Proper 28 - G - 2013 - Stay Awake

The Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost

November 17, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline

Malachi 4:1-6              2 Thessalonians 3:1-13            Luke 21:5-36

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today comes from the lessons just read, especially these words, “Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  It’s the end of the church year, just a few weeks to go until the church celebrates a new year with the season of Advent.  In other words, it’s the “Fire and brimstone” time of the church year.  And our texts today truly have that fire and brimstone behind them. 

Behold the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.  These words of Malachi are the last words of the Old Testament ever written.  This warning is one that echoed out as the last words of God for 400 years to his people.  And they are a word of warning.  Stay away from wickedness.  Stay away from the arrogance that says I’m better than others, so God will ignore my sin.  Instead, remember the ten commandments given to Moses.  Not just some of them, but all of them, from “You shall have no other Gods”, to “You shall not commit adultery”, to “You shall not covet,” and everything in between.  Do this, and you will avoid the fire and punishment of that great Day of the Lord. 

And if Malachi speaking this warning isn’t enough for you, dear friends, hear also the words spoken by Christ our Lord, echoing the warning of Malachi.  “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.”  Take heed to these warnings, for the consequences spoken of are eternal, and they are weighty beyond imagining with life and death hanging in the scales. 

And the most terrifying this is this, we have not kept the ten commandments.  We’ve failed terribly.  In fact there’s not one of the ten commandments of Moses that we have kept.  “You shall not murder”, God says.  But the truth is we are murderers, Jesus says, if we so much as harbor anger in our hearts against someone in our lives – something we all have done.  Its sin long before you’ve acted on it.  “Do not commit adultery”  How about this?  Jesus says you’ve broken this rule if you have looked at someone with any tiny bit of lust in your heart, long before you’ve even gotten to sleeping with them outside of marriage.  “Do not steal.”  In fact, everything you have, you should have gotten in a Godly way.  Don’t gossip or lie, Be honest and straight forward about everything – yes everything.  And attend church every Sunday, even as you spend time outside of church constantly in God’s Word on your own. 

Dear friends, this is a tall order.  One we’ve all failed at.  One we can’t even come close to fulfilling.  And Scripture says that if we’ve failed at one point, we’ve failed at them all.  And that even if you were able to keep them all, which you are not, that that would be just the bare minimum of what God expects from you. 

And the day is coming, when all sins will be revealed and out in the open.  Christ promises to return to earth, and to judge all for the things they’ve done on earth.  And for us this day should be terrifying to think of.  We should be afraid of hell, and all the punishment that comes with sin. 

And yet the reality is this.  Christ Jesus, the one who comes to judge the sin of the world, has himself been judged for sin.  Christ came and went to the cross, why?  To be judged for sin, in your place.  To suffer for all those things that you’ve done wrong, yes even those we’ve just spoken of along with those thing we haven’t.  There is not one sin that you’ve done that Jesus did suffer the judgment for.  There’s not one sin that He hasn’t died for.  If you’ve committed it, he’s died for it.  And so all of your sin, yes dear friends, all of them have been paid for by Christ our Lord. 

That forgiveness has come to you already.    It has happened to you as well.  In baptism, your sin became Jesus’s sin.  In baptism, the punishment you deserve was put on Christ.  You died with Christ in your baptism.  You were buried with Jesus through baptism into death, so that all your sin and guilt became his, so that he might pay for it.  And in the waters of baptism your fire and brimstone became Christ’s and Christ’s life became yours. 

So now, you need not fear God.  You need not worry about the sin you’ve committed.  You get life from Jesus.  You get forgiveness form Jesus.  And in baptism, you’ve received Salvation because of Jesus. 

So what then do we say?  Should we sin more so that our forgiveness increases!  No, you’re dead to sin because of baptism.  Because you belong to Christ you out to strive to steer clear of all sin.  You ought to live holy lives here in time, so that we may also live them there in eternity.  Yes all future sins are forgiven, but we seek to live apart from that sin. 

The day of the Lord is coming.  The last day when the world will come to its end.  But we do not face judgment on that day, but forgiveness in Christ.  He will come on that day with healing in his wings.  We rejoice, that on that day, we will enter heaven, because of the forgiveness of the cross, given to us in the waters of baptism.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

+Timothy John Lietz + Funeral Sermon

Job 19 - ²³ “Oh that my words were written!
    Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
²⁴ Oh that with an iron pen and lead
    they were engraved in the rock forever!
²⁵ For I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and at the last he will stand upon the earth.^[a]
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
    yet in^[b] my flesh I shall see God,
²⁷ whom I shall see for myself,
    and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
    My heart faints within me!

