Ash Wednesday Sermon: "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil"

+ Ash Wednesday – February 26^th, 2020 +

Series A: Joel 2:12-19; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

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

Here in the Northwest, trees are an important part of our life and livelihood. Timber for our homes. Paper for books. Clean air to breath. Spring blossoms. Summer shade. Fall colors. Jobs. Food. Art. And so much more. It’s hard to underestimate exactly how important, even necessary trees are for life.

And even if we haven’t thought about it this way, the same is true in Holy Scripture. From the first “Let there be” in Eden to the tree of life in Revelation, trees are an important, even necessary, part of our Lord’s work on our behalf. And many of these trees stretch out their sacred limbs and point us to the tallest and most important tree in the Scriptures, the tree of Jesus’ cross.

So, this Lenten season, we’ll be spending some time each Wednesday looking at some of the well-known, and perhaps lesser known trees of Scripture, and how they each, in their own way, point us to the cross of Christ, our tree of life.

Sounds interesting, you might be thinking, but what do trees have to do with Ash Wednesday? To find that out we go back to Genesis 2 and 3. To the Garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

⁸ The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. ⁹ And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Like the other trees God created in Eden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a gift and for Adam and Eve’s good. Not for eating, as the tree of life or other trees were given for, but for listening. For hearing God’s Word and following his ways. In his lectures on Genesis, Martin Luther said this tree of the knowledge of good and evil was given by God to Adam to be Adam’s church, altar, and pulpit. A place where Adam and his family was to yield to God, hear his Word, and keep his word.

It was God’s Word that made the tree what it was, just as it was God’s Word that created all things in the first place. 

So, when the devil appears before Adam and Eve in the form of a serpent, it’s no surprise, then, that the first thing he attacks is God’s Word with those famous words of deception: “Did God really say ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

And here we see the difference between God’s Word and the devil’s word. God’s Word creates, the devil’s destroys. God’s Word makes something out of nothing, the devil cannot make new things, only corrupt things that already exist. God’s Word gives freedom, truth, and life, the devil’s word sows slavery, doubt, and death.

It was not as if God was holding out on Adam and Eve, or withholding something good from them, after all, God gave them every tree in the garden for their good. For food, for life, for labor. Though this is precisely how the devil temps them, to think that this tree of the knowledge of good and evil is God’s way of keeping something even better from them, when in fact, it was shielding them from physical and spiritual death.

⁴ Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

It’s impossible for us to imagine what this would’ve been like for Adam and Eve in Genesis 2. No sin. No death. No evil. Only knowing good. But of course, we know that Genesis 3 changed all that – and not just for Adam and Eve, but for all creation, for all people, for you and me. We live, not in the perfect goodness of Eden, but in the cursed soil of Adam’s disobedience and rejection of God’s Word. Where thorns and thistles choke. Where the devil tempts us as he did our first parents to doubt and despair God’s Word. Where the curse of sin and death eat away at our world and our lives like dry rot infecting a healthy tree. Lifeless limbs. Decaying branches. Dead trees. Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Genesis 3 is really the beginning of Ash Wednesday.

Thankfully, Genesis 3, does not end with temptation, rejection, and death, but rather with God’s promise and protection. The Lord sacrificed an animal, the first of many sacrifices, to cover Adam and Eve’s shame, guilt, and nakedness. The Lord also sent them out of the garden, which sounds like a punishment, and it is, though it is also an act of mercy. God would not let Adam and Eve live forever in their sin and death, lest Adam put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” So, they leave the garden, but not without the Lord’s promise.

To the serpent he said, “I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

If the tree of the knowledge of good and evil points us to our sin, it also points to our Savior, Jesus. Who was born of a woman. Born succeed where Adam failed. Born to overcome where Adam was overcome. Born to be tempted for us who are tempted. Born to take Adam’s sin, and our sin upon himself on the cross. Born to hang on a cursed tree for you. Born to crush the head of the serpent on the tree of the cross, that, as we pray during Holy Week, where death arose, there life also might rise again, and that the serpent of the cross who overcame by the tree of the garden might likewise by the tree of the cross be overcome. 

Upon this tree hangs all our sorrow, sin, and sadness, all our doubt, despair, and death, all our temptations and toils. What in sin we have done, Jesus has undone. The death we deserved, Jesus has died once for all. 

