And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.
God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 

God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

It was all very good. So good that we are told that it was good 7 times. One time for each day of the newly created week.

Yet, in the Gospel lesson we heard of an official in Capernaum who came to Jesus travelling to Cana, he went to Him and asked Jesus to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
In the Epistle lesson, St. Paul tells us and the Ephesians to take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day… that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
In the collect for this morning, we prayed:
Lord,
keep Your household, the Church, in continual godliness
that through Your protection she may be free from all adversities and devoutly given to serve You in good works;

But wait, when God created the heavens and the earth, when He created each element, when He formed Adam and Eve, and looked upon all His creation: everything was good. But in the Gospel lesson, we are reminded that there is now sickness, there is the threat of the reality of death. We pray for protection in the collect, free from adversities, and pray that we would serve God in good works. But everything was good in the beginning. Good was a given, good works a natural outcome of that which is good. There is no mention of sickness, death, adversity, or the necessity of protection or armor or a wrestling against an enemy, let alone Satan.

What happened? I am sure that you have heard the saying “that there is a little good in all of us”. If so, good works should be easy. Why does it seem that evil is what seems to come more naturally to people, to society, even from within ourselves? We are so quick to say and do cruel, mean, and selfish things. We are so controlled and manipulated by fear, selfishness, and rage, that the only “good” that we see or desire is for our own benefit. What happened?

What happened was sin. Sin which is the opposite of good. Sin which comes from unbelief, which has its origin first from pride, both in the fall of that angel, whom we have come to call Satan who was jealous of His own Creator and in pride wished to be rid of His care and service and be as God for Himself and then we see this also in mankind.

Once defeated and cast down, the Devil planted that same seed of pride with distrust in the goodness of God into the hearts and minds of Adam and Eve who then rebelled against God’s good and gracious provision and will.

With that sin, came the curse. The curse of separation from God as light from darkness from good and evil. The curse of death: stealing away life: so dying, sickness, weeds, hunger, thirst, ignorance instead of wisdom, unbelief instead of faith, fear instead of love appeared. This now is the “so-called natural state” and condition of mankind since that fall of Adam and Eve.

Is there still goodness in the world? Yes, there is. But it is perceived in brief moments within God’s creation which retains some of its original beauty. But to our sin plagued senses, it is veiled as though under shadow when viewed outside of faith. Without faith in our creator, this view of good is often inverted and perverted toward selfish gain. “How can we use this?” Our tendency is to ruin what is good. Or without faith, the world sees the leftover of goodness in creation and wishes to worship it without acknowledging the creator, misunderstanding its beauty and meaning as reflecting the beauty and power of God in His Truth.

How can this veil be removed? How can there be joy and contentment in this life with hope for something more? Dear friends, you already know what it is. You already have it. You have already heard it.

It is in the Lord and in His Word. His Word which is Jesus Christ, the same Word spoken by the Father at Creation through whom the Spirit brought forth light and life and all goodness.

This Word is the answer to the fallen flesh of fallen creation, to you, me, and to the world which so often turns a deaf ear to its redeemer and creator.

But God continues to call out to the world to shelter them with His goodness, to redeem them from evil, from death, and the devil. The clues are in creation as God continues to allow beauty, breath, temporary life by His ongoing provision, but He speaks clearly His mercies, His Will, and His goodness by His preached, spoken, and written Word as recorded in Scripture and in the life of Jesus Christ. There is the redemption of the World proclaimed. Jesus Christ is the hope over against the sickness of sin, ignorance, unbelief, death, and the eternal death which our sins and the sins of the world deserve.

That is why God sent Jesus into the world, so that Jesus, the Son of God in perfect holy flesh would live not in pride and rebellion but in humility and obedience or in other words, in truly good works of faith and love. Love for His Father and love for His own creation, for men and women. So, Jesus as true God and true man, kept the whole Law, preaching and teaching that His Word is good and contrary to evil, that His Word has authority over sin. That by His Word, sickness, death, unbelief, doubts, anxieties, sorrow: all are rebuked, bested, and overcome. The official in the Gospel text heard the words of Jesus and believed and His faith was vindicated as will be all faith in Jesus Christ.

Dear friends, repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Forsake the darkness of your sin, the dark doubts and selfish hopes of this world, and be made truly free by the forgiveness of your sins, and the wellness of faith which is proclaimed to you anew this day in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ in His righteousness and mercy died upon the cross to pay for your sins. He has spoken His name upon you and by that same Word which spoke creation into existence, He speaks His grace to you which makes you His new creation. For you have been baptized into Jesus Christ, into His death, burial, and His resurrection. You are now His child. A healing child, a beloved child, a child destined not for death, but life in His eternal new creation in Jesus Christ by that water and that Word. You have been absolved and renewed in that baptism today as a member of His household, the Church. The veil of unbelief, ignorance, and separation have been removed for you, and you are called to live in faith, joy, hope, and fellowship with God and His wisdom for now and into eternity.

Yet, Satan, wishes to recall you to spiritual destruction and unbelief and he tries to attack you using the trials that still remain in this fallen world. He tries to get you to hearken to the sinful flesh that clings to you, and He whispers and shouts in your ears daily. Beware the media that you expose yourself to. The Devil can and will try to use music, news, movies, books, and even coworkers and family to tempt you to think that there is good in sin and selfish behavior, or that there is hope only in the things of this world or even to despair of God’s love and mercy for you.

That is why Paul’s Words in Ephesians are to be followed, for these Words are the Lord’s and with them come wisdom. The Devil is sly, and against him, we have no power of our own to overcome him but instead would be overcome and overwhelmed to our eternal destruction.

But you do not stand alone. You do not stand bare and exposed to the darts of the evil one and his offensive onslaught. You have Christ on your side, you have Christ covering you in His righteousness. You have His Scripture protecting your mind and Your heard. Therefore Study that Word, wield it, and cut through Satan’s lies, and know that in Christ you are able to stand, will stand, and will be guaranteed a share in the victory which Christ has already proclaimed at the cross for you for your salvation.

The Power of Good is in God and His Word alone for you and for your good. So come to Him where He is for you. Receive from Him your good in the Divine Service, where He dresses you for battle and feeds you with the medicine of immortality in the body and blood of your victorious Savior, Jesus Christ. Continue to be made new in confession and absolution, renewed by His Spirit in the light of His Word of Truth and life. Be encouraged. Stand strong under His protection against all adversities to devoutly serve Him in good works even as He serves you perfectly, mercifully by His good works in Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas