✠ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ✠

When you listen to the music of the season on the radio, it’s often hard to tell whose coming we’re getting ready for.  Is it “Santa Claus is coming to town,” or is it “Savior of the Nations, Come”?  Whose arrival are we focused on and most eager for, St. Nick or Jesus?  Of course, I would certainly hope that for you it’s the latter of those two–especially during this Advent tide where we are preparing not only for Jesus’ coming at Christmas but also for His return on the Last Day.  A merely secular observance of the “magic” of Christmas, where everything is about fairy tales and nothing is about the Christ of the Christ mass–that’s ultimately a hollow holiday.  

But perhaps there is a way to recognize both Santa Claus and Jesus today in their proper place.  For December 6th is observed in the church as St. Nicholas Day.  And that, of course, is where the name Santa Claus comes from–Santa is the word for Saint, and Claus comes from a shortened form in Dutch of the word Nicholas.  Santa Claus, St. Nicholas.

Nicholas was an actual person who lived in the late 200's and early 300's A.D.  St. Nicholas was born into a wealthy family in Asia Minor, what is now Turkey.  Having become a Christian, He chose not to pursue a life of riches but instead he devoted himself to the church.  He eventually became bishop of a city called Myra.  Myra was a decadent and corrupt city, and Nicholas became well known for transforming it by his pious hard work and preaching the Word of Christ.

St. Nicholas was also known for his love for those in need, such as poor widows and orphaned children.  As bishop he saw to it that the church worked to care for the needy.  Perhaps his giving of gifts, especially to impoverished children, is part of what formed the Santa Claus tradition.

And there is one story in particular about Nicholas that stands out above the rest and is the  most famous.  There was a very poor man in the city of Myra who had three daughters.  This man did not have any money to provide his daughters with suitable dowries necessary for them to get married.  Without being able to marry, they seemed destined to be sold into slavery or prostitution.  Nicholas was deeply troubled about this and decided to help.  But he did so in a way that wouldn’t draw attention to himself.  Nicholas prepared three small bags of gold.  He went to this man’s house and threw a bag of gold into one of the open windows–enough for the first daughter to be married.  Then, the day after her wedding, he threw a second bag of gold into the window, enough for the second daughter.  And after her marriage, likewise a third bag of gold for the last daughter.  Later on when this story was told in colder regions, Nicholas was portrayed dropping the bags of gold down the chimney.  Still to this day three golden bags or golden spheres are the sign of a pawnbroker, in remembrance of how Nicholas bought these three daughters out of hock, you might say, redeeming and rescuing them from the fate that awaited them.

There are many more accounts of Nicholas helping others, too.  For instance, once there were three men who were falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to death.  But Nicholas stepped in and spoke in their defense and was able to secure their release and give them their lives back.  

It’s interesting that in all the stories of St. Nicholas that I’ve seen, the number three keeps popping up–three daughters without dowries, three falsely accused men, three sailors whom he rescued from drowning.  And this is fitting.  For Nicholas was one who was a defender of the Trinitarian faith, someone who proclaimed belief in the only true God who is threefold, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

In fact, it is quite likely that St. Nicholas was one of the bishops present at the Council of Nicea which defended and confirmed the teaching that Jesus is both true God and true man.  It is from this council in 325 A.D. that we get the Nicene Creed which we confess here each week.  A certain false preacher named Arius was teaching that Jesus was not of the same substance as the Father, that the Son of God was a created being, god-like but not true God.  The Council of Nicea roundly rejected that heresy and reaffirmed the Scriptural position that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human in one undivided person, true God from all eternity.  In fact, there is a story that at the Nicene Council Nicholas became so upset with Arius’s heresy that he slapped him in the face.  The main way to get on the naughty list with St. Nicholas, it seems, is to believe or proclaim false teaching.

This is how we should remember St. Nicholas, as a defender of the Christian faith, faith in Christ the Son of God as the only Savior from sin and death and the devil.  Nicholas preached Jesus, baptized people into Jesus’ body, absolved people of their sins in Jesus’ name, fed them with the life-giving body and blood of Jesus.  That’s the real St. Nicholas.  He wasn’t a Santa Claus taking attention away from Jesus.  He was a preacher drawing everyone’s attention to Jesus, reminding everyone that Christ is coming again.  He wasn’t one making a list and checking it twice to see who was naughty and who was nice.  For he knew that his people were both sinners and saints at the same time and that all desperately needed Christ’s forgiveness and mercy.  

By God’s grace the love of Christ was shown forth both in St. Nicholas’ preaching and also in his life.  We give attention to the generous deeds of Nicholas because that ultimately draws our attention to the infinitely generous love that he himself first received from God.  It was that love of God that was working through Nicholas in his life.  

After all, just consider his deeds.  Nicholas sacrificed and gave of his own resources to save the three daughters.  Is that not what Jesus did for us?  He sacrificed and gave Himself for us to rescue us from being eternally violated by death and the devil.  He redeemed us not with bags of gold or silver, but with His holy precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.  So it is that the church is now worthy and prepared to be His holy bride.

Likewise, Nicholas stood in to defend those facing death, risking his own name and reputation.  Is that not what Jesus did and still does for us?  He stood between us and eternal death on the cross and thereby kept us from having to suffer that most capital of all punishments.  Furthermore, the Scriptures say that even now Jesus is standing before the Father as our advocate, speaking in our defense, responding to every charge laid against us with the merits of His own blood and righteousness.  Through Him we are set free to be people of God.

The same love of Christ that was at work in St. Nicholas is at work also in you.  For in your baptism you were crucified with Christ; and you no longer live, but Christ lives in you and through you.  The Lord is working so that His boundless love which has been shown to you might spill over to others, in the giving of yourself, in the giving of gifts–not so that you can feel good about yourself, but so that your giving might be anonymous and entirely for the good of others, like a bag of gold through an open window at night.  That’s why I think it is a fine tradition for someone who gives an anonymous gift to say that it’s from Santa Claus, St. Nicholas.  For such a gift is given in a spirit that reflects the love of Christ as Nicholas did, and ultimately it seeks to give glory not to ourselves but to God who is the true Giver of every good and perfect gift.  

So if St. Nicholas were here today, he would draw your attention to the Christ child in the manger–given to us almost anonymously, noticed only by shepherds on that night.  But hidden within the wrapping of His lowly humanity dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily full of grace and mercy.  Jesus is Love in the flesh for you.  There is no greater present than that.  That is the ultimate gift St. Nicholas sought to give.

