Church and State [Easter 5]

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE

READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Isaiah 12:1-6

• James 1:16-21

• St. John 16:5-15

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 1)
 
Who speaks to you today, saying:

“And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:”

 
Jesus causes this to be written in His Word to dispel confusion. The world is confusing and anxiety inducing because the devil sets up institution after institution to lead you away from Jesus. His institutions are all glamorous, generous, and virtuous; smoke and mirrors. He makes sure to check off all the boxes on the “what would Jesus do” list so that you begin to believe that in those places you find Jesus, instead of His Church.
 
The boxes he connivingly leaves blank, as preached to us today from the Gospel, are the forgiveness of sins, the righteousness of the God-man, and the final judgement. The devil copies and twists the Church in order to lead astray. The Spirit of Truth calls and confirms us by that Gospel, enlightens us with His Gifts, sanctifies, and keeps us in the true faith.
 
What we see in modern events is a repeat of history. Probably because we have tried so hard to erase or rewrite it. What we tackle and throw down as a false idol today, is the state and its church. Specifically, the relationship between the Church and the State.
 
The problem of the marriage of Church and state is not that a Roman Catholic gets elected president, nor is it that Christian values may creep into policy and opinions. The first problem is that the State hates the Church. The State sees no value in the Church except to pawn itself off as morally superior and “with the people”. In other words, to get votes and retain power.
 
Back in Dr. Luther’s time, the state was supposedly a defender of the Church, because the rulers were allegedly faithful churchmen and defenders of what was good and true. However, when you don’t have a good ruler, or good representation, you don’t get a good church and that bad church then has an army to impose itself on others. The result is oppression and repression of the Truth of Jesus.
 
Today, we see the push for “freedom from religion”. “Separation of Church and State” has come to mean the complete absence of religion, or at least what most think is religion. However, that leads to a vacuum of religion. For, without some form of religion, there is no moral high-ground. Thus, the State creates its own religion to fill that void and remain “right”.
 
Though this state church may call itself a “church”, it is not the Church of Christ. When you make a contract with the state to exchange funds and services, you are a state church. When you preach every political policy and every media outlet shares your views, you are a state church. When your religious platform is a steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation, not salvation, then you are a state church.
 
Why? For one, racial justice is code word for “some races and not others”. “Reconciliation” is code word for some conflicts and not others. “Morality” is code word for aiding some people, but not all, especially not babies in the womb. “Jesus” is not God made man, but code for caring for the poor and vulnerable who we deem are poor and vulnerable. 
 
In this light, the “faith” of the State Church does not create more Christians, but more unbelievers. Since your “dogma” is aligned with the state, then the people who don’t agree are second class Christians at best and really don’t belong at all. Who’s going to join that? On the other side: if you only have to believe in social reform to have faith, then no Jesus is necessary for that.
 
That is the real danger of the State Church, that it presents false doctrine and teaching as “what Jesus wants us to do”. This then becomes “the church” to everyone who is looking for The Church. It holds up future visions and endless “progress” as the moral code, regardless if we ever reach it. God is far away, unknowable, and untouchable. A true Christian cannot tolerate such nonsense.
 
Where is the sanity? In today’s Gospel. Jesus is directly concerned with all the previously mentioned suffering. In order to care for us perfectly, He wants us to know where we find His morality, where we find His righteousness, and where we find His Judgement. And if you only pay nominal attention, you will note that it is not inside humans or humanitarian work, but Jesus alone.
 
Let’s let Jesus speak:
Concerning sin because they do not believe in me, He says. That is, sin has nothing to do with racial inequality, government standoffs, or public funding, but has everything to do with believing in the Person, Word, and Work of Christ. 
 
Would Jesus care for the poor and vulnerable? Of course. How would He do it? By suffering, dying, rising to new life, and creating a blessed place at His side, for them, for all eternity. Can you not enter heaven if you are poor, oppressed, or persecuted? Actually, its only those groups who get in! 
 
So what happens if you un-poor the poor? According to the state “christians”, if they are not poor, they are privileged, and if they are privileged then they are excluded from the mission of Jesus. No heaven for you.
 
