During our midweek Advent services this past month, we have looked at the songs of Advent in the Gospel according to St. Luke. These canticles celebrated the faithfulness of God in the fulfillment of His promises of mercy by sending the anointed Savior into the world. These songs were sung by Zechariah, Mary, and Simeon, faithful people all. They were all led by the Holy Spirit to sing out their confession of faith and joy because of the revelation that God had given them about the Christ child and the coming Messianic age.

As our Gospel lesson for today began, there is one who did not have a song of joy in his heart at the news that Mary was pregnant, a song more like the blues perhaps, but not joy. Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, the betrothed husband to be of Mary. He had found out that Mary was with child. Joseph could not have known at this time that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Mary might have told him about the angel visitation and Gabriel’s message, but even if she had, honestly, how could Joseph believe her? He knew how things worked biologically. He knew that he could not be the father. Even though betrothal in the Hebrew world meant that Joseph and Mary were legally bound, during their betrothal they did not yet live together or have sexual relations. Could it be that Mary was just making excuses for having sinned with someone else? The time to make some hard decisions had arrived for Joseph. His options were two; he could take Mary to be his wife and claim responsibility for the unborn child which to the Jews would have been an admission of guilt and sin… or he could divorce her. By divorcing her, he would be absolving himself of any responsibility and guilt for the sin of fornication. The usual form of divorcing in such a situation was public denunciation which would then have exposed Mary to public humiliation and possibly execution by stoning.

Joseph is described as a just and righteous man; as such, he certainly wouldn’t admit guilt when he had been innocent, but he also didn’t want Mary to suffer shame and execution so he ultimately resolved that He would find a way to divorce her as quietly as possible.

Joseph’s plans to be married to Mary had been changed by circumstances beyond his control; now he had resolved to take control, to absolve himself and protect Mary in the divorce, but God had other plans for Joseph. As Joseph slept that night an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and addressed him: “Joseph, son of David” not only would an angel in your dreams be unusual but this greeting was unusual. The Gospel writer, Matthew had just given us the full genealogy of Joseph. Joseph’s birth father’s name was Jacob not David. It is true that Joseph was a descendant of King David, but he was 28 generations down the line from him. In fact, for the last 14 generations, the royal lineage of David had no throne to rule. Therefore, this formal greeting of the Angel referring to Joseph’s royal ancestry already indicates the significance of this child’s birth.

The angel after greeting Joseph by name, told him to change his plans again, to take Mary as his wife without fear. She was innocent of the sin of fornication. The child in her was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and was not a result of any carnal relations. God had a plan and purpose for this pregnancy with significance beyond the relationship of Joseph and Mary. The plan was revealed in the name that Joseph and Mary were to name this son once He was born: Jesus. Jesus is the English version of the Hebrew Yeshua which means “God Saves”. The name is the same as Joshua, the name shared by the Joshua who led the Israelites into battle for the promised land by God’s hand after Moses. Yet that Joshua only prefigured and pointed to the greater work of this Joshua, this Savior, announced to Joseph. This son born of Mary named Jesus/Joshua was born to be a God’s anointed savior by saving His people from a greater enemy than the Canaanites, and by leading all of God’s people into a greater destination that an earthly kingdom. This Jesus was born to save His people from their sins and bring them into an eternal kingdom by conquering sin death, and the power, of the devil.

How could He do this? Because this Son of Mary was not just a man, but He was also the Son of God. He was and is Immanuel which means “God with us”.

In the meantime, God’s plan for Joseph was to bless him and use him in the vocation of husband and adoptive father of Jesus. He was to protect them both Mother and unborn child as part of the miracle of God’s salvation plan. He was to be the earthly hands of the heavenly Father taking care of Jesus until the time was fulfilled for Jesus to enter into His public office of Christ.

We are not told a whole lot about the biography of Joseph of Nazareth. Based on Scripture, we know that he was alive and involved throughout the early years of Jesus…very much parenting when Jesus was 12 and brought to the temple. However, we assume that by the time Jesus began His teaching and preaching office as the Christ around His age of 30, Joseph had been called by God to His eternal rest. Yet, it must have been recent as Jesus was known in Nazareth as “the carpenter’s son” (Mt.13:55). We know that Joseph was a righteous man, but he knew that that righteousness came not from himself, but from God. It was God who had revealed the truth of Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. Joseph was given the ability to believe that this son of Mary was also going to save him, that is, Joseph from his sins.

As we heard last week, quite often in this life our earthly plans get changed and our expectations are limited. Unlike with Joseph and Mary, all too often the reason for the change in plans is because of sin and the failures within ourselves. This is part of the curse which we inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve who first sinned. That original sin is passed down from generation to generation making all children of Adam born with unbelief, imperfection, sin, and are by nature at enmity with God, subject to His wrath. But God does not desire the death and destruction of all people. Because of His love and in mercy for our condition, God provided the suitable sacrifice for our sins by sending the Son of God, to be conceived the way He was: begotten from eternity, conceived and born in time by the Holy Spirit, outside the plans or desires of human flesh, so that His flesh and blood was perfect and sinless. Then Jesus lived up to His name. The perfect man and Son of God allowed Himself to be despised, rejected, and crucified so that people might be saved from their sins. He took the punishment of sin upon His flesh so that our own flesh could be redeemed. This was and is the plan of God the Father who sent His Son, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, men and women who receive this message of grace through the Gospel would believe and be saved by the forgiveness of their sins.

Dear, fellow redeemed, you may not have had an angel come to you in a dream to deliver the message of Jesus Christ, but you have been brought to the waters of Holy Baptism, and have had the curse of original sin from Adam and Eve drowned and buried with Christ in His tomb. Through His resurrection you have been given new life through faith. No longer are you slaves to sin, but you are set free to live holy lives by God’s Spirit in Jesus Christ’s name. God not only has a plan of salvation for you through Jesus Christ by the forgiveness of your sins, but He will bless you in your vocations. You can pray that God may use you and guide you in all wisdom as you make your earthly plans and pray that God’s will would be done in your life. He will continue to guard and keep you from fear and unbelief by His Word of promise. He continues to gather you and us and all the church at the foot of the cross, as we confess the times that we have failed and have sinned, but then receive forgiveness again. He strengthens our flesh for eternity as we receive the flesh and blood of our crucified and risen Savior in the bread and wine.

He gives us the power to also sing and rejoice at the news of Jesus Christ, for He has fulfilled His heavenly Father’s plan of salvation through His suffering and dying and rising again for the forgiveness of our sins. And we know that He will come again in glory to bring us soul and body to our eternal rest which Christ has prepared for us in Jesus Name, Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

Have you ever had failed expectations? I am talking disappointments in something you had hoped for, planned for, worked for, or believed in, but the results ended up not rising to meet your hopes. I would venture to guess that we all have experienced this to some extent, because life is filled with the unexpected. Sometimes it is easy to cope with these unexpected results, but sometimes it can result in great pain and anguish. Failed marriages, lost job prospects, disappointments in friends, children, loved ones, people letting you down… maybe realizing that the failure is in you, and you have let yourself and others down or maybe it isn’t you but doubt begins to grow within you…these can all lead to great soul searching, agony, and trouble of the soul and mind.

