Portrait of the King

 Jesu Juva

Revelation 1:4b-8                                     

November 24, 2024

Last Sunday B                           

 Dear saints of our Savior,

        Well, we’ve finally made it.  Another church year is now almost behind us.  It’s the last Sunday of the Church Year.  And on this Last Sunday, in all three Scripture readings, Jesus is depicted as a King—a King with a Kingdom.

        To better understand this King and His Kingdom, I’d like you to join me in a little thought experiment:  You are an artist.  With paint and canvass you can create masterpieces of color and beauty.  Your assignment?  Paint a portrait of Jesus.  Not a mural with many scenes of the Savior.  Not a triptych with a trio of depictions.  Just one, single, solitary portrait of Jesus.  You may depict Jesus in any way you choose—but you get only one shot.

        How would you portray the Savior in your painting?  How would you narrow down the almost limitless possibilities?  Would it be a crucifixion scene with blood and darkness?  Or a kinder, gentler scene of Jesus and the little children?  What about Jesus the gentle healer, bending down at the bedside of some sick soul? 

        Whichever direction you go, the artistic choices you make might say as much about you as about your Savior.  Do you feel the depth of your sin and its wages?  Then paint the crucifixion where your sin was dealt with definitively.  Do you or a loved one suffer from debilitating illness?  Then paint the healing hands of Jesus.  Do you long for a Savior who can identify with the frailty of your humanity? Then paint the Christ child—the Messiah in the manger.

        In the book of Revelation, St. John “paints” an amazing portrait of our King, Jesus.  It’s not a portrait of colors and canvass, but of words divinely inspired and revealed.  We need this portrait.  The persecuted believers of the First Century—they also needed this portrait of Jesus.

        John’s depiction of Jesus in today’s Revelation reading is unrivaled.  Phrase after phrase—superlative after superlative—spills out onto the page.  Jesus is: the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

        The first recipients of Revelation were persecuted for their faith.  Many had been martyred.  John calls Jesus the “faithful witness,” or the “faithful martyr.”  Jesus had faithfully born witness to the truth, and paid for it with His very life.  This portrait of Jesus says to the viewer whose life is at risk, “You, too, be faithful unto death.  Do not be afraid; but hold firmly to the truth of Jesus.” 

        This Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. Death could not hold Him; and it will not hold you either.  Other resurrections had preceded the resurrection of Jesus; but only Jesus was raised never to die again.  He’s the firstborn; you and I follow after Him.

        This Jesus is the ruler of kings on earth.  He is the King over every other king.  The rulers in Rome seemed powerful and mighty—while many Christians felt powerless and afraid.  But Jesus rules over every earthly ruler.  They all work for Him (whether they know it or not).  Are you feeling powerless and discouraged at the outcome of recent elections?  Fear not!  John’s portrait of King Jesus brings good news of great joy:  Jesus Christ is the ruler of kings on earth.  The power of presidents, prime ministers, and potentates comes from Jesus, who orders all of history for His divine purposes.

        John fills out his portrait of Jesus with this astoundingly beautiful sentence:  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.  This is the focal point.  It’s this dimension of John’s portrait that draws us in.  It tells us everything—all we need to know about God and about ourselves; about the past, present and future.  It tells us that in Jesus Christ, you are winning.  You are marching onward toward eternal victory. 

        At the heart of it all is God’s love for sinners.  That’s how this saving sentence begins:  To Him who loves us.  Jesus Christ loves us.  And please note how that verb is in the present tense which, in the original Greek, indicates ongoing, continual action.  Nothing can change the fact of His love for you.  Nothing can separate you from that love.  And God’s love is not a feeling, but a doing.  It’s always expressed in action.  He is for you, working all things for your eternal good.