Today, from the tree of life where Jesus was crucified for you, he gives you the fruit of his salvation, his body and blood shed and given for you.

And in this tree of Jesus crucified, you are rooted, planted, grafted into his death and life now and forever. 

A blessed Ash Wednesday to each of you…

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

Sermon for Transfiguration of Our Lord: "It's About Jesus"

+ Transfiguration of Our Lord - February 26, 2020 +

Series A: Exodus 24:8-18; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

 

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

We know Christmas is about Jesus’ birth for us. We know Holy Week is about Jesus’ suffering and death for us. We know that Easter is about Jesus’ resurrection for us. But what’s the transfiguration all about? Take a moment and ponder that.

Now this is going to sound rather obvious, but the Transfiguration is all about Jesus. Matthew’s account of the transfiguration, like the Exodus reading and 2 Peter reading today, and every other Scripture are all, in some way or another, about Jesus.

And if it’s about Jesus, it’s always good a follow-up question. What does this tell us about Jesus?

The transfiguration tells us a lot about Jesus: who he is and what he came to do on our behalf. Jesus’ transfiguration reveals that he is the Son of God, the Father’s chosen one. And how he is also the very glory of YHWH in human flesh. 

Jesus’ transfiguration reveals that he is also the completion and the final revelation of God’s Word; all the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled in him; all God’s promises are kept in him. That’s why Moses and Elijah are there. 

Jesus’ transfiguration reveals to his disciples, to the world, and to us, that if we want to know what God thinks or says or how he sees us, all we need is found in Jesus. All we need is his word. 

The glory of Jesus reveals in his transfiguration also leads us on to Jerusalem and his great glory revealed in his death on the cross for us. 

So as we meditate upon our Lord’s words and his transfiguration today, keep that obvious, yet important question before you: what does the transfiguration tell us about Jesus?

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

As the narrative unfolds, Matthew takes us back in time to Exodus and Mt. Sinai, to YHWH’s giving of the Law and his covenant with Israel. That too, you recall, happened on a mountain top. YHWH’s glory and radiance thundered from Sinai. Israel was afraid and trembled. Moses saw the backside of YHWH’s glory from his hiding place in the rock. 

Here, on another mountain top, the glory of YHWH is revealed in the God-man Jesus. And yet, his disciples live. Peter, James, and John behold Jesus’ glory and live. For He is on this mountain not to thunder with commands or condemnation, but to reveal that he is the true Son of God come to do for Israel and for you and for me, what we are unable and incapable of doing. 

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Matthew takes us deeper into the Old Testament. While Jesus reveals his glory, Moses and Elijah appear and with them the whole Old Testament. The Law of Moses and all the prophets are there standing before the very one who fulfills their words. 

The same Lord who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, who rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, who led Israel through the Red Sea and wilderness, who poured out the blood of the covenant for the people now stands before Moses and the disciples - the very glory of God in our own flesh and blood come to bring us at last to his eternal promised land. 

The same Lord who delivered his word to Elijah, who defeated the prophets of Baal in fire and sacrifice, who took Elijah into heaven, now stands before him as the final deliverance of God’s word, as the sacrifice who will defeat our enemies in a baptism of fire and death on the cross, and who will take us to heaven by being brought down into the grave. 

It’s understandable why Peter wanted to hold onto that glorious moment, at least for a little while longer. For us who live in a world of pain and suffering, a world where our own sin weighs us down and wears us down daily, a world where death and misery so often seem to triumph, it’s not hard to imagine why Peter might want to hold onto that glory, stay there on the mountain. 

But this is not the mountain where Jesus would have us stay, not yet at least. First there is another mountain. That’s why Jesus reminds his disciples at the end, not to talk about his transfiguration until after his death and resurrection. Only after his death and resurrection will his transfiguration finally make sense. And so, the Father graciously interrupts Peter.

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”

As he did at Jesus’ Baptism, God the Father speaks. “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 

If we want to know what God the Father thinks, we need look no further than Jesus. I’m sure we’ve all felt the way the disciples did. Afraid. Trembling in the presence of God fully aware of our sin, knowing our only hope is in Jesus. And yet, the Father reminds us. “Listen to Him. Hear him. This is my beloved Son, given for you. He speaks my word for his the very Word made flesh. And His word does what he says and promises. His Word is your life. His word is your lamp and light. His word reveals his great love for you. 

