Sermon for Good Friday: "Numbered with the Transgressors"

 + Good Friday – March 29^th, 2024 +

Series B: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 4-5; John 18-19

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

There have been many weeks in the history of the world. There have been about 103,688 weeks since the first Good Friday. Holy Week is the greatest week in all the weeks of history since the first week in Genesis. Not since the 7^th day when the Lord God rested from all his labors had there been an 8 days like these 8 days we call Holy Week. The Great Week. The week leading up to the day leading up to the hours on a Friday afternoon outside Jerusalem, when Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. 

 

There are 39 books in the Old Testament; 27 in the New Testament. There are 1,042 pages in the Scriptures. Ever book, every prophet and apostle, every page of every one of these books, in one way or another, is a testimony of Christ who saves sinners and dwells with sinners…for Good Friday Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. 

 

On Good Friday the truth is inescapable: Christ dwells only among sinners. And this is the way it has been since his birth for you. For this reason he descended from heaven, where he dwelt among the righteous, to dwell among sinners. This is why we call Good Friday “good.” Meditate on this love of his and you will see his sweet consolation. The good news of Good Friday is that Jesus dwells only among sinners. That Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. And he did this for you.

 

Long ago, Isaiah the prophet foretold this good news of Good Friday. 

 

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.

because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.

 

And what Isaiah foretold, Jesus fulfilled. When Jesus began his public ministry, was known for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners. Sinners like Matthew. Zacchaeus. And many, many more. Sinners like you. Like me. As Jesus traveled around Judea and in the homes, and at the table of Jew and Gentile alike, he was numbered with the transgressors. Jesus quickly gained a reputation. 

 

When the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

This is the good news of Good Friday. That Christ dwells only among sinners. 

 

Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. 

When Jesus told his parables of the lost coin and the lost sheep and the two lost sons in Luke 15, Luke tells us how the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 

 

The Pharisees meant that as an insult, but it’s not. It’s the truth. And it was incredibly good news for those who had ears to hear. And it still is. “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Thank the Lord he did…and still does! Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. Amen! He was for you. 

 

For if Christ does not dwell with sinners, we are without hope. Lost. Alone. Dead. End of story. 

 

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus dies for you, not when you have it all together, but when you’re completely broken and falling apart. Jesus rescues you not when you’ve been good little sheep following the shepherd, but when we, like sheep have gone astray. Jesus went to the cross to redeem and rescue you not on your best day, but at your worst. Yes, our sin is great, but Jesus is a greater Savior than you are a sinner. 

 

This is the good news of Good Friday. Christ dwells only among sinners. Jesus was numbered with the transgressors…for you, and for all your transgressions. 

 

When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, he was numbered with the transgressors who shouted Hosanna! Blessed is he comes in the name of the Lord!

 

When Jesus was in the upper room with the disciples, he was numbered with the transgressors who – to the man – denied that they would deny him. And yet he took the bread and the cup and gave them – as he gives you – his body and blood for your forgiveness.

 

When Jesus was praying in Gethsemane, he was numbered with the transgressors who fell asleep as he prayed, who betrayed him, who arrested him, who hauled him off to trial in the wee hours of the night.

 

When Jesus was brought before Pilate and Herod and the crowds he was numbered with the transgressors as they cried out: “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

 

When Jesus finally made his way to the cross, there once again, and up on the hill for all the world to see, Jesus is numbered with the transgressors. For you. Two criminals on the cross, one on each side, and all the world’s transgressions – yours and mine – there with him. And there, God made him who knew no sin so that in Jesus you would become the righteousness of God. There, Jesus was numbered with the transgressors…for you. He was lifted up on the cross for you. He was crucified for you. He cried out, “it is finished” for you. He bowed his head for you. He gave up his spirit for you. He was taken down from the cross, laid in the tomb, and rested on the 7^th day for you. 

 

It is good news on this Good Friday…that Christ dwells among sinners. And it is good news that we will hear again on the third day. That Christ rose from the dead for sinners. That Christ lives and reigns for sinners. And that now and every day until Christ returns or he calls us home, Christ dwells among sinners.

 

 

A blessed Good Friday to each of you…

 

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

 

Sermon for Maundy Thursday: "Blood Is Life"

 + Maundy Thursday – March 28^th, 2024 +

Series B: Exodus 12:1-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32; Mark 14:12-26

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

We’ve all seen the Red Cross slogans plastered across city buses, websites, and bulletin boards.

