A myHT Fortress

Church keeps the faith with four-lane bowling alley - PhotoGallery - Chicago Sun-Times

2012-01-23T11:32:00.001-05:00

The Chicago Sun-Times ran this article today!

Church keeps the faith with four-lane bowling alley - PhotoGallery - Chicago Sun-Times

Are They Afraid of Love? of Family?

2012-01-06T10:59:00.002-05:00

Why would anyone pick on grieving parents who lost a baby? Ask Alan Colmes.

http://www.catholicvote.org/discuss/index.php?p=24707

Become Flesh: A Homily on John 1:1-14

2012-01-03T16:55:00.003-05:00

John 1:1-14

Nativity of Our Lord: Christmas Day

25 December 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Watch a classic film like Holiday Inn or White Christmas, and you may think the most important thing about Christmas is being with friends to celebrate and sing, or even better, sharing Christmas with someone with whom you are in love. See the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, and you are caught up in talk of dreams and wishes, and Christmas "magic." The Hallmark Channel on TV has dozens of movies that teach the "Christmas spirit" is all about giving and kindness to all. But is that it? Christmas is still just an empty, earthly celebration if it focuses merely on you and yours.

Of course, another classic film, It's a Wonderful Life, presents a different message. Now, the misinformation about angels needs to be set aside. Instead, think about the idea of, "What would the world be like, had George Bailey never been born?" But instead, the thought is how the world is different because Jesus Christ has been born. Had He not, you would still be in the slavery of sin, owing not merely your homes or town, but the entire debt of life, unable to pay the miserable, Mr. Potter-like devil.

Thanks be to God that you never have to worry what your city, indeed, what your world would be like, had Jesus never been born. "Christ the Savior is born!" "Unto you is born this day, in the City of David, a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord." Yes. The Father, in His love, has begotten the Son. And Jesus, having become Man for you, is God's perfect Christmas gift.

If Christmas is little more than a day or even twelve days of love and giving, it would be the same as any man-made holiday. But this is the day to celebrate God becoming incarnate. Today is the day that the first promise of the Gospel in Genesis 3 came to pass; "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her Seed. He will crush your head and you shall bruise His heel." When you stop and think about it, that was the first passage in Scripture about Christmas!

This moment impacts all of history. "Of the Father's love begotten, e'er the world began to be, He is Alpha and Omega, He the Source, the Ending He, of the things that are, that have been, And that future years shall see Evermore and Evermore."

"Oh, the birth forever blessed, When the virgin, full of grace, by the Holy Ghost conceiving, bore the Savior of our race, And the babe, the world's Redeemer, First revealed His sacred face Evermore and evermore."

Do you realize the impact? Do you understand just how huge this is, and how it completely affects you? God takes on flesh and becomes Man for you. Amazing!

That is why your pastor kneels at those words in the Creed, when you confess, "who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made Man." For centuries, all the people in churches knelt at that moment. Many Lutherans to this day bow at that moment. No matter what you do, your thoughts, your posture, and your words should bear witness to the awe and thanksgiving for God becoming Man for your salvation.

Do they? Do your words and actions show the reaction to your generous, incarnate God? Not always. Not perfectly.

Still, the "little Lord Jesus" did not remain a Baby "asleep on the hay." As a Man, He bore your sin to be your Savior. He removed all sin and guilt, including the sin of lacking perfect awe and respect, or imperfect posture for prayer. He does not keep you or kick you out of church, based on whether you are acting like a humble peasant shepherd, or like a self-important Pharisee, but grants you full and free pardon of all your sin. You are absolved! You are forgiven!

With joy and amazement over your generous God-in-the-flesh, you worship and then go about your daily life in the true Christmas Spirit. That is, the Holy Spirit, who has called you to faith and delivered this forgiveness, life, and salvation, through the Gospel and sacraments, just as your Savior has promised. The Holy Spirit is the One who is giving you joy over the birth of Jesus, and brings you to the deeper understanding that this is all far more than friends and family, gifts and love; this is all about Jesus; God becoming Man for you!

Merry Christmas, you dear, forgiven saints! Merry Christmas, as you celebrate in the true Christmas Spirit, who delivers Jesus to you in His Gifts, "calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies" you and keeps you in the one true faith! He brings you to believe and understand the most profound words about Christmas, which are not even from Luke 2, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Yes, Joy to the world! The Lord is come!" And He will continue to come in His Word and His Sacraments, until He gathers you to Himself in eternity! THAT is an amazing Christmas gift! Merry Christmas! Amen.

The Rev. Richard A. Heinz, Pastor

St. John's Lutheran Church, Chicago, IL

No Room for the Christ Child? A Homily on Luke 2:1-14

2012-01-03T16:47:00.003-05:00

Luke 2:1-14

Even of the Nativity of Our Lord

24 December 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The world has no room for the Christ Child. "No room in the inn." No room for Christ in Christmas. But then again, what kind of "Christ in Christmas" do people want? Many who cry out about Christ not being in people's Christmases do not want the real Jesus as part of the celebration. They want a sentimental picture of a sweet baby, "asleep on the hay." They want a "Little Lord Jesus" who is completely disconnected from the cross, and has no eternal consequences of sin and forgiveness, damnation and salvation. They just want a manger scene in public places, with angels that look more like Disney fairies, and maybe a few churchly ornaments on trees.

How about you? The fact is, often you have no room for the Christ Child. What?! "Pastor! How can you say that?!"

Are you uncomfortable when you focus on that Baby in the manger growing up to suffer and die to be your Savior? Is the Christ in your Christmas just a cute, impoverished Baby, or the Redeemer of the world, God-made-flesh? Guess what? It matters.

That Child is not an ordinary baby. He is not even just a good or righteous child or prophet. He is not simply a man who went about teaching people to love one another. If that is your focus -- if you continue to keep that kind of Christ in Christmas, perhaps it would be better if you were completely secular. Is one worse than the other: being ignorant of God, or demoting Him and teaching falsely about Him? He would tell you the false teaching is worse.

"Bethlehem" is Hebrew for "House of Bread." In this House of Bread, Jesus, the Bread of Life was born. But He was not born in great accommodations, not a palace, not a house of stone or cedar, not a hospital -- not even in an "inn."

Now get this: the word used here is not actually an "inn" as the modern person has in mind. This was a guest room. In fact, it is the same word used for the location of Jesus' Last Supper with the apostles. The location of the institution of His Sacrament, where the body and blood of Christ were located for the Church. God locating Himself for His people.

So go back to that night in Bethlehem, where there was no room in the inn -- the guest rooms. God leads St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin to the humble accommodations with the animals, where He places the body of His Son in the manger. God locates Himself for His people.

In Bethlehem, the "House of Bread," the body of Christ was wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger. Now, the body of Christ awaits you, wrapped in cloths and lying on the altar.

This House of Bread, gathered at the manger of Christ's altar -- that is the true meaning of Christmas! In the end, people tend not to have so much of a problem with keeping Christ in Christmas. They just have the wrong understanding of Christ. What many fail to do is to keep the Mass in Christmass.

I can hear the whispers now. "Did Pastor just say, 'Mass?'" Yes. It is unusual to many Lutherans in the Midwest, but the word "Mass" is still used by other Lutherans around the world when they speak of the Divine Service. It simply means the worship service where the Word of God is proclaimed and His Holy Sacrament is distributed.

While "Christ" is in most peoples' Christmasses, the Mass is not a part of Christmass for many. That is to say, many fail to celebrate the holy day by receiving Jesus in His preached Gospel and in His body and blood, which had been laid in a manger, and now lies on the altar, ready to do what the carol sings of: "the dear Christ enters in."

You see, you can have beautiful, heart-felt Christmas cards, with baby Jesus' picture on them, but that will not forgive your sins. You can have the most elaborate and expensive manger scene, but it cannot absolve you. You can hold a candle and be caught up in the sentiment, but it still has no eternal consequences on your life. You can boldly greet with a "Merry Christmas," and avoid other "holiday" talk, but that still does not bring salvation. Are any of these wrong? Absolutely not! They are joyful reminders of our dear Savior!

However, dear friends in Christ, you are here tonight, and Jesus has gathered you to keep His Mass in Christmass. You cannot go back in time to the manger. Yet the Lord has done something far better! He has brought you to His pulpit. Here, "the dear Christ enters in" your ears, placing His Gospel inside you, forgiving you and strengthening you in body and soul. And He has brought you to His altar. Here, "the dear Christ enters in." Here you eat the body of Christ, born of Mary, given for you, and you drink His blood, shed for you. You are forgiven. You are given life and salvation.

So "come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. O come ye, O come ye," to the House of Bread, given to you from the manger of this altar! Fear not! Your dear Savior isn't stuck, thousands of miles, "away in a manger," He is right here, given for you! Merry Christmas! Amen!

THE Birth Announcement: A Homily on Luke 1:26-38

2011-12-21T11:56:00.003-05:00

Luke 1:26-38

4th Sunday in Advent

18 December 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Ben was born around 9:30 at night, so when the excitement and activity was over, we fell asleep somewhere around midnight. The next morning, Kristi was up and eagerly addressing birth announcements between 5 and 6 a.m. She had already cut the blue paper and the white paper, rubber stamped the design, and layered the cut-outs. We knew he was a boy, and so already had his name printed on the cards. Only the details of his length and weight and so on, needed to be completed. Soon, dozens of friends would know!

Of course now, with Facebook, there are births that several hundred people find out about, perhaps within moments of their occurrences. We need look no further back than the last week or two. Just think for a minute how many people -- around the world! -- knew about Xander Fasshauer's and Anna Wier's births, within hours! So instantaneous! Still, in either of these situations, the baby is "announced" following the birth.

When was Jesus' birth announced? Well, angels filled the sky, praising God in the sight of the Bethlehem shepherds right away that night. A star was placed by God, so that the wise men would see it and come. But you know, even before it happened, God was at work to announce the Savior's birth.

This morning we hear the greatest birth in history, being announced nine months before it happened! The archangel Gabriel had the honor of being the one sent by God to the Blessed Virgin Mary, proclaiming to her that she would have the amazing blessing of being the Mother of God the Son. And she has a very different reaction than her cousin-in-law, Zechariah.

Zechariah had also received a visit from Gabriel. About six months earlier. But when he heard that he and his wife, in their advanced age, were finally going to have a baby, he reacted with the unbelief of his ancestor Sarah, the wife of Abraham. He might not have laughed, but he thought it ridiculously impossible. But Gabriel reminds us, "With God, nothing shall be impossible."

You often join Zechariah in unbelief. Something is too good to be true. Or specifically, the Word of the Lord speaks something that is too amazing, too wonderful to really come to pass. And so it is easier to doubt or deny the Word of God than to believe it. The devil, the world, and your sinful self can work at you until you weary and fade into such unbelief. Anyone can fall prey to them. Look! Zechariah was even a faithful priest, who knew God's Word! And he still doubted when an angel preached to him, at the temple!

But then there is Mary. The Blessed Virgin hears the Word of the Lord, proclaimed by the angel, and believes it. Unlike Zechariah who doubts and disbelieves, Mary is in awe and amazement, yet welcomes this miracle, "Let it be to me, according to your word."

Zechariah, it would seem, is like your Old Adam. He hears the Word of God, but doubts. He chuckles and says, "That would be great, but it'll never happen." Of all people, one of God's priests should hear and believe His Word, but Zechariah falls into the same damning disbelief as you and the rest of the world.

On the other hand, the Virgin Mary is like the new creature that God made you at Baptism. In fact, often Mary is spoken of as a symbol for the entire Church. She receives the Word of God and believes it. She ponders it. Treasures it. She hears the blessed preaching of the angel, and in essence joins the prayer, "O come, o come, Emmanuel!"

Baptized into Christ, you have been given this faith. You hear the Word of God, and receive it. You now kneel with Mary, and eat and drink the Body and Blood of her Son, whom you adore, at His altar.