The book of James has written these words to those who feel downhearted in the midst of disappointment and suffering. James says, “be patient… as an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.” It is not always easy to be steadfast in faith, in hope, when we are in the midst of suffering and turmoil. It is difficult when the world, the devil, our flesh, and the many events around us are constantly trying to tear us away from faith and the hope which we have in the expectation of Christ’s fulfillment. As we think of our own feelings and experiences, let us remember what James said. We are not alone in our suffering or doubt. Let us take courage in today’s Gospel lesson which speaks of John the Baptizer suffering in prison, but who receives words of encouragement from our Lord.

John was a great prophet, and as Jesus said, “John was more than a prophet, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.” But where was John as we introduced the Gospel reading for today? He was in prison. According to some preachers, shouldn’t he have been having success, glory, and sunshine for doing God’s Work? No. Because that is not the reality of life as sin and the truth of God’s Word war with one another. John was living the weight of that spiritual and emotional war and despite the greatness of his prophetic power and His belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the account today shows that he may have been having his doubts about the Messiah, perhaps even about his own prophetic ministry. He had done everything he was supposed to do, and here he was in prison for preaching the truth and rebuking sin, most likely facing execution, which we know that he did.

We heard last Sunday that John preached repentance: preparing the way the Lord. John likely expected Jesus to immediately fulfill everything John had been given to preach. John expected Jesus to come baptizing with the Holy Spirit and real fire, that He was going to be a judge right then and there, as John declared about the Messiah, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and “He will clear His threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Jesus did not do this right away; bringing judgment and punishment upon all things was not what His first coming was all about. Therefore, John probably wondered as Jesus seemed to fail to meet his expectations. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” John was the last of the Old Testament prophets. John preached with power. John baptized the Lord Jesus and heard the voice from heaven and saw the Spirit descend as a dove. Surely someone who had all these experiences wouldn’t crack under pressure.

Wrong! For us Christians, there is never a time when faith is very far from the edge of unbelief. Satan never leaves us Christians alone, but each day he works harder to take us away from Christ. John was no exception. The sad reality is that preachers can lose the faith they preach to others. Both the preacher and the hearer are not immune to unbelief but need constant help. But how does Jesus respond to this questioning? Jesus answered John’s disciples, “Go and tell John what you hear and see.” Jesus understood John’s doubts. He understood that John needed assurance. He did not condemn John, but Jesus appointed John’s disciples to be apostles- sent ones, ones sent to deliver their witness to John. Jesus invited John’s disciples to witness His work and then take the proclamation of His work back to John. Jesus was fulfilling the Scriptures, Jesus was healing the blind, the lame were walking, the lepers were being cleansed, the deaf were able to hear, the dead were being raised up, and most importantly, the poor were having the good news preached to them. The miracles which Jesus performed were His credentials as the Christ. They validated His authority in His preaching as the One who was sent from God. These miracles pointed to an even greater miracle which only God Himself could perform, the miracle of forgiveness for sin and the gift of faith. This is the significance of the good news being preached. This good news is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the anointed Savior, who not only works physical wonders of healing, but also brings spiritual healing and faith by the forgiveness of sins. John the Baptist was correct in thinking that the earthly ministry of Jesus was about judgment, but that judgment of God’s wrath for sin was placed upon Jesus. As Jesus was taking the burden of the ills, diseases, and pains of the world upon Himself, He also was taking the sins of unbelief and doubt upon Himself to the cross.

You see, John the Baptist, as great as he was, could not live up to the expectations of the Law. When it comes to the expectations of God’s Law, everybody has been and is a failure. It is not that the Law is unfair, it is that since Adam and Eve all creation, especially humanity has become twisted and sinful. Nothing goes the way it should it seems, good people do bad things, the pure becomes spoiled, and the expectation for this mess should be nothing but doom and punishment. That is why Jesus came, so that the more realistic expectation of punishment, condemnation, and eternal suffering would be turned away for those who repent and believe this hope: “Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me” said Jesus. We are blessed and accounted as righteous through faith in Jesus Christ by the forgiveness of sins. Jesus became a curse for you on the cross, so that you might be saved. Jesus became an offense to His Father by taking your guilt so that by His Word and through Holy Baptism you would believe and not take offense at the cross. By believing in Him you are now no longer offensive to the Father. As you were baptized, you have Christ placed upon you. You have His righteousness earned for you. You are forgiven through faith in these words even as John the Baptist was forgiven and saved through faith despite any doubts he had had.

Guadete, a Latin command to Rejoice! That is the theme of this Sunday in Advent, the significance of the pink candle. It is the theme of the Introit which we spoke earlier: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! The Lord sets the prisoners free. The Lord lifts up those bowed down. The Lord loves the righteous”. Dear friends, let this joy, the joy of the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached to you this day encourage and comfort you. Let it dispel all doubt and fear. May His joy abide with you always and be in your mouth and in your lives continually. You are forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ. He forgives your failures, and He gives us more blessings than we should ever expect. He promises to hear and comfort us when we call out for help when our earth-bound plans and expectations fail. He will help you and carry you through those times… even as He has carried your sins to the cross and buried them in His tomb.

When you are weak and heavy laden come to Him, confess your sins and your burdens, then receive His absolution, His forgiveness and love. Come to the altar and let Him remove the bitterness of the disappointments and sins of this life and fill your mouth and heart with the sweetness of His grace in the very body and blood of Jesus Christ given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. In this way He fills your mouth with joy again by His Holy Spirit. Rejoice with the Church as we wait and watch for the expectation of His final coming which will not disappoint. Rejoice, that by His Spirit we are given His love and forgiveness to be able to remain steadfast in the confession of faith. The Lord has taken His judgements away from you. The Lord God is even now in your midst, a mighty one who will save and has saved…you! In Jesus name, Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

It is the season for deliveries. Now more than at any other time of the year, there is more mail, there are more packages being sent and received, and the people working in the shipping and delivery professions might even be working longer hours. As we look at these people, these postal workers, UPS, Amazon, and FedEx truck drivers delivering our packages, our bills for said packages, our messages of Christmas greetings to loved ones near and far, have you ever noticed anything about them? Something sets them apart. It sets them apart so that you can recognize them in their vocation as one who is delivering something to you that is yours. You can trust that they aren’t a sales person or a traveling heretic a la the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witness when they ring your doorbell, or some other person who may or may not be up to no good. What is it? It is their uniform. You can recognize them by their uniform.

In today’s Gospel lesson we are able to recognize by his uniform and his message another delivery man, John the Baptizer. John the Baptizer delivers the message from God to mankind, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” His uniform is the same uniform as Elijah the Tishbite. The same Elijah of the Old Testament who preached against the sins of Israel at the time of wicked Ahab and Jezebel and their son Ahaziah. This particular uniform of the prophet Elijah was no ordinary look, but is described in 2 Kings 1:8 the same way John the Baptizer’s look is described in our Gospel lesson. “John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt.” The purpose of this uniform as well as the diet mentioned “locusts and wild honey” is not to distract from the message, but rather to point to the seriousness of the message: The comforts and luxuries of this world will not save you nor bring you comfort in the face of God’s coming judgment. There is an end to this life and this world and there is only one way to “Make ready the way of the Lord, prepare His way, make straight in the desert, a highway for our God.” How is it and why is it that the hills and mountains must be made low and the rough places made smooth? The how to prepare is not by earth movers and a highway development project. It is much much more difficult. Why is it difficult? Because it involves sinners repenting and the moving of their hearts of stone. Yes, human broods of vipers, hard-hearted sinners whose souls are a wilderness of tangled weeds and fruitless trees that should all be crushed, cut down, laid bare and thrown into the fire. This describes us too, not just the people of Elijah’s or John the Baptizer’s day. We along with all people have been disobedient to our creator and master. We have sold ourselves to become slaves to our worldly cares and wants, to sin and the power of the devil, time and time again.

