The First Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Luke 16:19-33
In Christ Jesus, our priceless Treasure, who shares with us His eternal inheritance of holiness and life, dear fellow redeemed:
In our younger years, I don’t think any of us imagined having less than when we grew up. We imagined having a house at least as nice as the one we were living in, and we dreamed of having a lot more—plenty of money to buy what we wanted, go where we wanted, and do what we wanted. We would look out the car window at the huge houses and nice properties and wonder what it would be like to live there. We still do that even as we get older. We think of the lucky people who have all those nice things, “living the good life.”
That’s the kind of life the rich man in today’s reading had. He wore the finest clothes. He ate the best food. He was rich and famous. Everyone knew his name. Everyone wanted to be acquainted with him and hopefully be invited to join him at his feasts. The pursuit of this kind of life is what causes so many Americans to buy lottery tickets every day. I just saw that Americans spend about $900 billion each year on lottery tickets which is nearly $300 million spent every day, 365 days a year.
We dream of being rich. No one dreams of being a beggar like the poor man Lazarus in today’s reading. Lazarus was laid by someone at the gate of the rich man because if anyone had money or goods to spare, it was the owner of the mansion. Lazarus was in bad shape. He was covered with sores, too weak to shoo away the dogs. Nobody wanted to go near him—they might catch what he had. They didn’t even want to look at him. He was a public nuisance. Couldn’t someone come and take him away?
We can understand that response. We might feel the same way if a sick stranger was laid outside our house. But then we remember what Jesus will say to the believers on the last day: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me…. Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Mat. 25:35-36,40). The beggar needed someone to have compassion, but no one did. Where were the faithful followers of God?
They weren’t in the rich man’s house. It isn’t that rich people cannot believe; it’s that many of them think that whatever they need, they can buy. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Mat. 19:23-24). Can you imagine a camel with his huge humps fitting through something as tiny as the eye of a needle?
Jesus said this right after a rich man asked Him what he needed to do to have eternal life. Jesus told him he had to keep the Commandments. The rich man said he had done this. Jesus replied, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Jesus’ words caused the man to leave in sadness, for “he had great possessions” (vv. 16-22). Giving away all he had for Jesus was asking too much.
But Jesus did not say he would lose all his treasure. He told him to give up his earthly treasure, so that he would have “treasure in heaven.” That’s a difficult bargain: give up something you can see for something you can’t see. We face decisions like this all through our life. Do I pursue whatever I feel like doing now, or do I stay mindful about my future? Do I opt for the quick fling today or wait for the commitment and stability of a life-long relationship? Indulging in the present always seems more appealing—just ask the kid with a handful of money if he would rather use it to buy toys today or put it in savings and wait for it to grow.
Focusing on the present, on earthly possessions and self-satisfaction will always be more tempting. But the best things in life are the things we wait for, like birthdays, Christmas, marriage, children. Even better than all these are the good things God has stored up for us in heaven. Jesus says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Mat. 6:19-20).
But what are those treasures in heaven? We find out from Lazarus. Before, he was left alone to die surrounded by dogs; now, he was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. Before, he was poor and hungry; now, he was perfectly content and satisfied. Before, he was covered with sores; now, he was covered in righteousness. Before, no one showed him mercy; now, he was comforted in heaven. Revelation 21:4 says that for all eternity, God “will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Those are the treasures in heaven.
The rich man did not experience these things. He died just like Lazarus did, but he did not have faith like Lazarus had. His soul was sent to hell. Before, he had whatever his heart desired; now, he was desperate for a few drops of water. Before, he was covered in fine clothes; now, he was covered in flames. Before, he was satisfied and happy; now, he was in torment and anguish. Before, he would not admit the needy through his gates; now, God would not admit him through the gates of heaven. Before, everyone knew his name; now, nobody cared about him.
The eternal judgment of the dead cannot be changed. Those who die in faith cannot lose heaven. Those who die in unbelief can never escape hell. Abraham said to the rich man, “between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.” This is why now is the time to repent of our sins and to hold on tightly to the gracious gifts He gives us.
The rich man wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers about the torments of hell. Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” When the rich man protested, saying that this was not enough, Abraham said, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” “Moses and the Prophets” was the shorthand way of describing all the books in the Old Testament Scriptures. Abraham said that the Holy Scriptures were powerful to bring the rich man’s brothers to repentance and faith.
