Second Sunday of
Easter (A)
April 16, 2023
Text: John 20:19-31
Alleluia!
Christ is risen! He is risen,
indeed! Alleluia!
“Jesus
said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am
sending you.’ And when he had said this,
he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven;
if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.’” (John 20:21-23;
ESV).
The
Office of the Holy Ministry is given for this purpose: To distribute to you the
Risen Lord’s Peace in the forgiveness of sins.
First,
a little catechetical review. “The
Office of the Keys,” you’ll remember, is just a fancy term for the Office of
the Holy Ministry, or “The Pastoral Office.”
So, “What is the Office of the Keys? The Office of the Keys is that special
authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of
repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as
they do not repent. Where is this
written?” Well, you just heard the
Words in the reading of the Holy Gospel according to St. John, Chapter 20 (vv.
22-23), and as I quoted them at the beginning of this sermon. And “What do you believe according to
these words? I believe that when the
called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in particular
when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation
and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just
as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us
Himself.”[1]
So
why does God give you a pastor? To
exercise this Office in your midst. And
to apply what the Lord here gives by means of this Office, to you personally
and individually. And that is the
forgiveness of sins.
Everything
a pastor does is about the forgiveness of your sins. The only tools he has available to him are
the Means of Grace, the Means by which the Holy Spirit gives faith in Christ,
and applies Christ. The pastor has
nothing else. Not his own winsome
personality. Not his charm and good
looks. Not really even his skill or
ability (though as St. Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy and Titus, the pastor must
be “able to teach” [1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 2:24]). All he has is the Word of God: Scripture,
preaching… and the Sacramental Word (the Word in visible elements): Baptism,
Absolution (which is always a return to Baptism), and the Holy Supper. And he has prayer, to be sure, which flows from
the Means of Grace, and leads back to the Means of Grace. And that’s it. The pastor has no sufficiency of
himself. God alone is his sufficiency (2
Cor. 3:5). All he can do is preach and
pray. The whole thing is in God’s hands.
Needless
to say, each Means of Grace is given as a vehicle by which the Holy Spirit
delivers Christ Jesus to you, His death and resurrection, and so the
forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with the Father, eternal life, and
salvation, and all that goes along with that.
The main job of the pastor is to hand over the Means of Grace. But so also, everything else a pastor does,
what we might call the secondary things, or even the tertiary
things, and on down the line… all of it is in service to the handing over of Jesus
in the Means of Grace. All of it is in
service to the forgiveness of sins.
Meetings, like the one yesterday, for example. Filling out congregational statistics forms
for Synod, like I did this past week.
Visiting the sick, the homebound, prospective members, others who ask
for counsel and aid. Fostering relationships. Marriage counseling. Community events. Bible studies at breweries. Meetings with other pastors and service to
the wider Church. Continuing Ed, and
yes, even pastors conferences. Even and
especially my own prayer and study in my basement office (I’ll be honest with
you… you wouldn’t know it, and synodical bureaucrats may deny it, but that is
where much of the most intense spiritual warfare goes on, and the contested
territory is you). Above all, it
is the bearing of the precious and holy cross, which touches every one of these
things. The list could go on, and there
are probably some obvious ones I’ve missed, but you get the point: Everything
a pastor does as pastor is in service to the prime directive: Deliver
Christ and the forgiveness of sins… to you.
I
made some vows, to God and to you, the day I was installed as your pastor. They are a repetition and reaffirmation of
the vows I made at my ordination. It is
good, incidentally, whenever you make vows or take oaths, to review the things
you promised from time to time, and give yourself an honest examination. How is it going? How faithful have you been? Husbands and wives would do well to routinely
review their marriage vows. How about
the vows made, or perhaps made in your stead by your sponsors, at your
Baptism? Vows spoken by your own mouth
at your Confirmation? And we could only
wish our politicians would review their oaths of office every now and then, and
take them to heart. We should pray that
they do.
Well,
what were the vows I made to God and to you?
