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:
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!
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!
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