At the Annunciation, the Blessed Virgin Mary received Him into her body, as a tiny cell placed in her womb. He entered human flesh, to bring forgiveness and life and salvation for all. Now you receive Him into your body -- Him who came into the flesh for you! He enters you and transforms you, forgiving you, and bringing life and salvation.

How amazing! The Lord God forgives and renews you in the annunciation of His Gospel, whether preached by Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin, or by generations of pastors to you, His Church. And he forgives and renews as He continually enters human flesh, from that first moment as Gabriel spoke to Mary, to now at His Holy Eucharist, to the day when we see Him in His fulfilled glory.

Yes, in this advent season, you hear, receive, and celebrate your Savior whose birth was announced by the angel, even as He was conceived. You rejoice that He who came, comes even now in His Holy Word and Sacraments, and will come again, to gather you into His everlasting Kingdom. "Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!" Amen.

Be Prepared: A Homily on Mark 1:1-8

2011-12-05T16:23:00.003-05:00

Mark 1:1-8

2nd Sunday in Advent

4 December 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"Be prepared!" Lord Robert Baden-Powell, when he founded the Boy Scout movement 104 years ago, found this an important concept. When choosing a motto for his organization of providing training for boys to grow in maturity, citizenship, outdoor skills, and service, this simple phrase was chosen: "Be prepared."

While serving in the British army in 1890's South Africa, Baden-Powell recruited youths to be "scouts" -- boys who aided the military troops as messengers, and who were being prepared for the conditions they were facing against the Dutch.

Saint John the Baptizer was not a Boy Scout. Although he was all about preparing. He was sent by the Father in heaven to "prepare the way of the Lord." When the Angel Gabriel prophesied his birth, already it was clear that John's life's work would be to "prepare the way of the Lord."

So how is the Lord's way prepared? I know. You try to prepare. You try to "make His paths straight" in your home and life. But how do you prepare? Are you better prepared when you put all your effort and concentration into serving God? Are you better prepared by listening only to "Christian radio," or watching only certain films or TV programs? Are you better prepared with only associating with the rights people, and not "sinners?"

Stop and listen to all that, for a moment. Sound familiar? It was a common sin among the Pharisees whom John was calling to repent! The Pharisees felt they could "prepare the way of the Lord" by doing the right thing and associating with the right people. They trusted in their own preparations. And John knew they were on not the straight path of the Christ, but the wide, easy, yet crooked path leading to hell. Don't be a condescending Pharisee! Your attitude can quickly fall into that same trap, and your trust ends up in yourself, not Jesus.

Trusting your own preparations will not get you into God's kingdom. It will help you fall short. It is the same problem that plagued many medieval monasteries; monks were often taught to be comforted in their many prayers and works -- their own preparations, rather than solely in the blood of Jesus.

Trusting in your own preparations makes as much sense as a pre-born baby getting her family ready for her own arrival. She cannot get a nursery ready, purchase diapers and other supplies, strap in a car seat, and get the house baby-proofed, all while still in the womb. Neither can a person prepare himself or herself for the Lord.

But St. John the Baptizer brings a different kind of preparation. He does not have you prepare yourself. He does not give you false hope in segregating and separating from the "undesirables" and sinners around you. He shows you that you cannot save yourself.

That is why "all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem" sought out John. They were cut to the heart by his message, and the Holy Spirit led them to realize that they could not save themselves. They could not even prepare themselves!

Instead, the Lord uses John to bring His preparation. He boldly proclaims God's Law, in order that the crushed sinner may be healed and restored with the Gospel. He baptizes that people may be given "forgiveness of sin, rescue[d] from death and the devil, and give[n] eternal salvation, as the words and promises of God declare."

Yes, John's baptism brought these precious gifts of God, because it wasn't really "John's" baptism, it was the Lord's! And the Word of God, as it attends that water, does what He says. He forgave, rescued, and saved the repentant Judeans who came out and heard the Lord's Word preached, and were cleansed in the Jordan by water and the Word. Just as your Father in heaven forgave, rescued, and saved you through that sacred washing in His font!

Today we welcome a number of brothers and sisters in Christ, who are now officially attaching themselves to St. John's. They have been baptized and received the preaching of Christ's Law and Gospel. They are forgiven, rescued, and saved. They are prepared.

The Holy Spirit has gathered each of you at this specific time, in this specific parish, to be prepared. He is the One making you prepared, as you could never hope to do. He removes your sin and guilt, and cleanses you, making you holy, in Christ.

What amazing joy, dear friends in Christ! The Lord, in His wonderful wisdom and gracious giving, has brought you together as His people here. He prepares you as individuals to receive and be strengthened in His faith, and gives you hope and confidence in His ongoing care and coming in His gifts, as well as the longing for His return in glory.

As you await our Coming King, it is a blessed, hope-filled waiting. He has sent John the Baptizer, and all His other prophets and apostles, indeed all your pastors in your life, to proclaim His Word to you and to prepare you. You are prepared. You are forgiven. You are called, gathered, enlightened and sanctified. You are ready to come to His Table and excitedly exclaim, "Come, Lord Jesus!" Amen!

What Does This Mean?

2011-10-31T12:50:00.002-04:00

http://issuesetc.org/reformation/

Surf over to Issues, Etc. for some excellent programming on Reformation topics. Several years' worth of programs are archived at this link.

Free Indeed: A Homily for the Festival of Reformation

2011-10-31T11:22:00.003-04:00

John 8:31-36

Festival of the Reformation

30 October 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You can have the burden of slavery and know it.

They had been there for 400 years. The descendants of Jacob and his twelve sons had been fruitful and multiplied, to the point that Pharaoh feared them. He forced them into labor for Egypt, and tightened his grip on their lives as slaves. Years, decades, then centuries were spent serving Egypt in hard labor. The children of Israel were slaves, and they knew it.

They worked. They cried. They prayed that the Lord would free them from their burden of slavery, so they could be free indeed.

Father Martin, the Augustinian monk in Wittenberg, had the burden of slavery to sin. His mind and heart were constantly burdened with it. He worried so much about this slavery that he was constantly going to confession and admitting the most insignificant offenses. He was scared to death that God was going to condemn him to hell. He cried to God as he faced this burden, and the Lord would soon bring him to realize that he had been made free indeed.

You can have the burden of slavery and not know it.

The Jews to whom Jesus speaks in today’s Gospel lesson were still stuck in slavery to sin. They did not understand or believe what God was doing to free them from their transgressions. They attempted to keep God’s Law, but truth be told, they did not place their trust in keeping the Law. Their faith was in the fact that they were descendants of Abraham. They were in the covenant.

Kind of like when a family brings their child to be baptized, and does not return to keep the child being taught the Word of God. The Lord has brought them into His covenant, and has made them His children. But the families are keeping the children away from the nourishment of the Lord’s Word and Sacraments, and thus those children often fall from faith, and die an early spiritual death. They may grow up and know they are baptized, yet have no clue what that means or the salvation they have denied.

When you support and encourage such a baptism, it is as if you assisted a woman in giving birth while journeying on the Underground Railroad, but then helped to send mother and child back to the plantation. So should you discourage such baptisms? Not exactly. Don't discourage, but don't aid parents in their sin of not returning to Divine Services. Warn them of the judgment that they are invoking on themselves by keeping their children from the Word of God! Help them to understand the ongoing need for forgiveness and nourishment that they and their children have, just like everyone else. Christians must make every effort to support and encourage the ongoing receiving of Christ's Means of Grace. When we don't, we aid people in staying slaves to sin, without their knowledge of it.

You can be freed from slavery and not know it.

By the Middle Ages, a problem had developed in the Church. Misunderstandings and incorrect teachings led many Christians to think they were still under the burden of sin's slavery. That somehow the work of Christ had not been enough to free them from the old masters of sin, death, and the devil. So many went about, believing in Jesus' death and resurrection, but fearing that He would not be pleased with them, or judge them worthy of Him.

How sad that so many lived with troubled consciences! Jesus Christ had freed them from all that condemned them, yet they did not understand this freeing grace.

The sad thing is, many still do not recognize that to this day. Some are people in the Roman Church who know that Jesus is their Savior, yet still fell the need to "do their part" with works of love. They think they still need to work at being freed from sin. Others are Protestants who don't think they are freed from slavery to sin until they are old enough to decide for themselves, and make a decision for Christ--that somehow it is the work of their faith making Him their Lord and Savior.

And don't go shaking your head at them. This can be a frequent sin of yours. You can think that there is something more that you need to do. "God has done His part, now, if only"...There it is. If you hear things in your own mind or other preachers say phrases like,"if," or "all you need to do is," you know there is false teaching going on. Don't give in.

You ARE freed from slavery and know it.

"The Holy Spirit has called [you] by the Gospel, enlightened [you] with His gifts, sanctified and kept [you] in the true faith." By the suffering and death of Jesus, you have been freed from the clutches of sin, death, and the devil, which have been your slave holders, having had a hold on you. Christ is the Champion who has defeated these enemies, who were your masters. He has rescued you.

Now you are free indeed! Jesus redeemed you from the sin you were born into, the slavery that held you from conception, and delivered you up out of slavery. He has claimed you, washed you, and given you new birth into life everlasting, making you free indeed.

Now, He leads you, His baptized, to abide in [His] Word and be His disciples. So now you... know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. Not just any truth in this world. Not some bit of knowledge or wisdom. Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life. Yes! He is Truth incarnate! So if you abide in the Word of God, you will know He who is the Word of God -- He who is the Truth -- Christ Jesus!

Dear friends in Christ, you are free. Free indeed! Christ Jesus has purchased and won your redemption, and there are no strings attached. No "if's," "and's," or "but's" for you to complete. No fictitious purgatory for you to suffer and endure. No good works needed to please God and have Him save you. No adult decision to follow Jesus required in order to please God and have Him save you. The Son of God has done it all. Nothing depends on your own works or words or abilities. It is all Jesus! It is all God the Son! And "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Amen.

Rev. Richard A. Heinz, Pastor,

St. John's Lutheran Church, Chicago, IL

St. John's, Chicago and Issues, Etc.

2011-10-27T12:40:00.003-04:00

Awesome! There we are. Although other suburban churches are listed, St. John's is now the first congregation inside the city of Chicago to be an Issues, Etc. 300 congregation!

Thanks be to God for Pastor Todd Wilken, Jeff Schwarz, and all the people who make Issues the great show that it is. And thanks be to God for the donor who helped our involvement happen!

Mercy Journeys with Pastor Harrison: Photos of a YEAR to Remember

2011-10-04T16:36:00.000-04:00

Mercy Journeys with Pastor Harrison: Photos of a YEAR to Remember

I am humbled and honored that a photo of me, along with one of my heroes, Archbishop Walter Obare of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya, is among the images that President Harrison chose to recap his first year in office.

Praise the Lord for such a faithful servant in that office! I constantly thank God for him!

Campus Ministry at U. of Minnesota Needs Your Prayers

2011-09-22T09:23:00.002-04:00

Who Is the Greatest -- In My Name: A Homily on Matthew 18:1-20

2011-09-06T09:25:00.004-04:00

Matthew 18:1-20

12th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 18

4 September 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"Who is the greatest?" how frustrating for Jesus, that once again, the apostles are up to their same old competitions! Each of them wanted to be the greatest -- the leader -- the one who could have authority and control.

Jesus has been talking about how He would go to Jerusalem and be killed and then rise, and it is as if they haven't heard a word. He has been clear and direct that this is the way of revealing His true glory, in His suffering and death for all. Yet they seem to shrug their shoulders and go right back to the same old arguments.

"Who is the greatest?" You tend to go right along with the Twelve. You think in terms of the older one. The one more educated or more highly trained. The one with more wealth or political clout. But that isn't what Jesus says. He sees you and most people chasing all these wrong ideas, and so He turns the tables.

In Episode Two of the Star Wars movies, we find a corresponding moment. Jedi Master Obi-Wan was stumped and could not answer a mystery. Then Master Yoda asks a group of children, the oldest ones of whom appear to be about five years old. And one comes up with the answer right away! "Truly wonderful the mind of a child is!" Yoda exclaims.