Yet the Law of God as cried out by John the Baptizer in the wilderness and throughout the ages is , “Repent, Repent, turn back from your sin!” This message has packaged within it, the message leading to hope. Hope for mercy, the message that there is a way to flee from the wrath that is to come. That hope is not within ourselves, and it is not within humanity. We do not have anything that makes us worthy to be saved. The message delivered within the Law, the message which exposes our sin and cuts us down in our pride, which brings us down from the hills of sand which we have gathered under our feet, causes us to repent so that the way into our hearts and minds and spiritual darkness might be cleared and de-cluttered for the hope that comes from God.

Behold the hope within the lesson of the stump and root of Jesse: the line of David many of whose sons were unfaithful kings and then were brought down in humility: chopped down to the very root by God’s judgement. This remaining stump and kingly line looked to be done as though no great tree of life or hero could come from it. Yet from this humble stump comes the branch and greatest tree of life, the One to whom John the Baptizer pointed, and still points. This is He who comes in the name of the Lord, who is righteous and has salvation as judge and redeemer. He is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He who was born of Bethlehem of Judea. The son of God and Son of man through Mary. His was the way John the Baptizer prepared, yet Jesus did not come in His first coming to clear His threshing floor, with a winnowing fork in His hand. He came in humility to serve, to preach, to heal, to suffer and to die. It is true what we heard Isaiah the prophet say in today’s Old Testament text, “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” Jesus came not with a prophet’s garment of camel hair and leather belt, nor did He come in king’s robes or priestly raiment, yet He fulfilled all three offices of the Messiah in His perfect sinless life. During His earthly Ministry His full glory was clothed in humility and meekness, but what the world perceived to be weakness was actually part of Jesus’ and God’s plan of salvation for us. The garment which Jesus wore was imperceptible to human eyes. Righteousness is the belt of His waist, and faithfulness the belt of His loins. This righteousness and faithfulness could not be fully perceived until all the clutter of earthly expectations were stripped and burned away. Then we and all mankind may behold Him as He is by faith, our sacrificed Savior, crucified among sinners as the payment for our sins. Through His sacrifice, because of His faithfulness to His Father in the keeping of the Law, His righteousness and love can cover over a multitude of sins. He experienced the full wrath of God upon sin at the cross, the same wrath which should have come to us and all people.

This is the Gospel hope. Jesus did come and has taken our punishment upon Himself. He is the One who prepares His own way delivering this message of repentance and salvation through His Word and sacraments. He is the one who sends His Spirit to move men, women and children to repent and be given the eyes of faith, to see Jesus Christ coming to them clothed in that righteousness and faithfulness. He does indeed baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire through water and the Word. As He has baptized us, He has washed away our sin and filth and burned away the brambles and weeds of unbelief. He has crucified our sins and has brought us forth through His resurrection to be grafted upon Himself and become His children and people. We are now clothed with His righteous robes, set free from sin and condemnation in Christ’s name.

We now wear the garment of salvation, we now have Christ put upon us as we have been anointed in His blood. Therefore, we are able to rejoice and praise the Lord with all His people, and come into His presence with thanksgiving. We are able to confess His Holy name, and receive His body and blood in the bread and wine as we celebrate His victory and the stomping of the serpent’s head in His death and resurrection.

Now that we have been redeemed, we leave this place clothed with Jesus Christ. When people of the world see us, do they see the garment and uniform of a Christian? Do we deliver to them a message which they can trust? A sure message of hope, forgiveness, and love in Jesus Christ? Or do we cover ourselves again with the garments of the world so that we blend in with our surroundings? It is difficult during this season, throughout our life, in a culture of consumerism and self-worship, with our old flesh nagging at us. It is difficult not to succumb and fall back into sin, selfishness, and lazy blending in. If we rely on ourselves and our own power, failure is inevitable. And if you sin, pray “Lord have mercy” and return, repent. This is what we do every Sunday and every time we are gathered together, we repent, and we are washed anew by the power of our baptisms in Absolution by the blood of Christ. He cleans those garments of salvation and prepares our hearts and minds to receive Him again through faith for the forgiveness of our sins and be grafted again upon the tree of life.

He continues to prepare us each and every day of our life, for we know that the day is coming soon, when time will have run out, and Jesus Christ will return with a shout and a trumpet blast. Then He will be coming with that winnowing fork for He will be returning to judge. Woe be unto unbelievers and the wicked on that day, but to those have returned and repented, who live by faith and not by sight, who have been clothed in Righteousness, we shall recognize Him as Christ our deliverer, who comes to deliver us to His resting place which shall be glorious and eternal. May God keep us in this hope, In Jesus’ name, Amen

Pr. Aaron Kangas

Who doesn’t like a good countdown? Especially if it is counting down to something nice and special. For example, some people will count down the number of days until a birthday: for themselves or someone else. Maybe they are counting down the days until someone is coming to visit. Maybe people enjoy counting down to vacation. Maybe it is a countdown to retirement or a graduation. Right now many people are probably counting down the days to Christmas. It is easy to count down the days when there is a set date or time for what we are looking forward to. It makes it a little bit easier to be patient.

But what if you don’t know the time or the day that something will happen? It makes it more difficult to be patient, and it certainly would seem to make it more difficult to plan. This is especially so when we are thinking about the hour and day when Jesus Christ will come again. It is certainly something that we should be looking forward to, even as it holds within it, terror for those who do not and did not believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. But unlike Christmas, anniversaries, vacations, or a birthday, we do not know the date when He is coming back. “No one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only”. This can be a problem for us, like in the lesson for last Sunday with the 10 virgins, because we may be tempted to lose vigilance and preparedness for lack of focus. Or we may be tempted to abuse the time, and waste it. In the verses following the Gospel lesson for today, Jesus spoke of how serious a matter that is. How vigilance and faithfulness will be vindicated and rewarded, but impatience and the temptation to unbelief and abuse will be punished. He said:
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Impatience is indeed a temptation for us all. Impatience can lead to doubt, doubt to unbelief, and with it, the temptation to fall back into the works of darkness from which we have been called in Jesus Christ. For indeed the darkness is what the world continues to stumble around in, and it is sin and ignorance and the indulgence of the flesh that our old nature wants to go back to and cling to, such is the curse of original sin.

Therefore, Paul said to the Romans only a few years after Christ’s ascension to “hang in there”, to “be vigilant”, to “walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Though we do not know the hour or day when Jesus Christ, the Son of Man will return in all His power and glory, Jesus left us clues. One is quite obvious. What is that? Well, it is the elementary reality that every day in our reckoning brings us that much closer to the day of Christ’s full return. Simple enough. Yesterday was further away from the end that tomorrow is. We can certainly comprehend that.

Another clue is that the world will, of course, continue be doing its own thing as Jesus indicated: For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark”. Another clue is found here and elsewhere where Jesus compares the time of His coming to the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because both with Sodom and in the days of Noah, the time and people were described as wicked and their sins as very grave. This clues us in to the fact that wickedness and lawlessness will likely increase upon the earth before Christ returns. It will undoubtedly seem that society will be getting worse and the numbers of believers may appear to be growing smaller, but only God knows and He will remember and sustain the Church regardless of how many or few remain faithful, in the same way that He sustains us today by His Word and Sacraments.

