Christ Has Indeed Been Raised from the Dead - November 26, 2023 - Last Sunday of the Church Year (Proper 29) - Text: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

In a court of law, witnesses play one of the most important roles. The prosecution, as well as the defense, each get to call their own witnesses and cross examine the others witnesses. The role of the witness is to explain what they saw. As Christians we are witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. As we read God’s powerful Word, the Holy Spirit works through that word to work faith in our hearts. Thus, by the working of the Holy Spirit, through faith we have seen and bear witness to Jesus’ resurrection. Now that witness may be good enough for others who share the same faith, but for those who do not believe, that witness is not always nor necessarily enough. Thanks be to God that we have reliable witnesses so that we have proof positive of the resurrection. If we did not have such reliable witnesses then Paul’s words would be devastating, “19If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 19, 20).
 

From my Catechetical Helps book I have a list of witness to Jesus’ resurrection. According to this list (p. 90) Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. She is listed with Mary the mother of James, and Salome as having witnessed Jesus alive. Jesus appeared to Peter as we read in Luke (24:34).  Jesus appeared to James as we read in 1 Corinthians (15:7). He appeared to the disciples of Emmaus on that first Easter afternoon. He appeared to the disciples when Thomas was absent, again on  that first Easter evening. One week later He appeared to the disciples and Thomas. He appeared to the seven disciples by the sea, that was when He helped them catch a large number of fish. He appeared to the eleven on the mountain and possibly these were some of the 500 mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians (15:6).
 

These witnesses I have just mentioned are written in our Bible. What about witnesses outside our Bible? Are there any witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection outside of the Bible? The answer to that question is yes and no. No, there is no specific witness saying that the Easter Resurrection happened without a doubt, but there is evidence which supports the resurrection. The first bit of evidence is the very fact that the Jewish argument shared with Christians the conviction that the tomb was empty, but the explanations for its being empty are different. Dr. Paul Maier puts it this way, “Such positive evidence within a hostile source is the strongest kind of evidence and becomes self-authenticating.” In other words, if the enemy agrees that is one thing, but if the enemy disagrees, which they naturally would, that would mean your case holds the strongest argument. In the case of Jesus’ resurrection, the Jews agree that the grave was empty, but they disagree as to why. Another extra Biblical witness is that of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus who mentions that it was reported that Jesus appeared alive again three days after His crucifixion. As archeology continues to find ancient relics there is no doubt that even more evidence is forthcoming.
 

There are still other reasons for believing, such as the very fact that Jesus Himself spoke of His resurrection. In passage after passage Jesus told His disciples that He had to suffer and die and that He would rise again. You may remember the disciples’ reaction to Jesus’ words and especially as Peter protested. Jesus told Peter to get behind Him, calling him Satan and explaining that he did not have in mind the things of God, but the things of man. Another reason to believe in the resurrection is the fact that the disciples are trustworthy historians. The disciples were out to tell the truth, to bear witness to the facts they saw. Why would they make up such stories, especially if they knew that they would be persecuted, tortured and even executed for doing so? More than likely people make up things in order to get out of being punished, tortured and persecuted. Why would the disciples make up the stories of the resurrection in order to be executed?
 

Another reason for believing the resurrection is the change of the behavior of the disciples, and especially that of Peter who changed from being what I would call a reactionary to being a responder, someone who responded to the needs of others.
 

Another reason for believing the resurrection is the observance of Sunday as the day of rest. What else would account for the change of the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday? It would have to be something very dramatic. And it was, it was the resurrection which moved people to want to worship on Sunday in order that every Sunday would be a little Easter celebration.
 

Another reason for believing the resurrection is that of Christianity. Christianity was not some kind of new sect, rather Christianity has its roots in Genesis when God promised to send a Christ, which is the Greek word for Messiah. Christians are followers of Christ, the fulfiller of all the Old Testament prophecies and the way to eternal life. The Jewish faith of today began at the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The Jewish faith began with those who denied Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ.
 

Another reason for believing the resurrection is because of our calendar. We are living in the year 2023 A.D. that is translated “in the year of our Lord.” The years before our Lord are cleverly referred to as the years before Christ or B.C. In recent times there has been an attempt to thwart Christianity; there are some who are trying to change our references from B.C. to B.C.E. being before the common era and C.E. being common era, but the fact remains that for so many years we have referenced time according to the days of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I really do not think you can get away from the calendar being centered on the life of Christ by simply changing the name to Common Era, whatever that means.
 