And if Nicholas were here today, he would also draw your attention to the fact that this same Jesus is going to return to judge the living and the dead; He is coming back.  When you see signs of the end, when everything in this world seems to be in a state of upheaval, when creation itself appears to be coming apart at the seams, then look up and lift up your heads.  For this fallen world will finally pass away on the Last Day, the curse of sorrow and death will be lifted, and the new creation which we have set our hearts on will finally come to be.  St. Nicholas would urge you not to be ensnared by the things of this world, but to watch and pray.  “When you see these things happening, look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.”  Your Redeemer is coming; He is at the very gates.

And in fact St. Nicholas actually is here today and every time we gather for divine service.  For in Christ’s presence dwell angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, all the saints and believers who have gone before us.  They gather with us around the altar at the Holy Sacrament. That’s the symbolism of the curved altar rail.  The circle is completed unseen on the other side of the altar.  Thank God that St. Nicholas is no fairy tale, that He is alive in Christ.  He lives forever because, just like you, he was baptized and believed in Jesus, who was born, and died, and rose for us all, and who is coming again to bring our redemption to its fulfillment.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but Jesus’ words will by no means pass away.

✠ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ✠

Philippians 4:6-13

✠ In the name Jesus ✠

It may feel a little bit strange to be gathering today for a service of Thanksgiving–and not just because everyone’s trying to make you feel like you’re doing something wrong by coming to church. It feels odd because this is 2020.  What are we supposed to be thankful for in this year where everything seems to have come unraveled?  2020 is the year of political upheaval and social conflict and a pandemic that is upending so much of our lives and leaving people feeling isolated and uncertain.  How are we supposed to give thanks in the midst of all that?  

First of all, it may be helpful to remember that this national day of Thanksgiving was established by President Lincoln in 1863, right smack dab in the middle of the Civil War.  We can learn something from that Thanksgiving proclamation.  After recounting all the blessings that the nation was experiencing in spite of the war, Lincoln said:

“No human counsel has devised nor has any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, has nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwells in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation . . .”

Those words are certainly still fitting.  And those words are consistent with what St. Paul says in today’s Epistle reading about giving thanks and being content in all circumstances.  Remember that Paul was in prison at the time he wrote this letter, in chains for preaching the Gospel of Christ.  He was guarded 24 hours a day and was confined to his shackles.  Now how could a man like that ever possibly be content or thankful?  And in the same way how are we to have an attitude of gratitude in the midst of hardship, when we don’t feel the mercy of the Lord?  What about when people have lost loved ones, or when their health is poor, or when relationships are strained, or when the financial situation seems to be in doubt?  What then?  Paul gives his answer, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances . . . whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all things through (Christ) who gives me strength.”

Paul wasn’t just engaging in optimistic thinking or trying to channel some nebulous “positive energy.”  Nor was he looking within himself to find his source of contentment and peace.  There was no “indomitable human spirit” here overcoming adversity.  On the contrary, St. Paul often spoke of his many weaknesses.  Remember that he said, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”  The Apostle could be content and thankful even while in custody because he knew that, regardless of the circumstances in which he found himself, he belonged to the Lord Jesus, the One from whom he had received forgiveness of sins and deliverance from death and the devil, the One who had seen him through many difficult times before.  St. Paul wrote elsewhere, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? . . . No, I am convinced that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Jesus Himself said, “I know My sheep and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”  There’s the source of strength for real thanksgiving to God, the mercy of the Lord which endures forever and which will never pass away.

St. Paul used some very fitting imagery here.  He said, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  The picture that is painted here is that of a military sentry standing watch at his post.  Just as Paul, in a negative sense, was being guarded by the Roman soldiers, so also all believers, in a positive sense, are guarded and watched over by the peace that comes from God.  Those who are in Christ Jesus by faith are in God’s “protective custody.”  And so despite Paul’s imprisonment, he knew that he was being guarded by an even greater force.  He was uplifted and surrounded by the peace of God, just as you are who have been baptized into Christ’s holy name.

And this peace of God is not just a fleeting feeling, either.  Rather, it is the restored relationship that we now have with God, the reconciliation that took place between us and Him through the cross of Christ.  Prior to the redeeming work of Jesus, we were in rebellion against God through our sin.  The status of our relationship with Him was one of war.  We wanted to be independent of Him and govern ourselves.  But then the Prince of Peace came.  By Christ’s sacrificial death at Calvary, all of our war crimes were atoned for.  And by His glorious resurrection, we were raised up into a right and restored relationship with God our Father.

You are at peace with God, then, in Christ.  Your sins have all been answered for by Jesus.  God is on your side.  Heaven is yours in Him who is seated at the right hand of the Father.  Your conscience is at rest by the virtue of His blood.  You know by faith that God will work all things, even the bad things, for your eternal good.  He strengthens and brings you closer to Himself through affliction.  He disciplines the ones He loves, you who are His redeemed children.  That is the true source of your contentment, regardless of your current circumstances in life.  That is the ultimate spring from which your thanksgiving to God flows this day, the peace of God which guards you, the peace of the Lord which is with you always in the holy Eucharist.  As the life-giving body and blood of Christ and His saving Word dwell in you richly, you are made able to give thanks to God the Father always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus.

So if your health is good or has been restored, if you have all that you need of food and clothing and shelter, if you have friends and family to lean on, give thanks to God.  And if your health is not so good and you’re struggling with ongoing physical issues, if you feel isolated or unsettled, if the finances are tight and stressful, give thanks to God, too.  For He is at work with you to accomplish His good and gracious will for you.  The One who suffered for you is with you in your struggles.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  Trust in Him.  You are not alone.  Paul wrote in Romans 5, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”  Thanks be to God that no matter what your circumstances are, He has given you every blessing and every good gift in Christ the crucified.

