easter02-2011

TITLE: “Peace be with you”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text for this morning is from John 20.  We focus on the words, Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, Peace be with you.

We have heard the story of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  We have heard how he crushed Satan and won salvation for all who believe His Word.  This is the victory of God over all the powers of darkness and despair.  So why is it that the Sunday after Easter always seems like a letdown?  In the Church year this Sunday is sometimes called Low Sunday.  I’m not sure if this refers to low attendance or how low the disciples felt in our Gospel lesson, but it is certainly true that things are different for the disciples and for us.

Our Gospel lesson takes place the evening Jesus’ rose from the dead.  Last week we heard of the morning’s events.  Jesus rises from the dead, and appears to Mary Magdalene, and says her name.  When she went to tell the disciples, though, they didn’t believe her.  They thought she was crazy, or perhaps was drunk.  So that brings us to this week’s lesson

In our text the disciples are hiding behind closed doors for fear of the Jews.  Jesus has risen from the dead, but the disciples are afraid.  They are afraid of the Jews, they are afraid they are going to be found out, they are afraid that they have put their hope in a dead God.  What could be more pathetic than that?

That is how it goes with our faith, too.  It’s easy to feel good on Easter morning.  The music, the readings, the beauty of the service, everything points to the wonder of Christ’s resurrection from the dead.  But what about later?  What about after the glow of the resurrection seems to wear off?  What about those times when you are alone with your sins.  What about those times in your faith-life when you feel like you can get no breath, when you feel like you are choking or being asphyxiated because it just isn’t in you?

We’ve all been there.  Like the disciples, our emotions as Christians ebbs and flows.  There are times when we feel close to God, but there are other times when we feel far away and distant, unconnected, afraid and alone.  That is where the disciples were that first Easter evening.  They were there with you.

This is how Satan seeks to work on you, my friends.  The last thing Satan wants you to believe is the connection between Easter and your faith.  If He can convince you that Christ’s death and resurrection were just events from a storybook a long time ago, if he can convince you of that, then Jesus’ resurrection from the dead has no meaning.  That is Satan’s ploy.  He seeks to convince you that you don’t believe.  He is willing to lie, deceive, convince, do whatever he can in His power to draw you away from Christ’s words of forgiveness and life.

Left to yourself, you are stuck, right there in league with Satan.  But you are not left to yourself.  That is the point of our Gospel lesson today.  Jesus appears in the midst of them and says, Peace be to you.  Jesus knows His disciples don’t believe in Him at that time.  He knows that they are filled with unbelief and doubt.  He also knows they are full of fear at the Law and that they need to hear words of comfort and hope.

So He says to them, Peace be with you.  Notice how tender these words are in the ears of the disciples.  Notice how tender these words are to you.  Peace.  The wall of separation between God and man was broken when Jesus burst forth from the tomb.  God and man are not longer at enmity; they are no longer at war with each other.  They are at peace.  But like prisoners of war, the disciples have not heard the news.  They haven’t received the fruit of Jesus’ work on the cross and in the tomb.  So Jesus preaches to them and says, peace be with you.

They are great words.  With those words Jesus comforts you and gives you hope.  Jesus died and rose again from the dead to put those words in your ears.  Peace be with you.  He doesn’t pummel with the Law, he doesn’t mock them or condemn for their unbelief, although I suppose the disciples deserved it, as do we.  No, Jesus gives them the only thing that could actually make a difference.  He gave them peace.  As Jesus uses the word here, it means the same thing as forgiveness.  He forgives them their sins.  They are gone.

But Jesus isn’t satisfied to simply forgive the since of the eleven some 2000 years ago.  No, He then gives them the peace again, and says to them: whoever sins you forgiven, they are forgiven; and whoever’s sins you hold back, they are held back.

In Lutheran theology we call this the Office of the Keys.  Jesus gives the Keys to the disciples, now called the Apostles or sent-ones.  He gives them the keys and says that their work, they life task is to be about forgiving sins.  They are to release sins, get rid of them and cast them into the depth of the sea.