The rich man disagreed like so many do today. They view the Bible as a man-made book, full of superstitions, a book which probably does more harm than good. If they think there is some better place like heaven, they expect they will get there because of how good they have been. They fought for social justice. They helped the needy. They lived a decent life. But Abraham, the father of the faithful, who “believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6)—this Abraham says, “let them hear [Moses and the Prophets].”
He says the same thing to you and me. “Listen to the Word of God; read it; study it; memorize it; meditate on it. It is the living Word of the living God.” God’s Word does not return to Him empty (Isa. 55:11). You are proof of that. You are here today because “the Holy Ghost has called [you] by the Gospel, enlightened [you] with His gifts, sanctified and kept [you] in the true faith” (Luther’s Small Catechism, Third Article).
Through His powerful Word, God made you His own child in Holy Baptism. Through His Word, He imparts the forgiveness of your sins. Through His Word, He strengthens your faith. Through His Word, He comforts you when you experience the loss of good things in this life. Through His Word, He prepares you to meet the angels with confidence and joy when they arrive to take your soul to heaven.
Through His Word, you have received many good things, eternal things, things that make you richer than Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, or Elon Musk. One day, all the riches they worked so hard for will slip through their fingers just like sand. Money can buy neither happiness nor salvation. You were ransomed from your greed and selfishness, from sin and death, “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1Pe. 1:18-19).
He offered Himself up for you and every poor beggar, so that your hands are washed clean of all your sins. He also lived a completely holy life on your behalf, perfectly loving and helping His neighbors in need. He places the treasures of His forgiveness and righteousness in your hands, so that you are made an heir of all the treasures of heaven.
When you were younger, you dreamed of many good things, and God has blessed you with the earthly gifts of home, family, and friends beyond what you could have imagined. But He has much greater things in store for you than these. Jesus secured the treasures of heaven for you. You will receive them like Lazarus did, when the angels come to carry your soul to the kingdom of light. Then you won’t remember the troubles of this life, and all the good and holy things of God will be yours forever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from painting of the beggar Lazarus by Fyodor Bronnikov, 1886)
The Festival of the Resurrection of Our Lord – Pr. Faugstad exordium & sermon
Festival exordium:
It feels like Easter. Green grass is popping up everywhere, trees are budding, the temperature is going up, and April showers are in the forecast. But perhaps the most recognizable sign that Easter is here is the lilies. They are often the first flowers to show up in the spring. Even after the lifeless brown of fall and the biting cold of winter, new life has sprouted again.
That is why lilies are a symbol for Jesus’ resurrection. Adam and Eve brought sin and death to God’s perfect creation. Now the ground produced thorns and thistles. Now there was pain and suffering. But God planted hope in their hearts. He would send a Savior to redeem them. He would bring life to the world of death.
Everything looked so dark on Friday. Jesus struggled to breathe on the cross while His enemies mocked Him. Then He gave one last cry, and He was gone. They laid His body in a tomb and sealed it shut. His disciples despaired. They went into hiding.
But then on Sunday morning new life sprang forth. An angel rolled the stone away from the tomb and declared, “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said” (Mat. 28:6). Then Jesus began to show Himself: to the women, to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, to Peter, to ten of the disciples gathered together. He was not dead, and He was no ghost. He had risen indeed!
St. Paul called Him “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1Co. 15:20). He was the first to rise bodily from the dead, the first flower of a New Spring. This is why we plant flowers on graves. Just as the flowers come forth and flourish, so will the bodies of all the faithful when Jesus returns on the last day with a shout and “with the sound of the trumpet of God” (1Th. 4:16).
The trumpet-shaped lilies anticipate His coming. Our cemeteries might look lifeless and bleak now, but they will fill with new life when our Lord Jesus comes in His glory. The winter is past. Death is dead. Spring breaks forth. And together with all who live in Him, we join our voices in saying: “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”
Let us sing our festival hymn #348, “He Is Arisen! Glorious Word!”
He is arisen! Glorious Word!
Now reconciled is God, my Lord;
The gates of heaven are open.
My Jesus died triumphantly,
And Satan’s arrows broken lie,
Destroyed hell’s direst weapon.
O hear
What cheer!
Christ victorious
Riseth glorious,
Life He giveth—
He was dead, but see, He liveth!
