Alleluia! The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

“The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26 ESV).  Paul really sums up so much of life under the cross with those words. So much of our lives are really about cheating death.  Makeup, diets, slimming clothes, bigger or better muscles.  We have medicines to make us happy, to mask pain and hurts, or to numb everything.  Our daughters put on makeup at younger and younger ages, and we put makeup on those who have passed away, to keep them looking good as long as possible.  We have cars to make us feel younger, gadgets to keep us on top of the latest trends, and memories to keep the dreams alive.  We long for the so-called glory days which pass us by all too quickly, as Springsteen once sang.*

But death is no dream.  It is very, very real.  And while we relish the release of pain and suffering, death itself is still the last, great enemy. A family struggles with the question: when do you “pull the plug,” as some say so crassly.  It is so hard to let go, and it seems wrong not to do everything in your power to keep the one you love alive.  Where is the line between letting someone die and killing them?  What is right?   How do I know?  You feel guilty whether you zig or zag.  The pain and sorrow and grief are no less with all of our science and medical technology.  In some ways, it is worse.  We live longer than our parents and grandparents, but that doesn’t mean we live better.  So when do you say goodbye, and how do you know?  How many times can you say goodbye?  I’m sure some of you have struggled with those heart wrenching moments.  Maybe you are struggling with it now.

The women knew this grief and sorrow, as they came to anoint their dead Lord and found Him gone.  Talk about insult added to injury!  You don’t mess with a grave.  Never.  It is just not done.  But there it is.  He is gone.  Not just dead.  Gone.  Peter sees, rushes in, saw the empty tomb and the linens folded up all nice in the corner, and went off.

Mary Magdalene is left to mourn, alone. Two angels come to comfort her.  They ask why she is weeping.  Why am I weeping, she in effect says to them.  I’m weeping because Jesus is dead and now they’ve stolen Him from me!  There is no body.  Everything is gone.  I have no place to mourn.  Even the place of my grief has been taken away! Suddenly the gardener appears, or is it Jesus?  He, too, wanted to know why she wept so.  She replies, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away” (John 20:15 ESV).

All she wanted was to mourn in peace.  The thought that things were better than they ever imagined, well, it never even occurred to her.  Grief has that way about it.  It sucks us in, as Satan tries to pry our faith from us. But life interrupts death.  Jesus is alive, and says her name, Mary.  In the blink of an eye, everything, everything is different.  Now, the mourning doesn’t seem to fit quite the same.  Now, Mary can see that when Jesus raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead, that was just the beginning.  When Life conquered Death in that strange and dreadful strife, everything that we thought we understood about the world was turned upside down and inside out.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the story of our lives, that we forget we know the ending.  It reminds me of one of my favorite movie scenes is from the cult classic, The Princess Bride.  In the movie a grandfather reads a story to his sick grandson.  The son reluctantly agrees.  As the story of death and mayhem and romance goes on, the young boy gets further and further engrossed into the movie.  At one point the grandfather has to stop the story and remind the boy “she doesn’t get eaten by the eels at this time.”

I know, it sounds silly.  But it is important as we journey in joy and sorrows and romance and grief to remember that we don’t get eaten by the eels, so to speak.

In the world, death is the end.  There is no more story.  We either seek to defeat death by taking life on our own terms (e.g. Euthanasia, abortion, suicide, and the like), OR we try to defeat it at all costs by covering it up, extending life no matter what, and masking its reality.  But Jesus’ resurrection means that death is not in charge.  St. Paul wrote, “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him” (Romans 6:9 ESV). Death is not your master.  Our living Lord, Jesus Christ, has died and risen again, so that your dying will always mean life in the end.  St. Paul wrote again, “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8 ESV).

For thousands of years Christians have faced death with a remarkable grace and confidence.  That doesn’t mean we aren’t afraid to die.  Of course, death is still scary, and none of us long for the unknown like that.  But at the same time, because of that empty tomb and living Lord, you are free to live or die.  It is all the same. Eternal life is your inheritance.  Jesus has conquered it all.

Easter morning, Christ is risen. Come behold the empty grave.
We deserved the fiery prison.  Hear the pardon which He gave.
Be refreshed, renewed my people, Stooped and beaten since the Fall
You, in Him are more than conquerers: Cruel Death is killed for all.*

Be at peace, dear children of God.  Christ has done it!  You know the end of the story.  Sing with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven!  Nothing can defeat you in Him.  Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.  Everything else, even death itself, pales by comparison.  Rejoice, Oh Redeemed, for your Redeemer bids you feast on Him and live forever.