But as we wait, another temptation presents itself, and that is to take the clues and descriptions of the last days and Christ’s return and try to make predictions as to how and when it is going to happen despite Jesus saying “Nobody knows except the Father.” This is a major problem for some of our Christian brothers and sisters, and I think it is part of that temptation to impatience and wanting to feel more settled and focused as to our preparation. Therefore, there are those church bodies and leaders who have tried to construct scenarios and descriptions which sadly become actual dogmas and official teachings but go far beyond what Scripture says and ends up actually contradicting what Scripture says. One such doctrine is “Dispensationalism” and another closely tied to it is “millennialism”, and another concerning “the Rapture”. Without going into great detail about them, for to do so would take quite a bit of time and looking up various Scriptures to see where they get their ideas and then one by one deconstruct their wrong premises, I will simply say that they are wrong. In Brief, Dispensationalism is the idea that God works through various historic dispensations or time periods of specific national reigns. The dispensationalists take passages from Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation and try to make an exact counting as to how many dispensations there are and which country or empire is being spoken about in the prophecies. Many of them also hold onto the idea that at the end of the final dispensation, there will be a rapture. What they mean by this generally is that before a specific time of “tribulation” God will have believers taken up in a sudden and unannounced moment and removed from earth for a specific time of several years. The only people “left behind” will be unbelievers during which time who may be allowed a final chance to convert where things will be very wicked and then Christ will return with all His raptured people, not for a final judging but to reign here on earth for a thousand years and then He will judge from the literal Jerusalem. There are variations on this but they are all aberrations from what Scripture is indicating.

One of their chief passages that they try to use for justifying this “secret rapture” is here in our Gospel text. They take this passage: “Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.” And say that this describes and therefore prescribes “the rapture”. However, if you are faithful in interpreting Scripture and letting Scripture interpret itself, you would look first at the context of these verses, and then look at what the rest of Scripture has to say about it. What preceded these verses refers to the fact that Christ’s return will be sudden and that as He returns, the world will not understand what is happening in its suddenness, much like the people in the days of Noah “they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” And then the verses regarding the field and mill workers follows immediately to emphasize the suddenness of His coming. Furthermore this text emphasizes the fact that nobody knows when He will return. People will be going about their day, and it will happen. And when it happens, it will not be a secret, there will be a worldwide announcement by a shout of command, by the blast of trumpets, when the dead will rise first and then those faithful who remain will join them in the sky with Jesus Christ who has returned to announce not an earthly reign for a thousand years, but a judgement where the unfaithful unbelievers will be cast into the place of eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth, but the believers will be brought into an eternal never ending kingdom of a new heaven and new earth to live forever with their Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ, with all the heavenly host.

Dear Friends, we do not know when Jesus shall come again, but we do know that it is drawing closer, and when He comes it will be glorious and it will be joyous: far better than any birthday, anniversary, vacation or Christmas celebration that we have ever known. Let us then not dwell upon it as though we are counting down days, nor that we make predictions that only serve to discourage people when they are incorrect. Instead let us endeavor instead “to put on the armor of light” as we work in the daylight of Jesus Christ. Let us be prepared by being faithful in our earthly vocations making good use of the time, having children, teaching our children, showing love to our neighbor, being lights in the darkness of the world, and coming here where Jesus continues to Advent to us. He comes to us as we confess our sins, as He renews us in the forgiveness accomplished for us by His death and resurrection and received through faith as He speaks to us in His proclaimed Word in baptism, absolution, and faithful preaching. Then He encourages us by giving us a preview of the eternal joyous banquet feast of victory here at the Sacrament of the Altar where He feeds us His crucified and raised body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. Here the Holy Spirit enlightens us to live in Him and be prepared until we live more fully with Him at the last.
Therefore,
“O house of Jacob,
    come, let us walk
    in the light of the Lord,” in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

Remembering. Bringing to mind. Reminiscing. Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is remembering and as a Christian “thanksgiving” is remembering what God has done for you. It is remembering what He has said to you. It is recalling His promises yet to be fulfilled as well as recounting those which He has already fulfilled. It is bringing to mind once more the times when you have been granted and gifted even more than what you asked for, desired, or didn’t even know that you needed or would be good for you until you received it from God’s righteous right hand.

The whole life of a Christian is one that is centered around the activity of recounting, remembering and doing so in Thanksgiving. Why would you trust God or have faith in Him except that God has already given you His gifts of forgiveness of sins, of life, breath, and everything good and by faith you remember? Why would you pray to the Lord for help, for blessing, for yourself or anyone else except that He has already given it you before. You as a believer are called to remember this, and in this remembrance and thanksgiving for what has already been given to you, you may trust the promise to pray and hope for God’s ongoing guidance strength, and giving you what is best for your present and future good.

Therefore, the theme for every day but especially for a National day of Thanksgiving should be one of remembrance. Remembrance of the “what” and the “why” you can give thanks for. Remembrance too is the theme within the readings appointed for today.

In Deuteronomy, Moses tells the Israelites to “remember” many things. “Remember the whole commandment given. Remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness. Remember how He humbled, tested, taught, fed, and provided. Remember how your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Remember His commandments and His promise to bring you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing. Remember as you eat and are full to bless the Lord from whom the blessings come.”

Paul speaking to the Philippians, encourages them to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” How are they able to do this? Why can they believe that God will hear and answer their prayer so that their anxiety may be replaced with God’s peace? By remembering. “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” By recalling and meditating on the good things that God has done and promised. By focusing on the good around us and meditating on that rather than what the world is telling us that we lack. Instead of focusing only on the negative and the unhappy or our inborn sinful sense of “unfairness” and victimhood though God has given us more than we deserve, we are to recount and think about whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise.” In this way we are encouraged to trust, to hope, to have peace by the forgiveness of our sins.

Even in our Gospel lesson, the thanksgiving of the Samaritan former leper came from his “remembering”. He remembered; he remembered how just a moment before he had been sick, outcast, a man with a permanent death sentence, then he wasn’t. He was now healthy, able to be socially restored, a man with hope and a future life. And in this remembrance, he remembered who was the source of his healing. How could he remember and not give thanks? How could he not come running back in great joy, no matter how far the distance to the place of his Savior to speak his words of gratitude in the confession of his faith.

Dear friends in Christ, this is what faith is. This is what faith does. It is not only in the receiving, but it is in the reacting. Faith takes what has been given and immediately turns to the one from whom it has received and responds, not with a “oh is that all?” or “give me more more more!” Faith “returns thanks”. It responds in humble gratitude. Because faith also remembers what once was. Faith remembers that you and I do not deserve forgiveness of our sin. Faith remembers that sin is miserable and puts us in a hopeless death sentence. Sin makes us anxious because sin knows that it deserves nothing but punishment and hard times. Anxiety struggles with trust and so never finds peace. Faith remembers how that feels, remembers how that felt. Faith knows the change now granted by God’s grace. It knows, acknowledges, and glories in this grace as it remembers.

For faith recalls the proclamation of what has happened for it. That God loved the world. He loved and loves you and me. And in “remembrance” of that love and His promises, God has sent of Himself, His Son, to take what we deserve and He did not. He took on human flesh to toil in our temptations, our sin plagued life, while keeping the Law in its entirety so that in perfect innocence He would also take the punishment that we deserved, the righteous wrath of God. He died in agony so that we would receive life, and by life, I don’t mean an extra moment or year or more. No He came so that all humanity would not have just been wiped out from the earth and His sacrifice makes it so that the life that is promised is eternal life. A life of perfect flesh and soul living forever in the presence of our God and Savior free from the troubles, hardships, hungers, and dangers that we deserve and so often experience in part here on earth. The fullness of this promise is yet to come, but we have reason to hope because this promise has already been given to us even if only in part. He brings forgiveness of sins and by it, faith, life, and salvation in Holy baptism. He renews it in Holy Absolution, and confirms it and comforts our minds, bodies, and spirits by the meal of Thanksgiving which the Eucharist/the Sacrament of the Altar wherein Jesus comes to us with His crucified and risen body and blood to eat and drink in joyful thanksgiving.

So we gather here and remember and give thanks today and throughout our lives for this most important life giving gift of Jesus Christ our redeemer. And yes, we recall, recount, and give thanks tomorrow on the national day of thanksgiving for all the good that He has done that we are aware of from our youth until today, and bless and praise Him even for what protections and grace He has given that we are not aware. Let us give thanks before and after each meal, when we wake up and before we go to bed, thinking of all that he did that day and every day. He who gives us everything for the life of our body, for the salvation and upbuilding of our faith unto eternal life is indeed greatly to be praised, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

Our modern culture teaches us many ideas. Some lessons are better than others and some are terrible. Among the various ideas are concepts concerning forgiveness. Sometimes, our culture may teach us that “Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.” Or we may be taught that “Forgiveness must be earned,” or that “Forgiveness is a process.” If we examine these statements one by one in light of Scripture, we see that they are all at least a little off-target.

First of all, when we hear that “Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself,” there is some truth here. What I mean is that if you hold a grudge against someone, then you may be holding a burden of bitterness inside of you. Forgiving the person releases you from that burden. From a psychological standpoint, this makes sense. But is it Scriptural? In today’s holy Gospel, Peter asks, “How often should I forgive my neighbor? Seven times?” We can almost hear in Peter’s voice some frustration. If someone sins against you seven times, and each time you forgive, you will probably feel frustration. You may ask, “Are they really sorry they did it, since they keep doing it?” Like Peter, you may wonder how many times is too much. After all that forgiving, it begins to wear on a person. You may begin to feel taken advantage of.

The problem is, if a person tells us they are sorry, we are to forgive them. We cannot dig into their secret emotions and thoughts to find out if they are truly sorry. We may ask them, but then we have to believe their answer. If we believe they are thinking or feeling something without concrete evidence, then we are slandering them. We have to accept that they are sorry, and then we are obligated to forgive.

Who does the burden fall upon? Upon the forgiver. If you forgive, you are agreeing to not seek retribution. You are agreeing to not hold a grudge. You are saying, in essence, that you will not hold this sin against them from the very moment you say the words, “I forgive you.” You are giving up any right to pay them back for the wrongs they did to you. Like the king in the parable, the debt is canceled, so there will be no debt collectors coming to take the money.

This can be tremendously difficult for us. By forgiving, you are removing a burden from the one you are forgiving, without asking for conditions of repayment or restitution. This is really the opposite of the world’s view that says that forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. No, forgiveness is a gift you give to the person you forgive.

Forgiveness may happen to benefit you in some way. But that should not be your motivation. Think of your neighbor and his need. Think of whether you would want him to forgive you. Think, most of all, about the fact that Christ our dear Lord wants us to forgive our brother without conditions, without strings attached, without limits.

How can we do that? Not from our sinful heart’s ability. The new heart that is created in us by the Holy Spirit is strong and loving and willing to forgive. But sometimes the old heart weakens us and weighs us down. Sometimes our emotions become too strong and all we can think about is how much we have been wronged.

The culture around us also sometimes says, “Forgiveness must be earned.” Again, there is some truth here. When a relationship becomes strained because trust has been broken, it will take time and effort to rebuild that trust. But anything is possible in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Because Christ shed His precious Blood, our forgiveness is not limited by our human heart. The price is paid already, no matter how serious a sin was committed against us. Therefore, there should never be conditions upon forgiveness.

All this assumes that a person repents of their sin. If they have no sorrow for sin at all, or deny that Christ died for them, then we are not obligated to forgive. As He said, “Whoever’s sins you do not forgive, they are not forgiven,” which means that we are to withhold forgiveness from the impenitent as long as they do not repent. May we also repent of our sins, by God’s grace, so that our whole life may be one of repentance.

When our culture says, “Forgiveness is a process,” there is a little bit of truth there. It may take some time before a person who forgives feels completely forgiving in his heart. So our culture often counsels us to wait to forgive until we are ready. We are warned that if forgiveness is given too easily, it will be cheap grace.

But the forgiveness itself is not from our heart. It cannot be cheap grace because true forgiveness is ultimately from Christ and His Blood. It was bought at a most precious price. We are not the Redeemer. We only pass along the Good News that His death has purchased atonement for all sins. Every transgression has been paid for, so that we can tell people that their sins, also, are forgiven. This is not from us and our love, but from the infinite love of God.

Yet we also want to forgive from our heart. Christ says in our text: “So also My heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” Although the source of forgiveness is not in our heart, but Christ, yet our hearts should follow along with what our mouths speak. In other words, we should feel that all is forgiven between us and a brother who wronged us, without any lingering bitterness or grudge.

This may take some time. Our fragile hearts are easily bruised and easily scarred. When terrible sins tragically injure us, we are often too frail to immediately give full and complete forgiveness from our heart. We should still speak absolution to one who has gravely hurt us, yet we likely will not immediately and fully love them as if nothing had happened. Injured feelings take time to heal, if they heal completely at all. Although the forgiveness should be spoken as soon as we can, regardless of our feelings, we want our feelings to follow along with the truth of the Gospel we speak.

So do not say that you forgive someone and then willfully hold a grudge. If you find yourself harboring bitter feelings against someone you have forgiven, then work on putting your emotions in line with the Gospel. Pray for strength to do so. This is a sanctification matter, so the Holy Spirit will work with you in this goal.

So where does the power to forgive ultimately come from? It comes from mercy, and mercy gives grace, and with grace, there is forgiveness. Mercy is that which we must learn, for mercy is the compassionate treatment of those in distress, especially when one has the power and right to punish or harm them. It involves kindness, forgiveness, and benevolence towards others, often in situations where they may not deserve it.

We like the unforgiving servant are quick to receive and accept mercy but very often do not show mercy in return because of our selfish self defense and fear. Repent, each and every one of us. Look to the Cross. Look to the infinite worth of the Blood of God, shed for you and for all men. There we see true mercy, benevolence, grace, kindness, and forgiveness that no sinner deserves. This all comes from God’s perfect love. Christ has paid for all trespasses ever committed right there. There we see the power to forgive which He then brings to you in His forgiveness given in His Word and Sacraments. Therefore, do not be afraid to show mercy to those who repent to you, even as God has shown and continues to show mercy to you by the forgiveness of your own sins in Jesus Christ’s name.