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Sermon text: Joshua 3:5-17
In Christ Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Joh. 14:6), dear fellow redeemed:
There aren’t many people who end up doing what they think they will as children. After all, there are only so many spots open for professional athletes, famous singers, or the President of the United States. Typically a person’s path through life is less definite than they think it will be as a child. We learn as we go that dreams often do not become reality. The person we thought was perfect for us turns out not to be. We move from job to job. Plans change. So the way our life plays out is not so much a “point A to point B,” but a zig-zagging, forward and backward, wandering around sort of path that leads to a different point than we ever imagined.
When the Israelite people left Egypt, they expected to journey to the land of Canaan which the LORD had promised to give them. But they didn’t march straight east and then north right into the land. God led them into the wilderness, through the Red Sea, and to Mount Sinai to receive His Law. Finally He brought them to the Promised Land, where spies were sent to survey the land. But the spies brought back a bad report. “[T]he cities are fortified and very large,” they said. “The people are too strong. They are like giants, and we seemed like grasshoppers in comparison. We could never defeat them” (Num. 13:28,31-32).
Because they did not trust the LORD, He told them they would wander for forty years in the wilderness, and everyone above the age of twenty with the exception of Joshua and Caleb would die in the wilderness (Num. 32:11-12). If you were five or ten years old when the LORD delivered this judgment, the next forty years would have seemed a long time. As you traveled around from one wilderness place to another, you couldn’t help but wonder, “Are we ever going to get somewhere?”
That question was answered in today’s account. The time had come for the people to cross over the Jordan River and enter the land of Canaan. But how would they get across? The Jordan River was estimated to be one hundred feet wide and up to ten feet deep. Besides that, it was springtime when snowmelt from a nearby mountain and new rainfall caused the river to overflow its banks. There was no way the great multitude of Israelites would be able to wade across.
Just before today’s reading, we are told that the Israelites camped near the Jordan for three days (Jos. 3:1-2). For three days, they looked at the churning waters in front of them. Perhaps they scouted up and down the river looking for a suitable place to cross. There was none. Their eyes were also drawn past the waters to the lush, green landscape of Canaan. How good it would be to get there! That’s where they wanted to go! But when? How?
They had no answers. They could not accomplish it. They had to wait for the LORD to make a way. He brought them this far; He would have to bring them across. Through Joshua, the LORD told the people to consecrate themselves, to prepare in repentance for what He would do for them. Joshua told the priests to carry the ark of the covenant toward the river, and when their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from the north stopped flowing. It stood up in a heap like the waters of the Red Sea had done, so that all the people could cross over on dry ground. The impossible was made possible by the mighty LORD.
We have gathered to celebrate another impossible event today, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. None of His disciples expected it to happen. As they waited those three days, they wept together and hid themselves in fear of what might happen to them. All they could see before them and behind them were dark, churning waters of trouble which threatened to engulf them at any moment. Where could they go? What would they do?
Then reports started to trickle in: “The stone was rolled away… the tomb was empty… angels spoke to us… we saw Jesus… He told us what we should do….” The impossible was made possible. Jesus rose from the dead, which means He was not just a man. He is true God who completed the work He came to do—redeem the whole world from sin and death by His death and resurrection. By the Sunday after Easter, He had shown Himself to His chosen disciples, and soon afterward, He appeared to more than five hundred of His followers at once (1Co. 15:6).
Then on the fortieth day after His resurrection, His disciples watched Him ascend into heaven, and angels appeared and said, “This Jesus… will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Act. 1:11). So there is a direct line between the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and His return on the last day to judge the living and the dead. Because He predicted His resurrection on the third day and then rose, it is just as certain that He will return visibly on the last day as He said He would. So if His resurrection is “point A,” and His return in glory is “point B,” then every day is another day down the line closer to His return.
But just as the Israelites wondered if they would ever get to the Promised Land as they wandered through the wilderness, so we wonder if we will ever reach the Promised Land of heaven. We haven’t seen heaven. All we know is the wilderness of this world. And often it seems to us that the sinful plans and pleasures of the moment are better than the promise of future blessings. Is the Promised Land really waiting at the end of the line? Is it really all it is made out to be?
So like the Israelites who had doubts about God’s care for them and His promises to them, we have doubts. Like the Israelites who grumbled and complained when they faced hardships, we grumble and complain. Like the Israelites who wanted to stop aiming for the Promised Land and instead return to Egypt, we are tempted to turn away from God’s promise, go along with the world, and pursue what is wrong.