Romans 8 - ²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because^[a] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,^[b] for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be^[c] against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.^[d] 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 18 - At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

⁵ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today comes from the Epistle lesson just read, especially these words from St. Paul, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends, especially family and friends of Tim.  The past few weeks have been very difficult at times.  It has been a struggle from one day to the next, as we watched the slow decline of Tim.  There’ve been drives back and forth to Fargo.  There’ve been hours spent bedside in the hospital.  There’ve been tears that were cried in the midst of smiles that were shared of days gone by.  Stories were told, memories remembered, new memories were made – specifically exploding electrical outlets in the hospital. 

And throughout it all, Tim’s body grew weaker and weaker.  The strength that had carried him through 4 years of cancer treatment was wearing thin.  His breathing became shallow, his heart slowed, and finally on Friday evening, his life came to its end.  And to a certain extent, for us it was a relief, to see the suffering end, to see the struggle completed.  And yet now we are left with a hole in our heart that we are uncertain will ever be filled.  And that is the very sting of sin and death.  That because of our guilt, we must face death – be that the death of a loved one, or our own impending demise.  Because of sin, death exists.  And we know and understand that first hand today. 

And as we are face to face with such a close and personal loss, our own strength wavers.  We want to know why this had to happen.  Why do our loved ones leave us?  Why must we suffer and hurt?  Why do so many whom we love go away forever?  And as we ask these questions, we can feel our strength weakening, our hearts melting, and our sorrow grow.  We are not strong enough to face the challenges this sinful world presents us.  We cannot make it day by day on our own. 

But St. Paul writes, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  The Spirit prays on our behalf, asking God for mercy for you and for me, and for Tim, because of the blood of Christ.  The Spirit proclaims loudly to God the Father that we are innocent and deserving of life in Jesus our Lord.  And, St. Paul writes, nothing in this world, not heights or depths, nor things present nor things to come, not even life or death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. 

It’s a love for you and me and for Tim that runs deep.  So deep in fact that Christ’s love led him to Jerusalem where on an old rugged cross he died for all our weakness.  He suffered for our suffering.  And the punishment that brought us peace was laid upon him.  Jesus died so that as we face death we might be certain of eternity and life in his name. 

And what’s more, Jesus rose again from the dead.  He is alive now, and promises that all who believe in him will also live.  That means you.  That means me.  And that means Tim. 

And so it is through Jesus, our Redeemer that we know where Tim is right now, and even forever and ever amen.  He’s in heaven.  He rests in the loving arms of his savior.  And so we can shout with joy the words of our Old Testament lesson.  For we know that our Redeemer lives, and that in the last we shall see him with our own eyes.  And even after our skin has been thus destroyed by cancer, and struggle and the sickness of this sinful world, because of Jesus we shall see God in our own flesh and with our own eyes. 

In Jesus this is possible.  In his sacrifice we are saved.  In the Son of God crucified and risen for the sins of the world, we are more than conquerors over this world of death.  And even today, “I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Amen.  

+ Timothy J. Lietz + Prayer Service Sermon

Isaiah 61:1-3, 10

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim liberty to the captives,  and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God;    to comfort all who mourn;
³ to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning,    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;that they may be called oaks of righteousness,the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Luke 2:25-32

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.²⁷ And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸ he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

²⁹ “Lord, now you are letting your servant^[a] depart in peace,
    according to your word;
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation
³¹     that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.”

Dear friends in Christ, Lord, now let your servant depart in peace.  These words were spoken many years ago, in the temple of Jerusalem by an old man named Simeon.  God had told Simeon that the consolation of Israel was coming soon, the solace and comfort of the world would enter the world, and Simeon would see him with his own eyes. 

And into his world comes Jesus, at this time, just oer a month old, carried very carefully in the arms of his mother Mary.  And upon seeing the baby Jesus, Simeon shouts, “Thank you Lord, now I may depart this world and life in peace, because I have seen your salvation, just as your word proclaims.”  And at some point after that, Simeon, departs this world through death, as all do.

