Last Sunday of the Church Year

Last Sunday of the Church Year (Proper 29A)

November 26, 2023

Text: Matt. 25:31-46

            The Lord is coming.  He is coming soon.  Only God knows the day and the hour.  But we must be prepared.  We must be in the things of Jesus, immersed in God’s Word and Sacraments, the means by which God delivers to us the saving work of Christ.  That’s why I’m always harping on you about being in Church.  Because it's an eternal life and death situation for you and your family.  How do you prepare for the Lord’s coming?  Remain in the faith of Jesus.  How do you do that?  Receive, receive, receive.  Receive all that He gives you here in Baptism, Scripture, Preaching, Absolution, and Supper.

            This is how it will happen on that Day.  As it was in the days before the Flood, people will be eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, blissfully unaware of the Day that is coming upon them (Matt. 24:38-39).  It will be business as usual.  Until, all at once, the trumpet will sound, the risen Lord Jesus will appear with His holy angels, the dead will be raised (believers and unbelievers), the books will be opened, and the Lord will declare His verdict over each and every one of us.

            All people will be gathered before Him, from every nation, tribe, people, and language.  And our Lord Jesus will separate us, one from another, as a Shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  The sheep will be on His right, the goats on His left.  What will be the distinction?  It is tempting, on the basis of our Holy Gospel, to assume that the distinction is in the works each have done.  That is what the world believes, and that is what Satan preaches.  Good people go to heaven.  Bad people go to hell.  So, the logical conclusion is, it doesn’t matter what you believe.  It matters what you do.

            Notice, though, and this is very important… the separation takes place before any mention of works.  The sheep are already sheep, and the goats are already goats.  There is something already, first, that makes the sheep, sheep, and the goats, goats, so that the sheep the do sheeply things as a consequence of who they are, and the goats do goatly things as a consequence of who they are.  What is that something? 

            The sheep are sheep because they belong to the Good Shepherd, Jesus, the One sitting on the throne, pronouncing Judgment.  That is to say, they are in Christ.  They are baptized into Christ.  They are united to Christ by faith.  Therefore, their sins are forgiven.  They’ve been crucified with Christ.  They’ve received the Holy Spirit, again, in the Word and Sacraments.  They’ve been raised with Christ.  Spiritually, already in this life.  Now bodily, as they stand before the Risen One in whom they’ve believed and hoped their whole life long. 

            The goats are goats because they would not have Jesus as their Shepherd.  That is to say, they are not in Christ.  They are not baptized into Him, or they have left the grace of their Baptism.  They do not believe in Christ, as in, trust in Him alone for salvation, and so they are not united to Him by faith.  There is forgiveness for their sins in Christ Jesus, who died for them, and is risen and lives for them, but they will not have it.  And so, they are of their father, the devil.  They are shepherded by the devil, who leads them, not to green pastures and still waters, but into the boiling lake of fire.  Which, incidentally (and note this very carefully), God did not create for human beings, but for the devil and for his angels (the demons).  God does not want anyone to perish.  He desires all to be saved.  This is a great tragedy, that anyone be found a goat on that Day.

            Well… what, then, about the works that are mentioned?  Whenever a judgment is to be made, what is displayed before the Court in order to prove innocence or guilt?  Evidence!  If we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, apart from works (and we are!), why, then, does Jesus bring up our works on the Day of Judgment?  These are the evidence!  Sheep do sheeply things, like feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and visit those who are sick and in prison.  And when they do, they do so in the Name of Jesus, and, mystery of mysteries, in doing it for their neighbor, they actually do it for Christ Himself.  The goats do nothing for Christ.  Not ever.  Remember, they’ve rejected Him, totally and completely.    

            “Now, wait a minute,” you say.  “I know plenty of unbelievers who do all sorts of wonderful things that look an awful lot like what the sheep are given credit for doing, and I know an awful lot of sheep who don’t seem as good at doing the things for which Jesus here praises them.”  True enough, and believers should be ashamed whenever they fail to love their neighbor in a sheeply way.  Repent of that.  That is Christ you are refusing to love under the mask of your neighbor, and that is dangerous.  And, by the way, God be praised when unbelievers do things that help their neighbors, that outwardly appear to be good works.  But understand, you and I don’t see what God sees.  We only see the surface of things.  The fact is, a good work is only good in God’s sight when it is done in faith.  And whatever is done apart from faith is sin.