As the parable of Christ makes clear, anyone who sees that his own gigantic debt is canceled should willingly forgive the relatively small debts of others. We have had our tremendously huge burden of sin forgiven freely by Christ. We have a lifetime filled with iniquities, including a multitude of sins that we do not realize we committed against God and our fellow humans. All of these are erased from God’s record by the Blood of Christ. He in perfect love puts those transgressions away from His memory. He chooses not to remember them, and to see us only as holy sons and daughters because of His promise and then accounted to us by faith.

Among the many sins for which we need forgiveness is our failure to fully forgive. If we were perfectly loving, as we should be, then we would happily forgive anything and never feel any bitter grudges against anyone. But instead, our sinful hearts sometimes fail to fully forgive because of weakness. This failure out of weakness is not the same as stubbornly refusing to ever forgive. In our weakness, we still struggle to try and forgive more fully from the heart. God give us grace to accomplish this difficult task.

To learn to forgive best, receive forgiveness and mercy yourself. Come to the Supper where He gives His grace and mercy by the forgiveness of sins in the very body and blood of our Savior. Come to Holy Absolution and take this to heart: that our repented sins are truly forgiven and will not be held against us for Jesus Christ’s sake. Come to hear the Gospel preached and taught. Receive with sincere faith, as one who knows that you are a sinner who deeply needs this Gospel. To help us, the Word is always accompanied by the Spirit, who is constantly molding our hearts to be more loving and more forgiving. It is the Holy Spirit who will give the ability to forgive so that as we heard in the Epistle your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes only through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

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

The world has the idea that saints come about by virtue of their own moral character – their own good works. Some believe that saints only refer to those who have died and were in this life holy and virtually sinless people. That those saints have powers of intercession and can perform miracles from heaven. Yet in his letters, Paul often refers to his readers as “Saints”. Therefore, saints are not only those whose bodies are at rest or are a special class of people whose merits we can borrow.

We may often hear someone say, “What a saint,” when someone does something nice for us, or say it about someone who bears up under a tragedy with grace and dignity, or when someone is a great encourager and cheerleader within the community. Now, such people are wonderful, gallant, and noble, but are they truly saints because of what they do or who they are? It is true that good works and perseverance is a mark of a believer, but what does the Bible say about what is a saint?

The first reading for this day taken from the Revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John helps to answer that question. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John had a vision of the saints in heaven. There are many saints at rest- more than anyone can number from every race, tribe, and language. One of the elders speaking to John tells John the exact process for making a saint or “holy one” as that is what “saint” means. The elder said, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” 

The blood of the Lamb is the blood of Jesus Christ as when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! The Apostle John wrote, [1 John 1:7] “The blood of Jesus [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin.” The writer of Hebrews said, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Therefore, becoming “holy ones” or saints, comes only from the holiness of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. It comes by the washing of regeneration and sprinkling in Christ’s Blood in the pure waters of baptism as the merits and righteousness of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sins on the cross are applied to His people by faith.

No one can confer sainthood on themselves, for in this life we have all become like one who is unclean by our sin, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. Instead, sainthood is conferred on us by the perfect life, and the innocent suffering and death of Jesus Christ our Lord and savior. If we were to call ourselves saints according to the world’s idea of sainthood, we would be pointing to our own accomplishments and the world would be right to call us arrogant and self-righteous. On the other hand, if we call ourselves saints according to the Bible, then we are pointing away from ourselves and toward the work and grace of Jesus Christ and are giving Him the glory and praise.

When we say that someone is a saint in the Biblical sense of the word, we are simply saying that the Holy Spirit has worked faith in them – that they believe that the Son of God took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and earned the forgiveness of sins for them with His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death.

All Christians who believe are saints and all saints are Christians. Today’s epistle gives us yet another name for saint: a child of God. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” Child of God, saint, Christian – these are all different names for those who have saving faith in Jesus Christ – all different names for those of the great multitude who will stand before the throne of the Lamb at the last and great day.

When we talk of all the saints as one large group of believers, we are really talking about the Holy Christian Church. The Holy Christian Church spans two different realities. Here on this earth, in this life, we are the Church Militant. We continue to struggle with life in this sin soaked world. Even though Jesus has defeated Satan with His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, Satan still bites and snaps, trying to wrest the victory from God’s children by tormenting and tempting them from the confession of Christ’s name. This is why we are the church Militant, we are yet in this life upon the battlefield. We would be defeated, except as we often sing in “A Mighty Fortress is our God”: “for us, fights the Valiant One”, that is, Jesus Christ who is that Mighty Fortress. He fights by our side now and continues to give us strength and power by the renewal of that washing in baptism, as He feeds and empowers us through His Word and Sacraments by the forgiveness of our sin, so that we may reach the goal and receive the victory by faith in His name.

Cheering us on, though not able to see our struggles, is the Church Triumphant. The Church Triumphant is made up of all those saints who are already gathered at the throne of the Lamb, who are now at rest from this earth’s labors. They are now without sin, without hunger, without misery, without tears, because the one called the Lamb is their Shepherd – who leads His lambs to living fountains of water. All memory of pain, death, sin, sickness, poverty, hunger, persecution, and hatred are wiped from their eyes along with their tears.

Even though this Church spans two realities, there are not two churches: one here on earth and another in heaven. Rather we “believe in one holy Christian and apostolic church.” The oneness of the Church is not destroyed even by the separation of temporal death of the human body. Christ has overcome death by His resurrection. Now where Jesus is, there are the saints – those here on earth, and those who have “come out of the great tribulation” of life in this world.

The Church on earth and the Church in heaven are united around the throne of God and in the presence of the Lamb through faith in Jesus Christ. When we gather around the altar on Sunday, we know that our deceased relatives and friends who have likewise “washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb” are right there with us. When we sing “Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,” we sing along with the countless Christians of every age. When we chant “Holy, holy, holy,” we do so with billions of the faithful from every time and place. And when we come before the Body and Blood of the Lord, we are joined with those whom we love but can no longer embrace. We are not only in the presence of Jesus, but are also surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses, this host arrayed in white, those who fall on their faces night and day in worship before the Lord Himself.

So, it is proper on this All Saints Day that we praise God for the men and women of faith who have gone before us. It is appropriate that we honor the work that God has done in their lives to give them the true saving faith. It is also appropriate that we honor the work that God has done through their lives to affect the lives of the people around them. It is appropriate that we honor those who have preceded us into the Church Triumphant.

When we honor the redeemed, we are also honoring the Redeemer. The saints who are holy in God’s eyes testify to the only One who is eternally holy: our Lord Jesus Christ. It is His blood that covers our sin and allows us to stand in His presence. It is being baptized into His death that gives us a white robe. It is His Word and Sacraments that usher us into the throne room where we will never again suffer or be unhappy.

What then shall we do while we wait for our turn to leave the battle of this world and enter the rest our Savior has prepared for us? As we wait for the resurrection of the flesh at the last day?

Yes, life in this world is hard. Although we are saints in God’s eyes through faith in Christ, we still sin. The battle with sin rages around us and in us. We live in the great tribulation but we in repentance and weakness return to Christ’s cross and throne and are renewed. The Savior promises never to leave us or forsake us. We continue to live by grace and the forgiveness of sin given through faith in Jesus Christ. As He feeds and forgives us through His Word we are empowered by His Spirit to confess His name in worship and in our vocations to His glory and as a witness to others.

