Archives

Fourth Sunday after Trinity 2016

Bible Text: Luke 6:36-42 | Preacher: Rev. Alan Kornacki Jr. | Series: 2016

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The world is topsy-turvy. All that our Lord calls good and right in His Word, the world considers evil and judgmental. Everything our Lord calls evil and perverted, the world considers good and right. Abortion is legal. Homosexuality is celebrated. Living together outside of marriage is the norm. It almost seems as if the blind are really in the lead, doesn’t it? It is to the people living in these circumstances that our Lord delivers His message. “Be merciful.” “Judge not.” “Forgive.”

But wait. Aren’t Christians supposed to be concerned with the truth of the Word of God? Yes, of course you are. But your problem is that you think that others are the bad people and you are basically good. Sure, you might sin, but you cannot believe you might be evil. Evil people do evil things; you just mess up from time to time. After all, you are only human! If anyone is evil, it has to be that other person, not you. That sort of thinking is the very thing which is condemned in this text. You aren’t better than the next poor sinner. The things you judge and look down on others for doing are the very things you do. How can you point out our neighbor’s little splinter sins when you have a giant plank of your own?

Seeing the truth brings the hearts of sinners to anguish. Jesus says, “[The disciple] who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” Yet clearly you are not like your Teacher. Who here today does not sin? Who here has found and removed the plank from his own eye? Who here today is not “as His Master”? Examine your life in the lens of Holy Scripture, where you see how our Lord lives and interacts with the people around Him. Ask yourself, “Have I loved the Lord my God with all my heart? Have I loved my neighbor as myself?” And when you recognize that you have not done so, all that’s left for the sinner is judgment. The plank is lodged in your eye, and you cannot remove it.

But our Lord offers comfort even for those who cannot dislodge their own plank. At the Word of Christ, those who know they are not like their Teacher are forgiven for the sake of Jesus Christ. The same Word that spoke all things into existence also speaks your holiness and righteousness. You are made to be like your Teacher. You who know you don’t love your enemies; you who know it’s against your nature to forgive; you who know you have no desire to show mercy—you are loved by the God who your old Adam made into an enemy. You are forgiven by the God who paid the price with His own blood to wash away your sin. You are shown mercy by the God whose very nature is mercy.

Christ is speaking to you this morning, He is inviting, beckoning, calling, urging, desiring, drawing, requesting, nudging, to this very altar. He speaks His life-giving Word to you to forgive all your sins. He feeds you with His body and blood, fulfilling in you all righteousness, again bestowing every baptismal grace and goodness so that you may stand against the fleshly onslaught that says you are not our Lord’s child and disciple.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are good. Don’t come here and pretend as if you have some sort of special claim on God through your own merit. After all, God owes you nothing. But don’t be afraid to come. After all, everything God has for you is a free gift in His Son. Approach His altar with confidence, trusting that Christ is merciful even as His Father is merciful. He shows His mercy and grace to the ungrateful and evil—yes even to you and to me—so that, by His washing with water with the Word, by His Word of forgiveness, by His body and blood, you may be fully trained to be merciful, even as your Lord and Master is merciful. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

The Third Sunday after Trinity 2016

Bible Text: Luke 15:1-10 | Preacher: Rev. Alan Kornacki Jr. | Series: 2016

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The scribes and Pharisees were appalled that Jesus would eat with sinners. And these weren’t just regular sinners; they were notorious sinners, sinners who had betrayed their own people. Imagine drug dealers. Imagine serial killers. Imagine traitors who sold state secrets to ISIS. And there’s Jesus, a respected rabbi, hanging out with them and eating with them. What an outrage!

Jesus could very well have given them reasons they could accept. He could have said that He was calling them to repentance, showing them a better way to live. But He didn’t. Instead He told them a parable in which He placed those notorious sinners on equal footing with the Pharisees. They are all His lambs. They are all His coins, all His sons. Even while they’re lost, while they’re off squandering the inheritance, while they hate Him, mock and ridicule Him, while they scourge and murder Him, they are His lambs, His coins, His sons. He loves them and He wants them back. All of them are precious and valuable to Him. All of them have been reconciled to the Father in His Sacrifice. He died for every single one of them. He loves them all. And now Hell has nothing more to demand, for there is not a single sin that has not already been covered.

