Sermon for Christmas Day: "The Sacred Surprise"

 + The Nativity of Our Lord: Christmas Day – December 25^th, 2023 +

Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-12; John 1:1-18

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Watching children at Christmas is a beautiful, exciting thing to witness. You see the delight on their faces when they wake you up early Christmas morning. You watch them peal back the layers of paper and tape as they discover the mystery that’s been hidden under the tree or around the house for weeks. You hear the surprise in their voices at something unexpected.

 

This Christmas morning, John’s gospel does something similar for us. Though John takes us deeper than presents under the tree. He tells us that the one who made the tree was also made man. He tells us of a gift that does not fall apart, fade, or fail…but was made flesh for you.

 

This morning, we sit together as God’s children, by the tree, around his table, and we unwrap the gifts God gives in his word and promise. “In the beginning was the Word; and the word was with God and the Word was God.” Layer by layer he unwraps the gift; he unboxes the mystery; he reveals a sacred, sublime, and surprising paradox:

 

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. 

 

We hear it so often that we forget just how unexpected and surprising of a gift this truly is. The eternal God is man to deliver man back to God. The infinite becomes incarnate. The Creator comes into his creation and takes on our humanity. He who is worthy of all honor comes in great humility to save you.

 

John takes us to the heart of Christmas, an ancient yet blessed paradox: the greatest gift the world has ever received arrived in obscurity, in a backwater town, in ancient Israel. The mighty God rested in the arms of his mother Mary. 

 

And when you look at the whole Scripture story, God always seems to do things this way, the opposite of what we expect – or deserve. God so often baffles and bewilders us…so that we would always know that his salvation rests in his hands, not ours.

 

So the prophet Isaiah preaches the holy God who inhabits eternity yet he comes and dwells with the humble and contrite. Elijah learns that the celestial conductor of wind and earthquake and fire comes before him in a gentle, still small voice. Micah foretells that the King of kings will arrive not in a castle, but in that little town of Bethlehem. Ponder the mystery, the joy, the sacred surprise of Christmas:

 

For you… Man’s maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast;

that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on his journey;

that the Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood;

that Strength might grow weak;

that the Healer might be wounded;

that Life might die.

 

All of this he did for you. 

 

How beautiful are the feet of him who bears good news, and is God’s good news in the flesh. In Christ God has feet that will walk upon water, that will gather the cursed dust of the earth, that will be wet with repentant tears, that will stumble and make their way through the city streets of Jerusalem, up a hill, and onto a cross. For the word became flesh for you.

 

In Christ, God has hands that remove sin’s stain, hands that bring healing, hands that are lifted up in blessing over bread and wine to give you his body and blood, hands that were lifted up on the tree for you. the word became flesh for you.

 

In Christ, God has eyes that see your suffering, your sorrow, your tears…eyes that were closed in death, but opened again in resurrection on the third day. The word became flesh for you.

 

Rejoice with John this day that God is on earth, He is among men, not in the fire nor amid the sound of trumpets; not in the smoking mountain, or in the darkness, or in the terrible and roaring tempest giving the Law, but manifested in the flesh, the gentle and good One dwells with those He condescends to make His equals! God is in the flesh, not operating from a distance, as did the prophets, but through Him human nature, one with ours, He brings back all mankind to Himself.

 

Praise the Lord of the paradox. Rejoice in the surprise of all surprises. 

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.¹¹ He came to his own,^[b] and his own people^[c] did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son^[d] from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

A blessed Christmas day to each of you…

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon for Christmas Midnight: "The Battle of Bethlehem"

 + The Nativity of Our Lord – Christmas Eve – December 24^th, 2023 +

Series B: Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Bill Murray’s Christmas movie, Scrooged, begins with a fictional movie trailer for a Christmas special, “The Night the Reindeer Died.” The whole scene is intentionally over the top. It’s beyond ludicrous speed. Mrs. Claus opens an armory. Santa shoulder a M-16. Lee Majors even shows up with a gatling gun.

 

Absurd?…absolutely. And yet… there’s a grain of truth hidden in all of that ridiculousness. That first Christmas may or may not have been a silent night…but it certainly was a violent night.

 

When we think of Christmas we think of milk and cookies, of peace on earth, and good will toward men. But we do well to remember that Christmas is a declaration of war. 

