Life from Death (Trinity 16)

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Todd A. Peperkorn, STM

Messiah Lutheran Church

Kenosha, Wisconsin

Trinity 16 (September 07, 2008, rev from 2005)

Luke 7:11-17

For an audio MP3 of this sermon, CLICK HERE

TITLE: “Life from Death”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text for today is the raising of the widow of Nain’s son, with focus on the words, He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

It’s kind of nice to have Easter in September, isn’t it? Easter has a way of bringing focus to the Christian faith like nothing else. Easter points us to Jesus death on the cross. It points us to all of the disappointments and failures of our own lives. It shows us lost opportunities and a gentle reminder of our own impending death. But it does all of this from the other side of Holy Baptism. In Easter you see your life, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit of Christ that now dwells in you by water and Word. Easter means hope for you. Easter means a future. Easter means an eternal ring of alleluias to God for brining us out of death and sin and into the marvelous light of His own life.

In our Gospel reading this morning we get a picture of what is coming, the impending eternity that breaks into your life by holy waters. This poor woman is leaving Nain with her dead son. She is a widow. She has no money, no family, no hope. All she has a bunch of people following after her, crying. I’m sure she was glad that they were crying with her, but at that point in time, she needed more than simply tears.

While she is on the way, death meets Life in the road. Jesus meets them coming into town. He sees them coming. What a blessed interruption! Can you imagine the scene? What could be more scandalous than two big crowds meeting in the middle of the road? Death meets life. It’s like a battle in the streets, only we know who will come out victorious. Jesus sees her, and has compassion on her. He loves her with an everlasting love. He looks to His own cross and death and empty tomb and says to her, do not weep.

Now I have had loved ones die. I know, as well as most of you know, that this is not exactly the most comforting thing to hear when you have had a loved one die. Don’t weep? You must be joking. Nothing will ever be the same again. Don’t weep? Please. You don’t understand what I’m going through. Don’t weep. Go away, she might well have been thinking.

But when Jesus says do not weep, he says it for a reason. He reaches out, and touches the coffin. He does not fear death and it’s stench. He does not fear that He will become unclean by the dead touch of her son. No. He touches the coffin. Unthinkable in Jesus day, but then, so was rising from the dead.

He touches the coffin, and the crowd and those around stood still. Can you see the scene? What’s He going to do? He can’t weep with the mourners. He’s just touched the coffin. You could hear a pin drop. Jesus then says the words to that young man that brought hope for all those around, young man, I say to you, arise. Arise. Get up. And so he who was dead sat up and began to speak. In Greek we can see that he wasn’t kinda whispering or mumbling. No, he was calling out. I wonder what he said? Whatever it was, I bet it was something to hear. So then Jesus presents the young man to his mother.

One theologian put it this way, Jesus never meets a corpse that doesn’t sit up right on the spot (Robert Farrar Capon). Luther in his great Easter hymn calls the battle between life and death a strange and dreadful strife. This is how our battle with death looks, to be sure. Our battle with death is dark, mysterious, and almost always painful. Another pastor once said that death is the greatest preacher the Law ever had (C.F.W. Walther). When we look at death, either our own or someone else’s, it reminds us so clearly that there is no getting out of death. The mortality rate for humanity is 100%. But in Christ, even in death you have victory.

What you have here in our text this morning, dear friends, is your own resurrection in short form. You are dead in trespasses and sins, but by the mercy of God, Jesus called out to you and said, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, just like he did to little James this morning. You were bought with a price, the price of His own blood. When Jesus raised this young man from the dead, He did so knowing that He would rise from the dead. And because Jesus rose from the dead, you too shall rise. And your loved ones. And those who died in Christ from floods or fires or terrorists or old age or heart attacks or whatever else this sick world may throw at us. God can do more, much more, than we can even believe possible.

This is the very essence of the Christian faith, dear baptized. It isn’t a philosophy or a way of life. It isn’t a self-help plan or finally something about your behavior. No. The Christian faith is about Jesus raising you from the dead by the power of His own resurrection. The Christian faith is delivered to you in water, Word and holy food. This faith always has more to give than we can even consider, because God has big plans for you and I, plans that will last to all eternity. As St. Paul wrote in our Epistle:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen (Eph. 3:20-21).

