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And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.’ What a wonderful thing to have placed before your eyes today this Advent. God is yours and you are his forever.

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So again, why has the holy church, in her wisdom, seen fit to have us hear of the Lord’s advent in glory now during this season…before we celebrate our Lord’s arrival in humility? What are we to make of these things? Well, they’re very much related to one another. And what we’ll experience then, when He arrives in glory, will correspond to how we receive Him beforehand, in His advent among us in humility.

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Jesus has come and conquered. You are forgiven and you have the armor light. Greet each day as one who lives in the day light and go to bed each night knowing that the dawn is always on the horizon for you as Jesus promises you, he is coming for your redemption. He comes a light of consolations and blessed hope to you who love the Lord’s appearing.

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Not only will it be revealed who is truly foolish and wise and whether those called to be God’s people among us were well prepared for this great event, but by the end of our text, dear ones, we see what our Lord is preparing to bring us into at the culmination of this present age and, in fact, what He’s been preparing to bring about in His divine wisdom since the time when the world began.

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Beholding Christ in faith is to stand before the judgment seat of God blameless as his holy people and inheritors of eternal life. What a joyous future you dear people of God.

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Make no mistake, dear ones, the intentions of your heart will suddenly become clear in the day of the Lord. And as if you didn’t already know, here’s what else will be suddenly, unmistakably clear: that the Lord is faithful to His promises, that all that is written about Him in the holy Scriptures is true, and that because He shed His blood for you and redeemed you and was raised from the dead for you, no destruction will fall on any one of you who repent and believe in Him.

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Rejoice this day and be glad in the Lord. Cast your cares and burdens onto him. Find rest in the Lord who was not overcome by those who wanted to entrap him but was and is faithful in all things and took upon himself your sin. Be joyful and be comforted by the Lord God who things are his and he gives them to you now and forever.

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Rejoice dear saints of God this day. You have been shown mercy and your sin is forgiven on account of Christ. No matter the weight or severity, Jesus has atoned for it by his perfect life and sacrifice for you. That’s the comfort you have this day. He died for you and for the whole world. Rejoice in his forgiveness for you and your brother. Rejoice in showing this same mercy and forgiveness to your brothers and look forward to that day when you no longer sin against one another.

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And you should know there will come a day when the warfare of the Church on earth will be at an end—when, by God’s grace, the Church militant and the Church triumphant…will repose in glory together as one, with none to make us afraid. But so long as we await our Lord’s return, that is not this day. For us here, now, as long as we’re in the Church on earth, we struggle. This day, we fight, and we do so knowing with full confidence that, at the last, in Christ, we will win. 

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Your King has done all things well for you and provides a feast of salvation here and now and promises you the day is coming when you will be with him and all of God’s saints face to face. You have Christ and a place at the eternal wedding feast.

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And in the end, the fruit brought to bear by our Lord defies our expectations in the best way. Despite everything set against Him, despite all the odds, and whatever we think needs to come about, the good He produces by the seed of His divine Word shall be more glorious than we could ever imagine.

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Thanks be to God today as you celebrate this feast. Gathered in this place, you sit as the victors at the banquet. You come here as those who no longer stand as one accused but as one who is justified on account of Christ before God. You gather here and rejoice in that word and judgment you have and know what God thinks of you. The devil has been silenced and defeated. Your salvation and word of forgiveness is loud and clear.

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Because the unity of the Spirit that we enjoy in this place, the fact that no false teaching divides us and that our hearts are one in the bond of peace—this is a sacred gift and a priceless treasure that is our common possession. How could we not strive to protect and preserve it—to adorn it with humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love? How could we not? Together we are members of the body of Christ knit together as one.