            The fact is, when we stand before the throne of Christ, we, who are in Christ, will not be judged according to our sins, which are washed away, and have been atoned for by Jesus’ blood.  We will not be judged for all the times we’ve not done what we are called upon to do, because Christ has perfectly fulfilled our every obligation to the Law for us, in our place.  His righteousness is imputed to us, received by faith.  We get the credit for what He has done.  That is why Jesus says only good stuff about His sheep. 

            But the goats don’t have the covering of Christ.  Their sins are not washed away.  The atonement made for them doesn’t benefit them, because they will not have it, nor will they have the righteousness of Christ.  So they only have their own works to rely on.  And their own works fall far short of the glory of God.  In fact, they are sin.  Their sins and failures stand before the Court of Divine Justice, because they are not in Christ.

            So, the goats are sent into eternal punishment.  But the righteous, the justified, those declared righteous by God for Christ’s sake, with Christ’s righteousness, who subsequently do works of love and mercy in and through and to Christ, enter into eternal life.  Truth be told, the Judgment has already taken place by the time we’re all raised from the dead.  What we call “Judgment Day” is essentially the public proclamation of the Judge's prior verdict.  That is why people already go to heaven or hell when they die, before the Day of Judgment.

            But here is something that may surprise you, although it really shouldn’t.  The Lord Jesus has already publicly pronounced His verdict on you, if you will have it.  You heard it again this morning.  As His spokesman, I said to you, “As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of X the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  There you have it.  That is the verdict.  Knowing that, you don’t have to be scared of the Day of Judgment.  You should fear and love God, so that you remain prepared for that Day, lest it take you unawares, and you be found naked, not clothed with Christ.  But just stay in Christ.  Be here, always, immersed in Christ’s gifts, and you know exactly what will happen on that Day.

            Do note, though, dear Lutherans, the high and holy place given to works in this Gospel.  You are not saved by your works.  Phew.  We’re all very relieved.  But now you do works because you are saved.  And look at the works Jesus highlights.  Giving to the hungry and thirsty and naked.  Visiting those sick and in prison.  How would those translate into our lives here and now?  It’s not as complicated as we think, like some grand mission to Timbuktu (though that is wonderful if you want to do that, and I encourage you to give generously to those who do).  But really, the works are available to you much closer to home.  The essence of these works is to love, care for, extend mercy to, those who surround you.  Beginning with your family.  And then your congregation.  And then your community.  It is feeding your baby, and changing her diaper.  It is a word of encouragement to one who is burdened.  It is the meal train for a grieving family, giving new parents a break by babysitting, student care packages and Christmas gifts for Palouse Care Network families.  It is inviting someone to your Thanksgiving table.  So also, the wife who is a caregiver for her disabled or dying spouse; the grandmother who never gives up on her incarcerated grandson, but prays for him daily, and tells him of Jesus’ love; the man who brings his homeless coworker under his own roof until he can get on his feet (these are real examples, I’ve seen them for myself); the one who gives alms, like Cornelius, the Centurion (Acts 10:4).

            The Lord is not unaware of these things.  You are, because you just do them, because that is the Christian thing, the sheeply thing, to do.  And you do it in faith.  And, incredibly, the Lord Jesus says here that, when you do it for the least of these, for those benefitting from your love… you are doing it to Him!  Now, you’ll be surprised when He brings it up on that Day, not because you’re ignorant, or dense, or ridiculously forgetful.  You’ll be surprised because you’re not looking at the work.  After all, Christ has already done all the work of your salvation.  So, you’re looking, instead, at the one who needs your work.  You are looking at that person through the lens of Christian love, the lens of Christ.  And insofar as you’re not looking at the person through Christ… insofar as you are looking at the work and all impressed with yourself… well, repent, and give thanks that this sin, like all sin, is covered by the blood atonement of Jesus Christ.

            Beloved, the Lord is coming.  He is coming soon.  Watch.  Pray.  Be prepared.  Which is to say, remain in Christ.  Be in the things of Christ, in His Church, in His Word and holy Sacraments.  And love your neighbor.  You’ve already heard the verdict.  And so, on that Day, you know the King will say to you, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34; ESV).  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son X, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.                    

 

 

Thanksgiving Eve

Eve of the National Day of Thanksgiving

November 22, 2023

Text: Luke 17:11-19

            “Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks” (Luke 17:15-16; ESV).