This can be hard to accept. We would like some justice and maybe even some vengeance. We’d like the other sinners to pay for what they’ve done. We’d like the world to know their shame and sorrow, how bad and stupid and selfish they really are. We’d like them to feel some of the pain that they’ve caused. But like King David, who was outraged by Nathan’s parable but ignored his own sin in causing Uriah’s death, we too are guilty of the sins we despise. Let David’s repentance be your guide. Let the Psalms teach you the faith and teach you to sing: “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed. You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.” The truth is, if you are no better than David, neither are you any less forgiven. Your hope is no less assured. God doesn’t love you any less.

The Lord of Life seeks out for sinners. He loves them. He wants to be with them, to eat and laugh with them, to love them. He did not come to berate them, scold, or educate them. He wants to serve them, encourage and support them. That is what makes the Pharisees and scribes mad. No one would be upset if He came to teach these bad people a lesson. But to simply forgive and love them? That seems too naive and foolish. Our Lord doesn’t care what shame it brings: He loves sinners. He searches for them, receives them, and eats with them. He lets them off the hook without cost or effort, without promise or condition. And if you are His friend, you will rejoice with Him over every sinner that He finds, restores, blesses, and prospers. You will rejoice to call them your brother or sister in Christ.

This is the heart and soul of our faith: Jesus receives and eats with sinners. It seems almost too good to be true. But it is not cheap grace. It cost our Father the Life of His Son. But still, despite your sin, Jesus seeks you. He searches for you. He wants you because He loves you. God be praised! Jesus receives and eats with sinners. And if that is the heart and soul of our faith, then surely the most significant place of His eating with sinners is where He gives them His Body and His Blood; where He enters into them and makes them His new Temple, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit; where He forgives sins and unites them to Himself in the foretaste of the banquet to come. What is offered this day is none other than the Lord’s Supper, and He gives it to you. You are found, and all the angels rejoice. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

The Second Sunday after Trinity 2016

Bible Text: Luke 14:15-24 | Preacher: Rev. Alan Kornacki Jr. | Series: 2016

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

When Jesus speaks in parables, He’s explaining how the Kingdom of God comes. And the Kingdom of God comes in Jesus Christ Himself. In Christ, the Kingdom of God is at hand. It is present, here right now, in the One the Father sent to be slaughtered in your place, cut to pieces on a cross and prepared for your salvation. It is clear that the Lord wants everybody in His Kingdom. He wants everyone at the Feast of His Son.

It is also clear that most won’t come. Sinners don’t feel the need for such a Feast. In fact, they find the Feast so worthless that they make excuses not to attend. Those who do come must be compelled, even dragged in the door. People will be saved in spite of themselves, simply because of the desire of the One who prepares the Meal. And what a Meal! As your own favorite meal is prepared by a chef with fancy knives, a state-of-the-art oven, and an open flame—or however it’s prepared—so the Father let His Son be offered up in love, and now He is served to you in Word and Sacraments for your forgiveness. All things are now ready. Nothing is lacking.

But the excuses are as plentiful as they are creative. “I’ve bought some land, and I have to go see it.” “I’ve bought oxen and I have to test them.” “I just got married.” The proud and arrogant think that they can prey upon the generosity and patience of God. My brothers and sisters in Christ, what is it that keeps you from the Feast? What prevents you from crying out for the Supper? What sins entangle you too often and keep you from the Lord’s Table? Now, you might think that this sermon is being preached to the choir. But who hasn’t wanted the best of both worlds: the pleasures of the flesh, honor among men, luxuries, freedom, and constant amusement on the one hand, and the joys and peace of heaven on the other? Who here cries out for the Supper as often as possible? Who here is ready to lose job, family, reputation, and wealth for the Kingdom of God? We all promised that in our Confirmation vows. Did we really mean it? Do not think that you can enjoy forbidden fruit now and grasp heaven for cheap when it is more convenient.