Now, in the film, it was to the credit of the child himself, and his mind. The reality is that the Lord gifts with wisdom. He gives simple childlike faith. Not to any credit of our own, but entirely His generous gift. Children depend on their parents. A baby cannot feed or clothe or shelter herself. The parent provides and gives, and the child receives. The parent of a little child does everything for him, as he is weak, helpless and dependent.

So what are we to do? The NIV quotes Jesus as saying, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." The ESV translates it as: "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

But if you think you are the one changing or turning, you are puffed up with pride, trusting in your own works. You are then full of yourself. And guess what? That means you are not like a child with humble, helpless faith. That means you are thinking that somehow you can influence your own salvation. That you can make some decision to make Jesus your Lord and Savior, when you don't have that ability or authority. He gives. You receive. You cannot be the one "doing the verbs."

In these English translations, "change" and "turn" sound like we are the ones doing it. But Jesus' actual choice of verb here is passive. In other words, He says you are turned, you are changed. You are converted. The Holy Spirit converts you and gifts you with childlike faith.

But don't stop with the thoughts on "childlike." Jesus also is making it clear that children are a part of His Church. Unlike many others of that time, Jesus is very much an advocate for the children, and brings the little ones to Himself in baptism and His preaching and teaching. He does not segregate them from His adult followers, but calls young and old alike. The infants are as much a part of His kingdom and their parents, and join them in that kingdom through Holy Baptism.

Yes. He is speaking of Baptism here. The way in which Jesus speaks of receiving a "child in My name," uses grammar and language the same way as other baptismal passages in Matthew. Yes. Jesus is telling His Church that she will receive these little children through this sacred washing of rebirth and renewal!

"In My name" -- "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." That is the name of which Jesus speaks. That is the name in which the Lord received you into His Church -- His kingdom. That is the name in which you receive forgiveness of sins. That is the name of the One who will change your lowly body so that it will be like His glorious body at the day of the resurrection of all flesh.

A friend of mine is a pastor in southern Illinois. He has spent the past two weeks in Russia finalizing legal details, signing all the appropriate paperwork, and completing everything necessary. For what? He and his wife have adopted a little boy. And when all is said and done, the passport of that child as he flies to the U.S. will list his new parent's family name as his own. He belongs to them, and they are now his parents.

Rejoice, dear friends in Christ! You have been given the name of our Lord God as a free and amazing gift. Jesus gathers you into the family of God and now that you have been adopted, His name is yours. And along with that name, His authority, and all the rights and privileges of being His child.

Rejoice, because you need not worry and squabble about who's the greatest. The truth is, not one of us is greatest. Jesus Christ Himself is the greatest. He gifts you as children of God. And He gives you the gift of greatness through faith. Yes, He gives you amazing greatness, as you remain humble in His Name. Amen.

Get Behind Me: A Homily on Matthew 16:21-28

2011-09-06T09:17:00.001-04:00

Matthew 16:21-28

Proper 17

28 August 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Oh, Peter! How ridiculous you are! Do you really think that you know better than Jesus?! What a shame you don't know the Lord as well as we do. You and your crazy ideas about Jesus the Warrior-King! All you ever think about is glory and His popularity and power. You sure need Jesus to set you straight.

Hmm...have you stopped and thought about how ridiculous you are? Do you really think that you know better than Jesus? What a shame that you don't know the Lord as well as you think you do. You may not think of glory, popularity and power in terms of an earthly kingdom of Israel, but you have the same sentiments.

Oh! That congregation has five times as many people every Sunday, they must be doing something right! Why do we have all this death and resurrection talk? Why can't we just hear about improving our attitudes or daily life? Maybe we should find something exciting to visitors, and not talk so much about this suffering and sin business. That's kind of a "downer."

Sadly, many churches have done this over the years. Change the message so they don't offend. But that is falling into the same trap as Peter. And when you start feeling the same, and how we might be more popular if we laid off the suffering, dying, and rising of Jesus, and instead focused on living your life right, Jesus tells you: "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a hindrance to Me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

Yet not only is Jesus' response a rebuke of what Peter said, it is also an urging to "fall in line." "Get behind Me." "Get on board. Take up your cross and follow Me." And with that, He is talking to you, too.

And you are thinking, "Umm. Yeah. Jesus, about that..." it scares you. It disturbs you. You don't want to give any consideration that your life as a Christian is not happy and easy in this world; it can be challenging, difficult, and even painful. "And ya know, while we are at it, we really don't like following. You see, we are born leaders. Don't need anyone else's directions or orders, we've got it under control.

"It's nothing personal, Jesus. We just don't want to think about suffering or dying, or being harassed or humiliated, or having to answer to anyone for anything."

And Jesus says, "Neither did Peter. But I forgive you both." Christ our Lord does not give Peter the pink slip and hire another disciple. He doesn't get mad at him and cut him off from His kingdom. He gives Peter the Law, but then assures repentant Peter with Gospel.

You too. For all the moments that you don't even want to look at the crucifixion, much less dwell on it and ponder it, our loving and forgiving Jesus releases you from the guilt of your sin and "set[s] your mind on the things of God." He restores and renews you, just like He did Peter, and you are His baptized, forgiven child, following Jesus who is carrying your cross too!

Dear friends in Christ, there is your sweet comfort. Your dear Jesus who has borne His own cross to take away your sin and give you life and salvation, now carries your cross too. You are not enduring anything in this life, alone. He endures it all, on your behalf.

The Son of Man endured it all as He came into His kingdom. There on His cross, He was crowned and enthroned, truly gaining the world as He lost His life for it. Having gone up to Jerusalem for you, He repays you according to what He has done, suffering, dying, and rising for you!

So even when life is overwhelming, and you get harassed or suffer for the Gospel, He is there, enduring it for you. Christ is your Mighty Fortress, protecting you so that not even the gates of hell can prevail against His Church.

You are forgiven. You are following Him. And for every failure, He is constantly restoring and renewing you in His one, true faith! "Get behind Me?" Yeah. Fall in line. "Take up your cross and follow Me." Jesus invites you to come after Him today, and with His grace and mercy, thanks be to God, He fulfills our following. Amen.

The Christ, the Son of the Living God: A Homily on Matthew 16:13-20

2011-09-06T09:11:00.004-04:00

Matthew 16:13-20

Proper 16

21 August 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" lots of confusion surrounded this point in the New Testament era. When Jesus asked this, He knew He was the Son of Man, but not most people. Misunderstandings abounded, as to whether it would be Elijah, confusing what the Prophet Malachi had said, or Jeremiah, or another prophet, or even St. John the Baptizer. Even most of the disciples might not have understood what Jesus was getting at here. So He goes on.

"Who do you say that I am?" There is the heart of it all. Who do you say Jesus is? Is He a prophet? A kind Man? A good Teacher? The perfect example of love? Yes...He is. But if that is all that He is, then you are still going to hell. If Jesus is just a prophet, you are still stuck in your sin. If Jesus is merely kind or good, He would not be giving you life everlasting. If He is simply an example and teacher of love, you would still be in the devil's loveless clutches.

And sure, you say, "Oh! I know better than that! I know Jesus is the Son of God." But do your words and actions follow suit? Or do you speak one thing in church and act another way outside these doors?

Yes, when Simon Peter boldly proclaims, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" you are ready to chime right in, "Me too! That's what I say!" but where is your focus?

If you keep turning back on yourself, and dwell on how you feel, you are off track. If you spend your time thinking about how you reacted to worship, or how you felt or what you thought during hymns or readings or prayers, Satan has been successful! It is NOT about you. The Lord Jesus is God coming to you. And He does this no matter what you are thinking or saying or feeling about it. Remember, it is not by your reason or strength; He sends His Spirit through His Gifts of Word and Sacraments to forgive you and bring you life. And He does this when and where and in whom He chooses.

So would you agree that He is the Christ, just because you thought so, or felt it? Is He the Son of God simply because of your instinct? Absolutely not! The Lord God promises to work through His proclaimed Word, and in His proclamation, He clearly and definitively reveals that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

That is great news! God Himself has come to bear your sin and be your Savior. He is your Redeemer and Rescuer. And He has given His Spirit to reveal that to you in faith. "No one can say 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit." And so He has. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and gifted Simon Peter to confess that Jesus is the Lord, and He gifts you to confess it too!

In the 1950's, a show called, "21" was enjoying popularity. Twenty-one was a game show in which contestants answered questions, like "Jeopardy" or "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." But "21" suffered a scandal. They had kept a close watch on ratings, and when they found a contestant that people really liked, they fed him answers so he would keep winning.

You have been given the answers, as well. Only with the Lord and in this situation, it is not cheating. He provides the answers for who Jesus is, and gives you faith in Christ!

This morning we rejoice as once again the Lord has gathered an amazing faculty and staff here at St. John's. He places them here to support and encourage everyone during their earthly journey, as they receive Jesus' Gifts and are then given to confess that He is indeed "the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Our dear Savior has gathered a faculty and staff that is confesses Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God," our only Lord and Savior from sin. He blesses them with faith, and in His love, He uses them to instill this in everyone He gathers here. They believe and confess with you, their fellow baptized faithful, that Jesus is our Risen Lord, who fulfilled that sign of Jonah, of which Jesus spoke soon before this event.

Jonah, seemingly dead in the belly of a fish for three days, then given a "life after death." Jesus, truly dead in the belly of the earth for three days when buried, then rises and gives life after death.

Dear friends in Christ, because the Father has revealed this to you, too, you believe and confess that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God." and through that gift of faith, you too receive the fruits of this sign of Jonah -- that is, you too join the Lord Jesus in His marvelous resurrection! Amen.

Amen: A Homily on Matthew 15:21-28

2011-08-17T08:41:00.000-04:00

St. Matthew 15:21-28

Proper 15

14 August 2011

Saint John’s, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

So this woman has a demon-possessed daughter. She's in a bad situation. But Jesus is in the area so she tracks Him down. "Lord, Son of David! Have mercy on me! My daughter is demon possessed." Here's a Gentile woman of all things to whom the Lord owes nothing, begging Him for help. He ignores her. Or so it seems. Then the disciples get all upset. "Lord, send her away! She's stalking you! She won't go away! Make her be quiet!"

Jesus says He hasn't come except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That means the Jews. She's not a Jew. So He ignored her. Or so it seemed. Then when she wouldn't go away He says He's not here to help her. But she still hangs on Him. "Lord, help me!" Finally, He tells her straight: "You can't take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs!" Whoa! Did you hear that? Jesus just called her a dog!

And what does she say? "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their Lord's table." What does she mean, "Yes, Lord?" She should be offended! She should tell it to the news media. She should go on the Today show, and start trashing Jesus on her blog and take Him off her Facebook “Friends List.” She should quit His church and go find one where the pastor is nice and the people are friendly. She should take out her keys and scratch up the disciples cars! She ought to kick sand on Jesus and slap Him and turn around and walk away!

Queen Jezebel was offended by God and waged war on Him in a similar way. She too was from Sidon, the same region that this woman in the Gospel reading called home.

Jezebel killed off just about all of His prophets except Elijah. She engaged in the lust-filled and perverted worship of Baal. She hated the Word that Elijah preached and the God who sent him. No “Yes, Lord,” coming from her lips. No. She cursed God and fought and opposed His saving message. Had Jezebel spoken with Jesus face to face, there would have been no “Yes, Lord.” Instead, she would have uttered to Jesus a blood-curdling, “Go to hell!”

But none of that is what faith does. Faith's word is "Amen." "Yes, yes, it shall be so." Jesus speaks and whatever He says, to that faith says, "Amen. That's for me."

Faith says, "Yes, Jesus, I'm a dog. But even dogs get crumbs. And your crumbs will save my daughter." Faith doesn't listen to the world or to rude disciples who are mad that you're sitting in their pew. Faith clings to Jesus. Listens to Jesus. Learns from Jesus. Confesses what Jesus says. Speaks back the promises of God. Faith says that no matter what is true about me, even if I'm a dog, Jesus is still Jesus, the one who has power over the devil and can save my daughter.