            “Come, ye thankful people, come” (LSB 892:1)!  The Samaritan leper gets it.  Having been healed of his affliction, cleansed of his impurity, he knows there is only one place to be, rendering thanks and praise.  In the presence of Jesus.  In the presence of his salvation.  In the presence of his God. 

            “Come, ye thankful people, come.”  I admit it, it’s one of my favorite hymns.  THE Thanksgiving hymn, of course, is our hymn of the month, and tonight’s sermon hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God” (LSB 895), unquestionably one of the greatest of the Lutheran chorales.  That one is worth memorizing.  But this one, “Come, ye thankful people, come,” is a close second for me.  The hymnwriter connects our thanksgiving for this year’s crop harvest to God’s ingathering of His people. 

            Two images I find particularly striking as we celebrate Thanksgiving tonight, and as we meditate on the Last Things now at the end of the Church Year (eschatology, we call it in theology).  The first is this image of God gathering His thankful people into His presence here, in the congregation that sings His praise.  This is the Church on earth.  This is the reality here, now, tonight.  By His Word, the Holy Spirit has called you into the holy faith of Jesus, enlightened you with His gifts in Word and Sacrament, and He sanctifies you and keeps you by the same in the one true faith.  That is, He congregates you, here in His Church, to receive.  And, of course, what does such reception produce within you?  Thanksgiving and praise.  AND anticipation and expectation of more gifts.  Because you know this, your God, to be an ever-giving God, an unfailing fountain of good, who never stops pouring out upon you all things needful, and more. 

            You are right to see yourself in the Samaritan leper.  Having been healed of your afflictions (that’s what happens when Jesus applies the balm of His Gospel to your body and soul, speaking to you with the same voice that bid the lepers go and show themselves to the priests, touching you with the same flesh that gave sight to the blind and raised the dead)… having been cleansed of all your impurities (that’s what happens when Jesus says to you in preaching and Absolution, “Son… Daughter… Your sins are forgiven you!  Depart in peace!”)… and having received every good and perfect gift of the Father by the pierced hand of your crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus besides, you know that there is only one place to be, rendering thanks and praise.  In the presence of Jesus.  In the presence of your salvation.  In the presence of your God. 

            The Greek word for thanksgiving is Eucharist.  Where is it that you find yourself in the very presence of Jesus?  Where is it that you find yourself in the bodily presence of God?  At the altar.  At the Eucharist.  Fall on your knees before the One who makes you whole.  Like the Samaritan, prostrate yourself before the One who has given His very life, prostrated Himself in the grave, for your forgiveness, life, and salvation.  And what is the best way to give thanks to Him?  Come in all your afflictions, and in all your emptiness, to be healed by, and filled once again by Him, with Him.  That is why the Holy Communion is called Eucharist, Thanksgiving.  Because the best way to give thanks to God, and to the Lord Jesus Christ, is to acknowledge that all that He gives is good, and all good comes from Him; that He is your ultimate good, goodness in all its fulness; and that you are utterly dependent on Him every moment of your life for every need of body and soul.  The best way to give thanks to Him is to acknowledge that, and trust, and expect from Him, His perfect provision. 

            It’s actually not unlike Thanksgiving Dinner at Grandma’s house.  Maybe you are going to Grandma’s tomorrow for the feast, or perhaps you remember going to Grandma’s as a child.  Maybe you are the Grandma in whose home the family will gather, as you supply the table with all manner of good things.  Maybe you’ve never had such a Grandma, but that longing that tugs at you as you hear me describe it makes the point crystal clear to you.  How do we show our appreciation for Grandma?  Certainly not by turning up our nose at her mashed potatoes and cream corn.  Most assuredly not by refusing to come to her house, preferring other company and activities to the blessings she gives.  No.  We give thanks to her best as we take our place at her table, and relish every bite of goodness and love poured out for us there.  We are in her house, and in her presence.  We may sing her praises, detailing the virtues of this great good thing she has done for us.  But above all, we express our gratefulness when we hold up our empty plate and ask her for more.

            So it is with the Lord.  This is the place to be.  This is where He supplies the Table with all that is good.  This is His House.  This is His presence.  Here He is, for you, to fill your emptiness with ever more of Himself.  The Holy Spirit gathers us around this Lord, and these gifts.  And this is the first image I find so striking in our hymn. 