Repent. Hear the warning. God says, “None of those who were invited shall taste of my Supper.” He will not be mocked. Now is the hour of salvation. Tomorrow may never come. No one buys a piece of land without seeing it first. No one buys a tractor without first testing it. God is not fooled by lip-service, by going through the motions. He is not appeased by excuses. Stop playing games with your soul, planning to sin now and repent later. Stop thinking that your sins are reasonable and bring no guilt. Stop thinking that you have some special relationship to God where He indulges your sins. Repent. Repent now. There is only one case of death-bed repentance in all of the Scriptures. While no man should despair and think it is too late, neither should any one presume. The invitation is not for tomorrow. It is for today. It is for right now. And it is for you.

All things are ready. Nothing is lacking. It is finished. God has made peace with man. He has given His Son to us. Jesus has given us life by His resurrection. And still He gives. He gives His body and blood for you to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins. He desires that you call upon Him and rest in Him. He wants you here. Whatever you’ve done, whatever evil things you’ve dreamed and thought, whatever lies you’ve told, whatever has held you back from the altar: bring all of it. Confess it. God has paid for all of it in His Son. Receive His holy Absolution and live. The land can wait. The oxen—your new tractor—will be there when you get home. Bring your new spouse with you. Come. All things are ready, and He is waiting for you. “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

The First Sunday after Trinity 2016

Bible Text: Luke 16:19-31 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2016

So, what do I preach for my last sermon here? Well, Jesus, duh. Christ and Him crucified for sinners. Christ whose flesh was given into death for your sins and who was raised for your eternal life. Christ, who is the very incarnation of the Son in the flesh and the love of God for the world. And that’s what it all comes down to. Love. God is love. His love is shown in Christ. Does God love you? He loves you Jesus much! Jesus being conceived and born is God’s love for you. Jesus suffering and dying and shedding His blood is God’s love for you. Jesus rising from the dead is God’s love for you. Jesus washing you at the font, absolving you and feeding you with His own body and blood–that’s God’s love for you. God’s love for you doesn’t change and the proof is that Christ was promised long before you were ever born. Your sins have been paid for. There’s no sin you have done or will do that can suddenly cancel the promises the Lord has made to you in Christ. When the judgment of God seems to be a scary thing, and when you aren’t sure which side of that chasm you’re going to be on, God’s love in Christ is the answer: with Jesus in the “bosom of Abraham.”

And the love of God for us is connected to our love for others. When God loves you, then you love your neighbor. The rich man doesn’t love Lazarus, doesn’t care a bit about him. That’s proof he doesn’t love God. He just loves himself. And that’s because He doesn’t know God’s love or has ignored the preaching of that love from God’s Word. That’s our warning. That’s our call to repentance. That’s the flashing neon sign that says, “Don’t act like you love God and think you’re a good person when you treat other people like dirt and ignore them and refuse to help them in their need. It’s not that the rich man was rich. It’s that he didin’t love his neighbor. No matter how much or how little God had given him, he didn’t use it to help others. Just kept it all to himself. That’s not the love of God. That’s the love of self. And the worst part is that when he was in hell, he thought he could spook his brothers into avoiding the judgment too. But he already had everything he needed in Moses and the Prophets, in the Bible. So do we. It’s all there in the Law. Love God. Love your neighbor. But we don’t. And that would doom us. Except for what the Apostle said: We love Him because He first loved us. God loves you. Jesus is the love of God in action, to die and rise for you. And it is that love of God that turns you into a person who loves God back and loves your neighbor.