 

Beneath the swaddled clothes and straw of the manger, a cosmic battle is raging. In Bethlehem, though unseen by human eyes, hell and heaven battled over us. For there in the feeding trough rests the one who has come to set us free from sin, from our ancient foe, the dragon, and from death.

 

“From God’s viewpoint—and Satan’s—Christmas signals far more than the birth of a baby; it was an invasion, the decisive advance in the great struggle for the cosmos.” (Philip Yancey).

 

Isaiah foretold the battle of Bethlehem ages ago. 

 

For the yoke of his burden,
    and the staff for his shoulder,
    the rod of his oppressor,
    you have broken as on the day of Midian. 

 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
    and every garment rolled in blood
    will be burned as fuel for the fire.

 

That’s battle language. Like Gideon of old and the armies of Midian, Christ, our Greater Gideon is preparing for war. To break the brokenness of sin and death and the devil. The Messiah is on a mission. It’s a covert operation though. The Creator becomes a creature. The King of kings kicks his infant legs. The Lord of lords is born a little child. God marshals his glory and strength and power and wraps it in Humility. Humanity. The word made flesh.

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given

 

Christmas is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. Christ was born in enemy territory. In the womb of Mary he snuck behind the enemy’s lines into this fallen world. Christ the king has come to claim his rightful throne and rescue you, his beloved.

 

 

Bethlehem is his beachhead. The stable is a sanctuary…but also a fortress. In the manger the Almighty God musters himself for battle. The Lord of hosts is armored in swaddling clothes. When infant Jesus draws his first breath, the depths of hell trembled. 

 

It all began in Bethlehem. Heaven and hell contended on that holy night. Christ was born into a violent, ungodly world – a world where power and wickedness ruled with a clenched, iron fist. It would seem that not much has changed…that the war drums of sin and death roll on. Our world is broken and so are we. Daily, we fall. We lose the fight. We are overrun and outflanked by temptation, guilt, shame, sin and the lies of the ancient foe, the dragon. His fiery breath breathes out lies and we believe him: give up…all is lost…there’s no one here to rescue you. 

 

Christmas is a reminder that this is but the last gasp of a dying, defeated enemy. Christmas marks the genesis of war, a war to set you free. Christ has invaded our world. Hell and sin and death quake and shutter at his birth. For the people who walk in darkness have seen a great light. On you, who live in the land of deep darkness, on you the light of the world shines this night.

 

It is certainly true that Christ is born to bring salvation. To atone for your sins. To rescue us from death. To bring us into God’s family through adoption by grace. And yet he does all these things by conquering sin and death on the cross, where he himself is conquered. But as a victim he wins the victory. 

 

Over the hills of Bethlehem, the angel announced the good news. A shout of victory that echoes throughout history.

 

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

 

The angel armies advance and welcome their commander in chief with a war cry that fills the night skies.

 

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”^[

 

The shepherds rally to the banner of their newborn King. The captain of our salvation is born to save you. The Liberator has set you free from sin and death. Christ has come to conquer the serpent and reigns forever. And in Christ there is peace. Goodwill. There is joy. In Christ you are also provisioned. He provides the training for your life in the battle that rages and yet is already won. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.

 

So tonight…come to the victory feast at his table. Rejoice! Eat his body. Drink his blood. And be merry, for your sins are forgiven. Rejoice! Christ came. He saw. He conquered sin and death and the serpent for you. Christ is born and evil is vanquished. Christ is born and the darkness is scattered. Christ is born and your life is in Him.

 

Merry Christmas! The ancient foe is dead. Christ is born for you. And his victory has set you free.

 

A blessed Christmas to each of you…

 

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

Sermon for Lessons and Carols: "Christmas Drama"

 + Christmas Eve: Service of Lessons and Carols – December 24^th, 2023 +

Genesis 3:8-15; 17-19; Genesis 22:15-19; Isaiah 9:2-7; Isaiah 11:1-9; Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-7; Luke 2:8-20; Matthew 2:1-12; John 1:1-14

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Growing up our family would often spend Christmas with my grandparents in rural Missouri. One year I remember all of us loading up in the car and heading out on the winding country roads to their congregation, little Mt. Hulda Lutheran Church, where the church hosted an annual living nativity. As you drove off the blacktop and onto the gravel road that led to the church you saw the Christmas story unfold. Scene after scene, you felt like you were part of the divine drama of Christ’s birth.