            The second image is like unto it.  It is the harvest, the ingathering, of God’s people by the holy angels on the Last Day.  All offenses are purged away.  This does, of course, mean Judgment.  The tares, the unbelievers, are cast into the fire with the devil and his demons.  That is tragic, and it is a warning to us all.  Those who are not thankful now, because they do not believe now, and therefore do not come now, will not come then into the presence of the Lord and the never-ending Feast.  But then the believers, the fruitful ears, are gathered into God’s garner evermore.  Risen from the dead, like unto their risen Lord.  Purified.  Free from sorrow.  Free from sin.  Well, beloved, you cannot imagine the joy there will be for you on that Day.

            But as it happens, this second image is not actually a different image than the first.  The first is, in fact, simply the beginning of the second.  The gathering for harvest is happening now, as you come, dear thankful people, into the Lord’s House, and to His Thanksgiving Feast.  Already raised spiritually (baptized into Christ).  Already being purified.  Already God is consoling you in your sorrows.  Already God forgives you all your sins.  All that is left is the full revelation of it all.

            We pray for that Day.  “Even so, Lord, quickly come” (LSB 892:4).  Marana tha.  Come, Lord Jesus.  Come among us with Your visible presence.  Then will be the eternal Feast.  Then all will be Eucharist, Thanksgiving.  “Surely I am coming soon,” says the Lord (Rev. 22:20).  In the meantime, you come, ye thankful people, and gather around the Table He has set.  And tomorrow, healed of all your afflictions, and cleansed of all your impurities, joyfully gather around your family tables, singing the Lord’s praises.  And Grandma’s, too.  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son X, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.        

 

Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 28A)

November 19, 2023

Text: Matt. 25:14-30

            The question is, what do you think of God?  Who do you think He is, and how do you think He is toward you?  Do you think He is a miserly and greedy tyrant, a hard God who demands and takes for Himself, and exacts penalties on those who fail to live up to His impossible expectations?  Or do you trust Him as One who knows you and loves you… One who wants what is best for you and all His servants, wisely distributing to each according to his God-given ability, entrusting to each one a stewardship of that which belongs to God, but is given the steward (you) to be used in freedom, for the steward’s own use and enjoyment, yes, and then ultimately for God’s glory?

            What do you think of God?  And then, how do you view yourself in relation to Him?  A mere house-slave, just trying to placate Him enough that He’ll leave you alone, meanwhile taking what you can, when you can, so you can enjoy a little peace, and perhaps a little fun, when He’s looking the other way?  Or a child of your heavenly Father, redeemed by the blood and death of His own dear Son, Jesus Christ, baptized into Christ, enlivened by the Spirit of the living God, generously provided with all your needs of body and soul, and entrusted with the things of your Father to invest in this world, for the sake of His Kingdom?

            There are three servants in our Lord’s parable, and they act according to their view of the Master, and how they view themselves in relation to Him.  Now, the Master distributes to each of the three “according to his ability” (Matt. 25:15; ESV).  This is a clue that the Master knows His servants intimately.  He cares for them.  He gives them what is right.  He does not want them to fail.  He is invested in their success.  And the point is, before the servants even have an opportunity to act, the Master has acted on their behalf.  On the basis of His wisdom, and for the good of each servant.  He gives to each one according to what He knows is best.

            The first servant must be a pretty special guy, as far as we fellow servants can tell.  He is entrusted with much, five talents!  Presumably of silver, though it could be gold, the text doesn’t say.  In any case, if it’s silver, that would be about equal to 7,300 denarii, a denarius being a day’s wage, so you do that math.  If it’s gold, it’s about 30 times that amount!  In either case, we’re talking about a lot of money here.  Now, we’re okay that the first guy received more.  Or, at least we should be.  Let’s not be envious of our fellow servants who have more than we do, for those who are given much have much greater responsibility.  Repent of all jealousy, and rejoice with those who have great wealth.  And support them.  They have a lot on their shoulders.  This guy must be up to the task.  The Master certainly thinks so. 

            The second servant, well… he has a lot, too.  Two talents!  Again, do the math.  About 14,600 days’ worth of salary.  The Master knows that is what he can handle.  And see, really, the point is not how much each servant is given, but what they will do with it.  Each of these two servants uses the money faithfully.  They put it to work in the Master’s interests.  For the Master’s Kingdom.  Now, it’s a risk.  Sure it is.  Investments are never guaranteed.  But you know what the Master didn’t say upon entrusting His wealth to these servants?  He didn’t say, “You’d better make X percentage return on this, or you’re done for!”  No, no.  When the Master entrusted His wealth to His servants, He expected the servants to use His wealth as He, Himself, would have.  And now, that is just what each of the faithful servants does.  Faithfulness over the Master’s wealth means to use that wealth as the Master would.

