Sixth Sunday of Easter (May 25, 2025)

“Rejoicing in Hope Because He Lives”

Theme: Joy Amid Sorrows

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Jesus said: “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”

That little phrase—“a little while”— must have sounded like a riddle to the disciples.

And maybe it still sounds like one to us.

But what Jesus says here is not meant to confuse— It is meant to prepare.

Because he lives, the way we see sorrow, and the way we experience joy, is forever changed.

To understand the joy Christ promises, we must first acknowledge the depth of our human experience, beginning with...

I. A Honest Reality of Sorrow

Jesus doesn’t shy away from the pain that’s coming. He doesn’t tell His disciples to buck up, toughen up, or look on the bright side.

Instead, He says it plainly:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament… You will be sorrowful…” (John 16:20)

And they were. That very night, they would see Him arrested. They’d watch Him led away by armed soldiers. Peter would deny Him. Most would scatter. By the next day, they’d see His hands pierced by nails. They would see His lifeless body taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb.

And with Him would be buried their hope.

This is important: Jesus doesn’t pretend sorrow isn’t real. He names it. He dignifies it.

That matters for us today.

We live in a world that likes to avoid sorrow— to gloss over it, medicate it, or pretend it's not there.

But we, as Christians, are not called to deny sorrow. We are called to name it—and to face it.

There is sorrow in our lives:

The grief that follows us long after a funeral.

The deep ache of watching someone you love struggle.

The shame of sins we thought we had overcome.

The disappointment of dreams that haven’t come true.

The heavy weariness that settles in when nothing seems to change.

We don’t need to minimize those things. We don’t need to explain them away.

Because Jesus didn’t.

He looks His disciples in the eye and says: “You will be sorrowful.”

It speaks the truth about the world as it is— about our hearts as they are.

We suffer. We sin. We die.

But even this sorrow is not outside God’s grasp. It’s not beyond His reach.

Yet, our Lord does not leave us in the shadows of sorrow; instead, He offers a hope that...

II. Because He Lives… Sorrow is Not the End

Jesus doesn’t leave them in sorrow.

He continues:

“You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” (John 16:20)

And here's the incredible part:

He doesn’t say, "Your sorrow will be replaced by joy."

He says: "Your sorrow will turn into joy."

That’s different.

Because when something is replaced, it’s discarded. When something is transformed, it’s redeemed.

Jesus’ resurrection doesn’t just cancel out their grief— It transforms it.

The cross—the very thing that filled them with horror— would become their greatest comfort.

The blood, the wounds, the tomb—

These wouldn’t be scars to forget. They’d be signs of victory to celebrate.

Luther puts it beautifully:

“The very thing that caused them sorrow would be the very thing that gives them joy.”

Think of how often we sing about the cross now:

“Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim.”

“In the cross of Christ I glory, towering o’er the wrecks of time.”

“When I survey the wondrous cross…”

None of those hymns would make any sense without Easter morning.

But because He lives, even the darkest chapter of the story becomes radiant with hope.

And so it is with our lives.

The broken pieces you carry— the things that bring tears to your eyes or a lump to your throat—

Because He lives, they are not meaningless. They are not wasted.

He is the God who turns mourning into dancing, ashes into beauty, sorrow into joy.

And here’s what that means practically:

You don’t have to wait for life to be easy before you find joy.

You don’t have to pretend to be okay before you can praise Him.

You don’t need every answer to every “why” before you can trust Him.

Because He lives, we see our sorrows differently.

We see them not as the end, but as the beginning of something God is redeeming.

With this promise Jesus invites us to perceive our lives through a different lens, a lens of resurrection, where…

III. We See With Resurrection Eyes

Jesus continues teaching His disciples— and now He offers them a picture.

Not just an idea, but an image that every culture, every century, can understand:

“A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.” John 16:21

Now, let’s pause there.

Jesus doesn’t pretend childbirth is easy. He names the anguish. He honors the pain. He knows it’s intense and costly.

But He also knows something else: the anguish has a purpose.

The pain of labor isn’t pointless— It gives birth to something new. It leads to life.

And when the baby is placed in the mother’s arms, the sorrow doesn’t just fade— it gets swallowed up by joy.

That’s what Jesus is saying to His disciples— and to you.

Your pain is real. But it is not permanent. And it is not purposeless.

The resurrection gives you new eyes.