 

Tonight, in Scripture and in song we are doing something similar. We witness the divine drama of Christ’s birth unfold, scene by scene, from the opening act in Genesis on down to the final act in the gospels. Tonight, on Christmas Eve, we retell and rejoice in the greatest drama ever staged. Tonight, we remember that the birth of Christ is the best of both worlds: Christmas is exciting, beautiful, dramatic…and it is true, historical, and real. 

 

This is why the 20^th century Christian author, Dorothy Sayers, was fond of saying that, “The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man – and the dogma is the drama.” (Letters to a Diminished Church, p. 1). Christian teaching – especially at Christmas – far from being dull or drab or boring – is exciting, joyful, and dramatic. Action packed. What could be more joyful and dramatic than the Son of God coming down, taking on our human flesh, being born of a lowly maiden, laid to rest in a feeding trough, wrapped in linen cloths all so that he could save you? 

 

Unlike Shakespeare’s plays, the divine drama of Jesus’ birth, the story of salvation, isn’t a man-made story, but the story of how God became man to save you. Unlike fairytales created by our imagination, the story of Christmas did not happen in never-never land, or in a galaxy far, far away, or once upon a time. It happened in the days of Caesar Augustus, and when Quirinius was governor of Syria. A little town of Bethlehem became center stage for the greatest story ever told. 

 

Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,^[b] who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger

 

Tonight as we hear the Scriptures the divine drama unfolds. Tonight as we celebrate our Lord’s birth we celebrate the greatest drama ever staged. The true story of Jesus’ birth to save you.

 

Our story begins where many stories end, in tragedy. Just three chapters in, the curtain had hardly been raised for long it seems and disaster struck. The creation God declared very good turned very bad. The villain came in the form of a serpent and tempted Adam and Eve to follow his directions instead of God’s. And the man God formed from the dust of the earth spat in his face in rebellion. Then came the curse. Sin. Death. 

 

By the sweat of your face
    you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
    for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
    and to dust you shall return.

 

And yet tragedy would not be the final word of this opening act in Scripture. No. God would make sure of that. God planted a seed of hope in the destruction of Eden. A promise. A child would be born of a woman. A child who would crush the serpent. A hero who would defeat the villain once and for all.

 

As the divine drama unfolds God gives an encore performance of his promise to Adam and Eve. In another great act of salvation, God promises Abraham that all the nations on the earth will be blessed through one of his offspring. Although Isaac is a promised son, he is not yet the promised son. Isaac is spared so that the promised son, the Son of God, would be born to be the sacrifice for all. On Moriah, God provided a ram for the sacrifice instead of Isaac. This was a dress rehearsal for another mountain and another beloved Son. On Mt. Calvary, God would finally provide the sacrifice all the Old Testament sacrifices pointed towards, the Son of God in human flesh. 

 

As time went on, the Acts of God’s divine drama of salvation continued to unfold. Isaiah captures the drama beautifully, with words of comfort and joy:

 

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon^[d] his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called^[e]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

After Isaiah God’s prophets come and go, enter stage right, exit stage left. The kings rise and fall. Israel went there and back again, from exile back home. And all the while, throughout the years, God was in the details, like a set crew behind the scenes preparing for the final act to arrive, for opening night, when, wonder of all wonders, the author himself would step foot onto the stage. When the divine playwright would write himself into the script, when the Creator of the divine drama became a creature…when God became man and entered our story and history.

 

It happens not in the royal halls or auditoriums of Jerusalem, but in a little amphitheater in the hills outside of Bethlehem, to lowly shepherds watching their flock by night. The angel sets the scene with glorious good news…

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

 

This is the greatest drama ever staged. God comes in humility to save us from our pride. The sinless for the sinner. The innocent for the guilty. The Son of God comes to save us sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. God comes in lowliness of the manger and dies lifted up on the lowly cross to save us from death and the grave. God becomes a child so that you would become children of God. 

 

Tonight, the divine drama is not only the story of Jesus’ birth. It is your story too. Christmas is the dramatic and exciting and comforting story of your salvation, for it is true. You are part of the Christmas story because that first Christmas, Christ Jesus set foot on the stage, he entered history in a dramatic, humble, yet glorious way…as God in the flesh to save you. 