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Keep coming back to Christ. He is your shield and redemption who has rescued you. By his wounds you are healed and have eternal life. Open your lips and declare his praise. Give him thanks for you are his own. Rejoice and walk confidently in the way of wisdom, upright in the way of righteousness for Christ is your righteousness. Give thanks in all things for your Lord says to you this very day this wisdom of salvation that is yours on account of him and what you have freely and fully by his grace, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

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The parable of the Good Samaritan may just cause you to see yourself and your own circumstances very differently, especially in view of the divine mercy and healing the Lord Jesus has seen fit to pour out on you and the ongoing care He’s personally seen fit to give you within the church for your good.

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Be of good cheer dear Christians. Your Lord does indeed do all things well. He worked a miracle for this man. He took your sin upon himself so that you have peace with God through his blood shed for you. Jesus is crucified for you, and he is risen from the dead and you will rise from your grave as well. He still intervenes in your life. You are baptized into Christ, you have the Holy Scriptures, you have been gathered into the Holy Christian Church, he feeds you with his own body and blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Don’t ever doubt for one instant that Jesus isn’t working in your life right now.

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What a joy it is to have the consolation of Christ, the one who truly has made peace even unto life everlasting. Know what befell Jerusalem is not your future for your Jerusalem is above and that Jerusalem will not end but will be your dwelling place with Christ and all his saints in peace forever.

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But because our beloved Master, Jesus, is so merciful and so generous that He shed His holy, precious blood for us—of more value than all of heaven and earth combined—He is pleased to forgive us our debts and give us the true riches of the kingdom of God—even calling us His “friends,” dearly beloved to Him, for whom He laid down His very life. No man has greater love than this.

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Listen to all this today dear saints of God. Take it all to heart. Heed the warning and listen to the instruction God gives you. Most especially, take comfort and refuge in your Lord Jesus who has redeemed you and called you his own. Dear people of God, Jesus is no false prophet. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus is your Redeemer.

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Dear ones, like the crowds in our text, it’s not by running but by reclining at this festal banquet here in the presence of the Lord that you will know true satisfaction and the life in God we were always meant to live. Because here you receive the bread of Christ’s flesh from His hands, flesh which was given into death for the forgiveness of your sins, and which He gives us here today from out of the abundance of His compassionate heart—and there will be no lack for you.

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But you should also remember that that the Lord our God did not want to vent His full fiery wrath and fury upon us, but that we would be reconciled to Him and have peace instead, even despite the evil we’ve done. And that’s why our Savior, Jesus, the very Son of God in the flesh, to this day bears the scars that made for our peace with the Father, when He shed His divine blood on the cross to cover over our sins and turn away the wrath of God against us.

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When God is your light and your salvation, and he most certainly is in Christ, there is no one or nothing to fear. The way of the Lord is good and so you seek after what he lays before you.

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God’s people at that time, as I said, were yearning for the Lord to break the silence and the waiting He’d imposed on them for so long. And so, the nativity of St. John the Baptist teaches you, it is a testament you and to me, that the Lord will not be silent forever, and the marvelous work He brings about in the end is well worth the wait.

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There is great joy in heaven this day as your sin is forgiven and you have new life in Christ. The day is coming as well when you will see that joy and experience it fully and with all the company of God’s saints and all the angels.

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by the hands of His servants today, He will give over the very food and drink which grants eternal life—truly, a feast that transcends all others. So come, then. Heed your Lord’s call and feast yourselves today, dear ones. Respond to our Lord’s words in humble faith, and you will taste our Lord’s feast in His kingdom, to Whom be all the glory now and forever. Amen.

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Dear Christians be encouraged today and see the wonderful hope you have in Christ who was crucified for you and has atoned for your sin, conquered death, and gives you his righteousness.

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And He’s also done this so that by His grace, as adopted sons, born from above out of water and the Spirit, we too would know not only the eternal love the Father has for His Son, but also the love the Son has for the Father in the Spirit—us being baptized into and immersed in this perfect, reciprocal love of the three persons of the Holy Trinity, knowing and being known by one another in perfect unity. 

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“To this very day, the Spirit of God is kindling the hearts of men from every tribe and tongue with true Christian love for God and neighbor in the knowledge that by faith in Jesus, we now have forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation—that we’ve been called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit with the whole Christian Church as the very temple of the living God.”