Dear baptized children of God: To what do you look to see how it's going with the Lord? To your life? To your success? To your world records and gold medals, or perhaps more on your level, your accomplishments and awards? To your wisdom? To whatever bad things happen to you?

Three years ago Michael Phelps beat Mark Spitz’s records. More total gold medals than any other Olympian. More gold medals than any one in an individual Olympic year. Or consider the Blackhawks’ championship a year ago, or the 2005 World Series. And yet, if all they had to cling to was a wall full of trophies and awards, how empty life would be!

What do you trust in when it seems that even God Himself is paying no attention to you, or worse, flat out tells you He's not there for you? To what do you cling when things are going well? What do you hang on to when everything turns sour and is a mess and the devil, the world and your sinful nature and even the Lord, it seems, are against you?

For this Gentile woman, there was nothing but Jesus. She could not be sure of herself. She could only be sure of Jesus. With Jesus, there would be a way out, salvation. Without Him, she was doomed and her daughter with her. It was Jesus or nothing.

That's for you to believe, too, dear friends in Christ, as this woman did. To know and believe that it's all Jesus or nothing at all. When the devil and the world and your sinful nature are tormenting you with no end in sight, and even God Himself seems to want nothing to do with you, then you cling to Jesus like this woman did. When you hit rock bottom, and realize that you, a poor, miserable sinner, really are nothing but a dog before the Lord, then cling to the Master, begging for His merciful crumbs.

Cling to Jesus who doesn't come to condemn you but to save you. Cling to the Jesus who carries your sins to the cross and suffers for them, and dies for them. Cling to the Jesus who regardless of Jezebel DID go to hell, being forsaken on the cross for you, and then descending from His tomb, proclaiming victory over the devil and his minions.

Cling to the holy washing given to you in the baptismal waters of Christ's font, in which God makes you His child. Cling to the words of absolution which declare that you are no orphan but forgiven and that you stand "not guilty" before God. Cling to the body and blood of Jesus which is way more than crumbs falling from the table, but the rich feast that means you ARE a child of Israel, a child of God, one of Jesus' own dear ones. Cling to Jesus and His gifts and there will be no doubt that your faith is a great faith, because your Jesus is a great Jesus.

The word that faith says is "Amen." Pastor Mark Buetow once preached on this text, telling nearly 2,000 youth: “Sometimes it might sound like a ‘bow wow’ or a ‘woof!’ But no matter what, that ‘Amen’ means ‘Yes, Lord.’” And that's a "Yes, Lord" spoken to Jesus who casts our demons, takes away sins, and turns even sinful dogs into God's own dear children. "Amen!"

Fear Not; I AM: A Homily on Matthew 14:22-33

2011-08-10T10:51:00.002-04:00

Matthew 14:22-33

Proper 14

7 August 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The sea. It is not always the image of peace and tranquility. It can be dark, and deep, and deadly. Perhaps that is why the ancient world had many cultures that recognized this, and even had witnessed demonic activity, and merged it all into a false god of the sea.

The wind. Not the Hebrew "ruach" or Greek "pneuma" -- words that are associated with the work of the Holy Spirit. This is a different word for wind. One that can be associated with the prince of this world and the so-called "kingdom of the air" -- Satan and all his demonic forces. "The wind was against them." Indeed, the devil and all his evil minions could not stand that these men had just witnessed and received from the Lord in this amazing miracle. All hell was breaking loose to terrify these disciples, so they might consider abandoning Jesus, or maybe, if the demons were lucky, the men would drown and that would harm Jesus' mission.

The wind works against you here and now. It blows against you as a broken elevator. It hurls it's forces against you in budget shortfalls. It lashes out against you in discouragement that you perceive we are unknown in the neighborhood.

And all too often you let it win. You get discouraged from hardships and throw your hands in the air, saying, "Why is life so unfair?!" You feel beaten down. You accept the deceit as truth and let the devil make you feel defeated.

When you submit to being overwhelmed by these frustrations, you dive into the depths of unbelief. "O you of little faith!" Jesus isn't being cute here. He is serious. He is full of gut-wrenching compassion as He rebukes the unbelief. He knows that it can be deadly to your faith and condemns the short-sightedness that fears He is not able to overcome the devil and the world.

The disciples are in this boat, while Jesus goes upon the mountain to pray, just like He was planning before He fed the thousands. They are out there, and the sea gets rougher, the wind gets stronger, and they are full of fear. They are giving in to the thoughts of the evil overcoming them. Scared to death, they are fearing all kinds of evil when they see the form walking toward them.

It looks like a man walking upon the water. "It is a ghost!" they cry. And not some cute, harmless ghost like a cartoon. They fear it is a phantasm, an evil, demonic spirit who would harm them.

You are full of fear too. You fear crime. You fear financial troubles or job loss. You fear trouble in your family or having no friends. You fear for your health. Whatever it is that you fear, it comes from a lack of trust that the Lord will provide and protect you. It becomes a lack of faith.

But then they see Him. The disciples in the boat, with the wind driving against them, see a figure coming toward them on the sea. It is Jesus! Jesus, walking upon the sea!

Doing this, Jesus is clearly demonstrating that He is far more powerful than any so-called "god" of the sea. He was crushing that idol underfoot as He tread the waves.

Our Lord treads the waves of the devil's discouragements, distractions, and deceit. He is triumphant, and when He speaks "Fear not!" it is not a wish or prayer, it makes it happen! As Jesus says these words, He speaks courage into the disciples. He causes the devil to tremble.

"Fear not. It is I." Only He doesn't say, "It is I." He actually says, "I AM!" there it is again. The holy and personal name of the Lord God. I AM. There He is, I AM, stomping down the false god of the sea and treading through the devilish wind. The Lord Himself is defeating these enemies.

Peter says, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." Not simply, "If it really is you, Jesus," but "if it really is You, the Lord God, I AM, Creator and God of Israel." Jesus is not simply showing He has power and can do great miracles; this event gives witness that He is indeed God!

The Lord God tramples upon Satan for you, too. He has trampled upon him with absolute completion at the cross. There on that cross, Christ walked straight into hell and accomplished your salvation. He marched in, rescued you, who were rightfully His, and delivered you from those enemies of sin, death, and hell.

As He burst from His now-empty tomb, Christ crushed the head of the serpent He was stepping on, and kicked death out of your lives. As He leads you through the valley of the shadow of death, He keeps walking, with the sea of death underfoot, and He pulls you out to life everlasting.

Thanks be to God, our dear Lord Jesus is the Lord "I AM" in the flesh. He has rescued you as He walked upon this earth to His cross and tomb. And now He delivers that rescue to you, as He walks upon the waters of baptism, the words of His preaching, and the bread and wine that feed His Body and Blood to you. Amen.

[Thanks to Rev. Jonathan Fisk for stirring memories of great points from this text!]

Chosen: A Homily for Higher Things on 1 Peter 2:1-12

2011-07-26T16:16:00.003-04:00

1 Peter 2:1-12

Friday Matins

Higher Things

Coram Deo -- Atlanta

22 July 2011

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

So how do you feel this morning, as you stand before God? Feeling pretty good about yourself? Or not so much? Are you down on yourself and say that even as His baptized child, you are alone, afraid, and a failure? Or are you feeling overly confident?

All of these sorts of feelings went through Hal Jordan's mind. Deep down he was scared and didn't have great trust in himself. Yet he covered it with a bold, in-your-face confidence and wild playfulness that tried to charm everyone.

So when the ring chose who would be the next Green Lantern, whom should it pick? It chose Hal. A very unlikely choice -- a loser! Nothing in him that seemed worthy of being chosen.

Israel wasn't worthy, either. God's chosen people were small in numbers, not a major military power, not wealthy among the nations -- nothing to make them an obvious selection as a "chosen nation."

The same goes for you. Nothing in your natural self makes you chosen, royal, or holy. "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

In a sense, Hal Jordan was chosen by grace, not deserving the gift. Some would argue that he had qualities deep down that the needed. But a biblical understanding of our lives reminds us that anything good and worthy of being chosen is entirely gift!

The Lord has reached out and gifted you. He transforms you from your former "loser" self, and gives you life as His new, baptized child; chosen, royal, and holy in Him. You stand before God as His redeemed, forgiven, and saintly child.

At one point in the film, Green Lantern, the entire earth is in danger from impending doom, as an evil force heads it's way. "The Guardians" decide to cut their losses and give up on earth. But Hal stands before the Guardians, defending himself and the reasons for saving earth. He then proves himself and does it.

The Lord God has not given up on you. You do not have to stand before God defending yourself. Your dear Lord Jesus has already done that! He stood before God in your place, being your Mediator and Defender. He bore the burden of your sin, to be your Savior, and now the Father in His mercy calls and chooses you.

Yes, Jesus stood before the Father, as your substitute, purchasing and transforming you from unworthy losers into God's chosen people. Yes, He placed His Name upon you and chose you; not by sending some dying purple alien with a ring, but in the far more miraculous moment of Baptism! Now yes, you stand before God -- not defending yourselves or justifying your heroic actions. You stand before Him as He rejoices over the saving work of His Son, giving you good deeds that His Son works through you.

As fun as the story is, the film Green Lantern gets things a little backwards. The hero, Hal, is a man who is given god-like powers, and becomes the mediator and savior of the world. The reality is that Jesus Christ is true God, and has become man for you, and is your Mediator and Savior!

And now that He has saved you, purchased and won you, you are indeed "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." Amen.

Rev. Rich Heinz

Pastor,

St. John's Lutheran Church, Chicago, IL

Christ Buys the Treasure: A Homily on Matthew 13:44-52

2011-07-26T15:50:00.005-04:00

Matthew 13:44-52

Proper 12

24 July 2011

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

So how much are you willing to give up? Have you gone and sold everything and purchased that field for the treasure? That pearl of great price? No? Then how worthy do you think you are?

That's the point of this parable, isn't it? That you need to be ready to get rid of everything and follow Jesus, right? You need to be so dedicated that, like some medieval monk, you give up all your earthly wealth and influence to make peace with God and seek His kingdom, that you may have eternal life.

But wait! Does that sound right? Does this sound like what Jesus would really say? No! Not at all! How on earth could you do anything to purchase the kingdom of God? Think about it! That is all wrong. We are brought back to the question you must ask: in our Lord's parables, who is doing the verbs?

Did you actually think --even for a moment -- that it is you? Did you really think that it is up to you to give things up and purchase anything? How can you? "All your righteous deeds are filthy rags!" Even your best is wretched before our holy God. There is not even a remote possibility of paying for anything He does, much less your salvation and entrance into His kingdom!

So no, you cannot be the doer of the verbs here. And the is some sinful arrogance that needs to be put in check, if you have ever thought you can "do your part" in obtaining the kingdom. The thought that Jesus has saved us from sin, and life is yours "if you only...(insert your work here)," is actually false teaching.

"Jesus died for you, now you decide to follow Him." "Jesus saved you, now you just gotta do this, or pray that to invite Him into your heart." And so on. These are heresies, that say somehow you contribute to your salvation. Mark and avoid those thoughts and the preachers who teach them! Such teaching can endanger you!

When you give credence to such teaching, you defy God. You reject His full and free forgiveness and life, given through Jesus Christ.

Repent! Repent of thinking that you can somehow cooperate with Christ and make a difference in your own salvation. When you actually think that somehow you are the one giving up and purchasing the field or pearl of great price, you put yourself in Christ's place, and make yourself God--repent!

So who does the verbs? It is Jesus! Jesus alone! He is the one who acts and speaks. He is the one who has found the treasure of His Church, covered her up in Holy Baptism, and purchased her with His holy and innocent suffering and death.

In the 1930's, the British Empire was stirred up. King Edward VIII had fallen in love with an American divorcee named Wallis Simpson. Edward had been raised his entire life to be king, yet found he felt it impossible to carry out his duties "without the woman [he] love[d]." He abdicated the throne--gave up everything--to be with her.