As Christians we can rest assured in the fact of the resurrection and because of the resurrection we know that we too have victory over sin, death and the devil. Going back to our text Paul says, “24Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power” (v. 24).  And “26The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (v. 26). Yes, we may still experience physical death, but because of Jesus death and resurrection we are assured that we will never experience eternal death, death in hell.
 

We have victory over sin, death, and the devil meaning we have victory over original sin as well as actual sin. Going back to our text Paul says, “21For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (v. 21-22). The genetically transferred sin of Adam which is born in each and everyone of us is forgiven as well as the sins we commit each and every day.
 

What does this mean? This means that we are free from the bondage of sin, original and actual sin, sins of omission and sins of commission. We are free from death, eternal death and hell, and we are free from the power of the devil. We will still have to face trials and temptations. We will still have the struggle of resisting sin and temptation. We will more than likely still face physical death. But now we have the added advantage that our sins have been forgiven and we have the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who is with us to help us resist sin and temptation and to overcome and win out in the end.
 

This means that we have the promise of eternal life. We may fear the way in which we may physically die, but we do not fear what will happen after our physical death. By grace, through faith in Jesus’ life, suffering, death, and resurrection we have the assurance that we have a place in heaven waiting for us, so that we may be sure, as the thief on the cross, that in the very day we die we will be with Jesus in paradise.
 

How is this done? This done by the Holy Spirit working through the means of Grace, the Word and the Sacraments, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Spirit uses these means to bring us to faith and to keep us in faith. The Holy Spirit uses these means to impart God’s gifts to us, His gifts of faith, forgiveness, assurance of forgiveness, assurance of life and salvation and the list of gifts never ends.
 

What are we to do? With the help and by the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us, we respond to all our Lord has done for us not because He needs anything from us but simply because of our need to respond. We respond by taking part in God’s means of grace so that He can pour out even more of His gifts on us. When we absent ourselves from His means of grace then we take away His way of giving us His gifts and ultimately we fall away, but when we daily read His Word, when we daily remember our Baptism, when we regularly, once a week, come to Him in Divine Service and confess our sins we then are able to hear those most beautiful and powerful words, “Your sins are forgiven,” and we know that this word does what it says, when we hear the word that we are forgiven then we know we are forgiven. We also regularly, every week, come to Him in Divine Service and partake of His true body and blood in His Holy meal as often as we are able, then He has ample opportunity to give us His gifts and even more of His gifts. It is very much like any sport, art, craft, or talent, playing golf, bowling, playing piano or any musical instrument, the only way to continue to do well is to practice, to make time to practice, no matter how many distractions tempt you away from practice. So it is with the Lord’s gifts. We  cannot be given His gifts when we absent ourselves from them and the place where they are given out and believe me the temptations to be absent from the Lord’s Word are far greater than any other.
 

With the help and by the power of the Holy Spirit we respond in gratitude and praise for all our Lord has done for us. He comes to us through His means of grace and we go to Him in pray, praise, and giving thanks.
 

“19If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 19, 20). As we end this present Church Year we end in confidence. We have confidence in Christ’s perfect life for us in our place. We have confidence in His perfect death, for us, in our place. And we have confidence in His resurrection for us and thus we have confidence in our own resurrection. We are ready for, either Christ’s return or our passing from this world and going to Him. God has said it and that settles it. Thanks be to God and to Him be the glory. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

God Shall Provide All Your Needs - November 22, 2023 - Thanksgiving Eve - Text: Philippians 4:6-20

Tomorrow has been declared by the President of the United States as a national day of thanksgiving. It has become sort of automatic that each year our President makes the same proclamation. Tomorrow is not a religious holy day as we think of most holidays, but tomorrow is a national, social day of giving thanks. And to whom do we give thanks? For us, we give thanks to the One we acknowledge as the Giver of all good gifts and blessings. We give thanks to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This evening I would like to make three points from our text.
 

Our first point comes from Paul’s words, “6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (v.6). By these words Paul encourages us to be in constant prayer to the Lord. That does not mean that we are to be constantly kneeling, bowing our heads, folding our hands and offering up prayers and petitions. It does mean that, really, our whole lives should be lived as a prayer to the Lord and a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord. We remember that prayer is a heart to heart talk with God, anytime and anywhere. I do not know about you, but I find myself in constant prayer to the Lord. Many times each day I find myself praying for one need or another, for one bit of rejoicing or another.
 

Paul also encourages us to give thanks as we present our requests to the Lord. We present our requests with thanks knowing and having confidence that the Lord will answer our prayer. At the same time we know that the Lord will answer our prayer according to what He knows is best for us according to His good and gracious will, not necessarily according to what we might think we need. And yes, we even give thanks when our Lord in His infinite wisdom says, “no.”
 