Concerning righteousness, Jesus goes on, because they do not believe in me. This we can see from any and all fake-church statements. There is no Jesus there! They are committed to every other cause in the world, except to Jesus. Oh, they may tack on His Name to any and everything, but if He is not forgiving sins, granting faith, and giving eternal life, then the word “Jesus” doesn’t mean anything.
 
You can work towards social justice, racial justice, and gender justice without Jesus. You don’t get to claim He’s on your side because of some superior sense of morality. Works do not get you into heaven. The Law is ended and fulfilled in Christ. The only way your works are Christ-like is if you are being crucified for your faith.
 
Finally, concerning judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged. The prince of the air has certainly taken the doctrines of the Church and twisted them. Today, if you are against any public policy or law that “helps”, you are judged as not a Christian.
 
If you are against a certain political affiliation that is helping those less fortunate, on paper, then you are excommunicated. The devil has taken Church, run it through the State grinder, and created a monster, a beast, the Anti-church, where belief in people is the chief article on which the state church stands or falls.
 
We live in a world that loves to play games with words, in order to find who has the highest moral currency, in other words, to virtue signal. However, according to the Truth, all sinners are welcome; all are welcome in Christ’s Church. The prostitute ate with Jesus, but they went away changed, He did not. The tax collector drank with Jesus, but they went away changed, Jesus did not. 
 
Instead of grandstanding, we need actual work: the work of Christ. The sinner must come to Jesus, but in repentance and will not stay the same, by virtue of the Spirit of Truth. The true work of the Church is teaching about redemption and salvation, not social initiatives. The Church defends the faith through the Kingdom of Christ Crucified, the true Ruler of this world Who was judged and deemed not fit for it.
 
Already in Faith, the Christian will fight for justice, compassion, and reconciliation. To get faith, the Christian must let Christ fight and do the work. 
 
And herein lies the difference between the churches or between the kingdoms. The earthly kingdom takes and only asks for more, more, more. According to God, in 1 Samuel 8:10-18, the earthly kingdom will take your sons and daughters for service. Its economy will be taking the first fruits of your labor to increase its own. 
 
It is obeying men rather than God and “in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day” (1 Sam 8:18). Why? Because now we have our god, our king to fight for us, and we voted for him. We do not need a Father in heaven.
 
The Church, the Kingdom of heaven only gives. The complete opposite. Jesus says His kingdom is not of this world, because His kingdom gives. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
 
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps 51:17). This Jesus shows and gives on the cross to inaugurate His Kingdom over and against the world. The broken spirit and heart are Christ’s, because “it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand” (Isaiah 53:10).
 
The Church on earth is unique in that She bears the cross in order to be conformed to the Image of Christ. She suffers in order to relate to sufferers. Jesus sends His Spirit to His Church to establish His Rock, that we may physically run to it. Where the world spins, our hearts are fixed on the cross of Christ, where true joys are to be found.
 
The Good Shepherd cries out in the Truth of the Gospel: forgiveness for His sake alone, and we hear His voice and follow Him to His Table.
 
Alleluia!
Amen.
 

Vocation of waiting [Easter 4]

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE

READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Isaiah 40:25-31

• 1 Peter 2:11-20

• St. John 16:16-22

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 1)
 
Who speaks to you today, saying:

“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me”

 
Jesus causes this to be written in His Word so that we hear of His omniscience, even of our vocations. That He knows best how to work out our salvation, in this life. This should point us to the mercy and grace He hides in our day-to-day-little-things, seek out His forgiveness in Word and Sacrament, and teach this way of the cross to everyone.
 
What do we usually mean when we say “a little while”? It means wait. Just a bit longer, if you wait, and you will see what its all about, whatever it may be.
 
And we hate it.
 
This “hatred” is the part we contribute to God’s Salvation history, found in His Bible, which is not a contribution really. 
Some examples: Eve had it all. Every tree, freshly, cleanly, and newly made, was hers to eat from, except one. And there was a reason for that, though God did not give details. There was a mystery. There was something different about this one tree that was not told to her or her husband. What could it be? 
 
Everyone raced to be just like God. They wanted to be perfectly free like Him. They wanted ownership like Him, over body and world. They wanted to create just like Him. The Nephilim led the charge for the whole world to discover just what is it like to be God. Why must we wait for God to show us Himself and why must we listen to Noah?
 