Our Lord Jesus gave up everything too. Mrs. Simpson may have been a divorcee, but we in the Church are guilty of being chronic adulterers. We go chasing after other gods, and are often unfaithful to the true Lord.

Yet Christ, the perfect bridegroom, and King of Kings and Lord of lords laid aside everything to be with His Bride. By taking on the lowliness of human flesh for you, He bought His holy Bride, and cleansed her from all sin -- even the sin of straying from the holy Bridegroom and chasing after other people and situations that you find attractive.

Edward VIII did this out of a little selfishness and chose to escape His duties as King. He chose his bride and turned from his kingdom. Jesus, on the other hand, has done this out of self-less love, which serves His Bride in His kingdom. Through all of this, Jesus has rescued you and serves you, giving gifts to you and making you His holy Bride.

Rejoice, dear friends in Christ. Your dear Savior is the King who has found you, and paid the great price to keep you. He gave everything up, suffering and dying to gather you into His kingdom. He counts you as far more valuable than pearls or great treasure. He covers you in Baptism, and places you safely in His kingdom, where you will remain as He nourishes, forgives, and sustains you with His Word and Holy Sacraments. Amen.

Weeds and Wheat: A Homily on Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

2011-07-26T15:35:00.003-04:00

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Proper 11

17 July 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When you spend much time at the Art Institute, you see a vast array of works of art. You also see some ridiculous, if not ugly items that make you question both the artist and the donor that placed it there. Magnificent culture and works of great beauty are there before your eyes, yet they can be just steps away from something that begs you to ask: "Art? Really?!"

And there would be many art teachers, professors, and artists themselves who would plead with you to leave both the great art, and the seemingly unworthy art side by side. Let time pass and see if it has lasting beauty to be admired. The avant garde architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright looks like it fits perfectly with the designs of subdivisions fifty or even a hundred years later. Generations later, his work is seen as art.

Jesus speaks of grain and wheat sprouting up side by side. Others notice weeds among the wheat, and ask the land owner, "Really?" They want to pull up the weeds. But the land owner has extreme and perfect patience.

No, unlike the work that might be considered "art" years later, the weeds will not become wheat! And yet, the landowner isn't duped into thinking they will change. But he does have extreme and perfect patience.

You and I would fall among those who are eager to root up the weeds. "Lord, here. Let me help You! You don't want all those nasty weeds among the seedlings You just planted! I'll pull them out for You."

Do you know how well that works out? I'll tell you. The five-year-old listened to his cousin. "You should help your grandma and grandpa. The are a lot of weeds here. Pull them up!" And so he did. And in about ten minutes all of the small plants were uprooted. Then came the terrible news. His parents, visibly upset, explained their anger. Those were not weeds; he had just uprooted his grandparents' freshly planted tomato garden!

This is precisely what our Lord is preventing. Yes, the Church on earth has both true believers and hypocrites. We live side by side in this life, unable to see into the hearts of others. Jesus is telling you, "Don't you dare think you can tell the difference and kick out unbelievers who appear to be Christians. If you do, it's likely you'll remove true believers too!"

When you think you know people who don't really belong in church, or you think they may be here only for the tuition discount, and you'd like to see them leave, the Lord says to get off your high horse and stop thinking you know better than God. Don't be like your five-year-old pastor -- I mean, that five-year-old boy pulling up tomato plants. You cannot tell if someone truly believes. You are not qualified to be judge. You are not the Lord God. And it is quite possible you could damage and uproot others in the faith, if you try to purge the garden of unwanted weeds.

Dear friends in Christ, the Lord has Good News for you. You do not have to be the judge. You do not have to bear the burden of uprooting anyone. And you have the sweet assurance that He who has baptized you and nourishes you in His Word, keeps you in the one true faith as lovely, healthy grain.

Nine of our youth just got back from an awesome week with 1200 kids and chaperones from 25 states and four Canadian provinces. They worshiped, they learned, and they had fun. During those four long days, our dear Lord was giving them the tremendous Gospel that they are His precious plantings. They are not weeds. Our Savior will not hold their sin against them, and throw them into the fire with the weeds. They Wayne before God justified by grace, through faith, on account of Christ.

You too! It's not just them. Jesus isn't just for kids. You have been baptized into Christ and clothed with Christ. The Father in heaven no longer sees the worthless weed-like behavior you often have; He looks at you and beholds His dearly beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased. He sees you stand before Him in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness!

The ultimate and perfect patience of God is clearly displayed for all people in all time, as we see Jesus on His cross. There He hung for you and me, pouring forth His life-giving blood, covering us with His righteousness. There He delivered you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, hanging from that amazing cross! But that ultimate and perfect patience is not just some example for you, or a requirement to follow. It is a joy to experience, as He gives His gifts!

Rejoice, dear friends in Christ! He has taken your weed-like self and made you precious grain. Jesus covers you with Himself, and makes you pleasing to His supremely patient Father. You are a beautiful plant, given growth by your loving, heavenly Father, who rejoices as He makes you His own! Amen.

The Rev. Richard A. Heinz

The Divisive Prince of Peace: A Homily on Mt. 10:34-42

2011-06-28T15:26:00.001-04:00

Matthew 10:34-42

Proper 8

26 June 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Who is most important to you? Is your relationship with your spouse the highest priority? Is your time with your children most important? Or is the approval and respect of your parents your highest goal? That is at it should be, as long as your faithfulness to God is greater.

But Jesus speaks today about your relationship with Him. You see, there is great irony that the Prince of Peace can be quite divisive. There is a great lack of peace, due to the fact that many are against Him.

Our Lord speaks quite clearly about this. He lays it on the line. People will turn against you because of Jesus Christ -- and not just a few, and not just sort of. Many will be against you, thinking you are naive, childish, or mindless for following Jesus. And Christ is reminding you, if your loyalties lie with others, you are not worthy of Him.

So where do you stand? Do you remain steadfast in His Word? Are you planted firmly in His mighty fortress? Or do you shy away from admitting your faith and confessing Christ? Is peace more important to you than faithfulness?

Ah! There is a frequent problem. You enjoy peace. So much so, that you don't want to rock the boat, and you are ready and willing to remain quiet if it means everything will continue to be calm and friendly. Peace is fine when it is authentic, but when it comes from deception and from avoiding or denying the Lord, it is sinful.

So you fall into sin, whether your own, or supporting the sin of others by your words and deeds--or lack thereof, as you try to keep that false peace. Are you, or someone you know, falling into sexual promiscuity? Do you just give in and say, "My teen is going to do it anyway, so I should "get her protection?" Do you shy away from truly parenting your children, and give them adult freedoms at a far-too-early age? Do you just keep quiet and mind your own business when the satanic lie of "a woman's right to chose" comes up? Really? Another human being's life is in danger, a murder being planned, and you think, "It's not my place. I'll just keep the peace.

In the original television series Battlestar Galactica, the pilot episode showed a grand and glorious festival starting, celebrating peace after centuries of war with their enemies, the Cylons. People were tired and worn out from the conflict, and too quickly and gullibly bought the lies of their enemies who promised peace. While a few, such as Commander Adama, were skeptical, and did not trust the disingenuous proposal, the majority were led like lambs to the slaughter because they desired peace at any price, even if it was a false peace.

You are often willing to settle for false peace, too. And not only settle, but promote! Well, stop! Do not worship a false peace. Stop fearing the division that comes when you follow Christ. And so there you are, condemned by the law, in that you have held these priorities above the Lord.

Yet, there is amazing news! "You have died to the law through the body of Christ." You are baptized into Christ. And He has died, paying for all sin. Since you are in Him, you have died to sin as well. The price is paid. And you are freed from sin.

Yes, Jesus has given Himself and paid the price of all your sin, so you are no longer under the burden of punishment for that law. And having borne that burden, He has brought you true and lasting peace. Peace that does not come from people avoiding conflict or disagreement over God's Word. Peace that is not artificial. But peace that proceeds from the Lord God Himself, delivered in the Spirit, through Christ Jesus and His holy gifts.

Yet He who brings division, which divides those who have faith in Christ, and those who reject Him, brings true peace through that faith. The "Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" comes to you, restoring you and making you right with God. He does not bring peace for those who reject Him, or sweep Him under the carpet. There is no peace for those who deny Him to make life easier among your friends, family, or co-workers. But true and lasting peace for His baptized who confess their Lord and Christ.

You have been washed into peace with God through Holy Baptism! Reborn, restored, rescued, and renewed, He has claimed you and embraced you as His own. Jesus' suffering and death on the cross was a violent event; however that tragedy brought the everlasting peace that He gives! You are at peace with Him!

So rejoice, dear friends in Christ! You are at peace with God. A beautiful gift of undeserved peace is given you through Jesus' Word and Sacraments, and He keeps on giving it. As He gathers you to receive those gifts, His peace fills you, and your words and actions reflect that peace to those around you. Not because it is demanded of you, but because He has brought His peace to your life.

Depart in peace. Amen.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit's Day: A Homily on Matthew 28

2011-06-28T15:19:00.001-04:00

Matthew 28:16-20

Feast of the Holy Trinity

19 June 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Word of God proceeded from the Father, and the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. Did you ever stop and think about that? All three--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were involved at Creation. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all three there from eternity, and all three playing their part in creating this world.

Just as the Holy Trinity was involved in the creation, with His Word and the Spirit over the waters, so also the Spirit joins the waters of Holy Baptism, and re-creates, giving new and everlasting birth.

And that is where our Lord focuses our attention on this festival--baptism. The Holy Gospel for today takes us to the final moments before Jesus ascended. There, in Jesus' words, God reveals Himself clearly as the only true and Triune God. He speaks directly about Holy Baptism, where we are drawn into the family of the Lord God as He gives new birth.

Christ our Lord speaks of making disciples--forming Christians. He declares two gifts that go hand-in-hand: Baptism and Teaching [His Gospel.] Yet how often are you treasuring these gifts? Do you think of your baptism as something long ago, with little meaning on day to day life? Do you think that since you are baptized you can act however you please, and God will have to forgive you? Are your thoughts, words, and deeds as filthy as those around you, and you have no intention of changing?

Well, stop! You are despising God's precious gift! Baptism is an ongoing reality. Just as your physical birth from your mother continues to be important to you, in that you are a living, breathing human, so also your new birth through Baptism has the ongoing reality of you being spiritually alive. Unless, of course, you reject the Lord and His gift, and let that faith shrivel and die.

If the fish bites down on that hook and is taken from the water, he doesn't have long before he will die. You are like that fish. If you are removed from the environment of your baptismal waters, you could dry up and die.

You see, you can refrain from hearing the preaching and teaching of His Word, and faith weakens. The Spirit delivers Christ through His Word, and ushers you into your relationship with the Father. Without that ongoing nurturing in that Word, the faith born from your Baptism can die.

Do not let your faith die. Do not "despise preaching and His Word." Do not turn your back on the Lord's gifts.

But you do. Just like everyone else, you do not hold your Baptism in the highest regard.

So the Lord keeps on pouring out His forgiveness. He keeps on lavishing His love through these gifts of His Word and Baptism. He multiplies His mercy and gives His grace. Father, Son, and Spirit gush forth the forgiving flood of Baptism on you, and constantly renew you.

So do not worry. Our loving, Triune God speaks tenderly to you, removing the guilt and stain of sin. He cleanses you and renews you, freeing you from the sinful feelings and attitudes that oppose Him and His Gifts. And you are blessed.

As the nation celebrates Fathers Day, many have feelings of fondness, honor, and good memories. Yet for many others it is a reminder of broken relationships or broken dreams or unfulfilled hopes of marriage and family. For them it is a day of sadness or even resentment. For everyone, though, today is a day to celebrate our heavenly Father, and His perfect and holy relationship in which He adopts us as His own. And with it also being Holy Trinity Sunday, it is a day not only to recall our Father in heaven, but also His Son and His Spirit.