So why these words on this night?  What difference does this make to us, thousands of miles away, and thousands of years later?  They make all the difference, for just a few nights ago, one of our beloved friends departed this world in peace. A beloved husband, father and friend, Tim Lietz. 

It had been a long fight.  A four year battle against pancreatic cancer.  A battle that Tim always took in stride, with great strength and a smile on his face, always assuring those around him that it was all going “just fine.”  And then these last few weeks, as side effects from the treatment began to hurt his body, even then he fought, until finally, he peacefully slept the last days of his life, and departed this world. 

And just like Simeon in our text today, Tim departed in peace because of Jesus.  Its only through Jesus that we are saved.  Its only by the power of the Son of God that we can be certain of heaven.  We cannot save ourselves.  We cannot overcome death by our own work or goodness.  We need Jesus!

Jesus who came into this world for the sole purpose of destroying the power of sin and death forever.  To take away the turmoil of this world, and to kill it by his own suffering and turmoil on the cross.  So that through his death, we might depart in peace and certainty.

And that peace and certainty is this, that because Jesus died and rose, so too will we.  Because of Jesus we will enter an eternal world devoid of sorrow and pain and suffering.  A world where death does not exist.  All of this because of Jesus. 

In our text today Simeon held baby Jesus in his own hands, seeing with his own eyes the baby who would grant him forgiveness, life and salvation.  And I stand before you today to tell you that the last day he was conscious that Tim also held Jesus, hidden in with and under bread and wine in the Holy Supper of our Lord.  And that in that eating of Jesus, and in His sacrifice, Tim now has peace that we cannot even begin to understand. 

  Tim is now with Christ, in eternal peace and forgiveness.  He no longer suffers.  “Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,” was Simeon’s prayer, and now in Christ, Tim has departed thusly, to rest with his Lord forevermore.  Amen.  

Proper 27 - G - 2013 - God of the Living, not of the Dead

The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost

November 10, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline

Exodus 3:1-15             Thessalonians 2:1-8, 13-17                  Luke 20:27-40

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is from the Gospel and Old Testament lessons, especially these words from Jesus, “Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  The past month, we have had 5 members of our parish pass away.  Five families who have wept and mourned, five days where we sorrowed at sin and its dreadful consequence in our lives.  There’ve been many hospital visits, many hours in prayer, many tears cried, and many hours in the cemetery in the last month.  And as we think about this past month, and even the past year with all 11 people who’ve died, our text today is such a beautiful Gospel message.  That God is the God of the living, not of the dead. 

When people die in our world, so often we think they’re gone.  We think that death has swallowed them up and that nothing can connect that loved one to us again, that they have ceased to exist.  And that whatever they were has been lost to the universe for all time.  And we mourn that idea, perhaps because we know what it means for us as well.  One day we too will die.  And we wonder what will happen to us at our death.  Where will we go?  What will happen to us, will our spirit float around this world forever, or will we too simply cease to exist. 

It’s the same fear the ancient Sadducees that were from Jesus day had.  They didn’t believe in the resurrection, just like so many in our world.  They thought that when your life came to its end, it was over for good.  And that nothing, could change that.  The Sadducees believed that when you died, your end came forever and ever amen. 

And in the face of that belief of death, in our text today Jesus speaks a word of truth and a word of promise.  “Look at the great patriarchs”, Jesus says, “look at the very word of God contained in the scripture.  It says that God is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.  God is the God of the living, not of the dead, and so if he is the God of Abraham, then Abraham still lives somewhere with God.  If He’s the God of Isaac and Jacob, than somewhere they live with God. 

The ancient Sadducees knew what that meant.  They had been to Machpelah the cave where Abraham, Issac and Jacob were buried, they had seen the graves, they had perhaps even seen the bones.  And yet Jesus claims that they are alive, because God is the God of the living, not of the dead.  That even though they have died in this world, and been buried in this world, that God maintains their life somewhere with his powerful word. 

And because of Jesus we know that’s the truth.  Jesus demonstrated that with his own life.  He went to the cross and died, giving up his life as a ransom for all who die, and then he was buried in a cave, just as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were.  Only Jesus’s body did not see decay.  His body did not rot in that tomb, his earthly remains are no longer there.  For he was raised into life everlasting.  He still, even today, is alive.  The disciples saw witnessed his resurrection with their own eyes.  They touched his risen body, able to put their fingers inside the nail marks.  Jesus is alive, and as he arose, so too did he promise the same to all who believe in him. 

