Nothing is Impossible with God by Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: Luke 1:26-38 Advent

SN: 0038 12/24/2023

Nothing is Impossible with God

“That’s impossible!” How many times have you heard or maybe even said those words? Think about some of the things that people have said would be impossible. If you went back a little more than a hundred years, people would have said it would be impossible to transport vast numbers of people by air across the oceans. It would have seemed like utter fancy to think that men would walk on the moon. Just think in our own lifetime. It was considered impossible for a powerful computer to be small or affordable enough to be kept in a house, let alone fit inside someone’s pocket.

All of these things were considered impossible, yet even these achievements pale in comparison to the impossible things that God has done on behalf of his people. Just think of some of God’s impossible acts. How he split the waters of the Red Sea and saved his people from the hand of pharaoh, how he provided mana and quail in the desert, how he made the walls of Jericho fall with a mighty crash, or how he destroyed the mighty Assyrian army as it surrounded the city of Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah. But all of these impossible acts of God pale when compared to the greatest miracle that God did for his people. The great and mighty wonder proclaimed by the Angel Gabriel to a meek and humble maiden: that God would send his one and only Son to be born of a virgin to save the world from sin. This incredible act of grace fulfilled all of God’s promises to his people and assures us beyond any doubt that nothing is impossible with God.

All of humanity faces an impossible problem. To earn the eternal joy of heaven, God demands that we live perfect lives free from any sin in accordance with his just and holy law. This is impossible. By nature, we are born dead in our trespasses and sins as enemies who are hostile to God. We can do nothing to save ourselves. We are truly lost and condemned creatures. The very inclination of our hearts is only to do evil all the time. Even when we have been reborn through the waters of baptism, we must still struggle daily with the sinful nature we have inherited from Adam and Eve. We sin each and every day and deserve only the wrath and punishment of God. We are far, so very, very far from the perfection that God demands of us.

Adam and Eve destroyed the perfection of God’s creation when they listened to the lies of Satan and ate the fruit that God commanded them not to eat. They destroyed their relationship with God and brought sin and death into the world. The way to heaven was closed to them, and they could do nothing to save themselves. But God, in his grace and mercy, did not want to leave humanity in this wretched state. It was impossible for us to restore our relationship with God, but nothing is impossible with God. He promised that he would send a Savior who would crush the head of Satan and destroy the power of sin and death. This is the great and impossible promise of God that echoed down through the long ages until Gabriel announced its fulfillment in his joyous proclamation to Mary.

Throughout the long years of the Old Testament, the people of God waited in hope for the coming of the Savior. God continued to renew his impossible promise and show his love and mercy to his people. God renewed this promise to Abraham. He took a man and wife who were nearly a hundred years old and made an impossible promise to them. He told Abraham to look at the vast array of the night sky and count the multitude of stars. God promised, “Now look toward the sky and count the stars if you are able to count them. This is what your descendants will be like.” What an impossible promise, but nothing is impossible with God. Abraham's descendants grew and multiplied into a great people. A people whom God rescued from the bitterness of slavery with his mighty hand. A people whom God saved again and again through his grace and mercy, even when they turned away from him. A people God preserved so that from them a Savior would be born. A Savior who would rescue all people from the horror of sin.

In time, God chose a young man from the tribe of Judah to be his anointed king. God made an impossible promise to King David. He promised, “Your house will stand firm, and your kingdom will endure forever before you. Your throne will be established forever.” What an impossible promise that only God could fulfill. We know that God did not mean that descendants of David would rule over Israel for eternity. The line of kings was broken, but God preserved the descendants of David so that the King of kings could be born from an insignificant young woman from the house and line of David. This was to fulfill another impossible promise God had made through the Prophet Isaiah: "Therefore the Lord will give a sign for all of you. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel.”

The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to proclaim the time had come for God to fulfill his impossible promise. Mary had been chosen to be the mother of the Savior, the mother of God Most High. Mary wasn’t chosen because she was special or pure from sin. Mary was a sinner, just like you and me. There was nothing unique or special about Mary. God could have chosen a mighty queen or empress to be the mother of his Son, but instead, he chose an ordinary girl from an ordinary town. Mary needed a Savior just like us. God chose Mary out of pure grace. This is the same reason that God has chosen each of us.

What an impossible promise! What an impossible miracle that a virgin should be with a child, and not just any child, but the Son of God Most High conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus needed to be born in this unique and miraculous way to save us from our sins. Because Jesus was born of a virgin, he was free from the corruption of original sin. He could do what was impossible for us. He could do something that was only possible for God and live a life free from sin. Jesus placed himself under the burden of God’s holy law and kept all of its requirements for us.

In a truly profound and impossible mystery, Jesus Christ, who was the true God from eternity, was born as a tiny, helpless baby. He became Immanuel, God with Us, so that he could be tempted in every way as we are and yet be without sin. He lived a poor and lowly life so that he could understand what it was to be a human. So that he could feel our pain and sorrow and suffer for us. And then Jesus did something wonderful. He allowed himself to be tortured and crucified for us. He did this to fulfill the promise that God had made to Adam and Eve, Abraham, and David that a Savior would come to save the world from the curse of sin. On the cross, God died. On the cross, Jesus took all our sins upon himself and became sin for us. God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Dear friends, as we consider the Angel Gabriel’s words to Mary this morning, let us be encouraged and reminded that our God is faithful and keeps his promises. He kept the impossible promise to save the world from sin. He did the impossible and sent his one and only Son to be born of a virgin. We can be confident that God continues to do the impossible in our lives. We washed us and gave us new life through the waters of baptism. He is here with us as he gives us the forgiveness of sins through his body and blood and has given us the impossible gift of eternal life with him.

These are the promises of God that we can cling to during the darkest hours of our lives. When we face times of trouble and hardship, when we face times of pain and loss, we cling to the promises of God and know that he is continually by our side and will help, comfort, and support us every day of our lives. We can place our trust in God, cling to his promises with the same faith as Mary, and confess, “See, I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.”

Now to him, who is able, according to the power that is at work within us, to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

The Greatest Mystery by Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: John 1:1-18

SN: 0039 12/25/23

The Greatest Mystery

Our world is full of mysteries. I could drop a pencil from the pulpit and know that it will hit the floor, but I don’t think I could explain to you why it does. I understand the concept of gravity and think it has something to do with the curvature of space-time, but I can’t explain it much better. I learned that light is both a wave and a particle, but I can’t explain that very well, either. I love listening to music but writing and reading it are mysteries to me.

These are just a few mundane mysteries that we encounter every day of our lives. These are things we can’t explain, but we believe and accept them as real. Today, we are celebrating a far greater mystery, perhaps the greatest mystery that has ever happened in the history of the world. The Apostle John describes this great and mighty wonder in beautiful and poetic words, “The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.” What powerful words! What a beautiful mystery that Jesus Christ, God from eternity, took on human flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary.

For almost 2,000 years, humanity has struggled to understand this greatest of mysteries. We have struggled to understand how God could become man. John begins his Gospel at the beginning of all things. He underscores the eternal nature of our Savior by revealing to us that Christ was with God the Father at the creation of the universe. These simple words contain complicated concepts beyond our limited human ability to comprehend. The mystery of eternity is that God existed before the creation of time itself. That God exists in eternity that extends in both directions beyond the explanation of time—the profound mystery of the Trinity itself. We worship one God in Three persons and three persons in one God.

As we ponder the birth of our Savior. As we rejoice in the truth that God became flesh and made his dwelling among us, we must keep these amazing mysteries in mind. Jesus is God, that Jesus is eternal, that Jesus and the Father are one, and yet it was not the Father who was born in that lowly manger but the Son who was begotten of the Father from eternity. Dear friends, this mystery is beyond our understanding. This is a mystery that is only revealed to us through the Words of Scripture, and it is a mystery that is only believed by the miracle of the Holy Spirit working faith in our hearts. This mystery is the foundation of our faith.

What joy! What wonder we have as we consider this greatest of miracles and mysteries. But as we consider the birth of our Savior, we must also remember the reason that Christ needed to become flesh and make his dwelling among us. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth in sinless perfection. He created Adam and Eve in his perfect image. But Adam and Eve disobeyed the command of God, and all mankind was cursed with sin and death. By nature, we are all born dead in sin and hostile to God. We are incapable of keeping God’s holy law. We daily sin much in our thoughts, words, and actions. God, in his perfect holiness, cannot tolerate our sinfulness. God must punish our sins.

But our God is also a God of love and grace. God does not want to condemn his children to the fires of hell. God wants to save us. We cannot save ourselves, and so God, in the greatest act of love, chose to save us himself. He sent his one and only Son to take on human flesh to save us. As the Apostle Paul beautifully writes for us, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son to be born of a woman, so that he would be born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as sons. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts to shout, ‘Abba, Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if you are a son, then you are also an heir of God through Christ.”