So love God, dear children. Love Him and receive His Word. Don’t stop coming to church to hear the preaching of that Good News or receiving that body and blood that brings forgiveness and peace. And love one another. Don’t pretend you’re a “good person” when there are people you want to ignore and not help and carry a grudge against. Repent of that stuff! believe that for Jesus’ sake God holds none of that stuff against you and so you need not hold any of it against anyone else. Love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. And that means, after I am gone, that you still look after each other. That you still work together to love your new pastor and take care of him. It means that you forgive each other when you step on each others’ toes. It means making sure that Bethel is always about Jesus crucified and risen for sinners and a place where that love of God is at work in love toward one another. I know how it goes. The pastor leaves. A new pastor comes. Maybe you don’t like him as much. Maybe you like him better. Maybe you just don’t like change. Whatever. Maybe you think it’s a chance to fade away and skip out…but don’t let it be! Love and care for your new pastor and in the same way keep loving and caring for one another. You need one another. As a congregation, to keep the ministry of the Gospel here. As brothers and sisters in Christ, to support and care for each other.

That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. Jesus died for your sins. Every last one of them. Not a single sin isn’t forgiven. He rose for you. Eternal life is yours. He has washed, absolved, and fed you. You’re good to go. Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself. In Christ, I know you’ll do exactly that. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Pentecost 2016

Bible Text: Acts 2:1-21 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2016

Let’s build an awesome city! Let’s build a tower to heaven! Let’s build it right up into God’s face! Let’s make a name for ourselves! Then the whole world will know that we climbed up to heaven! We’ll put it on Facebook and see how many “likes” it gets. We’ll post the video on YouTube! It will go viral. It’ll be in every newspaper and on every news channel. It’s all people will talk about. That’s what it looks like to make a name for yourself. Your Old Adam wants nothing more than to be the center of attention. We all want to be liked, to have a better reputation than others, and to make a name for ourselves. Of course, we plan for it to be an awesome name. But our sin makes a name for us in other ways, too. “Oh, her? Yeah, we all know about HER!” “Him? Yeah, he’s the guy who…” Our sin is that we want to make a name for ourselves so that everyone thinks were the best ever or else sin makes a bad name for us, a horrible reputation that we can’t shake. Because, when it’s OUR name, that’s all it’s worth. Let’s build a tower and make a name for ourselves? Ha! Remember those fools at Babel who tried to build a tower and the Lord came down and scattered them? We’ll never forget THOSE failures! If you pin your hopes on your name, what people think of you, how you can manipulate them to like you or the reputation have, then you’re in trouble. Because that sort of name doesn’t save you.

But there is a name that saves us. The name of Jesus. Peter preaches it on Pentecost. Rushing wind. Tongues of fire. And a sermon that preaches on the prophet Joel: “And on that day, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The Spirit shows up on Pentecost to grab everyone’s attention and put it on the preachers. And the preachers preach the name that you call on to be saved. The Name of Jesus. Keep reading and you’ll get Peter’s full sermon on Pentecost: Jesus, crucified and risen for sinners. Crucified and risen for you. Jesus, whose name means “The Lord saves.” The Lord saves you. Salvation is in the Name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is the name of the Lamb of God. Where man tries to make a name for Himself, Jesus comes to give His name to us to save us. His death and resurrection give His name the saving power it has when we call upon it. Jesus. Jesus means cross. Blood shed. Death for sinners. Resurrection. Jesus means death and devil and hell defeated. Jesus means sins forgiven. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, of Jesus, will be saved.

How do we call on the name of the Lord? That’s just a Bible way of saying, actually, that God puts His name on you. You have called upon the name of the Lord when He brought you to the font and put His name on you. Cassidy and Emma have called on the Name of the Lord too. They were baptized. The name of Jesus was put upon them. And now, with us, they will call on the name of the Lord as we are gathered at the altar to eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus. Jesus tells His disciples that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will come in His name, to remind them of all things. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job. To remind you of all the Jesus stuff. Everything His name brings. Baptism. Absolution. Gospel. Supper. Those are the Jesus gifts that bear His name and so bear His forgiveness for you. They are delivered by the Holy Spirit through the pastors Jesus calls to shepherd His people. This is what Pentecost is all about: that God has given a Savior for everyone. A Savior for sinners. A Savior for you. A name to call upon, the name of His Son. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. That Name is given to you so now you know. You are saved. Forgiveness and eternal life are yours. Because Jesus died and rose. Because the Spirit was poured out on Pentecost. And because that name is upon you. Happy Pentecost! In the Name…of Jesus. Amen.

