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Bible Text: John 21:20-25 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2015

The awesome gift of Christmas is God in the flesh. But after Jesus grew up, died for our sins and rose from the dead, He ascended to the right hand of God the Father and is hidden from our sight. The world doesn’t let us forget. “You can’t see Jesus. You didn’t see Him rise from the dead. None of it’s true. It’s all made-up foolishness.” But we have a very real and solid connection to Jesus so that we know He is real and though we cannot see Him, that He is with us: the Word of God. The Gospel, the Good News which was proclaimed by eyewitnesses. That’s why we celebrate St. John, the Apostle and Evangelist today. (This is not John the Baptist, this is John, James’ brother, the fisherman who was one of the Twelve.) In fact, the church, in sticking St. John’s festival day just a couple of days after Christmas, is giving us this reminder of what it is that connects us to Christmas and Christ’s gifts to us today. Eyewitnesses! In this particular case, John the Apostle and Evangelist. He’s an Apostle because He was one of the original Twelve that Jesus Himself called to witness His life and death and resurrection and to go and preach it to all nations. He is called an Evangelist because He is one of the four Gospel writers. John Himself reminds us that He is an eyewitness in His epistle. He saw the eternal life manifested, in the flesh. He saw Jesus! And He declares Him to us. This is important. Without St. John and the rest of the Apostles and Evangelists, Christmas would just be a nice story that pops up once a year and causes us to bake cookies and buy presents for people. But because of John, the facts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are really witnessed. They are real and John tells us so. Why should we believe Him?

Let me ask you something. How many of you believe in your parents? Well, of course you do. You know them. Some of you are sitting with them right now. How about your grandparents? Were they real? Sure. You probably know or knew them. Great grandparents? Maybe you didn’t know them personally but you may have heard stories from your grandparents or parents. How about great-great-grandparents? Great-great-great-grandparents? Obviously they were real or you wouldn’t be here! But of course others knew them. Maybe they wrote letters or there are pictures. Now let’s go back a little farther. Do you believe in Abraham Lincoln? George Washington? King Henry VIII? Julius Caesar? King Tut? Sure. Because we have writings and other evidence that they were real. That they existed. So when it comes to Jesus, same thing. Eyewitnesses. This is the testimony of John. He was there when Jesus turned water into wine. He was there when Jesus did lots of other signs. John was there at the cross when Jesus breathed His last. And John was one of the first few disciples who got a look at the empty tomb and who saw Jesus the evening He rose from the dead. John is a guy you could ask: Did Jesus really die and come back to life? Sure did. John saw it. Now if it were just John, we might be skeptical, but there were lots of disciples who saw Jesus and heard Him and saw Him alive after Easter. And this is the eywitness testimony they delivered, which is good news for you: Jesus Christ actually lived and died and rose again. He is the eternal life that is manifested among us because His death and resurrection defeat your sin and death.

So we’ve got Jesus for real, doing His saving stuff. And we’ve got John, the eyewitness. But he saw it, not us. That’s where what he wrote comes in. As an Evangelist, this eyewitness wrote down what he saw and heard. So now it’s preserved for the generations that come after Him. It’s there for the church ever since John to hear and believe. He says that in the Gospel and in his epistles and he tells what he saw in Revelation, too. And when Jesus says “What is it to you that he remains until I come,” He’s hinting that John will be the Apostle who is around until the New Testament is written. You see, when people were writing Gospels and Epistles, you could always check in with John and say, “Did that really happen? Did Jesus say that? Did He do that?” And John could tell you yes or no. Then, when all the New Testament was written, John could die. So while John may not be around, his witness and testimony still are…in the Bible! This is why the Bible is a reliable book, even though lots of people laugh at it and think it’s made up. The fact is, there are more copies of the Bible than any other ancient book. Thousands of copies. And they all say the same thing: Jesus died and rose. This is what we mean when we confess the “one, holy, Christian, and apostolic” church. It means that your pastor preaches what John the Apostle did: that Jesus died for you and rose again. It’s this same Jesus who baptizes you and feeds you with His body and blood and forgives you all your sins. So Christmas is real. Jesus was really born. He lived, died, and rose again. For you. And that is given to you by the testimony of John which is written down in the Holy Scriptures and preached to you today in Christ’s church. So you can be certain, because of St. John, of all that Jesus did and accomplished as your Savior. John the Apostle and Evangelist is part of the connection between Christmas and you now. So Happy festival of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist and Merry Christmas! In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Bible Text: John 1:1-18 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2015

Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “That’s him…in the flesh!” or “Are you really so and so?” “In the flesh!” It means that it’s really that person. They’re not far away. They’re not someone else. They are THAT person and they are RIGHT THERE in front of you and where you are. St. John teaches us that we can say the same thing about God when Jesus comes. Jesus? God? In the flesh! It’s really Him. It’s really God. Now, I suppose we can imagine lots of things about God and we usually do. We can sort of imagine a great big Guy up in the sky, that we can’t see but who paints rainbows and sunsets. He can hear everyone’s prayers at once, and He’s all powerful and all that. We have that sort of abstract acknowledgement that God is everywhere and sees everything (though that never seems to stop us from doing stuff for the naughty list!) But it’s maybe a lot harder to wrap our heads around the idea that God is in a manger. That He’s wearing a diaper. That He needs to be fed and rocked and changed. That’s…that stuff…is so…NOT like God. Or at least not like our ideas of God. But this is the mystery of the Incarnation. This is the wonder of Christmas: The Son of God has come…in the flesh. He was conceived in the womb of Mary and at Christmas, like we sing, He first revealed His sacred face. And then probably did cry because babies cry. He needed to eat. Needed to be changed. Needed to be held and rocked and burped. How’s that for some God stuff? Baby Jesus, is that really you, God? In the flesh!

And His whole life will be doing fleshly, peopley, human things. Like walking around. Eating. Sleeping. Oh, sure, He often reminded His disciples that He was God in the flesh by turning water into wine or walking on water or feeding 5,000 or healing the sick or raising the dead. There was even that one time He went up on the mountain and went all supernova shiny! But all of that is just to remind folks: Jesus, are you really God? In the flesh! But the really super big deal about His being in the flesh is what happened to Him for your salvation. Your flesh is born infected with sin. Your flesh is born already dying. So He came in the flesh to have happen to Him what happens to us to save us. He came to suffer. Mocked. Spit upon. Beaten. Scourged. Pierced. Bleeding. Finally, death. Death. Cold, dead body. Blood poured out. Breath stopped. Head bowed. Body laid in a grave death. He’s not just one of us until we start dying off and He can say, “Well, I’m God so I don’t have to do THAT!” No, he stuck with us the whole way. Even to His own death. So that we can say about that Jesus on the cross: Is that really you, God? His answer? In the flesh! And with that, with His being in the flesh, because of His incarnation, we can say such wild and crazy things as “God died for us.” For me. For you. For the whole world. For every mortal fleshly human, the Son of God dies. To make sin and death His own and take their power over you away. And when He rose? Still in the flesh. Still a body. Remember Thomas? Jesus’ hands and sides. His flesh still had holes. Because the goal isn’t to escape the flesh but raise it from the dead free from sin and alive forever.