At the end of today’s service, we will sing the familiar hymn “Now Thank We All Our God.”  It was written in the early 1600's by a man named Martin Rinckart.  Just like the author of last Sunday’s sermon hymn, Rinckart wrote his hymn during an epidemic in which thousands died, including his own beloved wife.  During those days he lived in desperate circumstances, barely able to provide food and clothing for his children.  But he did not give way to despair.  Trusting in Christ the Redeemer, he was made able even then to praise and thank the Father in heaven, to speak of the “countless gifts of love” of the Lord who “still is ours today.”  Like Job, he was able to say in faith, “The Lord gave; the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.”  Our thanksgiving is not based primarily on the circumstances of our life.  Our thanksgiving is based first and foremost on our fellowship with God, that we have been reconciled to Him through the precious blood of the Lamb.  Every single one of us, then, has reason to give thanks to God this day, because when it comes to the most important things, eternal things, we’ve been blessed beyond our comprehension.

And the fact of the matter is that also when it comes to temporal things, we have been blessed abundantly, too.  We may not have every single thing that we want, but we do have everything that we need.  God provides richly for all of our daily needs, granting us food and medicine and clothing and shelter, in a country which yet remains a great nation, one in which we are still able to worship the true God openly and without fear.  We have much for which to be thankful to God.  And our thanksgiving for these temporal things is deepened and enriched by all of the eternal blessings that are ours through the Word.

May God grant us, then, hearts full of gratitude, so that this day and every day, the words of St. Paul may be our own: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. . .  whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all things through (Christ) who gives me strength.”  

✠ In the name Jesus ✠

I Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:1-13

✠ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ✠

We heard it last week from St. Peter.  We hear it again today from St. Paul.  “The day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.”  Our Lord Himself says the same thing in the book of Revelation, “Behold, I am coming as a thief.”  That’s an odd sort of image to associate with our Savior Jesus.  But there is something for us to learn from the fact that our Lord comes to us like a bandit, a criminal.  

Thievery is something we would more readily associate with the devil.  For Satan is indeed the thief and swindler of humanity.  He came to us in the garden like a con-man, flattering with his tongue, smooth-talking.  He told our first parents that they were missing out on a great deal that God was keeping to Himself.  If they would just eat of the forbidden fruit, then they would be like God themselves.  Turning them from God’s words to his own deceitful words, the devil robbed them blind.  He stole away their humanity and pilfered the glory in which they were created.  

That’s why you sons of Adam and daughters of Eve find yourselves in your present fallen state.  We are now less than human, a disordered version of what we were created to be.  We can sometimes feel that in our very souls, that things just aren’t right.  Instead of being fully human creatures under our good Creator, and honoring Him above all things, we would rather be like God, running our own lives, doing things our own way, following our own ideas.  The result for us is the same as it was for Adam, a less than human existence too often marked by anger and disrespect and lusts and jealousies and petty grudges and gossip and selfishness.  The human race has been mugged by the serpent and left to die.

However, just as God often punishes one thief by another thief in this world, so that the robber ends up losing what he stole, so also God punishes the devil by sending His Son as a thief.  The Son of God became man for that very purpose, to steal and snatch back our lost humanity from the evil one and to restore us to fellowship with God again.  

Just think of how our Lord entered into this world.  It wasn’t with great fanfare.  Instead, He came like a thief–quietly, hidden in the shadows, with nobody but some shepherds noticing His arrival.  Jesus came on the scene under cover, secretly, like a holy burglar, to win back for you what the devil stole away.  

By becoming human, by taking on your body and soul, Jesus cleansed your humanity with His divine holiness.  God has greatly exalted you by becoming not an angel or any other creature but a human person, your blood brother.  He partook fully of your humanity so that in Him you might become truly human again.  

Jesus was born like a thief, and He also died like a thief.  For He was crucified between two robbers.  And in fact that’s what He was.  Not only did He come to rob the devil of his victory over you, He accomplished that by robbing you of your sin.  He stole away from you every uncleanness, every damnable failure to love, along with every hurtful and evil thing that has been done to you.  He robbed you of it all, took it as His own, and demolished it in His cross.  It was by death that Satan stole away man’s glory; and so it is by the death of Christ and His resurrection to life again that the glory of man is recaptured and that your humanity is restored.  

And today’s Epistle reminds us that there’s one last thing our Lord is going to do like a thief.  He’s going to come back to this world suddenly and unexpectedly.  A robber doesn’t announce when he’s coming.  He tries to catch people unawares.  In fact Jesus once said, “If the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  

Jesus is coming back to bring judgment on the unbelieving world.  We don’t know when it’s going to be, but He has said, “Surely, I am coming soon.”  We are given to watch for Christ’s return and to be looking out for it as much as if we were on the lookout for a thief who was coming to our house.  We are to be prepared for Jesus’ arrival so that it will a day of joy and not of fear.

Be on guard, then, against being lulled into a sense of complacency while you wait for that Day.  This is what Paul speaks of in the Epistle, “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.  And they shall not escape.”  Beware of that worldly way of thinking which lives for the moment without a view to Jesus’ return. For that is precisely the attitude of the five foolish virgins in the Gospel.  They thought they had their bases covered.  They had a little oil in their lamps.  Why overdo it?  Everything’s going to be fine.  Why should I be preoccupied with the coming of the Lord?  I’ve got other priorities in life.”  

The lamps in the parable are the Word of Christ.  For the Psalmist says, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet.”  The oil in the lamps is the Holy Spirit, who creates and sustains the flame of faith in Christ.  To be like the foolish is to fail to give proper attention to Christ’s Word and the working of the Holy Spirit.  It is to avoid the Lord’s preaching and the Lord’s Supper, or merely to go through the motions.  When these instruments of the Holy Spirit are neglected, the flame of faith is in danger of going out.  The foolish thought they had their spiritual life all together.  But they were not prepared for a delay; they weren’t ready to watch for the long haul.  And then the call finally comes at midnight; time has run out.  And the foolish are left in a panic, scrambling to get oil, banging on a locked door saying “Lord, Lord, open to us!” and hearing those awful words, “I do not know you.”

Remember that you know neither when Christ is returning, nor when the day of your own death is coming.  Therefore, the Psalmist prays, “Lord make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.  My age is as nothing before you; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor,” a dark mist.  

But now Christ has enlightened you with the gift of His Spirit in the waters of baptism.  That’s why Paul says in the epistle, “You, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.  You are all sons of light and sons of the day.”  For you have been united with Christ, who is the Son of light.  Therefore, “let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”  

That is the way of the five wise virgins.  Those who are wise act as if there is nothing so important as the arrival of the bridegroom.  As they tend faithfully to their daily callings and enjoy the good gifts of creation, they do so always with a sense that that is secondary to Christ and His return.  That’s what they’re really living for and watching for.  And so they don’t want to cut it close when it comes to the oil in their lamps.  They “devote themselves to the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.”