The second point I will make this evening comes from Paul’s words, “7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (v.7). These words we often hear after many sermons, perhaps not from this translation, but from another. Just as our hearing the Word of the Lord gives us true peace, so as our lives become a prayer to the Lord, He will give us true peace. True peace is that peace which is not simply a worldly peace, not simply a few moments or even an hour of earthly calm and serenity, but true peace is that peace which comes from knowing our sins are forgiven, because with forgiveness we know that we have life and salvation. What other, or better, peace can we have than to know that our sins are forgiven and that our eternity is set, that heaven is a present reality.
 

Notice how Paul says, “surpasses all understanding.” Paul does not say human understanding as, and I will confess, I have mistakenly said and I know others mistakenly say as well. God’s peace is a peace that is beyond all understanding. His peace is beyond our understanding because we cannot understand how God could love us so much that He would give the life of His Son for ours. We cannot understand how a Creator could love His wayward, sinful creation so much that He would reconcile the debt the creation owes Himself, its Creator. It is the life of His Son on the cross which earned for us and paid the price for our forgiveness and eternal life.
 

Paul gives his life as an example of the transforming power of God’s peace. God’s peace is that which makes it possible for us to be content in all things. It is God’s peace which makes it possible for us to keep our thoughts and minds on all things true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable. And we remain in God’s peace by being in His Word.
 

Another example that Paul gives concerning the power of peace in his life is the example of contentment. He has learned to be content by learning the difference between wants and needs. As blessed as we are in this country, we continually have a difficulty understanding this difference. Most of us probably believe that a telephone in every room of the house is a necessity, or every member of the family having a phone, or that a television in every room, or today, a computer in every room is a necessity. We believe having more than one change of clothes or more than one pair of shoes is a necessity. We have been and are so blessed that many of the things we have we believe to be necessary. Paul helps us distinguish what is necessary and what is simply a want. Please understand, to want things beyond what is necessary is not in and of itself wrong. What is sin is when our wants dictate our actions and so consume us that we forget what is important. Paul’s example is one which we would do well to imitate as we live in the peace of the Lord.
 

The third point I would like to make this evening comes from Paul’s words, “19And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (v. 19). When it comes to contentment we learn to be content by learning that it is the Lord who gives first. The Lord gives us everything that we need and even more than we want, although according to our human nature I am sure we can always want more. I have challenged many people from time to time and I will offer than same challenge to you. Can you name even one thing that is yours that did not in some way first come from God? In one way or another, everything we have, except our sin, has its beginning with our Lord. What we are born with and what we take with us when we die is what is truly ours and everything else is simply on loan to us from God while we live in this world. Being content begins with learning the difference between wants and needs. Again, for us in America, most of us have so many things. We have more than we need and many times, more than we could or should want, although, again, I know we can always want more. Tomorrow and truly every day is the day to take time to give thanks for all those things, the things we need and the things we have that are wants.
  

The second part of contentment is to respond in thanks. Being content is recognizing that all things, in one way or another, come from God and then thanking Him for all His good gifts and blessings. Here again we are reminded that God is the Prime Mover. God does, God gives and we are done to and given too, thanks be to God. And here I will also be the first to admit that this giving thanks is where I fail miserably. Indeed, as we pray the Lord’s Prayer we pray seven petitions for spiritual blessings and only one for our physical needs, “give us this day our daily bread.” Yet, more often than not if your prayers are anything like mine, I pray seven petitions for things I think I need and want and I tend to forget to give thanks for all the gifts and blessings with which our Lord has so graciously poured out on me. Forgive me Lord.
 

So, as we do recall, as we are reminded of all that our Lord does for us and gives to us, as we respond with contentment and giving thanks, that is as we return a portion from what He has first given with thanksgiving to the Lord, He gives us even more. He does this to remind us that we cannot out give Him. The Lord gives to us everything we need and He gives to us a whole lot more.
 

As we celebrate our national day of thanksgiving we do so by giving thanks. I guess I do not see how a family can sit down at a thanksgiving meal and not give thanks, yet there are many who will do so tomorrow. I do not see how a family can begin a day of thanksgiving without first giving thanks to the Lord for He is the giver of all good gifts and blessings.
 

As I think about the gifts that God gives I am reminded that; first the Lord has given me the gift of life. He gave me the gift of life at my conception. The first spiritual and really the most important gift I was given by the Lord happened thirteen days after my birth and that was the gift of new life at my baptism. At my baptism the Lord gave me the gift of faith, forgiveness and eternal life in heaven. He has provided this forgiveness by giving His Son and the life of His Son, yes, even His own life as God in flesh so that I might have this forgiveness, but not just me, He has provided this forgiveness for all people. And with forgiveness we know that we have life and salvation, indeed there is no greater gift.
 

