Trinity Eleven Sermon

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

KJV 1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

KJV Luke 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

199 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
207 Like the Golden Sun Ascending
195 Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands
188 Halleluiah Jesus Lives

Easter Gospel

Paul’s epistle lesson for this Sunday summarizes the history of the resurrection appearances of Christ, first to Peter (Cephas – Aramaic for Rock, just as Peter is Greek for rock), then the disciples, then to 500 brothers, then James, finally Paul., the least of the apostles because he persecuted the Christian faith.

One author said that God makes the best instruments out of the hardest materials. Once I read that surgical scalpels made from stone were prized for their precise cutting. Any good knife is going to be made from a material that will hold its edge. There are many examples from history where the worst and most flagrant sinner was converted by the Word into one of God’s most effective instruments. Newton, the author of Amazing Grace, was a despised member of a slave-ship when he came close to death as the ship sank. Strangely, the shipment of cork kept the ship afloat until help arrived. So Newton, like Paul, was convinced of God’s guidance in that turning point of life.

Augustine was the prince of orators and too self-centered to be a Christian, as his mother Monica wished. She often prayed for him. Her prayers were answered when Augustine heard children singing a little song, “Take and Read.” Augustine picked up the Scriptures and read the Word of God. The Holy Spirit converted him. As God shows us so many times over, the prayer was answered more abundantly than Monica could have imagined. Augustine became one of the greatest theologians of the Christian Church. His influence continues today, through Luther, and through other serious theologians (who are rather scarce now).

Paul persecuted the Church with great zeal and then spread the Gospel with the same or greater zeal, knowing that God had directed him to a unique role in proclaiming the Word, to Jews first and then to Gentiles. Lenski is especially good at showing us how much Paul accomplished in converting entire synagogues to the faith, which explains the special animosity felt toward him. The Roman Empire considered Christians lowly, loathsome, and first cousins of the troublesome Jews. For the Roman rules, Christians were those slaves and low-lifes who made the Jews seem respectable. For the Jews, Christianity was a threat to their religion and a factious element in Jewish life. To this day there are many Jews who believe in Christ but keep this to themselves because of family reaction. One woman said, “I do not want my children to know I go to Jews for Jesus.”

I mentioned to a religion class that there were Jewish Christians in Arkansas. One woman said, “I go to a Jewish Christian church. There are several in Phoenix.” She was not Jewish but she was attracted to their church. Thus the tables are turned, Jewish Christians attracting a curious person to the Gospel. That is good because Wiccans often proclaim their pagan religion in class and encourage one another, although their numbers are few. Some years back anyone would have been shocked to learn of anyone embracing paganism.

The resurrection of Christ is so closely related to His atoning death on the cross that we often speak of the two events together. Many were crucified in those days. They did not rise from the dead. They were not God.

Only Christ could die on the cross, because of His humanity, and die in innocence for the sins of the world, because of His divine nature. The resurrection proclaims this two-fold nature, God and man, united in the One Person Jesus Christ.

The resurrection of Christ is the greatest display of power in our world, because death is almost as great a power. God’s victory over death is so significant, even in this secular age, that people still respect Easter. The busiest stores will close on Easter. Instead of mocking Easter, people express hope for eternal life.

I believe people think about eternal life because this doctrine answers the question of whether we have purpose in this life. The atheist side of our culture is crazy for redeeming the world because they do not have a Redeemer. They are insanely busy trying to save everyone from all kinds of evils because they want to believe they had a purpose in this life. That purpose can only be realized if people say, at the funeral, “This person changed our world.”

In contrast, the real meaning of Easter (which we celebrate every Sunday) is God giving us purpose through Christ. We have this purpose without accomplishing anything, knowing that whatever is done in faith glorifies God. Besides, what can we really know about the impact of our lives? God takes the humblest beginnings and makes miracles out of them. All the Lutherans who tried to make a new start in America were plagued with problems, from doctrinal division to insolvency. At the same time, God allows a rich and honored institution to fall apart, sometimes overnight. Many of the congregations admired today will be Unitarian or gone in a generation. The reason is – they do not know God’s Word, trust God’s Word, or teach God’s Word.