The Seventh Sunday of Easter 2016

Bible Text: John 15:26-16:4 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2016

The Christian faith is an eyewitness faith. Jesus died on the cross. People saw it. Jesus rose from the grave. People saw Him alive after that for forty days before His ascension. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that if you didn’t believe that Jesus really died and rose, you could just ask the people who saw Him. But what about you? You didn’t see Jesus alive in the days after Easter. And you can’t ask the people that saw Him. So how do YOU know? Because they eyewitnesses that saw Him wrote it down. Matthew. Peter through Mark. Lots of disciples through Luke. John. Eyewitnesses. They saw Jesus. Saw Him dead. Saw Him alive. It really happened. And Jesus Himself says that they would be His witnesses. They would pass it down through the Scriptures and it would also be the Holy Spirit who was a witness. It’s not that different than going to a family reunion and hearing stories about your great-grandparents handed down to your grandparents and parents. You probably didn’t know them but you know the things they did because you’re heard all about it. That’s really what the Bible is: it’s the Family Album of Jesus, which you are given to see Him and His life, death and resurrection and ascension for you.

You see, the eyewitness part is wrapped up in the Word. Christ has ascended. We can’t see Him with our eyes. But He is here and present through His Word. The Spirit is an eyewitness. How? Well, you CAN see your pastor. He baptizes. He absolves. He preaches Christ crucified and risen. He gives the body and blood of Jesus for you to eat and drink. These are real gifts. You can see them. Because the risen and ascended Jesus gives them to us through His Word, we are witnesses too. Every time we see that water and word splashed upon someone at the font (and remember our own baptism, even if we don’t remember it directly), every time we hear our sins forgiven and Christ preached, and eat and drink His body and blood. When we see the church doing what it has done, receiving what it has receivied, believing what it has believed, since Jesus’ ascension, then we know that the eyewitness testimony of the Bible is true. Again, it’s like a family. At that big family reunion, we might hear something like, “Well if great-great-grandma never met great-great-grandpa, none of us would be here.” Just so, the church exists today because the church existed before us, because the church has always existed where Jesus is and His Word is preached. Get it? The fact that you are a part of a congregation of the body of Christ is itself a proof that Jesus died and rose.

Now, Jesus warned His disciples the haters would try to put them out of the synagogues. The devil will try to get you out of the church. When you are away from the church, you easily forget what Jesus has done for you. It’s easy to forget that He’s alive. It’s easy to forget you’re part of the family. That’s why Jesus tells us. So that we won’t stumble. So that we won’t be scandalized. He sends the Spirit to bring you to faith and He gives the Spirit to testify of Himself. It’s the preaching of Jesus that keeps you in the faith. It’s the Spirit’s work to constantly point you to Jesus. To point you to His cross. To deliver His forgiveness, life, and salvation. That’s what the Spirit is all about. He testifies, that is, He proclaims Jesus to you. The Jesus who is your Savior. The Jesus who rescues you from sin and death. The Jesus who was nailed to the tree of Calvary. The Jesus whose tomb was empty. The Jesus who ascended and was hidden to our eyes by a cloud. But the Jesus who is still right here in His church where His Word and gifts are. Here is the Spirit’s witness, dear children of God: Jesus died for you. He rose for you. His ascension is for you. He has washed you. He forgives you. He feeds you. He will be back for you. You can count on it. Because Jesus Himself died, rose, and sent the Spirit to tell you. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Sixth Sunday of Easter 2016

Bible Text: John 16:23-33 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2016

Finally! They get it! The disciples have heard Jesus all this time and they keep asking “What’s He talking about?” And they’re so excited! “Ok, Lord! Now we get it! Now you’re speaking plainly! We understand! Now we believe that you have come from the Father!” It’s a brilliant “aha!” moment in which the disciples of Jesus finally understand and confess their faith in Him. And how does Jesus reply? “Well done! It’s about time! Good job, guys. I’m glad you finally got it!” Um, no. Not at all! He says, “Oh, do you believe now? I tell you, you’re all gonna be scattered and run away and I’ll be left alone!” Ha! They are super excited that they think they’ve got faith and understand all this stuff and Jesus just shuts them down telling them all about how they’re gonna run away. And then, this whole Gospel reading ends with one of the best promises I’ve ever heard Jesus say: “In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Get it? You guys have no clue. But I’m going to overcome the world and save you. So. Much. Comfort for sinners. For you and me.

