​2nd Sunday in Lent – A                                                                                   LSB #s 419, 423, 918
Text – Genesis 12:1-2
 
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country & your kindred & your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, & I will bless you & make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”
 
SHEDDING OUR SIN
 
 
How many of you know anything about lobster?   I don’t mean the food people eat, but the creature’s life as it lives in the ocean.  How does a lobster grow bigger when its shell is so hard?  The only way to grow larger is to shed its shell at regular intervals, but its shell is its main form of protection.  The lobster needs to risk its life in order to grow. 
When its body begins to feel cramped inside, the lobster looks for a reasonably safe spot to rest while the hard shell comes off.   The pink membrane just inside forms the basis of the next shell, but no matter where the lobster goes for this shedding process, it is vulnerable.  It can get tossed against a coral reef or eaten by a predator. 
Sometimes, the circumstances of our lives make us feel cramped in.   Have you ever found yourself in a rut where you’re doing things you just hate to do?   Maybe you have a sneaking suspicion that you’re not living up to your potential, that what you’re doing with your life is lacking meaning or purpose.  It might be that your shell has gotten too tight. 
In a world corrupted by sin, people can end up being smothered by an old shell that’s no longer useful or productive.  We can deceive ourselves into thinking we’re safe by avoiding change.  Satan loves to trap us in a prison of our own making.   Our thinking is always being corrupted by sin, which leads us to fear even the good that God might do through us. 
When our circumstances change to something entirely new, we feel vulnerable because we have no experience of our own to lean upon.   And we definitely value leaning upon our knowledge & our ability to control our circumstances.  The book of Genesis, up to today’s reading, has been dealing with the universal history of mankind.   At chapter 12, the focus narrows down in a major way to the kingdom of God.  With the call of Abram, the Lord begins to reverse & undo the fall into sin.  The plan to rescue mankind – entirely an act of grace on the part of God – will be fulfilled through Abram & his offspring. 
Yahweh chooses Abram & sets the divine plan into motion.  The history of salvation, like that of creation, begins with the spoken word of God: “…Go from your country & your kindred & your father’s house   to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, & I will bless you & make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”  (Genesis 12:1-2 ESV) 
Talk about change & the vulnerability it brings, Abram was asked to leave behind everything that he knew.  He’d have no way to lean upon his own wisdom or ability to control his circumstances.  God was calling Abram to leave his comfortable old shell & risk his life in order to grow.    Have you experienced that kind of unsettling call of God? 
How did you respond?   Even if you took the leap, were you able to determine what it was that trying to hold you back?  Satan loves to hold us back, to turn our thoughts & activities completely inward.   The heavenly Father blesses us against Satan’s will, but if the devil can cause us to hoard those blessings then they will not be beneficial to others as God intends. 
At this moment in life, the Holy Spirit may not be calling you to leave behind everything you know, yet He most certainly is calling you to be vulnerable so that you can grow.   To repent of my sins, to repent of your sins, feels incredibly vulnerable, but shedding our sins is the only way to grow.   Wallowing in them counteracts everything God desires for us. 
As Martin Luther wrote, the Holy Spirit “…calls, gathers, enlightens & sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth…”  (LSB p. 323)  He enlightens us, among other things, when He shows us our sin.  He sanctifies us, among other things, when He empowers us to repent.  As the Bible records it, both John the Baptist & Jesus began their public ministries with the words, “Repent, for the reign of heaven is at hand.”  (Matthew 3:2 & 4:17)   Yahweh is reigning even when it looks like everything is going wrong.   Things were certainly going wrong with Abram’s family when God called him to leave.  His family was practicing idolatry. 