The wise probably seemed way over-prepared, lugging around those extra jars of oil along with their lamps.  But in the end their wisdom was vindicated as they joined in the bridegroom’s procession and entered into the wedding hall.  So also Christians may appear to be overdoing it, going to divine service each week, meditating on God’s Word, praying and watching for Christ’s return, when they could be doing other things.  But in the end, such wisdom will be vindicated, when our Bridegroom returns to bring us into the new heavens and the new earth in which there is no more sorrow or crying or pain or death, but only perfect joy in God’s presence.  So take to heart the beautiful promise which the apostle speaks to you who believe: “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”

Fellow believers, God has granted you to be among those who are wise.  For the Holy Spirit has made you wise unto salvation through Gospel of Christ the crucified.  “Assuredly,” the Lord says, “I know you in your baptism.  I have forgiven you and redeemed you and claimed you as my own.  I give you freely of My Word and Spirit, so that you may endure in the faith and watch to the very end.  I give you a very real foretaste of the wedding feast in My holy supper.  I am truly  here for you to forgive and sustain you.”  And so the Gospel cry rings out again in this place today, “Behold, the bridegroom is coming!  Wake, awake!  Go out to meet Him at His holy altar!”

The Lord will come like a thief in the night.  Let us watch and be ready that we may rejoice in that day.

✠ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 

2 Peter 3:3-14

✠ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ✠

Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the path that sinners take, nor sit in the seat of mockers.”  One of the defining characteristics of the ungodly is that they are mockers.  They revel in making fun of stuff.  They delight in tearing down the good gifts of God and His teaching and the things that make for order and peace in our lives, and they do little to build up what is good and right.  This is the way of a good deal of today’s comedy and entertainment, mocking and scoffing and doing parodies of people and institutions, and then walking away and blaming others for the rubble that remains.  Hidden beneath the mockery is an unbelieving heart.  

Now that’s not to say that all mocking is wrong.  Some mockery actually flows from faith.  In the Old Testament the prophet Elijah famously mocked the prophets of Baal as they danced around their altar and called on their god to send down fire on their sacrifice.  Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.  Maybe he’s on the toilet!”  Idolatry in all its forms is to be mocked, along with the foolishness of those who oppose God’s ways.  Psalm 2 speaks of how, when God looks down at all the scheming and politicking of the rulers of this world, as if they’re the ones in control, the Lord laughs at them and scorns them.

But in particular, the Scriptures warn us to be prepared to be on the receiving end of ridicule because of who we are as the people of God.  You’re going to have a hard time being a Christian in this world if you’re going to be all worried about what people say about you, if you’re trying to remain popular with the secular and pagan folks who are all around you.  

 Peter reminds us in today’s Epistle that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, saying things like, “You actually believe that accounts in the Bible like the flood are historically accurate?  You actually think that what the Bible says about sexuality and sin and repentance still applies to today?  You actually profess faith in the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus, and that Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead?  I mean, come on, it’s been 2000 years now.  Where is He?  Aren’t your beliefs just a little backward and superstitious?  You only cling to all that because you’re weak-minded.  And by the way what do you think you’re doing gathering for church in a pandemic?”  Notice Peter states that they say all this because they walk “according to their own lusts.”  Their way of life is to follow their own desires and appetites and wisdom.  The notion of a God who might one day judge them doesn’t fit in very well with the way they want to live.  And so they deal with that by scoffing at the Christian faith, mocking it and making fun of it as stupid and ignorant.

But Peter goes on to point out that they do this by willfully forgetting the truth.  They purposely ignore reality in order to justify themselves.  That is why those who object to Christian teaching are becoming increasingly bold and condescending in their speech–it takes a lot of passion and effort to fight against what you know deep down is true.  St. Paul speaks in Romans 1 about how the unrighteous “suppress the truth” that is clearly evident in creation.  Unbelief pushes the truth down and out of the mind so that people can rationalize the way they think and act.

All of this is not unlike how it was in the days before the flood.  Genesis 6 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”   And so the flood came.  But before that it took Noah many years  to build the ark.  In the meantime the Scriptures say he was a “preacher of righteousness,” warning people of the coming judgment.  But no one paid attention.  They surely mocked him for his building project.  We heard it in the Gospel last week, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married . . . until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”  Peter reminds us that there is another judgment coming, this time not by water but by fire.

So even though you may be growing weary in trying to live like a Christian, even if you’re tired of being made to feel like an outsider, resist the temptation to just give in, to go along with the mindset of the culture, to adopt its self-indulgent way of living, to compromise your beliefs because that’s what you’ve got to do to get by or to get ahead.  The daily barrage can entice us all to believe the lies, to question or just give up on God’s Word.

Peter here offers you some encouragement.  He reminds you first of all that the Lord’s delay is not a sign that He’s forgotten about you or that the promise of His return is empty.  Rather, it’s a sign of His great mercy.  He is patient and longsuffering with us sinners, not wanting anyone to perish eternally.  He gives us all time to repent.  It is written that the Lord is “slow to anger.”  He’s not like us, with a short fuse when things don’t go our way.  He’s not looking for a reason to let us have it.  Rather, He is “abounding in steadfast love,” wanting all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  So if you hear someone ridiculing a belief in the second coming, or if you find yourself beginning to question it, remember that in the Lord’s delay we see His patient mercy.  The only reason the world continues on each day is because of His love for fallen human beings.

Our Lord is longsuffering toward us because He suffered long for us.  And that suffering included being mocked and ridiculed Himself.  Think of Jesus being slapped around before the Sanhedrin, blindfolded and told to prophesy as to who hit Him.  Think of Him being dressed up as a king complete with a crown of thorns and being offered mock praise.  Think of Him on the cross, being taunted with chants of how He should come down if He really was the Messiah.  On Good Friday Jesus was treated as a fool in order to deliver us from our foolishness and vindicate us who believe in Him and deliver us from judgment.  The sentence has been served for you.  Jesus took your punishment completely.  It is finished.  And since it’s all been accomplished and taken care of, that means that the Lord can wait, and so can we.  There is no hurry.  For God’s wrath has already been appeased.  Your redemption is won in Christ through the blood that He shed. You are safe and forgiven and put right with God.  You have nothing to fear.