Believe it for the sake of Him who died and rose again from the dead, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

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

The Treasury of Daily Prayer: It's Time Has Come

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Please, if you do anything on this fine Friday afternoon, go check out the Treasury of Daily Prayer.

I was priveledged to serve as one of the editors for this amazing volume.  My portion of the work was related to choosing Psalmody for each appointed day of the church year.  It follows the daily lectionary in LSB, and includes readings, psalms, prayers, Book of Concord selections, and meditations for each day of the year.

I, like so many other pastors, flit back and forth between various resources for the daily office.  I use The Daily Office by Lindemann, the Brotherhood Prayer Book, the Minister’s Prayer Book, Every Day Will I Bless Thee, and a number of other resources.  This volume, in my opinion, gathers many of the strength of these and other volumes, and puts them all into one package.  In addition, it includes the orders for the daily office from LSB.  It’s all in there, ready to go.

Go check it

The Care of God (Trinity 15)

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Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Trinity 15 (August 31, 2008)

Matthew 6:24-34

For an audio MP3 of this sermon, CLICK HERE

TITLE: “The Care of God”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Our text for this morning is from the Gospel lesson just read, with focus on the words, Are you not of more value than they?

When Elijah went to see the widow of Zarephath, things looked bleak. Very bleak. Elijah asked her for a sip of water and a mouthful of bread, and instead he got a confession of despair. She said:

“And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”” (1 Kings 17:12 ESV)

Don’t bother me, she is saying., I am preparing my last meal for my son and I. She could not look up and see the God of mercy gazing down upon her in love. She could only look down. She could only see the problems right in front of her, and so did not know what was coming.

Have you ever been there? Has there been a time in your life when it seemed as though God had abandoned you, you were left to yourself, and you might as well lie down and die? It is all together too easy to go there. The more we look down at the world, the more we forget to lift up our eyes and behold God at work, taking care of us day in and day out.

We live in a time of great anxiety. In the summertime we work hard to forget responsibilities and to just live in the moment. But when the fall comes, and it is around the corner, dear friends, when the fall comes, we are reminded again of everything that must be done. Work. Family. Children. Our health. The elections. Jobs. It seems as though everything comes crashing down on September first. Like that widow in our text, when you look down at all of this stuff that is coming around the corner, it is easy to despair. It is easy to believe that they are insurmountable, impossible to overcome and just never ending.

So how does God answer your fears? Many of your fears, if we’re honest, are quite real. Maybe you don’t know how to make ends meet. Maybe your health is poor, and the prospects don’t look good. Maybe your marriage is a lot shakier than you wish it was. So how does God answer your fears?

First of all, we need to understand and recognize that God does answer your fears. He doesn’t belittle them or treat them as insignificant or meaningless. God knows your trials. He knows your fears. He sees your sorrows and your pains. He knows what aches inside you. Perhaps this is obvious to you, but perhaps not. God knows your troubles. God knows your troubles, and He answers them.

Consider how God has answered the fears of His people in times past. When Joseph’s brothers feared for their lives, He sent Joseph to them to comfort them and provide for them. When the children of Israel feared that the Egyptians would crush them alongside the Red Sea, God sent Moses to them to deliver them from their fear. When Joshua looked over the land of Canaan and all of the peoples who stood between him and God’s promises, God said to him, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” (Joshua 10:8 ESV) When Ruth feared for her life at the hand of the Israelites, God sent Boaz to her to be her redeemer, and to protect her from all harm. We can confess and rejoice with the Psalmist who prays, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalms 118:6 ESV)

But all of this is but a shadow compared to what our Lord does for you. Jesus points us to the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. God takes care of them in due season, provides for them, and gives them life. Then Jesus asks this wonderful question: Are you not of more value than they?

The answer is yes! Yes you are. God created you in His image. He sent His only begotten Son to redeem you from sin, death and the power of the devil. God has set eternity in your heart, so that you may live and commune with Him forever. If God is going to do all of these wondrous things for you, don’t you think God will take care of you in this life as well?