But there is no life in going back to where we started or choosing a different path than God’s. Those paths are all dead ends. They all lead away from God and back into the slavery of sin. Only through Jesus can we see our way forward to blessings in this life and beyond. But how can we know we are walking on His path? How can we be certain that the way we are going is the way we are supposed to go?
Actually that responsibility does not rest with us, which is a good thing because we have a terrible sense of direction! If our reaching the Promised Land depended on our figuring out the way and on our strength to get there, we would never come close. The only way to get on that straight line stretching from Jesus’ resurrection to His return, is if He puts us on the line and keeps us on it.
It starts with Baptism. At your Baptism, Jesus joined Himself to you. He tied you to His burial and His resurrection, so that your sin was buried with Him and you now walk with Him “in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). Baptism is the beginning of your journey to the Promised Land of heaven, just as the Israelites’ passing through the water of the Red Sea was the beginning of their journey to the Promised Land of Canaan.
Baptism gives you a clear future. It means that where Jesus is going, you are going—point A to point B. In your sin, you might deviate from that path—and sometimes significantly. But Jesus by His grace is constantly calling you back, constantly forgiving your sins, and guiding you in the right direction through His Word and Sacraments. He says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Joh. 8:31-32). And, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life” (Joh. 10:27-28a).
By His holy Word, Jesus leads you through this life toward eternal life with Him. When you die, your immortal soul will leave your body and be carried to the Lord. Your body will be buried for a time. Then on the day of His return, the heaven you have strained to see over the dark, churning waters of this life, will finally become clear. Jesus, your Joshua, will call you from the grave, clothe you in His glory, and lead you to a blessed place, a bright new beginning. He will bring you safely across the Jordan To the Promised Land.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(woodcut from “The Empty Tomb” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872)
The First Sunday after Trinity – Vicar Lehne farewell sermon
Text: St. Luke 16:19-31
In Christ Jesus, who is our priceless treasure, dear fellow redeemed:
The rich man seemed to have everything. In his lifetime, he received good things, living in comfort, which he showed off in how he dressed and how he ate. He was clothed in purple, which was a color that was associated with royalty, and in fine linen, which was the most expensive cloth at that time. And he didn’t just have magnificent feasts some of the time, but every day, which showed that he was actively pursuing a good life on earth that was filled with worldly riches. On the other hand, there’s Lazarus. Unlike the rich man, who seemed to have everything, Lazarus seemed to have nothing. In his lifetime, he received bad things, living in anguish. He never got to feast like the rich man did. Instead, he laid at the rich man’s gate every day, hoping that he might get fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. And the only ones who attended to him were dogs who came to lick the sores on his body.
The lives of the rich man and Lazarus couldn’t have been more different. This was not only true of their lives on earth, but also of their lives after they both died. There was just one difference. Now, their situations had completely flipped. While the rich man had feasted sumptuously on earth, now it was Lazarus who was feasting sumptuously at Abraham’s side, the father of all believers, in heaven. While Lazarus was begging for the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table to satisfy his hunger even just a little bit on earth, now it was the rich man who was begging for a drop of water to cool his tongue even just a little bit in hell. While Lazarus lived in anguish on earth, he was now living in eternal comfort in heaven. And while the rich man lived in comfort on earth, he was now living in eternal anguish in hell.