But I know that God has not just given me these spiritual gifts, although with just those gifts I know that I am especially blessed by God. God gives me physical things as well. He has provide me with a loving wife and four loving children. He has provided for us a nice house which we are making into a nice home. He allows for me to arise each day as each day is a gift from Him. He gives me the ability each day to do whatever work He has prepared in advance for me to do. He has brought us to this congregation to love and be loved by the members of this congregation. He gives me food and clothing. He gives me all that I need. He even gives me more than I need and more than I want.
 

He also stirs in me to give thanks. I know that in and of myself I am a selfish person. I take what God gives me and I always want more. That is why I am so thankful that the Lord also stirs in me a desire to give Him thanks for all that He gives to me, for all His good gifts and blessings.
 

I am going to leave here this evening. I am going to wake up in the morning and around noon I am going to eat some turkey and southern cornbread dressing. I am going to watch one or even both and maybe even three football games. I am going to enjoy the company of my family and friends. I am so glad that you have been with me this evening to begin our Thanksgiving celebration right, by coming to Divine Service, to be given God’s gifts through His Word and Sacrament and by being able to give Him thanks and praise for all His good gifts and blessings. May the Lord be with you this day, tomorrow and always as you give thanks to Him. To God be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Comfort One Another - November 12, 2023 - Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 27) - Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

This morning we are celebrating the twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost and the third to the last Sunday in the church year. As we reach the end of the church year, you may notice how we hear and read texts which relate to death, judgement, and the end times. These texts help us to focus on what is important in life, not the things of this world, but having our faith firmly established in Jesus Christ. Our focus for this morning will be primarily on the Epistle reading which relates well to the reading from the Old Testament and the Gospel.
 

In our Old Testament reading God, through the prophet Amos warns of the coming judgement on the faithless people of Israel, those whose worship may have followed that prescribed by God, but was hypocritical. In our Gospel lesson Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish virgins waiting for the Bridegroom. A parable meant to encourage us to always be ready because we do not know that day nor the hour our Lord will return. And as I always say, that day and hour will be sooner than we know and sooner than we will imagine.
 

In our text for this morning, Paul takes up the topic of death and the second coming of Christ. We need to be reminded that at the writing of this letter, Christ had already ascended into heaven some twenty years earlier with the promise of His future return. Paul believed that Christ’s return would be very soon, even during his own lifetime, but as we know today, the Lord is patient in His returning, not wanting anyone to perish and so we still await His return even today. At the same time, we do know that each day we wait moves us one day closer to His return, so we are closer to His return today than the people of our text, the people of Paul’s day.
 

Paul does not refer to those who have departed as having died, but as having fallen asleep. This is a very fitting description of death, at least for us as Christians, because we know that death is not an end. Indeed, we may rightly refer to our loved ones who have fallen asleep in the present tense as they are yet alive with Christ. We know, as the Thessalonians knew, that death is not a horrible end because of the resurrection of Christ. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection we have the promise and certainty of our own resurrection.
 

However, it seems some of the Thessalonians misunderstood Paul’s teaching about the second coming of Christ. They were so anxious that Christ would come so soon that they were afraid that those who had already died, or fallen asleep, would not share in Christ’s glory with them. They thought they had to be alive to share in the resurrection. Thus, Paul reassures them that just as Jesus died, and here He does not say “slept,” but does say died. Jesus died and rose so that we do not have to die. Just as Jesus died and rose again, so at the second coming, “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.”
 

Thus, on judgement day Jesus will return bringing with Him those who had previously fallen asleep. Paul goes on to say in verse seventeen, “17then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (v. 17).
 

Let us talk about what these words mean and what we they tell us about death. We believe that death has no power over us as Paul so aptly says it in 1 Corinthians, “‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:55-57). We believe that death is a falling asleep as Paul puts it in our text.
 

We believe death is a falling asleep because we believe Christ has been raised from the dead. Again, quoting Paul in 1 Cor. 15, we hear these words which are often read at a funeral, he says, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitted more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:14,17-22). For us Christians, death is not an end, but is only a beginning, a beginning to eternity with Jesus in heaven.
 

At Christ’s second coming, then, those who have not yet fallen asleep will be here to see and hear His coming. His coming will not be a quiet rapture, but as Paul says, “16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God” (1 Thes. 4:16a). And for those who have fallen asleep Paul continues and says, “the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (v.17). For us Christians, Christ’s second coming will be a very joyous occasion for in that day we shall meet our Savior face to face and will go to be with Him in eternity.
 