 

Save a life. Give blood.        Give blood. Give life.

 

There is a deep biological truth in these slogans. Your body needs blood to live. Without blood you die. To give blood is to give life.

 

And yet, for you who know the Scriptures, you can see an even deeper physical and spiritual truth in these words as well. You need blood to live body and soul. Without the blood of Jesus we die. When Jesus gives his blood, he gives you life. When Jesus sheds his blood he saves you, body and soul.

 

Whether intentionally, or unintentionally, the Red Cross echoes one of Scripture’s ancient promises: the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. (Leviticus 17)

 

What the Lord said in Leviticus he repeats throughout Scripture. Life is in the blood. Life is saved by the blood. Blood makes atonement. Blood covers sin. Cancels debt. Blood is poured out and death passes over. If the Bible were a body, the beating heart at the center of it would be the life and blood of Jesus. Anywhere you cut the pages of Scripture (Luther) it’ll bleed the blood of Christ. Every book, chapter, and verse; every prophet, promise, and preacher are vessels and veins, Christ’s cardiovascular system, pumping, coursing with his life – always flowing out of and back into the heart of the Scriptures: Christ crucified and risen for you. 

 

The story of the Bible is the story of blood. Real blood. Flesh and blood. The blood of sacrifices made for sin. Until the day when the blood of the God-man was shed for all sin. The whole Bible pulses with Jesus’ death and resurrection, carrying lifeblood from the wounds and limbs of Jesus to you.

 

The story of the Scriptures is the story of God saving your life by giving blood. When Jesus gives blood, he gives you life.

 

When God covered Adam and Eve, naked in guilt and shame, he did so by the shedding of blood. So the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. An animal slain. The innocent for the guilty. There was life in the blood. 

 

When God made a covenant with Noah after the flood – before he put his bow in the sky as a sign of his promise – there was shedding of blood. Sacrifice. A life for a life. Life in the blood. 

 

When God made a covenant with Abram the sacrifices (heifer, goat, turtle doves) were all cut in half, he gave life and his promise by the blood. “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Life. Inheritance. Righteousness. All by the blood.

 

 

When God struck down the Egyptians and rescued his people from slavery and bondage, he did so by the shedding of blood. The Passover lamb was sacrificed. Blood and life in the lamb.

 

The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

 

Year after year, Passover after Passover. Sacrifice after sacrifice, God’s promise to give life by the blood. In the tabernacle, and later the temple it was spoken: “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” The Scriptures beat in tune with the rhythm of God’s compassionate, gracious heart. Until one day an angel appeared to Mary and told her something marvelous.

 

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 

 

Within Mary’s womb, not far from her own beating heart, God himself made His home with us. He would be as, Adam said of Eve, truly flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone…and blood of our blood. With one great, important exception. In his flesh and blood no curse of sin was found, for he is holy, innocent, without sin. In the Jesus’ blood, in the blood of the God-man, there is our cure. When Jesus took on human flesh and bone and blood, he did so to save you. And when Jesus gives blood, he gives you His life.

 

He is the lifeblood of this night we call Maundy Thursday. When Jesus sheds his blood he saves you, body and soul. And when Jesus took bread and wine that night of the Passover, that night of the first Lord’s Supper, that night before he shed his blood on the cross, he did something old and new all at once. Up until that night, God had said not to eat or drink of the blood of the Passover lamb. Why? Because Scripture was waiting for the day – this day, this night – when the Passover Lamb would give his flesh and blood for you to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins.

 

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” ²³ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. ²⁴ And he said to them, “This is my blood of the^[c] covenant, which is poured out for many.

 

When Jesus gives you the bread he gives you his flesh. When he gives you the cup he gives you his blood. Real blood for real sinners from a real savior with real bread and wine for the real forgiveness of sins. When Jesus gives his blood he gives you life in body and soul.

 

Here is your life. Life in the blood of Jesus. He gives blood. He gives life. Given and shed for you.

 

Tonight, when Jesus gives you his body and blood for the forgiveness of all your sins… When Jesus sheds his blood he saves you, body and soul.

 

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for^[f] you. Do this in remembrance of me.”^[g] 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

 

 

A blessed Maundy Thursday to each of you…

 

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

Sermon for Lent Midweek 5: "Lead Us Not Into Temptation...But Deliver Us From Evil"

 + 5^th Lenten Midweek – March 20^th, 2024 +

Genesis 3:1-8; Matthew 4:1-11

6^th and 7^th Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer

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.