            Now, each of these two servants recognized three things about their Master and their relation to Him as stewards.  First, the wealth belongs to the Master, but He has entrusted it to them entirely, as though it were their own.  Second, He wants them to use it.  In His interest, which is really their own interest.  As it goes with the Master, so it goes with them.  And third, what if the whole investment goes awry?  What if the bottom drops out of the market, and they lose everything?  At the end of the day, no matter what happens, they know they are still servants of the Master.  They belong to Him.  And He will not fail them.  He will catch them.  He will continue to provide for them.  They will still have a place with Him in His house, as His servants.  You see what this means?  They have faith in the Master!  The heart of faithfulness is faith.  The servants act according to the way they view the Master, and their relation to the Master.

            This is highlighted all the more with this third servant.  What’s with this third guy?  The Master entrusts him with only one talent.  But that’s still a whole lot.  7,300 days’ salary.  What would you do with that kind of money?  So, it’s not that the Master expects him to fail.  Frankly, you and I probably fall into this category of steward.  Generously provided for, but nothing like the guy with five, or even the guy with two, talents.  Again, don’t get caught up on how much each steward is given.  Look at what the steward does with it. 

            This guy… he buries it in the ground.  Hidden.  Safe.  Why?  Because he thinks… he believes he knows… the Master to be a hard man.  A greedy man who takes what isn’t his.  A miserly man who would never forgive a servant who lost His money.  And in that case, the servant would be out on his keister, left to provide for himself.  Or worse, in the dungeon, or perhaps even the gallows.  That’s what he thinks of the Master.  So that’s how he acts.  He has no faith in the Master!  The heart of unfaithfulness is unbelief.

            Well… I’m sure by now you’ve realized this is a stewardship sermon.  I can’t slip one past you.  Not when Church is no longer in the morning.  And you know you should examine yourself in light of the three stewards, and ask yourself whether you’re being faithful with the things God has given you.  And you further know that this isn’t just about money, and what you put in the plate.  It’s about your whole life.  Everything.  The three t’s, “time, talent, and treasure,” as we say.  But even that falls short.  We’re talking about your very life, every breath, every beat of your heart.  It all belongs to God.  He has given it to you to steward, to care for, to invest.  And He wants it used for His purposes.  You know all this, but we have to preach it, because old Adam chafes to hear it, and he’d rather forget.  We have to drown him.  Kill him.  Repent.

            But more, this is a sermon about faith.  What do you think of God?  Who do you think He is, and how do you think He is toward you?  And who are you in relation to Him?  The way you answer those questions will determine how you steward the things He gives you.

            Unbelief sees God as uncaring at best, and cruel at worst, and so, life is basically luck of the draw.  You can’t count on God’s help.  You better get what you can, when you can.  And when you get it, you’d better save it all up for a rainy day.  You’d better look out for number one.  Dig a hole in the ground and bury it.  Because the time, the talent, the treasure, will run dry, and what then?

            Faith, though, looks at the cross.  And it answers all the questions through the lens of the cross.  What do you think of God?  Who is He, and how do you think He is toward you?  He is the God who so loved me and the world, that He gave His only Son into that excruciating death for me, to make me His own.  Then, who are you in relation to Him?  I am baptized into that, into the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  Into His death for my sins.  Into His resurrection for my justification and eternal life.  Into the Son Himself.  And that means I am a child of God.  See, not just a servant.  No mere house-slave.  A child of the heavenly Father.

            The Father gives His children everything… everything they have, everything they need.  It belongs to Him.  But the child uses it as his own.  I often remind my children (usually with a twinkle in my eye) that their stuff is really my stuff, that I paid for.  Of course, I’ve given it to them, and so it’s theirs to use and enjoy.  But this strikes me every once in a while, whenever I go to my mom’s house… and now, I’ve been away from home for decades now… but whenever I enter her home, I come in like I own the place, and I use her stuff like it’s mine.  That’s how it is between parents and children, isn’t it?  It’s not my house.  It’s not my stuff.  But I am her son.  I come in like this, because I have faith in who she is toward me… my mom… and who I am in relation to her… her son. 