“Arise, and do not be afraid.”  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Isn’t that a wonderful phrase. Jesus only. Jesus alone. But not alone in this way; he is transfigured and crucified and risen for you. That you may be his own.

You see, the transfiguration is all about Jesus. Jesus is all we need. Jesus reveals himself as the Son of God who is with you and for you. He is the Son of God who speaks to you in his Word; who is present with you and for you in his Supper. He is the Son of God who bears all our pain, sorrow, suffering, our sin, temptation and death, and give us a glory that far surpasses even his transfiguration, the glory of his death for you, his rising for you. 

A blessed Sunday of the Transfiguration to each of you…

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

Wedding Sermon for Zach Diekmann and Rachel Lindgren

+ The Rite of Holy Matrimony – February 15^th, 2020 +

Zach Diekmann and Rachel Lindgren

Isaiah 61:10-11; Colossians 3:12-17; Mark 10:6-9

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

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

Every husband and wife has a story of where and how they met, what they were wearing or doing, or even a certain song that was on the radio, how he proposed, and so on.

Zach and Rachel are no different. And though we might think their story begins in Cougar country at Washington State while going to class, studying, or taking tests, and in many ways it does. There’s also a way in which the story of Zach and Rachel, indeed in which the story of every man and woman whom God has joined together in holy matrimony, begins all the way back in Genesis, in the garden of Eden.

In the Scriptures, marriage is one of God’s favorite ways of telling us about his relationship with us. In the Old Testament YHWH is the bridegroom and Israel is his bride. In the New Testament the Church, the baptized and redeemed, is the bride of Christ. You are his chosen, holy, bride, made white by the blood of the Lamb. And Christ is our heavenly, holy bridegroom who loves us and gave himself up to cleanse us and save us. 

From Genesis to Revelation, God’s Word delivers and delights in this gift of marriage that Zach and Rachel are enter into today. From God’s creation of Adam and Eve to the marriage supper of the Lamb in his kingdom which has no end, Holy Scripture tells us the story of marriage. Throughout Holy Scripture, God’s gift of marriage tells us the story of God’s great love for us in Christ

In Genesis, out of all of God’s creation declared to be very good, there was one thing that was not good. It was not good for the man to be alone. So he built Eve out of the side of Adam for companionship, for a helpmeet, for life together, for children and a family. The same is true the two of you today as well. It is not good for you to be alone, and so today, God is joining you together as husband and wife.

It is a marvelous picture of how God himself joins us in our humanity to save us. Because we know that Adam and Eve’s perfect blissful garden of Eden honeymoon didn’t last. After the joy of Genesis 2 came the tragedy of Genesis 3. God’s good creation, now cursed with thorns, dust, and death. God’s gift of marriage now corrupted by selfishness, sorrow, and sin. 

And this is important to know and remember you will have Genesis 3 kinds of days. We all do. Days where we sin and sorrow seem to win the day. This is why your marriage, Zach and Rachel, begins today, not on the foundation of your love, not even on the joy and happiness that you share – though these are all good things. Rather, the strength of your marriage today and every day, is found in the forgiveness, the unending grace, and the steadfast love of Jesus your Bridegroom crucified and risen for you.

It is Christ our Bridegroom who has clothed you with garments of salvation by wrapping himself in all our sin on the cross. It is Christ our Bridegroom who put on our sin and death that you in your married life together might put on, as Paul says, kindness, humility, compassion, meekness, and patience. It is Christ our Bridegroom who joins you together this day by his blessing, and in doing so gives us a picture God’s great love for us in Jesus crucified. May the love of Christ our bridegroom abide with you in your life together. 

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

Sermon for Epiphany 6: "Cross and Commandments"

+ 6^th Sunday after Epiphany – February 16^th, 2020 +

Series A: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

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

When YHWH gave Moses and Israel the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20, he began by giving them his promise: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery

So far, in his sermon on the mount, Jesus has done a similar thing for us, his disciples. Earlier in Matthew 5, in the beatitudes, Jesus declared us blessed in him. Last week we heard how we are salt and light in him. Today, as Jesus unpacks the meaning of the commandments, it’s helpful to remember the context of Jesus’ sermon on the mount. Jesus preaches these words – which are no doubt, difficult words to hear – to us who are his redeemed and rescued, baptized and beloved people.