        This kingly love sets us free!  It’s not the freedom to do whatever you want—not the freedom to keep on sinning—but a far better freedom:  [Jesus] has freed us from our sins by His blood.  Jesus has freed you from your sins.  And please note that this verb is past tense which, in the original Greek indicates completed action—a done deal, mission accomplished.  It is finished.  Jesus has freed you from your sins.  As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 

        This is what happened at Calvary’s cross.  You and your sins were separated.  All that would weigh you down and pull you down to the depths of hell can drag you down no longer.  At Calvary, your sins became Jesus’ problem, Jesus’ burden, Jesus’ curse.  The shackles of your sin have been unlocked and removed.  Hell has no hold over you.  Your sin condemns you no longer because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was condemned and crucified for you.  Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  You are forgiven.  You are free.  Your sins and shortcomings do not define you.  In the midst of life’s chaos, this is the theme that matters most.  Feast your eyes on this portrait of truth:  You are loved by God, and He has freed you from your sins by His blood.

        You need to watch out for those who try to divert your gaze from this saving portrait.  Satan seeks to insert a mirror between you and this portrait of our Savior.  That miserable mirror takes the focus off of Jesus.  It distorts reality like some carnival fun-house mirror.  This mirror portrays a different truth concerning you:  “You are not good enough.  You do not measure up.  You are a disappointment.  You are flawed—an unforgivable failure—worthless, hopeless, useless, alone.”  Have you looked into that mirror before?  The message of this mirror can come from your own conscience.  It can come from someone who is supposed to love you.  But whoever would dare to say these things about you is just a mouthpiece for Satan. 

        Fix your eyes on Jesus.  Feast your eyes on the portrait of Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords.  For this portrait of Jesus changes everything in the eyes of the beholders.  In fact, John’s portrait of Jesus transforms those who behold it in faith.  It changes you to see and believe that Jesus loves us.  He has freed us from our sins! 

        Those words change everything.  You are not a flawed failure.  You are not worthless.  You are loved—loved by the Lord Jesus—the ruler of kings on earth.   To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. 

        This kingly portrait is the backdrop every time we gather here—here where heaven and earth intersect.  And this kingly portrait follows us when we leave.  It is the scenery of salvation.  It is the landscape of our lives.  For we have been made to be a kingdom.  You are not alone.  You are a member of God’s kingdom.  Your citizenship is in heaven.

        In your baptism, you also became a priest.  That means that the work you do is holy work.  God has given you vocations—holy work—sacrificial work—marching orders for you to carry out in your family, in your church, in your neighborhood, at school and on the job.  You belong to the priesthood of the baptized.  Your work is holy work.  It can be hard and difficult work too.  God includes you in His portrait.  You participate in His reign and rule.  God has a plan and a purpose for your life.  You can’t always see it.  You can’t always feel it.  It’s something we can only believe by faith.

        But God does give you gifts you can see and hear and taste and touch and smell.  God gives you a pastor to preach to you.  God gives you the splash of your baptism.  And God gives you the body and blood of Jesus in the Lord’s Supper.  The very blood that was shed to free you from your sins—that blood is given from this altar so that you might not doubt, but firmly believe, that you have a place of priestly privilege by the power of Jesus Christ.  He is your King.  I can’t think of a better way to end the church year than with this King set before our eyes. 

        To him be glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen.

The End . . . and the Beginning

 Jesu Juva

Daniel 12:1-3                                            

November 17, 2024

Proper 28B              

 Dear Saints of Our Savior~

        The leaves aren’t messing around anymore.  Even the mighty maple right outside these windows has started letting go of leaves at a rapid rate.  Those leaves are always the last to go—the sure and certain sign that the end of the growing season is upon us.  

        It’s probably no coincidence that the church uses these darkening days to remind us that the end of all things is near.  The day is surely drawing near, we just sang.  The Holy Spirit led prophets and apostles to spill a lot of ink to tell us about the end times—the last days.

        Today we hear from the Prophet Daniel.  Much of Daniel is tough sledding—especially the second half of the book—which contains lots of symbolic imagery, dreams and visions.  But the three verses at the center of our attention today are clear and comforting, sure and certain.  If you’re wondering what the end of the world will be like, Daniel is definitive.  Daniel declares nearly everything we need to know.