Thus, we believe, teach, and confess that judgement day will be the day the Lord comes to separate the believers from the unbelievers. He will bring joy to the believers in Christ because He has come to take them, us, to heaven to be with Himself forever, for eternity. He can and will bring terror to the unbeliever because He has come to cast them into the eternal fires of hell to live there in complete absence of God and His love for eternity. They who have lived their lives in unbelief, rebellion, and wrongdoing will receive their final reward, punishment in hell. This day of judgement will be for all people, those who are alive as well as those who have died earlier, since the beginning of time.
 

How do we respond to these words?  How does death affect us? Death affects each of us differently. You may have heard or read the stages of grief through which psychologist will tell you a person must go. Each psychologist lists the stages a little differently, but these are some of the words used to describe the stages: shock, denial, fear, anger, resentment, guilt, despair, loneliness, panic, loss of clear identity, acceptance, saying goodbye, reinvesting one’s life energy in other relationships, learning from the loss, and reaching out to others who have experienced the same type of loss. For almost everyone death brings tears and feelings of missing the departed. I have officiated at many funerals. I have witnessed my grandparents funerals. I have witnessed my own daughter and son’s burials as well as my father’s and mother’s funerals and know that death does bring tears and feelings of missing the departed. There is nothing wrong with those feelings. We are human beings and we do have emotions. You may remember that Jesus wept at His friend Lazarus’ death. In our text Paul says he does not want them, the Thessalonians, or us to grieve like the rest of men who grieve because they have no hope. We may grieve, but our grieving is not a grieving without hope. Our grieving shows that faith does not negate affection. We can be sad because we miss our departed friend. Our emotion has nothing to do with our faith and does not say that we have no faith, or that our faith is weak. At the same times, because of our faith, our grief is not unconsolable.
 

But just as we are sad, so we are thankful. We are thankful when we know that the departed was a Christian and is with Christ in heaven which as Paul says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Php. 1:21-23). Sometimes we may believe we are prepared for the death of a loved one especially one who has a lingering illness, and sometimes not. It is easier to be thankful for a Christian brother or sister who has died after a long painful time of suffering, knowing that they are suffering no more, but are in joy in heaven with our Lord.  It is a little harder to be thankful after the sudden, and in our human way of thinking, the needless death of a young person who has their whole life ahead of them. Actually as we think about it, it is not that we are sad for the Christian who has passed away, because they are in heaven and really have no worries for us. They do not see us. Heaven is a place of complete joy. If they could see us they would not have joy, but sorrow. We are sad at the death of a Christian because we will miss them. We are sad because of our pain. Again, bringing back the paradox, we are thankful because we know that they are in heaven which as Paul says is better by far, but we are sad for ourselves. For Christians, for us, the promise of eternal life after death does reassure us and takes away the fear of death.
 

We respond to our knowledge of judgement day by, with the help of the Holy Spirit, dedicating ourselves and the use of our time, talents, and treasures to encourage and comfort one another. Paul says in our text, “Therefore encourage on another with these words” (v.18). He also says in 2 Corinthians, “And He (Christ) died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor. 5:15). And as we read in the Gospel lesson for today, Jesus expresses the uncertainty of the time of His return and the need to be ready at all times. So we do ready ourselves by our daily prayers and Bible readings. We ready ourselves by attending Divine Service and Bible class, by remembering our Baptism, by participating in confession and absolution, by attending the Lord’s Supper, and by living the sanctified life. We ready ourselves by being given the gifts God has to give through the means He has to give them. We ready ourselves by hearing and believing His Word, by being reminded of our forgiveness and know that with forgiveness we also have life and salvation. And then we ready ourselves by helping others, those in need, knowing that as we do it to the least of these brothers of His, we did it to Jesus.
 

As we approach the end of another church year in which we still patiently await the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, our text reminds us that the Lord will return, probably when we lest expect it. As we await His return we are to use His Words to comfort and encourage one another in the faith. We await with earnest expectation and joy as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, Thy kingdom come.  And we say with John at the end of his revelation, “Come Lord Jesus, Come quickly.” To God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

We Are God’s Children Now - November 5, 2023 - All Saints Day - Text: 1 John 3:1-3

Although last Wednesday was actually All Saint’s Day, and last Sunday we celebrated Reformation Day, today we do celebrate All Saint’s Day. Now I know that All Saint’s Day is not that big a deal, at least not that big of a celebration for us in the Lutheran Church, but perhaps we should rethink this matter and make a bigger deal of this day, after all, our hope and future are not a hope and future for this world, but for the world to come. Our hope and confidence is that one day we will be complete saints in heaven and that one day will be sooner than we know and even sooner than we might expect.
 

