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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As you gather this morning and hear that your Lord’s tomb was indeed empty, and he is risen know what you have and what your future holds. This is an extraordinary day. “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Jesus is risen and that changes everything. Even as you face death you know the end of the story for you. Jesus is risen and so shall you. Your sin is forgiven, and you have eternal life.

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God had sanctified the Sabbath, the seventh day of creation, and made it holy. He set it apart because he had rested from all his work. Now, Jesus has sanctified his resurrection day because it is a new day of a new creation. The seven days of the old creation have passed; the new day has dawned. The sun is here and will never more be diminished. Easter has come and it will remain. The Lord has given you the sign of the empty tomb as a testament to this fact. You are now a new creation. You are fashioned as a new creature, living with the same life as the one who was crucified but now is arisen. To him be the glory, to the end of the ages. Amen.

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The Lord died at the hands of men who meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. That’s what the Lord does because nothing would stop him from redeeming you in Christ. Listening to this all, behold your crucified Lord stricken, smitten, and afflicted and sing your tongue of this glorious battle and victory you have in the death of Christ for you.

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We see many things which were shown beforehand by the prophecies of God, through both words and actions. A thorough study of the Scriptures will show that God had placed before his people a type through his salvation of the Passover and the sacred feast which followed as a commemoration. The slaying of the lamb, the sign of the blood, the rescue from death, all these were pointing to show greater things which were to come. The antitype, or fulfillment, is in our Lord’s sacred meal, the Lord’s Supper. What God did before will help us to treasure and rejoice over what God does now.

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When faced with the reality of his sin, when faced with the wounded glare from his Lord and Master as Peter finished denying him for the third time, Peter did not shrink back into his own guilt and shame. He did not remain secluded in the “what if”s of despair. No, even though he recognized his wrong, even though he wept bitterly, he also knew the Lord’s forgiveness and love. He trusted in that love which would cover a multitude of sins. He knew from his Lord’s promise (“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners”) that the Lord would not reject his repentance. He took Jesus’ words as true, secure, and trustworthy.

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Greet your humble King who rides on in majesty to die. Wave the palms and cry out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” He truly has come and is here now. Blessed indeed is he and blessed are you dear daughter of Zion. Fear not. Rest easy in him.

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So what then is a proper examination? The proper examination is to see if you have faith. Behold, it’s simple; but, this examination is not simplistic. Do you have the faith required to receive this gift? What is this faith? It is the faith which trusts in two things: one, I need this gift, and two, I know my savior Jesus will provide it here.

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Jesus does not speak for his own glory. He lets himself be slandered; he lets lies be spoken about him. Yet, what he will not give up is the truth. He will continue to speak and defend his Father, the one who has sent the Son to teach the truth. He lets his Father do the ultimate judgment. The Father seeks for his Son to be honored. The Father will work to judge and vindicate his Son. So, dear Christian, be encouraged by this fact: if you are slandered, if you are ridiculed, the Father seeks to honor you. He will vindicate you, if not now, if not soon, then for certainty in the age to come.

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God shows you mercy and takes care of you in body and soul. The Lord is yours and you are his. He takes care of you in all circumstances even as he took care of his people since the world began. The same God who rained down manna and quail is the same God who worked the miracle in John 6. This God is who has redeemed you. He knows you and has called you by name in the waters of Holy Baptism. He gives you your daily bread. He hears and answers your prayers. He guards, keeps, and upholds you with his righteous right hand. He forgives you and shows you mercy.

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Keep that in the forefront of your mind when you hear those words “given for you, shed for you.” This cross was for you. There are a lot of misunderstandings of the cross. There are a lot of people who want to create their own Jesus, picking and choosing what things they want to listen to. To know Jesus rightly you must look at his cross and why he had to endure it. To know why he had to endure it, you must look to his words given at the Lord’s Supper. It was always a sacrifice for you, for your sins, so that you might taste God’s new covenant for all mankind to receive.

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What the man of God will be concerned over will be the good, the right, and the true. He will want to follow the example of the Lord Jesus; to follow the good and precious offering to God. He will do all this because he has now been made an eternal child of God. He will do it because he has been established forever. Amen.