And while we still picture God in some abstract way, because Jesus has ascended and we don’t see Him with our eyes, He’s still all about the flesh. His flesh. Your flesh. Take your baptism for example. That’s a real, fleshly thing. Water which splashes on your body. Words that your ears hear. Nothing abstract or imaginary there! In the flesh of your pastor you hear the words of Jesus too. Words calling to repentance. Words absolving and forgiving. And then, the Supper. Bread and wine. Jesus, is that you? In the flesh! His flesh and blood for you to eat and drink. Everything about Jesus’ gifts is fleshly, earthly, watery, bread and wine, body and blood. That’s why when we worship God it’s never off on our own just sort of thinking about God or pretending we believe. It’s about actually being in the church, with our bodies. Our ears open, our mouths singing God’s Words and receiving Christ’s body and blood. It’s life lived in the company of our brothers and sisters in Christ, who with their frail bodies, and sins, and faults, and foibles, have been made pure and holy just like you by the flesh of Jesus. Christmas is the vivid reminder that God is not just “out there” somewhere or “up there.” It’s a reminder that God is not some mysterious force or abstract divine whatever somewhere. It’s a reminder that God is about more than just having the whole world in His hands. It’s about God having hands. And feet. And flesh. That gets pierced. That bleeds. That dies. For you. For the whole world. Christmas is this holy and beautiful reminder that you can look at Jesus and say, “God, is that really you?” And He answers, “In the flesh!” Right here. For you. As your Savior. “For the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Merry Christmas in the Name of Jesus! Amen.

Bible Text: John 1:19-28 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2015

Strange dude baptizing in the wilderness. “Hey! Are you the…” “No! I am NOT the Christ.” “Well are you Elijah?” “No.” “Ah, so you’re the Prophet with a capital ‘P’?” “Wrong again.” “Well, look, all the big wigs sent us out here to check you out. So what do you have to say for yourself?” “I’m a just a voice. A voice that declares the Lord is coming and to make ready his way. That’s it. Just a voice.” “Well then who do you think you are, baptizing and preaching?” “Because the One who comes after me is before me and I’m not even worthy to untie his sandals.” And that’s why John is baptizing. And preaching. Because the Lord sent him out there to prepare the way. When the President of the United States travels, the Secret Service heads out first to check everything out and make everything ready. When there’s a parade in town, the police and city have to go along the route and put up the barriers and get everything ready. So it is with Jesus. Before He arrives, a preacher comes to get everyone’s attention and point them to the coming Savior. And in this ministry of John, we see how the Lord sets up the ministry from then on out. The preacher is sent to prepare you for Christ’s arrival. Advent prepares you for Christmas.

John prepared people for Jesus showing up by reminding them of the prophecy of Isaiah: A voice crying in the wilderness. John pointed Jesus out when He appeared: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John preached a baptism of repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Sinners got down into the water and had their sins washed away. It was a clear message about what this Savior was coming to do. And then, like when its morning and the garage lights go out, so John fades away when Jesus comes. And Jesus goes about doing His Savior stuff. Healing. Raising the dead. Suffering. Dying on the cross. Being laid in the tomb. Rising from the dead. This is what John’s dad told him he would do: Prepare the way of the Lord and give knoweldge of salvation to people by the forgiveness of their sins. John says, “I’m just a voice. Here’s what I’m crying out: prepare the way of the Lord! Sinners, have your sins washed away. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! There He is! Repent and believe in Him!” And so that’s all John does: He points to Jesus and then he’s done. And it’s Jesus’ time to do His work of redeeming the world.

So it is today. The Lord still does things the same way. He sends preachers to make ready His way. He sends preachers to prep the people for Jesus showing up. Preachers to baptize in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Preachers to absolve sinners in the stead of Jesus. Preachers to proclaim the Lamb of God is on His way. Preachers to prepare the Lord’s Way at His altar, speaking Jesus’ words by which He comes to us in His body and blood. Who am I? I’m not Jesus. I’m not Elijah or the Prophet either. I’m just a voice. A voice through which the Lord says, “Repent of your sins. Turn from your wickedness. Stop doing the things that prove you pay no attention to God and don’t love your neighbor. And hear and believe that Jesus has put away your sins.” Hear the voice say, “You are washed. You are forgiven. You are taught. You are fed. You are the Lord’s. You have a heavenly Father. You have a Savior in Jesus. You have the comfort of the Spirit. You have the hope of eternal life.” You see, your preacher is also sent by the Lord to prepare you for His final coming. He’s going to be here. He’s going to show up. On the clouds of heaven in all His glory with the holy angels. And how shall you meet Him? You’ll be ready. John points to Him. Your preacher points to Him. All eyes on Jesus who is born in the flesh, nailed to the cross, risen from the dead, ascended into heaven, here at the font, there on the altar, and soon visible in the sky to save us once and for all. The Lord sends a voice. The voice proclaims Jesus. And now you’re ready. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Bible Text: John 8:31-36 | Preacher: Rev. Mark Buetow | Series: 2015