Do you ever feel like you get it? You’ve got Jesus figured out? You understand? You know what’s going on? You’re living your life well? Don’t worry, you’ll mess up! You’ll fail. You’ll be grabbed by some temptation and run away and forget. Well guess what? Jesus has overcome the world. In this world you will have tribulation. Heartache. Suffering. Bad things happening. Be of good cheer. Jesus has overcome the world. That’s right. Any tribulation you have, any suffering, any bad thing–it’s been overcome by Jesus. Overcome by the cross. Overcome by His suffering and death. Overcome by His blood shed for you. Overcome by His resurrection from the dead. I’ve said it before this Easter season and I’ll say it again because it’s the big message of these readings: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Therefore everything simply must be all right in the end. It can’t not be. Even disciples running away. Even sinners falling into sin. Jesus has overcome the world by His death and resurrection and therefore everything is going to be just fine in the end. Because He’s defeated every enemy that can try to make it otherwise.

The disciples DID all run away. They were scattered and Jesus was left alone to suffer and die by Himself. But then He rose and He appeared to His disciples and showed them that He has overcome the world and they had joy no one could take away. Same for you. You’ll blow it. You’ll mess it up. You’ll make a hash of things. You’ll sin. Big time. Awful. But then Jesus will appear to you in His church, with His gifts. To give you forgiveness and life and salvation and joy. He’ll remind you of what He did at the font for you. He’ll absolve you. He’ll preach to you. He’ll feed you with His body and blood. And in each of those gifts, week in and week out, you can see His victory and triumph over sin and death and this world. In each of those gifts, you have the thing that gives you good cheer in the midst of the trouble the world has for you. What can the world do to you? You’re baptized! What can Satan accuse you of? You’re forgiven! What bad news can there be that isn’t answered by the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection? What mess can be made that isn’t left behind when the Lord brings you to His altar to feast upon His flesh and blood and promises to raise you on the Last Day? And that is why He says to ask the Father anything in His name. So we do. Dear Father in heaven, let us have this good cheer that Jesus has overcome the world, so that we overcome it too, in Him. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Fifth Sunday of Easter 2016

Bible Text: John 16:5-15 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2016

The Holy Spirit has one job: Deliver Jesus. Take what is Christ’s and deliver it to you. The Holy Spirit is all about Jesus. He convicts the world of sin, because at its root, all sin is unbelief, it is the denial and rejection of Jesus. He convicts the world of rightousness because Jesus goes to the Father. “Going to the Father” means all that Jesus does in dying for the sins of the world, rising again the third day, and ascending to the right hand of the Father. That’s your righteousness: that Jesus does all that for you. The Spirit convicts the world of judgment because the ruler of the world is judged. He is judged by Jesus who strips him of his authority and power by taking away the accusation that is against you. Get it? Everything the Holy Spirit is doing and preaching is Christ and His gifts. The Holy Spirit’s job is to bring you to faith, that is, to trust in Jesus. To put upon you the righteousness of Jesus and to comfort you with the good news that the enemy is judged and has no power over you ever. Jesus is the One who has accomplished all this. It is the Spirit who makes sure you know about it.