This is the wondrous mystery of our salvation. Jesus Christ, God from eternity, was born as a helpless baby so that he could live a perfect life in our place. He would then offer his perfect life as a ransom to pay for the sins of the whole world. Jesus Christ, true God from eternity, suffered and died

on the cross to redeem us from our sins. The only Son of God died so that we could be adopted as Sons of God most high and receive the gift of eternal life instead of eternal death.

This is the amazing mystery of Christmas. This is the beauty of knowing that the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Our God loved us so much that the Creator took on the form of the fallen creature to save us. The body that was in the manger was the same body that hung on a cross for our sins, and it is the same body that, in another mystery beyond comprehension, is giving to us to eat and to drink for the forgiveness of sins.

Dear friends, I cannot adequately explain to you the mystery of gravity or music. I also cannot explain to you the mystery of the incarnation of how God became man and made his dwelling among us. But what I can proclaim to you is the message that our God loved us so much that he came and lived as one of us so that he could suffer and die and save us from our sins. Amen.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Comfort for All Who Mourn by Pastor Zarling

Isaiah 61:1-3, 10-11 The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the afflicted. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for those who are bound, 2to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a cloak of praise instead of a faint spirit, so that they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD to display his beauty.

10I will rejoice greatly in the LORD. My soul will celebrate because of my God, for he has clothed me in garments of salvation. With a robe of righteousness he covered me, like a bridegroom who wears a beautiful headdress like a priest, and like a bride who adorns herself with her jewelry.

11For as the earth produces its growth, and as a garden causes what has been sown to sprout up, so God the LORD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up in the presence of all the nations.

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Amen.

Joe and Sharon had recently retired. They were planning on spending their retirement years traveling, spoiling their grandkids, and spending time together.

That all changed when Joe had a heart attack and died.

It’s been several months since Joe’s death. Sharon doesn’t know what to do. She feels lost. Lonely. Joe’s easy chair is empty. She keeps setting a place for him at the dinner table. There’s no one to fix the leaky faucet or open jars or kill spiders in the house.

They would each wear their Santa’s hats while putting up Christmas decorations together. Joe would think he was Bing Crosby and start crooning Christmas carols to her. But now she has lost interest in the decorations, lights, and songs. She waits until her children and grandchildren come over to help her set up for Christmas.

They never watched much TV. But Joe would cuddle with Sharon to watch her cheesy Hallmark movies. They would hold hands wherever they went. They would smooch and gross out their kids and later their grandkids. But now there is no one to cuddle or hold hands or smooch with.

Sharon’s friends encourage her to keep busy, get involved in her church’s quilting circle, play Pickleball, and even start dating. But she has no interest in Pickleball, quilting, and certainly not dating.

She is hurting. Aching. Grieving. Mourning.

Sharon and Joe are not a real couple. But their story is all too real. It is an amalgamation of stories I’ve heard from you over the years.

In the Old Testament lesson from Isaiah 61, the Lord’s prophet gives comfort to grieving people. Isaiah is comforting the children of Israel who will be returning from their 70 years in Babylonian exile. They will be mourning the loss of family (God’s people), the destruction of Jerusalem (God’s city), and the demolition of the temple (God’s house). Isaiah’s words give physical comfort, spiritual comfort, and also emotional comfort to those who are grieving.

When someone close to us – like a spouse – dies, there is pain. I don’t think pain is the result of sin. I’m pretty confident that if Adam stepped on an acorn with his bare foot in the perfection of

Eden, he would still have felt pain. Maybe not the kind of pain of stepping on a Lego … but close.

The pain we feel in our hearts, heads, and bodies when we are grieving – that is certainly the product of sin. God did not create us to die, but to live. Death is God’s curse upon the children of Adam and Eve because of our first parents’ first sin that destroyed the perfection of Eden.

Dying exists as God’s punishment for human evil and rebellion. It is not nice nor natural. Death is God’s curse upon the sinner, “For dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). Death is the clearest expression of God’s hatred over sin. St. Paul explains, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Because we all sin, we will all experience the curse of death. We will first feel the emotional pain of death when it robs us of our loved one. Then we will feel the physical pain of death when we die.

Many times, when someone dies, we try to blame God. But it is death who is the enemy. Death takes our loved ones away from us and leaves us a hole. And whether it happens suddenly or slowly, to a parent, spouse, sibling, or child, it really doesn’t matter, does it? The pain is great. The brokenness is absolute. The hurting is unbearable.

What God has joined together; death has torn apart.

Jesus comes to comfort you in your grief over death in this life. He also comes to remove the curse of death, so you have no fear of it for the life to come.

The Messiah says, “The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me” (Isaiah 61:1). This is the Son of God speaking through his prophet 700 years before the Messiah took on flesh in the womb of the Virgin. When Jesus preached in the Nazareth synagogue, he read Isaiah 61 from the scroll of the prophet, and then said, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

The Messiah continues, “The LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the afflicted” (Isaiah 61:1). Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism to carry out this work of comforting all who mourn.

When I asked widows and widowers what helps them in their grief, they all answered that what helps is God’s Word and God’s people. They all admitted they don’t know how someone could handle grief without God. Jesus gives the good news to the afflicted Christian with a Christian spouse that their loved one was baptized in Jesus’ name, believed in Jesus as their Savior, and now is a saint around Jesus’ throne in heaven. That’s good news. … That’s the best news there is!

The Messiah continues with his job description, “He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted” (Isaiah 61:1). When your spouse dies, it can feel like you are shattered glass. Jesus came to unbreak your broken heart. Little by little, Jesus begins putting you back together again. It may take a little while, or it may take a long time … but Jesus binds up your broken heart by gluing you back together again. The glue is the divine and dying love he has for you … and the divine and dying love he has for your spouse.

“He sent me … to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance for our God” (Isaiah 61:1-2).

Jesus preaches freedom. But he did more than preach. On the cross, he put himself in our dark dungeon and released us into the light. Jesus didn’t just talk about freedom; he set us free.

You are fully and eternally free from all punishment for your sins. Jesus signed your pardon papers with his blood. He placed his seal on the papers when he broke the seal on his grave. He

broke you free from the shackles of your sins. He released you from the guilt that imprisoned you. He gave you hope as you face the very real terror of your inevitable death. The darkness of death that haunts the dreams of all people no longer haunts you. You have been set free from that fear because through faith in Jesus you will rise to life just as he did.

Now the Messiah bandages your broken heart with the soothing message of your forgiveness.

He releases captives bound in the hopeless dungeon of your despair.

He breaks the bondage of Satan’s controlling influence over your life.

He brings resurrection comfort when you mourn the death of your Christian loved ones.

He proclaims the Year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance for our God. This is referring to the Year of Jubilee in ancient Israel. Every 50 years in the Year of Jubilee, slaves were to be set free, debts were to be forgiven, and purchased property was to revert to the original owners. The former slaves, debtors, and those who had sold their family farms were excited on the Year of Jubilee. There will be even greater excitement for us who were once spiritual slaves and debtors to the sin that enslaved us and held us down.

You may not feel much like “jubilee” while you are mourning. But when Jesus comes, we can’t help but rejoice and be jubilant.

In contrast to such good news, God threatens a “day of vengeance.” On Judgment Day, there will be those at Jesus’ right hand to whom he will say, “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). There will also be those on his left to whom Jesus will say, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the Devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

Then the Messiah sets up a series of contrasts that bring joy to your hurting heart. “He has sent me … to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a cloak of praise instead of a faint spirit, so that they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD to display his beauty” (Isaiah 61:2-3) On the one side, we will experience mourning, grieving, ashes, and despair. On the other side, we will find comfort, a crown of beauty, the oil of gladness, and a garment of praise.

The Messiah is speaking of his ministry in verses 1-3. In verses 10-11, the speaker becomes one who has received the benefits of the Messiah’s ministry.

“I will rejoice greatly in the LORD. My soul will celebrate because of my God, for he has clothed me in garments of salvation. With a robe of righteousness he covered me, like a bridegroom who wears a beautiful headdress like a priest, and like a bride who adorns herself with her jewelry. For as the earth produces its growth, and as a garden causes what has been sown to sprout up, so God the LORD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up in the presence of all the nations” (Isaiah 61:10-11).

When you are mourning, it may be difficult to get out of bed, get in the shower, and get dressed. On those difficult days, remember your wedding day. Recall how beautiful the bride was in her wedding dress and how handsome the groom was in his tuxedo (especially with the cummerbund and all the ruffles). The Messiah motivates you to move out of your bed as he showers you daily with his baptismal waters. He dresses you in something more beautiful than your tuxedo or wedding dress. He clothes you with the garments of salvation. He places on you the robe of his righteousness.