Resurrection eyes.

Eyes that can look at suffering and say, “This hurts now—but God is not done.”

Eyes that can see beyond the Friday of the cross to the dawn of Sunday morning.

But here’s the hard truth: We don’t naturally see things that way.

We live in a culture that says, “If you’re suffering, something must be wrong.” “If life is hard, then God must be distant.” Our culture is always attempting to lead us astray.

But the resurrection says the opposite:

Because He lives, we can be sure God is closest in our pain.

Because He lives, we don’t interpret God’s love by how easy our life is— We interpret life through the lens of His empty tomb.

That’s what the resurrection does.

It doesn’t just change what happened to Jesus— It changes how we see everything.

Think about what Paul wrote in Romans 8:

“The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)

That’s not wishful thinking. That’s resurrection vision.

And it's not just about someday in heaven— It’s about how we live right now.

Because He lives:

You can face your grief without despair.

You can fight sin without fear.

You can walk through suffering with hope.

But don’t miss this:

That perspective doesn’t come automatically.

It’s something the Holy Spirit works in us.

Jesus Himself says in verses 23 and 24:

“In that day you will ask nothing of me… Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, He will give it to you… Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

What should we be asking for?

Not just answers.

We ask for resurrection vision. We ask for the eyes to see what we can’t see on our own— Eyes of faith. We ask the Father to help us trust— even when the path is dark.

And we can be confident in that prayer— because we’re praying to the God who raised Jesus from the dead.

So let me ask you today:

What sorrow are you holding?

What trial are you walking through?

What grief are you quietly carrying?

You may not understand it yet. You may not see the “joy” side of it right now.

But because He lives— you will.

And until then, you pray.

You cling. You ask. You wait.

And you trust that God is not wasting your pain.

He is working resurrection.

Even now.

Seeing with Resurrection eyes becomes particularly powerful as we see it lived out in the life of Paul, who embodies...

IV. Joy in the Mission (Acts 14)

One of the clearest examples in Scripture of what it looks like to live with resurrection-shaped joy is found in Acts 14:

The Apostle Paul.

In Acts 14, is not on vacation. He’s on mission.

He’s preaching in hostile territory, proclaiming the risen Christ in city after city.

And what’s the result?

In Lystra, he heals a crippled man— and the crowds try to worship him as a god.

Then in the same city, a mob stones Paul and dragged him outside the gates, assuming he’s dead.

Talk about highs and lows.

But notice what Paul and Barnabas do next. Do they go home? Do they quit the mission?

No.

They go back. Back to the cities where they were mocked, threatened, and attacked.

And here’s what they say to the believers there:

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)

They’re not sugarcoating the Christian life.

They are reminding the church that the path of the risen Christ is the path of the Christian, too.

But they’re also showing us something else:

That joy in Christ is not tied to how easy life is.

It’s tied to the resurrection.

Paul’s joy didn’t come from comfort. It came from confidence:

Confidence that Christ had risen.

Confidence that Christ would be with him.

Confidence that Christ would complete what He began.

This is what the resurrection gives you too:

A joy that no stoning, no sickness, no sorrow can steal.

It’s not that Paul liked suffering. It’s that he knew it was never wasted.

Just like Jesus, his scars would tell a story of grace.

So let me ask you:

Where has God placed you on mission?

It may not be in a pulpit or on a foreign field— but perhaps in a home… a hospital room… a classroom… a boardroom.

Wherever it is, because Christ lives, you can rejoice— even when it’s hard.

Because just like Paul, your joy doesn’t come from your surroundings— It comes from your Savior.

From Paul’s present reality, we lift our eyes to the ultimate fulfillment of Christ’s promises, as seen in John's vision of...

V. A Glorious Future—Sorrow Transformed (Revelation 21)

In Revelation 21, John gives us a glimpse of what awaits us because Christ is risen.

He sees a heavenly city— radiant with light. Brilliant with beauty. Filled with joy.

And at the center?

“The glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:23)

The Lamb. Not the Lion. Not the Judge. The Lamb who was slain.

Why?

Because the marks of Jesus’ suffering are not erased in heaven— they are exalted.

The cross doesn’t get forgotten— it gets glorified.

The resurrection doesn’t undo the crucifixion— it transforms it.

And here’s the Gospel truth for you, dear saints:

The same will be true of your suffering.