And so all those members of our congregation who have been taken away are now alive with Jesus.  Maybe not physically alive today, but spiritually alive.  And as their souls rest with Jesus, so too have we cared for their bodies, lovingly storing them in our cemetery.  And on the last day, Jesus will raise those bodies, reuniting body and soul so that those people we love may live physically before God forever more.  For God is a God of the living, not of the dead. 

And dear friends, the same is true for you as well.  One day you will die.  One day you will be buried in the ground dead, and yet your soul will still be alive with God.  Jesus will keep you with him in faith in his sin sacrifice.  You will live, for he lived and rose before us.  For our God is not a God of the dead, but of the Living. 

Dear friends, this week, we bury another beloved member of our congregation.  Just yesterday we had the funeral for another lifelong member.  And yet, I tell you with confidence, that because of Jesus, the resurrection and the life, these people are alive now in heaven before God.  And one day, sooner than we care to think, we will join them there, even forevermore.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

+ Mavis Brummond + Funeral Sermon

1 Corinthians 15

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
⁵⁵ “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Dear friends in Christ, death is swallowed up in victory.  St. Paul seems to contradict the reality of our sinful world with the words he speaks today.  It’s a cold day, and we’re gathered in the church cemetery on a cold and windy day to put to rest the mortal remains a beloved sister and aunt, Mavis. 

How can Paul say death has been defeated, when we are here seeing its effects with our own eyes?  How can Paul say that life is victorious in our world, when obviously death still surrounds us, bringing with it the pain and tears that we today know all too well?  It seems like death wins.  After all, we know that Mavis had fallen, that she was hospitalized, and that she struggled to breathe in the hospital for the last few days of her life.  And now, death has taken her away. 

It seems death is the reality of our world, and our life.  That in the end death wins.  And yet, Paul says, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”  How can this be?  St. Paul tells us very clearly, that it’s not because of us, or our works, or our power at all.  It’s completely and totally because of Christ.  “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul writes.

Its because of Jesus, the very Son of God made flesh, that we know death is defeated.  Christ Jesus submitted himself to death, even death on a cross.  His blood was all poured out.  Nails held his hands and his feet to the cross.  And the Son of God died, and was buried in a tomb, much like the one we stand before today. 

But death could not hold Jesus.  The grave could not swallow his body, but on the third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven and even today lives and reigns with the Father.  And because he rose from the dead, we too shall rise, and Mavis shall rise.  This grave is not a final resting place, instead this is a temporary resting place, and it is a future resurrection place. 

One day Jesus will stand on the earth, and His voice will cry out.  Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  And we, and Mavis, and all the other saints here buried who trust in Christ will rise, our bodies being restored to their perfect state, and we shall then enter our final rest. 

This promise of life was given to Mavis many years ago when she was baptized.  It was confirmed in her in our church building.  And that promise was given again a few days before she passed, when she ate the very body and blood of her Crucified and Risen Lord for the forgiveness of her sins, and for the promise of her eternal life. 

And so today, we mourn, but we do so with hope, that today, Mavis is with Jesus her Lord.  With hope that one day this body will rise, and be reunited with Mavis’ soul, to live forever.  We mourn knowing that same promise is made to you and me, that in Jesus death is defeated forever.  And that in him, we have the promise of life, and life to the full. 

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”   “O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?”  God is victorious over death.  A promise for you, a promise for Mavis, a promise sealed in the blood of Christ.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen. 

+Elroy Allen Borchardt+ Funeral Sermon

Isaiah 61:  The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
² to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
³ to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Matthew 5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons^[a] of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Dear friends in Christ, especially Grace, Gail and Gloria.  It was last Thursday that Elroy laid down on his couch, fell asleep and went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  And while it hurts, and is painful to know that he is gone, there is truly no better time in the time of the church to remember the promises Christ makes to you and to me, and especially on this day to Elroy. 

Because as Elroy left on Thursday, the Church celebrated All Saints Day on Friday.  All saints day, the day when we remember all our loved ones who have left behind this world and sorrow and sin, and now live eternally with Christ our Lord in his kingdom.  And this year we remembered one more saint, Elroy Allen Borchardt, who went to be with his Lord on the Eve of All Saints.  He has left the sin and sorrow of this world, to inherit eternal life. 