        At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people.  The Michael here called a “prince” is better known as Michael the Archangel.  The archangels are the five-star generals of the armies of heaven.  Michael the Archangel is best known for slaying the satanic dragon in Revelation chapter twelve. His name implies that Michael is “like God.”  And at the end of days, this mighty warrior archangel will be fighting for and protecting the people of God.

        This mention of Michael is a great reminder that all the angels are at work for you—and for the benefit of the whole church—already here and now.  The Bible tells us, for instance, that angels are here among us this morning, in this place, as we gather around the Lord Jesus and His gifts.  The words of the proper preface remind us of the unseen guests who join us for every Divine Service:  angels, archangels and all the company of heaven.  Martin Luther suggests we should begin and end each day with this petition, “Let Your holy angel be with me that the evil foe may have no power over me.” 

        But because the angels often work in unseen ways, we tend to forget about this gracious dimension of God’s care for us.  When tragedy is narrowly averted—when we walk away unscathed from twisted wreckage—when we turn away from shameful sin and vice at the last minute—does it even cross our minds that the holy angels of God may be at work on our behalf?  Or are we more likely to conclude that dumb luck and random chance simply fell in our favor?

        Dumb luck and chance will get you nothing when it comes to the end of the world.  You’ll be glad for the assistance of the angels at that time.  Just how bad will it be?  Daniel declares:  There shall be a time of trouble such as never has been since the first nation was founded.  Unprecedented trouble.  Just think of all the troubling times we read about in the history books:  wars, famines, pandemics, natural disasters, revolutions, ethnic cleansing and mass murder.  Did you see the post-hurricane footage from western North Carolina?  Large-scale destruction everywhere.  But Daniel seems to say, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” 

        Trouble is coming—and even your government will not be there to rescue you.  Forget FEMA.  Like every other idol, the gears of government will grind to a halt in the last days.  Federalism will fail.  Bureaucracy will break down.  Ideologies will implode.  Those who fear, love, and trust in princes and presidents will be panic-stricken.   

        Daniel would say, “Don’t bow down to those idols.”  Daniel himself had been a citizen of Jerusalem—the capital city of God’s holy nation.  But God used the Babylonians to destroy it and burn it.  And this is why Daniel found himself in Babylon.  God’s people will be delivered, even as earthly kingdoms rise and fall.  In fact, Daniel reminds us that it’s not your earthly citizenship that matters.  Instead, “Everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered.”  That’s a reference to the Lamb’s book of life, mentioned many times in the Bible. 

        There’s a great multitude of people whose names are in that book, who are saved by grace through faith for the sake of Jesus.  It’s comforting to me that it’s always referred to as the “book” of life.  The names of those who belong to the Lord are written down in a book.  I like this metaphor because books have staying power.  I routinely write things down on post-it notes and scraps paper.  You should see all the “notes” on my phone.  It’s really not a good system.  Sometimes I lose important information.  Passwords pass away.  But books—books have a little more staying power, don’t they? 

        In God’s book, the names of those who trust in Jesus are written down, recorded, preserved.  It shows that God means business when it comes to your salvation.  He will never forget the promises He first made to you in your baptism.  It doesn’t mean “once saved, always saved,” but it does mean that your salvation has been in the works since before the world began.  And when your days in this world are winding down—or when this world itself is flaming out—what comfort it will be to know that your name is inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life.

        Daniel’s words about the end of time are clear and comforting.  How’s this for clarity?  Those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:  some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.  On the Last Day God is going to raise up you and all the dead.  Please note that all will be raised—believers and unbelievers—no exclusions.  The believers in Christ will awaken to everlasting life; the unbelievers to shame and everlasting contempt. You know that I’m not what you might call a “fire and brimstone” preacher.  But make no mistake.  Those who foolishly reject God’s gracious gift of salvation—those who walk away from Jesus and His Word to embrace some alternative ideology—they will face an eternity of shame and regret.

        But those who are wise will shine, Daniel tells us.  In the Bible to be “wise,” has nothing to do with test scores or IQ.  Those who are “wise” are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.  Those who are wise believe that Jesus is their Savior—that His blood has cleansed them from all guilt and sin.  Those who are wise view Jesus as their substitute—who kept God’s law perfectly on their behalf, and took the punishment they deserve. Those who are wise will enjoy an eternity in God’s presence.  They will shine like the sky above.  You are wise because you’ve got your eyes fixed on Jesus. 

