Ash Wednesday

Circuit Lent Series: The Words from the Cross
“Behold, your Mother” (St. John 19:25–27)

St. Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

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

I personally think this is one of the most touching scenes in the Gospels. I think it’s also the one time when I actually imagine the scene from Jesus’ perspective. Hanging on the cross, looking down at the people standing by, many are laughing at Him, some are crying. And there, at His feet, eyes looking up at Him, tears running down their faces: Mary, His Mother, and John, His disciple.

Several times, John, the author of this Gospel, identifies himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. This doesn’t mean Jesus loved John more than the others, but that John chose to identify himself based on Jesus’ love for him, rather than his love for Jesus. What a wonderful way for all of us Christians to think: I am someone whom Jesus loves. Although, there may also have been some special bond of brotherly affection between Jesus and John, because Jesus entrusts His Mother to John’s care. Now also imagine how John felt, watching his friend, his teacher, his Lord, dying before his eyes, the life literally draining out of Him as the blood dripped down. Perhaps only a soldier who has held his comrade in his arms while he died, knows what this is really like. 

And then there’s Mary—the most blessed among women (Luke 1:42)—the humble girl chosen by grace to become the Mother of God. She’s older now, and she can barely stand for grief, leaning on John’s arm, looking at the little Boy she bore and nursed; the young Man she taught and watched as He learned from His step-father Joseph; the Man she knew as her King, but still the little Boy who used to sit on her lap. And the forehead she used to kiss is now crowned with thorns. The hands she used to hold are pierced through with nails. Her very soul was run through with a sword, because there was nothing she could do to save her little boy—nothing she could do except trust that He was saving her.

Jesus looked down at these two and loved them. He cared for them so that they could care for each other. He said to Mary, “Woman, behold, your son!—look at John, Mother. He’s your son now.” Then He said to John, “Behold, your mother!—she’s your mother now.” So, John had someone to love him and pray for him as he began his life of service as an apostle. And Mary had someone to look after her, to provide for her and keep her company as she ended her life as a widow. This was definitely true in a physical sense: from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. The histories of the apostles that have been handed down in the church tell us that John eventually settled as bishop in Ephesus, and that Mary lived with him there until she died.

But there is also a spiritual meaning here. God settles the solitary in families (Psalm 68:6). He builds community. And Jesus makes us members of His family. The Son of God gives us His own Father to be our Father. So, it is only natural, and quite a beautiful thought, that He also gives His Mother to be our Mother, like He did for John. Because, in truth, we are the brothers and sisters of Jesus. But also, with Jesus as our Brother and God as our Father, our true spiritual Mother is the Church. St. Paul tells us this is so: The Jerusalem above—the heavenly Jerusalem, the Church—she is free, and she is our mother. (Galatians 4:26).

So, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, has also come to be a symbol of the Church, the Mother of all believers. And this fits well with the relationship between John and Mary. John, the apostle and minister of the Word, is given by the Lord to Mary, representing the Church. Pastors are given to the Church. Pastors are not OVER the church any more than a son is over his mother. And Mary, representing the Church, is given by the Lord to John, the apostle. The Church is given to Pastors. Pastors are to care for the Church and provide for her with God’s Word.

But one other thing we should remember that mothers do, especially during this season of Lent: Mothers discipline their children. And Holy Mother Church lovingly disciplines her children too. Just as a faithful wife takes her cues from her loving husband and father of her children, Mother Church takes her direction from God our loving Father. So, the Church gives us three disciplines for us to practice, to help train us in righteousness and to set our minds on heavenly treasure: fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. And just as Mary, the Mother of God, is an image of our Mother the Church, so also, Mary’s life can be taken as an example of these three disciplines. Just as a Mother serves as an example for her children, so Mary is also an example for Christian life. She acts as a Mother to us all as she shows us how Christians should think and live. Mary is the model Christian—not because she is perfect, but because she, a sinner, so clearly lives by faith in Christ and His Word.

So, take fasting—abstaining from food. The point is to direct our minds away from earthly things toward heavenly things. Man shall not live by bread alone,  but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). There is more to real life than the daily bread that keeps this mortal flesh going for a while. The bread that gives nourishment to the soul, the heavenly manna that sustains eternal life is the Word of God. This is the Word Incarnate Himself, and also His Word given to us in the Scriptures.

