The Fourth Sunday of Easter R. I. P. Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia! Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen. In today’s Gospel, Jesus your Good Shepherd so earnestly wants you to know something that He says it to you twice. First Jesus speaks with regard to Himself, and then He speaks again with regard to the heavenly Father, both His Father and yours. What does Jesus want you to know? Jesus wants you to know that “No one will snatch [you] out of [His] hand.” Then Jesus repeats, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
Dear Christian friends, What comes to mind for you when you hear the initials R.I.P? Many people think of cemetery headstones. They take the initials R.I.P. to mean “Rest in Peace” (from the Latin, requiescat in pace), and from ancient times we Christians have used these initials in reference to our beloved dead. Jesus wants you to know in today’s Gospel that the initials R.I.P. are not merely good initials to decorate our cemetery headstones. These same initials—R.I.P., “Rest in Peace”—these same initials would be well placed upon the headboards above our beds! The words “Rest in Peace” make a very good slogan, not just for our beloved dead, but also for our dear loved ones who are yet alive, and “Rest in Peace” makes a good slogan even for ourselves. Each night before your household heads off to sleep, you could say to each of them, “Rest in Peace.” Each night as you lay your head upon your own pillow, you can confidently say to yourself, “Rest in Peace.” Why can you rest in security and peace, each and every night of your earthly life? Because Jesus promises you in today’s Gospel, “No one will snatch [you] out of [His] hand.” So important is this news for you and for your loved ones that Jesus immediately repeats Himself, for your assurance and your comfort: “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” There is hardly a better Gospel for us Christians to hear in our worship at this particular moment in the history of the world, here the Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 18, 2013. There are several reasons why today is the perfect day for us to hear the Word and promise of Jesus in today’s Gospel, “No one will snatch [you] out of My hand.” Why today’s Gospel is so well-suited for us today? • The first reason is our Church Year. Today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Stated another way, today marks the fourth week that we Christians rejoice, Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia! The Fourth Sunday of Easter is also called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” By His death and resurrection, Jesus our Good Shepherd has faced and defeated every enemy that would hunt or destroy His beloved flock. Now in the power of His resurrection, Jesus in today’s Gospel speaks an oath to you and to every Christian: “No one will snatch [you] out of My hand.” Death has lost its grip upon you; sin has lost its power over you; the devil no longer has any teeth to sink into you; no force of nature is now able to overwhelm you—and this is all because Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia! And the risen Christ is now your Good Shepherd, faithfully leading you by day and securely keeping you by night. Rest in Peace! • There is a second reason why today’s Gospel is well-suited for this day. Today is not only the Fourth Sunday of Easter, but it is also April 21, 2013. Stated another way, today is the first Sunday after the tragedy of the Boston Marathon. Such terrible occurrences among us do not effect only those people who were there, or only their family and friends. Such terrible occurrences have an effect upon all of us. When you first heard the news earlier this week, what thoughts went through your head? My first thought was a date: September 11, 2001. Then I immediately wondered which city—one nearer to me—would be next. Later that same day, as I pulled the car into a parking lot, I noticed a soda bottle on the ground, right in the spot where I was to park. Almost unconsciously, I heard myself wonder in the back of my head, “Is that bottle filled with explosive?” That question is really just another way of asking, “Am I next?” The tragedy Boston Marathon makes today’s Gospel is so very good for today because Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia! All our national tragedies make today’s Gospel a good Gospel for us, because here Jesus pledges Himself to our safety and protection, now and forever. Jesus is speaking about YOU when He says here today, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one. Rest in peace, Christians! Every night when you go to sleep, rest in peace! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia! Because Christ has risen, you stand in the rubble of civilization and you can sing with confidence and joy, Teach me to live that I may dread The grave as little as my bed (LSB 883.3) • But Boston is 1352 miles away from Versailles. For all the rawness of the tragedy, its deep emotional impact will eventually fade. Before too long, the Boston Marathon will be tucked into the backs of our minds, right next to the World Trade Center. Stated another way, the Marathon will always be an outrage and heartbreak, but it will not always be in the center of the dashboard. Many other things—closer and more intimate things—will persist for you and for me, and these things will continue to occupy our minds. Whatever it is that keeps you awake at night—that also makes today’s Gospel a good Gospel! Whatever preoccupies you; whatever causes you to fear the present or dread the future; whatever you must watch your dear loved one experience: these things also make today’s Gospel a very good Gospel! Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed!) Alleluia! Your risen Christ says to you today, in view of those things that keep you awake at night, “No one will snatch [you] out of My hand.” Your risen Christ so earnestly wants you to know and to believe this, that He patiently repeats Himself to you, pointing to the Father in heaven, both His Father and yours: “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” What do these Words mean for you? These Words mean that you can now Rest in Peace. You can Rest in Peace right now, because you dwell in safety and security in the power of Christ’s resurrection. Kiss kiss. Sleep well. _______________________________________________ Sermons mailing list Sermons@cat41.org http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