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Dear saints of God this is your confession today, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Be bold in living this because Christ is yours and you are his. Take seriously the danger and warning of Christ for it is very real. Listen to the Helper, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit who gives you salvation and keeps you in it as you have Jesus crucified and risen for you. Cling to Christ and be at peace because he is faithful for you and to you. You are baptized into Christ, and he has acted for his name’s sake to redeem you from sin, death, and the power of the devil. He has done it and holds you tightly under the shelter of his tent now and forever.

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Dear Christians on this Rogate Sunday pray to your Lord. Pray this day and every day. Teach your children, grandchildren, friends, and all who call upon him to pray to Jesus as beggars who look to the Lord in his mercy. Pray boldly and confidently knowing that God commands you to pray, and he promises to hear you. Behold Jesus crucified and risen and know this all most certainly true.

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You are the Lord’s, and you will see him, and all this suffering, sorrow, crosses, sin, and death will be forgotten. Death has been destroyed by his death; Jesus risen the victory is won. With high delight let us unite in songs of great jubilation.

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“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk [of the Word.]” Treasure and take this all to heart and feast at your Lord’s banquet of his holy word and sacraments. See, Jesus is crucified and risen for the Holy Scriptures testify this to you and that this is all for you. Rejoice this day with the apostles and with Thomas as he gave that great confession of Jesus that he is “my Lord and my God.” Blessed are you dear saints of God who are hearers of this Easter proclamation and know that it is absolutely for you.

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Today is Maundy Thursday and your Lord has given you a great gift of his love to you his bride, the church. What joy, what love, what a truly blessed Sacrament you have as your gift from your Lord. He has loved you and still does just as he loved you that Thursday night when he was betrayed. Taste and see that the Lord is good, and his steadfast love endures forever.

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Behold the Lord Jesus, Who comes not proud and riding high and lifted up on a warhorse, but humble and meek, riding on a donkey—on a beast of burden. He comes not to make war against God and against you, but to make peace between God and you—and to ascend high and lifted up on His royal throne, the cross.

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Dear people of God, take refuge in Jesus and in the words he gives. “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Jesus is the “I AM.” He is the one true eternal God who revealed himself to Moses and has taken on human flesh. He is the one who was promised of old, and he is the one who is your Redeemer. Lift up your eyes this Sunday for your redemption draws near. See and behold this great love God has had for you in Christ and still has you.

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In the end, being with Jesus and having what He gives us, that’s what we need the most. And with the good things He gives us now, He would give us true faith and a foretaste of all that’s soon to come. 

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Your protection and deliverance are found in Christ who is the Stronger man who has overcome the strong man. Jesus has done this through his perfect, obedient life, suffering, and death for you in your place. Through the weakness of the cross, Christ crucified, you are redeemed and set free from the bonds of sin, death, and the devil.

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Jesus would not have us see Him as a cruel, strange Lord Who despises us and is pleased to see us suffer. But He would have us see Him as the very Son of God and the promised Messiah, Who works sometimes very mysteriously to strengthen our faith in Him and, because of His great love for us, to make us more like Him.

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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Take comfort today in Jesus. Temptation for you is something in which you have the victory in Christ, and you have the promises of God to take care of you now and the future rest and glory to come.

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Thanks be to God this day for the faith given by the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God for his great compassion in Jesus, the Son of David, who has mercy on you. Fix your eyes on him and cling to his promises today that he is yours and has saved you by his blood. Cry out to him at times knowing that he hears and answers you and will never forsake you. Look toward Jerusalem as Lent approaches hearing and seeing your redemption accomplished by the one who stopped along the way to heal a blind man. Hear and understand that this was done all for you and go for your faith has saved you.

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Rejoice this day that the Kingdom of God is yours and God’s word is given to you. Find rest and consolation in Jesus, the Sower of the seed, and have all that he says you have. Fear not the devil and his ways. Don’t despair as the cares of this life try to take your eyes of Christ. Don’t worry when the church seems to be weak and small. God’s power is made perfect in weakness and his grace is sufficient for you.