 

Tonight, our story that began in tragedy, ends in joy. The curtain closes on our sin and death. God’s final act begins in Bethlehem and ends in Jerusalem…from his newborn manger to new life won for us on the cross. The drama of history that began with death, now through Jesus’ birth and death, is the true story of life now and forever.

 

Tonight, like little children in a Christmas pageant, our Lord invites us to join the prophets, angels and shepherds, in hearing, singing, and sharing the joyous dramatic good news:

 

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

 

“Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

 

 

A blessed Christmas to each of you…

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon for Advent 4: "Not Alone"

 + 4^th Sunday in Advent – December 24^th, 2023 +

Series B

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

December is usually the time of the year where you sit down and watch one (or more) of your favorite Christmas movies. You pick out your Christmas tree with the Griswold family. Maybe you huddle by the fire with Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol. Whatever you do, just be careful not to shoor your eye out, kid. 

 

One of my personal favorites is Home Alone. 9-year old Kevin McAllister makes a foolish wish that comes true: to make his family disappear. He wanted to be alone. But after the fun of running the house was over, after the cheese pizza was gone, and after successfully defending his home from two criminals, he realized that being home alone at Christmas wasn’t as good as he thought it would be. He missed his mom and dad, his annoying cousins, even his older brother Buzz. 

 

Kevin felt what many of us feel in one way or another during the holiday season: that creeping, heavy, lost sense of being alone. 

 

And yet, today’s Gospel reading is a reminder that God works in the lives of his people. He does not leave us alone. He does not give us our foolish wishes. He does something greater and better. He joins us in our loneliness in a real and personal way…in the womb of the Virgin Mary. In your flesh. True God, yet true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary…for you, to enter our lonely, lost, broken lives, and to find us, forgive us, and assure us that you are never alone.

 

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed^[b] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”^[c] 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

 

Luke doesn’t tell us, but I imagine that one of the many things Mary felt in the days after Gabriel announced to her that she would be the Mother of God, the God-bearer, and that her Son would be the Son of the Most High, that she would feel alone. An unwed, probably teenage, and definitely poor mother. Imagine how people would stare (with their eyes and point with their fingers) and whisper (did you hear about Mary…just look at her) or just walk away when she walked near. 

 

I imagine for one reason or another, we’ve been there before, you might even be feeling that way this morning. Alone. It might be the loneliness of loss. The empty chair at the dinner table. The missing uncle, aunt or grandparent in the family photo. You might even be in a crowded room full of friends and family but still wonder if anyone notices if you’re there. 

 

Then there’s the loneliness of guilt and shame; the haunting sins and regrets of the past. The hurtful words we can’t take back. The text message we can’t delete. The addictions and desires that we war against daily; all the ways we’ve tried to drown, or numb, or scroll the pain away. This is what sin does. It isolates us. Separates us from one another. And most of all, from our Lord. At the heart of our sinfulness is a foolish wish: a wish to be alone. 

But God does not and will not leave you alone. How do I know this? Because he did not leave Mary alone.

 

behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.” 

 

God didn’t leave Mary alone. God gave Mary her cousin Elizabeth, who was in a unique position to be with her in her loneliness. Remember that the same angel Gabriel who visited Mary had also visited Zechariah and announced the miraculous birth of John the Baptist. God gave Mary and Elizabeth to be a community to one another, a little preview of what the church is to be: bearing one another’s burdens, sharing in the joys of the good news of the Savior who was in Mary’s womb as they met and talked in the months after Gabriel’s visit.

 

But God didn’t stop there. He gave Mary something more. He gave her his word. How will all of this happen? Not because of Mary, but because of the Lord’s word. For Nothing will be impossible with God. 

 

And along with his word God did what seemed impossible. The Virgin conceived and bore a son. God entered our lonely, lost lives of sin and death. God did not leave Mary alone and he will not leave you alone either. For the one who is conceived in her, born from her, and swaddled in her arms is the same Son who is born that one day he would die on a cross. Alone. Lost in our sin. All for you. The same Son of God who is born of Mary is also the Son of God who is crucified under Pontius Pilate, who has taken the loneliness of our guilt and shame, who has buried all our foolish words and wishes in his tomb, who entered the darkness of our addictions, temptations, sin, and death itself and taken it all away.  