 

There’s a game that I imagine most of us have played, or at least heard of playing, at family events or youth group gatherings. Pictionary. It’s a simple game. There are usually two teams. A dry erase board (or chalk board if you’re old school). A box or hat with things written on the paper. You pick your piece of paper. You walk to the board and you begin to draw. Now, for the details of the story, let’s say this is Bible Pictionary. And the words you have to draw say this: the Christian life. 

 

What do you draw? What shape might you begin to sketch? How do you illustrate the Christian life? 

 

Some would draw a line, like a Ford Motors assembly line because they (wrongly) think that the Christian life is one of constant improvement and increase. Some would draw a trophy because they (wrongly) think that the Christian life is all about success and triumph and winning. Some might even draw a ladder because they (wrongly) think that the Christian life is about our climbing, striving, ascending to God. 

 

But then you think (rightly) of the picture the Scriptures give you of the Christian life. You might even think of passages like Romans 7. 

 

“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing…So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

 

And then you pick up the dry erase marker and all you draw on the board is a simple circle. In the Scriptures, the picture of the Christian life is not a Norman Rockwell painting. It’s not a Thomas Kinkade landscape. It’s much more like the picture of Dorian Gray. Or, perhaps something easier to picture…a World War 1 battle scene with trenches and mud and blood and smoke and death and warfare all around.

 

The Christian life is shaped like a circle because, beginning on the day of your baptism until the day Christ returns or you die and he calls you home, you are, all who in Christ are, dying and rising. Like Paul in Romans 7, there is a daily civil war raging within each of us: the old Adam and the new man in Christ. And that battle rages until Christ returns or, you die and he calls you home. Like Paul in Romans 7, we are constantly surrounded by enemies: not just the devil and the fallen world – though they certainly are our enemies: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.

 

That’s true of course, but Paul also points the finger at the enemy within himself. Within you. Within me. This is a trustworthy saying: Christ Jesus came to save sinners, of whom I am the chief.

 

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

 

If the Christian life is more like a circle of daily dying and rising, of daily confessing sin and receiving forgiveness, what we need is not an assembly line or a trophy or a ladder. What we need is rescue. Deliverance. If our Christian life is a battlefield, what we need is a Warrior King to step into the breach, pull us out of the mud and the blood and death and fight for us. 

 

That, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is what we have in the Lord’s Prayer (the 6^th and 7^th petitions) and that is who we have in the Lord Jesus. He gives you these words to pray. He promises to hear you. He leads you not into temptation, but arms you to bushwhack through it. And is there when you fall to pick you back up again in his forgiveness and carry you on and on and on. He is the one who delivers you from evil, from evil in the world, from evil within, and from the evil one.

 

In the 6^th petition, Jesus teaches us to pray to him with the temptations we face now – and temptations may look and feel different for each of us, but we all have them. Like Paul there’s always a thorn in our flesh of one kind or another. So we pray: take my temptations away. Keep me from pursuing them. Whatever you do, Lord Jesus, don’t let me have my way. My desires. My will be done my kingdom come. But yours. Tie us tightly to your promises like Odysseus to the mast of his ship, and fill our ears with the wax of your word, that we might escape the sirens’ song. And when we fail – not if, but when, forgive us our trespasses. 

 

Lord Jesus, guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.

 

And you know what, he does. In the wilderness, Jesus defeated the devil for you. In towns across Judea Jesus cast out demons for you. On the cross Jesus crushed your enemy, the dragon, underfoot. In your baptism, not just the day – but each day – Christ Jesus defeated the devil; in that sacred pool he and continues to drown the enemy within as well. In Jesus all temptation you face – the ones you’ve escaped and the ones you’ve fallen into – they’re all overcome by Jesus.

 

He delivered you from evil on the cross. He ran, head first, feet first, and hands first into the fray, into the mud and the blood and death to save you. He delivers you still. You are armed for the fight with his word and prayer. You are clothed in the armor God in baptismal battle garments, that can douse the fiery arrows of the serpent. You are fed and strengthened and forgiven in the body and the blood of Jesus. 

 

And though your adversary prowls about like a roaring lion, he is no match for Jesus the Lion of Judah who has delivered you. Who delivers you now already in his word and water and body and blood. And he will deliver you once again when he returns or when you die and he calls you home. In Jesus there is no evil – from the devil, the world, or within our own sinful flesh – that can harm you. 