The Messiah gives us this makeover free of charge. Free to us, but at great price to him. To give you the crown of life, Jesus wore a crown of thorns. To gift you with his righteous robe, he was mocked with a scarlet robe, beaten, and flogged. He was stripped of his garments, stripped of his dignity, and nailed to a cross. All so that you and your Christian family can stand beautiful and glorious before the Lord.

People notice when your mourning is replaced with joy. When your despair is replaced with confidence. When your spouse is dying, and you anticipate that death with resurrection faith in the Lord. They see when the Messiah is comforting those who mourn.

We are all broken because we are broken sinners living in a broken world. You have permission to feel broken. It’s OK to feel like you are trapped in your heart or imprisoned by your emotions. You don’t have to fake happiness.

But know this, the Messiah binds up the broken hearted and comforts those who mourn. You will find real comfort for your real mourning in in the very real Messiah. Amen.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Amen.

Prepare the Way of the Lord by Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: Isaiah 40:1-11 Advent 2B

SN: 0037 12/10/23

Prepare the Way of the Lord

Have you heard the joke that Wisconsin has only two seasons: winter and road construction? Lately, it seems like maybe there is only one season, and construction never ends. Driving in construction can be frustrating. It slows everything down and makes driving a hassle. The lanes are narrow, and we’re not entirely sure what the person next to us will do. The detours don’t seem to be going anywhere near where we are heading. But just think of how terrible driving would be if we didn’t have massive highway projects. Imagine trying to drive narrow, rutted, twisting tracks. It would take forever to get anywhere.

As much as we dislike dealing with construction, we like the finished product. There’s nothing quite like driving on fresh, smooth asphalt that is entirely free from any bump or pothole. This is the kind of road that the Prophet Isaiah describes for us. A smooth, flat roadway through the desert without any imperfections. This roadway is so smooth and level that even the very mountains and hills have been laid low, and the valleys have been raised up. Isaiah is not describing a literal road through the desert. Instead, he is telling us how we should prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord. This is the same message that John the Baptist preached almost 700 years later.

John echoed the words of Isaiah when he preached his message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Both John and Isaiah were preaching a message of repentance. They were using the tools of God’s Word to undertake a massive construction project in the hearts of their hearers. They used the tool of God’s law to break down the mountains of pride and fill in the valleys of guilt and despair in the hearts of the people. They wanted them to turn away from their sins and trust in the promises of God. Repentance is how God’s people prepare the way for their coming Lord. We understand the depth of our sin and our inability to save ourselves. We understand our need for a Savior and find comfort trusting that God has forgiven our sins through faith in Jesus Christ.

The nation of Judah needed a massive construction project. The hearts of the people had wandered far from God. They had broken the covenant God made with them at Mt. Sinai. They had rebelled against God and had worshiped many false gods. God sent Isaiah to call the people back from their sins and lead them to repentance. The first 39 chapters of Isaiah are a harsh preaching of God’s law. Isaiah needed to break down the mountains of sin and pride. He needed to remind the people and announce that there would be consequences for their rebellion. Chapter 39 ends with Isaiah telling King Hezekiah that God would send the nation of Babylon to conquer the nation of Judah. Jerusalem and the temple of God would be destroyed, and the people would be taken into exile.

This was not a pleasant message for the people to hear. It is never pleasant to be reminded of the times we have failed. But our hearts need constant renovation; because of sin, our hearts are not prepared for the coming of our King. Even though we have been reborn through the waters of baptism, we must still struggle daily with the evil wants and desires of our sinful nature. Satan is waging a war against our hearts and wants nothing more than to lead us away from God. We are being assaulted on all sides by temptations. In our weakness, it is easy to fall into sin. The list of the sins we commit every day could go on and on because we know that we break our God's commandments daily. We utterly fail to live to the standard of perfection that he demands and know that our hearts are not smooth and level and prepared for our Lord.

We don’t like to hear these things about ourselves. We don’t want to be reminded of our sins. But dear Christians, it is necessary for us to hear the harsh Words of God’s law. We must be reminded of our sins so that we do not become puffed up with our own pride. Just as it is so easy to fall into temptation, it is just as easy to delude ourselves into thinking that maybe we aren’t that bad. Of if we

are bad, at least we are not as bad as those other sinners who are far worse than we are. Isaiah warns us of these mountains of pride by reminding us that all human works are like grass. Our best righteous acts cannot stand before the glory of the Lord and are like filthy rags. In his commentary on this section of Isaiah, the Lutheran theologian August Pieper describes how our self-righteousness compares to God’s holiness. “The holiness of the Lord is not passive, intransitive, or inactive, but it is an attribute of God that is ceaselessly active and effectively in operation. Without pause it pierces all things with its light, blows upon, judges, and thus sears, burns, and consumes everything sinful, unclean, and unholy.”

Dear friends, God does not want to leave us in this wretched state. God wants to save us. He commanded Isaiah to follow up his harsh pronouncement of the law with these beautiful words, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her. Her warfare really is over. Her guilt is fully paid for. Yes, she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” God would not leave his people in exile but would rescue them with his mighty arm. He would bring them back to the land of their ancestors and restore them as his people. They did not need to fear God’s punishment because their guilt had been paid for.

This is the same message of comfort we have received from the Lord. Our sins have been paid for, and our guilt has been removed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The ministry of Isaiah and John the Baptist prepared the way for the ultimate revelation of the glory of the Lord. The amazing miracle that God himself would take on human flesh and be born as a tiny, helpless baby. God would live as one of us and suffer as one of us. That God would himself endure the shame and agony of the cross and the torments of hell in our place and that God would die for us. This is the great mystery of our Savior.

Jesus Christ, as true God and true man, offered his perfect life as a sacrifice for our sins. By his death, Christ renovated our hearts. He destroyed our mountains of sin and pride and filled in our valleys of guilt and shame. He made us pure and holy. Because of his death and resurrection, we do not need to fear the judgment of God. We have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ and look forward to that joyful day when our Lord will appear in all his glory and take us to our eternal home,

Dear friends, the season of Advent gives us an opportunity each year to focus on repentance. We know that we are sinners, and we know that our sins have been completely paid for by the death of Christ. We do not need to do anything to earn God’s grace and favor. So why do we repent? We repent to acknowledge our sinfulness before the Lord. We repent because, as God’s faithful people, we want to turn away from our sins and live as children of light. That’s what repentance is. We struggle daily against our sinful desires but acknowledge that we fail in that struggle. The Apostle Paul describes our struggle this way, “Indeed, I know that good does not live in me, that is, in my sinful flesh. The desire to do good is present with me, but I am not able to carry it out. So I fail to do the good I want to do. Instead, the evil I do not want to do, that is what I keep doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who am doing it, but it is sin living in me.”

This is why we confess our sins before God and our brothers and sisters in Christ each Sunday. We ask God for his forgiveness and trust that our sins have been forgiven. This is the other side of repentance; we turn away from our sins and turn to the promises of God. We trust that all of our sins have been paid for by the death of Christ. That our salvation is not found in our works but in Christ. We receive that forgiveness as we eat and drink the body and blood of Christ.

Comfort, comfort, my people. Your sins have been forgiven, and your hearts are prepared for the coming of the Lord. Because of Christ, our hearts are a smooth and straight highway ready to receive our King. Every mountain has been laid low, and every valley filled in.

O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide by Pastor Zarling

O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide

Isaiah 64:1-9 Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and come down. Mountains then would quake because of your presence. 2As fire ignites stubble and as fire makes water boil, make your name known to your adversaries. Then nations would quake in your presence. 3You did amazing things that we did not expect. You came down. Mountains quaked because of your presence. 4From ancient times no one has heard. No ear has understood. No eye has seen any god except you, who goes into action for the one who waits for him. 5You meet anyone who joyfully practices righteousness, who remembers you by walking in your ways! But you were angry because we sinned. We have remained in our sins for a long time. Can we still be saved? 6All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth. All of us have withered like a leaf, and our guilt carries us away like the wind. 7There is no one who calls on your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you. So you hid your face from us. You made us melt by the power of our guilt. 8But now, Lord, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter. All of us are the work of your hand. 9Do not be angry, Lord, without limit. Do not remember our guilt forever. Please look closely. All of us are your people.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen. (1 Corinthians 1:3)

On Sunday, my family was together to celebrate my birthday. Shelley gave me two presents. I ripped open the wrapping paper on the first box. It contained a pancake maker – a pancake maker that presses the shape of R2D2 and Darth Vader into the pancakes. I ripped open the wrapping paper on the second box. It contained a toaster – certainly not a regular toaster – a toaster in the shape of Darth Vader’s helmet!