Here, in Matthew 5, Jesus says, this is how you live as my redeemed, beloved, baptized people. Jesus takes three commandments, the 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th commandments, and reveals how we live in the gifts he gives us and protects for our good with these words.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

In the 5^th commandment, God gives us the gift of our body and soul and all our members and he intends for us to treat others around us not with anger or hatred both in our inward heart - our thoughts – and in our outward actions of word and deed. To live in peace and reconciliation as ones redeemed and reconciled by Jesus.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

In the 6^th commandment, God gives us the gift of marriage and sexuality, and he intends for us to lead lives of purity in the heart as well as in our actions and relationships with others of the opposite sex, to remember that everyone we come into contact with someone for whom Christ has died. So Jesus teaches us the importance of his gift of human sexuality and marriage.

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’  But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;  nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’

In the 8^th commandment, God gives us the gift of a good reputation, and intends for us to speak and user our words in a God-pleasing way, and not lightly. To let our yes be yes and our no be no. 

Still, it’s hard to hear Jesus’ teaching and not feel convicted. The more we wrestle with Jesus’ words here the more we find ourselves stripped of any and all self-righteousness. I don’t know about you, but every time I read this part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount, I realize that I don’t have a leg to stand on. I haven’t lived as God intends. I have not loved the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind, nor have I loved my neighbor as myself. I have lived as if God does not matter and as if I matter most.

Jesus’ words reveal, not only how he intends us to live, but also that we have not lived as he intends us to. We have been hateful and angry. We have all lusted in our hearts and minds. We haven’t always spoken with the kindest words or put the best construction on everything. Jesus’ words leave us with no wiggle room, nowhere to hide, and nothing to cling to, except his word. His promise. 

Jesus’ words aren’t just hard to follow; they sound impossible. And though we certainly try, and we should try to live as God pleases, we also know that we constantly fail and fall and sin. As C.S. Lewis once observed, “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.” 

And if Jesus’ words reveal that we have not lived as he intends us to live, they also reveal his intention, his will, his desire to live for you. To keep these commandments on your behalf. To follow not just the letter, but the spirit of the law and to do it perfectly for you.

It is true, you should not be angry with your neighbor. But when you are, there is one there is one who has become liable to hell for you. One who has left it all at the altar. Even his own life, in order to come and be reconciled with you. One who has come to terms with the accuser by paying our debt in full with His own blood.

It is true that you should not look at other people lustfully. But when you do, there is one who sacrificed not only His eye, but his whole body. One who is Himself the right hand of God cut off and thrown away. Thrown into the hell of the cross where He endured the entire wrath of God on your behalf.

It is true that you should not commit adultery. But when you do, there is one who will still consider you His bride. Who will be married to His church to which you belong, despite the sin. Who will bear your sin Himself, even though He is innocent. And have your sin buried with Him in the tomb on Good Friday.

It is true that you should swear falsely, not misuse the name of God. But when you do, there is one who says yes, and needs no oath to back it up. Says yes to saving you. Yes to raising you from the dead. Yes to bringing you with Him out of the grave through His own resurrection.

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

Sermon for Epiphany 5: "Salt and Light"

+ 5^th Sunday after Epiphany – February 9^th, 2020 +

Series A: Isaiah 58:3-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-12; Matthew 5:13-20

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

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

Whenever I drive up Milton Way, I always know I’m close to home when I see the light shining through the stained glass windows. 

Whenever you go driving around town on a snowy or icy day you appreciate the salted roads that melt the ice.

Light and salt are both useful. Light, we know, is essential to life – to see, to grow plants, for warmth, and so on. Even in our day of low, or no-sodium diets, salt is also helpful, and essential to life; it preserves, flavors, and cleanses. 

But of course, Jesus isn’t talking about salt and light simply to give us a culinary lesson, or to educate us on the importance of proper exterior illumination. Both are useful. Both have a purpose. And that’s the point of comparison. The same goes for Jesus’ followers. The world needs you, Jesus’ redeemed, baptized, blessed disciples. 

