The Second Sunday in Lent – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Matthew 15:21-28
In Christ Jesus, who promises that whoever comes to Him, He will never cast out (Joh. 6:37), dear fellow redeemed:
Jesus had not entered the Gentile district of Tyre and Sidon to interact with the locals or to gather a crowd. On the contrary, the evangelist Mark reported that “he entered a house and did not want anyone to know” (7:24). The Canaanite woman who came looking for Him would have noticed that He was not looking to be seen or talked to. So what made her pursue Him so relentlessly?
There were two reasons: her daughter was severely oppressed by a demon, and she believed that Jesus could heal her. We don’t know how long the demon had afflicted her daughter or how it affected her. But obviously no one else had been able to help. What made her think that Jesus could succeed when all others had failed?
The answer is in the way she addressed Him: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David,” she said. She was confessing that Jesus was the promised Messiah descended from David’s line. She had obviously heard about Jesus, what He had taught and the miracles He had done. On the basis of these reports, she believed that He was the true God in the flesh. That’s why she knew He could help her daughter, just as He had helped many others throughout Judea and Galilee.
When the Canaanite woman followed after Jesus crying for His mercy, at first He said nothing to her, absolutely nothing. He certainly gave the impression that He wasn’t interested in hearing her troubles. But He didn’t say “no.” The woman kept asking. She begged for His help again and again, so much so, that the disciples grew tired of her cries. Now they begged Jesus to send her away, so they could have some peace. Jesus’ reply? “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” meaning the Jews and not the Gentiles. That still wasn’t a “no.”
Now she fell down on her knees right in front of Jesus and said, “Lord, help me.” She would not be ignored, and she was not going to leave until Jesus ordered her to. He did not do this. Instead, He used an analogy for what He said before, that He was sent for the Jews: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” The “children’s bread” is the salvation God had chosen His people Israel to taste and see. The Israelites had the Holy Scriptures. They knew the promise of a Savior. They had been waiting for its fulfillment. Why should the Gentiles have the same gift when they had rejected the true God for so long?
Jesus said it was neither good nor right to take bread from the children—the Jews—and throw it to the dogs—the Gentiles. It sounded kind of harsh, but even that wasn’t a hard “no.” Far from being put off by what Jesus said, the woman seized on His words as an invitation: “Yes, Lord, what You say is true. We Gentiles don’t deserve to have what the Jews have. I know I don’t deserve Your mercy, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” “I’m not asking to be treated like the children,” she said. “I’m just happy to have the crumbs that fall on the floor, because even the crumbs from You, O Lord, Son of David, are more than enough!”
What an expression of faith! What dogged confidence in Jesus! What kept her coming? Why didn’t she give up when Jesus acted so disinterested? Well if she walked away, her daughter would still be severely oppressed by a demon. Besides that, she knew who Jesus was, the promised Messiah. She wasn’t going to leave the only One who could help. This is what Peter said when other disciples of Jesus were leaving because His teaching offended them. Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” (Joh. 6:67). Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (vv. 68-69).
Those “words of eternal life” from our Lord are what strengthen our faith and give us hope in the difficult times. God also uses the trials themselves to test our faith, refine it, and exercise it, so that our focus on Him is sharpened. That’s what happened with the Canaanite woman. Her tremendous difficulties with her daughter did not crush her faith; these challenges made her faith stronger. She wouldn’t have gone looking for Jesus if everything in her life was going well. But she did when she was suffering. Then when she found Jesus, His behavior toward her might have seemed uncaring, but it caused her to be even more persistent and cling more tightly to Him.
Why does a parent take an extra step away from the wall of the pool when a little child is getting ready to jump in? It is to increase the child’s trust: “Don’t worry, I will catch you. I will keep you safe.” That’s what Jesus says to us when the distance from here to there looks too far, when we can’t imagine surviving another health setback, when giving up a particular sin requires too much sacrifice, when the consequences for saying “no” to the crowd are too painful. “Don’t worry,” says Jesus, “I will catch you. I will keep you safe.”
But is it true? Has the Lord caught you when you had to take a leap of faith? Did He bless you and keep you and give you peace in your times of greatest difficulty? Have you emerged from those trials stronger or weaker? Perhaps you’re not sure. Our perception about these things is often affected by our expectation. If our expectation is that we should never have to suffer or experience hardships, but that life should go about how we plan, then our perception will almost certainly be that God has failed us. He didn’t keep us from pain.
But if we accept what Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation” (Joh. 16:33), then we will not go looking for trials, but we also won’t be taken by surprise when they come. And when troubles do come, God promises to work through them for our good. That’s what Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” He says He will turn every trial, every heartache, pain, and sorrow into blessings for us somehow. We don’t always figure out just what those blessings are, but we trust that this is true.
The woman might not have perceived a blessing in the way Jesus seemed to avoid her and put her off. But that all changed when Jesus said, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire,” and she returned home to a daughter healed. This woman is a tremendous example for us. We learn from her what to do when our suffering is intense, when the Lord seems to be ignoring us or seems to be punishing us, when we feel no better than a despised dog. She kept her eyes on Jesus. No matter how He responded (or didn’t respond) to her cries, no matter what she experienced, she kept crying out for His mercy and help. Like Jacob wrestling with God, she would not let her Lord go unless He blessed her (Gen. 32:26).
Her faith in Him was not disappointed. Faith in Jesus never is. Faith ties you to Him. It connects you to Him who is Love incarnate, who took on your flesh to redeem you from sin and death, who covers you in His righteousness. The woman was right that the crumbs of His grace are more than enough. But Jesus gives you more than crumbs. He gives His grace in abundance through His holy Word and Sacraments, so that every sin of weakness and doubt is forgiven, and you are given the strength you need to go forward and endure.
So we come here like dogs who expect good things from their good Master. We keep our eyes trained on Him, we listen to what He says, and we want to please Him by what we do. Sometimes He will make us wait for something in order to teach us patience and trust. But then He opens His hand and gives us everything we need. He feeds us with His body and blood as we kneel before Him at the Communion rail. He assures us that He forgives all of our sins, and that He is well pleased with us.
Though it didn’t seem like it at first, Jesus loved that Canaanite woman. If He wanted to get rid of her, He could have. But He wanted her to keep crying out, keep pursuing, keep begging, until the time was right to grant her request. Jesus loves you in the same way. He wants you to follow Him and not get discouraged when your troubles don’t go away as quickly as you would like. He hears all your cries, and He promises that at the right time, He will grant your request, or He will continue to strengthen you in the struggle.
The faithful woman gladly embraced Jesus’ reference to the family dog waiting at the side of the table. We can do the same. Not only are we Gentiles like she was, but we know that Jesus came to save us, too, and has abundant grace to help in our times of need. We don’t have to have all the answers. We don’t have to get ourselves out of all our troubles. Like a pet that is well-cared for by its master, we know our merciful Lord will care for us.
So we keep our eyes fixed on Him. We do not give up, even when it seems like He isn’t listening. We hold Him to His promise that He will have mercy upon us. Because He does, and He will.
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 15 century French Gothic manuscript painting)
Quinquagesima Sunday – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Luke 18:31-43
In Christ Jesus, who is patient and kind, ever ready to show mercy in our suffering and helplessness, dear fellow redeemed:
How can you tell if you love someone, and how can you tell if they love you? Is it by how they look? This might be the reason for an initial attraction. A girl thinks a boy is handsome, or a boy thinks a girl is pretty. That could be the beginning of a crush—what is sometimes called “love at first sight”—, but that’s not exactly love. Love is much deeper than physical appearance or a feeling of attraction. And love is more than romantic or flattering words.
Today’s Epistle Lesson from 1 Corinthians 13 describes love as selfless action: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (vv. 4-6). “Love at first sight” is more about what you could do for me. Love that flows from Jesus is about what I can do for you.
And what did Jesus say He would do for others? He said, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging Him, they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise.” The disciples did not hear this as love. They heard it as suffering and especially as loss—their loss. They had big plans for Jesus and for themselves as His closest associates. Those plans did not include Jesus’ suffering and death.
Instead of letting Jesus’ plan and promise “sink into [their] ears” (Luk. 9:44), they insisted on their own way. And if they had gotten their way, they might have enjoyed more earthly glory, but neither they nor we would have a Savior. Jesus’ love for sinners compelled Him toward suffering and the cross. Nobody forced Him to go to Jerusalem; He went willingly.