Effectively, God was calling Abram to shed the family sin, no matter how comfortable it had become.  If Abram didn’t leave, he was going to die in that sin.  From an earthly perspective, there is strength in numbers, so going from his country & his kindred & his father’s house, put Abram & his family in harm’s way by leaving it all behind. 
Still, the Holy Spirit called, gathered, enlightened & sanctified Abram.  The reading from Romans 4 told us, “Abraham believed God, & it was counted to him as righteousness.”  (4:3 ESV)  Abram trusted that Yahweh would save him & keep the promise of blessing him, no matter how vulnerable he seemed to be.   “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him…”  (Genesis 12:4a ESV) 
What is your shell made of?   What is it that gives you comfort or a sense of security here on earth?  What is it that you would find very difficult to lose?  Many of us have had our parents die.  Some   have had children die.  We have changed jobs, moved away from homes, pets have come & gone, marriages have come & gone, churches have changed. 
All those things, & many more, can effectively be a shell we have lived in & outgrown.  Some, were blessings from God, that we ended up elevating above Him.  Others were a rut we got stuck in – like the sin of idolatry.   As God’s Spirit has called us on, we have had to deal with fears of feeling vulnerable, lost or uncertain.   Should I stay,    or should I go? 
Accepting change can literally feel like putting our lives at risk.  It’s a well-known fact that most people hate change, even when it is our sin that is cramping us in.   Other shells cramping us in are blessings, but once we’ve outgrown God’s purpose for them, clinging to them will hinder our growth.   It can hinder the will of God.   In 1993, I really   did not want to be a pastor.    By 1994, the entire life I was living was blown to pieces by God’s love for me.  Then, I couldn’t wait for the summer of 1995 when I’d begin my studies at seminary. 
Some changes God offers to us.  There are others that He forces upon us.  Whether we go along with them or not, the heavenly Father will not love us any less.   However, if we reject the changes that God offers, our family, friends & community will be poorer for it.  If we resist any of the changes the Holy Spirit brings, we will be the poorer for it. 
God the Son came to earth in human flesh because He knew man could never accomplish the change needed after Adam’s fall into sin.   For all the times you & I have rejected or resisted the changes our Lord offered to us, there is forgiveness.  The blood of Jesus has washed away the stain of our sins.  Our resurrection, the ultimate change, is guaranteed. 
For life on this earth though, it is only Christ’s love that can empower us to accept the changes our Creator has in store for us.  Those changes will still bring feelings of vulnerability.  Shedding our sins through repentance is always uncomfortable because our sinful nature is strong.   Yet, in leaning upon Christ, His Spirit will get us through to the other side. 
The truth is repentance always makes us more safe, not less.   The feeling of vulnerability that comes with it is a lie from our sinful nature.   Rather, repentance is what restores our opportunity to be all that God would have us to be.   Though repentance can feel like death it actually is the Holy Spirit calling us to life, to shed our sin & to grow. 
As St. Paul wrote in the Epistle lesson, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, & whose sins are covered.”  (Romans 4:7 ESV)   St. John assured us in the Gospel lesson, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”  (John 3:17 ESV)   Our Creator is not out to get us when He calls us to change.  He came to rescue us from sin, death & the devil.  If your life is feeling cramped by the suspicion  that you’re not living up to your potential, remember that, as the Holy Spirit calls you,  it is His call that makes your life significant.  It does not matter what God calls you to. 
Shedding our sins through repenting of them can feel like a drastic change that every fiber of our being seeks to avoid.  Yet, repentance is a gift from our Lord.  He earned that gift for you & for me on the cross.  The reign of heaven is at hand & God is promising to bless us.  He’s inviting you to join Him?  Amen. 
 