Jesus uses salt and light to teach his disciples, and us, about our identity, purpose, and the pattern of our life in Jesus as his beloved, baptized, redeemed disciples.

“You are the salt of the earth. “You are the light of the world.” 

Notice how Jesus says what he says here. It’s not a command, as in, “you must become salt and light.” It’s not a wishful saying, “I might become salt or light.” No. It’s a sure thing. It’s Jesus’ promise. You have Jesus’ word on it. This is your identity in Jesus. You are salt. You are light. We heard a similar promise from Jesus last Sunday from the Beatitudes; in Jesus you are blessed. As Jesus’ beloved, baptized, disciples, you are salt. You are light.

Oh to be sure, there are plenty of days we don’t feel very salt-like or full of light. Days when the darkness of our sin seems to overshadow our every thought, word, and deed. Days when we’ve probably all felt like useless salt left to be trampled on. All the more reason to find comfort in Jesus’ declaration to us and his disciples here in Matthew 5. You are salt. You are light. It’s a fact, a promise that’s determined not by how we think or feel, but by who Jesus says you are. It’s his word over ours. You are salt. You are light. 

And, Jesus goes on, salt and light have a purpose. 

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 

It sounds obvious to say, but part of what Jesus is telling us is that salt can’t help but be salty. That’s what it is and does. Light can’t help but shine. Turn on a lamp in a dark room and it gives light. That’s what it is and does. So it is for us, his disciples, we can’t help but be who we are in Jesus. Remember how Jesus says that good tree produces good fruit. In Jesus, you are that good tree. You are salt and light. For what purpose? 

Jesus tells us that too. Just as salt is useful for many things and light shines in the darkness to light up a room or the path for a traveler on the road, so it is for our good works.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Now, before we get a little antsy talking about good works, notice who gets the glory here. Not you but the Father. Father presupposes Son. Your light is not you shining but Christ who is your light. Let your light shine before others. Let Jesus shine before others so that in His light, in the light of His death and resurrection, in the light of His life, others may see your good works and in the light of Christ give glory to your Father in heaven.

Good works are the fruit of faith, the breath of faith, faith’s exhalation in the direction of the neighbor. Works are faith’s faithfulness. We love because we are loved in God’s beloved Son. We forgive because we have been forgiven in Christ. We have mercy because Christ first had mercy upon us and laid down His life as a sacrifice for our Sin. When we don’t love, when faith doesn’t breathe, when we fail to do the mercy that our neighbor needs, we are putting a basket over the light of Christ, hiding what Christ has done and is doing in and through us.

Our Lutheran Confessions say it this way. God doesn’t need your good works, after all, he’s won salvation for you in Jesus crucified. But your neighbor does. You neighbor needs you to be salt and light in this world. What do those good works look like? Consider where God has placed you in life, what vocations, or callings, he has called you into. Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, worker, or employer? Think of the ways you can be a salt and light for those around you at home, in your neighborhood, at work, at church, at school, and so on.

Through it all, we find comfort in Jesus’ declaration of who we are. You are salt and light in him. You are blessed in him. No matter how many times we fail to be his salt and light, his promise still stands. You are his beloved, baptized disciple. No matter how many times our sin seems to overshadow us or death appears to swallow us up, Jesus is the Light no darkness can overcome. Jesus went to the cross, was enveloped in darkness, and death swallowed him up so that in him you are who he says you are. 

In Christ, “You ARE the salt of the earth… You ARE the light of the world.” In Christ, you have a new and everlasting identity. Jesus declares that you are His people. Forgiven. Restored. Blessed. Baptized children of God. 

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

Sermon for Epiphany 4: "Blessed in Jesus"

+ 4^th Sunday after Epiphany – February 2, 2020 +

Series A: Micah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

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

The first word out of Jesus’ mouth in his sermon on the mount is a word of Good News. Blessed. It’s a word of blessing. A beatitude we call it.

The first four of Jesus’ beatitudes point to our life in Christ before God. The poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

That’s a rather strange way to begin a sermon, don’t you think? Jesus doesn’t say blessed are the powerful, the strong, the happy, healthy, wealthy and wise. No. Blessed are the poor in spirit.