And here’s another thing to remember: what seems like a dreadfully long time to us is just a blink of an eye to the Lord.  One day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day to Him.  We must always be careful to look at things from His eternal perspective and be patient, even as He is.

Still, there will come a point when the time of mercy, when the opportunity for repentance will end.  “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night,” suddenly and unexpectedly on the world, as did the flood.  On that last day it is written here that the whole universe will be incinerated and will pass away with a great noise–the real big bang.  The elements of this sin-cursed old creation will melt and fully degrade and expire to make way for the new creation to come.  Specifically, Peter says that the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.  All of our greatest works and achievements, all that human hands have made will be consumed–the great pyramids, skyscrapers and stadiums, computers and technological gadgets, the things and the property that we worked so hard to make payments on–all of it, evaporated, gone.

Therefore, since that is what is going to happen, how should we be conducting ourselves?  Should we be setting our hearts on the stuff of this world, or the status and power that comes with being honored by others and not mocked by them?  Why be completely wrapped up in what doesn’t last?  This is no time for complacency and spiritual laziness.  Rather, says Peter, since the last day is fast approaching, conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness and love toward others.  Look for and live for the day of His return.

The Epistle draws this all together when it says, “According to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”   We await our bodily resurrection in that place which our Lord Jesus is preparing for us, a real, tangible world in which righteousness dwells, for He, the Righteous One is there.  No more will there be stomach-turning news reports.  No more will we have to deal with our own frustrating fallen nature.  For all things will be made permanently right and good and new in that Day.  All scoffing will be done, all mockers cast out, and there will be only perfect praise and reveling in God’s glory.

And even now, the Scriptures say, you are already new in Christ, for you have been baptized into Him who is immortal and incorruptible.  You have been saved from judgment through water.  Just as Noah and His family and the animals entered in through the side of the ark, so also you have found refuge in the side of Christ, from which the blood and the water flowed for your cleansing and your redemption.  You are the ones the Gospel speaks of who are at the Jesus’ right hand.  To you He will say, “Come, you blessed of My Father.  Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  

Let us then pray daily for our Lord’s return.  Let us look for His coming, especially as He comes to us hiddenly even now in the holy supper.  Our Lord says in Revelation, “Surely I am coming quickly.”  We say with all the saints who have gone before us, “Amen.  Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)

✠ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ✠

Revelation 7:9-17; Matthew 5:1-12

✠ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ✠

In 1 Corinthians 15, St. Paul writes that “the last enemy to be destroyed is death.”  We should be on guard against goofy new age spiritualities which try to portray death as a good thing, just another step in the journey, and other such nonsense.  Death is the enemy.  God did not create us to die.  It’s our fall into sin that brought the curse of death.  It is a destruction of the life and the body God made.

However, Jesus has brought a new reality to our death.  Though it remains the enemy, now that Jesus has embraced our death by His cross, there is something good about it as well.  A church father named Ambrose once said, “We should have a daily familiarity with death, even a daily desire for death.” What he meant was not that we should be morbid or suicidal—that we should look for ways to die, or be careless with our health, or simply give up on life.  No, what Ambrose meant is like the words of St. Paul in Philippians, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

In other words, we should not be so tied to the things of this life, to living in the here and now, that we think death is the worst thing that could happen to us.  Instead, we should always remember that in Christ death is a deliverance for us—a deliverance from the ravages of sin, a deliverance from being run by our passions, a deliverance from all sorrow, grief, and heartache.  What’s good about death is that our sinful nature will be finally and forever gone from us, and so also will all of the effects of sin’s curse as we await the resurrection of our bodies on the Last Day.

This is what the cross of Jesus has done for us–by it He has turned our enemy, death, against itself into something that works good for us in the end.  For in Him, death is now the doorway to life.  So let us be careful to get this right.  Death is not just an escape from the harsh realities of this world.  Much more it is an escape to the comfort of life in God’s presence.  You often hear at funerals people say how the deceased “is in a better place.”  And that’s fine–though I’m not a fan of cliches like that, since most non-Christians say things like that too.  I’d rather say something like the deceased is with a better Person, with the Redeemer Jesus.  He’s the One who makes heaven what it is. A heaven without Jesus at the center is just a fairy tale.  That’s how St. Paul could speak of being hard pressed between wanting to live and wanting to die, for his desire was to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

Today’s reading from Revelation gives us a beautiful picture of what we are escaping to, in contrast to where we are now.  It is written that those who have died trusting in the Lord will live with the Lord.  He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.  They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not scorch them; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  No more sorrow or crying or pain.  No more isolation or distancing or worrying about a hug spreading a contagion–just perfect rest and contentment.

That is what we must learn to long for and set our hearts on.  And that vision should govern how we live now.  When it does, then our eyes will not be captivated by what we desire that really doesn’t last that long.  And our minds will not controlled by how much or how little we have.  And our hearts will not be lusting after whatever feeds our appetites.  Instead, when we live with the vision of Revelation, with the mindset of Paul, then we will live for others and for the things of the world to come.  And then we will live fearing nothing, except losing life with God and the kingdom of heaven.

God saves us from death through the death of Jesus.  His death is so good, so strong, so effective that it converts and transforms our death to be like His.  We are baptized into Christ’s death, and so we are also baptized into His life and resurrection.  Death no longer gets the last word, because we are in Him who conquered death and the grave.  So even though death still causes us to mourn–for it is still the enemy that tears away our loved ones from us–yet we do not mourn as those who have no hope.  We also rejoice at the death of those who are in Christ.  We celebrate their victory.  We look forward in hope to their resurrection.  Those who worship Jesus are not gone forever.  They have just gone before us.  So death is no longer something to be avoided at all costs, for the Son of God Himself did not think of it as being beneath His dignity; nor did He seek to escape it.  Like our Lord, then, we also can embrace it when it comes.  For He is the One who brings good out of evil, joy out of pain, life out of death.

The saints know this.  And when I refer to saints, I am referring to all Christians.  A saint simply means “a holy one,” one who has been forgiven and made holy in Christ.  Saints are not only those who have died who are with the Lord, but also us who are still alive, who believe in the Lord.  All Saints Day refers to the saints in heaven and the saints on earth, all Christians Day.