 
 
Jesus, refuge of the weary,  blest Redeemer,  whom we love,  fountain in life’s desert dreary,  Savior from the world above:  Often have Your eyes, offended,  gazed upon the sinner’s fall;  yet upon the cross extended,  You have borne the pain of all.     Do we pass that cross unheeding, breathing no repentant vow, though we see You wounded, bleeding, see Your thorn encircled brow?   Yet Your sinless death has brought us life eternal, peace & rest; only what Your grace has taught us calms the sinner’s deep distress.  Amen.  LSB 423:1-2.  

​1st Sunday in Lent – A                                                                                               LSB #’s 561, 562, 387
Text – Genesis 3:17-18
 
And to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife & have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns & thistles it shall bring forth for you; & you shall eat the plants of the field.”  
 
THORNS & THISTLES
 
 
I was picking blackberries last summer, when I came across a particular spot where four or five of the blackberry canes were grouped together such that they formed an arch.    It was about six feet high & looked as if God had draped a blanket of blackberries over it.  And, unlike other places in the patch, all the berries were ripe. 
Also, unlike other places in the patch, I didn’t have to contort my body in order to reach around all the thorns.  Instead, I could simply stand there & drop handfuls of berries right into the bucket.  It was like God was saying to me, “I prepared this just for you!”  A blackberry patch full of thorns & prickers is not the kind of place you ordinarily expect to find a picture of heaven. 
The rest of the patch was ornery & challenging to pick.   It’s like the thorns have a mind of their own.   They reach out to grab a hold of you, & don’t easily let go.   In that sense, a blackberry patch is a rather accurate picture of life in this twisted world.   Sin is constantly clawing at you, looking to rip & tear   & draw blood. 
The serpent tempted Adam & Eve with a fantasy, “…you will be like God…”  (Genesis 3:5 ESV)   It didn’t go well.   Sorrow, sweat, pain & dust were the tragic result that eventually led King Solomon to describe it all with these words in Ecclesiastes:
“All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.  What has been is what will be, & what has been done is what will be done, & there is nothing new under the sun.”  (1:8-9 ESV)   And it’s not just weariness that life is filled with.  The curse of thorns & thistles extends beyond the field to all that humans do.   Genesis 3:19 tells us, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground…”  (ESV)   All forms of work have become dangerous in a harsh & cursed world, even, at times, bringing death.   King Solomon wrote of that as well:
“He who digs a pit will fall into it, & a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.  He who quarries stones is hurt by them, & he who splits logs is endangered by them.”  (Ecclesiastes 10:8-9 ESV)   God put a curse on the dust because of Adam’s sin.  Work is now a hardship & a toil, burdened with danger, stress, pain & struggle. 
Eventually, as sin removes the breath of life from a human being, the body reverts to the dust from which it came.  It’s a somber topic that we dwell upon during this season of Lent.  How many of you, in the last week,   have had an in-depth conversation with someone about death?   It’s one that few people willingly seek to engage.  It’s not fun. 
Nevertheless, death is coming for all of us.  The thorns & thistles testify to that in a quiet & subtle way.  None of us here are farmers, but the aches & pains we endure also testify to that & usually in less quiet & subtle ways.  In our nation, around 600 billion dollars is spent each year on pain medication.   It helps us to put off any thoughts of death & dying. 
In Lent, the focus on the repentance needed for sin, is not meant to torture you, but to help you understand how repentance, as a gift from God, restores our relationship with Him.  That relationship was broken as the OT reading from Genesis 3 tells us.  The thorns & thistles & pain are symptoms of the brokenness of our relationship with our Creator. 
