Love and Peace
Grace to you and
peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
The
world has made an idol of love, an idol far surpassing the tower of Babel.
Individuals and the powers that be have applauded things which God’s Word calls
sin. Living together outside of marriage is considered love; homosexuality,
bisexuality, pansexuality, open marriages, and divorce are considered love; the
desire for worldly power and wealth is considered love; abortion and euthanasia
are considered love. The world has always welcomed such idolatry, from Adam and
Eve’s desire to be like God, to Babel’s attempt
to raise itself to the heavens, and even today, to the new Illinois abortion legislation, the most
permissive in the nation, making murder legal right up until a baby is born.
The world kneels willingly at the altars of these abominations. Even worse, it
invokes the name of Jesus in support of this idolatry. “Jesus is love,” they
say, “so of course He condones everything we do in the name of love.” To
Satan’s delight, the world has turned away from God and His Word, and so the
world doesn’t know peace. Even Christian congregations and denominations fall into
the world’s trap.
Jesus
turns worldly love on its head. He says, “If anyone loves Me,
he will keep My word…” This means true love is obedience to everything our
Lord has given you in His Word. We have forgotten or ignored the Law of God: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with
all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your
neighbor as yourself.’” How do you love God? You listen to His Word and
live lives according to that Word, repenting when you fail. How do you love
your neighbor? You share that Word of God with your neighbor and encourage him
to live accordingly. You wouldn’t willingly swallow poison; why would you want
your neighbor to do so? If something is eternally deadly—make no mistake:
living in unrepentant sin is eternally deadly—then wouldn’t you warn your
neighbor about it in as loving a way as possible? Such love won’t always end
well for you here—some with whom you share this message may come to hate
you—but it is the truest love you can share with them.
This
is what Jesus does. The Church is born by the Word, not by the passion or plans
of men. The Word draws sinners out of death, darkness, and chaos; it leads them
into life, light, and order. This Word created all things. This Word became Man
and dwelt among us, so that He might rescue and recreate you. This Word is the
truth. He calls you to new birth, to new life. He gives you peace in His name.
Pentecost
is the beginning of this world’s end. It is the undoing of the curse of Babel. It is the
reuniting of brothers and sisters, no longer divided by ethnicity, language,
and economics. Living in the Word, you are made one in Christ, no longer
separated by sin. God has made a people for Himself in the waters of Holy
Baptism. He has forged you in forgiveness and cleansed you with His blood. The
Spirit has called you by the Gospel: the life, the death, and the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. He has gathered you around the Word. He has enlightened you
with His gifts. He sanctifies you in His Word of truth. Our God named you in
Baptism with His own name. He has declared you to be His people. He will not
let you go. So it is that you are here today. You are the rightful heirs of
Pentecost. You are heirs of His Word. You are heirs of His peace. For now, while
you wait, living in these days of conversion and mission, looking forward to
the new heaven and new earth, you rejoice in the peace that is already yours.
He gives His peace to you, peace which the world does not know and can never
give. This peace passes all understanding; this peace will never end. 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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