You may spend this day with or remembering your father, or at the Six Corners Bar B Que,or just relaxing. But now your heavenly Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit comes in Christ's gifts of preached Gospel and His Blessed Sacrament. That is the most important thing that happens to you today. Now He has gifted you to celebrate Father, Son and Holy Spirit's Day -- Holy Trinity Sunday. Amen.

Living Water: A Homily for Pentecost

2011-06-28T15:05:00.004-04:00

Saint John 7:37-39

Feast of Pentecost

12 June 2011

St. John’s, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the beginning, there were Rivers of Living Water. The earth was full of perfect, holy life, as the Lord GOD had designed it. Eden had a river, and from it flowed four others. The Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates, flowed out of Eden’s River and watered God’s garden.

How utterly devastating for Eve, our first mother, as she was driven from that garden and that river. The perfect, living waters that nourished the new creation were now marred by sin, and drought as well as flooding riverbeds became a part of life on earth.

Some 1650 years later, the rivers of the world swelled and were joined by the waters of the deep and by the waters above in the Flood. In the most violent destruction the world has ever known, the Lord permitted unimaginable amounts of water to devastate the earth, ridding it of the unbelieving millions, while preserving the entire Church – the eight members of Noah’s family.

One thousand years after that, the River Nile comes to mind. While many Hebrew boys died at the hands of Egyptian soldiers, the Lord floated the infant Moses to safety in his little ark. Eighty years later, the Lord provided Moses to led the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground, while drowning the unbelieving Egyptian army.

Another forty years, and Joshua led the people on dry ground as they crossed the Jordan River, bringing them into the Promised Land.

Naaman washed in that humble river centuries later. Stepping into the stream as an unbeliever, the Lord changed him. His flesh was cleansed and made like a newborn, and Naaman was given the gift of faith.

But wait! All this talk of water? Today is Pentecost. It's about fire, right? Well, yes, the Holy Spirit used tongues of fire that day to bear witness to His presence, but more often He uses water in His actions.

Pentecost is a day of celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit, who comes to you in Baptism. Imagine the amazing scene of these immense crowds listening to the apostles preach, and then 3,000 were baptized!

In this wonderful gift of living water, the Holy Spirit does His work. He brings about your birth, He enlivens you. He is the living water flowing from Jesus' side. He gives and builds faith in Christ, and then gushes forth in the life of the Christian.

Even as the living waters of the mother’s womb protect the baby, and are part and parcel with the child’s birth, so also, the waters of Holy Baptism are what attend your birth to Holy Mother Church, at her font, as the Spirit washes you into rescue and new life, flowing from new birth!

And remember: elsewhere in John's Gospel, Jesus says, "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, and He has.

In fact, THAT is what today is all about! If people start focusing only on the Spirit Himself, they are missing the point. The Holy Spirit does not want the spotlight. He is not the center of attention. He is always pointing to Christ. Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit in today's Gospel lesson, and in the reading from Acts, He does.

The danger that we face is losing the focus on Christ. That can get pretty easy on Pentecost. If you are not careful, as you sing praises to God the Holy Spirit, and get wrapped up in the miraculous events of the first Pentecost that followed the Resurrection, you can be distracted from how Jesus-centered this is. You can look for God in amazing, science-defying miracles, rather than look for Him in the daily miracles of His Church. You can get distracted by the power and abilities of the Holy Spirit, apart from Christ, and completely miss the point.

Beware. If you separate the Spirit from the Word and work of Jesus Christ, you grieve them both, and offend God. The wind, the fire, and the languages are all amazing gifts, but they are not ends in themselves. And they are in no way to lead us to look away from Jesus, to focus on the Spirit.

The coming of the Holy Spirit is not about sitting around and thinking about tongues of fire, foreign languages, and rushing wind. It is about the Holy Spirit delivering Jesus. The preaching of St. Peter and the apostles was the Spirit bringing Jesus to the multitudes. The 3,000 baptisms were the Holy Spirit bring Jesus into those lives with His forgiveness, rescue, and salvation.

Just 50 days earlier, Jesus had been glorified in His death and resurrection. Now that His work was complete -- finished -- the Holy Spirit was bringing that glory of Christ to His Church. He was delivering the forgiveness, life, and salvation won on the cross and bursting from that empty tomb. He brings Jesus!

Dear friends in Christ, rejoice! On this Pentecost Day, and always, the Holy Spirit still is working miracles! He is keeping you in the living water of your Baptism. He is gifting you with the Gospel, quenching your thirst, bringing the forgiveness of Christ to you. He is delivering the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Sacrament of the Altar. And in all this, He is giving and nourishing and sustaining faith, that you may be gathered into the ultimate "Upper Room" with our Lord when you depart this life.

The water that wells up to eternal life is a wondrous, unique gift from God. And unlike the fountain of youth in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, receiving life from this water does not take it away from someone else! The Lord causes it to spring forth from the font, and carry you along through this world, until you join Him in eternity.

And so today, as our summer begins, the Holy Spirit carries you along, saying, "Come on in, the water's fine!" Amen.

A Homily for Easter 7

2011-06-07T10:50:00.001-04:00

St. John 17:1-11

7^th Sunday of Easter

5 June 2011

St. John’s, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This week, our “Week of Weeks” draws to a close. The seven-week celebration of the Victory of Christ’s Resurrection is rapidly nearing completion. While we rejoice in the rising of our Lord Jesus every Sunday, the intensified focus is nearly complete for this year. But our Risen Savior has words of comfort to encourage us in these last days – days when we no longer see Jesus walking about as His apostles saw Him, in His earthly form.

This morning we hear Jesus pray to our heavenly Father: “I have manifested your name.” I have revealed You. I have made you known. Christ our Lord who rose from the dead reveals to us our wondrous, Triune God.

Yet in our earthly lives, our Old Adams do not want to notice what Jesus has revealed. We cover our eyes, and avoid seeing Jesus. We turn away, refusing to witness God as He desires to come to us. We are far more interested in other sources for revealing a god.

Where do we look for our god to be revealed? We look for our Master to be revealed in entertainment. In our culture of “texting, Google, iPhones and Facebook;” and with devices that are only desirable if they come with functions such as camera and game systems, we are consumed with the idea that we must be entertained. So we sit back, and instead of witnessing the amazing comfort and awe and splendor of one- or two-thousand year old songs and prayers of the Holy Liturgy, we let our minds drift, and covet the worldly entertainment that has lured and enticed others.

Where do we look for our god to be revealed? We often look for signs of God in financial success. Our heads are turned away from Christ as attention shifts to monetary blessings. We might worship at the altar of the scanner, bar code, and plastic card, or perhaps just work harder to have cash in hand. We also might become totally immersed in the idea of wiping out debts to the point that our families, our obligations, and our relationships take a back seat. In the end, we might have a god in our credit, or another god of financial freedom. Old Adam is always looking to turn blessings into false gods.

In the end, we are looking just about anywhere except to the one place – to the One Lord and True God revealed to us through Jesus Christ – God-in-the-flesh!

Dear friends in Christ, we have comfort and joy from Jesus as we hear Him pray for us: “Holy Father, keep them in your name.” Our Father in heaven does indeed keep us. He protects and preserves us, as He leads us to abide in Him. He protects us from the devil, the world, and our sinful selves. And thus, He protects and keeps us from everlasting condemnation.

How does He protect us? God protects us as He forgives and strengthens us – through His Means of Grace! In Holy Baptism He placed His name upon us, rescuing us from the slavery to sin and death into which we were born. He claimed us! In Holy Absolution, He offers to continually protect and keep us from falling back into a lazy life as “Old Adam.” He protects us from a life of imperfection and giving in to our fleshly desires. And in His Holy Supper, God protects and keeps us from those same enemies, as He feeds us with His very self, nourishing us with His Holy Body and Blood, granting forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Now we regularly and frequently gather to receive these Gifts which strengthen and protect us. That is the entire purpose of coming to the Divine Service. Not simply to pray. Not merely to praise God. But to receive His Holy Gifts. You really are freed and released from your guilt as you hear the Gospel preached! It is happening right now! God is cancelling your debt of sin and selfishness at this very moment! He did the same at your Baptism, and soon He will sustain you with Himself in the Sacrament of the Altar. As you continually receive Jesus in His Gifts, He continually works on you and forgives, protects, and strengthens you!

This past Thursday, the Church throughout the world observed the Ascension of Our Lord. At His ascension, Jesus was taken up, body and soul, into heaven. He is at the right hand of God even now, still in that risen and glorified Body! Yet this is in no way limiting Him.

You see, the Father is everywhere. So His right hand is everywhere. You can be assured with holy comfort that our Lord Jesus is present in that same risen glorified Body wherever His Gospel and Sacraments are delivered. Yes! Indeed! That is the joyous mystery of this Holy Day! Jesus went away precisely to get closer to us!

Jesus’ ascension did NOT take Him away! No, dear friends in Christ. He ascended precisely to come to you! Now He can come in His Body to bring Himself to you, and with Himself, His holy gifts of forgiveness and life.

This morning Jesus thanks His Father for glorifying Him, but not because He likes the attention or fame. Our Savior thanks His Father for this glory so that in this glory, He can “Give eternal life to all whom you have given [Me.]” The Father has sent the Spirit to call you to faith, gather you, enlighten and sanctify you, so that the Son can give you this abundant life!

Praise God, dear friends, for you have a wonderful ascended Lord, who is with you, giving you protection and all things you need to be ushered into eternal life. His glory, His suffering, His death, and resurrection, and now, His ascension, are all for you! So rejoice in His resurrection, knowing that this Good News brings you Christ Jesus Himself! Amen!

Loved, Kept, and Adopted: A Homily on John 14:15-21

2011-05-30T13:18:00.005-04:00

John 14:15-21

6th Sunday of Easter

29 May 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Yeah. How's that goin' for you?

When you place another person in your life as the top priority, even if it is your spouse or child, and they are higher in your thoughts and deeds than the Lord, you are an idolater. You have "other god's before [Him.]" You are not loving the Lord and keeping His commandments. In fact, it is an awful irony, that you are making a blessing from God into a curse.

When you don't follow through on your homework or practice your musical instrument, you are not "honor[ing] your father and mother." Then you are just as guilty of despising authority are the criminal who stands in contempt of court.

You fail at keeping His commandments when you get angry and really want to yell at the drunk neighbor or the teenager with the loud hip hop music booming from his car. Your anger is just as wrong as murdering him.

Oh oh! Jesus is saying that this is not loving Him. These are just a few examples of how every day you are failing God. You do not show your love for Your neighbor, which actually means you are not loving God.

Loving the Lord is not merely having feelings for Him. It is not about emotion. It is action. Speaking words, thinking thoughts, and doing deeds of service to Him and to others. It is putting others ahead of yourself all the time, with the Lord God above all. It is such adoration of Him, that you forget about self. That is love!

But you can't love Him. You won't. Your sinful nature actually despises Him. And that is why He makes this promise in today's text. "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth."

You know precisely why we need this Helper. We cannot keep these commandments. We cannot love the Lord. "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith."

The work of the Holy Spirit brings about the result of placing you in Christ, and Him in you. And since Christ Jesus is in His Father, now, so are you! The Helper fills you with Jesus, placing Him in your ears through His preaching and teaching of His Word, and in your mouths in the Holy Supper. And He placed you in Jesus when He baptized you.

In these things, these holy gifts, the Helper has filled you with the love of our Savior. He places Love incarnate, Jesus Himself, into you. Not just in some emotional way, but as He enters and touches you with His Word and His Sacraments, He truly goes in and transforms you with His love. And changed by Him, you are given, and you reflect the Father's love.

It began in your life when Jesus kept His promise: "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." Refusing to leave you as orphans, the Father in heaven sends the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to rescue you in Holy Baptism. Sin, death, and the devil would leave you and abandon you, to die from exposure in this world. But our dear Lord Jesus sends the Helper to gather you into His family, and be adopted by His Father. He suffered abandonment by His Father as He hung on the cross, so that you would never know that horror. Now you are given the joy of being washed into His family, and being made children of God!