That’s another quality of godly love—it can’t be forced. When love is a “have to,” it is motivated by the Law. When love is a “get to,” it is motivated by the Gospel. The Law says, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and mind… and your neighbor as yourself” (Mat. 22:37,39). But only the Gospel can move our hearts to show this love gladly and freely. Only when we have been brought to faith by the Holy Spirit, can we bear the fruit of love toward others.
Jesus was acting out of love when He explained what He would do in Jerusalem. He was going there to pay for the sins of all people of all time, even though He had never done any wrong. This was the ultimate act of love, accepting the eternal punishment that everyone else deserved. The disciples in their selfishness would have stopped Him from going to do this, but His love for them and us compelled Him forward.
As He made His way toward Jerusalem, a large crowd went with Him. It was shortly before this that Jesus had raised His friend Lazarus from the dead, and He continued to do other miracles besides. The reports of His miraculous power traveled in every direction, and they also reached the ears of a blind man who lived in or near the town of Jericho in Judea. He was begging by the road outside of town when the crowd passed by with Jesus. As soon as he learned that Jesus was near, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
The members of the crowd had referred to Him as “Jesus of Nazareth,” but the blind man called him “Jesus, Son of David.” This tells us that from the reports he heard about Jesus, he was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior long-promised to Israel. Though he could not see physically, the blind man “saw” Jesus by faith. He believed what He had heard about Him. He is a wonderful example of what Jesus later said to His disciple Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (Joh. 20:29).
This man’s faith shines the more brightly when we think about his situation. He was blind and probably had been his whole life. He had no source of income, so he was forced to beg on the side of the road. If you were in his shoes (assuming he had any), would you be more likely to complain about what God wasn’t doing for you or cling to His promises? Trust Him to provide for you or turn away from Him?
Jesus heard the blind man’s cry for mercy, just as He hears yours. Psalm 34 says, “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry” (v. 15, NKJV). Perhaps no one else knows your particular struggle, your pain, how helpless you sometimes feel. But He does. For you, He was “mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.” He was treated like the blind beggar on the side of the road that no one wanted to look at or listen to. “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3).
He endured all this trouble and suffering, so you would have hope in your trouble and suffering. Maybe you have been hurt or harmed by those who were supposed to love you. Maybe you feel like your efforts to love have been thrown back in your face. That is a lonely place to be in, like being stuck by yourself in the darkness.
Jesus does not leave you alone. He does not withhold His mercy from you. Look how personally He dealt with the blind man. “Bring him here to Me,” He said. Then He asked the blind man this grace-filled question: “What do you want Me to do for you?” This is how Jesus invites you to pray. He says, “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luk. 11:9). No problem is too big or too small for Him. No request is too hard. You don’t always know what is best for yourself, but He does, and He wants you to bring your petitions to Him.
The blind man said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” He said this about his physical sight, but we say the same about our faith. The less we hear Jesus’ Word, the less clear His love for us is. The more we hear His Word, the clearer He is to our faith. Our sinful flesh and the temptations of the world and the devil cloud our faith. We get to thinking too much about human glory like the disciples did. We become bitter dwelling on what we should have received but didn’t. But getting exactly what we want when we want it is not the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is.
That’s another lesson the blind man teaches us. If you had been blind your whole life and could suddenly see, what would you do? Where would you go? This is what the formerly blind man did: he “followed [Jesus], glorifying God.” Whether physically blind or seeing, what mattered most was that this man believed in Jesus. Jesus said as much, “your faith has made you well.”
When we come to church, one of the first things we do is confess our sins. We acknowledge that our spiritual vision is not as sharp as it should be. Our love is lacking. Our faith is weak. As we confess, we say with the blind man, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” “Let Your mercy be upon me. Let me see Your love. Forgive me all my sins. Show me the light of Your grace.” And Jesus says through the mouth of the pastor, “I forgive you all your sins. Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.”
The faith that you have, that the Holy Spirit worked in you through the powerful Word, is what connects you to the love of God in Christ Jesus. Faith sees Jesus “mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon,” flogged, and nailed to a cross and says, “Jesus did that to redeem me.” Faith hears Jesus cry, “It is finished!” and says, “He finished the work for me to win my salvation.” Faith sees the empty tomb on Easter Sunday morning and declares, “Jesus conquered death for me.”
Jesus did more than tell you He loves you. He showed it. And He keeps showing it by calling you back to the grace of your Baptism by which He joined you to Him, by filling you with comfort through His Word of absolution, and by strengthening you through the Supper of His holy body and blood. He is not about to pass you by, especially in your times of greatest suffering and need. Whether you are in Jerico, Iowa, or Jericho in the Middle East, He comes to you in love through His Holy Word.
We won’t fully understand the extent of His love in this life. Our sinful flesh keeps us from seeing it in all its “breadth and length and height and depth” (Eph. 3:18). But the day will come when we will see Jesus as He is. Like the blind man who had the shadows lifted from his sight, we will look upon Jesus in His glory and see perfect love embodied in Him. 1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter, describes how this will be: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (v. 12).
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 “Jesus Healing the Blind in Jericho,” Netherlands 1470s)
The Transfiguration of Our Lord (& The Conversion of St. Paul) – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: St. Matthew 17:1-9
In Christ Jesus, the bright Morning Star, whose light of grace shines into our hearts through His holy Word, dear fellow redeemed:
If Peter, James, and John had doubts before this, now they were sure. Jesus was the Son of God. They saw Him transfigured before them—His face shining like the sun, His clothes as white as light. They saw Moses and Elijah talking with him, arguably the two most prominent figures from Old Testament times. They were enveloped by the cloud and heard the Voice: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” They believed that Jesus was God in the flesh.
But immediately after this experience, Jesus said something troubling: “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” The secrecy part wasn’t so bad; it was that Jesus was saying He would die. It wasn’t the first time He had said this. Shortly before His transfiguration, Jesus told the disciples that He would be killed and then raised. Bold Peter pulled Him aside to give him a talking to: “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (Mat. 16:22). Then Jesus rebuked him, calling him “Satan” and “a hindrance,” and told him he was setting his mind on the things of man.
After His transfiguration, Jesus spoke of His death again: “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day” (Mat. 17:22-23). Matthew, one of the Twelve, records the fact that these words caused the disciples “great distress.” It didn’t make sense. How could Jesus who had power over demons, sickness, and death, and who revealed His eternal glory, end up dead. They were convinced He was God. How could God die?
Each time Jesus predicted His death, He also predicted His resurrection, but that part did not sink in. The disciples took Jesus seriously when He said He would die, but perhaps they doubted He could rise again if He were killed. No one had ever done something like that before. It isn’t that they denied the resurrection of the dead at the end of time on the last day. They just didn’t grasp how Jesus could rise on the third day after His death, or why this would even be necessary.
No doubt Peter, James, and John wanted to see more glory like they had on the mountaintop. Why couldn’t Jesus go to Jerusalem like that, with His face shining like the sun, flanked by Moses and Elijah? Instead, they saw Jesus enter Jerusalem humbly and give Himself into the hands of His enemies. They wanted to see glory but saw suffering. They wanted Jesus on the throne but instead saw Him on the cross. Jesus did not deliver like they wanted, but He did deliver how they needed.
The reason Jesus gave the three disciples a glimpse of His glory was to prepare them for the suffering to come. It was also to give them proofs along the way of who He was, so they could look back after His resurrection and ascension and understand why He did what He did and what He accomplished. This is why Jesus told them to keep the transfiguration to themselves “until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” After His resurrection, this would be one piece of evidence they could share that showed Jesus was both Son of Man and Son of God.
That same evidence is now set before us by the inspired Word of the apostles. We get to travel with the disciples to that mountaintop and learn what transpired, what they saw and heard. We see in Moses and Elijah the Old Testament Law and Prophets pointing to Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise. The evangelist Luke reports that they were speaking to Jesus “of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luk. 9:31). This is what Moses and Elijah had looked forward to so long before. The Messiah had come!
They had to wait a long time for the fulfillment of God’s promise, just as the New Testament Church has been waiting a long time for His return. In this time of waiting, it is easy to forget that Jesus is with us, and that He reigns over all things in heaven and on earth. We think that if this is so, we should have a lot more mountaintop experiences and not so much suffering. Why doesn’t Jesus show His glory and power to us? Why doesn’t He guard and protect us, so that suffering and death do not come our way?