What had caused the rich man and Lazarus to end up where they did when their lives on earth were over? It’s really easy for us to focus on their outward circumstances and think that had something to do with where they ended up, especially since that’s all we were told of their lives on earth, but this was not the case. It was not being rich that sent the rich man to hell. Everything that a person has is a blessing from God, and if we look through the Bible, we see that there were many people whom God blessed with earthly riches. We are told that God blessed Abraham in all things, including earthly riches. When God told Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted, and Solomon asked for wisdom instead of something like earthly riches, God not only gave him wisdom, but he also gave Solomon what he did not ask for, both riches and honor. The entire book of Job starts with the devil telling God that the only reason Job loves him so much is because he has blessed Job with so much. Then, at the end of the book, when Job has remained faithful to God despite losing everything, God blesses Job with even more riches than he had started with. Just as it wasn’t being rich that sent the rich man to hell, it also wasn’t being poor that sent Lazarus to heaven. It is just as easy for someone who is poor to sin as it is for someone who is rich. As Proverbs 30:8–9 says, “[G]ive me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”
So, if it wasn’t what was on the outside that caused the rich man and Lazarus to end up where they did when they died, then it must have been what was on the inside. While the rich man seemed to have everything during his life on earth, there was one thing that he did not have: faith. Even though the rich man had access to Moses and the Prophets, he did not see value in them or in the message that they contained. He only saw value in his earthly possessions. So, he rejected God and used his earthly possessions to give him the best life possible on earth. On the other hand, while Lazarus seemed to have nothing during his life on earth, he did have faith, the one thing that the rich man didn’t have. Through Moses and the Prophets, the Holy Spirit created faith in Lazarus’ heart, and with that faith, he saw the value in the promised Savior that Moses and the Prophets spoke about, for it was only through this promised Savior that he could be saved from his sins and given eternal comfort in heaven. This is what caused the rich man and Lazarus to end up where they did, not whether they were rich or poor, but whether or not they believed in the coming Savior, who is the most priceless treasure of all.
Of the rich man and Lazarus, who are we more like? While we would all love to say that we are like Lazarus, who held on to his faith even though he suffered in anguish every day, there are times when we are more like the rich man than we realize or care to admit. Like the rich man, who showed off his wealth in the clothes that he wore, there are times when we like to show off our own wealth to our friends and family. Getting our hands on the newest and greatest items becomes the most important thing in our lives, so much so that, instead of giving our first fruits to God, we give him our leftovers, if we give him anything at all. And like the rich man, who ate sumptuously every day, actively pursuing a good life on earth, there are times when we actively pursue a good life on earth above all else. We want to enjoy ourselves at fun and exciting events, and we want to satisfy our hunger by eating good food in nice restaurants, even if it means that we have to skip church to do it.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with owning possessions or spending our money in ways that we enjoy. After all, everything that we have is a gift from God. But if we are not careful, then we will make those things the most important things in our lives and put ourselves in danger of losing our faith and becoming even more like the rich man, who only saw value in his earthly treasures. If our earthly treasures replace our faith in Jesus as our Savior, then we will no longer see the value in God becoming a man; in the God-man, Jesus, living a perfect life; in Jesus suffering and dying on the cross. And as a result, we will no longer experience the comfort of heaven when our time on this earth is over, but we will instead experience eternal anguish in the fires of hell, like the rich man did.
Thankfully, the great treasure that is God’s Word is freely available to us, no matter how far away from God we have strayed. We don’t need to spend vast amounts of money to get it; it is freely given to us by God so that the riches that Jesus won for us may become ours. Through the faith that the Holy Spirit has created in our hearts through the preaching of the Word, we know just how valuable what Jesus has done for us truly is. The value of Jesus becoming a man is that he loved us so much that he was willing to leave his throne in heaven and humble himself to save us. The value of Jesus living a perfect life is that he fulfilled God’s law for us when we were unable to do so, and he applies his perfect life to us so that the Father only sees the holy life that his only-begotten Son lived when he looks at us. And the value of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross is that all of our sins have been paid for; we don’t need to do anything to make up for our sins and get out of hell, because Jesus has already done everything that is necessary to win us a place in heaven. The treasures of this world that God blesses us with are nice, but they are only temporary. As the prophet Isaiah says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). There truly is no greater or more priceless treasure than Jesus.
Like Lazarus, we have faith in our Savior. But there are times when we can be like Lazarus in another way. Like Lazarus, there are times when our lives are filled with anguish. Even though we may not be begging for crumbs from people’s tables, there are times when we can worry about how we are going to provide for ourselves and our families. We want to provide for our loved ones by giving them food or by paying for doctors to heal them when they get sick. But we see how expensive everything is getting, and our pay doesn’t seem to always go up along with the rising costs, meaning that we can’t buy what we used to be able to or what we currently need to. And even though we may not experience moments when no one is attending to us except for stray animals, like the case was with Lazarus, there are times when it can feel like no one cares about us or is there to help us when we need it. In moments like those, we can feel unloved and abandoned.