Everyone was racing to be near God. They heard Him speak of the luxuries and pleasures at His side and wanted to achieve paradise as quickly as possible. Streets of gold? Perfect love? That sounds a mite better than life as we’ve come to know it. God said He was near, so maybe if we just live higher in the sky, we’ll get there. Why wait?
 
And on and on. Always impatient. Never waiting. Why do you say, O people, that your ways are hidden from the Lord and that He disregards your rights? You cannot hide from the Lord, even were you to make your bed in hell. And rights? Who says you get rights?
 
Another two aspects of vocation we ponder today are: 1) vocations are for our earthly kingdom only and do not reach into heaven. And 2) we don’t get to pick them. Though we said that last week, today Jesus really slams it home and commands that our vocation, regarding God, is to wait.
 
Psalm 27:14 demands, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
 
The Psalms are full of “waiting” and they usually describe it as a good thing. Sometimes, it is those who lie in wait to trap the righteous, but that is hearing God’s threats. If you are waiting for something you have devised yourself, then you are waiting to either grab it from your neighbor or from God.
 
That’s what we believe about this world, in our sin. So repent of these sins of coveting. We believe we have been dumped here and all “waiting” entails is “grab what you can and give nothing back” until whenever God feels like showing back up. Meanwhile, we have to live through this life of waiting.
 
Waiting for a train to go 
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
 
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance…so says Dr. Seuss.
 
As the sinner says, “This trouble is from the Lord! Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?” (2 Kings 6:33). Eve didn’t want to stare at a seemingly useless tree anymore. She didn’t want to wait. She wanted the mystery now. The people at Noah’s time wanted to know what it was like to be God, so they grabbed at it violently. Abusing every natural law, as they believe God does. They didn’t want to wait.
 
They waited without hope. They waited, without faith.
Without faith there is no hope. Eve did not have faith that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil could be anything but for food, so she ate instead of waiting to see the glory of the Lord hanging on a tree, for her. 
 
The men of Noah’s time didn’t want to see what God was going to do with their flesh, so they took every opportunity to indulge in sin, instead of waiting for the spiritual and bodily renewal of Christ. The men of Babel didn’t care that God cared and wanted out of all the suffering now. They clawed their way up to heaven instead of waiting to see the Kingdom of heaven descend to earth.
 
We are not in charge, Jesus is. Every time we go through His life in the Church Year, we place ourselves on that conveyor belt. And starting at Advent, we know we are going to get to Easter and we know we can’t get there except through the cross. 
 
And that is where we are and where Jesus has placed us: on the conveyor belt. We are all moving towards the End of all things, but we do so in hope, because faith is not put to shame. When Jesus gives us the Maundy Thursday command to “wait just a little while and you will see me”, He is, at first, pointing to His burial and resurrection. 
 
This so He can prove Himself to be faithful in a little bit, as He said before, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much” (Lk 16:10). That is, if He can show to the Apostles that He can suffer, die, and be buried, essentially being removed from their sight and from this life, and yet reappear, then He can also be trusted in much, that is to keep His promise to return again.
 
Jesus is promising us that if we wait a little while, we will weep and lament. If we just wait a little while, our sorrow will turn into joy. We must endure only for a short time: a lifetime, perhaps, if Jesus doesn’t come back before then, but what is a lifetime compared to eternity?
 
Jesus is faithful in the little things. He does give us work to pass the time, holy work. He lets our ship come in and the fish bite and our phones ring. On top of all those blessings, He has left the door to Himself and the End cracked open. The light is leaking out into His Church. His Spirit has free reign to come and go from eternity as He pleases.
 
And the Promises and gifts that He brings are from the End. The Promises of Faith in Christ, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. These are what He has imbued us with, on the conveyor belt. The Gifts of Word and Sacrament occupy our place in the waiting room, granting salvation to all who hear and believe.
 
So wait. Wait with Abraham, if you must, as Hebrews 6:15 says, “And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise” and we all know how Abraham waited. Not very well! Ishmael, pawning his wife off as his sister, not once but twice! And then having other wives. Not a very good waiting job. Yet, the blood of Christ covers even such impatient waiting. He had faith in forgiveness and that faith obtained the Promise.
 