But what was the disciples’ problem? They were going by their own expectation and their own experience while ignoring what Jesus said. The same is true for us when we expect Jesus to do for us what He has not promised to do. He has not promised visible appearances in power and shining displays of His glory. He has promised His presence through Word and Sacrament. “Take, eat; this is My body,” He says. “Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood” (Mat. 26:26,27). Shortly before His ascension, He told the disciples what He would do with His authority as the Son of Man who had conquered sin, death, and devil. He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mat. 28:19-20).
Did Jesus do what He said when He predicted His death and His resurrection on the third day? Absolutely. Has Jesus done what He said when He commissioned His Church to make disciples for Him of all nations by His baptism and teaching? If we shake our heads at the disciples for not believing Jesus’ promise to rise from the dead, we should admit that we have not always seen Jesus at work where He promised to be.
We were looking for glorious signs, visible displays of His might, while He was powerfully working in our congregations, our homes, and our hearts through His holy Word. The fact that there is a Christian Church all around the world in peaceful places like ours and in places of persecution in other countries shows that Jesus is working. People every day are baptized into His name and forgiven in His name. Every day, they partake of His holy body and blood. Every day, believers are translated from this world of trouble to His kingdom of glory.
Jesus is doing exactly what He said He would do for you and me. He carries our burdens and gives us rest. He forgives our sins and strengthens our faith. He comforts us in difficulties and gives us courage to confess the truth. He prepares us to enter the eternal mansions that He won for us by His death and resurrection. We might want perfect health, great prosperity, world peace. But He gives us what we truly need. And all the troubles, suffering, and hardship that we experience here, He works through and turns around for our good.
We see an example of His powerful work in the life of Paul who was originally called Saul. His conversion is remembered each year on January 25. Saul thought that Jesus was a false teacher. He thought that movement would end with Jesus’ death. But instead, the movement had gained traction and momentum with Jesus’ disciples claiming that He had risen from the dead! Saul wanted to put a stop to it. When the first Christian, Stephen, was stoned to death after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, Saul was there watching in approval (Act. 7:58).
Stephen’s martyrdom was the beginning of a great persecution against the rapidly growing Christian Church. Saul was one of the ringleaders. We are told that he “was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison” (8:3). He was on the way to do this in Damascus when a great light from heaven shone around him, like the light that came from Jesus at His transfiguration. And on this occasion, too, a Voice spoke from heaven. But it was not the Voice of the Father; it was the Voice of the Son, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (9:4). “Who are you, Lord?” asked Saul. And the Voice said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (v. 5).
Talk about a shock! Saul thought Jesus was dead and therefore could not have been God. Now he realized Jesus was exactly who He had said, and that He had risen from the dead and was reigning in heaven. If Saul had not become convinced that the Son of Man was also the Son of God, he would not have undertaken his three missionary journeys and taken such abuse for preaching Christ.
So Paul testifies to the truth of who Jesus is, just as Peter, James, and John and the other apostles did. You have their testimony recorded in the New Testament. When God the Father spoke from heaven, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him”—the way you listen to Him is by reading, hearing, and meditating upon His holy Word. When like the three disciples, you cower in fear with the awareness of your sin, He touches you through His Sacraments and bids you to “rise, and have no fear.” You lift up your eyes and see no one but Him—“Jesus only.” Only He is your righteousness, forgiveness, and peace; only He is your salvation; only He is your life.
Jesus told Peter, James, and John, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” The fact that you are hearing about this vision from the New Testament writings means that “the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” He is God incarnate, God in the flesh, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true Man born of the virgin Mary. He died on the cross, and then conquered death by rising on the third day. This Son of Man Is Risen and Reigns. He has kept His promise to you and to the whole Church. He does not fail to visit you here through the Means of Grace, by which He continues to fortify and strengthen all believers.
And He will come again in glory on the last day, when you will get to see Him as the three disciples did, with Moses, Elijah, and all the saints surrounding Him. Then you will behold Him without fear and will join Him in His bright presence, whose kingdom shall have no end.
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 by Carl Bloch, c. 1865)
The Fourth Sunday of Easter – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: Judges 2:10-23
In Christ Jesus, whom God the Father sent to save us from all the enemies who tempted and afflicted us, dear fellow redeemed:
I have had the experience multiple times that I am talking with strangers, and they find out I am a pastor, or I ask them if they ever go to church. And they respond with something like, “Fire would probably drop out of the sky on me if I tried to walk into a church.” Or, “If they knew the things I have done, no one would want me there.” Or, “It’s too late for me.” Their underlying assumption is that they have been too bad or sinned too much to be forgiven.
This is a good opportunity to assure them that “the blood of Jesus [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin (1Jo. 1:7), even the sins we think are unforgiveable. The very fact that a Christian is having a conversation like this with a non-Christian shows that God is a gracious God who wants all sinners to come to repentance and faith. But we Christians who know this also wonder sometimes if we have sinned too much to be forgiven. We ask ourselves, “If I were in God’s place, would I still be patient with me? Would I still love me?” We wonder how it will go for us when we finally do “meet our Maker.”
Today’s reading gives us a good picture of who that Maker is and how He operates. What we have in Judges 2 is a summary of what the rest of the book is about. It gives the pattern of the Israelites being tempted toward the gods of the Canaanites and worshipping these false gods. Then the LORD allowed their enemies to oppress them. Then the people cried out for deliverance. Then the LORD in His mercy sent judges to save them. This happened again and again.
What was so appealing about the gods of the Canaanites? Our reading states that the Israelites “abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.” The Canaanites believed that the god Baal brought the rain that caused all life to spring forth. Asherah was a female goddess associated with fertility. The pagan people worshipped Baal and Asherah by engaging in sexual intercourse on hills and other high places, so these make-believe gods would be pleased and would bring fruitfulness to the land.
The Israelites looked at their own religion of strict moral law and of restraining their sinful inclinations, and it didn’t seem nearly as exciting and fulfilling as the religion of the Canaanites. So as today’s reading says, “they whored after other gods.” They rejected the true God, the God who loved them. The same thing happens today. We teach the holy Commandments of God which were given for our protection and blessing and also as a check on our sinful nature. But many reject His Commandments because they want to live their own way, walk their own path, answer to no one but themselves.
That approach to life does sound appealing. But what has this self-centered attitude done to our culture and our communities? It has caused many to walk away from marriage and having children. When there are children, many of them grow up in broken homes. People are lonely, even as there are supposedly more and more ways to “stay connected.” Many wonder what the purpose of life is, and they try to fill the emptiness with possessions, entertainment, and pleasure.
When this happens among the baptized, those whom God in His mercy has brought out of darkness into His marvelous light, whom He has claimed as His own and covered in His righteousness—when this happens to us His people, He may try to wake us up like He did the Israelites. Our reading says, “He gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And He sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies…. [T]he hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned…. And they were in terrible distress.”
A wake up call is not always pleasant. I imagine you have had a number of these as I have. You had to learn the hard way that you were neglecting your spouse, neglecting your family, neglecting your health. Your priorities were out of whack. Your Bible and devotion books were collecting dust. You felt stuck and unsettled. And somehow the Lord exposed your selfishness, or your pride, or your dishonesty, or your stubbornness.
Maybe it was through a sermon or through a conversation with a friend. Maybe it was because someone called you out, or you came to the realization by your own reflection. It hurts to go through this. It hurts to admit you were wrong, that you haven’t made good decisions, that you are not as right as you want to think. But that very recognition of your own weakness and failure, that is a gift from God. It shows He has not left you or rejected you. Once He has broken down your sinful works, He can build something better in you and with you.
This is why He sends crosses and trials; He does it to refine and strengthen our faith. It is too easy to take our prosperity and success for granted like the Israelites did, and to ignore the Word of God like they did. So God uses the troubles we experience to lead us to repentance, to an honest assessment of ourselves. And He uses our troubles to draw us closer to Him. He is not a “three strikes and you’re out” God, a God whose anger against our sin just keeps building and building until His wrath explodes against us.
