than conquerors through Him. We enjoy Jesus’ victory and power by faith in Him.

And so in Confirmation we are asked, Do you intend to faithfully hear the Word and receive the Supper? Do you intend to live according to the Word of God? Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it? By faith in the power of Jesus we are able to boldly say, “I do, by the grace of God.” We add “by the grace of God” though, because we know that we will need His help and we know we will need His forgiveness when we fail. Jesus has already overcome. He has won the fight. So we have His help in our lives as well.

This is also part of what St. James means when he says, “Be doers of the Word.” We are called to live according to God’s commands and to flee from temptation and sin. That’s why we make that Confirmation promise. We are hearers of the Word, so we confess it. And the faith we confess, we are also actually supposed to live our lives by it. And also, be a doer of the Word by using it. Wield the Word of God like the sword it is. Hide behind it as your shield, trusting in the forgiveness and peace it declares. And use the Word of God in your prayer, taking God’s Words for your words. This is really our great source of courage during tribulation: the Word of God and Prayer. These are the weapons that Jesus gives us so that we may overcome our enemies and win the victory. Jesus has overcome the world. He has won the victory for you and He wants you to share in His victory march. He wants you to have peace and joy, so He gives you His Word, commands you to pray, and promises that your Father will hear you and answer.

Do you now believe? Yes, I believe. Do you now understand and intend to live the Christian life? I do, by the grace of God. Then take heart, dear Christians. Have courage, Dakota. Your Lord Jesus Christ is victorious and He will not leave you alone. You are baptized children of God. The cross and name of Jesus mark you. The righteousness of Jesus covers you. With His Word in your ears, in your heart, and on your tongue, you can go before the Father in prayer with boldness and confidence. Jesus made this promise, Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you… Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

            He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.