When we go through hardships in our lives and feel the anguish of those hardships, it can be hard for us to hold on to our faith. After all, if Jesus truly did love us, why would he be allowing us to go through such torment? But even when it feels like we’re all alone or that we have nothing, Jesus is always there for us to help us get through our anguish and give us comfort. Jesus, our priceless treasure, is all we need. He didn’t abandon us while we were still sinners. Instead, he laid down his own life to give us eternal life. As the apostle Paul says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And if Jesus didn’t abandon us then, he won’t abandon us now. He will remain by our side no matter what and help us endure whatever anguish and torment we have to go through until the day that he calls us home to the heaven that he won for us.
When you do enter the gates of heaven, you will never have to experience the anguish and torments of this world ever again. Never again will you hunger. Instead, you will feast sumptuously every day. Never again will you be alone or unloved. Instead, you will be surrounded by not just fellow believers who will show you love without end, but you will also be in the presence of God, who loved you so much that he sent his only-begotten Son to die for you. Any other possible anguish that you could possibly endure here on earth will be gone forever. Instead, you will only experience eternal comfort.
Through God’s Word, the Holy Spirit gives you the faith to receive all of these blessings. The rich man was unable to see the value in God’s Word. Even when he was in anguish in the fires of hell, he still couldn’t see the value in God’s Word. Instead, he thought that something else was needed, something that seemed to be more spectacular. But like Lazarus, you know the truth. You know the value of the message that God’s Word contains. You know the value of what Jesus accomplished for you. While the treasures of this world that God blesses you with are nice, they don’t hold a candle to Jesus and what he did for you. Jesus truly is your priceless treasure.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from painting of the beggar Lazarus by Fyodor Bronnikov, 1886)
Midweek Lent 6 – Pr. Faugstad homily
Texts: Genesis 3:22-24, St. Luke 23:39-43
In Christ Jesus, who has prepared a glorious home for you in heaven, dear fellow redeemed:
“You don’t know what you have till it’s gone.” We hear people talk that way about their carefree childhood, about the jobs they left for better opportunities that weren’t actually better, about the days before so many health concerns and doctor visits, about loved ones who die and leave a bigger gap than expected. “You don’t know what you have till it’s gone.”
But nobody felt the pain of loss more sharply or deeply than Adam and Eve. They had every good thing they could ever want. They had perfection. They had blissful communion with their Creator God who loved them. And the devil convinced them that they should desire something more, that they should have their eyes opened, so they could “be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5).
Ignoring the tree of life for the moment, they reached for the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And when they ate, “the eyes of both were opened” (v. 7), just as the devil said they would be. Now man and woman knew the difference between good and evil, but this knowledge came at a tremendous cost. Now they knew the difference, because they were no longer good, enjoying all things in perfection. Now they were filled with sin and separated from the God who made them.
You know what happened next. They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves to hide their shame. They hid from God with the devil. They played the blame game. Today’s reading indicates that they may have also thought they could fix what they had broken, that they could undo what they had done. If they had corrupted all things by eating from the one tree God told them to leave alone, perhaps they could make everything right again by taking fruit from the other special tree God had planted in the garden, the tree of life.
We can hardly criticize their idea. On a human level, it makes sense. When we mess up, our first thought is usually not to throw ourselves at the mercy of another and beg forgiveness. Our first thought is often, “How can I hide this or fix this, so I can avoid having to fess up to it?” So if we break something, we might try to hide it or quietly repair it and hope no one notices. Or if we hurt someone, we might try to win them back with extra sweet words or with gifts.
Sometimes we might succeed in getting ourselves out of trouble. But sometimes our efforts to avoid responsibility or blame only make things worse. The LORD God shut the door on Adam and Eve fixing things on their own. He would not let them eat from the tree of life anymore. We don’t know what would have happened if they did. Could the curse of sin have been reversed? Would they perhaps have been doomed to live forever in their sin?
It was not for them to try to undo what they had done. They had sinned, and for that sin they deserved to die. But the LORD had mercy on them. He promised to send His only-begotten Son to be born of a woman, so that He could crush Satan’s head and destroy his power over sinners. They could not save themselves; God would save them.
So the LORD drove them out of the beautiful Garden of Eden, a paradise on earth, with nothing but the clothes on their backs. He posted a guard at the garden’s entrance, the cherubim—angelic beings with “a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.” The cherubim did their job as long as the garden remained, probably until the waters of the flood destroyed it.
