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:
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).
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).
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