However, usually when we talk about the saints, we do mean those who have died, and especially those whose lives were illustrations of God’s grace and who gave us an example of faith to follow.  In particular there are two kinds of heroes of the faith whom we usually refer to as saints. The first are those who were put to death because of what they believed and taught, because they clung to their Lord more than to this life.  These we call “martyrs,” a word which literally means “witnesses.”  The second group are those who were not put to death, but who still suffered ridicule or persecution for righteousness’ sake.  These we call “confessors” because they confessed the faith. Like the martyrs, the confessors also suffered much for the Faith. The martyrs gave testimony by how they died, and what they died for; while the confessors gave testimony by how they lived and what they lived for. The martyrs witnessed to the Faith with their blood; the confessors witnessed to the Faith with the purity and steadfastness of their confession. And so, because of their blood, the martyrs are commemorated with the color red; and because of their pure confession and steadfastness, the confessors are commemorated with the color white, as we have on the altar today.

Yet the colors red and white are both the same in the end, aren’t they.  For what does it say of the saints in Revelation? “These are the ones who washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”  Do you see the colors? Red makes everything white.  Robes are made white because they’ve been washed in red blood.  But not just any red blood. It must be the red blood of the Lamb of God Jesus Christ, who was sacrificed to take away the sin of the world; the same Lamb of God who will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.

That is what the martyrs and confessors and indeed all Christians have in common—the red blood of the Lamb which makes them, which makes you white and pure, cleansed from all sin, before God our Father.  So it is this blood of Christ, poured over you in Holy Baptism and poured into you in the Lord’s Supper; it is this blood, which was shed and poured out for the salvation of all men, and even the whole creation; it is this blood that binds all saints together in the one true faith, and which gives us courage to follow in the train of those who have gone before us.  The red blood clothes us in white, as it is written in Isaiah, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”  The Lamb’s wool, his robe of righteousness, covers us.

That is how we are blessed, according to Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel.  We are blessed because we are wrapped up in Him who is the fulfillment of all of these beatitudes.  For wasn’t Jesus poor in spirit—by giving His riches to take on the poverty of our sin and death? Didn’t He mourn—especially when He wept over His people who turned away from Him?  Isn’t He the meekest of all men, and did He not continually hunger and thirst after true righteousness?  Isn’t He the very definition of mercifulness and purity in heart? Is He not the peacemaker, who reconciles God and man in Himself? And finally, of all men who ever lived, wasn’t He the most persecuted and reviled for the sake of righteousness?

To be blessed, then, is to live in Christ by faith, to have your life look like Christ’s–to be poor and humble in spirit, to mourn the sad state of this world, to be merciful even to those who don’t deserve it, to be persecuted for the sake of the Gospel, and ultimately to die.  Even death is a blessing now in Christ.  For through Him, yours is the kingdom of heaven.  

And that kingdom of heaven is here now for you in the blessed Sacrament of the Altar.  For Christ is here with you and for you with His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.  And so by partaking of the supper, you are with Him.  And to be with Him is heaven on earth, for we are gathered with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.  

So, fellow saints of God, let us endure in the faith in this time of tribulation.  For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us.  Let us embrace death in Christ, that we may also embrace His life forever.

✠ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ✠

(With thanks to John Fenton)

John 8:31-36

In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit

Jesus said in today’s Gospel, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  Truth is powerful.  For it liberates you from the slavery of sin.  It releases you from the ignorance of unbelief.  It protects you from the traps and the schemes of the devil, who is the father of lies.

 However, truth is also dangerous.  For since it is so powerful, evil cannot tolerate it.  Evil wars against the truth and is always trying to corrupt it.  Darkness hates the light and can’t exist where it shines brightly.  And so it does everything in its power to snuff it out.  Wherever the truth is spoken, evil is right there to stir up trouble, to fuss and shout and make it seem as if the truth-tellers are the problem.  The more clearly the truth is spoken, the louder evil will shriek.  

Just consider how things are today.  If you say that unborn children are fully human persons who deserve to be protected by law, if you say that there are only two genders, male and female, and you can’t change your creation and go from one to the other, if you speak the common sense truth that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman, and above all, if you say that the only way to enter eternal life is through faith in the crucified and risen Jesus, well then you’re attacked as being hateful or unloving or bigoted.  The famous author George Orwell once remarked, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”  Truth is powerful and good, but there is always warfare against it in this fallen world.

And that includes not only the evil that is outside of us in our truth-denying society, but also the evil that is within us, in our old Adam.  We may well nod our head in agreement when we hear “the truth will make you free,” but the closer someone gets to the truth of our sin, the louder we protest and deflect blame, don’t we?  The Psalmist puts it rather clearly when he says, “All mankind are liars.”  We all are skilled at the art of shading and spinning the truth to our advantage, of trying to make our sin seem respectable, of distorting and twisting the truth to justify ourselves and rationalize the way we are.  That’s why an essential element of being a Christian is repentance, coming to terms with the truth and honestly acknowledging that we are by nature enslaved to the Lie, focused on what we want to hear, not what we need to hear.  What we desperately need is to be released from the power of sin and death and the devil.  

The truth which sets you free is more than just information that is factually correct, that you can just download into your brain in a confirmation class.  Truth is a person, Jesus Himself.  For He said, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.”  Our Lord Jesus is the embodiment of Truth; He is eternal and ultimate reality, the One in whom this whole universe holds together, as Colossians 1 says.  He has come into the world to destroy the father of lies forever and to rescue you from the deadly power of sin.  When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, He said, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  All Pilate could do was to cynically respond, “What is truth?”  Truth incarnate was standing before him, but the Lie had a hold of Pilate, who loved his power and position.  

On that Good Friday the Truth appeared to be overwhelmed by the Lie; the darkness seemed to have snuffed out the Light.  But as He died, Jesus spoke the truth that not even death nor the devil could conquer.  Jesus said simply and clearly, “It is finished.”  By His suffering and death, all had been fulfilled and completed and accomplished.  Everything necessary to undo the curse and defeat the Lie had been done.  Even though it didn’t seem like it, the Truth had won the day.  Victory was assured.  The resurrection was a foregone conclusion.  For Jesus had crushed the serpent’s head and had taken away your deadly sin.  That is the truth that liberates you and makes you free.  It is finished; it is all accomplished for you in Jesus.