My wife does not know, nor does she understand Star Wars. But she does know and understand her husband.

The prophet Isaiah prays for God to rip open the heavens. But this ripping and rending is not to bring presents. It would be to rip and rend the heavens to bring judgment upon Israel’s enemies.

Isaiah prays, “Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and come down. Mountains then would quake because of your presence” (Isaiah 64:1).

As a response to Israel’s rebellion and worship of false gods, the Lord allowed Israel’s enemies to overtake them time and time again. With prophetic foresight Isaiah looks ahead to the time when the Lord will allow Israel’s enemies to overtake them and God’s people will be living in exile in Babylon. These will be dark days for the people of God. Judah will be overrun by the Babylonians. Her citizens will be carried as captives to a foreign land. Even their king will be made a prisoner in Babylon. Jerusalem, the city of God, will be destroyed. The temple, the house of God, will be leveled and its sacred vessels carried away. These will definitely be dark days.

It seems like God’s enemies were triumphing. God’s enemies smugly defy God and gladly oppose God’s people. It seems like no one can resist them. Isaiah turns to God and asks him to step in and demonstrate his power in a sudden, violent way – so that his people might again be delivered from their enemies.

Isaiah prays, “Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and come down. Mountains then would quake because of your presence. As fire ignites stubble and as fire makes water boil, make your name known to your adversaries. Then nations would quake in your presence” (Isaiah 64:1-2).

Isaiah pleads that God will rip open the sky to come down in a way to make the mountains quake, the stubble burst into flame, and the waters boil. He wants the Lord to rend the heavens and come down in judgment like he did with the Flood, the tower of Babel, and Sodom and Gomorrah – drowning the wicked, spreading out the rebellious, and destroying the perverse.

Isaiah admits, “You did amazing things that we did not expect. You came down. Mountains quaked because of your presence” (Isaiah 64:3). Who would have expected the ways God rescued his people in the past? He rescued his people by sending devastating plagues (Exodus 7:5), parting of the Red Sea with a strong east wind (Exodus 14:21), destroying the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6), and the scattering of the Canaanites with hailstones (Joshua 10).

It seems like these are dark days for the Christian Church in America. It appears as if God’s enemies are triumphing over God’s people. The abomination of abortion is promoted. The butchering of bodies is celebrated. The sin of sexual immorality is revered. Evil is called good. Wrong is called right. The pagan worship of “Mother Earth” is more religious than the worship by most Christians. The idolatrous devotion to sports is more powerful than devotion to the Savior by many Christians. Radical secularism rules our day. The Church’s influence on our culture has certainly diminished.

We can cry out with Isaiah, “O Savior, rend the heavens wide.” How long will God allow this low point to last? When will God intervene and act? We call out, “Strike down your enemies, O God! Deliver your people, O Lord!”

Yet, remember why God allowed the enemies to overrun his people. It was in response to Israel’s idolatry of false gods and their apathy toward worshiping the true God.

Could God be allowing our enemies to oppose the Christian Church in response to our idolatry and apathy? How often are God’s people apathetic to worship, disinterested in Christian morals, and callous to bringing children up in the training and instruction of the Lord? We must admit that the hearts and minds of God’s people – that includes us – have become dull and distracted. The ministries of God’s churches are hampered by inadequate participation, low worship attendance, and lack of financial support.

We may be pretty excited to see God come down to bring justice upon his enemies. But wait. … Are we the enemies? Are we praying for God’s judgment to come upon us? Have we incurred God’s righteous wrath over our pathetic sins and apathetic faith?

Isaiah sees it. “You were angry because we sinned. We have remained in our sins for a long time. Can we still be saved? All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth” (Isaiah 64:5b-6a).

The word “unclean” means “polluted and defiled.” The Old Testament Levitical laws described many things such as certain animals as being “unclean.” Isaiah confessed that the people themselves were “unclean” and placed himself among the polluted and defiled. Isaiah then emphasized the disgusting and revolting character of sin. We might think we’re pretty good people and consider all the great things we do for God and others. But Isaiah emphasizes that even our so-called righteous acts are nothing but “filthy cloths” to God. Our English translation softens the harshness of this Hebrew phrase. It really refers to a woman’s menstrual rags. God views our works of the flesh as something disgusting, embarrassing, to be thrown away.

Isaiah asks a great question, “Can we still be saved?” How can we be saved when we are so unclean and filthy in God’s eyes?

Isaiah then describes what sin has done to every person. “All of us have withered like a leaf, and our guilt carries us away like the wind. There is no one who calls on your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you. So you hid your face from us. You made us melt by the power of our guilt” (Isaiah 64:6b-7). Sin makes us lifeless and dead like dry leaves that skitter and scrape across the ground in the autumn wind. By ourselves we have no life and can produce nothing of value in God’s eyes. As a result, God hides his face and turns the sinner over to their own natures. As sinners abandon God to indulge their sins, God then abandons them to their imaginations. … That is a terrible judgment!

Advent is a season of repentance. God is giving you this time to repent of your apathy, to confess your indifference, to admit your idolatry. He is giving you this season to turn from your pathetic sins, to ask for help with your apathetic faith, to pray for the Holy Spirit to make you different in your indifference to the Lord’s ministries. He is giving you this time to recognize your filth and acknowledge your lifelessness. He is calling for you right now to turn toward him to seek his forgiveness. To beg for cleansing. To ask him to shine his face on you again. To pray for the Holy Spirit’s sanctification. To plead for undeserved mercy instead of the judgment you deserve.

Isaiah prays for that mercy. “But now, Lord, you are our father. We are the clay, and you are our potter. All of us are the work of your hand. Do not be angry, Lord, without limit. Do not remember our guilt forever. Please look closely. All of us are your people” (Isaiah 64:8-9). “But” – such an important word. Despite our righteous acts appearing like menstrual rags; despite our unclean nature; despite our lifeless faith life – “but” we can still call God our Lord and Father. God is our Lord. This name means he is a God of free and faithful grace, the God who made a covenant of salvation to Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, … and you. He is also the God whom we can wondrously and confidently address daily in our prayers, “Our Father in heaven …”. No matter what we’ve done, no matter how far we’ve gone away from God, no matter how embarrassing and disgusting we are, God still considers himself our Father and calls us to himself as his adopted children.

Isaiah also writes, “From ancient times no one has heard. No ear has understood. No eye has seen any god except you, who goes into action for the one who waits for him” (Isaiah 64:4).

Just as no one could have imagined how God would deliver his enslaved people through the Exodus, so no one could ever imagine how God would deliver enslaved humanity through Jesus. Who could conceive that God would allow his Son to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin? Who could imagine that God would send his one and only Son as a substitute to redeem the world from sin and deliver all humanity from death? Who would consider God would accomplish this salvation by sacrificing his own Son? What human mind could have anticipated the empty tomb? Would anyone create a plan where the Creator takes on the flesh of his creatures to saved his fallen creation?

God certainly did rend the heavens and come down! It was our Lord Jesus Christ, “who for us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became truly human” (Nicene Creed). Watch for the Son of God who came meek and mild, wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12). Watch for the Son of Man who will be “coming on clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26).

Jesus is the answer to Isaiah’s prayer. God rends the heavens to send a Savior who takes God’s just judgment and righteous wrath. Jesus wore our filthy rags and gave us his righteous robes to wear. He became unclean with our sins so we might be washed clean by his baptismal waters.

In a few weeks, you will be ripping and rending the wrapping paper to open your Christmas presents. Your family knows and understands you. I’m confident they will give you good gifts.

Our Savior certainly knows and understands what we need. At Advent we rejoice that our Savior ripped and rent the heavens wide at his incarnation to defeat our enemies of sin, death, and the devil. He defeated them through his birth, life, death, and resurrection. He ripped open his grave and made the very gates of hell quake. At Advent we also rejoice that our Savior will one day – on the Last Day – rip and rend the heavens wide in power and glory. Then he will deliver God’s people by destroying our enemies once and for all. Make Isaiah’s Advent prayer your Advent prayer: O Savior rend the heavens wide. Amen.

[God] will keep you strong until the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8).

O Antiphons

The Christian Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least the eighth century. An antiphon is a psalm, hymn or prayer sung or chanted in alternate parts. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Messiah. The importance of the O Antiphons is twofold: each one highlights a title for the Messiah: O Emmanuel, O Wisdom, O Lord, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Dayspring and O Desire of the Nations. Each one, also, refers to the prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.

Each devotion in this O Antiphons series begins with a Scripture reading on a name for Christ, followed by a brief devotional thought, and completed with one of the ancient hymn verses as we sing about that name of Christ.