Every day on this earth is a Genesis 3 kind of day.  It’s a reality you cannot avoid & you cannot change.  Sin has corrupted the entire universe of God’s creation.  Genesis 3 is the inescapable fact that determines all the contours of every aspect of our lives.  The blessing of giving birth was stained with the pain of suffering.  The blessing of work was a responsibility in keeping the garden of God’s perfect creation.  Work is now a hardship & a toil, burdened with pain & struggle.  The Sabbath day is meant to moderate that & be a day of rest from the hardship & struggle of work.  The Sabbath also points ahead to God’s perfect & permanent solution. 
When the bondage of decay creeps through our door, when our hopes dissolve into despair, we wonder, “Why doesn’t God do something?”   Because we are impatient, we question why God is taking so long to accomplish what we desire.  In our pain & despair we often forget the fact that God has already done something. 
“And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns & put it on His head...”  (John 19:2 ESV)   Because of Adam’s sin, Yahweh cursed the ground so that thorns it brings forth for us, but also He sent forth His Son to wear a crown of those thorns to His death.  With those thorns & with that death, God has paid the penalty for all the sins through all the history of all mankind. 
The victory has been won.  Suffering & death have been defeated.   If you endure Lent because of the coming joy of Easter, you should realize that you cannot have Easter without Good Friday.  It is in contrast to the cross that the resurrection takes on its full meaning.  It is in contrast to the thorns that blackberries take on their full value. 
It is in contrast to hell that heaven takes on its full joy & perfection.   Human history proves that we are entirely unable to eliminate suffering & death.  Christ Jesus has conquered them.   All He asks us to do, as we follow Him, is to be patient & kind while we wait for our resurrection from the dead. 
Yes, in spite of that promise, almost everything in this life is still weariness.  Our eyes are never satisfied with seeing, nor our ears filled with hearing.  That’s why the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of self-control.  We are to use it in resisting the urge to despair.  It is possible to live a life of joy even in this world because we know that God is working all things together for good for His children.  That doesn’t mean we should never grieve for the suffering in this world.  What it does mean is that we hold our grief & our joy in the tension that certainly exists between them.  We do not try to relieve that tension by claiming all is joy, or by claiming all is sorrow. 
We do live in a world that is totally broken, yet, we also live in world that has been, & is still being, redeemed from the lies of Satan.  Jesus bore that crown of thorns on His head to demonstrate that His love for us is real in spite of the suffering we endure.   And there are times even now when God reveals a glimpse of heaven to us. 
For some of us, that is in a perfect setting of blackberries to be picked without the risk of getting torn by thorns.  For others, it’s on the green of a magnificent golf course at sunset.  And for others it’s in the laughter of a child who feels secure in the love of its parents.  Wherever you see those glimpses of heaven, know that God prepared those moments just for you. 
Another aspect of living by faith & not by sight is to not allow the thorns & thistles to block our view of God’s blessings.  Human beings the world over love to focus on what is wrong instead of focusing on what is right.  Our Lord has given us more blessings that anyone can count, yet how often do we make any effort to count those blessings? 
One day, Jesus will return to make all things new.  Our Lord promises that until then, He will sustain us in faith & He will never allow anyone to snatch us out of His loving hands.  Lent is meant to remind us to keep on turning back to our Creator.  The Holy Spirit is at work in this very service to accomplish exactly that no matter how many thorns & thistles we see.  Amen. 
 