        Daniel’s last word about the last day concerns righteousness:  Those who turn many to righteousness [will shine] like the stars forever and ever.  Note carefully what Daniel is telling us about righteousness:  Sinners can’t become righteous on their own.  You can’t decide to become righteous.  You can’t earn righteousness or achieve righteousness.  You must be led.  You must be turned.  Someone from the outside must make you righteous on the inside.  Who on earth can do that?  Who can lead you and turn you to righteousness?  Well, as the end approaches, stick close to your pastor.  For your pastor has been called by God to turn you (and many others) to righteousness.  He does that by the forgiveness He speaks, by the Word he preaches, by the gifts he applies to you in water, bread, and wine.  Your pastor delivers Jesus to you—and in that divine delivery, many are turned to righteousness.  You are made righteousness, cleansed of all sin, prepared for judgement, and for the thrill of eternal victory. 

        Of course, today you might be feeling the agony of defeat more than the thrill of victory.  Today you might feel the need for rescue and deliverance acutely. But that’s not the last word.  In the end, God gets the last word about the Last Day.  And according to Him, for all eternity you will shine like the heavens above.  The one who endures to the end will be saved.

        In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The Widow's Might

 Jesu Juva

St. Mark 12:38-44                                     

November 10, 2024

Proper 27B                                              

 Dear saints of our Savior~

        In just a few minutes we will take the offering.  Taking an offering is, admittedly, old fashioned.  Ours is quickly becoming a cashless society.  Dollars change hands through electronic transfers, debit cards, and Venmo.  Even your checkbook is going the way of the dinosaurs.  The offering is an anachronism.  It’s the rotary phone of the Divine Service.  It’s the folded paper map in the glove compartment—a vestige of simpler times.  Nevertheless, the offering is here to stay.  And today’s text concerning a widow’s offering is a big reason why.

        From a business standpoint, the widow’s offering didn’t really matter.  The two tiny copper coins she tossed into the temple treasury amounted to barely a penny.  It was an offering so small that it almost wasn’t worth the trouble of counting.  The widow’s offering would do nothing to help pay down the temple debt.  It would do nothing to impact work on the mission field.  It would feed no hungry and clothe no poor.  It would do nothing to help meet the annual temple budget.  To the eyes of the world, that widow’s offering was probably the least significant thing that transpired that day at the temple.

        But to the eyes of Jesus—to Him who sees deep into the heart—that poor widow’s penny-sized offering meant more than all the gold in King Herod’s treasury.  It is a little-known truth of the Scriptures that God sees the gifts of His people not based upon the amount that is given, but based upon how much remains, after the offering is given.  Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.  The rich put in big amounts; but even bigger amounts remained in their pockets.  The widow put in a microscopic amount; but the amount that remained in her purse was zero.  Her gift totaled one hundred percent.

        Most people—even most believers—would have said that the widow’s offering was foolish, risky, and unreasonable.  As an investor, you’re never supposed to put all of your eggs in one basket.  But she put all she had into the offering basket.  And what return would she ever get for that investment?  She would never see those two copper coins again.  What would she live on?  How would she eat?  What was she thinking? 

        But Jesus saw things differently.  Jesus praised her gift.  Jesus memorialized her gift.  Her gift mattered to the Master.  It’s because of Jesus that we’re talking about her offering today, two thousand years later.  Today rich philanthropists get all the headlines—millionaires who give big bucks to revitalize neighborhoods and build arenas and libraries on university campuses.  But the legacies of the Pettits and the Bradleys and the Kohls and the Cudahays won’t last forever.  The brick and mortar that bear those names will crumble.  But the sound of that widow’s two copper coins will echo on forever.

        What does the widow’s offering mean for us and for the offerings that we bring to this temple?  Well, some preachers might tell you that since the widow put into the offering all the money she had, that you should put all the money that you have into the offering.  She gave one hundred percent; and so should you.  Be like the widow!  But that’s not exactly what Jesus is teaching in this passage.  So let’s dig deeper.