How can we speak so boldly?  How can we be sure and certain that Elroy is with all the angels, and arch angels and all the saints of heaven?  Scripture says one must be perfect in every respect to inherit heaven!  And as much as we love Elroy, we know that he suffered from the same ailment as we do, sin and imperfection.  If you knew Elroy, you knew he wasn’t perfect – or at the least he wasn’t as perfect as scripture requires.  He had sinned by his fault, his own fault, his own most grievous fault. 

And yet, as we hear in Elroy’s confirmation verse, we know his sin was forgiven by the God who loved him so much as to send His own Son Jesus to die in place of Elroy.  God, in Christ Jesus forgave Elroy all his sins.  Jesus came into this world, and lived a perfect life even being obedient to death on a cross, so that we might have a promise of life.  Jesus shed his blood, so that Elroy might today be at peace in heaven.  Christ died, so that all who died in belief in His name would raise from the dead, just as Christ did. 

Elroy was given that promise at this very font, where he was washed in Water and the Word, so that all his sin was taken away.  Elroy regularly received Christ’s very body and blood to eat and drink for forgiveness, life and salvation here at this rail.  Elroy received forgiveness, forgiveness earned not by his own works, but only by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, the one who forgave him all his trespasses by his own death on the cross. 

And the same promise is true for you as well.  Your sins are forgiven, just as Elroy’s were.  You too are already a Saint of heaven, if you believe in Christ.  You may still be here in this world, struggling and sorrowing, but because of Christ, one day you will be there beside Elroy before the very throne of Christ Jesus, comforted by Christ. 

There still will be some pain and sorrow in this world.  We still will mourn and miss Elroy in the days and weeks and years ahead.  That will not just disappear.  But as we mourn, we mourn with hope, hope in the knowledge that our Savior has bought us from this world with his own precious blood, innocent suffering and death.  And so we are truly blessed in Christ.  We are blessed in the hope of our savior.  Elmer is blessed, in the peace of heaven forever more, forgiven by Jesus.   

And you too are blessed, for Christ says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  Dear friends, take comfort, for Elroy is in heaven.  He is a blessed Saint of God.  He’s in the arms of Jesus, forgiven in his blood.  And one day, hopefully many All Saints Days from here, you will be also.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

+ Elroy Allen Borchardt + Prayer Service

Dear friends in Christ, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  These are words that we need to be reminded of on a day like this, when we gather together to mourn and weep at the loss of a husband, father, and friend.  We need to hear this promise of God when we hurt, and are frustrated, and dealing with things that we cannot understand. 

To die is gain.  This is true for dear Elroy.  This past few years have at times been difficult for him.  He had cancer removed from the end of his nose.  He had trouble catching his breath after a very short walk.  Some Sundays, I know it was difficult for him to even make it up the ramp into church.  His body was beginning to slowly fall apart, wear out, and to fall apart. 

It is our sin that is the source of this aging, and ultimately of our deaths.  It is sin that brings pain and suffering to our lives.  It is sin that at times makes this world unbearable.  And so it is because of sin, that we weep and mourn today. 

But to die is gain, this past Thursday evening, Elroy left sin behind and inherited peace, and comfort beyond all understanding.  He is now at rest, no longer dealing with sin and its effects.  Christ has brought him out of this vale of tears and into the great feast of peace and comfort in heaven.  He no longer suffers.  He no longer faces the challenges of this world.  He no longer hurts, or aches.  He is at the great rest earned by Christ for all who believe in him. 

By Christ’s own death and resurrection, death is not the end for Elroy. Christ says as much in our Gospel text today.  “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.  No one will snatch them out of my hand.”  And so Elroy is with the very Christ who made that promise to him. 

And what then of us.  We are still here.  We still hurt and weep and cry.  We still don’t understand why these terrible things happen. 

To live is Christ, St. Paul writes.  As we mourn in the days and weeks ahead, we trust in Jesus and his forgiveness, not only for Elroy, but also for you and me.  We know that Christ has died for our sins as well.  He has shed his blood, to make the same promise to we who weep and mourn as to those who leave this world behind and gain heaven. 