 
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!  Let men their songs employ, while fields & floods, rocks, hills & plains repeat the sounding joy.     No more let sins & sorrows grow  nor thorns infest the ground;  He comes to make His blessings flow  far as the curse is found,  far as the curse is found,  far as,  far as  the curse is found.  Amen.  LSB 387:2-3. 

​Transfiguration – A                                                                                  LSB #’s 668, 666, 540:1-4
Text – Matthew 17:7
 
But Jesus came & touched them, saying, “Rise, & have no fear.”
 
HAVING NO FEAR
 
 
There is much we do in life that is driven by fear.  I’m afraid of heights so I strongly avoid them.  Being locked up underwater on a submarine never bothered me at all.   Others are claustrophobic so you dare not pull a blanket over their head.  People with agoraphobia may experience panic attacks in public settings.  Some are afraid of needles or just the sight of blood. 
At the transfiguration of Jesus, “…a bright cloud overshadowed [the disciples], & a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.’”  (Matthew 17:5 ESV)   Peter, James & John respond   in terror, falling face down on the ground.   It’s a totally normal response, for sinful creatures, to the holy majesty of almighty God. 
The transfiguration is such a supernatural event that it’s difficult for the average sinful creature to understand how it relates to our mundane ‘same old same old’ lives.  The odds are none of us have ever seen anything like it.  How does the transfiguration of Jesus strengthen & encourage you as you struggle through the challenges of your lives?  Let’s consider this:
The glory & identity of Jesus in His transfiguration are like a brilliant diamond.  It’s set off all the more dramatically by the events before & after it.    Before, is Jesus’ first prediction of His suffering, death & resurrection.  All who follow Him will have their own cross to carry, & any who would be first shall be last.   That instruction is darkness & confusion to His disciples. 
After His transfiguration, already on the way down the mountain, Jesus silences the disciples about this glorious event.  He grimly instructs them that as John the Baptist was killed so Jesus will be rejected & executed at the hands of evil men.   More darkness & confusion for His disciples.   In between is the glorious light of His transfiguration.  Yet, in spite of the lack of darkness, the event is still filled with confusion, as Peter clearly demonstrates: “Lord, it is good that we are here.  If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you & one for Moses & one for Elijah.”  (Matthew 17:4 ESV)    Before the brightness & glory, there was darkness & confusion.  After, there was darkness & confusion.   With the brightness & glory – confusion. 
Doesn’t that sound a lot like our struggles to get through the challenges that confront us?   Maybe the transfiguration isn’t so abnormal to our lives after all.  We just have to look at it from the perspective of Peter, James & John.  They were completely confused, at least until after Jesus rose from the dead & after the Holy Spirit descended upon them at Pentecost. 
 In the brokenness of our world, when confronted with challenges that seem to have no good answer, God is calling us to simply trust His wisdom & power.   Nowhere does the Bible tell us that will be easy, but the difficulty itself is often what God is using to shape & mold us for our good.  Listen to this word from the prophet Zechariah:
“In the whole land, declares the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off & perish, & one third shall be left alive.  And I will put this third into the fire, & refine them as one refines silver, & test them as gold is tested.   They will call upon my name, & I will answer them.  I will say, ‘They are my people’; & they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”  (13:8-9 ESV) 
Children go astray.  The economy changes & jobs are lost.  Mental illness weighs people down, even crushes them.  Relationships fracture.  Corruption & evil seem to flourish.  As we get older the realization sinks in of just how powerless we are to control the things that really matter in life.  Time slips away, & the good that we want to do we never get around to. 
All our personal challenges, experiences & trials are intimately known to Jesus.  It’s to those times in our lives that the Holy Spirit speaks in the transfiguration of Jesus.   While that is certainly a revelation of Jesus in all His godly glory, it is also about the transfiguration of everything else in creation.  It is our Creator’s promise to us in this revelation of Christ’s glory.  The Transfiguration is a glimpse of heaven that was given to sustain God’s children until that day when all of heaven & all of earth will be made new.   No more suffering, no more sorrow,   no more tears.   Heaven is one thing the transfiguration points to. 