        Perhaps the widow’s offering leads to more questions than answers.  Questions like, how much money should I return to the Lord?  Because remember, it’s not simply the amount of the offering that matters to Jesus; it’s the amount that remains.  It’s the percentage that matters.  Are we giving to the Lord from what’s leftover, after all the other “important” bills are paid?  Or are we giving sacrificially—like the widow—in a way that challenges and exercises our faith?  Are we giving an amount that’s reasonable and sensible?  Or might your accountant raise his eyebrows just a bit at what you give?  Is our giving based on faith in the living Lord Jesus who has destroyed the power of death and the grave for us?  Or is our giving based on the church budget, or worse, based upon what other people are giving?  Do we give like the Scribes to “keep up appearances” or “for show?”  Do we announce it with trumpets, or are we so discreet that our right hand doesn’t know what our left hand is doing?  All of these are questions—questions that flow from the widow’s offering.

        But there’s also a warning that flows from today’s text.  “Beware,” Jesus said.  Beware of the scribes.  The scribes are the polar opposite of the widow who quietly gave one hundred percent.  The trouble with the scribes was that they did everything “for show.”  Their prayers, their preaching, their piety—it was all done for popular consumption.  It was all done so that other people would see it, and praise them and pay them and honor them and reward them.  Beware, Jesus says.

        Beware as you live out your faith in Jesus Christ in works of love and mercy, that you aren’t doing those things as a pretense for other people to see and admire.  The trouble is that we’re all scribes in that respect.  Our Old Adam is a first-rate exhibitionist—saying good words and doing good deeds and giving good offerings, but mostly motivated by the love of the limelight—full of fake and phony humility.

        The poor widow in today’s text teaches us to test our motives. She went to the temple and gave everything she had.  Like the Israelites who gathered only enough manna for one day at a time, she trusted that the Lord would take care of her tomorrow, and the next day.  She would get no receipt for her gift—no tax deduction the following April.  Nobody would praise her.  Nobody would applaud her.  Nobody in the world would see or recognize the incredible sacrifice she was making that day.  Nobody, that is . . . except Jesus.  For Jesus notices what we do not notice.  Jesus always recognizes faith in action.  What you and I might call irrational, illogical and unreasonable behavior—Jesus calls faithfulness.

        When you stop and think about it, it really shouldn’t surprise us that the widow’s offering caught the eye of Jesus.  The widow gave everything—all she had.  It was an act of total devotion, motivated only for reasons of love.  Do you see where this is heading?  Do you see where this poor widow is pointing us?  With her pennies she preaches a sermon more powerful than any preacher or any scribe ever could.  For her offering points us to Jesus—to the offering He Himself would give on Calvary’s cross.  He was condemned and crucified. There Jesus gave Himself for you, for your sins, in an act of total devotion, motivated only by love.  Like the poor widow, Jesus gave one hundred percent.  He held nothing back, but gave Himself up for your salvation—not with gold or silver—not with coins or currency, but with His holy precious blood and His innocent suffering and death.

        No one can hear of what happened to the sinless Son of God on that dark Friday and not conclude that the love Jesus displayed that day was unreasonable.  Nothing could justify the spillage of that innocent man’s blood.  Unless of course you see that blood as an offering—an offering to God made on your behalf—for your forgiveness.  In that offering is your redemption.  In that offering is your salvation.  Jesus gave His all so that He might make you rich.

        Do you believe that—that you are rich through faith in Jesus?  I’m here to tell you, you are.  Your every debt has been paid by Jesus.  You have a pension plan to which you didn’t contribute, which will pay you eternal dividends.  You are at least as rich as the poor widow whose offering was noticed by Jesus as the greatest gift given that day.  If you do believe that, then watch out.  That kind of faith has been known to express itself in surprisingly generous ways.  And each of those expressions is an offering—an offering done not for show, but out of love for Jesus who by His poverty makes you rich. 

        In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.