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There’s great comfort in this parable for you today dear people of God because it means that God is true to what he says, and he is generous toward you in Christ. God promises you what is yours and it all depends on what Jesus has done.

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Christ…shone brightly as the One Who came not to receive glory from men, but to give us His own, to restore innocence and purity to the fallen and to banish the darkness of our ancient sinfulness.

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All this glory is for you dear bride of Christ. The hour of Jesus has come, and he has accomplished your salvation. Rejoice this day in the Lord who changed water and to wine. He is the Lord who has created all things, ordered all things, and grants you to dwell in those things in which he gives.

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The Spirit descending and resting on Jesus makes manifest to us the reality that Jesus has restored our nature in Himself. And the Spirit descends from heaven like a finger plainly pointing out that this One—Jesus—is the One with Whom the Father is well pleased; this is the new head of the human race—the Second Adam and the perfect image and likeness of God in our flesh.

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What an Epiphany this is to know God in the flesh as he has revealed himself to you and continues to manifest himself in your life as you hear his word and receive his sacraments. Your life in Christ is an Epiphany lived out in this world until that day when you will see the Lord unveiled in glory. That future Epiphany will be a glorious day that will never end where all the saints fall down before the Lamb on his throne and rejoice in the salvation, he has given to you freely. Epiphany now and Epiphany to come but the same Lord who is first and last, the end and the beginning. To him alone be the glory now and forever.

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Mary’s child is her Lord and God just as he is yours. His future is your future and what a glorious one it is. God is your Father, and he delights in you his child and what your future holds. Go through this life as an heir of all things. Taste and see that the Lord is good, and his steadfast love endures forever. And then go and depart this place and, whenever the Lord wills it, in this earthly life in this peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding always knowing Christ is yours and you are his own.

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God is where he wants to be. God is in the manger, and this is beautiful. He’s here for you just as he lay in the dirty manger he was where he wanted to be and as he slept soundly as a babe, he was on his heroic course for you. For unto a child is born, unto you a Son is given. You are his and he is yours “Glory to God in the Highest” now and forever.  

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Rejoice in Jesus and rejoice as you look forward to that day when he comes again not in the lowliness of the manger or hidden in means but when he comes again in great glory as only, he can do. Rejoice in the Lord always. He is at hand. The Lord has come, he is here now and for you in his means of grace, and he is coming again to take you to a comfort beyond compare that will last forever. People of God rejoice, and come, Lord Jesus!

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Would to God that when you look at each other in the eyes here in this place, as redeemed Christians, as those baptized into His love and into His body here, would that you perceive Your Redeemer in one another. Would that when you look into each other’s eyes, you’d know that it’s not they who live but Christ Who lives in them and Who moves them to come alongside you to bear your burdens with you and so fulfill His royal law.

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Fix your eyes on Jesus. Lift up your soul and trust in him. Greet him as your King now and when he comes again in glory. Wait with eager anticipation and know that no one who waits for him, your King, will be put to shame. Meet and greet your King, Jesus, with great joy and join with your fellow saints, the Church, as you begin this new church year with renewed vigor, “Come, Lord Jesus! Amen.”

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On that day when He appears, either you’ll be ready, or you won’t. Either you’ll be prepared, or you won’t. There won’t be any going back or making up for wasted time. And what will be revealed for all to see is whether we’ve been wise or foolish in what we’ve been devoted to up till then.

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Christ crucified and risen for you is your confidence to face the day of judgment and the reason why the sheep, you, have eternal life. That’s what God says even now to you his dear people. The comfort of the Gospel is the comfort of knowing your judgment. Look forward to the final day when the Lord doesn’t look at your sin but says to you, “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.’”