FIRST ANTIPHON: IMMANUEL Isaiah 7:10-16

The LORD spoke to Ahaz again. He said, 11“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God. Ask for it either in the depths below or in the heights above.”

12But Ahaz responded, “I will not ask. I will not test the LORD.”

13So Isaiah said:

Listen now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to test the patience of men? Will you test the patience of my God as well? 14Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign for all of you. Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel. 15He will eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse evil and choose good, 16because even before the child knows how to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

We cannot help ourselves. On our own, we are helpless. We cannot save ourselves from hell. We cannot free ourselves from our damning prison. We cannot raise our spiritually dead souls or our physically dead corpses. We are hell-bound and cannot change our direction.

The most helpless creature in our world is a human infant. So, what does God do to save us? He sends his divine Son into our world as a human infant! The Son of God sets down his crown and takes off his royal robes. He puts on our humanity. He is God with us to do what we cannot do on our own. He saves us, frees us, and raises us – body and soul. All because he is Immanuel.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

SECOND ANTIPHON: LORD OF MIGHT Exodus 19:16-20

On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was over the mountain, and there was a very loud blast of a ram’s horn. All the people in the camp trembled. 17Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke from a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19When the sound of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in the thunder. 20The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, at the top of the mountain. The Lord then called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

We are weak on our own. We would become slaves of a tyrant. We would be trapped between the rage of Pharaoh and the raging waters of the Red Sea. We would die in the desert from thirst and hunger.

The Lord of Might comes to rescue his people. He comes in a burning bush to name a leader. He comes as a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud to protect his people from the Egyptians. He comes to blow his mighty wind to dry a path in the Red Sea waters. He comes to feed his people with manna and quail and give them water flowing from a rock. He comes on Mt. Sinai to give the law in cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might,

Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times didst give the law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

THIRD ANTIPHON: ROOT OF JESSE Isaiah 11:1,10-12

A shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse,

and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

10This is what will take place on that day. The peoples will seek the Root of Jesse, who will be standing like a banner for the peoples, and his resting place will be glorious.

11On that day the Lord will reach out his hand for the second time to reclaim the

remnant of this people who survive from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coasts of the sea.

12He will set up a banner for the nations,

and he will assemble the outcasts of Israel

and gather together the scattered people of Judah,

from the four corners of the earth.

If we closely examine our family trees, there are probably family members we don’t want to admit to knowing and certainly don’t want others to know about. … Maybe our family members feel the same way about us. Gasp! We are all messed up!

Jesus comes from a family tree that was all messed up – Gentiles, a prostitute, adulterers, a king who was also a murderer! Jesse is one of the men in Jesus’ family tree. Jesse is the father of King David. After David, the family tree becomes like a stump. Yet, even from this decrepit, lifeless stump, Jesus came as the Root of Jesse. He brings life back into the trunk, branches, and leaves of the tree. Though we and our fellow Christians are still messed up – we’re still gossips, thieves, adulterers, murderers, and more – Jesus accepts us all as those who have faith in him. Jesus has grafted us onto the Root of Jesse. Now we are part of Jesus’ family tree … and we will bear much fruit.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny;

From depths of hell Thy people save,

And give them victory over the grave.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

FOURTH ANTIPHON: DAYSPRING Revelation 22:12-16

Look, I am coming soon and my reward is with me, to repay each one according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the Tree of Life and so that they may enter through the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, that is, the sorcerers, the adulterers, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.

Adam and Eve’s sin plunged this world into darkness and death. Sin loves the darkness and hates the light. Sin loves death and hates life. Adam hid in the darkness of Eden’s trees. Judas betrayed Jesus in the darkness of Gethsemane. We

often attempt to hide our embarrassing guilt when we are alone in the darkness.

God sent his Son, the light of the world, into the darkness. He is “the light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Jesus was born in the darkness so we might be reborn as children of the light. He died in the darkness so we might live in the light of his life. He rose at dawn to usher in the new day of his resurrection. He is the light that chases away our darkness. He is the light that exposes our sins, so we come to him in repentance and seeking forgiveness. Jesus is the bright Morning Star, the Dayspring from on High. His very name means there will never be darkness in his eternal paradise.

O come, Thou Day-spring, from on high,

And cheer us by thy drawing nigh;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

FIFTH ANTIPHON: KEY OF DAVID Revelation 3:7-8

To the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write:

The Holy One, the one who is true, the one who has the key of David, the one who opens and no one can shut, and who shuts and no one can open, says this:8I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Because of our sinful nature and because of sins, we are locked out of heaven. Sin cannot exist in the holiness of our God. We are in bondage to our sin and cannot free us from our pitiful condition. No matter how much we struggle against the chains and rattle the bars, we are unable to break out of our prison. The eternal penitentiary of hell is waiting once death finds us.

Jesus the Christ entered our world. He endured the Law’s sentence. He stormed the gates of hell with his death, resurrection, and descent into hell. He is the Key of David. He frees us from our damnable dungeon by locking the gates of hell to us. Through faith in him, he unlocks the portals of paradise to us. He is the Key of David who opens the doors that no one else can close. He is the Key of David who shuts the doors that no one else can open.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

SIXTH ANTIPHON: WISDOM Isaiah 11:2-5

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him:

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

3He will be delighted with the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

nor will he render decisions based on what he hears with his ears,

4but with righteousness he will judge the poor,

and he will render fair decisions in favor of the oppressed on the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath from his lips he will put the wicked to death.

5Righteousness will be the belt around his waist,

and faithfulness the belt around his hips.

We are so foolish! Our current culture has become consumed with keeping “Mother Earth” from being angry with us because of “climate change.” Our culture has elevated the earth, the trees, the oceans, and the animals to become pagan gods. It is the new pagan religion of our age that’s no different from the pagan religion of past ages. It is the worship of the created instead of worship of the Creator. How foolish!

Jesus Christ is the Wisdom of God incarnate. He is God’s Wisdom in the flesh. He is the “power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). It seems foolish that the Creator would take on the flesh of a creature to save his fallen creation. But that’s exactly what happened! This sounds foolish, yet Scripture says of this, Since the world through its wisdom did not know God, God in his wisdom decided to save those who believe, through the foolishness of the preached message” (1 Corinthians 1:21). What is this “foolishly” wise message? “We preach Christ crucified, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25a).

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,

Who orderest all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And teach us in her ways to go.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

SEVENTH ANTIPHON: DESIRE OF THE NATIONS Haggai 2:6-9

Listen, this is what the LORD of Armies says. Once again, in a little while, I myself will shake the heavens and the earth, the seas and the dry land. 7I will shake all the nations, and the desired of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Armies. 8The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of Armies. 9The glory of this second house will be greater than that of the first one, says the LORD of Armies. For in this place I will provide peace, declares the LORD of Armies.

What do you desire? We can have desires that are spoiled by sin. Desires for a better job, better economy, better leaders. We can have desires that are set apart by sanctification. Peace in our homes, peace in our cities, peace among the nations.

Jesus Christ is the Desire of the Nations. He is what we and our world really need and should really be longing for. He is the Desire that shakes the nations (Haggai 2:7). Jesus caused the greatest upheaval in history. He split time between B.C. – Before Christ – and A.D. – Anno Domini, the Year of Our Lord. What happened in Bethlehem that Christmas night long ago is still sending its shockwaves among the nations. The Savior came to all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages. It is the Advent of our Lord.

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Joy in Faithful Service by Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: Matthew 25:14-30 Proper 28A

SN: 0035 11/19/23

Joy in Faithful Service

In 2006, two young men made a startling discovery. They were going through their father’s house after he had passed away and noticed something strange. They discovered a false wall with a hidden passage behind it. When they opened this secret compartment, they found several valuable paintings, including a famous painting by Norman Rockwell worth five million dollars. They did not know why their father had hidden these paintings but were excited to own these valuable treasures now. It seems odd that someone would hide something like valuable paintings.

We could argue that this man was not a good steward of these paintings. They were meant to be viewed and enjoyed, but if they were hidden and locked away, no one could appreciate them, and if this man’s sons had not found the hidden passage, they would have had no value. This is the attitude Jesus warned us about in our Gospel lesson this morning. We have all been given valuable gifts and abilities from God. God requires us to use those gifts in faithful service to his kingdom. But do we always make the most of these blessings from God? Do we immediately put them to work and eagerly serve to the best of our abilities, or do we hide what we have been given? This morning, let us consider how to use our gifts and talents to serve our God and find joy in faithful service.

Our lesson this morning takes place during the events of Holy Week. Jesus left Jerusalem with his disciples and went up on the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem. He has been instructing them about the signs that point toward the end of the world. The parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins that we heard about last Sunday shows us that we should be ready at any moment for our Lord’s return. The parable of the Talents illustrates the faithful service that God expects from his people as they await his glorious return.

