A little "sacramental exegesis"...
Sermon for the Last Sunday of the Church Year
Out of Their Gloom and Darkness
The Eyes of the Blind Shall See
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!
Amen. Today is the Last Sunday of the Church Year. Today's Gospel is God's
History of the Last Day:
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He
will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the
nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats.
Dear Christian friends,
Some Christians find this Gospel a bit disconcerting. They find
this Gospel disconcerting because they firmly believe, on the basis of God's
clear Words, that they are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
After all, it is written:
· "All are justified by [God's] grace as a gift, through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus. for we hold that one is justified by
faith apart from the works of the law" (Romans 3:22, 28).
· "We know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but
through faith in Jesus Christ. not by the works of the law, because by the
works of the law no one will be justified" (Galatians 2:16).
· "By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your
own doing; it is the gift of God, not the result of works" (Ephesians
2:8-9).
On the basis of these very clear Bible passages, and many more like them,
Our churches teach that people cannot be justified before God by their own
strength, merits, or works. People are freely justified for Christ's sake,
through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that
their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake. By His death, Christ made
satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in His
sight (AC IV, McCain, 33).
He Who Is Holy Says This: "I Know Your Deeds" (Revelation 3:8)
Because of these other important Bible passages, today's Gospel can easily
stick in the craw. After we have carefully mapped our minds to think in
terms of faith alone and not in terms of our works, Jesus comes along and
upsets the apple cart. Your Lord Jesus clearly declares that on the Last Day
you will be judged on the basis of what you have done or have failed to do:
The King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me,
I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me. . Truly,
I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you
did it to Me."
Then He will say to those on His left, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. . As you did not do it
to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me."
To You It Has Been Granted To Know
The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:11)
As you pick your way through this Gospel, it would be very good if
you could spend some time thinking about the way you think about God's gifts
to you. Review what you believe about Baptism, about the Sacrament of the
Altar, and about absolution and preaching. These miracles from God will
teach you today's Gospel by establishing for you a "pattern of sound
teaching" (2 Timothy 1:13, NIV). These things-Baptism, the Sacrament of the
Altar, absolution and preaching-these things will orient your thinking. They
will help you see that today's Gospel holds nothing for you to fear, but it
promises great comfort for you, both for now and for the Last Day.
Baptism Now Saves You (1 Peter 3:21)
What is Baptism?
Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God's
command and combined with God's Word (Small Catechism, Baptism I).
Stated another way, Baptism is common, everyday water that God Himself has
purified and made holy through His Word, so that it might be for you a
sin-cleansing and life-giving water. When you look at the water in the
Baptismal font, all you see is water. Yet your God has called this water "a
washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). When you
look at the water, you see only water. By God's miracle of your faith, you
believe the water in the font is something greater than what you can see. By
God's gift of faith, you believe this water has been made powerful and
perfect by the living Word of God. You also believe that your God regards
this bath to be a holy bath in which there is no condemnation for you who
believe.
This is My Body (Matthew 26:26)
Let's run through it again: What is the Sacrament of the Altar?
It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and
wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink
(Small Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar, I).
Stated another way, the Sacrament of the Altar is common, everyday bread and
wine that God Himself has purified and made holy through His Word, so that
it might be for you a sin-cleansing and life-giving meal. When you look at
the bread and wine on the altar, all you see is bread and wine. Yet your
Lord Jesus Christ has called this bread and wine "My body. My blood" (Mark
14:22, 24). When you look at the bread and wine, you see only bread and
wine, just as you see only water when you look at the Baptismal font. By God's
miraculous gift of faith, you believe the bread and wine are something
greater than what you can see. By God's gift of faith, you believe the bread
and wine of the altar are made powerful and perfect by the living Word of
God. You also believe that your God regards this meal to be a holy meal in
which there is no condemnation for you who believe.
You Forgave the Iniquity of My Sin (Psalm 31:5)
We have a proverb that states, "Good things come in threes." Let's
try this little line of thinking a third time, just to see what happens:
What do you believe about preaching and absolution, which is also called the
Office of the Keys?
