READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 40:25-31
1 Peter 2:11-20
St. John 16:16-23
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:4)
Who speaks to you today, from His Gospel heard in His Service, saying:
Jesus is not playing hide and go seek. Jesus is completing His work of total and complete salvation for you. He is Ascending, not just as God, but as man. In Christ, man, humanity ascends to heaven, to the heavenly throne. So we no longer see Him in His humanity. He is not walking around, but He continues to work in His Church especially and in the world.
But us not seeing…how are we to go about our lives and our faith with this divinely inspired blindness? In the first place, we must live the life Christ gives us, today. And since, “I have been crucified with Christ,” says Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”.
Meaning, it is good for us to be here, no matter what happens to us.
In the second place, it is good to make a life here, which means, be involved in the world we live in.
Our Confessions state it this way:
“lawful civil ordinances are good works of God, and that it is right for Christians to bear civil office, to sit as judges, to judge matters by the Imperial and other existing laws, to award just punishments, to engage in just wars, to serve as soldiers, to make legal contracts, to hold property, to make oath when required by the magistrates, to marry a wife, to be given in marriage.
They condemn the Anabaptists who forbid these civil offices to Christians.” (AC XVI:1-3)
Notice how it says “lawful” civil ordinances.
We focus on the life of faith in the civil realm today, because our Epistle reading specifically mentions topics we began to cover last week. And its not just the “be subject to every human institution” business, which we are talking about. Our main focus is “Live as people who are free”.
Fun fact: free and freedom, in Greek, is pronounced “lutheran”. So if you are living free in the Gospel of Christ, as you ought to do, you are living as a Lutheran. Just thought I’d mention that Biblical point.
Our true point today is that these human institutions are not above the law. They should be honored, but not worshipped. They should be loved, but not given a free pass to do whatever they want just because they are “in charge”. At least in the US, its “we the people” who are in charge and that complicates things.
Regardless, wrong is wrong no matter who does it, authoritarian status or no. How you “honor the emperor” is by loving him. That means encouraging him when he does right and telling him when he sins. Yes when they sin, for they are not above God’s Law either. This is why St. Peter says, “be subject FOR THE LORD’S SAKE”.
Repent. If you truly wanted to make a difference in the civil sphere, you would uphold honor, which means calling sin, sin. Are you causing suffering upon someone else with your legislation? Sin. Stop it. Are you thieving from others their money, possessions, or inheritance? Sin. Stop it. Is your elected official? Tell them to repent.
But that is hard and there are too many “authorities” to keep track of. So I’ll replace my responsibility with a vote and then just ostracize and demonize my political opponents and that's the same thing as loving them. God will be alright with that. I mean He can’t expect me to keep track of every little thing?
Remain in honor and this is how you do just that in the civil and heavenly realms: faith. Our confessions continue in the same article: “They condemn also those who do not place evangelical perfection in the fear of God and in faith, but in forsaking civil offices, for the Gospel teaches an eternal righteousness of the heart. Meanwhile, it does not destroy the State or the family, but very much requires that they be preserved as ordinances of God, and that charity be practiced in such ordinances.”
Anything may become a false idol if it gains your fear and your trust, or faith. Avoiding civil offices does not save you, neither does participating in them. However, in faith, the Christian walks through life blessed, no matter what. Any and all works are considered holy in faith. Not because of what they are or who does them, but simply because they are covered by the Blood.
This is why the Gospel is of the utmost importance. “Love covers a multitude of sin” (1 Pet 4:8) and the love of God has laid down His life for you (Jn 15:13). This is Jesus covered up. God, covered up in flesh and doing seemingly un-godlike things. Such as eating, drinking and suffering and dying.
Who is so free as God? Above all and over all, God is the freest being. He is so free, that He uses His freedom, His lutheranism, as a cover up for Good. His Kingship is a coverup for His servanthood in serving sinners salvation. His Almightiness is a coverup for His weakness on the cross. His Unreachableness is a coverup for Communion with us, in His true Body and Blood.
When we don’t see Jesus, we are looking for Him on His throne or in our country’s authoritarian positions. When we find Jesus, He is with the poor, the afflicted, and the weak. When we don’t see Jesus, we are looking for Him to solve all our nation’s problems so that we don’t have to. When we find Him, He is forgiving sins in Word and Sacrament.
In our sin, Jesus is hidden from us. We have difficulty seeing Him, because our sin wants His power before His mercy. Even when we look directly at the places He says He is going to be for us, we still cannot see. But take heart. It is a good thing.