Dear friends, your sins are forgiven by the death of Jesus.  Life is promised to you by His glorious work.  We may weep and mourn today, but we do so with hope, knowing that for Elroy, and for us, that death is not the end. But that death has been swallowed up in victory.  We live day by day, with no where to turn except to Christ.  To live is Christ, even as we one day ourselves wait our own death, where we too will gain heaven and peace.  There we will see God face to face, there we will join Elroy in the unending feast.  There, life will be ours forever. 

It is really true.  To live is Christ, and to die is gain.  That was God’s promise to Elroy, and to you, and to me.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

All Saints Day - 2013 - E - See what kind of love the Father has for us

The Festival of All Saints (Observed)

November 3, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline

Revelation 7:2-17        1 John 3:1-3    Matthew 5:1-12

Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father though our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is the epistle lesson just read, especially these words, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Today is All Saints Day, the day we celebrate the lives of all our loved ones and friends who have died in the faith over the last year.  Each of us knows several people that we cared about who have been lost over the last year.  We have had friends who died from Cancer, from heart problems, from sickness and other things.  We have felt the sting of death, as it struck our hearts with hurt and sorrow and loss. 

Death seems to fill our lives, whether it is the pictures of countless people dying in wars around the world, or whether it is in our own close knit community, we are surrounded by death.  Every year more people that we love leave this vale of tears, and every year, we are left behind to mourn them and miss them. 

Death is our lot in life, one of the things that life assures us to happen.  For just as we mourn those who have gone before us, we know too that one day it will be our turn.  Death will find us, we cannot escape it.  One day our life will come to an end, and we will be the one who is mourned, just as we mourned during our life.

The reason for all of this pain and suffering is clear from scripture.  “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” St. Paul writes in last week’s text.  “And the wages of sin is death.”  From our very first father and mother, Adam and Eve, the plague of death has gone on.  Genesis recounts life after life, “Adam lived 930 years, and he died.  Seth lived 912 years, and he died.  Noah lived 950 years, and he died.  Abraham lived 175 years, and he breathed his last and died.”  They all were steeped in sin, and they all died.

Friends, we continue in that very tradition.  We live our lives, and “The length of our days is seventy years-- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” according to Psalm 90.  We spend our entire life trying to lengthen our life to save ourselves, and we fail.  We cannot escape death on our own, because we cannot escape its root cause.  For our sin is too great.  In sin we were conceived, and in sin we will die. 

But as our text today says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”  We are God’s children whom he cares for, whom he loves.  And what a love it is that He has for us.  For even though we deserve a world of death, of pain, and of sin, that isn’t what God promises us.  He didn’t create us and then abandon us as soon as we He gave us Christmas, the incarnation of his son in human flesh, to save us from our sin.  His Son came with one purpose in mind.  To bring the Kingdom of God to us poor dead sinners. 

This path involved suffering for Jesus, suffering he didn’t deserve.  It involved pain for Jesus, pain he didn’t deserve.  It involved sin for Jesus, sin he didn’t commit.  In fact all the worlds sins, all my sins, all your sins, every last one of them were laid upon Jesus.  The sinless Son of God became the greatest sinner ever, as your sin was washed upon him. 

And then he killed it.  He died the death of sin on a cross in Jerusalem.  He gave up his life for you, in your place, for your guilt.  Jesus died, and now you are free. 

See what kind of Love the Father has for us, that we should be called children of God, in the blood of Jesus.  You see, this is the hope of our message today.  This is the goodnews for All Saints Day, that in Jesus death is not our end.  In Jesus we have no end.  For we now get what we do not deserve, we get life forever in heaven.  We get peace of being with Jesus and God resurrected, made whole, forgiven with Jesus. 

And so our first reading pictures you and me, and all who believe in Jesus before the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  “No more shall they hunger, neither shall they thirst, the sun shall not beat down upon them.  For the lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe every tear away from their eye.”  This is the gift God gives to those who trust in his son.

And it is the same gift that he gives to you.  Today, you have a foretaste of that feast.  Today you get to taste the heavenly banquet in the very presence of Jesus Christ.  Here, with angels, and arch angels and all the company of heaven, with all those loved ones you miss, with all those people who are no longer on this earth, you eat bread and wine in which the very person of Jesus exists.  A little piece of heaven on Earth.  A promise of forgiveness.  A reminder of where you will go when you die.  A blessing beyond all understanding – all in a little piece of bread, and a little sip of wine. 

Hear our text again, and listen for the promises of heaven contained therein.  “1See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are…Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”  Happy All Saints Day.  Amen.