In this parable, Jesus describes three different servants. All three serve a rich master who is going on a long journey. While he is away, he entrusts them with different amounts of his money according to their abilities. He gives each what they can handle with their different talents and abilities. The first two servants are faithful and immediately put the money to work and earn a return on what they had been given. The third servant takes the money he is given and hides it in a hole. He makes no effort whatsoever to serve his master faithfully. When the master returns, he is well pleased with the work of the first two servants and rewards them for their efforts. But he is enraged by the faithlessness of this wicked and lazy servant and has him cast out where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Dear friends, this parable allows us to consider our faithfulness in God’s kingdom. The Lord has given us all different gifts and abilities. Some of us have been blessed with great personal wealth; others have been blessed with the gifts of teaching and preaching God’s Word; others have been blessed with the gifts of leadership, or with, as the Irish say, “the gift of gab” (the ability to quickly and easily talk to and make friends with complete strangers); the list could go on and on. Each of us has been given unique blessings. God does not ask us to serve him in ways beyond our abilities. For example, I have a gift for public speaking, but I’m not the person you would ask to run a marathon or make a banner for the church. But God does ask us to use what he has given in faithful service to him.

How well have we done this? Have we made the most of our gifts and talents and faithfully served God to the best of our ability? Have we made the most of every opportunity to serve the Lord in his church, or have we hidden our gifts? Dear friends, we must all confess that we sometimes let our own selfish wants and desires take priority in our lives. We have not always used our blessings in service to God. We have not joyfully offered the Lord our first fruits but often give him what we have left over after doing what we want. We have not made the most of our time, and we have let opportunities to share our faith slip away.

Dear friends, we are all guilty of sins of omission. These are times when we know we should do good and serve others, but instead, we choose to serve ourselves. We have not been perfectly faithful with the great and numerous blessings that we have received. We have not always been

thankful and given credit to God, remembering that everything we have in our lives is a gift and trust from him. If we are honest, we should see ourselves as the wicked and lazy servant who hid his talent. We deserve to be thrown out to that place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Dear friends, we have not been faithful servants. We have failed to use our gifts and talents in faithful service to our God. If we needed to rely on our own works to earn our God's love and mercy, we would be lost. Praise God that we are not saved by our works but through faith in Christ alone. We have not been faithful, but Christ has been faithful. He never failed to do good. He used his gift and abilities perfectly in service to God. He taught the Word of God faithfully; he healed the sick, helped the poor, and loved his enemies. He did everything that God’s law required of him, and he did it for us. He did it so that he could take all our sins upon himself and give us his perfection in return.

The Apostle Paul beautifully describes this perfect faithfulness of Christ in Philippians 2, “Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant. When he was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” All this Christ did so that we could be his own. He sacrificed his life and endured the torments of hell so that we could be servants in his kingdom. He conquered the power of death by his resurrection and gave us the gift of eternal life with him.

Because of the sacrifice of Christ, we are members of God’s household. We have been given the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. But if that was not enough, God also blesses us by giving us everything else in our lives. Everything we have is a gift from our Father in heaven. Because of this, we are like the two faithful servants in this parable and find joy in our faithful service. We do good works not to earn a place in heaven but because, as Christians, we cannot help but do good works. Martin Luther describes our faith in this way, “O, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works incessantly. It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked, it has already done them and is constantly doing them. Whoever does not do such works, however, is an unbeliever.”

Each of us has been gifted in different ways. As believers, we are one body in Christ but many different parts. We each have unique gifts and abilities that help build up the church. Our service in God’s kingdom will look different, but everything we do is good and pleasing to God our Savior. This is why the Apostle Paul urges us to use our gifts in whatever way we have been blessed in service to God. Paul writes in Romans 12, “For we have many members in one body, and not all the members have the same function. In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. We have different gifts, according to the grace God has given us. If the gift is prophecy, do it in complete agreement with the faith. If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. If it is encouraging, then encourage. If it is contributing, be generous. If it is leadership, be diligent. If it is showing mercy, do it cheerfully.”

Dear brothers and sisters, using our gifts in faithful service to our God brings us joy. Using what we have been given to serve others is a blessing, and it pleases our heavenly Father. The two brothers found joy when they could take that Norman Rockwell painting out of hiding and share it with others. We have joy when we live in faithful service to our king. Because we are rooted in Christ and have been redeemed by his blood, we confidently serve our Lord. We know that he sees our good works and is pleased by them. What joy we will have on the last day when we stand before our Lord and hear those words of joy, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Be Prepared, Not Surprised by Pastor Klusmeyer

Text: Proper 27A

SN: 0034 11/13/23

Be Prepared, Not Surprised

What does it mean to be prepared? If I tell my catechism students to prepare for an upcoming test, I’m hoping they will study. If you are going to buy a new car or a new house, you do research. If we hear on the news that it will snow, we plan accordingly. Sometimes, we may go a little crazy with our preparations, but generally, we think it’s good to be prepared. We’re very good at preparing for things we know will happen, but how good are we at preparing for the unexpected? It’s hard to maintain a constant level of alertness. It’s easy to fall back into routines and begin to miss details. It’s easy to become complacent. This is especially true if we are expected to remain alert and prepared for an extended period of time.

This attitude of complacency is precisely what Jesus is warning his people about with the parable of the Wise and Foolish virgins. The church has been expectantly waiting for the Lord’s return for a long time. And, as individual Christians, it's easy to think that Christ’s return is still a long way off. But we have no idea when he will return. It could be today, tomorrow, or a hundred years from now. We also have no idea when we ourselves will die. This is why Jesus gives us this warning. He wants us to be prepared and not surprised by his return.

As the disciples were leaving the temple courts with Jesus, they were overawed by the large and splendid buildings. Jesus warned them not to be too impressed by these great buildings because they would soon be destroyed. Jesus then uses this discussion as an opportunity to warn his disciples about the end of the world. He tells them about the signs that will signal the end of all things. Wars, famines, false prophets, and persecutions will all be signs that the end will soon come. But Jesus also warns his disciples not to worry about the exact day or hour he will return. God has kept the precise time of the end of the world hidden. One of the reasons that he has done this is so that his people are always prepared for his return.

Jesus illustrates the importance of being prepared with the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins. In this parable, the groom is going from his house to the house of the bride, where they will celebrate the marriage feast. On the way, he will be met by a group of the bride’s friends who will greet him with lit lamps and form a joyful procession to the feast. But the groom is delayed, and the young women fall asleep during the wait. Suddenly, there is a cry in the night, “The bridegroom approaches!” The young women awake and prepare their lamps, but five of them are not prepared. They were not ready for a long wait, and their lamps had gone out. They beg the others for oil, but they can spare none. The five unprepared women rush away to find oil and miss the groom's arrival. When they return, it’s too late, and they are locked out of the party.

In this parable, Jesus is the groom, and ten virgins represent individual believers. Just like the groom was a long time in coming, so Christ has been a long time in his return. This parable is a harsh reminder to us not to become complacent in our faith. We want to be prepared to meet our king not surprised when he returns. But it is so easy to be distracted by the cares and concerns of this world. We have countless things that are clamoring for our attention. We never seem to have enough time, and it’s easy to allow all those other things to take precedence in our lives over God’s Word. Do we faithfully come to church each Sunday? Or do we let sports, work, or sleep have priority? Do we read and study God’s Word, or do we watch one more episode of our favorite show?

Dear friends, it is so easy to become complacent in our faith. This parable is a warning that we should not take that faith for granted. What will our Lord find when he returns? Christians who are actively living their faith, or Christians who don’t look any different than the world? We are surrounded by temptations on every side. Allowing sin of any kind to take root and grow in our hearts can destroy our faith. Then, we will be like the five foolish virgins who ran out of oil. We will not be ready to meet our king, and the door to heaven will be shut. Just think of the terrible words of judgment that Jesus speaks to those who were not ready for his return, “Amen, I tell you: I do not

know you.” This is the fate of all who do not believe in Jesus as their Savior. They will be eternally barred for the joy of heaven and the love of God.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this parable is a harsh warning that we should always be prepared for the return of our king. On the one hand, we are filled with dread, knowing that we have not always been as prepared as we should be, but on the other, we look forward in joyful anticipation to that great and glorious day. Dear friends, we have been invited to the great and glorious wedding feast. This is an invitation of pure grace. When we think about our lack of preparation, we know we have done nothing to earn or deserve this invitation. We should be locked outside like the foolish virgins, but instead, we have been invited in.