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If…we open ourselves to the wisdom of the holy Scriptures and drink deeply of Job’s words, potent and well-mixed as they are with the Holy Spirit Himself, if we avail ourselves of their medicinal effect in us, dear ones, by the grace of God, we will find ourselves being cured of our spiritual apathy; we’ll find ourselves more zealous for and devoted to the things of God, and for our common life together as His people in the Lord Jesus.

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Your sin is forgiven. This is most certainly true. Rejoice in this forgiveness. Listen and learn from Jesus too how to treat your brother when he sins against you. Forgive him.

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Whether He grants a measure of temporary restoration and relief, like He did for the royal official in our text, or if He bids you to wait patiently until He brings permanent restoration and relief in the Day of the Resurrection, dear ones, commend all things into to the nail-pierced hands of Him Who shed His blood for your forgiveness, the One Who is our life and Who brings life out of death.

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These words of Jesus today humble you, but they also exalt you as you see your Lord has called you his own and forgives your sin and keeps calling you. He has chosen you as his own, don’t doubt that for one minute. You are God’s people. Rejoice, “All is ready.” Feast now and feast forever.

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Teaching, preaching, and healing are the core elements of Jesus’ ministry. They can’t be separated from one another. Both His teaching and preaching illumine the mind and restore the soul, and His healing miracles restore the body. And what’s on full display for us in our Gospel lesson today is the paralytic, whom Jesus restores in both his body and his soul…[But] which of these two is our Savior’s priority? To be sure, He comes to restore mankind to wholeness in body and soul, but tell me, which of these two is, for Him, of first importance, and is the same true for you?

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Jesus is the Lord. He’s not some generic nebulous god who is unknowable. Jesus is God in the flesh who reveals himself to you though his word. He is the one prophesized and promised through David and all the prophets. Trusting Christ, you see Jesus as the Lord who has accomplished salvation for you. He is the one who has fulfilled God’s law completely and perfectly as he has loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, and mind and his neighbor as himself. This is the life, death, and resurrection of Christ for you. You see this perfect love of God to and for you as you behold him as the crucified one who has made atonement for your sin and God’s wrath against you has been appeased by the shedding of his blood. He doesn’t leave you searching for his will or trying to wonder where you stand before him. He is risen from the dead and you are righteous in his sight.

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Flee pride…like the deadly plague it is. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled. There’s no escaping this; there’s no escaping the futility of pride. But whoever humbles himself will be exalted. This is because the place of humility is the place where Jesus is.

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Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture…St. Michael and all the holy angels are working even here and now for our benefit–and this is because of the grace and mercy of the Lord, Who gives them charge to do these things. Give thanks that we have their help, and above all, give thanks to the Lord your God, that He has made known the depths of His love and care for you in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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For us…it is the highest honor to receive the summons of our Lord to come here for these things, to be raised to newness of life like the widow’s son and to say with him and St. Simeon, Lord ‘my eyes have seen thy salvation and the glory of thy people Israel.’

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Called by name in Holy Baptism you know the Lord who is the Maker of heaven and earth and who has redeemed you by the blood of Christ. That changes everything, then. It fixes your eyes on Christ crucified for you and sees this world in and through him. It knows that God will not let you be put shame as you trust in him.

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This is the life of the baptized child of God that all of you have been brought into. It’s a cruciform life. It’s a life of faith and obedience to God lived under the cross of Christ. Thus, by dying in Christ, we live.

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Come present yourself before our blessed Savior and give thanks like the Samaritan, both today and everyday. And know that by faith in Jesus—the incarnate Salvation of God—we, together with all the company of the redeemed, shall see the face of God in the land of the living–unblemished, resurrected, full of gladness, and free.

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The point of my homily to you tonight is as simple as it is important, and that is this: that the opening of St. John’s Classical Lutheran School is nothing less than a gift from God, and I humbly urge all of you to cherish it as such.

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Rejoice this day in what mercy you have been shown. You are redeemed by the blood of Christ. Your wounds have been healed. You’ve been lifted and taken to the inn. You are fed and nourished at the cost of the Lord, and he promises you he is coming again to take you to be with himself. Have confidence in all this today as a Christian. Know with certainty that you belong to Christ, your sin is forgiven, and you have eternal life.