And let me briefly remind you, in case you have forgotten, that by faith in Jesus, especially by faith given through His means of grace, either through His Word or at our own baptism, we are saints. Yes, while we are on this earth we will continue to be sinners as well, but we are saints and we will speak more on this again a little later.
 

In our first lesson appointed for reading on All Saint’s Day, we have John’s vision of our salvation. John describes what we call the number of completion, that is, all believers. John speaks of the 144,000 which is 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. His lists of 12,000 from each tribe differs from the lists of the number in each tribe in the Old Testament because John’s listing is a symbolic listing of the tribes of the true Israel as described by Paul in Romans nine. The true Israel is the Israel of faith not DNA. Thus the total number of believers that will be in heaven is given in the number of 144,000, not a specific number, but a number of completion, all believers in Jesus, as he says in verse nine, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. . . ”
 

John also tells us about the joy of all believers around the throne of the Lamb forever. There will be no more hunger or thirst, no more scorching heat. Instead, there will be springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Quite a comforting picture John paints for believers in Jesus.
 

In the Gospel lesson appointed for this day of celebration we have Jesus’ words of blessing and His Words of Gospel. We are described as blessed who recognize and acknowledge that we are poor in spirit so that we do hunger and thirst after the righteousness of God, in other words, we are blessed who hunger and thirst after making regular and diligent use of the means of grace, every Sunday and every day. We are blessed because it is through these means that our Lord feeds us, comforts us, purifies us and gives us the gifts He has to give, faith, forgiveness, strengthening of faith and life. And this continues to be my concern for this congregation as well as our nation, that is that so many refuse these gifts on a weekly basis. God has so many gifts He wants to give and yet, every Sunday many people refuse those gifts by not being in Divine Service here and around the world. So, let me continue to encourage you, let me continue to exhort you, ladies and gentlemen, come and be given the gifts and encourage and exhort your brothers and sisters who refuse the gifts to come and be given the gifts.
 

As Jesus says, again in our Gospel lesson, especially blessed are those who believe and are persecuted, because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Although we may not suffer the persecution some of our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer in other parts of the world, I might suggest that we do suffer more subtle forms of persecution. The question is, do we stand up and confess our faith, or do we simply allow others to think as they will, even that we do not have faith?
 

In our text for this morning, John’s first letter, John helps us to understand what love is, what true love is, that is that true love begins with the Father’s Love, with God the Father’s love. True love is that God loves us first and He shows His love in the gift of His Son. We begin at verse one, “1See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we will be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (v. 1-3).
 

Notice first and foremost that God is the prime mover. He first loved us, making us His children. And how does He make us His children? Every year on Good Friday we remember and we even celebrate the giving of Jesus’ life for ours on the cross. We give thanks for His suffering the punishment for our sins. And then, every year on the following Sunday, on Easter Sunday we celebrate His resurrection, the complete defeat of sin, death and the devil. This living for us, taking our sins on Himself, suffering and dying for us and rising is how He purchased us, by paying the price for our sins. He makes us His children through means, namely through His means of grace. He makes us His children through His Word, which does what it says, in other words, when the Holy Spirit, working through the Word of God, says we have faith, that is exactly what we have, faith, given to us by God through the means of His Word. Another means the Lord uses to make us His children is Holy Baptism. As water and God’s name are put on us at Baptism, the Lord gives us faith, forgiveness, life and salvation. These means and gifts come to us from outside of us and are given to us from outside of us. These are the Lord’s doing and the Lord’s giving. He makes us His children.
 

When Jesus came into the world, as we are reminded in the Gospel accounts, the world rejected Him. Jesus was not the Savior the people were looking for, at least not the Savior for which some were looking. Jesus was not a social/political Savior. Jesus did not come to over throw the oppressors of the Children of Israel, at least not the oppressors they wanted overthrown. Jesus simply did not fit their definition of who the Savior was or what He should do.
 

The world rejected Jesus and as He makes us His children, we should expect nothing more or less from the world, in other words, we should expect that the world will reject us. As children of the Lord we do not speak the same language as the world, we do not have the same priorities as the world, we do not have the same outlook as the world. The world speaks of power, fame and fortune. The world speaks of the things of this world, that this world is all there is. We speak of sin and forgiveness. We speak of absolutes, absolute truth and love. We speak of the transient nature of this world, that our lives in this world are fast and fleeting. And so, our hope is not in this world, but in the world to come.
 