Jesus says in John 9:39-41, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind….If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”
If you could see with God’s eyes and discern the ins and outs of this world and of heaven…you would go insane. The first temptation included the lure of “open eyes” (Gen 3:5, 7). So, really our eyes are already open, which is why the world is so mad and we are “tossed to and fro by wind and wave” (Eph 4:14). We already know what God knows and see what He sees and it makes us afraid.
Afraid, because all we see is guilt and wrath and condemnation. There is no peace for us, even in our sacred national and civil places. We scurry about, trying to hide from the light of the Love of God, thinking that we can be like Him if we could just master these eyes.
When is it that people “see” Jesus? At the Transfiguration, Sts. Peter, James and John have to cover their eyes at the glorious, shining Christ. They only see Him again when He returns to His humanity, set to go to the cross (Mt 17).
When the Marys go to the tomb, Easter morning, they are looking for Jesus. A dead Jesus and do not find Him. Not even when Mary talks to Jesus does she recognize Him until He has mercy and reveals Himself (Jn 20).
When the two disciples on the Emmaus road, Easter afternoon, are walking and talking with Jesus right next to them, they don’t know it, but as soon as Jesus sits them down to His Divine Service and breaks that bread before Communion, they knew Him in the breaking of the bread (Lk 24:35).
What is the point? The point is, you will not find Jesus in human institutions. You may find bits of His wrath there and maybe some of His justice. But you will not find the peace He promises to you, neither will you find mercy or forgiveness of sins.
So we don’t put our trust in princes, especially if we become one of them. We put all our fear, love, and trust in the true Prince of Peace. The God-man, Christ Jesus, Who has come to rule all. And that rule is with the Gospel, with the free forgiveness of sins for all who believe.
We hold our civil vocations for the sake of our neighbor, working towards peace, justice, and goodness as best as we can for him. In them, there is no law about living out our faith. In fact, those are the best civil servants, who usually go unnoticed.
Do your civil work in that humility: unnoticed. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward” (Col 3:23-24) and knowing that whatever earthly reward you receive is perishable.
Not that it is worthless, but worthwhile. Because now that your reward doesn’t come from your earthly work, you don’t have to be so bitter and backstabbing. You can actually do work in genuine love, because you have been freed, lutheranized, to see your guilt and the guilt of all others in all things, knowing and believing the necessity of forgiveness for all and all others. Thus, returning in the Spirit to the one thing needful for this world and the next: the Crucified Christ.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:4)
Who speaks to you today, from His Gospel heard in His Service, saying:
“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again
a little while, and you will see me”
Jesus is not playing hide and go seek. Jesus is completing His work of total and complete salvation for you. He is Ascending, not just as God, but as man. In Christ, man, humanity ascends to heaven, to the heavenly throne. So we no longer see Him in His humanity. He is not walking around, but He continues to work in His Church especially and in the world.
But us not seeing…how are we to go about our lives and our faith with this divinely inspired blindness? In the first place, we must live the life Christ gives us, today. And since, “I have been crucified with Christ,” says Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”.
Meaning, it is good for us to be here, no matter what happens to us.
In the second place, it is good to make a life here, which means, be involved in the world we live in.
Our Confessions state it this way:
“lawful civil ordinances are good works of God, and that it is right for Christians to bear civil office, to sit as judges, to judge matters by the Imperial and other existing laws, to award just punishments, to engage in just wars, to serve as soldiers, to make legal contracts, to hold property, to make oath when required by the magistrates, to marry a wife, to be given in marriage.
They condemn the Anabaptists who forbid these civil offices to Christians.” (AC XVI:1-3)
Notice how it says “lawful” civil ordinances.
We focus on the life of faith in the civil realm today, because our Epistle reading specifically mentions topics we began to cover last week. And its not just the “be subject to every human institution” business, which we are talking about. Our main focus is “Live as people who are free”.
Fun fact: free and freedom, in Greek, is pronounced “lutheran”. So if you are living free in the Gospel of Christ, as you ought to do, you are living as a Lutheran. Just thought I’d mention that Biblical point.
Our true point today is that these human institutions are not above the law. They should be honored, but not worshipped. They should be loved, but not given a free pass to do whatever they want just because they are “in charge”. At least in the US, its “we the people” who are in charge and that complicates things.
Regardless, wrong is wrong no matter who does it, authoritarian status or no. How you “honor the emperor” is by loving him. That means encouraging him when he does right and telling him when he sins. Yes when they sin, for they are not above God’s Law either. This is why St. Peter says, “be subject FOR THE LORD’S SAKE”.
Repent. If you truly wanted to make a difference in the civil sphere, you would uphold honor, which means calling sin, sin. Are you causing suffering upon someone else with your legislation? Sin. Stop it. Are you thieving from others their money, possessions, or inheritance? Sin. Stop it. Is your elected official? Tell them to repent.