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Rejoice this day and call upon the Lord. Be persistent in the faith the Lord has given you and strengthens you in as you go through this life. Desire to be the dog that eats the crumbs from the master’s table and know that your place is far better. Your place is at the eternal wedding feast which knows no end. That’s what you are promised, and you see as you behold your Lord crucified and risen for you. So, remember his mercies and call upon the Lord to remember them as well. He is faithful, he will surely do it.

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This Lententide should be a good reminder of the difficulty of this journey until you reach the eternal banquet; the difficulties of the weight of sin which still clings to your body, the difficulties of the strife and turmoil which surrounds you, the difficulties of the pain and misery common to this world. All these may weary you. All these may lead you to despair. Find your power, find your strength in this meal. Trust in the Lord who is the physician of body and soul. Receive from his gracious hand the medicine of immortality.

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Why did Jesus have to learn this obedience? He learned this obedience to his Father to become a source of salvation for all. He proved that he was the new Adam, the true Son of God, made and kept in the image of God. Now, all who receive the new Adam, this Jesus Christ, receive his perfection and obedience as their own. They receive the ability to learn and grow in this obedience as the true children of God.

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Lent is here upon you once again. Remember that you are dust and repent. Know and cling to Christ who destroyed death by his death and gives you eternal life. Rejoice in your redemption in Christ who has created in you a clean heart and renewed a right spirit within you and will never cast you away from his presence for he alone is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Rightly know your place as dust but know in faith with all boldness and confidence in Christ that you are redeemed and in eternal life you shall live.

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Fix your eyes on Jesus crucified for you 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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Now is the season of sowing. Now is the time for the Word of God to be placed across all creation. Then comes the time of the harvest. Then comes the expectation of his labor. As the sower expects to find grown plants and much fruit, so God expects to find people who fear, love, and trust in him above all things. He expects to find those who believe his promise of eternal life and want to suffer all in order to keep it. He desires a people that belong to him and are devoted to him.

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God’s grace is a wonderful thing indeed. The favor of God is toward you because of Jesus and his work done on your behalf. God’s face looks and shines upon you because your sin has been atoned for by Jesus and you are baptized into his name. This life is lived under the cross and sometimes the work is backbreaking. Sometimes it looks as though the day will never end and that promised denarius will never be seen. But the day will end, and the night will come when no one will be able to work. On that day, though, you will rest with Jesus and all his saints reaping the fruit of Christ’s labor for you. You will sit and drink the fine wine of salvation which overflows at the eternal wedding feast.

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Dear Christian, here is the Lord Jesus fulfilling all things in your place. Purification is now yours. Redemption is now yours. That is why we return one last time to the story of Christ’s infancy. The Lord enters his temple for the first time, ready to return with a sacrifice that will pay for all sins, once and for all.

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Our Lord gives you this sign of the transfiguration so that as you begin your journey down the mountain and to the cross, as you enter into the season of Lent, as you meditate on the holy, bitter, sufferings and death of your Lord Jesus Christ, you might have the strength and encouragement by receiving just a taste of your future glory.

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God marvels at you as you behold him in faith. The Father sees Jesus who has atoned for you sin. For his sake you are righteous in his sight. That means absolutely everything as you sit here now and go from this place. Your Lord calls you as his own and he guides you through this life through his word.

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Jesus’ miracle points to the future day, the day after the end of days, when man will enjoy the richest of foods and the most delectable of wines in an unmeasured amount, and it will be good. The joy will never end. The mirth and laughter will not stop. Even if that was not realized with the wedding at Cana of Galilee, even if there was still an abuse of God’s good gifts, our Lord wants to show his disciples the reason why he has come: to grant all the benefits of his kingdom.

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See the baptism of Jesus and know what God has given you in your own baptism. Rest in the arms of the Beloved Son of the Father in whom the Father is well pleased.

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Those who were under the darkness of blindness, now have been illumined by the Holy Spirit and know of the true God. Those who were under the darkness of death, now have tasted eternal life in Christ. Those who were under the darkness of despair, now have the hope of the resurrection. And this work must and will continue. Through the mouths of preachers, through the mouths of parents, through the mouths of neighbors, through the mouths of teachers, the light of Christ will scatter the darkness of unbelief.

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God preaches to you today and places his name upon you again and again in this place and throughout this whole divine service. God is for you and that means everything. Rejoice loudly dear Christians and greet this new year in the name of the Lord. Your Lord has saved you and his name is Jesus.