            So it is between our Father in heaven, and we who are His children.  If we don’t regard God as our Father, who loves us, we will be like the third servant.  Having no faith, we’ll be faithless.  But when we know and trust that God is our Father, who has redeemed us by the blood of Christ, we know He will never forsake us.  We will never be destitute.  He will always provide.  And having such faith, we’ll be faithful.  So, use my money in support of His Kingdom and for the needs of my neighbor?  You bet I will.  What is this wad of paper in my pocket, and few shiny, round pieces of metal, compared with God’s great love for me, and the holy, precious blood of Christ?  Spend my time at Church, and in prayer and Scripture reading, and then in action for the people around me?  Of course.  God has been devoted to me for eternity, and ever shall be.  What is my time in comparison with that?  Dedicate my every breath, my every last heartbeat to Him?  Absolutely.  For His Son, Jesus, gave His very life for me.  And now, even when I stop breathing, and my heart is still, and my flesh is buried in the dust, I know that soon… soon!... I will stand again upon the earth, and with my own eyes, see Jesus, my Redeemer, who lives, and who will raise me from the dead.  We can give everything, use everything, invest everything in God’s Kingdom, because He has given everything for us.  “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). 

            That Day is coming.  It is a Day of judgment.  A reckoning.  A giving of account, like the servants.  But the question on that Day will not be what rate of return the Lord receives on His investment.  In the case of the first two servants, the rate of return is a whopping 100%, and that ought to be a clue as to what is really going on here.  The investment is entirely in the hands of the Master, and it is all by grace.  The question will be, what do you think of the Master?  What do you think of God?  What is your relation to Him?  And faith, looking through the cross, will answer: “He is my Father, who loves me, and gave His Son for me.”  And then, your God will say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of your Master.  Come into the House like you own the place.  For you are not only a servant.  You are My beloved child.”  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son X, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.                              

 

 

Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost

All Saints' Day (Observed)

All Saints’ Day (Observed)

Nov. 5, 2023

Text: Rev. 7:9-17

            “(A)nd God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17; (ESV).

            When you are called out of this earthly life of trial and tribulation to stand before the throne of our Father in heaven, and before the Lamb, who stands, victoriously displaying His mortal wounds, suffered for your redemption… whether it be the day of your death, or the Day when our Lord Jesus comes again… When you stand before Him, I can’t imagine that you will greet that sight without tears in your eyes.  Tears in heaven?  Yes (in spite of the Eric Clapton song).  Tears, because your time of tribulation has come to an end forever.  Tears, because of the beauty and majesty of it all.  Tears, because, for the first time in your existence, you will know fully just how lost you were in sin and death and condemnation, and just how great is the love of God for you, the love that saved you, love that became incarnate, suffered your tribulation, died your death… the death of the cross… and is now risen from the dead.  The Lamb.  The Lamb. 

            On that day, your Father will wipe away your tears.  Personally.  Individually.  Giving you His full attention.  That is to say, He will console you.  He will dry the tears caused by hunger and thirst, that is, the things you lacked, or that were taken from you.  By the striking sun and scorching heat, that is, the things that beat you down, or burn you out, the crosses and trials to which you are exposed.  The grief of death.  Sickness.  Brokenness.  Guilt and shame.  He will dry your tears by sheltering you with His presence in the flesh of His Son, Jesus Christ.  God, Himself, in the flesh of Christ, becomes the Tent, the Tabernacle.  That is the literal meaning of the Greek verb… He will shelter, tabernacle (σκηνώσει) you with His presence, the same word as John 1:14, “The word became flesh and dwelt,” pitched His tent, tabernacled, “among us.”  He will dry your tears with the fleshly presence of Jesus.  And He will dry your tears by shepherding you, pastoring you.  “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1).  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).  “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (v. 4).  He shelters you and shepherds you, guiding you to springs to Living Water, which is to say, to the unfailing fountain of His life-giving Spirit.

            But He doesn’t just take away your tears and prevent their cause.  He gives you, in place of your weeping, a song to sing, a Te Deum with which to join your voice with the voices of all saints and angels, an innumerable multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, extolling the salvation and glory of our God.  See, as personal and individual as His attention is toward you, it is also catholic in scope.  According to the whole.  The whole multitude.  The whole Church of God, from every corner of the globe, and across history.  All believers in Christ Jesus.  Those who, from the beginning, looked for His appearing.  Those, including us, who bask in His finished redemptive work. 