Though we live in a mortal body decaying with sin, these bodies will be raised and made new forever at Christ’s triumphant final return. Though our worship is imperfect, it will be perfected. Though our voices crack now, they will one day sing in perfect harmony with angels. Though we’re tired and distracted, hungry or bored, we will one day be so alive and filled with joy that we will never grow weary of joining this great crowd in heaven, singing and praising God.

Dear friends, we who believe are already saints. By His death on the cross, the Lord Himself clothes us with His righteousness, and through His resurrection He will one day shepherd us to everlasting life. In that blessed place we will experience the eternal joy of God’s presence along with the rest of the Communion of Saints. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

I sometimes wonder what the paralytic, lying there on his cot looking up at Jesus, was feeling and thinking when Jesus looks down at him and says, “Take heart, My son. Be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven.” And that was it.

Was he thinking…”Okay… thanks for that, but what about the whole paralysis problem here? What are you going to do about this, Jesus?” What were his friends thinking? The guys who had such faith in Jesus’ ability to heal that they brought him there. “Your sins are forgiven? That’s it? Don’t embarrass us!”

Admit it: If you were in the same situation, you would probably be disappointed too—maybe even a bit angry—if you went to all this trouble, only to find out that forgiveness of sins was the only thing you were going to get out of all of it. 

Sadly, many people continue to feel that way coming to church even today. Why? Because, like these men, many people, maybe even yourself, come to Jesus not to get sins forgiven but to get one’s life fixed or to get what they think they need or want. They come to church when something is seriously broken, and it needs fixing or expecting an earth shattering emotional experience, entertainment and life lessons… and all Jesus does is smile and say, “Be of good cheer! Your sins are forgiven.”

People come to church with all sort of expectations. Maybe they have broken or sick or sore and worn out bodies. Maybe they have broken lives with divorce, dysfunctional family drama, unemployment or financial troubles haunting their minds. Maybe they have broken spirits; with depression, grief/loss of a loved one. Maybe they want to escape it all or get a quick fix. Maybe they want just a pep talk or to hear funny stories or the newest hip Christian songs or only their favorite hymns.

You name it. People often shop for churches that best fit their felt-needs; whether it’s active and cool youth groups, men’s and ladies social organizations, because they have the best singles’ ministry, the best music, the most dynamic preacher. Yet, the Church doesn’t exist to babysit or entertain you or your kids or to facilitate a love connection for singles. Yet people attend churches, not because the Word is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered there for the forgiveness of sins, but because there, their particular itches get scratched even if it what they are getting is not ultimately healthy for their souls.

It is not enough for them to hear Jesus say: “Be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven.” Yeah… thanks for that, but that still doesn’t fix my problem. It doesn’t meet my desired expectations.” Yet this is the most important thing. To hear the Law and then receive the Gospel announcement of Absolution and forgiveness of sins is the starting point for all healing, for joy, strength for heart mind and body in this life and for eternity. 

In the Gospel text, Jesus pronounces His holy absolution upon this poor paralytic soul. His sins are forgiven. The scribes immediately began to say to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” “Only God can forgive sins.” That’s exactly what He was doing! Jesus Christ—God in the flesh—was forgiving sins.

Jesus responds: “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” He wants these wicked ones to repent their evil and see who it is who forgives sins. He uses this opportunity to teach about His divinity and the importance of forgiveness for sins as the ultimate need.

Now, pay attention to what Jesus actually says, He asks, “Which is easier to say: ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Rise and walk'”? Jesus says the more difficult thing, right? It’s easy to speak the words of forgiveness, especially if it means nothing. Anyone can “say it” and it mean nothing. Anyone can speak words of forgiveness, but it’s quite another thing, to say, “Rise and walk!” to a paralytic and have it happen. The proof of His power and authority to forgive sins is proven in the healing of the paralytic. Jesus is using logic with these wicked doubters and evil naysayers. If Jesus has the power/authority to actually do the more difficult thing (heal the paralytic), then He most certainly has the power/authority to do the easier thing (forgive sins).

Jesus asks which is easier to say. He doesn’t ask about which is easier to do. Healing the lame, the sick, the blind, the deaf… even raising from the dead was very easy for God. If you look throughout the Old Testament, God worked these miracles through ordinary sinful men such as Elijah. Think about that for a moment. God didn’t even have to physically show up and heal. He simply authorized prophets to simply speak His Word of healing/restoration and it was. 

The forgiveness of sins is not so easy as it sounds. Look to this cross and you see. Speaking the command to that paralytic to rise and walk was actually very easy for Jesus. He didn’t even have to be present, if He didn’t want to. He didn’t even have to say a word, if He didn’t want to. He could simply will it from wherever He was at that moment, and it would be done like the servant of the Roman centurion. What about forgiveness though? Yes, Jesus spoke forgiveness and that was it—the guy was instantly and immediately forgiven. But look to that cross. That is where the power to forgive sins comes from. The sins had to be paid for. Now let’s talk about the more difficult thing, not to say, but to do. The earning of forgiveness is more difficult than to heal bodily ailments. Look to that bloodied corpse nailed to that cross. Jesus did the more difficult thing… for you… for the forgiveness of all your sin. When Adam and Eve plunged all of humanity into sin and damnation, God could’ve simply smote them on the spot, wiped the slate clean, and said, “Forget it. Not worth the trouble.” Or He could’ve taken the easy way we so often do and simply turned a blind eye to the sin. “Oh well! They will get their just desserts in Hell. Not my problem anymore.” After all, nobody wants to offend anyone, right? But He cared too much to just destroy them or let them destroy themselves. Instead, He gave up all of heaven’s majesty for flesh and blood. He gave up all of heaven for a virgin’s womb, a manger… a cross. He gave up all the praise of angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven not so that people can have temporary entertainment, their “felt needs met” or to have a fast fleeting and shallow “happiness”. He received ridicule, mockery, slander, and all other kinds of evil so that forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation could be truly accounted to those who receive this gift by faith. Jesus had prayed “Father, if there’s any other way, take this cup from Me!” Don’t tell me this cross was easy for Jesus! He agonized over what He was going to suffer on that cross… and still He did it. Your Lord Christ—God in the flesh—did the way more difficult thing… for you… for the forgiveness of all your sin and all the sins of the entire world. 

Saying that it’s “more difficult” is a gross understatement. Jesus did the impossible. He did what no person borne of Adam is capable of doing. He paid the full wage of sin with His perfect life and death. He actually made full and complete atonement for all sin for all time. We can’t even make atonement for one single sin, let alone all our sins. And yet… He does it, not because He needed the forgiveness, but because you need this forgiveness, and He has the only currency that is able to pay the wage of sin: His sacrificed body and His blood given and shed for you on the cross. It is this sacrifice that accomplished forgiveness. It is this precious, valuable, and life giving forgiveness of sins which is proclaimed and doled out here not with slick screens and gimmicks, but in the simple Words of Absolution spoken by a called and ordained sinner in Christ’s stead. Forgiveness of sins is given in the body and blood under the bread and wine. How can we not wonder and see that all our problems, our troubles must find their source of healing and fixing here? It is in this forgiveness of sins given in the anguishing and struggle of the cross of Jesus Christ, which gives you the power of mind and body and soul to wrestle against the problems of any given day. This is where peace from anxiety, grief, and guilt is given: where hope must be born in the midst of sickness, heartache, brokenness and suffering. Jesus Christ has suffered to ease your suffering first by earning and then giving you forgiveness for the sins which you have committed and from which you deserve to receive punishment. This is the greatness of God’s mercy. We deserve our troubles, but He heals us of the root cause by the forgiveness of our sins because of His love… and then He helps us in our other true needs by His power, mercy, and wisdom.