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The devil, the world, and our fallen flesh work in concert with each other to lead us away from truly hearing what the Word of God says about Who Jesus is and what He’s come to do. The deaf-mute man in Mark 7:31-37 thus becomes an image for everyone who cannot hear God’s Word and therefore cannot confess its truth. We, like this deaf-mute man, are dependent on Jesus to conquer the devil and undo his work, so that we can hear the truth of God’s saving Gospel and confess the very same with our mouths. Thanks be to God that Christ our Lord does just that.

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Our Lord visits us this day in His Word and Sacrament, in the gifts and blessings He so freely gives. And at the font we’ve all been cleansed from the wickedness of sin by the washing of water and the Word. There we were consecrated by Him to be His royal priests, a holy nation unto Him—even spiritual temples of the Triune God.

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The world comes and go but your Lord has overcome the world. Use what you have been given wisely. Be faithful in a little and God makes you faithful in much. View everything through the lens of Jesus crucified and risen for you. Know who you are in this world and know what you have in Christ. Your sin is forgiven, and you have eternal life. He is your joy, your crown, your all, your bliss eternally. Dear saints of God that means everything, absolutely everything.

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Jesus’ warning to us against false prophets is dire—and for good reason. Preachers and teachers of God’s people who (1) have no legitimate authority from God to speak in His name, and those who (2) may have legitimate authority to preach and teach but who promote false doctrine, pose a great danger to all who would enter through the narrow gate that leads to life. But our Lord’s strong warning reflects his love for us and his zeal for our salvation. Therefore, we should honor the rightly called servants whom God sends to work on His behalf and for our benefit, and we should cling to the pure teaching of the Gospel as revealed in holy Scripture which brings life through Christ.

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The same God who created Adam and Even putting them in the Garden of Eden is the same God who fed the 4,000 in the Gospel reading and is the same God who has redeemed you. God will not forsake you in this world or into the life to come.

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Your Lord has indeed accomplished your salvation. His active obedience fulfilling God’s law was for your benefit. He fulfilled all the Law and the Prophets, and he was the perfect sacrifice for you sin and the sin of the whole world. Now all his righteousness is yours through faith in him. He has had mercy upon you and your sin is forgiven. He has given you a new life in the waters of your baptism. God’s word is clear on this, you have in those saving waters what Christ has accomplished.

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Each day repent of your sin and look to Christ who has redeemed you. Rest in his word that promises you have eternal life. Find solace in the church that is eternal and will not be overcome. When times of trial and hardship come and all seems to be hopeless, cling even more to the Lord who is your anchor and keeps you from being tossed here and there by every passing fad and false teaching itching ears want to hear. Look to the horizon too and know what is coming. The Lord is returning and will take you to himself. On that day the toil will be gone. All doubts and struggles will be gone. All sin will be gone. All death will be gone. That day will be glorious day without compare when the fishing and work is over and it’s time to eat at the feast forever.

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John’s confession is your confession. Elizabeth’s confession is your confession. Mary’s confession is your confession. Join with them and all the saints speaking, living, and singing this confession every day. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Rejoice indeed in God your Savior. “For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

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There’s great joy in heaven over you who have been called by the Gospel and given faith in Christ. Your baptism day was a party in heaven and there is still rejoicing as your Lord continues to forgive you and guard and keep you in his care. There is great joy in heaven this day as your sin is forgiven and you have new life in Christ.