We receive this invitation through faith in Christ our Savior. While we may not be faithful in our preparation, Christ was always faithful. He perfectly resisted the temptation of the devil in the wilderness, and he remained obedient to the will of his Father. He was obedient even to death on the cross. Christ was prepared to face the torments of death and hell for us. He willingly offered himself as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of the whole world. All this he did because he loved us and wanted us to be his own. Through his blood, we have received the forgiveness of sin and an invitation to the great and glorious wedding feast that awaits us in heaven. We receive just a foretaste of that heavenly banquet each week as we come forward to receive body and blood, bread and wine.

This was symbolized in many older churches that had communion rails that were half circles. As we gather around visibly on one half, we are to think of the other invisible half. The great feast of all those who have been called home by our Father. This is the certainty we have in the resurrection of Christ. Death is not the end but just the beginning of the eternity of joy at the great wedding feast of our Savior.

What an amazing invitation. Think of the joy we have attending wedding celebrations in this life. Think of the preparations we are willing to go through for those celebrations. We have an invitation to a far greater feast than any celebration this world can offer. In the same way, we don’t neglect our preparations for an earthly wedding; let us not neglect our preparations for the wedding feast of our king. In our reading from 1 Thessalonians this morning, the Apostle Paul encourages us to live as sons of the light. But you, brothers, are not in the dark so that this day takes you by surprise like a thief, for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober. To be sure, those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

These are the preparations that our Lord asks of us. We want to be ready for his return, so we are not surprised by it. We prepare ourselves by putting God and his Word first in our lives. We eagerly strive to return to the well of living water that is his Word. We prepare ourselves by regularly coming to his house to grow in our faith and to encourage one another. We strive to live our lives as those eagerly awaiting our king's return. We do this because it pleases our Lord, and we do this as a witness to those who are still lost in darkness.

We are called to live as children of the light. We follow the commands of our Father and do his will because we are his people. We do things that the world thinks are foolish but are wise. We teach our children the truths of God’s Word. We strive to avoid the temptations and seductions of this world. We let our lights shine so others can see the love of Christ in our hearts and be drawn to it. After the Lord returns, it will be too late to share our oil with those who have none. Now is our time of grace. Let us share the message of the Gospel with friends, family, and neighbors so that they too may stand ready with burning lamps ready to great our long-awaited king.

Salvation Comes from our God by Pastor Zarling

Salvation comes from our God

Revelation 7:9-17 After these things I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing in front of the throne and of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. 10They called out with a loud voice and said: Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb.

11All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12saying: Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.

13One of the elders spoke to me and said, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?”

And I answered him, “Sir, you know.”

14And he said to me: These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Because of this they are in front of the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16They will never be hungry or thirsty ever again. The sun will never beat upon them, nor will any scorching heat, 17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb (Revelation 7:10). Amen.

Kaitlyn, a fourth grader at Wisconsin Lutheran School, Kaizer, a preschooler at WLS, and their little sister Ava are being baptized this morning.

It took a little bit – actually, it took a lot – to bring these children to the baptismal font today.

Their parents, Justin and Stacie, gave me permission to share their story with you.

Stacie was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in South Milwaukee. She went to church and was confirmed at Zion. Stacie attended a public high school and then started attending non-denominational churches. She started questioning God and his teachings. She felt she was not getting what she wanted out of the churches. By her own admission, she now knows that what she was looking for was selfish. As a result, she lost her focus on God.

Stacie and Justin left Christian churches and became involved in paganism … even Satanism. She said that they got what they thought they wanted there … and it wasn’t good! It was scary! Demonic!

Then they found the Church of Latter Day Saints. Well, Latter Day Saints found them by knocking on their door. Justin and Stacie like them, but they never felt quite right there.

Then several years ago, they moved across from our Racine campus. They both wanted to renew their relationship with God. Stacie wanted to enroll Kaitlyn in our school three years ago, but she felt she would be judged by members of the church. So, she chickened out.

As part of God’s overall plan for them, Justin and Stacie kept going to Camp Phillip, a WELS campground in Wautoma. Their friends at camp convinced them to give our church and school a chance. No one was going to judge them.

Now, according to Stacie, they are back where they belong. Their children are in our school. Their will be standing at the font today for God to make his vows of faithfulness to them. Justin and Stacie are halfway through our adult confirmation classes. Lord willing, they will be

standing before God’s altar in a few weeks for them to make their vows of faithfulness to the Lord.

Justin and Stacie were looking for something. They didn’t find it on their own. God found them. They couldn’t get what they wanted. God gave them what they needed. He gave them salvation.

Today God gives their children – Kaitlyn, Kaizer, and Ava – the gift of salvation through water and the Word.

It is this salvation that St. John heard the multitude of saints from every nation, tribe, people, and language shouting, “Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10).

Justin, Stacie, and their children had a difficult time getting to this day. That’s called “tribulation,” That tribulation will continue for them. That tribulation will continue for all of us.

Right now, we belong to the Church Militant – the Church at war, the Church enduring earthly tribulation. We see, hear, and feel this tribulation on a larger, macro level. For example, it certainly seems like we are on the verge of World War III. There is extreme violence in our nation’s large cities. There is sickness and disease, political, social, and sexual unrest. There is hunger and thirst in our homes because we have teenagers. But there is real hunger and thirst in our nation and around the world.

We also see, hear, and feel this tribulation on a smaller, micro, personal level. Perhaps it’s the struggle of mean words directed at you on the bus or on social media apps. Perhaps it’s the attempts to find a job or provide for your family in our current economy. Perhaps it’s the strain of a spouse or parents deciding to break their lifelong marriage bonds. Perhaps it’s the heartrending pain of the death of a child.

This tribulation is both caused by us and endured by us. We are sinners living among other sinners, living together in a sinful, broken, and painful world.

In his vision of heaven, St. John hears one of the elders say to him, “These people dressed in white robes, who are they and where did they come from?”

John answered him, “Sir, you know.”

The elder said to him, “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:13, 14).

With this vision, we are reminded that one day – hopefully soon – we will be among those coming out of the great tribulation. We will no longer be saints and sinners at the same time here on earth. We will then be made only into saints for eternity. We will be like the saints whom we remember today in our Prayer of the Church who have been transferred from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant.

We are still in this great tribulation. We are on one side of eternity; they are on the next. We labor; they rest. We fight; they are at peace. We wrestle; they walk. We hunger and thirst; they are forever nourished. We suffer under the cross; they abide in glory. Thorns and thistles afflict us; they endure no tears for God’s hand wipes them all away. This is the reality of both sides of eternity.

In November of 1940, the city of Coventry in England was bombed by the Nazis. The town was destroyed, and the centuries-old cathedral took two direct hits and was reduced to rubble. In the aftermath of the war, the church made an interesting decision. They left the ruins of their

cathedral in place. They cleaned up the rubble, but they didn’t tear down the stones that remained standing. They left the broken walls in place and then built their new church right next to it.

When they built the new cathedral, they installed a huge glass wall. Etched into the glass are large figures, four feet wide and ten feet tall – images of saints and angels rejoicing in heaven. Why a wall of clear glass? Because outside that wall of glass stand the ruins of the old cathedral. As you look through the glass, you see what remains of the bombed out church. Those ruins are a picture of the broken world in which we live. But to see the ruins, you must look through the glass that is etched with images of saints and angels. You cannot see the rubble except in the light of the promise of heaven.

John’s vision lets us see the Church in heaven, the images etched in Coventry glass, so we might remember the future glory that waits for us. We are all looking for something. We won’t find it on our own. God doesn’t give us what we want. He gives us what we need. Salvation comes from our God. It is the salvation that God gave to Israel and has now reached all nations. By his grace, God has given that salvation through his Son by his Holy Spirit to you. God’s salvation now belongs to you.

This salvation comes through the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God sacrificed on the altar of the cross. The Lamb’s blood - and his blood alone - makes us clean. Jesus left the glories of heaven to suffer this world’s tribulation. Jesus endured an eternity of hellish tribulation during his hours on the cross. Why? So that we might have an eternity without burden, tribulation, or tears.

He touched our filth, so we might be bathed in his glory.

He suffered our death, so that we might enjoy life eternal.

He endured our hell, so that the gates of heaven might be flung open for us.

He cried out on the cross, so that we might sing his praises around his throne.

He became dirty with our sins and covered with his blood, so that he could wash us from our sins with his blood.

He appeared defeated during his time on the cross, so that we would emerge victorious forever and ever.

Your God who suffered his world’s tribulation, offers you an eternal reprieve from your tribulation. The same promises that God made to the saints who are now enjoying heaven, he also promises to you. The tribulations which the saints of God bore in their earthly life, we still suffer today. Yet, through God’s holy Word, each of us is called to repent and believe the gospel. Each of us is called to turn around, to ask the Holy Spirit to change our minds and correct our heart so we walk in the path of blessing that Jesus lays out for us in his Beatitudes in our Gospel lesson.