Can you imagine any synodical leader saying this today?

"The church depends upon the faithful use of this Word both for gathering people into its fold, and for edifying them in the Gospel of Christ. Other means for the accomplishing of these purposes may seem more popular. But nothing can take the place of the Bible, inasmuch as it alone presents the Lord Jesus and is empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is the only effective instrument in reaching and regenerating human souls."
A. A. Zinck, D.D. What a Church Member Should Know, Philadelphia: United Lutheran Publication House, 1937, p. 20.

The plight of many today is lack of purpose, lack of meaning, especially when focusing on external characteristics or the judgments of the world. The Word of God teaches us that the very thing our Old Adam rebels against (bearing the cross) has purpose and meaning, for us and everyone else.

The rejection and hatred of Christ was the beginning of His cross, although His cross was more than a metaphor. He died for our sins, but He also showed us an example of how to live. People suffer privation and ridicule if they have a purpose. If they do not have a purpose, they think they are always suffering.

When we bear the cross, our Old Adam cries out because of the injustice, suffering for God’s Word. Then we realize how little we realize what Christ did for us and how faithful teachers suffered for the Word. The news does not deal with these facts, but Christians are being actively persecuted, tortured, and killed all around the world. The difference in America is that Christian leaders are persecuting sincere Christians, saying “God have mercy on you, because we won’t.”

If we examine one moment of our lives, we may not see much meaning in it at all. Looking back, those moments of absurdity are often turning points. But that is not even the question.

Luther said all we need to do as Christians is relax, like a hog wallowing in the mud. It took me a long time to figure that out. I believe he meant we spend too much time trying to figure out and plan everything. When we enjoy God’s grace and forgiveness, when we trust in the effectiveness of the Word alone, God makes miracles happen, time and time again.

"In order to keep your faith pure, do nothing else than stand still, enjoy its blessings, accept Christ's works, and let him bestow His love upon you. You must be blind, lame, deaf, dead, leprous and poor, otherwise you will stumble at Christ. That Gospel which suffers Christ to be seen and to be doing good only among the needy, will not belie you." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, I, p. 110. Third Sunday in Advent Matthew 11:2-10.

I challenge my college students to think about 20 years in the future. Will they ever say, “That was a great business meeting we had 20 years ago”? Or will they remember the time they spent with their families? I am getting the nostalgia books now – Moline High School’s directory of all living graduates, what they are doing, etc. I wonder, “Where are the children, the grandchildren?” Accomplishments fade in their importance over the years. And life is very fragile. Who would have guessed how many friends could not be healthy enough to live to the age of 60?

I was reading Wind in the Willows last night, one of my favorite books. I can remember laughing over the classic passages when I read the book to our son: Moley grabbing the oars from Ratty and dunking them in the river, Toad discovering motorcars, the Christmas carolers (mice), Toad’s boastfulness, the re-taking of Toad’s house. The laughter once enjoyed is repeated over again in memories and also in conversations. Each grandchild starts the cycle over again. Now, with a grandson heading toward two in November, we have the joy of a young lady of 11, her sister of 8, and the fun they all have together. That is the purpose of life, to see new generations, to know they have the blessings of Gospel. Xander’s sisters called him “the chaos lamb” at their last Christmas pageant.

Who would have guessed that knowing an operating system would take his family from Minnesota to Arkansas, to live near an independent Lutheran church? The same operating system he forced me to learn – that Linux/Unix knowledge got me my first teaching job in a new career. And now I have taught world religion as a conservative Lutheran 50 times, teaching about Creation, the Flood, and the Christian faith.

I still remember asking, “What is this Linux thing?” The question was answered when I passed the certification test, a slip of paper that got me into that teaching job.

The purpose of life is best understood backwards. So those who worry about death should ask themselves, “If death is so great a wonder and fear, is not life an even greater wonder?”
Who can give life except God? That we live, think, and believe is astonishing by itself. Every day is a gift from God and every life is a soul blessed by God, no matter what the container may look like. What God may accomplish through that soul belongs to Him alone.