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Dear Christian, Wisdom calls out and says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” This is what Jesus has done for you and he says, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’”

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Take this to heart dear children of God. The Lord looks at you this very day and says, “you are righteous in my sight.” With this declaration you know that you will be where Lazarus went and is even now. He had Moses and the Prophets and so do you. God has spoken to you and your eyes are fixed on Jesus, your Savior. Your life is hidden in Jesus and now you walk through this world as one who knows you have a future glory to come and looks at your neighbor with a love that flows from the love of Jesus for you. You go through this life seeing your neighbor as one for whom Christ has died just as he died for you. Your heart belongs to Christ and this heart is a new heart that overflows with mercy toward your neighbor. It’s a heart that treasures God’s word as the words of life and the lamp to your feet and the light to your path. Your prayer each day is for God’s protection and care even as you with all boldness call him your dear Father for in Christ you are his dear children.

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God the Father showed you his loving heart when he poured on you his Holy Spirit through his Son Jesus Christ. There he opened your eyes to see just who this Creator is. The one who created all things has become your heavenly Father. He did this through his own eternal Son because of the Son’s obedience to the Father in your place. And the heavenly Father made your sonship a guarantee through the seal of the Holy Spirit, whom God richly poured into your heart as a guarantee. So here in these baptismal waters, God tells you everything you need to know about him: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

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The Lord’s peace is yours this very day. It’s real peace, the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Not only that but there’s confidence and certainty in the peace of Jesus. That’s the wonderful thing you see here at Pentecost. God is working in your life when you have his word and sacraments, and this is where you find him for you. You aren’t scattered about tossed back and forth when it comes to the Christian faith. He doesn’t leave you wondering whether you are his or if you have Christ. You don’t find the gospel apart from the means of grace. The Holy Spirit is a preacher, and he sanctifies you; you are a holy one, a saint.

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Dear Christian, let this be your confidence and certainty. The conviction of the apostles is yours. The boldness of the apostles is yours. Their power of the Holy Spirit is yours. You too may proclaim the name of Jesus. You too may glory in the possible suffering and (as God wills it) even death for sharing the love of Christ. At the very least, take confidence that the words you regularly read from the apostles are true. They are backed up by the words and promises of Jesus who foretold their witnessing power and the pains they would suffer for showing this power.

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Ascension Day is a day of comfort. Confess boldly, “And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.” Know what this is all means as you speak those words and what this all means. It’s a day for you to rejoice in your Lord who is near and is yours now and forever.

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The Son of God, true God and true man, is yours and that means everything. In Christ you have it all as God commands you to pray and promises to hear you. And hear you he does now as you pray and on that final day into eternity where your faith ends, and you see him face to face just as Jesus is risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity.

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God does not change. He has been constant in mercy towards you so far. He has washed you with the waters of regeneration. He has taught you from his sacred writings. He invites you to come and eat of his Son’s blessed Supper. His mercy has been constant and a firm rock of certainty. Do not forget the power of his Word. Do not swerve from the paths of his righteousness. Receive his Word with meekness; for it made you into the first fruits of his creation, and it has the power to save your soul.

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Dear saints of God, joy is on the horizon even as you look to Christ and see him crucified and risen for you and rejoice in him. Jesus is the crucified one and he lives and so do you and so shall you. Jesus said, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

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“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” You are the flock of Jesus and that’s extraordinary. Jesus has laid down his life for you and brought you into his flock, the church. There are so many promises that you have as the flock of Christ. Jesus gives you eternal life. Jesus knows you and you know him.

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Our Lord places his seal and mark on these men. They are his special, called men who will have a special task. What is this task? It is to go out and forgive sins. Jesus promises them that these men have the authority to retain or remit sins, to withhold forgiveness or to give forgiveness. They have the authority to spread the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. And they do this all the while proclaiming Jesus. For, wherever they speak of God’s forgiveness, they will speak of the wounds and marks which the crucified and risen Savior bore in order to win that forgiveness.

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It is for our sakes that Jesus has done this miracle. He certainly knows that we are afraid of death. To that He says, do not be afraid and let not your heart be troubled. Though death is terrible, what can it harm you? It may terrify you. But learn to avoid judging by your feelings and following your fears: look to Jesus and remember what He can do and what He desires to do. He can raise you from death as easily as you awaken a person out of sleep. And, He will do it cheerfully and with pleasure.

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