But that is hard and there are too many “authorities” to keep track of. So I’ll replace my responsibility with a vote and then just ostracize and demonize my political opponents and that's the same thing as loving them. God will be alright with that. I mean He can’t expect me to keep track of every little thing?
Remain in honor and this is how you do just that in the civil and heavenly realms: faith. Our confessions continue in the same article: “They condemn also those who do not place evangelical perfection in the fear of God and in faith, but in forsaking civil offices, for the Gospel teaches an eternal righteousness of the heart. Meanwhile, it does not destroy the State or the family, but very much requires that they be preserved as ordinances of God, and that charity be practiced in such ordinances.”
Anything may become a false idol if it gains your fear and your trust, or faith. Avoiding civil offices does not save you, neither does participating in them. However, in faith, the Christian walks through life blessed, no matter what. Any and all works are considered holy in faith. Not because of what they are or who does them, but simply because they are covered by the Blood.
This is why the Gospel is of the utmost importance. “Love covers a multitude of sin” (1 Pet 4:8) and the love of God has laid down His life for you (Jn 15:13). This is Jesus covered up. God, covered up in flesh and doing seemingly un-godlike things. Such as eating, drinking and suffering and dying.
Who is so free as God? Above all and over all, God is the freest being. He is so free, that He uses His freedom, His lutheranism, as a cover up for Good. His Kingship is a coverup for His servanthood in serving sinners salvation. His Almightiness is a coverup for His weakness on the cross. His Unreachableness is a coverup for Communion with us, in His true Body and Blood.
When we don’t see Jesus, we are looking for Him on His throne or in our country’s authoritarian positions. When we find Jesus, He is with the poor, the afflicted, and the weak. When we don’t see Jesus, we are looking for Him to solve all our nation’s problems so that we don’t have to. When we find Him, He is forgiving sins in Word and Sacrament.
In our sin, Jesus is hidden from us. We have difficulty seeing Him, because our sin wants His power before His mercy. Even when we look directly at the places He says He is going to be for us, we still cannot see. But take heart. It is a good thing.
Jesus says in John 9:39-41, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind….If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”
If you could see with God’s eyes and discern the ins and outs of this world and of heaven…you would go insane. The first temptation included the lure of “open eyes” (Gen 3:5, 7). So, really our eyes are already open, which is why the world is so mad and we are “tossed to and fro by wind and wave” (Eph 4:14). We already know what God knows and see what He sees and it makes us afraid.
Afraid, because all we see is guilt and wrath and condemnation. There is no peace for us, even in our sacred national and civil places. We scurry about, trying to hide from the light of the Love of God, thinking that we can be like Him if we could just master these eyes.
When is it that people “see” Jesus? At the Transfiguration, Sts. Peter, James and John have to cover their eyes at the glorious, shining Christ. They only see Him again when He returns to His humanity, set to go to the cross (Mt 17).
When the Marys go to the tomb, Easter morning, they are looking for Jesus. A dead Jesus and do not find Him. Not even when Mary talks to Jesus does she recognize Him until He has mercy and reveals Himself (Jn 20).
When the two disciples on the Emmaus road, Easter afternoon, are walking and talking with Jesus right next to them, they don’t know it, but as soon as Jesus sits them down to His Divine Service and breaks that bread before Communion, they knew Him in the breaking of the bread (Lk 24:35).
What is the point? The point is, you will not find Jesus in human institutions. You may find bits of His wrath there and maybe some of His justice. But you will not find the peace He promises to you, neither will you find mercy or forgiveness of sins.
So we don’t put our trust in princes, especially if we become one of them. We put all our fear, love, and trust in the true Prince of Peace. The God-man, Christ Jesus, Who has come to rule all. And that rule is with the Gospel, with the free forgiveness of sins for all who believe.
We hold our civil vocations for the sake of our neighbor, working towards peace, justice, and goodness as best as we can for him. In them, there is no law about living out our faith. In fact, those are the best civil servants, who usually go unnoticed.
Do your civil work in that humility: unnoticed. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward” (Col 3:23-24) and knowing that whatever earthly reward you receive is perishable.
Not that it is worthless, but worthwhile. Because now that your reward doesn’t come from your earthly work, you don’t have to be so bitter and backstabbing. You can actually do work in genuine love, because you have been freed, lutheranized, to see your guilt and the guilt of all others in all things, knowing and believing the necessity of forgiveness for all and all others. Thus, returning in the Spirit to the one thing needful for this world and the next: the Crucified Christ.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
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