Alleluia! The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! In the strong name of Jesus.  Amen.

Here’s the audio for my Trinity 16 sermon on the raising of the widow of Nain’s Son.  Another mindmap sermon, so no written text.

-LL

Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
The Resurrection of Our Lord (April 12, 2009)
Job 19:23-27; I Cor. 15:12-25; Mark 16:1-8

For an audio MP3 of this sermon, CLICK HERE.

TITLE: “A Bright Future in Jesus”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for today is from St. Mark Chapter Sixteen.

The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

“Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” This was the question that the women asked one another that first Easter morn. Their Lord was gone forever. That’s what they thought. All of the talk about Jesus as the Messiah seemed cold and dead on their lips. But they wanted to do what was right. They wanted to bring the spices and anoint His body. If he could not live, at least He should die with honor and respect as a great teacher.

We all fight this battle. This battle with death. Sometimes the battle seems to be going well. We’re healthy, the kids are doing okay, and tax season is almost over. God is gracious, and there is much to rejoice about. Other times, though, it seems as though death and Satan are winning. A loved one dies. There’s a sickness that just won’t go away. The economy. Jobs. School. Divorce. Fighting at home. Sometimes the fight is long and the battle hard. Sometimes this earthly strife which we all undergo never seems to end. It can feel as though there is no future, no hope for things to ever get better.

We, of course, are not the first Christians to ever have this battle with Satan and sin and death. St. Paul writes about it in I Corinthians 15 about those who weren’t certain of the resurrection of the dead. They didn’t know whether the dead would rise. They thought you lived and you died, and that was the end. To that fear and concern he wrote: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19 KJV).

How often have you been miserable because you have forgotten the basic, most fundamental core of the Christian faith? How often have you lived as if Jesus’ dead body were still decaying outside of Jerusalem somewhere? When we allow the trials and crosses of this life to define us, it is as if we are asking that question with the women at the tomb. I don’t mean that we should always be happy, or that if we simply have a more positive attitude, that things will automatically get better. Heaven knows that there are times when things are hard. We do suffer in this life. And that suffering is real, it is painful, and it may feel as though it will never end.

But Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. And for poor, weak sinners like you and I, that is good news indeed. No, it is the very best of news. Already with Job we saw that hope. If anyone had reason to complain against God, it was Job. His wife gone, His children gone, his house, his livelihood, his health. His very life was hanging on by a thread. Everything had been taken away from him. Yet even still Job was able to pen those great words of faith,

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25-27 ESV)

Job points us to this great, beautiful reality. No matter what happens, no matter what sin, the devil and the world throw at you, Jesus is risen from the dead. Everything can be taken from you, even life itself, but that will not separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Death has no sting, because Jesus is risen.
Your sins cannot weigh you down, because Jesus is risen.
You have a future that is bright and clear, because Jesus is risen.
What is broken and messed up today will be mended, because Jesus is risen.
You are not in prison, you will be free, because Jesus is risen.
Christ’s blood now marks you as His own, because Jesus is risen.

Rejoice this day and be glad. The things of this life which weigh you down will pass. God is at peace with you, and you do not need to be afraid of anything which comes your way. Jesus is risen, and that is all that really matters in this life. Believe it for the sake of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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

Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
The Resurrection of Our Lord (March 23, 2008)
John 20:1-18
For an audio MP3 of this sermon, CLICK HERE

TITLE: “Death Swallowed Up”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. The Lord is Risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!)

Mary Magdalene went to the tomb Early that first Easter morning to anoint Jesus’ body. They did have time to do it right on Friday. Things were crazy. The betrayal, the trials, the scourging, the horrible crucifix, the makeshift tomb borrowed from Joseph of Arimathea, these things just piled one upon the other. It was horrible, and it went so fast. Passover one day and the Sabbath the next all meant that nothing was going as it should. Nobody expected Jesus to die, even though He had predicted it many times.