And the Spirit does this in no other way than through the Holy ministry of the Gospel and Sacraments. If you want to know whether or not the spirit is working and where He is doing His thing, just ask this simple question: Do you have a pastor? Because it is through your pastor that the Spirit brings you what is of Jesus. Jesus’ death and resurrection and the forgiveness and eternal life these accomplish are delivered to you by the Spirit through the ministry of the Gospel and Sacraments the Spirit carries out by your pastor. That’s what a pastor is for. To baptize. Sins washed away. There the Holy Spirit brings you to faith in Jesus and puts you in the church. To absolve. It’s a proclamation of Good News, that the devil is defeated, Jesus is your righteousness and that through Him your sins are forgiven forever. To preach the Word. There the Spirit calls you away from unebelief which tries to make you god and to faith in Jesus who takes away your sins and makes you God’s child. To commune. There the Spirit assures you that by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Lamb of God, you have forgiveness of sins and will be raised up on the Last Day.

Jesus calls the Spirit the Comforter. Pay attention to that. It means that everything the Spirit does through the ministry of the Gospel and Sacraments is about comforting you. Not hassling you. Not troubling you. Not scaring you. Comforting. Putting your mind at ease that God is not going to punish you. Teaching you to rest securely in the wounds of Christ. Teaching you, against whatever the devil, the world, and your own sinful nature throw at you, to find peace in the water, Word, and body and blood of Jesus. Those enemies trouble us. Bad news troubles us. Life troubles us. Our sins trouble us. They make us uncomfortable and uneasy. They make us sad and frustrated. They make us miserable. But the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. He preaches to you that despite all those things, nothing can overcome or cancel out your baptism or the good news of Jesus or the promises of His body and blood. Jesus goes to suffering and death and to rise again and ascend to the Father so that He can send the Spirit through His Word to bring you comfort. To put you at ease. To protect and deliver you from everything that would rob you of the comfort of Christ. Be comforted! The Spirit is at work. He’s here to deliver the Jesus stuff to you. And those gifts of the Lamb of God deliver you from sin, the world, the devil. And by those gifts He promises to keep you safe until He comes again and wipes away every tear for good. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter 2016

Bible Text: John 16:16-22 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2016

“A little while and you will see me no more. Then a little while and you will see me and you will have joy that no one can take away.” That’s Jesus talking to His disciples before He is arrested and undergoes His suffering and death. He’d be snatched away from them and crucified. And they would be crushed. But not for long. Because Jesus rose the third day. Because He overcame death. Because He was and is alive. And then they had joy no one can take away. Not suffering or persecution or even torture and death could end their joy. For their joy was in Christ who forgives sins and gives everlasting life. “Go ahead and kill us,” they could say, “Jesus will just raise us up from the dead!” This is what Jesus means. They will be sad for a time, when it seems like all is lost and the Son of God could be nailed to a cross and die. But then resurrection. Life. Victory. Triumph. Then a joy that cannot be contained or suppressed or smothered. And that’s not just a happy feeling. It’s true joy which is the happy and glad confidence that because Jesus is risen from the dead, everything is going to work out fine. Everything is going to be OK. In this life and forever.

That’s how our lives go too. Today, joy. Then, Jesus seems to be taken from us. It’s nice here in church. We’re gathered with our brothers and sisters in Christ and here we are reminded of our baptism. Our sins are forgiven. Jesus is right here with us in sermon and Supper to forgive our sins and give us life and salvation. Here in the church are all Christ’s gifts to give us true joy: that happy and glad confidence that everything is going to be OK in the end because of Jesus. Then it’s like He disappears. Out there, in the world, is a world trying to rob you of that joy and crush you. Out there is a world where diagnoses of disease happens, where marriages break apart, and kids seem to go wrong, where friends abandon and betray, and where your own flesh leads you to do things you never should. Out there, it’s as if Jesus is gone and you’re on your own. Except you will see Him again. Next Sunday! Next Divine Service! Maybe in Bible Study or when you read your Portals of Prayer or Higher Things Reflections during the week. There you will see Jesus and there you will have joy. Again, not always a happy feeling, not always a smile on your face. But real joy, the glad confidence and sure knowledge that everything is going to work out OK because Jesus is alive even though He was dead.