That is the work of the Christian Church.  That is why we gather here Sunday after Sunday.  God draws you to this house week after week so that He can say to you, Peace be with you.  I forgive you your sins. That is the point.  God does forgive your sins.  Remember the words from the end of our Gospel lesson, These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name.

God puts His peace on you.  He gives it to you, freely, not because of any merit or worthiness on your part, but because of His great and abundant mercy, which knows no bounds.  This is what the world doesn’t get about Easter.  For so many, even for many Christians, Easter is about the drama of the event or the pageantry or whatever.  Now we do make a big deal about Easter.  But we do so because Jesus died and rose again for us.  Remember again the words from the Creed: who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the virgin Mary and was made man. God came down to earth with a purpose.

The old title for this Sunday is Quasimodo Geniti, from the Introit, which begins, “As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the Word.”  The power of Easter lies in the Word of God.  For it is in that Word of God, peace be with you, that all of Christ’s work on the cross and in the tomb becomes yours.   He puts those words into your ears here on Sunday.  He puts those words on your heart in Holy Baptism.  And He puts those words of forgiveness in your mouth in His Holy Supper.  As we prayed in the Introit, open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Our Lord gives you His very Word made flesh here today.  Receive it with thanksgiving, for all of God’s work is now given to you.  Peace be with you. In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting.  Amen.

Certainly swine flu is in the air. Every TV news show and every radio program or newspaper seems to have some mention of its spread. Don’t touch! Have no human contact! You don’t want to get sick.

There is some wisdom in this. As diseases spread, we must take reasonable cautions to guard ourselves and our loved ones from sickness and disease.

But what about at church?

Are we to avoid shaking hands, or even stay away from the Body and Blood of Christ for fear of harm to ourselves or others? Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind as we move forward in faith and trust:

1. God would not command us to take eat, and drink in order to harm us. “In Him we live and move and have our being,” as St. Paul reminds us. God is greater than a virus. He who numbers the hairs on our heads (Matthew 6) will not command us to do something in order to hurt us.

2. It is not “tempting God” to trust HIs Word that we receive His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

3. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has said on more than one occasion that the use of the chalice is actually more sanitary than individual cups. If you are not convinced or if this continues to cause you concern, by all means receive from the individual cup instead. [ed: When I wrote this article I couldn't find my reference on this one. I am very happy to be corrected if I'm wrong on it.]

4. There is a greater chance of communicating a disease through a handshake than through the Sacrament of the Altar.

5. If you cannot in good conscience receive the Sacrament because you are afraid, then don’t. I will be more than happy to commune you privately, if that is your wish.

6. I am also happy to receive a “holy wave” after church instead of a handshake, if you prefer.

7. There is something to be said for “sharing our mutual woes”, as the hymn exclaims. Bearing one another’s burdens is part and parcel to being a Christian. This is not an excuse to be foolish or unsanitary, but neither should we be afraid of each other.

Those are my thoughts on the subject right now. I am happy to speak with anyone about it if that would be helpful. God be with you this season, and stay healthy AND forgiven!

Pastor Peperkorn

The wait is finally over!

Nearly three years after I began the process of writing this book, it is now available for free download. The free print version will be available sometime in mid-late July. It is at the printer as we speak.

I would urge you to go to the website listed below and order as many copies as they will let you or as many as you need. then download the book and start to get a sense of it. I am very excited and anxious to hear your thoughts on this, and I pray it will serve as a blessing to the Church.

I would especially like to thank Maggie Karner, Al Dobnia, Sarah M. Shafer, Philip Hendricksen, and the entire staff at LCMS World Relief and Human Care for their kindness and work in helping this project come to fruition. They are a wonderful group of people!

So check it out and let me know what you think.

In Christ
Pastor Todd Peperkorn
Author
I Trust When Dark My Road: A Lutheran View of Depression

To request your complimentary copy, call 800-248-1930, ext. 1380.