The idea behind fasting is that we spend a little less time preparing and eating food so that we can spend more time on God’s Word. In our day when it’s so easy and quick to get food, it might be better that we fast from bigger wastes of time—things like TV, movies, Facebook. Instead of watching another show on Netflix, spend twenty minutes reading the Bible. But fasting from food is still a good old custom, and the fact that food is so easy to come by might be reason enough for us to remind ourselves that actually our life is still very fragile. Skip a meal, and the stomach rumbles, and we are quickly reminded that we cannot sustain ourselves physically. We can’t sustain ourselves spiritually either. We must live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. We need to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them. 

In this way, Mary is a beautiful example of how Christians live on the Word of God. Twice, Luke tells us how Mary received the Word of God. On the night her Son was born, she listened to everything the shepherds said, and Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart (Luke 2:17–19). Twelve years later, Joseph and Mary found their boy teaching the teachers in the Temple. And He said to them, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father's house?” And they did not understand the saying that He spoke to them… But His mother treasured up all these things in her heart (Luke 2:48–51). The Word didn’t just go in one ear and out the other for Mary. She heard it, marked it, and inwardly digested it. The Word was her food.

Jesus even points this out about His Mother. One time when He was teaching a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “Yes, but more than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:27–28). Jesus says, “You’re right. My Mother is blessed. But the real reason she is blessed is because she believes and treasures God’s Word.” Jesus Himself holds up His Mother as an example for all Christians.

The second discipline Holy Mother Church has for us children is almsgiving—giving to the poor. And when thinking of the poor and needy and lowly, we should think of Mary’s Song, the Magnificat: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden… He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent empty away (Luke 1:46–55). Mary was a nobody from nowhere. She is the representative of all poor and lowly sinners who are raised up by God to a blessed state.

And that is the key to almsgiving, the thing we have to believe if we are to truly give to others out of love. We have to understand that we are not high or mighty or wealthy or full on our own. Without God, we are empty. So, having been filled by God’s goodness, we can share others. Having received mercy, we show mercy. We know that we are no better than others, no more deserving of good things than anybody else. So, we show charity to others, even to those who may not deserve it. Having been raised up by God we raise up others. Having been fed by God we feed others. Having been loved by God we love others.

The third discipline to learn from our Mother is prayer: simply speaking to God. Prayer comes from simple faith. It’s speaking to God the way family members speak to each other, not rudely, but safely, with love. “I know they love me and I love them so we are free to talk with each other.” And so, look at how Mary talks to her Son. At the wedding at Cana, Mary and Jesus are both invited guests, and when the wine runs out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine” (John 2:1–11). See how she just simply tells Him what’s wrong. She doesn’t tell Him what to do about it, or try to bargain with Him. She just lays out the need. 

And He doesn’t rebuke her with anger. (Sometimes we read it that way, when He says, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me?” But remember, He also calls her “Woman” while dying for the cross and loving her). Jesus gently reminds her that this is not the time for His true glory, the glory of the Savior accomplishing the forgiveness of sins. (Later, she would see that gruesome glory at the foot of the cross). And Mary knows He’s not angry with her because after He says that, with full faith in her Son’s goodness, she says to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” She doesn’t know what He’s going to do, how He will answer the prayer, but she knows whatever He does will be good.

So, when you pray, simply tell God what’s wrong, lay out the need. And then trust that whatever He does will be good. He will either give you what you ask for, or He will give you something better.

Now, prayer is not only asking for things, but it’s also a way of saying your “Amen” to God—committing yourself to Him, submitting to His will. And once again, Mary is a wonderful example, this time right at the very moment that she becomes her God’s Mother. The angel Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would conceive the Son in her womb, and Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). You don’t have to be the Mother of God to say that. This is the attitude of every believer. Thy will be done, O God, not mine. Amen. I am Yours.

Of course, none of this means Mary is our Savior or the foundation of our faith. Mary herself would be appalled at such an idea. But she is our Lord’s Mother—and that is a staggering thing—the Creator of the Universe has a Mom! But also, you are your God’s true children, brothers and sisters to the Creator of the Universe—and that is an equally staggering thing! Through Mary, your God shares your flesh and blood. The Child of God became a Man so that we might become children of God. Ultimately, Mary is not in a higher state than any other Christian. In fact, we share her blessed position as we share her faith. She remains a humble example for us, representing our Mother the Church, representing all her children, all Christians.

So, we can join our Lord’s Mother, kneeling at the foot of His cross, cleansed and redeemed by His holy blood. There we are comforted and held up by His apostles and ministers who speak God’s Word to fill us, giving us something to treasure. And so we trust Him, no matter how much it might hurt and pierce our soul. We love Him—Mary’s Boy, God’s Son, our Savior. And we pray to Him, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to Your Word.