Mortal combat between the truth of Christ and the lies of the evil one still continues.  And for long periods of time, it may seem as if the Lie is winning.  In the 1400's there was a man named Jan Hus who lived in Bohemia, in the modern-day Czech Republic.  Jan Hus spoke the truth of God’s Word against the false teaching in the church of his day.  At the Council of Constance, he was condemned by the church as a heretic and burned at the stake.  The truth seemed to have lost.  However, before he died, Hus made this prophetic statement.  The name “Hus” means “goose” in the Bohemian language, and he said, “You are now going to burn a goose, but in a century you will have a swan to whom you will be forced to listen.”  Almost exactly 100 years later, Martin Luther, the trumpeter swan, posted his 95 theses on the church door in Wittenberg.  

What is of special note is that one of Jan Hus’s fiercest opponents, a man named Johannes Zacharias, was buried in front of the altar in the Augstinian monastery in Erfurt, Germany.  And it was on that very spot that Martin Luther laid face down when he made his vows as a monk.  How wonderfully ironic that it was on the grave of Jan Hus’s mortal enemy that Luther would begin his journey that led to the Reformation of the church, including some of the very truths that Hus had preached.  Let us be encouraged by this, that the Truth of Christ will always win out.  In spiritually dark times like we’re living in now, we may not see or experience that victory.  But it is assured; for the crucified One is risen!  Let us then boldly confess the truth of our Christian faith, regardless of the cost, knowing that it will never be in vain.  The Truth of Christ will always have the last word.

Martin Luther had no way of knowing whether or not he would end up being executed like Hus.  In 1517 Luther set forth 95 theses for debate which told the truth about the corruption in the Church of his day.  And like any whistleblower working for powerful bosses, his life would be turned upside down after that point.  In 1521 Luther was called before the Emperor himself to recant his teaching or face punishment.  After faltering on the first day of his questioning, Luther returned to make his famous speech in reply, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures and by clear reason (for I do not trust in the pope or councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted.  My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience.  May God help me.”  And then as the room erupted into noisy jeers and cheers by the gathered crowd, including some shouting “To the fire with him!” Luther spoke these words, “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”  It was only by the grace of God and the skillful maneuvering of Luther’s prince, Frederick of Saxony, that he was able to escape with his life.  

The matters in dispute during the Reformation were of the utmost importance.  For they had to do with the Gospel and God’s grace.  Can the forgiveness of sins be sold as a commodity based on the authority of a pope rather than the Word of God?  Can forgiveness and eternal life be earned by good works?  How does faith fit into the picture?  What is grace?  Martin Luther and the other reformers returned simply to telling the truth of Scripture: The Law of God is good, and we must obey His commandments.  But we dare never place our faith in how well we’re keeping the Law, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.  Therefore, our faith is entirely in Jesus and what He has done for us.  We cannot justify ourselves; rather we are justified, declared righteous, freely by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  We are saved through faith in Him alone, apart from the deeds of the Law.  Salvation cannot be bought, either with money, or even with good deeds and good intentions.  For it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  You have been saved by grace alone.

In teaching this, the Lutheran reformers were not teaching anything new.  It was all there in Scripture.  And it had been taught by the fathers of the Church throughout the Church’s history.  That’s one of the things Lutherans emphasized over and over again.  They were being the true catholics, for they were simply restoring the teaching of the truth of Christ that had been corrupted and suppressed through the centuries.  They weren’t inventing anything or making stuff up.  That’s why they kept the liturgy and everything else that belonged to the Church that didn’t contradict the Word of God.  The Reformation was about a return to the eternal truth of Holy Scripture.  The truth can be denied and suppressed, but in the end it is unconquerable.

That’s the beautiful thing about the truth.  Unlike a lie, you don’t have to invent it, and you don’t have to “manage” it.  It just is.  Once you know the truth, you simply repeat it and proclaim it and say “Amen” to it.  By contrast, the lie requires a good memory to recall what you made up.  And it requires an army of lies to back up the original lie.  Eventually, the tangled web ensnares the liar, and he is caught.  So it is that Satan was trapped in his own deceit and ensnared by the death he brought into the world.  For through the death of Jesus, the deceiver was undone and his work destroyed.  The lie cannot suppress the truth forever.  For Truth in the flesh is risen from the dead.

This is why Reformation Day is a great celebration for us, for it is centered in this unconquerable and everlasting truth of Jesus.  Our Lutheran ancestors in the faith courageously spoke the truth to power.  And as a result, many things changed.  The authority of God’s Word was restored to its rightful place, being heard in the language of the people, and the preaching of the pure Gospel rang out again as the delivery of God’s free grace in Christ.  Though some things have changed for the better in Roman Catholicism, sadly the same underlying poison of false teaching remains–indulgences, rewards for good works, ungodly superstition is still in place.  The Pope is still engaging in his shenanigans, even bowing to the world in his endorsement of same sex civil unions.

So as much as there is for us to celebrate this day, the Reformation must continue if it is to mean anything–and that must happen within Lutheranism, too.  For much of Lutheranism today is a sad parody of what Luther taught.  Lutheran churches don’t always speak the truth confidently and boldly before the world but are too often conformed to the lies of this world.  And so the best and greatest thing that Lutherans can do still to this day is to stubbornly cling to the truth, to preach the fullness of God’s Law that exposes our fallen condition, to announce with gladness that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15), to proclaim without fear that He is the exclusive Truth, the only way to the Father and to eternal life, that by His wounds we are healed (Is. 53:5).  We have no new truths to offer; for the truth of Christ is both ancient and eternal.  We cling to the promise of God that the Church, in her confession of this truth, will even withstand the gates of hell.  It is as we just sang regarding the devil, “One little Word can fell him,” namely the Word of Jesus.

So hear again what Jesus says, and take it to heart this Reformation weekend, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 6:10-18, Trinity 21

✠ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ✠

We are in the midst of a war.  And it’s much more than just a political or a cultural battle.  Those things are important, but they are side skirmishes in a much larger and more consequential war.  Many people may not even be aware that this battle is taking place, but St. Paul reminds us in today’s Epistle that it’s very real, and it’s been going on since the fall of man.  It is written, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness . . .”  The enemies that we Christians fight are largely hidden and unseen.  For our adversary is the devil and the host of other fallen angels we call demons, each of whom has his own power in this dark world in which they war against Christ and Christ’s people.  The fight is for our eternal destiny.  It’s a battle for human souls.  