[You] believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His
divine command, in particular when they. absolve those who repent of their
sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain, even in
heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself (Small Catechism,
Office of the Keys, III).
Stated another way, preaching and absolution are common, everyday
words-words that God Himself has purified and made holy through His Word, so
that these words might be for you sin-cleansing and life-giving Words. When
you hear your pastor declare to you, "Your sins are forgiven," all you hear
is my human voice. Yet your Lord Jesus Christ has described my speaking
forgiveness to you here on earth as a miracle that takes place also in
heaven (Matthew 18:18). When you hear the words of forgiveness declared and
preached to you, you hear common and everyday words from my mouth, in the
same way that you see common water when you look at the Baptismal font and
see common bread and wine when you look upon the altar. By God's miraculous
creation of your faith, you believe the words of forgiveness from my mouth
are something greater than what you merely hear. By God's gift of faith, you
believe that when your God-given pastor declares to you the forgiveness of
your sins, they are forgiven. You also believe that your God regards this
word of forgiveness that you hear as being the very Words of His dear Son
Jesus (Luke 10:16), in Whom there is no condemnation for you who believe.
Everything According to the Pattern
That Was Shown You (Hebrews 8:5)
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He
will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the
nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats.
Today's Gospel points to your common, everyday actions as the basis on which
you will be judged. These are the words of Jesus:
Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers,
you did it to Me. Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the
least of these, you did not do it to Me.
Listen to this Gospel according to "the pattern of sound teaching,
with faith and love in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 1:13). What you believe
about Baptism and the Sacrament of the Altar, about preaching and
absolution, you must also believe about your everyday actions and deeds.
Think of your actions-your works-in the same way that you think about common
water, which God makes a Holy Baptism. Consider your actions in manner that
you consider ordinary bread and wine, which your God makes a Holy Communion.
Stated another way, you must believe that your deeds are deeds
that God Himself has purified and made holy through His Word. Admit it: when
you inventory your day-in-and-day-out actions toward your neighbor, it doesn't
really look like all that much. You do not have a lot to show for your good
intentions. However, your heavenly Father declares these same actions of
yours to be good and holy works which you were "created in Christ Jesus" to
do (Ephesians 2:10). When any of us look at the things we do in our everyday
lives, all we get to see is small potatoes. Yet your bodies are now "a
living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Romans 12:1). When you look
at your daily life, you see struggles and hardships; you see jealousy and
anger; you see selfish and loveless acts toward your neighbor. In short, you
see in yourself and in your actions nothing but sin. Your God sees none of
those things. Your God regards your everyday actions as precious and holy
because you are "those sanctified in Christ Jesus... saints together with
all those who in every place call upon the name our Lord Jesus Christ, both
their Lord and ours" (1 Corinthians 1:2).
· Just as God's Word makes plain water a Baptism and just as God's
Word makes ordinary bread and wine a Holy Communion, so also does God's
powerful Word make your daily deeds good and pleasing in His sight.
· Just as water does not seem like much and bread and wine do not
seem like much and words preached from pulpits do not seem like much, so
also your works indeed do not seem like much to you. Your works might even
seem pointless or useless to you. (Some people say the same thing about God's
sacraments.) Be that as it may: God's Word is in you (Romans 10:8). God's
Words make your good and holy works for you, just those same Words create
Baptism and Holy Communion and sermons.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He
will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the
nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats.
To hell with the goats! "You were washed, you were sanctified, you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our
God" (1 Corinthians 6:11). That makes you God's beloved sheep. Your eyes
will then be opened on the Last Day and you may be surprised to learn all
the wondrous things your God has done through you. You-like your Lord Jesus
before you-you are now lambs "without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:19). You
are spotless lambs because all your sins have been forgiven-and all your
actions declared good and holy-through the blood of Christ. The Last Day
will bring you no fear, but only joy when Jesus says to you, "Come, you who
are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world."
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