No one on earth tasted the fruit of the tree of life after the fall into sin. Just as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was forbidden before the fall, now the tree of life was forbidden after the fall. The first man and woman did not know how good they had it until it was gone. But even though they could no longer eat the delicious fruit of the tree of life, they could cling to the sweet promise of salvation that God had made.
We hear how that promise was fulfilled in our second reading. Jesus is hanging naked on the cross bearing Adam and Eve’s shame and the shame of all who descended from them. As Jesus suffers there through no fault or crime of His own, the religious leaders mock Him, the people passing by jeer at Him, the soldiers laugh at Him. And if that weren’t bad enough, even the criminals hanging on either side of Him railed at Him (Mat. 27:44). “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”
But then one of them began to see things differently. He heard Jesus pray for forgiveness for those who tortured Him. He saw how patiently He took the abuse, how His eyes were filled not with hatred but with love. The criminal also knew that his own death was fast approaching. There was no getting out of this one, no escape, no last minute pardon from the governor. He rebuked the mocking of his fellow criminal. “Don’t you understand that we deserve this! We are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”
The repentant criminal was done making excuses. He was done blaming others. He knew his sin. Through teeth clenched in pain, he breathed out, “Jesus! Jesus, remember me!” “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” If the religious leaders heard this, they would have turned their jeers toward him. “Kingdom! What kingdom? Is this thorn-crowned loser your king? What can He do for you?” And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Imagine if Adam was this criminal hanging next to Jesus. No more excuses; no more attempts to fix things. Entrusting his life to his Savior Jesus even as death approached. Imagine if that criminal were you. “I have sinned! I deserve death. I deserve hell. Jesus, remember me.” Jesus’ words are for Adam and for you and for all sinners who repent of their sins, “You will be with Me in Paradise!”
The gate that God closed in Eden now stands open in heaven. The way that was barred to the tree of life is barred no more. Jesus took the sentence of condemnation for sin in your place. He paid your debt to God. He was declared guilty, so you would be declared righteous. His blood cleanses you from all your sin. St. Paul writes, “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17).
By faith in Jesus, you will not die but live. By faith in Jesus, you will not be kept outside the gates of heaven; you will be ushered in. And what will you see when you enter heaven? One of the few descriptions of heaven is in the Book of Revelation, where the apostle John writes, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month” (22:1-2). So in heaven we will get to eat from the tree of life, a tree producing twelve kinds of fruit! John continues that even the leaves of this tree have beneficial qualities, leaves “for the healing of the nations.”
With our sinful minds and mortal flesh, we cannot comprehend or appreciate how wonderful the Paradise of heaven will be. Just as it is true in this life that “You don’t know what you have till it’s gone,” so it is true of our future eternal life, that “You won’t know what you will have till you’re there.” God’s kingdom is beyond anything we can know here. The criminal learned this. He died in tremendous pain, but then his soul was taken to the bright light and glory of his Lord.
So it will be for you. You will leave the wretchedness of this world behind and will enter the gates of Paradise. Washed in Jesus’ blood and covered in His righteousness, no cherubim or flaming sword will keep you out. “Blessed are those who wash their robes,” writes John, “so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates” (v. 14). Thanks be to God. Amen.
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(picture from “The Crucifixion” by Giambattista Tiepolo [1696-1770] at the Saint Louis Art Museum)
Midweek Lent 4 – Matthew Lehne homily
Texts: Genesis 3:17-18, St. John 19:1-6
In Christ Jesus, who was crowned with sin so that we may be crowned with glory, dear fellow redeemed:
Working the ground is not an easy task. Whether you are growing crops or flowers, there are seemingly countless things that can go wrong, chief among them being thorns and thistles growing up with them. No matter how hard you try to prevent them from growing, they somehow always do, and if you don’t catch them in time, they could end up killing your crops or your flowers. This, like all other hardships you experience in life, is a consequence of sin.
Adam’s sin affected all creation. God said that because Adam disobeyed his command, the ground was cursed. Now Adam would labor in pain, and the ground would bring forth thorns and thistles. But even this, God used for Adam’s good. The thorns and thistles were a reminder to Adam of his sin and of his need for a Savior.
