Sunday, May 12, 2019

Sermon for 5/12/19: Fourth Sunday After Easter

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Your Endless Joy

ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!


On the night when He was betrayed, on the night in which He instituted the Sacrament of the Altar, our Lord prepared His disciples for His departure with the promise of return and of joy. They were puzzled by it, and so our Lord explains further: “…You now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.” He is speaking of the specific sorrow that the disciples will have at the crucifixion.
But we do well to apply this to ourselves and to the sorrows we endure while awaiting His return. The present is full of our transgressions. By our sins we have burnt bridges with family and friends, employers and neighbors. We’ve succumbed to temptation and hurt the ones we love the most. Our words have been spiteful, sarcastic, and mean. Our service to God and our neighbors has been resentful. Our spirits may be ashamed of what we are doing, but we do not resist. Repent. Turn away from your fleshly desires. Remember that this is not your home. Let the pain and sorrow you experience now sharpen your focus upon the joy to come.
This life is temporary. It seems long, but when we look back, we will see that it was brief. Our joy will be complete; no one will take it from us. Hang on. Jesus Christ did not die and rise in vain. It will end soon. And when the going gets tough, in the waning hours of darkness, in the midst of your watch, know that you will mount up on wings like eagles and soar. Soon, you will leave all this tribulation behind. You shall be free! No more pain, no more suffering, no more shame or regret, no more past, no more sin. You will be free of your Old Adam. God’s grace cuts the cords which bind you. The payment for your selfishness has been paid. There is nothing left but the waiting. God loves you in Jesus Christ; He will bring you to Himself. For His own reasons, from His own goodness, without any merit or worthiness in you, He loves you. He calls you by name. The inheritance of the righteous is rightfully yours, for you are His. You need not defend yourself, look after your rights and honors, or be insulted by the stupid behavior around you. Patience is learned in the cross, for there we see that nothing else really matters. You are free from those who hurt you, free from the devil’s accusations, free from death. Jesus Christ Himself is your Defender, your Advocate, your Friend. He never sleeps or grows faint. Let Him worry about you. Who would dare to stand against you? These labor pains are not punishment. Rather, they are the proof of His love.
While you wait, knowing that your time is coming and that nothing else matters, our Lord gives you a foretaste of that joyous Feast to come. Be strengthened, encouraged, and refreshed for your labor. Eat His Body and drink His Blood to sustain you. Your sins are forgiven. Here is your strength to carry on. Here is hope for the future. Here is peace for the tired, troubled heart. Here is unity with Christ crucified and raised, and through Him you have unity with the fellow confessing pilgrims on earth. No longer are these neighbors considered strangers; they are now your brothers and sisters in Him, for faith is thicker than blood. And you also have unity with the confessing cloud of witnesses that even now surrounds you and prays for you. This is the promise of joy to come, so that you would endure in confident hope and faith. So do not be afraid. Do not mourn like those who have no hope. Fear not. In a little while you will see Him and your joy will be complete. And no one will take it from you. ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

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