 

And through this Son of God and Son of Mary we hear those comforting words: You are not alone. Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God in Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes upon you and creates and sustains faith and trust in the God who promises never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. The miracle of faith and trust that God gave to Mary, he gives to you as well.  And the God who gave Elizabeth to Mary gives us all the gift of a holy community, the body of Christ. 

 

Here we are called to bear one another’s burdens. To pray for one another. To pick up the phone or send a card. To remind our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ: you are not alone. 

 

When you’re going through it, that feeling of being alone seems like it will never end. But the angel’s words to Mary are also God’s words to us. Gabriel declares to Mary and to us that there is only one thing that has no end. And it’s not our sin, death, or despair. It’s not our loneliness or lostness. The one thing that has no end, that never ends. That is with you always. Is the grace and joy that comes in Jesus who will reign over the house of his father David, and over you forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. 

 

 

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

 

 

In Memoriam: Mark Zurschmiede: "Fear Not"

 + In Memoriam – Mark Zurschmiede +

December 9th, 2023

Isaiah 41:8-13; 1 John 5:1-12; John 6:35-40

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

The prophet Isaiah zeroes in on one of our most basic, common fears. Of being alone. That doesn’t mean that we don’t all value time to ourselves, and for each of us that varies. Some of us are more extroverted, some more introverted. The kind of loneliness Isaiah points to is different; it’s that feeling of being totally Isolated. No one to help in time of need. No one to turn to. Nowhere to find comfort. 

 

When God called the prophet Isaiah to speak these words to his people Israel, he was preparing them for the days when they would be captured by the Babylonian empire, taken from their homeland, and sent off into exile. They would be alone because of their enemies. And alone because of their sin. They would feel isolated. Abandoned. Without hope. So God sent them his word through his prophet Isaiah. God sent his word to remind Israel that they were not alone. That God was with them.

 

Fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

Sin and death and grief often have a similar effect on us as well, leaving us feeling alone, or abandoned, or without hope. Grief can feel like a dark room without doors or windows. Death can seem like an unbeatable enemy. 

 

This is why so God is constantly speaking his word of comfort throughout the Bible. So that throughout our life, just as he did in the lives of is people, just as he did for Mark, we would continue to hear his promise. 

 

Fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

Today, as he did for Abraham, God promises… Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go

 

Today, as he did for Israel in the Exodus, God reminds you, you are not abandoned or alone. ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.

Today, as he did for his disciples, he does for you. Jesus promises and gives hope, even in the midst of grief; he gives you life, even as we mourn Mark’s death. I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

This is what our Lord did throughout Mark’s life as well. On the day he was baptized, water was poured over his head. The word of God was spoken and declared over Mark. The sign of the cross was made on his forehead and over his heart. And the Lord spoke. 

 

fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

When Mark went through confirmation class and as he confessed his faith there and throughout his life, the Lord was with him. Mark’s life – and your life – is in Jesus the Son of God. When you feel helpless or hopeless…Fear not. You are not alone. Christ the crucified and risen one is with you.

 

As Mark worked at Boeing, spent time with family, went to church, went about his daily, ordinary tasks of life…the Lord was with him. Even in death, the Lord was with Mark.

 

All of this is true because of what our Lord Jesus did for Mark and for you. Mark is with Jesus now and for all eternity – just as all believers in Christ are and will be – because when Jesus was on the cross, he was there for Mark and for you. When Jesus lived perfectly and kept the Father’s word and obeyed his will, he did that for Mark and for you. When Jesus was crucified, he was abandoned and left alone to bear our sin, to die in our place, and to be forsaken, so that Mark, and you, and me would never be alone, never be abandoned and never be without hope. Our Lord Jesus was crucified and risen so that whenever we do feel that way, whenever sin and death and grief cause us to feel alone, Christ’s word and promise would break into the darkness and declare a word of comfort.

 

fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

This is the faith that Mark lived in, confessed, died in, and will rise again in. Because of Christ, death the last enemy does not get the last word. Jesus does. Jesus conquered the grave for Mark and for you so that you will never be abandoned or left alone. So that you will be with Christ forever. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

 

Jesus was buried in the tomb and rose again so that one day, when he returns, Christ will raise Mark and all of us, from our graves with his righteous right hand. He will strengthen us again in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. He will speak his word and call us forth from our graves. Fear not. For I am with you. 

 

Fear not. I am the one who helps you.

 

Fear not. I am with you always.