 

¹⁴ For… we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

Lead us not into temptation. Rescue us from temptation. And deliver us from evil. We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven. 

 

And he will. One day the circle will be broken. Jesus will replace it with something better than a picture. You’ll look and all you’ll see is the Lamb on the throne for you. 

 

 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in + Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen. 

 

Sermon for Palm Sunday: "Dying and Rising in Jesus"

 + Palm Sunday – March 24^th, 2024 +

(Confirmation Sunday)

Series B: Zechariah 9:9-12; Philippians 2:5-11; John 12:12-19

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Palm Sunday is a day of movement, from outside Jerusalem into the city. A movement Jesus’ 3-year ministry towards its destination, the cross. A movement of all history and the words of the prophets finally coming to fulfilment as Jesus rides on a donkey: “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming.

 

Palm Sunday is a movement from death to life, for Jesus and for you who are in Jesus.

 

That’s why the crowds were following Jesus in the first place. They had witnessed a death and resurrection  John gives us this beautiful detail: The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. ¹⁸ The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

 

What the crowds and disciples soon found out was that Lazarus’ dying and rising was accomplished by the words of the one who entered Jerusalem to die and rise for them, for you, for all. 

 

You see, the crowds and even Jesus’ own disciples didn’t understand this yet, but in time they would: Palm Sunday is a day where we follow Jesus to the cross. Palm Sunday is a day of Hosannas (Lord, save us now!). Palm Sunday is a day for dying and rising with Jesus. 

 

Palm Sunday is the day Jesus entered Jerusalem to bring you from death to life. 

 

Earlier in John’s gospel (John 5),  Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

This is the pattern, the rhythm, the shape of your life in Christ: daily dying and rising. Out of darkness into the light. Dying to sin and living in Jesus’ sufficient, reckoned righteousness. From death to life in Jesus. 

This is true of our catechumens being confirmed today. Today they die and rise in Jesus because of the gift each of them received in Holy Baptism. Today they confess that faith. Today they remember the words spoken at their baptism. Today they move from being in confirmation class on Monday nights to being a catechumen of God’s word and gifts each day of their lives.

And we join them. Palm Sunday is a day where we all die and rise in Jesus. 

 

In fact all of us died and rose already this morning:  you die and rise daily in God’s gift of Baptism he gave you and renews in you daily. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried, therefore, with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6).

We also die when we confess our sins and rise again in Jesus when he delivers the absolution: “I forgive you all your sins.” 

 

This is what Palm Sunday is about: Jesus goes into Jerusalem to bring you from death to life. This is what your life in Christ is about, whether you’re confirmed today or went through confirmation years ago: you die and rise with Jesus who has brought you from death to life. 

 

This is what this Great Week that lies before us is all about – the greatest week in all of human history – Jesus dying and rising for you so that you die and rise in him. On Palm Sunday, and every day, Jesus brings you from death to life.

 

A blessed Palm Sunday to each of you…

 

 

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

 

Lent Midweek 5: "Lead Us Not Into Temptation...But Deliver Us From Evil"

 + 5^th Lenten Midweek – March 20^th, 2024 +

Genesis 3:1-8; Matthew 4:1-11

6^th and 7^th Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer

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.

 

There’s a game that I imagine most of us have played, or at least heard of playing, at family events or youth group gatherings. Pictionary. It’s a simple game. There are usually two teams. A dry erase board (or chalk board if you’re old school). A box or hat with things written on the paper. You pick your piece of paper. You walk to the board and you begin to draw. Now, for the details of the story, let’s say this is Bible Pictionary. And the words you have to draw say this: the Christian life. 

 

What do you draw? What shape might you begin to sketch? How do you illustrate the Christian life? 

 

Some would draw a line, like a Ford Motors assembly line because they (wrongly) think that the Christian life is one of constant improvement and increase. Some would draw a trophy because they (wrongly) think that the Christian life is all about success and triumph and winning. Some might even draw a ladder because they (wrongly) think that the Christian life is about our climbing, striving, ascending to God. 

 

But then you think (rightly) of the picture the Scriptures give you of the Christian life. You might even think of passages like Romans 7. 

 

“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing…So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

 

And then you pick up the dry erase marker and all you draw on the board is a simple circle. In the Scriptures, the picture of the Christian life is not a Norman Rockwell painting. It’s not a Thomas Kinkade landscape. It’s much more like the picture of Dorian Gray. Or, perhaps something easier to picture…a World War 1 battle scene with trenches and mud and blood and smoke and death and warfare all around.