In Your Holy + Name, O Jesus. Amen.

Preached at Immanuel, Charlotte, IA, and Trinity, Clinton, IA, and other congregations of the Clinton Circuit

Ash Wednesday

2 Peter 1:2–11

St. Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

Catechesis lays up treasure for you in heaven

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

This past Sunday we heard about Jesus healing the blind man, which is an analogy for catechesis. And catechesis just means learning God’s Word, it’s instruction. Also, remember from Sunday that believing is the true seeing. So, once you’ve been given sight, once you have faith, you are able to follow your teacher on the Way. That’s what the blind man does. Jesus heals him to show that he really does see, he does believe, his faith makes him well. And then the blind man follows Jesus down the road, glorifying God, as they go up to Jerusalem.

So, the analogy is that catechesis is not only opening the eyes of the mind by faith, but catechesis is also the Way that Jesus leads us to the Truth. That road for Jesus went up to His suffering, death and resurrection. So also, catechesis is the Way that leads us to the cross of our Savior, to the cross of our own death (dying to sin, dying to this world), and ultimately that Way leads us on to our own resurrection as well. That means catechesis, this Way of learning, doesn’t lead us to earthly goods but to heavenly treasure. Jesus said: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Catechesis shows us the Way to lasting treasure. It points us in the right direction to the eternal things, the things that last. Catechesis puts our hearts where they need to be.

The Apostle Peter also gives us some direction on this Way, in His Epistle. He says, God has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Christ provides everything we need for a godly life and an eternal life. He provides that for us through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence—that is, through the knowledge of our Savior, through the Word of God. The Lord teaches us, catechizes us, and that gives us everything that we need for godly life here on earth and godly life forever in heaven. 

Peter goes on: he says that God has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature. That is an amazing statement: you take part in, you commune with the divine nature, God Himself. That’s what God’s Word does for us. His knowledge makes us partakers of the divine nature—there is real treasure in heaven! You actually commune with God. Your learning the Word of God, your catechesis in the Word of God makes you one with God.

But not completely yet. You are one with God by faith in His Word, and yet not by sight or feeling or any physical signs. In fact, what we often see in our own hearts and lives and in the world around us, are not signs of the divine nature, but signs of sin and death. So, for now, our faith, our walking on the Way, requires training. Catechesis is that training. It guides you and pushes you, disciplines and directs you. When you get side-tracked by the earthly things off on the side roads, it directs you back to the good things, the heavenly treasures, which will eventually take you to heaven. Catechesis directs you to how your faith should be bearing fruit.

So then, Peter gives us this list of good fruits that come from faith, from learning God’s Word. He says, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue—so, good works. By faith alone we are saved, and yet faith is never alone. Faith always does good works. If we believe in God we also show that we love Him and our neighbors. So, we supplement our faith with virtue, and then virtue with knowledge. Your initial knowledge in the Word gave you faith, and that faith should also make us want to learn more, and come to know our God better and better (who He is and His will for us). Then, to knowledge we add self-control. We must not constantly give into every single impulse that comes into our minds. We need moderation in our life. That self-control will help us toward steadfastness, which is the next fruit. Temptation comes and we want to give into that impulse, but because we’ve learned to exercise self­–control we can resist and remain steadfast. Then, to steadfastness is added godliness—a life that is pleasing to God, a life that is governed by His Law. And with godliness we add brotherly affection. In the New Testament, the brothers are always your fellow Christians, your siblings in the family of God. So, we love one another as Christ loved us and brought us into His family. And with brotherly affection we add love. So that as God loved the world in Christ, we also love the world—not just the people we like, not just the people in our church, but we love our enemies, we love the people who disagree with us, the people who hate us, the people who hold grudges against us. Love sums up and covers the entire life.

The point of learning God’s Word is to pursue this great list Peter gives us, these fruits of faith. He urges us to be increasing in them. Progress. Keep going. Keep adding, one fruit on top of the other. Build on your faith. This way you can confirm your faith. Not to God. He knows you have faith in Christ. He knows you’re saved and He tells you so in His Word, in the absolution. But to confirm it to yourself.  To say, “I can see my faith growing, my faith being active by how I train and seek after these heavenly treasures.”