Life on earth could suddenly become absolutely perfect; not a care or worry in the world… and yet if you leave this world without God’s forgiveness, you’ve got nothing but eternal hell awaiting you. You tell me what’s most important! Perhaps, you may go through all of life with everything broken and hardships galore. But no matter how bad things may get, you have God’s forgiveness. Be of good cheer! Take heart! Your sins are forgiven! It is the most important thing from which all other gifts flow. Look to this cross. Look to the baptismal font. Look to this altar/communion rail. Here is Christ for you. Here is your blood-bought gift of forgiveness of sins. “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas

So often we as children of Adam & Eve think that everything has to be about us. Yet that is not the point of the Scriptures at all. Even the Pharisees asked Jesus a very self-centered question as an expert in the Law to test Jesus asked: “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” In other words, they were focused on themselves and what they could do. How they could achieve favor and honor in the eyes of others; how they could stick it to the theological faction known as the Sadducees; how they could prove their wisdom, their goodness. Yes, many of them may have genuinely wanted to also please God, but they thought about it in terms of commandments, laws, accomplishing something to merit God’s attention, to prove their worth as a true “Son of Abraham”.

So one of the experts in the Law approached Jesus and asked Him the question regarding the Law. Jesus gave that expert the answer that follows the demands of the Law. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

I often tell our confirmation classes that the moral Law is rather simple. It has two parts. Yes, there are 10 commandments, but in order to fulfill them, you must love. Love is the key. Love God, love your neighbor. Sounds simple, right?

What does the Lord require of you?” Moses asked this of the people in the OT lesson for today. They were about to enter the land of promise. What was the answer he gave? “Fear the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, love him, serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, and Love the sojourner.”

Did you hear it? The key is to love. This kind of love isn’t mushy or weird. It means to care for. It sounds simple. It is, but it is near impossible to do. Like I said, all sons and daughters of Adam, Pharisees, Sadducees, Jews, Gentiles, Americans, Lutherans, Christians of any stripe, unbelievers, pagans, and atheists will have a hard time with this. Because we all want it to be about us. We love ourselves. Nobody needs to teach their kids to love themselves, unless they have run into people or media that shame people for not being like the world. No, our natural state is to want to worship ourselves and the things of this world. Love is easy. if it is for ourselves and those people and things that we value the most.

What is not easy is to love selflessly.

God seems to put a hard law upon us in that way. Love selflessly. Walk in all His ways, love Him, serve Him with all that we have, including looking out for the widows, the fatherless, and the sojourning wanderer and stranger that can give us nothing in return. It almost seems unfair to expect so much. But it is not unfair. It is reasonable. It is more than fair. God has created each and every human. He has granted them breath and life. Despite the sin of Adam and Eve, He has not yet destroyed the earth which so often mocks and derides His very name. Yet His judgement is coming. We are nearing the point in the Church year where we focus on that very thing: the coming judgement of Jesus’ final return. God is patient, not wanting anyone to perish, but at the same time, He is fair and just and will visit punishment upon all evil doers at the last day.

This definitely should put the fear of God into people. Atheists and agnostics, that is people who stand for no truth can claim that they do not fear to burn in hellfire, but they should. So should we. If we continue in our sins, if we forget our God who has redeemed us, then should we not burn with the rest of the unbelievers? If we make the things of this world, its sports, our kids and family, ourselves: our resting and sleeping time, our making money to reward ourselves, pleasing others in the world, hiding our confession, so that they think well of us…if we allow the petty things of our pride to distract us from church even while attending, then we make us and our things “our gods”, then we are breaking the first and great commandment, are we not? Then we deserve to burn in hellfire and destruction.

But is there hope for forgiveness for sinners such as me and you when the punishment we deserve is so grave? Is this how God desires us to know Him? In fear and trembling, as terrible and awe-some and an unapproachable fiery terror of a god? No.

“Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn,” as Moses said. Repent, in other words, and in this there is hope in the Lord. That is why when Moses spoke to the people, He spoke to them of all God had done for them. He spoke of God’s nature as that of love. He does love. He does redeem. How can we know this love and redemption when all we see is ourselves and our failures or our pride? Look no more to yourself but to Christ. He will show us what the name of God and Lord truly means and what it means to the demands of the Law and love.

Jesus when asked a Law question, asked His own regarding the Christ. Why? To get the Pharisees to think about the fulfillment of the Law. To get them to think about the purpose and the way of the “Christ” who was to come. Why would God send Him? He was to come to reign and rule in the place and fulfillment of David. He would be a just and righteous king. But how would He accomplish…How would He usher in this reign? By showing us and revealing to us, the nature of God and the fulfillment of the Law. Jesus, the Christ, the second person within the Trinity showed the world the mercy and love of God. Jesus, God’s son, the Christ, showed that God doesn’t expect us to find Him or get right with Him or merit His grace. Rather by His Law He shows that we cannot earn God’s love or please Him. But in Jesus, we see that God is love. He is selfless. He is caring and merciful and desires our repentant faith, attention, and salvation. His Love fulfills His own law for you.

That is why God came and joined Himself to human flesh and put Himself under His own Law both the natural and moral law. And in Jesus He fulfilled the requirements that we and the world could not fulfill. Jesus showed the Love for God, but also the love for neighbor and all people. He took people in their pain, suffering, and sin, and healed and forgave them, pointing to the kingdom of grace that He had come to establish. The kingdom that changes people from sinners to believers made Holy by His righteousness. Because then Jesus, the son David, who was and is also David’s Lord and redeemer, went to the cross. He was sacrificed and died to pay the just judgement of God’s wrath upon the disobedience of you, me, and the world. In the cross, we see God clearly. We see how awe-some He is, why He worthy to be feared and respected. Worthy to be trusted, praised, and worshipped. Because, Jesus Christ, died for selfish sinners like us. He rescued us. He contended for us against our flesh, against the world, and the devil.

It is not about you and what you can do for God, but what God has done for you in Christ. This is the great message of life over death. He has given you all the gifts you need to survive, thrive, and live in this world. To receive a heritage not of judgement but life eternal and forgiveness. He has baptized you into His Son, sent His Holy Spirit to wash you and bring you through the cross to the newness of Christ’s resurrection. He has taught you His Word not to be an expert in how to be the greatest Christian, but to be strengthened by His Spirit and live in His grace and be the people that He has recreated you to be by faith. When you fail, He brings you here with your brothers and sisters, to confess your need for Christ. Your need for His forgiveness, His counsel and gifts.

It is all about Christ. It is all about God, who is your Lord. He calls you by name, so that you can call upon His name for help, for praise, for help, and thanksgiving. So pray to Him for others, for yourself, in the name of Jesus Christ.

As we live in gratitude and thanksgiving, first receive the gifts of Christ crucified and raised given here in His feast of His body and blood. Here be strengthened in His name and in His presence as He comes to you. Be not ashamed, but receive His love. Be filled here together in the confession of what He desires for you: life, peace, reconciliation with God and with each other in His Truth. Then you can love, because you have seen and known His love for you which has fulfilled the Law and covered your sins in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Pr. Aaron Kangas