We never really expect death to catch up with us though, do we? Even with the severely ill or aged, where death might seem a release from pain and suffering, even with them death is a shock. You can know it is coming, have everything planned out just right, and you are still numb when it hits you. Death is final. Death doesn’t wait for anyone. Death is no respecter of persons, but consumes us all. Death is still and always the great enemy. We have no power over it at the end of the day. We can’t fight it. We can’t avoid it or defeat it. We cannot do a thing to death, because of our wretched sinfulness. As we just sang in our hymn:

No sun of man could conquer death,
Such ruin sin had wrought us.
No innocence was found on earth,
And therefore death had brought us
Into bondage from of old
And ever grew more strong and bold
And held us as its captive. Alleluia! (LSB 458:2)

The disciples knew no different. It was all they had ever known. Abraham had died, the prophets, all of their forefathers had died. Why should things be any different for Jesus?

But it was different. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, but it was empty. She ran back and told Peter and the other disciples, and they rushed back to the tomb. When they stooped into the tomb, they saw the linen clothes, and the facecloth lying by itself apart. It was folded and placed there. This was no grave-robber’s work. This was something else entirely.

But they still didn’t get it. The disciples went back home, and Mary remained behind, weeping. It’s one thing to see the tomb empty; it’s another thing entirely to believe that Jesus has risen from the dead! She was so distraught and upset that Jesus Himself came up to her and spoke and didn’t even recognize Him! Eventually He called her by name and she knew Him by His Word.

Our dead God is alive again forevermore! In the flesh, body and soul, He has come back from the dead. Isaiah proclaimed it when He prophesied:

He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 6:8)

He wiped away Mary’s tears, and He wipes away yours this day. For Jesus as Jesus rose from the dead, in the same way you and all of those who have died in the faith will rise again from the dead. Our hope in Him never disappoints, no matter what the trials and pains this life may bring to us. Jesus has risen from the dead, and everything is new.

Our Lord continues to come to you now just as He did with Mary Magdalene that first Easter morning. He hides Himself in bread and wine, the very feast of Heaven. We only know Him by His Word. But what a great and mighty Word it is! This is my body; this is my blood given for you for the forgiveness of sins. With these words the feast of Easter is sealed, you are no longer in your sins, and death has no more part of you. Luther said it best in the hymn:

Then let us feast this Easter Day
On Christ, the bread of heaven;
The Word of grace has purged away
The old and evil leaven.
Christ alone our souls will feed;
He is our meat and drink indeed;
Faith lives upon no other!
Alleluia!

Come and feast forever more on Him who died and rose again so that you might live. The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

In the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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

Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Judica midweek service (March 12, 2008)
John 11:1-44, Matthew 27:27-55
For an audio MP3 of this sermon, CLICK HERE

TITLE: “Triumphant from the Grave”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for tonight is the resurrection of Lazarus from John 11 and the death of our Lord from Matthew 27.

Lazarus was dead. He was so dead, in fact, that he was beginning to stink. He had been ill, we don’t know with what. So while Jesus tarried, he died. Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters and dear friends of Jesus, sent word to Jesus that Lazarus had died.

Even to our Lord, who knows all this, the death of Lazarus was a shock. Our text says that Jesus wept when he heard the news, and that he was deeply moved by it. Death, even to God Himself, is a shock. It is so wrong, so clearly not how God intended the world to work, that there is just no working around it or making it fit into some great plan. Death stinks. It’s just that simple.

But death is a part of our existence. We live with it every day. It is always around the corner, in a friend or a relative, or even closer to home. Death is the great enemy, that seeks to rob us of our hope in Christ and of a future in Him. So it should not surprise us that death is always at the door, waiting for his time to come. Even for Lazarus. Even for you.

Our Lord goes to see His friend who has died. He knows that the body is never simply a body. This is the body of one of God’s holy children, beloved by Him. Jesus goes to them and says that Lazarus will rise from the dead. It is too good to be true. They assume that Jesus must be consoling them with the hope of the Last Day. But Jesus has something better in mind. He says,

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

Everyone who lives in me shall never die. How can this be? This can only be so because of our Lord’s death. When He breathed His last, death was defeated. All of its power disappeared in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Death died on that holy day.

Lazarus, come forth! Jesus cried out. So at the voice of the Son of God the one who was died was alive again. Jesus’ death is what made this possible. His death not only made it possible for Lazarus, but for you as well. Jesus called out to you when you were baptized. He marked you as His own, and applied His death to you. Even though you die, you will live. Jesus will raise you up again. This is why our Lord died for you, so that you might never die. Believe it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

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