You see, the world   is not merely a place you pass through, an unclaimed piece of real estate on which you can make your mark.  Rather, it is the holy place of God, inhabited by angels, awaiting an eternal re-creation where God will come & dwell again with you in the midst of all of His people.  The transfiguration of Jesus is a revelation of that realm of glory. 
It’s a realm we normally cannot see because our lives are first about the cross.  Once we are raised from the dead, then the lives of God’s children will be about perfect glory.  Yet, there are moments in our lives when God is so unmistakably present that the circumstances cannot possibly be mere coincidence.  Still, we are often left wondering what to do with them. 
Therefore, the transfiguration of Jesus also, obviously points to Jesus because it is through Him that heaven has been won for you & for me.  Jesus came, not just to suffer, die & rise from the dead.   During all those moments in life that we failed to do the good works our Lord had prepared in advance for us to do, God’s Son came to take our place. 
The transfiguration points to & highlights Jesus because God wants us to listen to Him.  That command is not a general exhortation to hear the words of Jesus.  Rather it is specific to the lesson of the transfiguration – take to heart the order of life that God ordains.  First comes humble service & cross in a world horrifically broken by sin.  Only after will glory emerge. 
Trying to reverse that order is to follow another master & leave God’s plan for salvation.  That other master tempted Jesus to reverse the order & he tempts all of us to do the same.   Our Creator’s glory is certain for us, but only according to God’s timing.  As Matthew’s hearers & readers travel with Jesus, they will be encouraged to walk the path of the cross, following after the Savior.  He is God the Son & He will perform the saving deeds His Father has given Him to do.  Messiah can & He will sustain His followers as we deny ourselves, take our cross & follow Him.   As you well know, living out that Christian life is not easy here on this earth. 
The glory & brilliance of heaven’s light will be ours one day.  That hope, that promise, that reality is already ours though for now, much of life suffers from darkness & confusion.  The cross comes first & the glory comes last, but the cross is temporary.  The glory is eternal. 
During the transfiguration, “…a bright cloud overshadowed them, & a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.’”  (Matthew 17:5 ESV)   The disciples respond in terror, falling face down on the ground.  After this mind-blowing event, “Jesus came & touched them, saying, ‘Rise, & have no fear.’”  (17:8 ESV) 
Jesus could have snapped His fingers, clapped His hands, or stomped His feet, but instead, God’s Son takes the time to touch them.  He brings them back into the present moment with remarkable grace.  Almighty Father did not send His Son into the world to overwhelm us with majesty.  Instead, Jesus touches them & speaks a word of restoration, “have no fear.” 
The next time those words are recorded in Matthew, it will be an angel & then the risen Jesus who speaks them to the women.  (28:5, 10 ESV)   Christ came  not to overwhelm us with majesty but to touch all of our suffering,  to take all of our sin,  that you & I might become children of God, reconciled to our Father,  & able to live in love with one another. 
Jesus came to take upon Himself our punishment.  He arrived to bear the eternal separation from His Father that we deserved, so He might open for us an eternal fellowship with His Father that we do not deserve.  This fellowship comes by grace, leading us, even empowering us to rise & follow Jesus without fear.   We follow a Savior who has come to touch us & awaken us to life through His light.  The season of Epiphany is about light, illumination, revelation.  Transfiguration Sunday draws the season to a close & then leans unmistakably into Lent.  Jesus comes down from the mountain marching toward the death He speaks of during that very descent from the mountain. 
The words “listen to Him,” taken as addressed to you & me, orient us to listen & watch the Lord of Glory  approach His destiny in Jerusalem.  He dies at Golgotha for our sin.   As we more fully comprehend God’s purposes & work in Jesus, His perfect love is able to cast out our fears.  Any time we are afraid of anything   God’s Spirit calls us to remember that. 
A lot of things will be changing at St. Matthew in the next 12 months, yet as Jesus touches our lives, He says to each of us, “Rise, & have no fear.”  (17:8 ESV)   Whatever is bringing fear into your life this morning, know that God is using that to provide you with an opportunity to learn that your Savior can be trusted in all circumstances – good & bad. 
Many of us have had some type of mountain top experience & can testify to their impact in our lives.  All of us have also spent time in the valleys of life where the going is tough.  At both places, & all those in between, Jesus is there, reaching out to raise us to life again & again.  While doing that, He’s also calling us to have no fear, because Jesus is God with us.  Amen.
 