            Now we meet them in our text.  Here they come, this great procession.  They are coming out… out of the Great Tribulation… out of sin, out of afflictions, out of the reach of our three main enemies, the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature.  And they are coming in… into the presence and joy of the Lord.  Into His throne room and the midst of His court.  Into the visible manifestation of His Kingdom.  And they are radiant.  Their robes are washed white in the blood of the Lamb.  These are the Baptized.  They carry palm branches in their hands.  Palm branches that symbolize victory and life, the victory of the risen Christ over sin and death.  And they sing.  Full throated.  With confidence and conviction.  They sing of the salvation that is theirs from God who sits on the throne, and the Lamb.  With the angels and the elders and the four living creatures.  They all fall on their faces before the throne of God, not because they are afraid, but because they are awestruck by the grace and love of God that has brought them to this eternal moment.  These are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation.  These are the saints who are marching in.  “O Lord, I want to be in that number.”

            But see, you already are.  You’re already in line.  This is what my whole ministry among you has been about, trying somehow, some way, to get across to you that you don’t come to Church just to hear some boring old lecture and eat a tasteless symbolic snack.  No, no.  This is it!  This is the main event!  This is the goal of our whole life.  It starts right here, right now.  Beloved, you don’t have to wait until your death to enter heaven.  You don’t have to wait for eternity and eternal life.  I know you can’t see it now.  And I know you have trouble believing it.  But here you are.  With angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.  And Jesus enthroned!  With the Father and the Holy Spirit.  And you, washed in the blood of the Lamb.  Clothed in the white robe of His righteousness, which is your Baptism.  The palm branch of your salvation in your hand.  Greeting the Lord Jesus with your hosannas as He comes to you bodily.

            The body born of the Virgin Mary.  The body that, with a touch, healed the blind and the lame, the deaf and the leper.  The body that cast out demons and raised the dead.  The body that was scourged, pierced, bled, died, and was buried, for you, for the forgiveness of your sins.  The body that is now risen from the dead, lives, and reigns, seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  That body, that Lord, that Jesus Christ, now present here for you on this very altar.  Touching you, to heal you, to cleanse you, to deliver you from death to life, from sin to salvation, from hell to heaven.  To raise you from the dead.  Spiritually, now.  Bodily, and visibly, on that great Day.

            And now, talk about tears, think about what it will be like as you stand there on that Day, risen, on your own two legs.  Beholding with your own two eyes, saints you’ve loved and lost and mourned, now running on their own two legs to embrace you with their risen arms.  Your two ears, hearing once again their voice.  Falling on one another’s neck, as the Old Testament expression has it.  Weeping together.  But consoled by your Father, who, by the redemption of His Son, Jesus, has brought you together again.  Parents.  Grandparents.  Siblings.  Dear friends.  Resurrected.  Restored.  A grand reunion. 

            And I particularly love to imagine what it will be like when mothers and fathers who have lost children in death (the sharpest sword I can imagine piercing a parental soul), see their precious little ones (or not so little ones) running toward them, jumping into their embrace, filling their aching arms, never to be separated from each other again.  Consolation from God Himself.  “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.”  That is the way of it in this fallen world, this side of the veil.  “You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy” (John 16:20).  As death gives way to resurrection.  “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness” (Ps. 30:11).

            There are many things in this life that cause us to weep.  But Christ is risen.  And He will raise you.  And so, you can live now as though those things that induce your tears are already done.  Because they are, in Christ.  “It is finished” (John 19:30).  Now it is just a matter of time being swallowed up into eternity.  Sins forgiven.  Relationships reconciled.  Brokenness mended.  Sicknesses healed.  All in the risen Christ Jesus.  Live now in the eternity which is already yours in Christ. 

            And what about your grief over those who have died and are with Christ?  You know you will see them again.  But in the meantime, meet them here, at the altar.  For they are where Christ is.  Meet them here.  Find your consolation here.  And then take this consolation from here, all the way through your own death and grave, through the valley of the shadow, and beyond, to the resurrection of all flesh.

            Beloved, this is God’s throne.  This is heaven.  Here, God touches you with His flesh.  And with that touch, He wipes away every tear from your eyes.  In the Name of the Father, and of the Son X, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.