So, what are Lutherans, exactly? You ever get that question? You’ve probably heard the answer “Catholic Lite.” That’s the one we hear and chuckle at because maybe we don’t always know how to answer that question. Lutherans don’t worship Martin Luther. We’re not really Protestants like Baptists and Methodists. We have a liturgy and creeds but we aren’t Roman Catholic. So how DO you answer that? When someone asks you, “What is a Lutheran?” or “What are Lutherans like?” or “What does it mean to be a Lutheran?” what can you say? Here’s how you answer: To be a Lutheran is to be all about Jesus. That’s the short and simple answer. Sometimes you need to expand on that so if the conversation keeps going you say: To be a Lutheran is to be all about Jesus who was crucified for our sins, rose the third day, and gives us His salvation through baptism, absolution, the Gospel and the Supper. And the reason we add those words is because we need to make clear to those who ask that the Jesus we believe in isn’t just any Jesus. It’s the Jesus who makes us free.

Martin Luther was not free. He was a monk and he could never confess his sins enough. His conscience always bothered him. For him, God was the angry Judge who was always looking over his shoulder and ready to throw him into hell. When Martin Luther read Romans and heard that there is a righteousness that is apart from the Law, he realized that true rightouesness comes through Jesus Christ. To put it another way: Luther realized, from God’s Word, that he couldn’t get rid of his sins but that Jesus already had! And he didn’t have to make up for his sins, Jesus already paid for them. He didn’t have to figure out what God was all about, Jesus shows us by His death and resurrection to save sinners. And Luther didn’t have to try to find some assurance in his heart, Jesus already took care of that with rock solid, unchanging gifts: the water and word of Baptism, the pronouncement of holy absolution, the preaching of an unchanging Good News, and the body and blood of Jesus given to sinners to eat and drink. You see, Martin Luther wasn’t free. His conscience was bound. Trapped. In prison. But Christ made him free with the Good News that Christ has done everything. And so Luther preached and proclaimed that. No strings attached. No conditions. No qualifications. No “You do your part and God will do His” nonsense. Just straight-up, what has been called 200-proof Gospel in Jesus Christ!

So if you talk to people around you. And if you reflect on your own life, you’ll find two types of religious people. You are probably one or the other. There are those who despair. They worry that they have sinned too much. Messed up one too many times. Pulled a whopper so big that there is no way God will forgive them. The answer to that sort of thinking is Jesus. To that Jesus says, “The Son sets you free.” But there are also those who side with the Pharisees. They think they are pretty good people. Their sins aren’t that bad. They believe God loves them because they are doing OK in life. What’s the answer to that? Same thing! Jesus, who teaches us through repentance and faith that without Him, we are doomed, but with Him, and because of Him, we are saved. If you think your sins are too much, then remember that Jesus has taken ALL of them away. And if you think you’re a pretty good, worthy person, repent and believe that Jesus paid for that sin too! When it all comes down to it: it’s not about you at all. It’s about Jesus. On the cross. Empty tomb. Font. Altar. Pulpit. Book. This is what the Reformation was all about. It’s why Luther taught what He taught. It’s why there are Lutherans. And so the next time someone asks, “What’s up with Lutherans?” now you have a simple, definitive answer: Lutherans are all about Jesus and Jesus is all about setting sinners free and giving them eternal life. Happy Reformation in the name of Jesus. Amen.