It is easy to be confused, here in life. There are many hazards, many anxieties, and many blind spots. Jesus gives us the signs that a child could follow: Words, His cross, water, bread, wine. These now occupy both realms of our vocation, because it is only in the Lord’s Word and Sacrament that we can grab hold of His promise to return.
 
He leaves them in our possession as a token and promise that what He says, He will do. Just as He has done and just as He is now doing today. For through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, you now feast on the fruit that Eve so desperately wanted, but couldn’t wait for. 
 
In faith, you now share in the flesh of God that the Nephilim so desperately chased after. By grace alone, you now know what it will be like to be near God for all eternity, as you practice, not on top of a gigantic tower, but in the Divine Service and in the little things. 
 
That is where you wait and that is how you wait. Jesus has brought the fruit to you, where you are. Jesus has brought His Body, the Church, to you, where you are. Jesus has descended to dwell with His people and left heaven and the super-spiritual to the devil. 
 
For, heaven is wherever Jesus is. The End is whenever Jesus is. If that is the case, then we have all we have been waiting for, right in our hands today. Wait on the Lord and He will strengthen your heart, replacing it with His own (Ps 27:14). Wait on the Lord, and He will show you grace and mercy in His Gospel (Isaiah 30:18).
 
The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still as He performs His Divine Service, for you, today. (Exodus 14:14)
And in the pew, remembering the Sabbath, “I wait for your salvation, O Lord” (Genesis 49:18).

Vocation of the sheep [Easter 3]

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE

READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Ezekiel 34:11-16

• 1 Peter 2:21-25

• St. John 10:11-16

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 1)

 

Who speaks to you on this day from His Gospel heard, saying:

“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

 
Listening to God is like listening to your parents. You may not agree, but He is God, so He has His own say in matters. One of those matters is good works and one of the ways we understand good works is Vocation, God’s calling He gives to us in this life. He causes Vocation to be written of in His Word that we might hear His voice on this matter and properly interact with Him.
 
In order to listen to a voice, the Good Shepherd must call out. And Jesus has called out from the cross, crying out with a loud voice and handing over His Spirit to His Church. What we are to hear from the Good Shepherd is this Call or Vocation, especially since our Epistle speaks of it too.
 
And in true Law-Gospel fashion, when God Calls, or gives us our calling, we receive it in two ways. The first calling, or vocation, we have is to Faith. This is our heavenly vocation to be forgiven and redeemed sinners. The Holy Spirit Calls us with the Gospel, sustains, and keeps us in the one true faith. This heaven accomplishes without our works.
 
The second vocation is our earthly call to love our neighbor. This vocation St. Paul begins to reveal in 1 Corinthians 7:20 where he teaches, “let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”
 
That is to say, one of the gifts of God for us is our earthly vocation: the work He gives us to be a part of, in His Creation. What we will NOT talk about today is what our feelings tell us is our calling in life. Not even what we enjoy doing, as our calling, though that sometimes overlaps. 
 
The Call, Vocation we are talking about today is our station in life. Where and what we are born into, most of which we have no control over. Who our family is and where and what we are doing at the moment. Wherever it is that God has saved us. When He did, we were in a certain place in our lives. After He saved us, we remained there, thanks be to God.
 
Vocation from God can be maybe better understood as a station, a duty-bound place. As opposed to our dreamed-up-life or what we have plans for, our station is the place we have been put, now. Who our parents are and we as their child. Who our siblings are and we as their brother or sister. Who our employer is and who we are as employee. Who is in our neighborhood and who we are as their neighbor.
 
These things which we seemingly have little to no control over, are our vocations. The everyday, the rat-race, the hum-drum. If we are hungry, God feeds us Himself…through the vocation of a farmer. If we are sick, God comes to heal us Himself…through the vocations of healthcare. 
 
Though He could give to us directly, by miraculous provision as He fed the children of Israel in the desert, God has chosen to work through man, who, in their different capacities and according to their different talents, serve each other.
 
God could have decided to populate the earth by creating each new person from the dust, as He did Adam. Instead, He chose to create new life through the vocation of husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. God calls men and women together and grants them the unfathomable ability to have children.
 