Certainly His anger is kindled by continuous sinning, like it was toward the Israelites. But the afflictions He sent their way were done out of love. He did not want to lose them forever. He was ready to have mercy on them and eager to forgive them. Today’s reading says, “For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.” He wanted to save them. He wanted them to have relief from their troubles and to know that He, the only true God, was their God.
The Lord was patient with them. None of us would have been as patient with the Israelites as He was toward them. He had brought them out of slavery in Egypt, led them to the Promised Land, given them victory over their enemies, and handed them a beautiful place to live. They repaid Him by worshipping the false gods of the peoples they had defeated. Still, the LORD called them back. Still, He rescued them. Still, He blessed them.
The Lord Is just as Patient with You. He brought you out of the slavery of sin at your Baptism, taught you His unchanging truth throughout your years, absolved you of your sins week after week, and regularly called you to His holy Supper where He gives His own body and blood for your spiritual and eternal good. How have you thanked Him for these gifts? How have your words and actions in your day-to-day life shown your appreciation for what He has done?
When we reflect on this, we see that we are no more deserving of His grace than the Israelites were, but He gives it to us just as He gave it to them. When all we had done was sin, God the Father sent His holy Son to take our place. He sent His Son to be born of Mary, who descended from the same wayward Israelites we are hearing about today. Despite their tremendous sins against Him, God kept His promise to send a Savior and carried it out through them. Though they were faithless, He remained faithful; He could not deny Himself (2Ti. 2:13).
He is also faithful toward you. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” He wants you every day to repent of your sin and trust His promises. He wants you to rely on Him in times of trouble and triumph, sadness and joy, in good days and bad. The love He has for you is not some weak connection that could easily break and separate you from Him. He loves you with a strong love, a love so strong that He sacrificed His only Son for your salvation.
His Son had the same love for you. He willingly accepted your hurtful words and selfish actions. He paid the penalty for your dishonesty and pride. He suffered for your sinful stubbornness. He died for you, so that you would not be overcome by your spiritual enemies but would rest securely in His grace. His death on the cross for all sin means you have not sinned too much to be forgiven. The fact that you are sitting here today listening to His Word shows that He is merciful to you and wants you to know His love for you.
In His love, He promises to turn your times of suffering and trial into good. It is always tempting to dwell on the suffering, but it is better to cling to our Lord’s promise, the promise He spoke to His disciples in the Holy Gospel. Jesus said to them and us, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (Joh. 16:22).
The Lord, who died and rose again in victory, is with you each step of the way, ever-patient, always gracious, bearing your griefs and carrying your sorrows. He brings you comfort and joy as He meets you in His powerful Word and Sacraments. And He prepares you to greet Him when He returns on the last day to give you eternal salvation. On that day, you will praise Him for His patience with you, and your heart will be filled with a heavenly joy that no sadness or trouble will ever take 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 Jerico Lutheran Church altar painting)
Midweek Lent 2 – Pr. Abraham Faugstad homily
Text: St. Matthew 26:1-2
William Miller predicted that Christ’s second coming would be on April 18, 1844. After that date passed, a disciple of Miller predicted October 22, 1844. Charles Russell, a Jehovah Witness, predicted that Christ would return in 1874. A Russian Mennonite, Claas Epp predicted that Christ would return on March 8, 1889. These are names of people that you have probably never heard of. Why? Because they join a long list of many other people who have predicted things about Christ and other events, which never came true.
These people are examples of modern-day false prophets. Yet, false prophets are nothing new to our times. The Lord even had to warn the people of Israel about false prophets who claimed to have revelations and prophecies from God. The Lord gave criterion to identify true and false prophets. A true prophet was someone who may be enabled by the Lord to perform great miracles. Also important, was that everything a prophet speaks would be in alignment with God’s Word (Deut. 13:1–5). Yet, one of the most obvious marks of a true prophet was that their prophecies came true. If a prophet’s words didn’t come true, clearly, they were not from God. Deuteronomy 18:22 states, “When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”
Jesus was the greatest of all prophets. He is the one whom Moses foretold, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen” (Deut. 18:15). In our Lenten series this year, we are looking at some of the prophecies made by Christ during Holy Week. Tonight, our Savior foretells that he would be delivered for crucifixion.
During his earthly ministry Jesus was transparent to his disciples about his purpose and work. Yet, in the last year of his ministry, and especially the week before his crucifixion, we see his discussions with his disciples becoming more and more clear about how and where he would accomplish our salvation. In the Gospel of Matthew alone, Jesus had already foretold of his suffering and death to his disciples three times (Matthew 16:21–23,17:22–23, 20:17–19). He would go to Jerusalem to suffer and die, and on the third day he would rise. He would be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes who would condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified.
Jesus had foretold where and how he would die. In our lesson, Jesus foretells when he would be crucified, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Jesus is speaking fact. Jesus is saying to his disciples, “You know after two days the Passover is coming. Just as certainly as this, I will be handed over to be crucified.”
Here Jesus is indicating more than a prediction and more than supernatural knowledge. This was an act of determining, or fixing, the time of his death. Jesus is demonstrating his authority over all things. Regardless of any plans of the Jewish leaders, it would be as he directs—Thursday night and Friday, and no other time. Jesus’ words were making reality.
What’s hard for us to wrap our heads around is that Jesus was in control. He speaks as if it already happened, because what God determines will come to pass. Jesus showed his power by this prediction, a prediction in which he will be made powerless. He is showing his authority by fixing the time of his suffering, a time where he would submit himself under the authority of a kangaroo court and Pontius Pilate. With this prophecy Jesus is showing his power and authority over time. He is in control. Yet, it’s a paradox, what he causes to be, will make him look powerless, weak, and destroyed.
Jesus was not only a true prophet in the sense that his word came true. He showed his power and control over all things by fixing the exact time of his crucifixion. If you had the same power as Jesus, to not only know the future, but be in control of your future, how would you use it? I’m willing to wager that if we had the power over our future, we certainly would not be planning our own demise. We would not plan our own suffering and humiliation, and a horrible death which was saved for only the worst type of criminals. Instead, we would make a future where we would have peace, relaxation, and glory—where we wouldn’t face hardship, sorrow, or shame. We would want to avoid all pain. If we had this power, we would obviously want to make ourselves as happy as possible.
But not Jesus. He gave up his power and glory in heaven when he humbled himself to be born of a virgin. He gave up the peace of heaven to live an innocent life where he was rejected by his own people, wrongly convicted, beaten, mocked, and crucified. What could drive Jesus to do all this? If Jesus had the power to change his future, why on earth would he choose this path?
Because if he didn’t, it would be you convicted, beaten, mocked, and cast to hell for all eternity. We so often think very little about our sins. You don’t think your selfishness is that sinful, don’t I deserve better? You think your hatred of your neighbor is justified. You think your desire for more and more and more isn’t greed, but healthy ambition. You think your lust which you hold in your heart for someone who is not our spouse isn’t that bad. But any sin, no matter how small we might tell ourselves it is, deserves hell. Scripture says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it” (James 2:10).
Christ chose the path of the cross because he loves you. Because he wanted to save you from what you deserve. He gladly received what he did not deserve, so that you could receive forgiveness and his undeserved kindness. God is love and in Christ we see God’s love. Scripture says, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:9–10).
In our lesson, Jesus prophesied when he would be crucified. When we hear this prediction, we should realize Christ’s love for us. His death was no accident or coincidence. It was all part of his plan to save you. Not only did all of Jesus’ prophecies come to be, but Jesus also fulfilled all the prophecies about himself. “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows… He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed… And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53).
Jesus showed himself to be a true prophet because his word came to be, which means you can trust his word. His word which says, “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37); “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28); “Be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you” (Matthew 9:2); “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25); “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19).
Jesus is the greatest of all prophets. Even now as our resurrected Lord, he continues to carry out his prophetic office by sending preachers to preach his word. So that men, women, and children sitting in pews in Iowa 2,000 years later and over 6,000 miles from his empty tomb, might learn about their Savior. The names of false prophets come and go. But our Savior’s name will forever be. His name is Jesus, “because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Amen.