And then expand that out into your whole life. Your life now is one of joy where Christ’s Word and gifts are, but then comes the time of death. But after that, joy that can never be taken from you: eternal life. With Jesus. In paradise. Forever. And ever. This is your life. A joy that cannot be taken away. The devil cannot take it away. The world cannot take it away. Your Old Adam can’t ruin it like he ruins everything. This is joy that is in Christ. Joy that comes from a Savior who has taken your place and taken away your sins. Joy from a Savior who has laid in death and risen again. Joy from a Savior who washed and claimed you as His own, who preaches to you and feeds you His own body and blood. This is a joy that triumphs over death because on the Last Day, when Jesus has returned, and we are awakened from death, there will be such joy as we can’t even begin to imagine now. You see, the Christian faith is a little bit of “now but not yet.” Now we have joy in His gifts but also now we have suffering and death. And soon but not yet, we will have the joy of everlasting life with Him when He puts away all our enemies and gives us paradise. This is the Christian life. Joy that comes to us in Christ, a world that tries to take it away. Joy that is given in His gifts, and sorrow when the world comes after us. And then a once-and-for-all joy when Jesus comes again in glory. And when that day finally comes, the joy and happy glad confidence we have in Jesus, that He has continued to renew and strengthen in you–well, that joy will last forever. Really, forever. That is joy. The glad and happy confidence that everything is going to be worked out in the end because Jesus died and now is risen. He is risen indeed. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Third Sunday of Easter 2016

Bible Text: John 10:11-16 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2016

We are sheep. We need a shepherd. When Jesus talks about His flock, He doesn’t pick an animal that is self-sufficient and can provide for itself. He calls us sheep. Sheep can’t make it on their own. They wander off. They fall into holes. They get stuck in brambles. They stand there while the wolf attacks and eats them. They need a shepherd to protect them and lead them to pasture. That’s Jesus. The Good Shepherd. And what makes Him the GOOD Shepherd? He lays down His life for the sheep. He dies for you. He puts Himself between you and the wolf. He falls into the hole so you don’t. He gets tangled in thorns so you don’t. Whatever bad thing could happen to a sheep, Jesus lets happen to Him in order to save you. Trial. False witnesses. Condemnation. Scourging. Cruxifixion. Or, as we heard a while back: betrayed into the hands of sinners, mocked, beaten, spit upon and killed. And rise the third day. For the sheep. For you.

And the sheep know the Good Shepherd. They know Him because He lays down His life for them. Don’t look for any other shepherd than the Jesus who lays down His life on Calvary for you. The Jesus who is crucified for you. The Jesus who rises from the dead for you. Beware of the voice of hirelings, false preachers, who want to deliver something to you other than Jesus who lays down His life for you. Beware of preaching and teaching that isn’t Christ and His gifts but rather something in you. Beware of flattering preaching that says you can do it, that you can save yourself or find God. Beware of that preaching that calls you, under your own power, to live a better life in one way or another. In short, beware of any preaching and teaching that is not Jesus and Him crucified and raised for you. Beware of any preaching or teaching that does not, for the sake of Jesus, proclaim that your sins are forgiven and that you have eternal life.

The Good Shepherd, of course, sends His pastors (and “pastor” just means “shepherd.”) I suppose it’s a little awkward to talk about it right this minute. But maybe this is when we really need to hear it: Jesus knows His flock. He knows you. He knows that you need to hear the Gospel. He has laid down His life for you and He will make sure that you hear that Gospel preached. The Good Shepherd leads you to the still waters: Baptism in which you drink deeply of the Spirit and forgiveness. There is the green pasture of His Word, in which you may be fed with food that is for eternal life. There is the rod and staff to comfort you by absolving you of your sins. There is the overflowing cup of the Shepherd’s blood to drink in the presence of your enemies–the devil, the world, and your Old Adam have to sit helplessly by while the shepherd protects you and gives you life. The Good Shepherd is all about laying down His life for you, taking it up again, and making sure you are taken care of by His saving gifts. You are sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. That’s all you need to know. Because in His hands, as a part of His flock, you are safe and have life forever. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.