Of course He will. After all, He clothes you with Himself in Holy Baptism, feeds you with Himself in His Holy Sacrament, and draws you to Himself here in the Divine Service. He is not satisfied to simply give you food and drink for the body, although He does that as well. He gives you food and drink that will last forever.

Don’t be anxious about your life, our text says. Jesus says this to you this day, not because your trials and problems don’t matter. He says this to you because He has taken care of them. Sin is paid for, death is but the door to eternal life, and the devil is cast into hell forever. You need not worry about the troubles of tomorrow. God has been there. He’s seen the end of the show, and it is only good for you, His beloved children.

St. Peter reminds us to “…cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 ESV) Lift up your eyes and see the salvation of our Lord. It is now. It is for you. And it lasts forever. Don’t be afraid. Amen.

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

Logos for Mac Beta 1 is Here!

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It’s HERE.

Logos/Libronix for MacIntosh is here, in Beta version 1.

This means that Mac users can now utilize the Book of Concord, Luther’s Works, the Concordia Electronic Theological Library, and tens of thousands of dollars of other great resources from their Mac, natively.

This has, imo, long been one of the chief reasonf for the Lutheran pastor to stick with Windows.  But no more.

Also, just for truth in advertising, I am a committed and slightly fanatical user of Accordance.  It is Mac native, has been around for 15 years, and is a fantastic interface.  But sadly, it doesn’t look like Accordance is going to be getting any of these uniquely Lutheran resources any time soon.  So I am very excited about this from Logos.

Enjoy!

Revenge Movies: What is the Attraction?

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Last night I watched Tombstone for about the hundredth time.  It’s a good movie.  Not a to-die-for fantastic movie, but a good movie.  Watching it reminded me once again of how much I love revenge movies.  Give me a revenge movie and I’m yours.  The list of revenge movies is a long one: Gladiator, Death Wish, Carrie, Braveheart, Wrath of Khan, The Punisher, or Eye for an Eye.  There are two revenge movies that I would consider my personal favorites: Desperado and Kill Bill.  Here’s a quick recap:

Desperado is a classic revenge tale of guys’ girl gets murdered and seeks revenge.  The guy doesn’t know that it is his brother who murdered his bride.  In the end, he gets his man.

Kill Bill (volumes 1 and 2) is a classic Tarentino revenge movie of the girl seeks revenge over her mentor who murdered her fiancee and her unborn daughter.  She doesn’t find out until the end that her daughter is still alive.  In the end, she gets her man.

Why am I so drawn to these movies?  There are lots of things that are seriously objectionable in them for the Christian.  The language is horrible, they are violent, they sometimes objectify sex, the list of problems could go on and on.  There is nothing that will make any of these things good.  But I love them despite all of this.

(I am also drawn to revenge books, fwiw.  I just finished a great detective novel set in Rome called The Seventh Sacrament.  It’s a very worthy read.  My favorite western is also a revenge tale called The Sackett Brand by Louis L’Amour)

Is this simply my old sinful man?  Possibly.  Okay, I’m sure that’s a good part of it.  They are classic guy shoot-em-up movies.

But one element of them has always intrigued me.  An integral part of revenge movies is this: the protagonist no longer cares what happens to him or her.  All that he cares about is revenge.  He wants them to pay for what they have done, no matter what.  He may die in the process, but it doesn’t matter.  He will get justice, no matter the cost.

I would commend to you that this is the central theme in revenge stories.  When the hero (?) no longer cares about what happens to him, anything is possible.  Revenge is exactly the same as love in this regard.  The hero no longer cares about himself at all.  All he cares about is the death of his enemy.  With love, the hero no longer cares about himself, it is the life of his beloved that matters above all else.

I think that this element of love, the complete self-giving to the point of death, can appear trite and silly taken by itself.  But when we couple it with understanding revenge, perhaps we gain an insight into love we may not have had before.

I am reminded of the words of the Samaritan from our Gospel from a couple weeks ago: “Take care of him, and whatever the cost, I will pay it.”

There’s still a lot of gunk in great revenge movies, make no mistake about it.  But sin is a corruption of the good.  By gaining some insight into the corruption, perhaps we can gain an insight in to the Incorruptible One, who, out of love for us, gave up everything so that we might live.

Don’t worry, though.  I’m still not going to show Kill Bill to a youth group…