To be poor in spirit is to discover our own spiritual bankruptcy. As Luther once said, we are all beggars this is true. To be poor in spirit is to cry out, Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. Blessed are those who have nothing to offer God but our sin, our messed up lives, and our broken hearts. Blessed are those who look at the inventory of the commandments and come to the conclusion, “I have nothing.” Blessed are those who realize they haven’t kept a single commandment in thought, word, or deed not matter how good they might look to the world. Blessed are those who, join the tax collector in confessing, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Or as St. Augustine once said, God gives into empty hands.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

This beatitude doesn’t seem like a blessing at first. Aren’t Christians supposed to have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in our hearts? And yet, there is sadness in this life. We mourn the chaos of sin and death in our world. We mourn the martyrdom of brothers and sisters in Christ. We mourn the lawlessness in our streets, and the anarchy of sin in our hearts. And yet…Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again…for you to comfort you. 

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Once again Jesus’ beatitudes are the opposite of what we’d expect. He doesn’t say blessed are the strong and mighty. No. Blessed are the meek. How’s that going for us? Not great I expect. We’re not always meek or humble. Thankfully, Jesus is meek for you. “Come to me, all you who are weak and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” 

Hopefully by now you’re seeing a pattern. The beatitudes are all about Jesus. Jesus is meek. Jesus loves his enemies. Jesus turns the other cheek. Jesus lays down his life for the ungodly...for you Jesus humbles himself to the point of death on the cross for you. And in Jesus, you receive these blessings.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Hunger and thirst, no problem. Go to the fridge. But righteousness? Again, for that, we need Jesus righteousness.

The next four beatitudes turn us to our neighbor. Blessed are the merciful, the pure-hearted, the peacemakers, the persecuted. We reflect the merciful, pure-hearted, persecuted Prince of Peace who is their Savior and Lord. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

God gives us his mercy every Sunday in his Word, water, body and blood. “Lord, have mercy,” we sing, knowing that Jesus is mercy. Jesus calls us, who receive his mercy, to be merciful to others in their physical and spiritual needs.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Here’s another difficult beatitude. Maybe you’re like me and you squirm a bit when you hear this. After all, Proverbs says, “Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”? Not a one of us.  

Create in me, a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Jesus takes our heart of stone and replaces it with a new heart whose life-blood is in the blood of the Lamb, a pure heart that beats in rhythm with God’s Word and promises.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

For many, peace is a political or an emotional word. The peace Jesus brings is different. It’s the proclamation of Good News that in him the kingdom of God has come; that through his death and resurrection we are reconciled to God. Jesus reconciles all things having made peace by his blood shed on the cross. That’s true peace, shalom. Sins forgiven. 

On our own we’re not peacemakers. Our old Adam is constant rebel, seeking to overthrow the Prince of Peace. But in Christ, in your Baptism, by his blood shed for you; you are at peace with God, and called to declare that peace to others. That’s what Jesus sent out his disciples to do. 

Though sadly, wherever this message of Good News and reconciliation and peace in Jesus is proclaimed sooner or later, persecution follows.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you, the baptized believer, child of God, and heir of the kingdom. Blessed are you when others revile you, persecute you, slander you because you bear the name Christian. Blessed are you when people laugh at you for believing in Jesus. 

We hear this and think…really? How’s that a blessing? It’s not the persecution that’s the  blessing; it’s Jesus’ promise in the face of suffering that is the blessing. Jesus promises to be with you and never leave nor forsake you. And nothing and no one can snatch you out of his hands. 

From his first word to his last, Jesus’ beatitudes words of blessing and good news for you. Jesus is the One who became poor in spirit, though He was rich. He is the One who mourned over our Sin. He is the meek One, who turned the other cheek, and gave himself up for us on the cross. He hungered and thirsted for our righteousness, and in His hunger and thirst we are filled. He is the Merciful One, whose mercy knows no bounds. He is the pure-hearted One, innocent of all sin, whose heart overflows with love. He is the peacemaker, the One who made peace by his death on a cross. He is the persecuted One, who absorbed this world’s hatred and buried it in His death. 