Messiah Lutheran Church

Kenosha, Wisconsin

Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn

St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

September 21, 2008

Matthew 9:9-13

For an audio MP3 of this sermon, CLICK HERE

TITLE: “Follow Me”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Our text for this morning, the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, is taking from St. Matthew chapter nine, the words of our Lord, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13 ESV)

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Follow me, Jesus said to Matthew. And Matthew the tax collector, the rich sinner, got up and followed Him. What could be simpler? What could be easier? What could be farther from the walk of our lives?

For most of us, following Jesus is not so simple. Your life, and mine, is filled with pitfalls and detours. There are temptations every single day to follow other paths, go different directions than the way of our Lord to the cross and resurrection. Even the mere act of getting to church on Sunday morning can be a huge victory in the insanity of life.

But our Lord’s voice continues to call out, follow me. Follow me through all the days of your life, Jesus says. Follow me in good times and bad. Follow me when you can’t see your nose in front of your face. Follow me when things are so messed up, so confused and disjointed, that you don’t know why you’re here or who you are. Follow me, sinners. Follow me, cheaters, adulterers, fornicators, thieves, murderers, gossips, lustful ones, vengeful ones, hateful ones. Follow me, one and all.

Follow me, Jesus says, and I will make all things new. Follow me and you will go through water and death. Follow me and be refreshed in the journey on my own body and blood. Follow me and you will find rest for your weary soul. Follow me and you will see the light of a new dawn. Follow me and you will have companionship and a true friend in the darkest hours of your life. Follow me and you will reach the goal of your journey, eternal life with God and with all the saints forever. Follow me.

Another word for follower is the word, disciple. And connected to that word we find another word, discipline. The Lord disciplines those He loves, says Proverbs 34. I think that’s what is really so hard about following Jesus. It means trust, or faith if you prefer. It means trusting that when things happen to you, and things always happen to you, that God means it for good even if the devil, the world and our sinful nature mean it for evil. That’s hard to see, isn’t it? Following Jesus is easy when everything is good. But when there’s a death, a loss, a heartache, a sickness, no job, no money, or worse still, when you’ve screwed up so bad you don’t know how to get out of it, when these things happen, then following Jesus isn’t so appealing.

You can be sure that St. Matthew thought this very thing many times in his life as a disciple. Today we remember St. Matthew, apostle and evangelist. Our text portrays the picture of a rich man picking himself up, leaving his old life behind, and following Jesus. We know that the road of Matthew wasn’t always one of faith to faith, victory to victory. Matthew, like the rest of the followers, the disciples, forsook Jesus at the cross. The road of this disciple wasn’t clear or easy. But our Lord picked him up, forgave him, set him apart as an apostle, and used a poor sinner like Matthew to bring the Gospel to generations not yet born.

Now if God can lead a sinner like Matthew to death and resurrection, He can do so for you, dearly baptized. The road that Matthew trod is the road of many sinner/saints throughout the ages. It is the road of Ezekiel and Isaiah. It is the road of apostles, martyrs, prophets, common Christians and mighty kings. It’s the road that your grandparents took, and theirs before them. This road, the road of salvation through the dead of Jesus, is well worn. Jesus has gone there before us, and He leads the way. In a way, we could look at this road to have as a victory parade. Jesus is at the head, and he carries the banner or your salvation to death and the other side, so that you know what’s coming.

Follow me, Jesus says. One writer (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) put it this way, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. …” Our Lord did not call the self-righteous to follow him. He called sinners, you and me. He calls you now to a better life. The life of discipleship, to which He calls you, is better, not because you won’t have troubles on the way. It isn’t an easier life, not in that sense. It is better because you are on the right road. It is the road of God. It is the road of salvation.

You can be on the most beautiful, paved road in the world. But if the road leads you to hell, it’s not so great of a road, is it? Lutheran pastor Bonhoeffer also said this, “If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.”

Follow me, Jesus says. Repent. Turn away from your sinful path, your road of brokenness which leads only to perdition. Follow me, Jesus says, and I will see you through to eternal life. Follow me, and you will live forever. Follow me, Jesus says, take up your cross, and I will never leave you nor forsake you. Follow me. Believe it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting. Amen.