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We have seen! We have beheld the glory of the only-begotten Son of God. You look at this man and what do you see? You look at this man and you see the Master and Lord, you see the potter who fashioned us all, you see the one who feeds and nourishes all, you see the creator of the stars of night. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that we get to marvel at something so profound and wonderful!

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This is the joy of Christmas; Christ is born for you. Listen to God this very moment. He cries out to you all, young and old, great, and small, near and far, dear people of God. Each one of you sitting here in this place tonight Jesus says to you, “I came, I was born all for you.” God fixes your eyes on the manger to see your Lord lying there who has come for you.

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This voice of John the Baptist was not only for early 1st century Jewish people living in Palestine. No, this voice proclaims for all people. All should prepare the way of the Lord. All should prepare until that final coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we are to know better who this Jesus is, we compare him to what was promised about him. When others thought John the Baptist to be the Christ or to be the prophet or to be Elijah, his testimony (what he said or what he did) helps to shine the light on the true Christ, the true prophet, to whom the true Elijah pointed. He is the one we await to greet at the manger. He is the one we await coming in glory, riding on the clouds with his angels.

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People of God, it’s Advent. The Lord has come, he comes to you now, and he is coming again. The day for rejoicing is here. Jesus has redeemed you by his blood and you are an heir of eternal life. Always remember that and cling to it. Christ is yours and you are his forever.

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Look around and know “the best is yet to come” so “straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” It most certainly is for Jesus has come, he comes now, and he is coming again for you people of Zion. Come, Lord Jesus! Even so, come quickly.

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Jesus prepares you to meet him for he has come and redeemed you. He comes now to forgive you through his means of grace, and he comes again to take you to himself even as he will create a new heavens and new earth for you and all his saints to dwell.”

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Especially in this holiday season, when sentimentalities and thankfulness abound but always alongside a vagueness concerning to whom exactly it belongs, it is your duty to be explicit and specific for your praise towards Jesus. To him belongs all the glory. To him belongs all the praise. His is the name above every name. His is the love and mercy to heal and to save.

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This Church Year is ending. Jesus says, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” As the people of God made wise in Christ you cry out knowing Advent is on the horizon, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!”

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There are many ways God shows his love for the unlovable. Yet, this is an important way: he loves by being patient. O, this love of God which suffers the pain and grief of seeing so much evil done! He does not exact vengeance immediately (although he has every right). He waits; and waits; and waits.

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Rejoice dear saints of God and take courage to face the days right now as ones who have eternal life. Not even death can take life away from you. That’s a bold statement to make but that’s the truth of who you are in Christ.

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Death has been defeated and as God’s saints this salvation, this eternal life, is yours. Fix your eyes on Jesus this day and cling to him.

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What is the end of this violence? Is the kingdom of God overpowered? Does the scowling of the devil amount to anything? No, of course not! The almighty fortress of God’s kingdom remains through the Word of God purely taught. The Valiant One was not stopped by his death on the cross. No, he rose from the dead, conquered death, and gave power to the Gospel he handed off to the apostles….That one man Martin Luther was not quieted. Through the grace of God more and more saw the truth of the Scriptures: man is justified by faith alone on account of Christ’s merit. Though the pope and the emperor were all eager to devour Luther and the reformers, the Word of God could not be stopped.

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You are God’s people. Rejoice, “All is ready.” Feast now and feast forever.

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When you go through times of trial and testing, rejoice. In all things fix your eyes on Jesus for he and he alone is the one who has redeemed you and gives you reason to always rejoice and in all circumstances.

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When you open your Bible and read from any place, you will find God commanding you to love him either by the “You shall…” statements or by examples of how God’s people have lived. But that is not everything God has to say in His Word. There is also his love for us in Christ Jesus. That is the other great topic of the Bible. Jesus wanted to remind the lawyer of this other great topic, so he asked his own question. He noticed them focusing on the “love God with all your heart, soul, and mind” to the detriment of “the LORD your God.” How do we know this? They fail to see that the LORD their God stands right before them, that they could touch their God if they reached out and grabbed Jesus. Without acknowledging that Jesus is their God, they miss the whole point of loving God.

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Jesus is your Lord who humbled himself so that you are exalted and baptized into his exalted name which is above every name.

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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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