Rejoice and be glad! You are blessed in Jesus, now and forever.

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

In Memoriam: Funeral Sermon for Ray James

+ In Memoriam – Ray James +

August 22, 1931 – January 23, 2020

Psalm 23; Isaiah 25:6-9; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; John 14:1-6

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

On one of my visits with Ray, a few months back, I asked him, “Are you up for communion today, Ray?” 

“Yes sir. Always,” was his reply.

That little exchange may not sound like much to most, but Ray’s words reveal a lot about the faith and life of our dear brother in Christ. Much could be said about Ray. His love for Lavonne and his children. His care for his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ here at church. I’m sure everyone here has a favorite memory or story or conversation you share with Ray. It seems to me, though that the thing that made Ray, Ray; the thing that shaped his identity, and his love for others the most was this.

Ray was a man who loved the Gospel, the Good News that God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself. The Good News that even though the wages of our sin is death the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Good News that Jesus saves sinners by his redeeming blood shed for us on the cross.

The Good News that we heard from the prophet Isaiah this morning. That the Lord will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.

Ray was a man who loved the Gospel, for he heard in those promises the very voice of God who loved him and gave his Son Jesus up for him, and for you, and for all. Ray loved the Gospel for he heard in God’s Words the God who loved him and loves him eternally in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Such a love for God’s Word and such faith in Christ and his promises can only come from one place. Not from anything inside of us. Not by our brains or brawn or our behavior. Faith in Christ is God’s gift to us, as it was for Ray. All God’s doing. All by God’s free, unconditional, no-strings attached, abundant, overflowing grace in Jesus crucified. 

Ray knew this well, which is why he loved hearing and receiving God’s promises. For he knew he needed to hear them, as we all do. We need to hear that we are great sinners who have Savior that is greater than our sin. We need to hear that we have broken God’s commandments and yet Jesus kept every one of them on our behalf. We need to hear that the punishment we deserved -judgment and death – fell upon Jesus instead of us. God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. And in Jesus, death – Ray’s death; our death – is swallowed up forever. Jesus took it all for Ray and for you, and gives you in return, his good news, the Gospel that Ray loved so much.

On the day Ray was baptized all of this – all of God’s love in Christ - came raining, pouring cascading down upon him. The same happened to you in your Baptism. God attaches his promise and blessing to some ordinary water and pours out and floods you with his extraordinary gift of life and salvation, of faith in Christ, and the Holy Spirit who dwells with you as he did with Ray. Working that great faith in Christ and love of others within him. 

In those waters, with his word, God joined Ray to the death and resurrection of Jesus forever. God drenched Ray’s heart and mind, body and soul forever with the Good News. From that time on Ray was clothed in Christ, robed in his righteousness, and covered by the Gospel.

It was this gift – of faith in Christ and love of his promises to Ray – that gave him love for those who had not yet heard the Good News. It’s what motivated him, and others here at Beautiful Savior, to work at starting a mission church in Orting, which by God’s grace and Gospel, is still there, filling more ears, hearts, and minds with God’s Gospel and promise in Jesus crucified.

This Good News of Jesus crucified and risen is also what gave Ray hope and comfort the last few years of illness, of losing Lavonne, and in his last days. Ray lived, as we all do, every step, every breath, every day by the grace of God in Jesus who lived and died and rose to save you. To declare to you as he did his disciples: 

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 

You see, as much as Ray loved the Gospel, our Lord loves to give us his good news even more. That is what he lived to do. Why he died for you. Why he rose again for you. Why he feeds us his body and blood. Speaks to us in his Word. Pours out his Holy Spirit upon us. Works faith in our hearts. Guards, keeps, and sustains your life. 

Jesus lived to give you his life. Jesus died to save you from death. Jesus rose again so that one day, we along with Ray and all the saints, will rise again too. 

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

And that, dear brothers and sisters in Christ is the best news of all. For Ray and for us, death is but a sleep. Jesus’ death destroyed death. In Jesus we will rise again. In Jesus those who have died in the faith now rest from their labors. In Jesus our flesh and soul dwell securely, forever. In Jesus we live each day, until that great day of the resurrection, as Ray did, in the love and grace and mercy of God’s Good News in Jesus crucified and risen for you. 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep you in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.