Whatever sorrow you carry today— Whatever wounds this life has left on your soul—

Because He lives, you will one day see them transformed.

In glory, you will understand.

You will see how even the hardest parts of your life were caught up in God’s redemptive plan.

You will know joy— not despite your sorrow, but deeper because of it.

You will worship the Lamb with fuller joy because you will remember how close He felt when the world fell apart.

You will see His face and understand at last what Paul meant when he said, “This light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” (2 Cor. 4:17)

You will walk through gates of pearl. You will tread on streets of gold. You will dwell with God.

And you will never feel sorrow again.

Because Christ lives— this is your future.

And even now, you live in hope of that joy.

As we reflect on these truths, may we hold fast to the certainty that even though…

We grieve. and, we suffer.

We do not as those without hope.

Because He lives:

Our sorrow is transformed into joy.

Our hardship is a path to glory.

Our prayers reach the throne of grace.

And our future is radiant in the Lamb’s light.

So do not lose heart. Do not let the “little while” of sorrow cause you to forget the joy that is coming.

The tomb is empty. Jesus is alive. Your joy—no one will take from you.

In the name of the risen Christ. Amen.

Let us pray…

Prayers of the Church

Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.

Risen Lord Jesus, You have spoken words of life into our sorrow, and joy into our waiting. You have promised that we will see You again— and that promise is enough to give us hope today.

Teach us to trust You in the “little whiles” of life— when the waiting is long, when the answers are unclear, and when joy feels distant. Fix our eyes on You, the crucified and risen One, and remind us that because You live, our sorrow is never wasted, our prayers are always heard, and our future is secure.

As we go out into the world— into our homes, our work, our callings— let us carry this joy with us: not a shallow cheerfulness, but a deep, unshakable confidence in the victory You have already won.

We praise You, Jesus, and we rejoice in hope— because You live, now and forever. Lord, in Your mercy; Hear our prayer.

We Now Pray For the Church and her proclamation of the Gospel

Gracious Father, You have turned our sorrow into joy through the death and resurrection of Your Son. Strengthen Your Church throughout the world to proclaim with boldness the hope that is ours because He lives. Give courage to pastors, teachers, missionaries, and all who serve in Your name. Lord, in Your mercy; Hear our prayer.

We Pray For joy amid trials:

O Lord, we praise You that the resurrection of Jesus transforms even the darkest of days. Teach us to rejoice in hope, to be patient in tribulation, and faithful in prayer. Where there is sorrow, bring peace. Where there is confusion, bring clarity. Lord, in Your mercy; Hear our prayer.

We Pray For our nation and for those who serve:

God of all nations, on this Memorial Day weekend, we give thanks for those who gave their lives in service to our country. We remember their sacrifice with gratitude and solemnity. Comfort the families who mourn and inspire us to live as responsible citizens under Your reign. Protect all who currently serve in our armed forces and guide our leaders in wisdom and humility. Lord, in Your mercy; Hear our prayer.

We Now Pray For the sick and recovering:

Healing Lord, look with compassion on all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit. Today we especially ask for your healing hand to be upon Kevin Craft as he recovers from surgery. Grant him strength, healing, and the peace that comes from knowing Christ crucified and risen. We also continue to pray for Gabe Jensen, Sharon Blotsky, Tom Weiss, and Janet Albert. Be near to all who call on You in distress and renew their joy through Your presence. Lord, in Your mercy; Hear our prayer.

We Pray For those who grieve:

Father of comfort, we pray for all who continue to walk through the valley of grief. May they be sustained by the sure and certain promise of the resurrection. Turn their mourning into hope and give them eyes to see what You have prepared. Lord, in Your mercy; Hear our prayer.

We Pray For Our Redeemer’s LC and its mission:

Lord of the Church, bless this congregation with faithfulness in worship, joy in service, and unity in love. As we strive to proclaim and propagate the Christian faith through the Means of Grace, keep us ever mindful of the needs of our neighbors and the opportunities to share the living hope of the forgiveness of sins we have in Jesus. Strengthen us to bear witness, even amid trials. Lord, in Your mercy; Hear our prayer.

For all other needs and concerns, hear our silent prayer:

[Moment of silence]

Lord, in Your mercy; Hear our prayer.

Into Your hands, O Lord, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy, through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord who taught us to pray...

Our Father…