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)
Thanksgiving – Pr. Faugstad homily
Text: Psalm 103
In Christ Jesus, “the Lord merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy,” dear fellow redeemed:
In a typical year, we would celebrate Thanksgiving by getting together with family members and friends. We would all converge in one place, extend our tables, and cram in extra chairs. We would feast together, laugh together, enjoy being together. We would count our many blessings, starting with the loved ones with us in the room.
This is not a typical year. If you are getting together with loved ones, the group will probably be smaller than usual. Grown children may not be “coming home” like they usually do. Grandparents may not get to hug their grandchildren. Some of you are facing a Thanksgiving by yourself, perhaps the first time that has happened. Across the nation, this could go down as one of the most stressful, loneliest Thanksgivings we have ever had.
Today’s Psalm doesn’t really seem to fit the mood. It begins with joyful praise: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!” Is it praise and thanks to God that fills your thoughts right now? Or is it concerns about your health and the health of the people you care about? Or concerns about our country and its social and political disharmony? Or concerns about the future and the challenges you may have to face?
You might wonder what God’s plan is in all of this. Why doesn’t He just end all sickness? Why doesn’t He destroy the efforts of the wicked? You may not want to admit it, but part of you deep down questions whether God is seeing things clearly, whether He sees your struggle, whether He really loves you like He says He does. You might even be angry with God.
Now it isn’t wrong to complain to God. There are a great many Psalms that do this, that call Him to address the tension between His promises and our experiences. God wants to hear all our prayers—not just the ones offered in joyful thanksgiving, but also the ones expressed with heartfelt cries and groanings. So is today the day for thanksgiving to God or complaint?
We don’t know the situation in which Psalm 103 was written. It is a Psalm attributed to King David. It sounds like David was in a good mood when he wrote this Psalm. But hope-filled words do not come exclusively from good times. In fact, the hopeful words of believers often come from terrible times, times of suffering, times of persecution. Many of our best and most powerful hymns were written not in days of peace and prosperity, but in days of great trouble and hardship.
Whether you are filled with joy and thanksgiving today or with distresses and doubts, this Psalm was inspired by God for your comfort and encouragement. The second verse of the Psalm says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.” It is easy to forget all that the Lord does for us. Sometimes we forget because in our pride we think we are responsible for all the good things we have. Or sometimes we forget because in our difficulties all we can see is our trouble.
This is why we need to be reminded to remember—to “forget not” all the Lord’s benefits. His kind and merciful actions toward us are so many we could not count them all. The psalmist lists some of them: He forgives all our iniquities. He heals all our diseases. He redeems our life from destruction. He crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies. He satisfies our mouth with good things. He executes righteousness and justice for the oppressed.
It might seem like David overstates God’s work here. If, as he writes, the Lord “heals all [our] diseases,” why do some still get sick? If He “executes righteousness and justice” for the oppressed, why do some still suffer? David does not claim that God keeps His people from ever getting sick or ever experiencing hardship. Sickness and hardship are part of life in this fallen world. So is our sinfulness. Just as we need the Lord’s forgiveness for every sin, so we need His healing for every sickness and His help in every trouble.
We may not always have healing in our sickness and help in our trouble as quickly or as completely as we want. But the Lord brings it about in His time. He may even decide to free us from our diseases and our oppression by calling our soul out of this life of trouble. Our faith does not rest in what our eyes can see, in the proofs of God’s love that we demand. Our faith rests in His holy Word, in what He has promised to all who trust in Him.
It may seem that God is angry with you or punishing you because of the suffering and pain that you experience. But you know that cannot be. God is not angry with you anymore because His holy Son atoned for your sins. Your sins were taken off you and put on Him. He suffered the wrath of God in your place. He was punished for every single one of your wrongs. “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed [your] transgressions from [you].”
Now God wouldn’t do that for you and then forget about you when you suffer in this life. He wouldn’t send His perfect Son to the cross for you and then leave you all alone in your trials. “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him”—He has mercy on you. “For He knows [your] frame; He remembers that [you] are dust.” He knows that it doesn’t take much to discourage you. He knows how hard the devil, the unbelieving world, and your own sinful flesh work to steal away your faith. He sees how often they succeed. He knows that you don’t always remember Him. But He remembers you.
The Lord God Almighty Remembers You. And He will not forget you. He cannot forget you. You are joined by faith to His only-begotten Son, that Son with whom He is well pleased (Mat. 3:17, 17:5). So He is well pleased with you. “[T]he mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children.”
This year has not gone like you expected, and neither have your Thanksgiving plans. But you are not alone. The Lord whose “throne [is] in heaven” and whose “kingdom rules over all” knows you. The God whom the mighty angels and all the host of heaven worship loves you and cares about you. He will not leave you no matter what you have to face in the days to come. And that is cause for joy; that is reason for thanksgiving. “Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.” Amen.
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