I vowed always to believe, teach, and confess the Word of God as
recorded in the Old and New Testaments, as the inspired Word of God and the
only infallible rule of faith and practice.[2] I vowed always to believe, teach, and confess
according to the three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostles’, Nicene, and
Athanasian), and our Lutheran Confessions as contained in the 1580 Book of
Concord. And see, all of this so far
has to do with the doctrine, the words I speak, but it also has to do with life. My own, and my ministry as applied to you. I vowed that I would perform the duties
of my office in accord with the Scriptures and these Confessions. And that, as a result, I would faithfully
instruct both young and old in the chief articles of Christian doctrine
(that is why, yes, those of you who have already been through Catechism class,
I still preach to you the same doctrine, and even the very same words you
learned, probably as a child; you never outgrow them, and I promised to teach
them). That I would forgive the sins
of those who repent, and never divulge the sins confessed to me. That I would minister faithfully to the sick
and dying, and be constantly at the ready to speak the Gospel into any and
every situation that may arise (that is why the pastor has to constantly be
studying God’s Word, so that he can be ready at any moment to speak it into the
brokenness and fallenness of your life).
That I would admonish and encourage you to a lively confidence in
Christ, and to holy living. And that I,
myself, would live a holy life, diligent in study, and constant in prayer for
you.
Dear
brothers and sisters, I am a sinner, and I am weak. Wherever I have sinned against you (and I
have), I ask your forgiveness for Jesus’ sake.
Wherever I have neglected my Christian or pastoral duty toward you,
spoken, or acted wrongly, I ask your forgiveness for Jesus’ sake. In all my faults and weaknesses, I beg you
that love would cover a multitude of sins (James 5:20; 1 Peter 4:8). And if there is anything between you and me
that has damaged our relationship, or prevents full and free communion in peace
and joy and Christian love, please speak with me directly, that I may confess
my sins to you and be absolved, and that we be reconciled.
You,
also, made some vows, to God, to me, and to one another, at my installation if
you were there, and if you weren’t there, you signed on to these vows when you
were received as a member of this congregation at this altar. What were those vows? Well, first you heard the Word of the Lord in
Hebrews 13:17 (NIV): “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give
an account. Obey them so that their work
will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Then you were asked, “Will you receive [your
pastor], show him that love, honor, and obedience in the Lord that you owe to
the shepherd and teacher placed over you by your Lord Jesus Christ, and will
you support him by your gifts and pray for him always that in his labors he may
retain a cheerful spirit and that his ministry among you may be abundantly
blessed?... Will you honor and uphold your pastor as he serves Christ in all
his God-pleasing responsibilities? Will
you aid him as he cares for his family?
Will you be diligent to ‘put the best construction on everything,’
recognizing that ‘love covers a multitude of sins’?” To which you answered, “We will, with the
help of God.”
I
thank God for every single one of you, and for the love and care you extend to
me and to my family. Your generosity is
unbounded. And you do cover over a
multitude of sins with the help of God.
But above all, I thank God when you eagerly and joyfully receive the
gifts of our Lord Jesus Christ in His Means of Grace. A brother pastor once said to me, when he was
experiencing difficulties in his congregation, “I just want them to rejoice in
the gifts!” That’s right, and I way it
without frustration: I just want you to rejoice in the gifts. And then live in them. Be the Church. I am not the Church. I am in the Church with you, a fellow
member and brother in Christ. But I am not
the Church. You are. Together. One body, the Body of Christ, and each one an
individual member of it. So, as the
Church, receive. And then live. Confess Christ. Speak the Word. Love your neighbor. Provide for this ministry and this
congregation. Build a building… or don’t
(that’s not my decision, that’s yours).
Go be salt and light and, leaven the lump of this world. Be faithful in all you do and say… faithful
to Christ, faithful to your neighbor.
And keep coming back here, often, and always, every chance you get, to
receive the gifts. The forgiveness of
sins. The Holy Spirit. Life and salvation.
I
love being a pastor. I love being your
pastor. What a privilege. What a joy.
This text gave us a chance to think about that a minute, which is
especially timely after a very intense Lent and Holy Week and Easter. To take stock. Give thanks.
Rejoice in the gifts. Now this
has gone a little long, but I’m sure you’ll forgive me. And above all know that God forgives you
all your sins for Jesus’ sake. He’s
given you a pastor for this reason, to tell you so: In the stead and by
the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins, in the Name
of the Father, and of the Son X, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. Alleluia!
Christ is risen! He is risen,
indeed! Alleluia!
[1] Catechism quotes from Luther’s
Small Catechism (St. Louis: Concordia, 1986).
[2] See “Installation of a Pastor,” Lutheran
Service Book: Agenda (St. Louis: Concordia, 2006) pp. 174-84.
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