John says we are not yet what we will be. John is speaking of our goal of sanctification, that is after being given faith by the Holy Spirit, through the outward means of grace, the Holy Spirit continues to work in and through us to make us more and more Christ-like. Of course, we understand we will never be completely Christ-like, at least not on this side of heaven. But when we reach our eternal home of heaven, we will be made perfect again. So, we are no longer what we were before being given faith, that is we are no longer complete sinners, lost and condemned persons, but we are not yet all that we will be in heaven, complete and perfect saints.
 

What does this mean? First we are reminded that God is the prime mover. As John says elsewhere, we love because He first loved us. Here I like the illustration I have used many times, that of the image of the Sun and the moon. When we see the moon shining in the sky, we know we are seeing the reflection of the Sun, because the moon has no light of its own. Thus, when we love others and when we are loved by others, we know that we and they are merely reflecting the love of God to each other, because in and of ourselves, apart from God, we have no love of our own.
 

God first loves us and then God gives us faith, forgiveness and life. These are gifts from God. These are not gifts we take or get on our own, they are gifts from God. And these gifts He gives through means, namely through the outward, external means of Grace, the Bible, Holy Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Holy Absolution. Just as we did not choose to be born into this world, but we were conceived by our parents and born into this world, so we do not choose to save ourselves, to get forgiveness for ourselves. These gifts are given to us from outside of us. Our Lord has chosen us and gives us the gifts He has to give, forgiveness, faith and life and He delivers these gifts through the means of grace.
 

God first loves us, God gives us faith, forgiveness and life and then God works in us our sanctification. Sanctification is our becoming more and more Christlike, but here again, this is not something we do in and of ourselves, this is God’s doing as well. God the Holy Spirit, whose work it is to always point to Christ, and that is why we do not hear or see much of Him, He is the one, working through the means of grace who works in us to do the good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do and we do them because He is working them in and through us.
 

And finally, God brings us into His kingdom. Notice how in all these instances it is God who is doing the doing. God does and we are done to. God gives and we are given to. God has His way with us and we are thankful. We know we get it right and we can have confidence only in this, that God always does it right, and gets it right. I may err, but God never errs. Thanks be to God.
 

As we celebrate All Saint’s day we celebrate the fact that we are saints. And we are reminded as Dr. Luther so well reminded us and as John reminds us, even though we are saints, we are and while we remain on this earth we will also continue to be at the same times sinners. So we are saint/sinners. Our life on this earth is a life of sanctification in that our Lord continues to work on us through His means of grace to be strengthened in our faith in Jesus alone for our salvation. Certainly, while we are here on this earth, we will have times when we will fail. We will fall for temptation and we will sin, yet we are not to be discouraged because we are given forgiveness and the Holy Spirit continues working on us to be the people God would have us to be.
 

Our ultimate hope and certainty is indeed described in the Revelation of John that upon our passing from this earth, either through our own death or through the Lord’s return, we will be united with all the saints, all those who have gone on before us and all those who will go on after us so that we will all gather at the Lord’s throne to be feed and comforted, to give glory to the Lord, to live with Him forever in heaven. To Him alone be all glory. And we might well end by saying as John does, “Come Lord Jesus, Come quickly.” Amen.

The Problems with (DEI) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Although these three words might sound good, even mete, right and salutary, when we look at what each word means and what is intended by each, we will see that not all is of what is presented is even close to good. The following material will define each term with its literal definition, then define the term as it is redefined and used in our current cultural setting, and finally compare this information with God’s Word.

Diversity
 

The online Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines diversity as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements; the inclusion of people of different races cultures, etc. in a group or organization.” This online definition as well as the online definitions of equity and inclusion are very similar to those in older dictionaries, yet these words have different meanings for different people in our world today. The importance of diversity in our popular culture today is that all people, including all those with good and bad aspects of their lives, should be included and that those who refuse to include and be tolerant of any individual or group who espouses ethics and values deemed wrong, should be punished. In other words, those who espouse Biblical truths should be forced to accept (be tolerant) of those who live and act contrary to such truths.
 

The problem with diversity begins with the word which is the heart of the word diversity, and that is the word divide. When we begin equating non-equal things, such as morals, ethics and values and demanding that all people accept even those whose morals, ethics and values are outside their own, then instead of these differences uniting, they are indeed being divisive. One cannot unite people through division or diversity. Indeed, diversity divides and is divisive no matter what laws may be put forth to force such acceptance.
 