"I will not leave you as orphans." The recent film, Thor, changes the ancient stories of the Norse. Among movie buffs, here is where you see the words: "spoiler alert."

The new film portrays Loki as the brother of Thor, but that Loki was adopted. He had been abandoned as a weak and defenseless infant. Odin picked up this frail child of his enemy, and brought him home, to raise him as his own. Yes, Loki was the son of people who were battling, trying to kill Odin and his warriors. But Odin had compassion on the infant, and made this enemy his son. So a former enemy, then, is in line for the royal throne.

You were conceived and born as an enemy of God. You were then weak and defenseless infants. At some point, our Lord God picked you up, who were His enemies, and brought you to His house. He had compassion on you, and made you His children, by the washing of rebirth and renewal. So now, His former enemies, you are members and heirs of His heavenly, royal family.

Loki was given his name, a new home, and the love of His adoptive father. You have been given the name of God, placed on you in Baptism, given the new home of the Church on earth as you await your heavenly home, and have received the boundless love of your heavenly Father.

"And I will love him, and manifest Myself to him." Jesus loves you. That is the heart of all Christian preaching. Jesus loves and and forgives you! For all that you are unable or unwilling to love God, He forgives you, and makes Himself known to you through His love.

Dear friends in Christ, you have not been abandoned as orphans. Jesus loves you and has sent His Helper to make you His. Rejoice and be glad, as He reveals Himself through His love! Amen.

The Way, the Truth, and the Life: A Homily on the 60th Anniversary of Henry Knueppel's Service to St. John's

2011-05-23T12:51:00.004-04:00

John 14:1-14

5th Sunday of Easter

22 May 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In 1952, President Harry S Truman was finishing his term, and General Dwight Eisenhower was elected to office. Martin Kennelly would be Mayor of Chicago for a few years more until Richard J. Daley would begin his long tenure. King George VI had recently died, and his daughter Elizabeth had become Queen of the United Kingdom.

The United States was involved in the war in Korea, yet a feeling of prosperity prevailed, with an average worked earning $3,400 a year. Three out of five families owned a car; two out of three homes had a telephone; and one in three homes had a television. And Jonas Salk and his associates produced a vaccine for polio.

The African Queen and Singin' in the Rain were two of the most popular films of the year. Nat King Cole's Unforgettable was the big music hit. And it had been a long 44(!) years since the Cubs had won the world series.

This was the era and culture of the day when Henry Knueppel began teaching at St. John's. In that era of comfort and contentment, it was every bit as hard, if not harder, to recognize that there are no other ways to the Father. Surrounded by advances in technology and enjoying the good life after the Second World War, it was easy to be lulled into idolatry, worshiping self, and the culture and inventions that seemed to make life better.

But this is not some sin from 60 years ago, only found in our records. This remains a problem today, and will until we depart this earth. Many people and things are competing for your attention. And you all too easily go along with them.

You may trust in yourself more than a mayor or president. More than the basic telephone and television that are in practically every home today, you can be more concerned with your cell phone or computers. Texting with your best friends maybe more important to you than spending time gathering in God's house, receiving His gifts.

Is any of this your problem? Is this what is obstructing you from the kingdom of God? Perhaps. Jesus is speaking today about any thought, any philosophy, any religion, any trust that distracts you from Jesus Christ. It may be in something or someone else. It may be in your own abilities.

For those newly confirmed, there can especially be a danger of saying you have accomplished something, and have somehow earned your coming to the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Or you may find yourself trusting in your own belief. Yes, as innocent as that sounds at first, you can actually trust your believing rather than trusting Jesus! This is an idolatry of self. You then twist faith into a work rather than a gift, and are the rejecting Jesus Christ!

You may follow the broken understanding of some crack-pot preacher, and be surprised that we are still here today. The world did not end, nor was anyone caught up in some misinterpreted "rapture." If Jesus is the Way and the Truth, and He says, "no one knows the day or the hour" of the Son of Man's return, then no one knows! To say that you know is against His Word, and calls Christ a Liar!

Or you may find yourself buying into the lies of the agendas of "Coexist" bumper stickers and those who encourage such things in society. My friends, they do not simply seek that we be good neighbors or be kind to one another. The agenda is to give up on such exclusive claims, like Jesus alone is "the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him." But to give up on that is to say Jesus is a liar!

Jesus Christ is not a liar. "[He is] the Truth!" Christ alone is theTruth that is God's Word made flesh for you. He alone is the Life. The Risen Lord not only speaks truth, He is Truth. He is the absolute pure, good, and only way to life everlasting. He is sure and certain.

When Thomas admits the uncertainty of theTwelve, Jesus Christ calmly and lovingly explains it to them. "Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?" "I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life." Do not fear. Don't worry about seeking out the right philosophy or doing the right work. Jesus has washed you into His Truth and teaches the Way of His Word, that you may feed on His life.

The apostles did not know where Jesus was going, no matter how often or how plainly He told them. Yet He went. He went to the cross, for them and for you.

This same Jesus promises the Twelve, and you, that He is preparing a place for you, and is coming back for you. Of course, many people skip right over the initial step. It is at the cross that Jesus began preparing a place for you.

As He gave Himself up in your place, and redeemed you, He was preparing you for His place. Rising on that third day, He proved to all that He is the Life. And prepared your place to be with Him in the resurrection at the Last Day, which is a day and time known only to the Father. And He has prepared a place for you in His Church on earth, having baptized you, and thus prepares you for the place of His heavenly realms.

The Master Teacher has come, and not only taught about God, He is God. And the Lord God Himself proclaims everlasting life to you, with which He freely fills you!

Dear friends in Christ, be at peace! Our Risen Redeemer speaks His Truth, as He is your Way to Life with Him! Amen.

I AM the Door: A Homily on Easter 4

2011-05-16T14:40:00.005-04:00

John 10:1-10

4th Sunday of Easter

15 May 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I AM the Bread of Life. I AM the resurrection and the life. I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I AM the Good Shepherd. But how often do you really stop and think of Jesus as our Door? A gate. And entrance.

The motion picture industry tends to have some recurring themes, no matter what the subject or genre of a particular film. One such theme is called: "the load-bearing hero."

In the film version of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, a large, strong Minotaur becomes a "load-bearing hero." He braces himself under the descending iron gate, bearing the enormous weight, so that many of his fellow soldiers may pass through the gate to fight evil and protect the innocent. Eventually, the weight is too much, and he is crushed, which leaves many others to perish. Still, he died so that others might live. The fallen hero sacrificed himself for the lives of the faithful.

The Minotaur worked to keep the gate open, but it was only partially successful. On the other hand, Jesus does all things perfectly. "I AM the Door of the sheep." Jesus not only keeps the door open, He IS the door. And He is not merely partially successful. He has purchased and won salvation for all. He died so that all might live.

At the end of this service, you will go out these doors. You will mingle a bit, and then go about your business for the week. But then what? Our loving and merciful Lord is desiring that you come back through these doors, regularly and often, being fed and nurtured by Him, as you are His little lamb.

Dear Confirmands, and friends in Christ, do not treat these doors as if they are locked, and you can't get back in. When you walk away and are frequently absent from the Lord's Table and His teaching, it is as if the doors are locked and you can't get to Jesus. It is not His fault. He is the Door! He has opened the Kingdom of heaven to you. He has borne the load of sin, death, and hell to rescue you, and He keeps Himself as that open Door as He gives His Baptism, Absolution, Gospel, and His Supper.

Too many youth around the world fool themselves into thinking that this is a sort of graduation. The devil wants you to think that you have worked and completed something -- that you have somehow earned this and are now done. Satan wants nothing more than for you to think that none of this is necessary or important. He wants you to believe that your faith will be just fine and heaven is easily attained, even if you do not come to church and receive Christ's gifts often. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If you fail to keep coming through these doors week after week, your faith is in danger of shriveling up and dying. Even if you memorized the Catechism perfectly, and completed every religion assignment without flaw for all your years, if you do not come often to be nourished by the Gospel and Christ's Holy Supper, you can spiritually starve to death.

Even if you would end up serving on boards and committees, or teaching the faith to others, or joining all the congregational social groups, if you are not coming week after week to hear the Lord's Word and receive His Sacrament, you endanger your spiritual well-being. It is that plain and simple.

And for these twelve young people who confess their faith this morning, and receive Jesus' Body and Blood for the first time, what a tremendously joyful day this is. And sobering. They are vowing to God that they believe the faith as it has been taught them, drawn from the Scriptures and explained in the Catechism, and that they would rather die than fall away from it! They make a promise to the Lord today that they will be faithful in receiving Christ's preaching and Sacrament.

But they will fail. And so will you. No one here perfectly comes at every opportunity to hear the Word of the Lord and receive His Holy Supper. Even when in this building, hearts can be far from it.

But Jesus is the open Door, drawing you to the very gifts that deliver His forgiveness for these sins of neglect. He renews you in that baptismal faith, and restores you. He opens the kingdom of heaven to all believers.

So while some get caught up in all the vows of confirmation, and the work and words of these youths, that is not our focus at all! Jesus comes in His Word and Work. As Lutherans, THAT is what we celebrate today. Jesus is the Door through which you enter communion with the Lord God. He is the entrance into forgiveness, life, and salvation. In fact, He is forgiveness, life, and salvation!

It's not about us at all. Today, as always, it is all about Jesus. Today we celebrate that our Risen Good Shepherd is our Door to salvation, and that He is passing gifts through that door until the day when we walk through that door a final time on this earth, joining Him in His never-ending paradise. Amen.

Good Friday - Rebecca Black Easter Song

2011-05-11T16:48:00.000-04:00

Yikes! Yes, liturgically, we're rather late on this.

Don't quite know what to say. Take a ridiculous, mundane song and cheapen the contents of God's Word, setting it to a "bubble gum" tune. On the other hand, it's a train wreck I had to keep watching.

Recognizing Jesus: A Homily on Luke 24:13-35

2011-05-11T12:20:00.004-04:00

Saint Luke 24:13-35

3^rd Sunday of Easter

8 May 2011

St. John’s, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I have known Cameron since he was a baby. Our families are friends. He had been a classmate of my son since pre-school. I had seen and heard him almost daily since 1999. Yet in the course of this past year, since we last saw him vacationing in Chicago, he has grown. His voice has changed. He has lost the little-boyish features. The same boy I had known for eleven years was now a youth I did not recognize!

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus went through a similar experience, although they had seen Jesus just a few days earlier. And Jesus was not changing as a growing teenager. He was simply keeping people from recognizing Him until the right moment. These men would soon come to recognize their Lord who was with them!

Tradition says that these men were two of the Seventy that Jesus sent out, and that Cleopas may have been Jesus’ uncle, and the other disciple here may well have been Saint Luke himself. But no matter who they are, even these men – these close associates of Jesus – do not realize who is traveling with them. They do not recognize Jesus, or where they can find Him.

Why do they not recognize Jesus? Saint Augustine tells us: “Here we are with two others, walking along the road and talking to each other about the things that had been happening in Jerusalem – about … the death of Christ. They were walking along, talking the matter over, grieving for Him as if He were dead, not knowing He had risen again. He appeared and joined them as a third traveler, and entered into friendly conversation with them. Their eyes were held from recognizing Him; their hearts, you see, needed more thorough instruction.”

They needed catechesis! They needed the instruction and formation in the faith that Christ alone can bring. Only when the Word of God has its way with us, can we recognize Jesus in faith. Without faith, one will never truly recognize Christ. And without the Word of God, one will never have faith!

These two – Cleopas and his companion, along with the apostles, had been scandalized by the cross – just like everyone else! It was too much to take in. It was so horrifying that they forgot what Jesus Himself said.