 
 
O little flock, fear not the foe who madly seeks your overthrow; dread not his rage & power.   And though your courage sometimes faints, his seeming triumph over God’s saints lasts but a little hour.     Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer; great Captain, now Thine arm make bare, fight for us once again!   So shall Thy saints & martyrs raise a mighty chorus to Thy praise forevermore.  Amen.  LSB 666:1, 4. 

​LWML Sunday – 2026                                                                                  LSB #’s 832, 830, 837
Text – Luke 24:51
 
While He blessed them, He parted from them & was carried up into heaven.
 
WHEN WILL WE MEET HIM AGAIN?
 
 
Going through life there are those wonderful chance meetings that have great impact.  You had that moment when you met your spouse, or that person who gave you new insight.  
It might be someone who by their witness moved you to change the direction you were going in life.  If the shoe was on the other foot, maybe you helped change someone’s direction.  Later, you’re left wondering if you’ll meet that person again. 
In the Gospel reading, we’re at the scene of the ascension of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.  Think of what has happened.  Forty plus days ago, Jesus was on the cross – suffering & dying.  He’d cried out in anguish, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?”  
Due to the weight of what He was enduring,  due to the strain  the horribleness of the crucifixion put on His body,  due to the scourging & beatings,  due to the wrath vented upon Him by His Father over sin which was not His own,  the face of Jesus was hanging toward the ground.  
In the midst of deep agony, Jesus breathlessly states, “It is finished.”  As the Gospel of John records, “He bowed his head & gave up His spirit.”  It is then Jesus’ side is pierced by the spear.  Blood & water pour forth signifying that the Lord Jesus Christ had died.  God had died.  
Jesus’ body is taken from the cross, wrapped with linen & spices to be laid in a tomb.  Jesus’ followers must have wondered if they’d meet Him ever again.  But then, three days later, the first Easter morning occurs as Jesus steps from the tomb alive!  He had risen victorious!   Jesus had defeated death not only for Himself but for you the believer.  
Then, in the time between Jesus’ resurrection & the day of His ascension, Jesus meets with His followers.  He is alive!  He’d conquered the grave, stating for believers, stating for you who believe today, it’s a reality, it is truth – you shall not die but will live with Christ eternally!  The forty days before this event must have been wondrous & inspiring, hanging out with the Lord.  Then we come to the day of His ascension.  Those with Him that day must have left wondering, “Where will Jesus meet us next?  What joy awaits us!” 
Jesus brought teaching & blessings when He made those appearances. People rejoiced at His meeting with them.  Then this day, “…He parted from them…”  (Luke 24:51 ESV)  Jesus ascends into the heavens.   Now, they may have thought, “That was a little different than His other times of leaving, but He’s always come back.  I wonder where we will meet Him next?” 
Through God’s Word, you’ve read that Jesus did not appear to them on earth again.  But, as you know, Jesus did not leave them without His presence; He didn’t leave them without being a part of their lives.  Jesus promised, “I will not leave you as orphans.”  (John 14:18a ESV)   At His ascension, Jesus gave them an assignment, one to occupy their time, talent & treasure.  
The assignment Jesus gave has ramifications for us to this very day.  We’re the recipients of their work.   You & I have heard the proclamation, “that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in [Christ’s] name to all nations.”  (Luke 24:47 ESV)    We have heard of the need of repentance & forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ.  We have felt that need. 
We’ve had those occasions in life where we wondered just where the Lord Jesus is for us.  As those at the ascension may have left thinking “Where will Jesus meet with us next?”  So too, we go through this life with doubts  that easily arise from the challenges coming to us, doubts about the resurrection, creation & the promises  Christ brings.  
Maybe you question how God could love you, if God will meet with you, care for you.  Where is this Jesus of promise?  Where will Christ meet me & come to my aid?  We’re called to recognize there’s much over which we need to repent & know the reconciling peace with God.  Of our own efforts & our own ways there is no ability in us to reconcile with Almighty God.  By our works there can be no peace with the Lord.   That is why this proclamation of repentance for forgiveness in the name of Jesus is so vitally important.  The very proclamation of repentance for forgiveness has been given to the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ.  
You, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, have the responsibility to proclaim the message of Christ, to be that body which proclaims repentance for forgiveness, which shows the merciful Christ through what you do & what you say.  For that message, a merciful heart is what Christ wants people to hear & know, that they may know & live in His gracious care. 
Those who returned to Jerusalem with joy that Ascension Day wondered when they would meet with Jesus again.  From then on, when they met & recalled the glorious gifts the Lord had given them, He came to them in the breaking of bread.  From then on, He joined with them through the waters of Baptism.  He came to them through the Word.  
Jesus was present with them in the Means of Grace.  The same is true for you.  You don’t have to wonder where the Lord Jesus is, you don’t have to search for Him.  You don’t need to wonder if He is present here with you in this life to lead & guide you, to comfort you. 
Why?  Because the Lord Jesus still comes to you.   He comes in the Holy Supper.   There, Jesus touches your lips!    He meets you in the waters of Holy Baptism, the Lord Jesus comes to you in this sacred act as you are baptized into the Lord’s death & raised into the Lord’s life, thus granting you new life.  (Romans 6:3–4)  
Yes, the Lord Jesus meets with you.  Even through the Word of God the Lord Jesus meets you as He who is the Word made flesh, gives to you Himself in & through that Word.   Your life is tied to Christ, for He gives to you the words of eternal life.   True life is only given by the Lord Jesus Christ.  In His means of grace, the Lord Jesus meets you!  When He meets with you, He brings to you His gifts.  He gives to you His life.  He gives to You forgiveness.  He gives to you His peace.  He gives to you His promises.  He gives to you freedom – freedom to live & express Jesus in the world.  He meets you here in this world that you may know this God & Lord, & to do so with great joy. 
But as you know, dear people of God, there are many who do not meet with the Lord to know Him as their loving & gracious Savior.   You are blessed to know the forgiveness of sins.  You are blessed to know this Jesus Christ who has done all things necessary for your salvation.  
You are blessed to know you have a glorious home where you’ll meet with the Lord forever.  You who know this Lord, you are the church given this Ascension Day assignment to have people meet this Lord, that they too may have the joy of knowing Jesus.  This Lord meets His people where they are to forgive, aid & strengthen them, to give them a life of hope & peace. 
Dear people of God, it is a monumental & vitally necessary task.  You have the immense joy of knowing you have a partner in this work.  Your LWM work to carry the Gospel to the very people who need to meet this Lord Jesus Christ.  They’re involved in many ways the world over.  
They gather blankets for those going through tragedy.  They put meals into the mouths of people who’ve gone through disasters.  They are the ones who, on your behalf, make certain that people in Africa have access to the Word of God.  They’re the ones who become for you, in many places, the very heart & hands of the compassionate, merciful Lord who saves. 
You have the joy of an amazing partnership in the Gospel as you give of your treasures, give of your time, give of your talents.  LWM support, encourage & uplift missionaries & places of compassion, spreading the message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name.  
Through their efforts, their commitment, & their joy in service, your gifts touch so many lives, so many people.  You have had an amazing impact.  What a tremendous heart, hands & voice are yours as you partner with them in the Gospel.   Yes, through these efforts you aid people in meeting the Lord.   It is a gracious meeting that they may know where He is, & that He continues to meet people through His church.   Here God’s people gather, for the joy of knowing repentance for the forgiveness of sin in the name of Jesus. 
Where is our Lord?  He is here, in the heart, hands & voices of His people.  He is there in the LWML as the Holy Spirit works through their efforts reaching others with the message of repentance for forgiveness in the name of Jesus.  The Lord truly is where His Word is preached, & His Sacraments are rightly administered in His name.  
Yes, you are blessed, for the Lord continues to meet with His people, to meet with you.   He brings you forgiveness & life in His name.  How blessed & enriched you are!  Amen. 
 
 
 
Enter, mighty Word, the field; ripe the promise of its yield.   But the reapers, oh how few for the work there is to do!     Lord of harvest, great & kind, rouse to action heart & mind; let the gathering nations all see Your light & heed Your call.  Amen.  LSB 830:5-6.