We can see examples of this being true today. When people feel safe and secure, they don’t see a need to go to church and hear the comforting words of our Lord. As a result, church attendance is low. But when there are times of hardship and people no longer feel the safety and security that they once felt, church attendance suddenly goes up. It is through the thorns and thistles of hardship that we realize our need for a Savior and turn to him in repentance. This is why God placed a curse on the ground, saying to Adam, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field” (Genesis 3:17–18). It was for mankind’s benefit that the ground was cursed, just as it was for mankind’s benefit that God sent a Savior to deliver us from the curse of sin.
The thorns and thistles would be a reminder to Adam and his descendants of their sin that corrupted the world. We see this corruption in the thorns and thistles that we experience in our daily lives. We feel the pain of fear when those around us cause us to question our safety. We feel the pain of betrayal when those who we thought we could trust reveal our secrets or abandon us for their own personal gain. We feel the pain of weakness when we get sick. We feel the pain of loss when our loved ones are taken from us. We feel the pain of our own sins when our consciences prick at us. All of this pain is too much for us to bear on our own, but there is one man who took all of our pain and bore it by himself: Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Jesus already knew what it was like to feel pain. He felt the pain of hunger when he fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. He felt the pain of loss when his friends John the Baptizer and Lazarus died. He felt the pain of betrayal when Judas handed him over to the religious authorities, when his disciples abandoned him after his arrest, and when Peter denied him three times in the courtyard. And now he was experiencing the pain of mocking and beating at the hands of the soldiers and would soon be experiencing the pain of death and hell on the cross. Jesus, your Savior, felt all that pain for you and endured it all for your salvation.
As the soldiers were mocking and beating Jesus, they happened to find some thorns, the divine reminder of our need for a Savior, and twisted them into a crown and put them on the head of the Savior. On some coins, emperors were represented with a laurel wreath encircling their heads. So, since they heard it said that Jesus was the King of the Jews, the soldiers thought that this would be a fitting way to mock him even more. This man who was their so-called King was now made to look absolutely ridiculous.
As the soldiers continued to beat him, the crown of thorns was pressed into Jesus’ head, causing him even more pain. That pain that Jesus experienced was your pain. The pain that pressed into Jesus’ head was the pain that you experience from those around you and from the guilt of your own sins. He wore all your thorns and thistles on his head and carried them all the way to the cross. There, all of the thorns and thistles of life, along with the pain that they cause you, were put to death with him. On that cross, Jesus put an end to the curse of sin.
Before going all the way to that cross, Pontius Pilate first paraded Jesus out in front of the crowd, having been thoroughly tortured and humiliated, and said, “Behold the man” (John 19:5)! Pilate did not realize the full implication of what he was saying. There stood not just any man, but the man, the man who was your divine substitute, your atoning sacrifice. Jesus stood there and took all of the pain and the suffering, all of the mocking and beating, that you rightfully deserve for your sins. He took all of it so that you would not have to take it.
The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “For if many died through one man’s trespass [that is, Adam’s trespass], much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. . . . For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:15, 19). It was because of one man, Adam, that sin entered the world. Adam disobeyed God, and because of that disobedience, we all disobey God as well, for we all inherited Adam’s sin. But one man undid all that. Jesus obeyed his Father in every way and stood in our place to bear the curse of sin and to receive the punishment for sin that we rightfully deserve. It is because of that one man’s atoning sacrifice that our sins have been forgiven; it is because of that one man that God’s grace is freely given to us; and it is because of that one man that the gates of heaven have been opened to us.
When we enter heaven, we will get to experience the same ease of work that Adam and Eve briefly got to experience in the Garden of Eden. In heaven, there will be no thorns or thistles that cause us pain, neither in the ground nor in our lives. All of the pain that we experience in this life, all the fear, all the betrayal, all the weakness, all the loss, all the sin, will never be experienced again because the curse of sin that caused that pain has been put to death with our Savior. We eagerly await that day when we get to experience the joys of heaven, but until that day comes, we wait, just as all creation waits for Jesus’ return. As Romans 8:20–21 says, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him [that is God] who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” On the Last Day, the ground will return to its former glory, when God creates a new heaven and a new earth. At that time, our bodies will be glorified as well. Our glorified bodies will never again experience the thorns and thistles of sin, which our divine substitute wore on his own head as a crown and put to death with him on the cross for us. Because Jesus wore our crown of thorns on his head, a crown of glory is now ours, a crown of glory that will never fade away.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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(picture from “Ecce Homo” by Antonio Ciseri, 1871)