(picture from “Jesus Discourses with His Disciples” by James Tissot, 1836-1902)
The Second Sunday in Lent – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: Exodus 17:1-16
In Christ Jesus, who refreshes us as we travel through the wilderness with the living water of His Word and the nourishment of His holy body and blood, dear fellow redeemed:
It is a common phenomenon to view the past more positively than we view the present, and to view the past more positively than we actually experienced it. Psychologists suggest the term “rosy retrospection” for this. It is looking into the past with rose-colored glasses and wishing we could go back to a time when we had so few troubles and cares. But what we are doing with this “rosy retrospection” is minimizing our struggles in the past while magnifying our struggles in the present.
We find the Israelites doing the same thing, and they were not even looking back that far. Had they forgotten how poorly they were treated as slaves? How they were forced to work harder and harder with fewer resources? How Pharaoh commanded them to drown their baby boys in the Nile River? Had they forgotten how the LORD spared their lives by the blood of the lamb on their doorposts, and how He led them out of Egypt and through the Red Sea on dry ground?
As soon as they faced trials in the wilderness, they immediately started to complain. In their hunger, they recalled how they “sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full” in the land of Egypt (Exo. 16:3). When they were thirsty, they thought of the abundance of water at the Nile River and grumbled against Moses, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” Would they have really preferred to return as slaves in Egypt than to be with the LORD in the wilderness?
But that was the root of the problem—they were not convinced the LORD was actually with them. That is the question they kept asking one another: “Is the LORD among us or not?” It’s shocking that they would wonder this. Hadn’t they seen the LORD leading them in a pillar of cloud and fire, and the walls of water on either side of them as they passed through the Red Sea? Hadn’t they seen the entire army of Egypt dead on the seashore? How could they doubt the LORD?
They doubted Him because they assumed that if He were really with them, they wouldn’t have to go without food; they wouldn’t have to go without water. All their needs would be provided for—if He were really with them. Thoughts like these have crossed our minds too: “If You are really with me, LORD, why don’t You make my pain go away? Why don’t You heal me or my loved one? Why don’t You remove these troubles or obstacles, so I can serve You better?”
The crosses we have to carry in this life are tremendous tests of our faith. In the midst of our struggles, we wonder why the all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present God doesn’t remove those crosses. If He can, then why doesn’t He? We learn something about this in the Holy Gospel for today (Mat. 15:21-28).
A Canaanite woman came to Jesus begging Him to have mercy on her demon-oppressed daughter. At first, Jesus did not answer her. But she didn’t give up; she took her request to Jesus’ disciples. They became so annoyed by her persistence that they now begged Jesus to send her away. Still He did nothing. So she knelt right in front of Him—she wouldn’t be denied. Jesus said to her, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” And she replied, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Acknowledging her great faith, Jesus granted her request and instantly healed her daughter.
Why did Jesus act like this? Why did He prolong the suffering of this woman and her daughter? Why did He treat her almost like an enemy? The answer is not that “even Jesus gets annoyed or impatient sometimes.” The answer is that the trial Jesus put this woman through was for one purpose only: to strengthen her faith in Him. But how can God expect to draw us closer when we feel like He is pushing us away?
Think about how parents might play with their children. A mother might hide a piece of cookie from her toddler or keep moving it just out of his reach. The toddler protests, but he doesn’t give up. He keeps reaching and tries harder until he grabs it. Or a father might wrestle with his kids and act like their enemy, only to gather them into a big bear hug in the end. In the same way, God might make us work at something difficult or wrestle with some hardship, so that we learn to cling to Him and trust His promises.
That is what He wanted the Israelites to do. It was no mistake that the LORD led them to Rephidim where there was no water. This hardship was an opportunity for the people to prove their love for Him, to demonstrate their holy fear of Him, to show that they would trust His providence and care. They did not pass this test, but the LORD still had mercy on His people. He would provide more opportunities along the way for them to exercise their faith.
In this case, He ordered Moses to take his staff, with which he had struck the Nile and turned it to blood, and which he used to part the Red Sea. He told Moses to strike a rock, and water would come out of it. Moses did, and it did, and the people had plenty to drink. If God could do this, if He could make water flow out of a rock in the desert, what can’t He do for us in our time of need? We might not see a way out of our troubles. We might feel hopeless about a situation ever improving. But nothing is impossible for God.
Just after God provided water for the Israelites, we are told that the Amalekites came to fight against them. This was another tremendous test. The Israelites had no military training. They were not prepared for this. But the LORD fought for them. Moses went up on a hill and raised his staff. As long as his staff was held high, Israel prevailed. When his arms grew weary, Aaron and Hur stood on either side of him and held up his arms. So the Israelites with Joshua in command won the victory.
No one expected a rag-tag company of slaves to march out of Egypt and prevail in battle. No one expected water to come out of a rock, enough for perhaps hundreds of thousands of people and their livestock besides. If we have learned anything from the Bible or from human history, it is that we can expect the unexpected from God.
Nowhere is this more evident than God the Father sending His Son to take on human flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit. Did the Father send Him in anger to destroy the world? No! He sent His Son to save the world of sinners by offering up His holy life in the place of every transgressor. Jesus willingly suffered and died for your sins, including your doubts about His faithfulness to you, your impatience in suffering, and your failure to trust what He promises. Jesus shed His blood to wash all this away and to open heaven to you through the forgiveness of your sins. That was unexpected!
Today’s reading includes some comforting pictures of Jesus’ suffering and death for us. Moses’ outstretched arms that brought victory to the Israelites is a picture of Jesus’ outstretched arms on the cross by which He brought us victory over sin, death, and the devil. The staff Moses used to strike the rock causing water to gush out is a picture of the spear plunged into Jesus’ side after His death that caused blood and water to gush out.
St. Paul makes this connection to Christ even clearer. He says that the Israelites “drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (1Co. 10:4). Yes, the LORD was certainly with them in the wilderness, even the One who many years later would pay the penalty for their sins of grumbling, quarreling, doubts, and denial.
The LORD knows our sins just as plainly as theirs. He hears our “It isn’t fair!” our “I don’t deserve this!” our “Where are You? Why won’t You help?” And in response, we hear Jesus say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Then, “I thirst.” And, “It is finished.” Jesus took all your sins, your troubles, your sorrows on Himself. He accepted the eternal punishment of hell for you and felt its terrible fire, so much so that He longed for just one drop of water to cool His tongue.
He felt this thirst for you, so you would evermore drink from His grace. Jesus said, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Joh. 4:14). This is what we have in His holy Word and Sacraments. Through these means, we have here ample food and drink for our journey through the wilderness.
So when we are tempted to ask, “Is the Lord among Us or Not?” we can remember the Lord’s mercy and grace toward us in the past, which continue to cover us in the present, and which will lead us into the future. There is no need for “rosy retrospection” with God because everything is rosy when it is cleansed by and covered in the blood of Jesus, our Rock and our Redeemer.
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 the altarpiece in Weimar by Lucas Cranach the Younger, 1555)
The Transfiguration of Our Lord – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: Genesis 41:37-43
In Christ Jesus, who through our light momentary afflictions is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2Co. 4:17), dear fellow redeemed:
What happened?!? If you heard last week’s sermon about Joseph being sold as a slave in Egypt, and then you heard today’s reading about Pharaoh making Joseph his right hand man, you have to wonder how one led to the other. Here’s how it happened. When Joseph was brought to Egypt as a seventeen-year-old, he was purchased by a man named Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. For a while, everything went well. In fact, it went very well. The LORD blessed whatever Joseph did, and Potiphar noticed. So he made Joseph the manager of all he had and “had no concern about anything but the food he ate” (Gen. 39:6).
If we had to guess what came next, we might imagine one of Pharaoh’s people seeing the good job Joseph did for Potiphar and recommending him to Pharaoh. That could explain how Joseph made his way to Pharaoh’s house. But his path to honor and glory was not as direct as that. First, Joseph had to go to prison. He had to go to prison because Potiphar’s wife accused him of trying to rape her. The truth was that she tried to seduce Joseph. And as easy as it might have been for him to carry on a secret affair as a slave in a foreign land, he rejected her temptations. He told her, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (v. 9).
Seeing that Joseph would not give her what she wanted, she resolved to destroy him. She told the lie, and her husband Potiphar threw him in prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. So now Joseph was in worse shape! But the LORD blessed him there too, and in time, the keeper of the prison set Joseph over all the other prisoners. “And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed” (v. 23).