The ability to read God's Word is an inexpressibly precious blessing, but reading is an ability that did not spring fully formed in our young minds. It required the vocation of teachers. God protects us through the cop on the beat and the whole panoply of the legal system. He gives us beauty and meaning through artists. He lets us travel through the ministry of auto workers, mechanics, road crews, and airline employees. He keeps us clean through the work of garbage collectors, plumbers, sanitation workers, and the sometimes-undocumented aliens who clean our hotel rooms. 
 
And instead of enjoying this merciful and wonderful gift from our Father, we despise it and reject it for the limelight. We fall for the trap every time someone asks us, “I know what you do for a living, but what do you do for Christ?” You’re right, we agree. I must follow a higher path, even if it means I forsake those who depend on me. God wills it!
 
Repent. This is why understanding vocation is important, because what people mean, what satan means, when they ask that question is in direct contrast to what our Good Shepherd is accomplishing among us. The Good Shepherd gathers us, sanctifies us, and gives us a new life in Him within the sheep-pen. We are tempted to want what is beyond the sheepfold.
 
That is, in our sin, we believe God wants a truly spiritual life where we make vows to Him. Yes, we have put ourselves back in the cloister and made monks and nuns of ourselves. It may not seem like it was in the past, but we are neo-monks. Ones who promise God to serve Him full-time. 
 
In order to make ourselves a true believer, we seek the new councils of perfection, where we devote every day to prayer, contemplation, worship, and the service of God, as we see fit. Marriage, parenthood, and human relationships are all earthly attachments. Having a heavenly vocation means the willingness to vow our lives to higher things.
 
The Sheepfold we are gathered into is a messy thing. Sheep are not the best of farm animals and so we can understand the pull to be more than we are, to find a life “outside” that is more holy, more righteous, and more pleasing to God. And then wonder why we cannot find God in our lives anymore.
 
Our Old Testament and Gospel reading place the work of Christ in the center, because it is the Son’s vocation to do the will of the Father, that is to save His people from their sin, set them free from sorrow, and slay bitter death. It is Jesus’s job to not only order our heavenly vocation, being saved, but also our earthly one. 
 
We do not make or break His vocation with our own. If we try to seek the sinless life in our vocation or by our vocation, we cast aside the work of Jesus. If we imagine sinless choices we make because of our super-spiritual vocation, we choose sin over Jesus. 
 
When St. Peter explains the example Jesus left us, in the Epistle reading today, he explains it in a way that we cannot attain that Example unless we are first made an example of. First, Jesus’s vocation must be accomplished and it must be accomplished for us. That is, we must be brought into the Sheepfold of perfection in front of God only for Christ’s sake.
 
And only in that “pen” of Grace and Faith and Scriptures can we then find our vocation ready and waiting. He committed no sin that we might find forgiveness for ours. He did not revile, that we might be brought His own righteousness. His bearing our sins on the tree, in His Body, was to bring us a life that is pleasing to God: the life of faith in His Son.
 
In His wounds we are healed and when we stray from that, when we stray from relying on His vocation and instead believe we know what the Spirit has led us to and what heavenly work and worship is there, we become the violent invaders of heaven and once again crucify Jesus, in our sin.
 
Jesus gives us His wounds and His healing in His Church. He tells us exactly where He will be for us, what He expects from us, and when He will accomplish such a thing. Our heavenly vocation, the most and highest-est Calling God has given to us, the most spiritual and holy thing we can accomplish on earth, is to receive from God’s hand what He is handing out. This, our Divine Service is centered on.
 
When we leave His blessed sanctuary of revealed glory, we enter into His hidden glory. That hidden glory, in the Christian life, is to practice that same faithfulness in little things, in our vocation. Holding down a 9-5 at DG Market is more difficult and more glorious, even than martyrdom.
 
Martyrdom is aided by an agitated time, an emotional disposition, and is often quickly won. It only takes a brief moment and that moment is black and white. However, being faithful in little things involves bearing presently and patiently the quiet tedium of a monotonous, elapsing life, to the praise of the Lord. (The Word Remains, Wilhelm Löhe, p.81)
 
In our Vocation, God gives us the charge of sustaining His creation. Not that it is on us, but He chooses to work through His Law, through us, to fight for the good, the true, and the noble in our lives. We need no super-spiritual vow to enact God’s will in this life. We have simply to remain vigilant in our station. 
 