These are the things you are storing up, that you can actually take with you to heaven. They’re good now but they will also remain forever. You’ve all heard the saying about earthly goods: “You can’t take it with you.” And it’s true—all the earthly things we love so much in this world, you can’t take it with you when you die. But there are some things you can take with you. Your faith, for one, that will come with you. Your virtues, your good works, your knowledge of God, your self–control, your steadfastness, your godliness, your love for others, that will all come with you. That will be shown in the resurrection, in a way that it isn’t now. You will be dressed in those gleaming robes of white with crowns full of jewels showing the glory that God has worked in you in your life. These good heavenly things are the things we should be pursuing with faith according to God’s Word. Then we will enter into the kingdom with all these treasures. Peter says, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities (all those good virtues we went through before), if you practice these, you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Okay, getting all those spiritual virtues sounds great, but how do we actually start doing that? If you need somewhere simple to start, that’s what Ash Wednesday and Lent are for. Jesus gives us three simple Christian disciplines. We should be doing them all the time, but we especially practice them during Lent (it’s our rehearsal for the Christian life). Jesus tells us about Fasting, Almsgiving, and Prayer. What’s so great about those? How will those get me the great spiritual fruits that Peter said I need? Well, I don’t think I really need to give a big defense or explanation for them right now. I just want to tell you, start doing them and see. Start doing the things Jesus says and I bet you’ll be surprised. Maybe not in the next day, but in the next few weeks, months, years. You’ll turn around one day and see: "Wow, God really has been at work in my life. I have grown in my faith, in my knowledge, in my good works." But it all starts somewhere. And usually it starts by us just doing it, setting to work at what God has given us to do. Then all those spiritual fruits will follow.

But how to do it? Well, God’s Word teaches you how to do this. It teaches you the real goal in these disciplines is to take your mind off the earthly things, so that you can be focused on those spiritual goods, that heavenly treasure. So, Fasting: the obvious meaning is to refrain from eating for some point in time. But the deeper point of fasting is to stop indulging every single whim. Say, “I don’t need to do that right now, I can do something better.” Put your body under the control of our mind, and even more important, put all of your flesh under the control of the Spirit of God. If you’ve ever done any kind of diet, you know your body rebels against that. Your body has cravings. Don’t let your body be your master. Your body has a head. The body should be subject to your mind. And your mind needs to be subject to the Spirit of God. Next, giving to the poor: again, pretty simple. It means just that. But in a broader sense it means actually loving others, doing good works for other people. Instead of the popular phrase, “Our thoughts go out to the victims,” how about we actually do something for them. And pray. Don’t just say, “I’ll pray for you.” Actually pray to God for yourself and for other people. Ask Him for stuff, that’s what your Father wants you to do. That’s why He gave you an actual prayer to use, the Lord’s Prayer.  Meditate on that and you will never finish praying in this life. This is how you begin to devote yourself to the heavenly treasure. Catechesis and following these disciplines shows you where you need to put your heart. God’s Word teaches you what things really last and get you to heaven.

That’s the whole point of continuing to learn God’s Word. Catechesis puts your heart with the greatest treasure of heaven: Jesus Himself. Learning and doing God’s Word puts your heart with Him and with His suffering, bleeding, and dying, and with His resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven. Your heart is with Christ when you listen and learn and trust God’s Word. You are seated in the heavenly places, already becoming a partaker of the divine nature.

So, if you practice these qualities, if you set your mind to obtain these heavenly treasures, if you walk on the Way, follow your Teacher, learn His Word and grow in His knowledge, then you will see your faith bear fruit in good works. You will see a life of virtue develop. And you will never fall, Peter says. Another way to say it would be, Jesus won’t let you fall. His catechesis, His guidance is what’s going to keep you from falling. Of course, when you take your eyes and ears off of God’s Word, then you will fall. Only if we persist in chasing after the heavenly treasure, we won’t fall. The problem is we don’t persist. We often go astray and fall.

But do not fear, the Lord will pick you up again. He called us to His own glory and excellence, Peter says. That means the Lord wants to give us His own glory and virtue. God doesn’t just expect you to create your own virtues, He actually gives you His own. His own righteousness becomes our righteousness by faith in Him. He makes us partakers of His divine nature. And that’s what picks you up again when you fall. We see this especially in the Lord’s Supper, where we are literally partakers, communers, with God, receiving Jesus’ divine body and blood. That is the food that will keep our steps going on that road, and will keep our faith growing and bearing fruit in this life.

And some day this life will end. But thanks be to God, our Lord has made an entrance for us into His Kingdom. May we be ready to enter it, having learned and grown according to His teaching now. May our hearts already be there. May we have heavenly, eternal treasure stored up for us there, so that we may now and forever be with the Lord.

In the Holy + Name of Jesus. Amen.