 

The Christian life is shaped like a circle because, beginning on the day of your baptism until the day Christ returns or you die and he calls you home, you are, all who in Christ are, dying and rising. Like Paul in Romans 7, there is a daily civil war raging within each of us: the old Adam and the new man in Christ. And that battle rages until Christ returns or, you die and he calls you home. Like Paul in Romans 7, we are constantly surrounded by enemies: not just the devil and the fallen world – though they certainly are our enemies: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.

 

That’s true of course, but Paul also points the finger at the enemy within himself. Within you. Within me. This is a trustworthy saying: Christ Jesus came to save sinners, of whom I am the chief.

 

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

 

If the Christian life is more like a circle of daily dying and rising, of daily confessing sin and receiving forgiveness, what we need is not an assembly line or a trophy or a ladder. What we need is rescue. Deliverance. If our Christian life is a battlefield, what we need is a Warrior King to step into the breach, pull us out of the mud and the blood and death and fight for us. 

 

That, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is what we have in the Lord’s Prayer (the 6^th and 7^th petitions) and that is who we have in the Lord Jesus. He gives you these words to pray. He promises to hear you. He leads you not into temptation, but arms you to bushwhack through it. And is there when you fall to pick you back up again in his forgiveness and carry you on and on and on. He is the one who delivers you from evil, from evil in the world, from evil within, and from the evil one.

 

In the 6^th petition, Jesus teaches us to pray to him with the temptations we face now – and temptations may look and feel different for each of us, but we all have them. Like Paul there’s always a thorn in our flesh of one kind or another. So we pray: take my temptations away. Keep me from pursuing them. Whatever you do, Lord Jesus, don’t let me have my way. My desires. My will be done my kingdom come. But yours. Tie us tightly to your promises like Odysseus to the mast of his ship, and fill our ears with the wax of your word, that we might escape the sirens’ song. And when we fail – not if, but when, forgive us our trespasses. 

 

Lord Jesus, guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.

 

And you know what, he does. In the wilderness, Jesus defeated the devil for you. In towns across Judea Jesus cast out demons for you. On the cross Jesus crushed your enemy, the dragon, underfoot. In your baptism, not just the day – but each day – Christ Jesus defeated the devil; in that sacred pool he and continues to drown the enemy within as well. In Jesus all temptation you face – the ones you’ve escaped and the ones you’ve fallen into – they’re all overcome by Jesus.

 

He delivered you from evil on the cross. He ran, head first, feet first, and hands first into the fray, into the mud and the blood and death to save you. He delivers you still. You are armed for the fight with his word and prayer. You are clothed in the armor God in baptismal battle garments, that can douse the fiery arrows of the serpent. You are fed and strengthened and forgiven in the body and the blood of Jesus. 

 

And though your adversary prowls about like a roaring lion, he is no match for Jesus the Lion of Judah who has delivered you. Who delivers you now already in his word and water and body and blood. And he will deliver you once again when he returns or when you die and he calls you home. In Jesus there is no evil – from the devil, the world, or within our own sinful flesh – that can harm you. 

 

¹⁴ For… we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

Lead us not into temptation. Rescue us from temptation. And deliver us from evil. We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven. 

 

And he will. One day the circle will be broken. Jesus will replace it with something better than a picture. You’ll look and all you’ll see is the Lamb on the throne for you. 

 

 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in + Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen. 

 

Sermon for Lent 5: "A Lenten Journey"

 + 5^th Sunday in Lent – March 17^th, 2024 +

Series B: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:32-45

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. The Lenten season is a journey.

 

For the disciples it was a journey that began in fear, but ended in joy and boldness. But you wouldn’t know that by reading today’s Gospel from Mark 10. At this point on the Lenten road, all they can think about is the destination - Jerusalem. “Why go there, Jesus? Everyone wants you dead. Jerusalem is nothing but trouble.” 

 

They’re so consumed with their own quest for about glory, greatness, and God’s kingdom that they misunderstand that God’s glory, greatness, and kingdom are found in the death of His Son.

 

Lent is a journey for each of us too. And many of us, like the disciples, are afraid. Fear of the world we live in. Fear of the uncertainty of an election year. Fear of chaos in places like Haiti or the southern border. Fear of crime, disease and disasters around the world and in our neighborhoods and cities.