“He had foretold everything: that He was going to suffer, to die and to rise again on the third day. He had foretold it all, but His death had erased it from their memories. They were so shattered when they saw Him hanging on the tree that they forgot about His teaching. They did not expect Him to rise, nor did they hold on to what He had promised.” (St. Augustine)

We too fail to hold on to what He has promised. When we panic from the reports of Chicken Little’s in the media, and respond with fear to their cries of “recession,” we doubt God’s providence. We become like the Israelites who purposefully gathered too much manna, not trusting the Lord to send what they needed. And He sent worms to devour their faithless hoarding.

We fail to hold on to what He has promised when we shy away from defending innocent life. Jesus declares that [He has] come that [we] may have life and have it abundantly! When we fall for Satan’s lies that such a basic issue to the Gospel is merely political, and keep our mouths shut for fear of some radicals, we have a first commandment issue, fearing them more than God!

We fail to hold on to what He has promised when we pretend that our loved ones are not hurting themselves when they skip the Divine Service. We turn the other way as some enter a sort of spiritual anorexia, denying themselves the true Food that gives true Life. Jesus has promised to forgive, renew, and prepare us, body and soul, to live with Him forever. Those who cut themselves off from that Gift, are straying further and further from our Lord, and thus, from a blessed eternity. And those of us who stand by silent, are helping them along that dangerous path.

We fail to hold on to what He has promised when we act like there are things more important than the Divine Service – even if we are there in the Service! Whether we slip out needlessly to the bathroom, or we quietly slip out our cell phone to play a game, check email, or text someone, or simply stand there with our mouths shut, defiantly refusing to respond in prayer or praise. At those moments, we endanger ourselves, and the little ones around us whom we are teaching in word and deed to find Christ’s Holy Liturgy boring and pointless.

Yet our dear, Risen Lord rids us of these failures. He cleansed us in the waters of Holy Baptism, through which He washed us into forgiveness, rescue, and salvation. He purifies us from all stains and blemishes that erode our trust in His promises, and gives us His great promise of resurrection through this baptismal connection. He has baptized you into His death and burial – the very thing that scandalizes the world, saves you! And now, He leads you to hold on to His promises.

And how does He do that? He leads you to hold on to His promises as He catechizes you! He teaches you and forms you in the faith as the very Word of God encounters you. The Word made flesh convicts you of your sin, and then forgives you! And having been changed by that Word, we desire Him more.

Dear friends in Christ, your desire is fulfilled! You have many opportunities to be encountered by Jesus, to recognize Him as He comes to you in His teaching of His Word and in the Breaking of the Bread – the mystical communion of His Holy Body and Precious Blood. In the Divine Service, our Risen Lord comes through words and bread and wine, simple and common like the stranger on the road. The two disciples did not see through the hidden-ness at first. Sometimes, we fail to see through it too. If we treat His Word like anyone else’s, we are still blind to Him. When we think that His Flesh and Blood are still common bread and wine, we are looking away from Jesus.

But the amazing thing is: it is through these means that He forgives and renews us from that looking away! As sure as I am standing here, talking to you, our Risen Savior is “making you right” before God, and opening your eyes. And as sure and certain as you come to His altar, and Jesus places Himself in your mouth, your eyes will be opened, and you will recognize Him in the breaking of the bread.

Today you have the joy of having your eyes opened, and receiving Jesus in Word and Sacrament. Today you are welcomed by our Lord in Table Fellowship in which God welcomes you to be united with Him, and to be the absolute closest with Him that you can be, this side of heaven.

Today, as Jesus enters your ears and mouths, you behold Him with your eyes, and respond with glad “Alleluias.” And as you leave this Holy House, you carry a joyous “We have seen the Lord!” on your lips, inviting others to have their eyes opened as well.

Come, dear friends in Christ. The Lord bids you to come to His altar that the Risen Christ may open your eyes! Amen!

I Don't Believe It: A Homily for Quasimodo Geniti

2011-05-05T11:02:00.005-04:00

John 20:19-31

2^nd Sunday of Easter

1 May 2011

St. John’s, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It was a thrilling moment! Even after all the amazing pomp and ceremony of the wedding, with the million-or-so well-wishers all over London, there was something incredible about the royal family appearing on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with Prince William and his new bride.

If you looked carefully, you could read her lips as they stepped out onto the balcony. “Oh, WOW!” Amazed at the estimated 100,000 people approaching and cheering for her and her Bridegroom, Catherine had a moment of unbelief. She and William were both there, in the flesh, but it was almost too good to be true.

Catherine had a moment like Thomas, who found Jesus’ resurrection too good to be true. Although Thomas would have felt this out of despair, as He saw His Lord wounded and killed.

Jesus still bears permanent wounds in His Body. But again, they do not admit defeat; they bear witness to His victory. The Lord reaches out to St. Thomas, and shows him His amazing triumph over sin and death.

For the first eighteen years of my life, every Sunday I would be reminded of this moment. On the altar of Christ Lutheran in Peoria, above the crucifix, is a statue of the Risen Christ, showing His sacred wounds to Thomas. What a blessing and joy!

This image is one of extreme comfort. It is Jesus—“Divine Mercy” in the flesh—showing His ultimate glory and mercy as He reveals His precious wounds that poured out His Blood. Christ, in His compassion, does not let Thomas remain condemned in His unbelief. He has mercy on Thomas and forgives Him, giving Him the very reassurance that he needs. “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

Jesus shows you His wounds! His Body is risen and glorified, yet the spear gash and nail prints are still there! Why? Because they show His glory! That IS God’s glory – that He in His flesh was wounded and died for you! Our Resurrected Lord shows His love, His mercy, His glory, His victory in these wondrous wounds.

Jesus does the same with you! He provides the reassurance that you need. He sends His pastors to forgive your sins and He covers you in His mercy. No matter how much doubt or unbelief you have, our Risen Savior does not leave you to remain in judgment; He forgives and gives. He forgives your sins, and gives you His pastors and His forgiveness.

The Victorious Christ stands before you today. At this moment, through these words, He is showing you His wounds, and giving you comfort. He is showing His wounds and speaking forgiveness into your ears. In a matter of moments, He will show His wounds as He places His Risen and glorified Body and Blood in your mouths.

But then there is another gift in which He displays His wounds and pours forth forgiveness and life – a gift that we often overlook. You see, this very passage records the moment when Jesus instituted Holy Absolution—the means of grace where you individually can confess to your pastor and receive absolution directly from him.

What is Confession? Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.

What sins should we confess? Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not aware of, as we do in the Lord’s Prayer; but before the pastor we should confess only those sins which we know and feel in our hearts.

There is a modern myth that private confession is only a Roman Catholic thing. This is an attitude from which our Lord Jesus calls us to repent! You may not even realize that when the Catechism speaks of confession, it is really speaking of private confession, not the preface of the Divine Service that we all speak together.

Along with fellow Lutherans and various Protestants, it is easy for you to gain a certain arrogance and say, “I can confess straight to God, why would I have to confess to a pastor or priest?” Well, you don’t “have to,” but the Lord gives the joy and comfort of this gift to you! When you receive individual absolution, you have the treasure of forgiveness, and know from the touch of the pastor’s hands on your head, and the assurance of his voice, when you are the only one there, and know that the Lord is using the pastor to free you from your sin.

Repent of your arrogance. Shed your smugness. Christ calls you to confess your sin.

Yet our Lord Christ does not leave you stuck in your sin. He does not abandon you for your unbelief.

Our blessed Savior sends you His pastor who stands ready to hear your confession. And he then speaks Christ’s powerful Word that releases you from your sin, freeing you from your debt to God and forgiving your unbelief. As you admit your guilt and speak your sins into the pastor’s ear, those words go into a tomb, never to go out. And from his mouth comes resurrection! Yes, as you hear those blessed words: “I forgive you all your sin, in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit,” that new creature that was given birth at Baptism is raised again! And that is a true gift of His peace.

And who died and left him to forgive you? Jesus! Today’s Gospel reading is the very passage that records Jesus instituting this precious and holy gift! The Catechism reminds us:

What is the Office of the Keys?
The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.

Where is this written?
This is what St. John the Evangelist writes in chapter twenty: The Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Praise God! Our Risen Savior comes to you today, and always, giving you exactly what you need: He shows you His wounds, from which His forgiveness and love and mercy have poured forth. And He gathers His people around His pastors, that this precious gift of Absolution may continue until He returns in glory.

Dear friends in Christ, see His wounds! Your sins are forgiven! Peace be with you! Amen.

A Tale of Two Tombs: A Homily for Easter

2011-05-05T10:34:00.004-04:00

Matthew 28:1-10

Resurrection of Our Lord

24 April 2011

St. John's, Chicago, IL

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

If you head east to Clark Street, between Montrose and Irving Park Road, you will come to a fascinating piece of Chicago history and architecture: Graceland Cemetery. Many of the most famous and wealthy Chicagoans of the past now lie on those grounds.

It is a beautiful place, but a rather sad cemetery, as many of those 19th century socialites were not Christians. Many believed in little more than themselves, and these monuments are all that they felt would be left of them for the future.

One such individual is the notorious George Pullman. Pullman is credited with inventing the railroad sleeping car, and built up a great business. He built his company town on the south side, having employees rent and even buy their needs from company stores in his little empire. And when times were financially tough, he cut the wages of employees, while keeping their rent high.

Needless to say, he was not well loved. In fact, it is safe to say that many hated George Pullman.

When Pullman died, a large monument was erected for his grave. Underneath, his coffin was covered in tar paper and asphalt, and placed in the center of a room-sized block of concrete. This was reinforced by a layer of railroad ties with even more concrete. The heirs feared that his body would be stolen and held for ransom. One journalist remarked, "It is clear the family in their bereavement was making sure the [scoundrel] wasn't going to get up and come back."

Sounds like what the chief priests and scribes and Pharisees wanted to do for Jesus' tomb. Make it as secure as they could, so that no one could steal the body and lie that He had been raised. So they had the large stone over the entrance, the seal from the governor, and a group of Roman guards, to be sure that nothing happened.

But something did happen. The Lord sent a great earthquake, and His angel rolled back the stone. The guards "became like dead men." Nothing was going to stop the Lord of Life from bursting forth from the tomb!

"Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands for our offenses given; But now at God's right hand He stands and brings us life from heaven. Therefore let us joyful be and sing to God right thankfully loud songs of alleluia! Alleluia!"

Far more than suffering from the high prices and control of life in a company town, Jesus had endured it all. He suffered more than you can imagine, so that the threat of your eternal suffering is removed. You are now full of joy and love and life, thanks to our loving and living Savior.

Had our Lord's enemies had the materials at their disposal, Jesus' tomb would have been even more secure than Pullman's. Yet, no matter what would try to keep Him confined to that tomb, creation had to yield to her living Creator.

No amount of asphalt or concrete, no weights, or stones, or locks could keep Jesus contained. The Risen Lord is mighty and strong and victorious. And sin and death are completely weak and broken before Him. Jesus' death on Good Friday defeated the enemy of death, and left no other possibility than that which we celebrate this morning. As He gave Himself up to death, He took its reign and brought it to a swift end.

"Christ Jesus, God's own Son came down, His people to deliver; Destroying sin, He took the crown from death's pale brow forever: Stripped of power, no more it reigns; An empty form alone remains; Its sting is lost forever. Alleluia!

"It was a strange and dreadful strife when life and death contended; The victory remained with life, The reign of death was ended. Holy Scripture plainly saith that death is swallowed up by death, Its sting is lost forever. Alleluia!"

Yes, the graves of many famous, powerful people of the past, such as Pullman, are quite sad. Great carved stones calling to mind the names of people who did not "fear, love, and trust in God above all things." The Last Day, the Day of Resurrection, is not a joyful time for them.

But not so with you! The Holy Spirit has called you to faith in the crucified and risen Christ. He has washed you into His family. And you have the absolute joy and peace and confidence that He will raise you, perfecting and glorifying your body for life everlasting!

Even while you spend that brief time in your own tomb, you can rest assure that no matter how secure the grave, the Risen Lord will cry out with His living voice, and you will rise and live with Him forever! Amen.