Some time later, Pharaoh became angry with his chief cupbearer and his chief baker and sent them to the same prison as Joseph. After they had been there a while, both of these former officials had strange dreams one night. By the power of God, Joseph was able to interpret their dreams—a good outcome for the chief cupbearer who in three days was restored to his position, but a bad outcome for the chief baker who three days later was beheaded. Before the chief cupbearer left, Joseph asked him to remember him and mention him to Pharaoh.
Imagine Joseph waiting for a special representative of the court to come to the prison and let him out. His friend the chief cupbearer would not forget. A week passed. Then another week. Then a month. Then a year. Then two years. Joseph must have thought he would never get out. But God had not forgotten him.
The LORD now put two dreams in Pharaoh’s head. First Pharaoh dreamed of seven healthy cows emerging from the Nile River, but these were followed by seven ugly and thin cows that ate up the healthy cows! Then he dreamed of seven healthy ears growing on one stalk. Seven thin ears sprouted after them and swallowed up the healthy ears. Pharaoh assembled all his magicians and wise men, but none of them could interpret his dreams.
Now two years after leaving him, the cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. Pharaoh had him brought from prison, and he asked Joseph if he could interpret his dreams. Joseph replied that God would reveal the interpretation. The seven healthy cows and seven healthy ears represented seven years of plenty. The seven ugly cows and thin ears after them represented seven years of famine. Joseph advised that Pharaoh “select a discerning and wise man” (Gen. 41:33), who would store up grain from the seven good years, so there was enough for the seven bad years. And Pharaoh said, “How about you?”
No one could have guessed it. No one sees as God does. No one could imagine that Jacob’s favoritism, the brothers’ hatred, the selling of Joseph, and his trials in Egypt would lead to his position as Pharaoh’s next-in-command. And this isn’t just a rags to riches story. This was part of God’s deeper and longer plan to bring salvation to the world. Joseph had to be installed in Egypt, so he could store up grain, so there would be food for his father and brothers when the famine hit, so they would travel to Egypt and the line of Messiah would be preserved.
While the LORD was doing all these marvelous things, Jacob was back home mourning the death of his son, his other sons were afflicted by guilty consciences for their hatred, greed, and lies, and Joseph thought he would never get out of prison. This should encourage us that no matter how bad our situation seems to be or how hopeless we may feel about the future, that God is working in ways we are not aware of.
This is His promise, to work all things together for good for those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). No matter what evils came upon Joseph, God was there turning each situation into blessing and strengthening him through the trials for a much brighter future. He does the same for you. No matter what hardships you have gone through, God was there hiding His blessings. You maybe couldn’t see them at the time and not for a long time after. But now you see them. You know that He carried you through and worked so much for good.
In your times of suffering, you often can’t see the good. If you only went by your experience, you might conclude that God has abandoned you. He doesn’t care. He is opposed to you, angry with you. But that is not what He tells you in His Word. He promises His love, His care, and His help. That’s what He wants you to focus on—not your experience and how things appear to be—but on His promise and what He tells you is so. The last stanza in our hymn of the month says, “I cling to what my Savior taught / And trust it, whether felt or not” (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #226, v. 10).
God is most certainly for you. In fact, Joseph’s story is in part your story because the promise of a Savior that was preserved through Joseph’s efforts in Egypt is why you have a Savior today. God sent His Son to become Man through Jacob’s line, so that He would make payment for the sins of the whole world. For most of His life, Jesus hardly looked like the conquering King He was. Even His disciples who followed Him around for three years were at times unclear about His identity.
This is one reason why Jesus revealed His glory to Peter, James, and John on the mountain and was transfigured before them (Mat. 17:1-9). He wanted them to have a glimpse of His glory, so they would be assured that He was God in the flesh. A short time after this, their confidence would be tested, as Jesus went to Jerusalem and was arrested, beaten, and crucified. How could that be the mighty Son of God if He took such a beating, was crowned with thorns, and was nailed to a cross?
But this is how God operates. He hides His glory in suffering, His healing in pain, and His life in death. His crucifixion was not a defeat; it was a victory. It was not a day for His enemies, but for His friends. It was not His end; it was your beginning with Him. He was on the cross paying for your sins, and then He rose to win you new life. Through your Baptism, you were joined to Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul writes that through that washing of regeneration and renewal you were buried and raised with Him. You walk in newness of life with Him (Ti. 3:5, Rom. 6:4).
In another place, Paul writes, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:3-4). So even in your sorrows and pains and hardships, your life is hidden with Christ. Your life is so tied up in His that He can’t help but know your troubles. You are a member of His body. How could He not care about your well-being?
You cannot see Him now, but He is present to help you. You see His presence in Joseph’s life when He made everything Joseph did successful through his thirteen years as a slave and a prisoner in Egypt. You see His presence in your life, too, when you remember how He comforted you through His Word, how He forgave your many sins, how He continued to invite you to eat His own body and drink His own blood. His power, His life, and His salvation are hidden in His Word and Sacraments.
These gifts are hidden from your physical sight, but your faith finds them there. They are not hidden from faith. By faith, you trust that Jesus is with you. No matter how deep the pit is, Jesus is there. No matter how severe the pain, Jesus knows. No matter how hopeless the situation, Jesus carries you through. Soon His presence will be revealed. Soon you will see how everything you had to endure in this life had its purpose in the larger plan of God.
Who could imagine Joseph’s glory as they looked at him in prison? Who can imagine your glory when they see you afflicted and troubled today? But the glory is coming. “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” On the day of His return, Christ’s glory will become your glory. On that day, He will clothe you in fine linens and put a golden crown on your head.
And then you will be exalted even higher than Joseph in Egypt, for you will join the Lord at the right hand of God where He fills all things. And no one will ask “what happened?” because all will know we are there by the grace of our Savior who loved us and gave Himself up for us (Eph. 5:2).
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 by Carl Bloch, c. 1865)
The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: Ephesians 5:15-21
In Christ Jesus, our Bridegroom, who serenades His bride with sweet words of His love and forgiveness, and whose bride responds with songs of praise from her smitten heart, dear fellow redeemed:
In the year 231 while Christians were under persecution in the Roman Empire, a baby named Agatha was born to a wealthy Christian couple. When Agatha was in her early 20s, a government official pursued her both for her beauty and for her family’s wealth. Agatha refused him; she had made a vow to remain unmarried out of devotion to Christ. The government official resolved to break her will. He ordered her to be sent to a brothel where she was abused for a month. But when she returned, Agatha still refused him.
So the official gave her the option: sacrifice to idols or receive torture and death. As they led her to her prison cell that night, she went with rejoicing as though she was preparing for her wedding. The next day after boldly confessing her faith in Christ, she was convicted, brutally tortured, and killed. And her soul was ushered into the bright kingdom of her Bridegroom and Savior Jesus (summarized from And Take They Our Life by Bryan Wolfmueller, pp. 36-41).
This account is a clear illustration of what St. Paul writes in today’s reading. Agatha was careful about how she walked. She made the best use of her time in those evil days. She did not join the foolish official and his friends who rejected the Lord. She was filled with the Spirit and made melody to the Lord with her heart, even while enduring intense and terrible suffering. She was a faithful Christian who has received the crown of eternal life.
We do not face the same trials and torments as Agatha did, but the days are still evil. The days are evil because we live in a fallen world. We see all around us how people prioritize money and power over the Word of God and prayer. We see how they violate the Ten Commandments openly and boastfully. We see how people lie and cheat and manipulate to get what they want. We see how pride, hatred, and selfishness are encouraged. In his Letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (3:18-19).
We must look carefully how we walk in the world because it is easy for us to fall into these same traps. It is easy to go along with the ungodly—to speak as they speak, to do as they do, to think as they think. Our sinful flesh wants the riches and glories and pleasures that the world offers. We don’t want to miss out on things that could satisfy us. We don’t want to be singled out like Agatha was or suffer like she did.
But if we go the way of our sinful flesh, we will be walking away from Jesus. His way is not the way of personal comfort or worldly success. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mat. 16:24). We must “deny ourselves”—deny our natural impulses, deny our own plans, deny the temptations and promises of the devil and the world.
That is very difficult to do. Because it is so difficult, God has given us fellow Christians to help and encourage us along the way. This is how God has designed His Church. He has called us to support one another and serve one another. He has called us to join together in His worship. So many Christians today talk about their “personal faith,” and how they don’t need to be connected to any religious institution or group. They can worship and pray to God on their own, they say. But God doesn’t want them to be on their own.