 

And if the sinful world around us doesn’t cause us to pray, “Lord, have mercy,” then the fear of our own sinful flesh certainly does. On this Lenten road, we also carry the baggage of despair. Doubt. Built. Shame. Sorrow. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil.

 

Lent is a journey. Not an aimless wandering. Not an evening stroll down the beach. The road goes ever on to Good Friday. Jesus sets his face. There’s no delay. No time for site-seeing or recreation. Jesus must go.

 

Jesus journeyed in life to serve you. Jesus journeyed to death to serve you. Lent is Jesus’ journey for you.

 

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.

 

Lent is a journey. But the disciples weren’t alone on the road. Jesus was walking ahead of them.

Jesus was with his disciples – amazed and afraid though they were. He knew where the road was headed: his dying and rising; this would change them. Jesus went before them, as he goes before us, to carry our burdens of fear, guilt, and death to the cross.

 

You are not alone either. Not in Lent. And not in your fear, sorrow, or despair, doubt, or death.
Jesus has gone ahead of you on the road. Jesus has gone there and back again, through the grave – yours and mine – to life. Jesus is with you, afraid and sinful though we are. His dying and rising changes you too.

 

Like any journey, conversation breaks out along the way. James and John: Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.

 

You have to appreciate just how awkward this conversation is. One moment Jesus describes his death in chilling detail, and the next James and John are chasing glory and greatness. They don’t get it. They think it’s a march to greatness, like the road to the Final Four. They think Jesus’ glory will finally be unleashed and God’s kingdom will be established in Jerusalem.

Of course, it’s easy to read the Gospels, knowing the end of the journey, and wag our fingers at James and John. “What’s with these guys? How thick can they be? Come, on James and John; yeah, come on; get with the program.”

 

Guess who’s not wagging his finger in this story. Not Jesus. Sure he corrects them, but patiently. No, the accusatory fingers come from the other 10 disciples. They were indignant. Probably because James and John asked Jesus what they wanted to first.

James and John, however, had no idea what they were asking Jesus. We’re not all that different. to our own blindness. So often, in our fears, we don’t know what to pray for as we ought. And even when we do, it’s still got our sinful handprints all over everything. Like James and John, our problem goes deeper.

We want greatness. Glory. God’s kingdom. But we want it all on our own terms, not God’s. My will be done. My kingdom come. Our self-serving sinful nature wants nothing to do with the cross and everything our own greatness and glory. 

You do not know what you are asking. Jesus tells his disciples. 

“Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized,”Jesus asks them. “We are,”. They still have no idea what they were saying or what Jesus was talking about. Jesus’ cup and baptism are his death. Jesus drinks the cup of God’s wrath and the poison of our sin, down to the last drop. Jesus’ cross is a baptism of judgment. Jesus is drowned in the flood of God’s wrath. Jesus is immersed in our sin and death.

The disciples will share in the cup and baptism of Jesus’ suffering and death. All but one will be martyred for the faith. Indeed, all who are called Christians share in the cup and baptism of Jesus’ suffering and death. But even here, Jesus’ words aren’t really about his disciples. It’s about his journey to the cross. A journey where we see God’s greatness and glory finally revealed for us in the most shocking and surprising places: the crucifixion of Jesus. Want to know what greatness looks like. Jesus points us to his cross, to his death. 

For whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

Jesus lives to serve you. Jesus dies to serve you. Jesus  became the last one to make us the first in line. Jesus gave his life, to give you life. This is where Jesus leads us during our Lenten journey, just as he did the disciples. To Jerusalem for you. To the cross for you. 

 

Jesus journeyed in life to serve you. Jesus journeyed to death to serve you. Lent is Jesus’ journey for you. A journey he still makes for you this day. In this place. In his house. In his word. In his body and his blood. There is greatness and grace and forgiveness for all our delusions of grandeur all given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Here is sacred food for your journey in this life. And this season.

Lent leads us to Palm Sunday and shouts of Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the Highest.

Palm Sunday leads us to Holy Thursday: This cup that is poured out for you is the new testament in my blood which is shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.

Holy (Maundy) Thursday leads us to Jesus’ hour of glory - Good Friday. It is finished. Fulfilled. Accomplished. For you.

Good Friday leads us to Easter: to unrestrained rejoicing. Christ is risen for you.

That’s the destination. But for now, the journey. And the road ahead. And the Lord Jesus is with you all the way.

 

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