God calls us to lead a life that portrays the white robes he gave us in our baptism. Instead of tainting our baptismal gown by indulging in sin, let us glorify God with our bodies, serving our neighbor with love and good works. Let us be found where the saints of God are always found – gathered in the house of the Lord on his day, with his people around his Word, Water, and Supper. This is for our eternal benefit. This is what made us saints. This is what keeps us as saints.

Through faith in Jesus as your sacrificial Lamb and saving Shepherd, one day you will be saints streaming out of this great tribulation.

You will be with the multitude of saints.

You will be with your Lamb, who is your Shepherd.

Because you will be in heaven one day, live like you are strangers here and heaven is your home.

Because the Lamb’s sacrifice paid the price to get you into heaven, live like you cherish that sacrifice with your worship, prayers, words, offerings, and actions.

Because you will be with our Shepherd for eternity, live like you are part of the Shepherd’s flock here on earth.

Because you will be rescued from the great tribulation, allow the Holy Spirit to use this tribulation to produce endurance, character, and hope within you (Romans 5:3-5).

Because you will be made saints in white robes and golden crowns forever, live like a saint who cherishes your white baptismal robe and treasures your golden crown right now.

Kaizer, who is in preschool, summarizes this all very well.

On Tuesday night, Stacie and Justin were talking to their kids about baptism during dinner. Their baptismal date is also Stacie’s birth date. Kaizer asked, “So, I’m forgiven of my sins?”

“Yes,” they said.

He replied, “OK. So, let’s plan this. We go to church on Sunday. Then we can all just head to heaven! Everyone who is baptized who is at church can join us. Then we can celebrate your birthday in heaven with God!”

Stacie asked, “Why do you want to go to heaven?”

Kaizer replied, “Well, I think that’s silly! God is amazing! So, let’s go now!!!”

As baptized saints, we all agree with you, Kaizer. Amen.

Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen (Revelation 7:12).

Things Change…Things Stay the Same by Pastor Nathan Klusmeyer

Text: Romans 3:19-28 Reformation A

SN: 0033 10/29/23

Things Change…Things Stay the Same

I may have mentioned this a few times, but one of my passions is history. I love learning about the past: names, dates, places, famous battles…all of these fascinate me. My wife thinks I’m crazy, but I can spend hours watching a history documentary, listening to a 30-hour podcast on WWI, or reading one of my old history textbooks from college. There’s a famous quote from Winston Churchill, “Those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it.” It’s important to understand what happened in the past to plan for the future. Because things change, but they also stay the same.

This congregation is different than it was three years ago. I’m different than I was three years ago. Three years ago, you were two different congregations, now you have merged into one congregation. Three years ago, I was two months into restarting my Seminary career as the second oldest man in my class. Change is often good because it shows growth and an ability to adapt. History teaches us that while some things change, other things stay the same. The festival of Reformation gives us a chance to look at the history of the Christian church and some of the errors it has fallen into. We need to understand these errors because they are nothing new. Believers have struggled with these same issues from the Garden of Eden right up to the present day.

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul needed to correct a misunderstanding about salvation. Some were teaching that to be saved, you needed to keep God’s Law as it was revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The death of Christ ended the requirements of the Law and made known a righteousness from God apart from the Law. Almost 1500 years later, Martin Luther faced the same dilemma. The church of the Middle Ages had corrupted the message of the gospel. Christians were taught that they needed to earn their salvation by doing good works, works of the law. Through his study of Scripture, Luther learned that no one is declared righteous by doing works of the law; instead, through the law, we become conscious of sin. This has been an ongoing struggle throughout the history of God’s people. The church may grow and change, but the temptations of Satan stay the same.

Satan wants us to focus on our own works because he knows this is an easy way to undermine our faith. Reliance on works leads to one of two outcomes. Either we realize that there is no way we can ever keep God’s law perfectly and fall into despair, or we become filled with self-righteousness and think we can earn our own salvation. Paul reminds us that we cannot earn our righteousness by following God’s law. “For this reason, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by works of the law, for through the law we become aware of sin.”

The law does not save us; the law shows us our sin. God’s law reminds us that we have failed to live to the standard of perfection that he demands. We have sinned against God in our thoughts, words, and deeds. We have sinned against God when we have had unkind or lustful thoughts about another person. We have sinned against God when we have taken his name in vain in a moment of anger, and we have sinned against God in countless other ways each day of our lives. The law bluntly tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

As Christians, we know this. We know our sin, and we know that our sin has been paid for by the blood of Christ. And yet, we still struggle with the same temptation that Paul and Luther had to address. We are tempted to think that we can do something to restore our relationship with God. When we sin, we have a natural tendency to want to make up for that sin. We want to do a good work to cancel out the bad. But dear friends, our good works cannot pay for our sins. Imagine the horror if that was how salvation worked. How could we ever pay for a lifetime of sin?

This is where the amazing message of the Gospel gives us comfort. We don’t need to restore our relationship with God because that relationship has been restored in Christ. We don’t need to pay for our sins because Christ has paid for them on the cross. This is the glorious message that Paul emphasizes that we are at the same time saint and sinner. We all stand condemned under the law and redeemed through Christ “because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

In this section of Romans, Paul gives us three beautiful pictures of what our forgiveness before God is like. The first picture is one of a courtroom. As sinners, we stand accused of all our sins before God as the

almighty and righteous judge. Satan accuses us; our own consciences accuse us; God’s Law accuses us. All the evidence is against us, and we should be declared guilty of all charges. But instead, we have one who intercedes for us. We have Christ as our defender who did what we could not. Christ kept God’s law perfectly. He then offered his holy life as a sacrifice for our sins. By faith, his holiness and sacrifice become ours. In that courtroom, God looks at the sacrifice of his own Son and declares us justified. We are not guilty, and no one can bring any charge against us.

The second picture that Paul uses is that of someone who has been enslaved. By nature, we are all born as slaves to sin. We can do nothing to free ourselves from our terrible bondage. But Christ paid the price to free us. He redeemed us by offering his life as a ransom to free us. Our sins deserved the punishment of death and hell. Christ took the punishment for us. He endured the agony of the cross and the torments of hell in our place. He offered his perfect life, the life of God, to make payment for the sins of the entire world. We are restored as God’s children through faith. The forgiveness of sins and the certainty of eternal life are ours through faith. We have been purchased with the holy blood of Christ.

The blood of Christ is Paul's final picture to describe our salvation. Our God is just and holy. He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. The debt of sin must be paid; blood is the only thing that can pay that debt. During the Old Testament, once a year on the Great Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies before the Ark of the Covenant and offer the blood of animals to make atonement for the sins of the people. This ritual pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, whose blood would make atonement for the sins of the entire world. Paul says that God publicly displayed Christ on the cross as a sacrifice for the world's sins. Only the blood of God could pay for our sins. All of our sins have been washed away through the blood of Christ. He was our great High Priest who offered himself to save us.

This is the ultimate act of love and grace. God sent his own Son to suffer and die for the sins of the world. How foolish it is to think that any of our small deeds could compare with Christ's sacrifice. Dear friends, we do not need to do good works to make ourselves right in the eyes of God. We do not need to carry around a burden of guilt and shame because we have been forgiven. Christ has done it all. This is the freedom we have in Christ. This is the message of freedom that Luther and others restored to the church. As Paul says, “For we conclude that a person is justified by faith without the works of the law.”

Dear friends, through faith in Christ, we are righteous in the eyes of God. We are his beloved children and chosen people. We are free from all the burdens of the law because Christ has fulfilled the law for us. And because we are free from the law, we are now free to love others. We do this best by serving others in our various jobs and callings. We serve God by being good parents and loving our children. We serve God by faithfully working in our different jobs. We serve God in our freedom by uniting our ministries and carrying on the work of his kingdom. This is the freedom we have in our salvation. We don’t need to make up good works to please God because all of our works have been purified by the blood of Christ. Everything we do, from holding a door for someone to showing up to our jobs on Monday morning to giving our offerings at church, are good works that our God loves. We do all these in service to him.

Dear friends’ history is the study of how things change and how things stay the same. Satan’s tactics haven’t changed. His goal remains the same: to lead us away from Christ. The annual celebration of the Reformation reminds us of the joy and freedom we have in the Gospel. We are free from the burdens of the law, we are free in Christ, and we are free to serve. Let us rejoice as we celebrate our unified ministries, and let us pray that God will continue to bless the work of this congregation as we tell the world of the salvation that we have in Christ by grace alone through faith alone. Amen.