This is important to remember, because if we’re fighting the wrong enemy, true victory won’t be achieved.  Very often Christians are deceived into thinking the struggle is primarily this-worldly, that it’s a political or a social or a behavioral thing.  If we would just pass the right laws or change people’s outward conduct or stop climate change or get rid of the bad guys, then everything would be fine.  But that’s just a game of whack-a-mole, where you deal with one problem and another one inevitably arises to take its place.  Earthly weapons and power, human strength gets you nowhere in this war.  For this is not a natural but a supernatural battle.  It will only be won by using the spiritual defenses and weapons that the Lord has provided us.

St. Paul writes, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.”  Our strength as Christians does not come from within but from the One who died and rose again for us. Do you remember the story of Gideon in the Old Testament?  The children just had it in Sunday School last week.  At the time of Gideon, Israel was oppressed by a powerful enemy called the Midianites.  At God’s direction Gideon gathered an army of tens of thousands to defeat the Midianites.  But God told him that his army was too big, that the people would think they had won a victory by their own strength.  So the Lord had Gideon reduce his army down to a mere three hundred men.  And by the Lord’s design, Gideon’s men deceived the Midianites into turning their weapons on each other, and Israel won a great victory over the princes of Midian.  In this way God made it clear that it was only by His power that Israel could triumph.  So we also pray with the Psalmist, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory.”  God makes the weak powerful and the powerful weak.  “Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.”

To help us to do this, St. Paul issues instructions like a commander to an army.  “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  First, put on the belt of truth, Paul says.  God would have you to be defensed against Satan’s trickery by being girded up and encompassed with the saving truth of Christ and His Word.  Jesus said, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  And He also said, “If you continue in My Word, then you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”  The devil attacks with the lie that the Scriptural account of creation isn’t true and can’t be trusted, that we need to correct it with evolutionary science.  He battles with false declarations that all religious beliefs are equally valid, that you can achieve eternal life by your own goodness and spirituality.  He ambushes you with empty promises that the way to happiness is to follow your own will rather than God’s will.  The devil is the father of all the lies that fill this fallen world.  And so only by continuing in and dwelling upon the truth of Christ’s Word are you set free–free from the power and deception of the devil, free from the bondage of sin.  Keep coming to church each week.  Keep having your daily devotions.  And in that way keep the bombardments of the world at bay.

After the belt of truth, Paul speaks of the breastplate of righteousness.  The very heart of our lives as Christians is protected by the impenetrable holiness of Christ.  Galatians 3 says, “All of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ,” like a bulletproof vest.  Those of you who are fans of the “Lord of the Rings” books and movies remember how young Frodo was once violently  stabbed by monstrous creature in battle, but he lived because, beneath his clothing he was wearing an impervious garment of mithril given to him as a gift.  Frodo survived uninjured.  In a similar but much greater way, the perfect life and death and resurrection of Jesus in whom we trust covers us and defends us.  Just as a breastplate would guard the heart and lungs and other vital organs of a soldier, so also the breastplate of Christ’s blood and righteousness makes our heart invulnerable against Satan.

St. Paul then speaks about your feet being fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace.  Believing in the good news that peace has been made between us and God the Father through His Son Jesus, we are prepared to go out with willing feet into the battle, demonstrating the character and courage of a warrior of God.  Just as a soldier’s shoes made him ready to fight on the rocky terrain, so also the Gospel of peace and reconciliation with God prepares us to do His will in this struggle earnestly and willingly.

The Epistle continues, “Above all, take the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”  The image that Paul probably has in mind here is a particular type of long, thin Roman shield that went from head to toe.  Historians say that it was covered in such a way that it was an excellent defense even against arrows whose tips has been dipped in tar and set aflame.  In the same way a Christian’s faith in Christ and reliance on God’s promises shields him from all the fiery temptations of the devil–not just temptations to immorality, but the temptation to false belief and doubt.  When the devil seeks to lead you away from Christ, when he tries to convince you you’re not really saved or a Christian, raise the shield of faith in Jesus.  Remember that you are baptized into Christ.  Taking refuge in the Lord, the devil’s arrows can’t touch you. With the shield of faith, the soldier of God can stand his ground.

St. Paul goes on, “Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  Notice now that Paul shifts from the defensive to the offensive.  After referring to the helmet of Christ–which saves us from the fatal blow, which gives us the mind of Christ–he then speaks of the primary weapon of attack that Christians have in this spiritual battle, the holy Scriptures.  This is the sword that runs the devil through.  Consider, after all, how Jesus dealt with Satan’s temptations in the wilderness.  You know that to every test Jesus responded, “It is written . . .”  And the devil was defeated; there was nothing more he could say or do.  Living in this victory of Christ over the evil one, we also are to arm ourselves with the words of God and study them and meditate on them.  Then we will be skilled swordsmen able to tear the devil to shreds; then we will be more than conquerors through Christ, whose Word is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

St. Paul wrapped up his battle instructions with the admonition to pray always.  We dare never forget that the army of the church marches on its knees, humbling itself before the Lord in prayer in order one day to be lifted up with Christ.

And indeed, through Christ we will be lifted up in triumph over our enemy.  For the outcome of victory has already been attained for us on the cross.  Jesus took everything Satan could throw at Him, and yet Jesus was not defeated.  Our Lord had no belt to gird Himself but only soldiers casting lots for His clothing.  He had no breastplate to protect Him from the spear in His side.  He had no shield to guard Him from the flaming arrows of suffering that the evil one threw at Him.  Instead of a helmet He wore a crown of thorns.  And yet what seemed like the worst sort of defeat turned out to be a glorious triumph, a sneak attack destroying the devil’s stronghold of sin and death from the inside out.  Just as Gideon caused the Midianites to turn their weapons against themselves, so our Lord turned the devil’s weapon of death against him to crush him and defeat him.  Having taken the devil’s worst in our place, Jesus rose from the dead in great victory Easter morning, assuring us that our sins have been forgiven, and that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  That same Lord Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us, hearing the prayers we offer on behalf of ourselves and one another, answering them for our eternal good.

So remember, brothers and sisters of Christ, we are truly in a spiritual war with eternal significance.   It will not end until the end of your days.  But Christ the Conqueror goes before you.  “Therefore, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.  Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

✠ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ✠