Without the community of fellow Christians, we are at greater danger of temptations and attacks on our faith. Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” How should we do this? The next verse tells us: “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Jesus promises that when we join with one another to hear His Word, He is present with His blessings. He says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Mat. 18:20).
We need to help keep each other alert and watchful, ready for the devil’s attacks. Today’s reading specifically mentions drinking too much alcohol—“do not get drunk with wine.” Paul warned about sexual immorality earlier in the same chapter—“sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you” (Eph. 5:3). Christians are not to do these things, no matter how widely accepted they may be, or how uncomfortable it might be to say “no.” We do not serve the accepted norms in society. We do not serve ourselves. We serve the living God who made us and who has rescued us from the works of darkness.
This is the whole point. What Paul is emphasizing is that we should live like the Son of God actually took on our flesh to die for our sins. We should live like He rose from the dead in victory over our death. If He had to die for all my sins, why would I want to keep sinning? If He triumphed over my death, why should I have any concern about the promises or the threats of the world? Those promises and threats are empty as long as our King, Jesus Christ, reigns. And He reigns forever.
This message of Christ’s victory over sin and death for us is what brings us together and keeps us together. That is what you have called me to preach and teach every week and to distribute to you through Jesus’ Word of absolution and His holy Supper. This is the message we sing to one another in the words of the liturgy and in our great Lutheran hymns. This good news is sprinkled in our conversations and in the consolation and comfort we extend to each other.
We remind one another that Jesus has redeemed us from “the present evil age” (Gal. 1:4). He freed us from the devil who would have dragged us with him into hell. He freed us from the vain pursuits of this world which will all crumble and fall. He freed us from our own sinful flesh, so that we are destined not for death but for eternal life.
Jesus did all this freely, for you. He is the Son for whom the Father gave a wedding feast, and you are one of the honored guests who is invited to attend (Mat. 22:1-14). In fact, as a member of Christ’s holy Church, you and all believers are His bride. You join the wedding celebration by faith in Him, wearing the beautiful wedding garment of your Bridegroom’s righteousness. He cleansed you of your sin in Holy Baptism, “so that he might present the church—so that he might present you—to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that [you] might be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27).
This message of cleansing and forgiveness in Christ is what causes us to rejoice. We breathe in the promise of God’s grace, and we breathe out His praise. Romans 10 says, “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (v. 10). Or as we sing in Matins and Vespers, “O Lord, open my lips. And my mouth shall show forth Your praise” (Psa. 51:15). Through the Word, the Holy Spirit prepares us to confess God’s grace and mercy even in evil days.
This is what the apostles did after they were beaten for proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus. They rejoiced “that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for [his] name” (Act. 5:41). Paul and Silas did the same after they had been beaten up and unlawfully thrown in prison. At the dark of midnight with their feet in the stocks, they were “praying and singing hymns to God.”
In the same way, we also who are “filled with the Spirit, [address] one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” We sing in good days and evil days. We sing when we are happy and when we are hurting. We sing in our gladness and in our grief. We sing the promises of Jesus to one another. We remind each other that He loves us, that He gave His life for us, and that He will not leave or forsake us no matter what trials we must face.
We sing of our trouble, “The world is very evil, / The times are waxing late” (ELH 534), and we sing of our strength, “A mighty Fortress is our God” (ELH 250). We confess, “I pass through trials all the way, / With sin and ills contending,” and we sing of our comfort, “I walk with Jesus all the way; / His guidance never fails me” (ELH 252). Like Agatha rejoicing on the way to her torment and death, we press on with joy for the glories that await us.
The devil cannot stop our Lord from bringing us this cheer through His Word and Sacraments. And he cannot stop the Bridegroom from returning for His bride on the last day. This is why we sing, and why we will keep on singing. We will sing to encourage each other, to strengthen one another, and to give thanks “always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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 “Parable of the Great Banquet” by the Brunswick Monogrammist, 16th century)
The Third Sunday after Trinity – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 Peter 5:6-11
In Christ Jesus, who promises to defend and keep His Holy Church, so that not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it (Mat. 16:18), dear fellow redeemed:
Some of the most popular movies are the ones about resistance efforts against powerful rulers. This is what Star Wars was about with the rebel alliance versus the evil empire, or more recently with the Hunger Games series. We enjoy rooting for the underdog. We enjoy watching them come up with plans to topple the bad guys.
Have you ever imagined yourself in a scenario like this? What if you were part of a resistance group? How would you try to undermine the work of wicked rulers? What risks would you be willing to take? What sacrifices would you make? Is there anything that could make you give in or give up?
Our reading for today says that as followers of Jesus, You Are Part of the Resistance. This means it is important that you know your enemy and his tactics, that you know who your allies are, and that you have a good plan for engaging and standing firm against those who stand against you.
So who is your chief enemy? Who wants to destroy you? The apostle Peter writes, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Lions are nothing to take lightly. If lions inhabited our part of the world, we would have to be ready all the time. But as powerful as they are, lions don’t just charge across an open field at their prey. They sneak up slowly and quietly, waiting for the opportunity to strike when their target is vulnerable.
That’s how the devil is with us. He waits for the right opportunity, watching for signs of weakness. He tempts us to think that we are strong, that we have nothing to be concerned about. We can make our own choices. We should do whatever feels right to us, even if it isn’t in line with what the Bible teaches. The devil wants you to believe that you can be a good Christian even if you don’t follow the Word of Christ.
But that isn’t the only weapon in his arsenal. When he is unable to coax us away from the Word, he tries to make us suffer for our faithfulness. That suffering could come when unbelievers ridicule us or even attack us for what we believe. You might get picked on at school, because you won’t go along with the crowd. You might get passed over at work, because you won’t participate in what is unethical. I recently listened to a presentation by a Christian man who was charged with various crimes, because he would not create something that went against his beliefs.
The devil wants to make life as rough on you as he possibly can. The world is his kingdom. If you will not join him, you are not welcome here. He mobilizes all his diabolical forces against you. He won’t let you pass through the world in peace. Martin Luther in his famous hymn says this about the devil: “The old evil foe / Now means deadly woe; / Deep guile and great might / Are his dread arms in fight; / On earth is not his equal” (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary 250, v. 1).
But you don’t face the devil all by yourself. If you did, you would certainly lose; he is too powerful. God has called you to stand with others, to be part of a mighty community, “the communion of saints.” Peter makes reference to this fellowship in the body of Christ when he says, “Resist [the devil], firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
You are not the first to suffer trials and difficulties for your faith, and you won’t be the last. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mat. 16:24). Every follower of Jesus must “take up his cross.” Every follower of Jesus must expect trouble in the world. Every follower of Jesus must prepare for suffering.
But like teammates who cheer each other on, or like medics who bind up the wounds of warriors, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Christ, ready to give support and help. We “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as [we] see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24-25). We “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). We are “kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave [us]” (Eph. 4:32).
We do these things for one another, because this is the way of our Lord Jesus. He did all these things perfectly for us. That was His plan for victory. It wasn’t to conquer His enemies by being more brutal, more violent, or more deceptive than they were. It was to come in humility, to love, serve, and sacrifice for the sinners who did not welcome Him or honor Him, but who despised Him and conspired to kill Him.
That hardly seems like a recipe for success, and for many Christians still it does not seem like a proper strategy for battle or a plan for victory. They don’t want to hear about humility or suffering or love. They want to meet the unbelievers of the world on their own battlefield while giving no thought to working from higher ground. For some Christians, everything depends on getting certain people elected to government positions or getting certain laws passed. “Then,” they think, “then we have a chance at victory.”
But that sort of victory will always be out of reach. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (Joh. 18:36). Earthly rulers come and go, governments rise and fall. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isa. 40:8). In our resistance efforts in this world, the only weapon the Church has and the only weapon we need is the Word of God.
The powerful Word is what routes the devil and frustrates his plans. He has no answer for the Word. As Luther says again, “The world’s prince may still / Scowl fierce as he will, / He can harm us none, / He’s judged; the deed is done; / One little word can fell him” (ELH 250, v. 3). The devil is sent packing every time Jesus says to us, “I forgive you all your sins,” or when He says, “This is My body, which is given for you; this is My blood which is shed for you for the remission of sins.”