Is our neighbor in need, as we watch behind the DG Market counter? We know God’s will then. Is someone sad or a fight about to happen? Peacemaker it is!
 
Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, or worker? Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy? Have you been hot-tempered, rude, or quarrelsome? Have you hurt someone by your words or deeds? Have you stolen, been negligent, wasted anything, or done any harm?
 
We may not make the headlines. History may not remember us. No one may ever know of the little things God chooses us to accomplish, in His Name, but what does that matter? Jesus has given us life in His Name, not ours and not our works. He has also then prepared works for us, to live with Him in His Sheepfold, works He authorizes. That is, Word and Sacrament and our holy Vocation.
 
And what we do in our vocations, is what we do for Christ. Are you an airline pilot? Then what you do for Jesus is flying people around.
 
Alleluia…
In the Name…
 
 

Flesh and bone Faith [Easter 2]

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE

READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• Ezekiel 34:11-16

• 1 Peter 2:21-25

• St. John 10:11-16

 

Mercy, and Peace are secure for you from God our Father, through our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Crucified of God!
 
Who speaks to us, even today, saying to St. Thomas:

“Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

 
Jesus appears to many after His resurrection to prove just one thing: that the one, true God was made man. God says in multiple places, that you recognize the Holy Spirit by His acknowledgement of Jesus in the flesh, come from God (1 John 4:2). It will be the antichrist and his ilk who will deny that Jesus has come in the flesh (2 John 1:7), and continues to do so today.
 
God wants us to realize this and keep the Body and Blood of Jesus close so that we are able to make that Good confession. That here, in this place, in this church, God comes down, in His own Body, to dwell among us.
 
What St. Thomas does for us all today, is teach us the importance of practical application. Practical application is very much misunderstood in churches today. Most believe that there is a disconnect from God’s Word to our lives, as if God speaks, but it is in such mystery that we need a leader to apply it to our lives for us. 
 
That is true, however, if we are only searching for work for us to do in God’s Word. If we believe that, since we were not alive at the time of Jesus, that we just have our works to rely on, basic instructions found in the Bible, then the Word will forever be a mystery to us and God will remain far away.
 
If we follow St. Thomas, however, and require confirmation and return to the only source of such a confirmation, then we will find the meat of faith. For, works and book learnin’ only take you, maybe, half way there. The other half of faith is “doing”. But “doing” in Christ’s Church and that means rest; it means receiving what the Lord is giving, not giving what you have to offer.
 
For, St. Thomas demands and returns to the flesh and bone of faith. He knew and believed that Jesus taught more than simple platitudes and “be nice to each other’s. Though that was included, He knew Jesus taught that faith is flesh and blood and he wasn’t going to accept any other religion than that. His brothers could write and prattle on about visions they had, but if he wasn’t in communion, then he was out.
 
In other words, if its just a symbol, than to hell with it. If Faith is just a symbol, then we can find a better one. If baptism is just a “representation”, then its garbage. If the Lord’s Supper is just an outward sign, then clear the table and put something better in front of us. Symbols and signs are no good, unless they have God’s own blood in them.
 
Today, we hear of the examination of St. Thomas. He is in front of his pastor, his God and Lord, and the question is, “Can Faith be bloodless?” St. Thomas replies that he will absolutely never believe in a bloodless religion. He wanted his commandments, which he memorized, to be written in the braille of spear and nail. He demanded his confirmation quiz be handed over by raw, imprinted palms.
 
For his catechesis was done all in the body. That is, not only did he assist, but was taught by God in the flesh. His Lord told him that His greatest work was to be done as a man. His Incarnation, His nativity, His baptism, fasting, and temptation; His agony and bloody sweat, and His cross and passion.
 
Why would the religion change after the crucifixion? Why should, what was begun in the flesh, end in the spiritual? Why would God take time out of His busy schedule to be made man, walk around for 30 years, rise again, show Himself for another 40 days to over 500 people in the flesh, only to hand over a super-spiritual-good-feelings religion?
 
St. Thomas was being examined, but he was examining the other Apostles as well. “You guys just can’t believe every Tom, Dick, or Harry ghost that comes along claiming to be the Lord!” “You need the flesh. You need the bone. You need the life, true life, flowing and coursing through you and your faith.” “Y’all need Jesus’s invitation to touch and taste and see that a spirit does not have flesh and bone.”
 