As for the word tolerance and the usage of being tolerant, the very word means to accept something that one does not like or is deemed unacceptable. In other words, one may not ask others to be tolerant of their good behavior, but one may ask for tolerance of behavior that is outside the accepted norm. This usage then begs the questions, “Should behavior outside the accepted norm be tolerated?” and “Should we make laws to force others to accept such behavior?” Here again we see the divisiveness of such activity.
 

Now certainly various cultures have various acceptable diverse-cultural norms, and there are many such diverse-cultural activities that are and should be celebrated. They can bring awareness and teach the history of that culture, but to impose those outside the ethically acceptable behavior on others is not the way to bring unity.
 

Very often when diverse groups come together, the whole works to assimilate the individual parts. In other words, for years America was known as a melting pot of cultures because all the various cultures came together and assimilated under the new American culture. They still celebrated their own culture in their own communities but are conformed to the American culture in the American world.

Equity
 

The online Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines equity as “justice according to natural law or right; freedom from bias or favoritism.” The United States is based on the idea that we are all equal meaning we all have the same starting place. Certainly there are those in this country who disagree with that premise and believe some start higher or lower than others. To some degree that may be true. At the same time, is the position into which one is born due to their own doing or is it a result of those who have gone on before them? In other words, one may have been born into a rather affluent situation and another into a lesser environment. Is it because of something innate in them or something from outside of them that caused their situation? Neither individual is where they are because of themselves but because of those who have gone on before them. Certainly as you trace the history of people, all people at one time had the same status in the beginning. And yet this country does offer the opportunity for individuals to work and succeed according to their efforts.
 

Unlike equality which, online, is defined as, “the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.” In other words, equality is the beginning point. As an American citizen we are born with equal status, rights, and opportunities under the law. Or in other words, we all have the same starting point. The difference being, what do we do from our starting point. Do we make the most of our opportunities? Do we work hard? Or do we simply expect the “world” owes us and whine and moan because we do not work for and thus to not have what others work for and have? Equality is the beginning place.
 

The problem with the desire for equity is that equity is what is called an outcome, that is, one is not guaranteed an equal beginning but an equal ending. Thus, it does not matter what effort one makes or that one make any effort at all, but each is guaranteed the same outcome. If you truly understand this desire, then you can understand that equity is socialism, and if you actually know that history of socialism, you know that it does not work. What works is reward-based work, that is, the more you work the more you are rewarded. The less you work the less you are rewarded. The incentive then is to work hard to make your life better. Equity, like socialism, means that all people get the same no matter what one contributes. Thus, there is no incentive to put in any more than anyone else, and instead of everyone striving to build bigger and better, one’s natural instinct would be to give as little as possible. The result of an equity-based socialist society would be that eventually everyone would have less and less. Whereas a reward, equality-based society gives incentive to those who desire to have more, to build bigger and better, and thus are rewarded for doing so. Therefore the result is everyone is lifted up and has more and more.

Inclusion
 

The online Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines inclusion as “the act or practice of including students with disabilities with the general student population. Inclusion refers to a variety of integration approaches, but the goal is to blend special education students into the traditional classroom; sometimes used before a noun; an inclusion classroom/school; the act or practice of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded (as because of their race, gender, sexuality, or ability).”
 

Right off one might believe that, at least according to this definition, this type of inclusion would be a really good thing. However, when this definition reaches its practical application, what we find is that those who espouse inclusion very much exclude those who do not espouse the same “type” of inclusion. This cry for inclusion turns into a cry of intolerance when anyone has a difference of acceptability. One example would include those who believe that one’s DNA gives evidence of one’s sex, often mistakenly referred to as gender or gender choice; thus, one who would exclude biological males from competing in biological female sports would be excluded from this inclusive group because they are intolerant. This scenario truly would then make this inclusive group an intolerant group itself.

Conclusion
 

Our popular culture would attempt to redefine DEI in a new and glorious light of something that is good and for which all should strive. However, when we actually look at what is underneath the sheep’s clothing as it is, we see all that glitters is not gold, and indeed not all of what is included in DEI is truly mete, right and good.
 

So, although DEI might sound good when this philosophy is broken down to its root intent, we can see that it is simply a way to discriminate and punish those who believe that all people are created equal, that is, all people are of one blood, not many races, but all are human beings. All people should have an equal chance at working hard to accomplish whatever they desire, and according for what they have worked, they are able to return in giving help to those who may not be able to accomplish all they desire. However, one hard worker should not be forced or enticed and have for what they have worked taken from them and given to anyone who has the ability but fails to make an effort. And those who have higher moral, ethical beliefs should not be punished nor forced to accept, be tolerant, and accepting of those outside their norms.