What can the devil say against you if Jesus speaks this way for you? Jesus makes it abundantly clear that He stands with you, and you stand with Him, which can only mean that the devil has to go hungry. That roaring lion can roar all he wants and “scowl fierce as he will.” He can accuse us, attack us, throw all he has at us. But he cannot overcome us, because he is overcome by Jesus.
John the apostle writes that this is “the reason the Son of God appeared.” It was “to destroy the works of the devil” (1Jo. 3:8). In the days leading up to His crucifixion, Jesus told the crowds, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (Joh. 12:31-32). The very means by which Jesus seemed to be defeated was the means He used to destroy Satan.
His suffering and His death on the cross was the payment for all sin. And since sin has been paid for, there is nothing more for the devil to say. If the devil is in your ear, tempting you away from Jesus, and you think his temptations sound reasonable, it is because of one of two things (or both)—you have forgotten you are a sinner, or you have forgotten what Jesus did to redeem you from your sin.
This is why Peter says in his epistle, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you.” You humble yourself by acknowledging your weakness, by repenting of your sin and trusting in God’s unchanging love for you. You “[cast] all your anxieties on Him,” knowing that “He cares for you.” You don’t carry out resistance work against the devil on your own. You don’t rely on your own abilities, your own strength, your own cunning. You rely on Jesus, your Savior and your King, the Conqueror of the devil and death.
You may often feel overmatched in this fallen world which does not honor Jesus. It may seem like the odds are hopelessly against His Church here on earth. It may seem like you and all believers are certain to lose and lose badly. But the Lord Jesus is on the march! He comes boldly and powerfully through His Word and Sacraments. He comes to “seek the lost,” “bring back the strayed,” “bind up the injured,” and “strengthen the weak” (Eze. 34:16). He is the Good Shepherd who comes looking for us wherever we have wandered and carries us home on His shoulders rejoicing (Luk. 15:5).
The devil has not won, and he cannot win. Even though you will suffer in the shadow of his dark kingdom for a little while, you have the promise that “the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Because of what Jesus did for you, you are at peace with the God who rules over all things for your good. Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (Joh. 16:33). In Jesus, you cannot lose.
To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
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(picture from “The Good Shepherd” by James Tissot, 1836-1902)
The Fourth Sunday of Easter & Saude Confirmation – Pr. Faugstad sermon
Text: 1 Peter 2:11-20
In Christ Jesus, who suffered for our salvation and calls us to faithfully follow in His steps, dear fellow redeemed:
No one really likes the idea of being “called out.” To be called out is to be accused of some sort of wrong. This often results in the accused person feeling angry—angry that his sins have been revealed, or angry that he has been misrepresented in a public way. But the apostle Peter used this term in a different way—a very encouraging way. In the words just before today’s reading, he wrote, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
He says that you have been “called out” by God. But these are not words of condemnation; they are words of salvation. The Lord “called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” He called you out of the sinful state you were in that could only lead to death. And He called you into His marvelous light.
This is the “marvelous light” of God the Son who took on flesh to save you. It is the light of His righteousness, His perfect keeping of the Law which is credited to you. It is the light of His forgiveness, the removal of the darkness of your sin. It is the light of His salvation, your redemption and justification through His death and resurrection. You have been called into this marvelous light by the Holy Spirit who has worked faith in your heart.
You live in this light. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Joh. 8:12). Because you live in this light, you see everything around you differently. In today’s reading, Peter writes that the people around you should see you differently too.
He says that we are “sojourners and exiles.” We are just passing through this world. We are like those who stay in a hotel room for a night—temporary quarters—and take nothing with us, or like those who eat at a restaurant but make no claim on the tables, plates, or silverware. What we have in this life is meant to be used for the glory of God, for the good of our neighbors, and for our own needs. We can’t take our possessions with us when we die; they are only for the here and now. Far better riches and treasures are waiting for us in heaven.
So the people around us should not see us full of greed, unwilling to help others. Neither should they see us indulge “the passions of the flesh” like unbelievers do, passions “which wage war against [the] soul.” These are the passions that violate the holy Commandments of God, passions that put any number of desires and pursuits in the place of God. The unbelieving world is ruled by these passions and does nothing to rein them in.
We who walk in the light of Jesus are called to live differently—with self-control, discipline, making sacrifices for others. Then when unbelievers call us out, “when they speak against [us] as evildoers,” as our reading says, “they may see [our] good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” But our good deeds will not stand out if we do not stand up for what is right.
That is difficult to do. Our culture today is turning more and more against the teachings of the Bible. Shining the light of God’s truth through our words and actions is jarring in this world of darkness; it is blinding and offensive to unbelievers. The effect is like one person wearing a Cyclone jersey to a Hawkeye rally or the other way around. We stand out as Christians, and this is not welcome. The world tells us to be silent, to change our beliefs, to get on “the right side of history.”
We could respond to these attacks in an obnoxious way, returning “evil for evil or reviling for reviling” (1Pe. 3:9). We could feel superior on our high ground and pat ourselves on the back like self-righteous Pharisees, thanking God that we are not like all the bad people (Luk. 18:11). But that is clearly not the approach that God calls us to take.
As we pass through this world, Jesus calls us to shine His light into the darkness. He calls us to humility, to patience, and to sacrifice. We find this in Peter’s words inspired by the Holy Spirit, which he wrote at a time when the governing authorities persecuted the Christian Church. Peter writes that we are to be subject to the governing authorities, respect them, honor them, and pray for them. This is the teaching of the Fourth Commandment, which demands respect for authority beginning in the home and going outward.
Now your parents may not always seem worthy of your honor and respect, but you are to honor them because they are over you, put in place by God. The same goes for the governing authorities. They may not always seem worthy of your honor and respect, but they have been put in place by God for purposes that might not be clear to you but are clear to Him.
This principle also applies in the workplace. Peter writes that servants are to be subject to and respect their masters, whether they are “good and gentle” or “unjust.” Then he adds, “For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.” Now this does not come naturally to any one of us. If we suffer unjustly, it is often the case that we do not endure these sorrows with patience. We think how unfair it all is, how heavy the burden we have to carry, how we don’t deserve to be treated like this.
And that shows us how different we are than Jesus. Just after today’s reading, Peter describes our Lord’s righteous attitude and actions—a bright Light shining in the darkness: “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1Pe. 2:22-23). This was Jesus’ active obedience, His active keeping of the holy Law, which He kept perfectly.
We often have let our sinful passions get the best of us, but He did not let the devil tempt Him from His mission. We have dishonored and disrespected our parents and authorities placed over us, but He obeyed His Father’s will without faltering. We have not endured our trials with patience and humility, but He willingly suffered for the sins of others. Everything that we have failed to be and do, Jesus lived that perfectly for us.
And He let Himself be accused and crucified in our place. This is His passive obedience, which Peter also describes: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (v. 24). The blood He shed cleanses us from all of our sins. Our bad behavior, our disobedience, our impatience—all of it is forgiven, washed away by His holy, precious blood.
This is what Jesus has done for us. This is the light of righteousness and salvation that we have been called into by the power of God the Holy Spirit. This is the light we remain in by His ongoing work. The Holy Spirit works in us and has promised to work in us in no other way than through the Word and Sacraments of God.
When God speaks, He does. That’s how it was at the beginning when He said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3), and that’s how it still is and ever shall be. God speaks the light of Jesus into us through the Gospel message. He replaces the darkness inside us with His own holiness and love. As we are filled and strengthened through His powerful Word, we are also equipped to shine His light toward others and bring Him glory. Jesus said, “[L]et your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mat. 5:16).
What this means is that your life is not really yours anymore. It is not about you. You have been claimed by the God of all glory, majesty, and might. He called you out of darkness and into His light. He chose you, and since He chose you, He will not leave you to fight the enemies of darkness alone. He will not leave you to fend for yourself. He will not let the darkness overcome you and fill you like it did before.
The light you have been called into is a brilliant, powerful light. Just as it has changed your heart, it is powerful to change the hearts of others, and so it has. You do not journey as a sojourner and exile by yourself. You go forward along with all who have been called into the light of Jesus. We press on until God calls us out again, out of this short life of trouble and trial to a light still brighter, the light of His glorious presence in heaven.
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 “Jesus Discourses with His Disciples” by James Tissot, 1836-1902)