This is true confirmation in front of God: belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, in order that He may commune with His Church until He returns. This is also why we catechize. Not to indoctrinate or manipulate, but to reason together with the Lord. One of the uniquenesses of Lutheranism is that we let God speak, no matter what He says.
 
God’s Word is God’s Word. If there is a difficult topic or event or anything we are facing, we say, “Let’s see what the Bible says”. We don’t go to YouTube or some man who is popular and thinks he knows it all. We go to the source and Norm of our Faith. We let the Bible speak and change ourselves accordingly. There we find Law and Gospel, Commands and Promises, threats and gifts. 
 
Another Lutheran difference is that the Gospel is central. Gospel doesn’t just mean “good news you are saved to do great things in your life”. It means that Christ Crucified has freed you from the guilt and condemnation of your sins. It means that He has united you into His Body and still communes with you today. It is Good News, but its Good news for all eternity.
 
We also believe the Gospel is objective. Most of the world will speak of “What Jesus means to me” or “what Jesus has done in my life”. That is subjective, meaning true for you and no one else. Objective means that the Word is done outside of you, without your input or opinion. God doesn’t help get you saved, He has saved you, on His own, without your prayers.
 
A fourth Lutheran Difference is that we are an historic faith. We have not cut ties with the past, no matter how messy, and we do not throw out tradition, though others may use it or abuse it. “All of the history, none of the heresy”, we would say. Part of the Reformation fight was to keep the good parts and reform or get rid of the bad.
 
And finally, our doctrine of Vocation. That we live a life of faith both in spirit and in body. We think and dwell on heavenly things and yet have plenty of seemingly menial work to do, loving our neighbor as ourselves. And there is equal blessing and godliness in both. 
 
This is what it means to be Lutheran. Whatever God says, we affirm it. Saved by grace alone? We affirm it. The Word is above tradition? We affirm it. Jesus says bread and wine, Body and Blood? We affirm it. 
 
The Reformation wasn’t splitting off and starting a new church with no tradition. It was restoring faith to its roots. Confronting what was and is rotten and maintaining what’s pure. St. Thomas did not say, “We don’t need the flesh and Blood of Jesus. We need to go forward. We need to fulfill the mission.” 
 
St. Thomas returned to his origin; his Creator and Re-Creator confessing, “My Lord and my God.” He let Jesus speak for Himself. How are we doing this Jesus? Word and Sacrament? Ok.
He allowed Jesus to put the Gospel, the free forgiveness of sins, in the center, by receiving the hands and side of Christ. 
 
And in the flesh and bone of Jesus, St. Thomas knew that it was not his body nor his imagination. He knew that it was the same Jesus of the past three years in front of him, and that his life had now been included by grace through faith.
 
In other words, St. Thomas was a Lutheran. He missed one Sunday at church and felt so bad he demanded that his faith be re-examined. He didn’t doubt Jesus, he doubted himself and his ability to remain in the one, true faith without the wounds of Jesus Christ Crucified, for him. His faith wanted the spiritual and the physical or he would never believe it.
 
This is what we do on Sundays, for we are St. Thomas’s church. His belief, his faith, his teaching and doctrine, handed down to us in an unbroken line. And so we teach and pass it on. And so we confirm, shaping minds and hearts towards a faithful piety in this life.
 
Now, I had promised the girls there wouldn’t be an evaluation in front of everybody, but I changed my mind. Just to have a bit of fun, let’s see how well we do.
 
The mind and heart shaped by Lutheran piety can complete all of these ellipses:
- We should fear and…
- This is most certainly…
- A mighty fortress...
See? Easy. How about a little harder.
- Glory be to God on high…
- I believe that I cannot by my own…
- ...that we are by nature…
- Yes, yes it shall...
 
I know this one will trip you up. Everyone help them out with this one, please:
- The Lord be with you. . .          
 
Jesus has given St. Thomas, all the Apostles and Prophets, and us new life. A new life to be lived remembering Him and loving Him with all of our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength (Mk 12:30). And if with all our strength, then there better be something in our hands, in God’s Church.
 
Alleluia! Christ is risen!