Proper 27 (2025)

on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’ “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

Sharing of Joys and Concerns

Hymn #213, v. 1 Because He Lives

Silent Prayer

Pastoral Prayer

Lord's Prayer

Children's Message

Scripture Reading

Luke 20:27–38 NIV

Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. The second and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. Finally, the woman died too. Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

Sermon The King of the Resurrection

Once again, we find the religious leaders approaching Jesus—not with a sincere desire to learn, but in another attempt to trap Him and make Him look foolish before the crowds. This time it’s the Sadducees, a group who accepted only the first five books of the Bible—the Pentateuch—as authoritative. They come to Jesus with a question that sounds theological but is really a trap.

They take a passage from Deuteronomy 25:5, which instructed that if a man died without children, his brother was to marry the widow so that the family name and inheritance could continue. It was a way of caring for the widow and preserving the family line, as we also see in Genesis 38:8.

But the Sadducees twist this law to create a ridiculous scenario: seven brothers, one woman, no children, and everyone dies. Then comes their question: “In the resurrection, whose wife will she be?”

Now, don’t tell the Sadducees I said this, but that’s kind of a dumb question. I mean, if I’m the fifth, sixth, or seventh brother, and I see my four older brothers die while married to this woman—I’m pretty sure I’m not walking down that aisle! You know what I mean.

But there’s a deeper flaw in their thinking—besides the obvious one that they’re arguing with the Son of God, who came from heaven and knows exactly how the resurrection works. Their mistake is assuming that life in the resurrection will simply be an extension of life here on earth.

And that’s ironic, because the Sadducees didn’t even believe in the resurrection of the dead! Yet Jesus answers them with divine authority and insight. He tells them that the world of the resurrection is radically different from the world we live in now.

Here, in this life, there is marriage—men and women are given to one another to help, support, and encourage each other. As God said in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

But the life to come—the resurrected life—is not merely a continuation of this one. Jesus says, “In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage.” The relationships we know here on earth are transformed there. In the resurrection, love is not lost—it is perfected. We won’t need marriage to complete us because we’ll be made complete in Christ.

And Jesus goes further: in the resurrection there is no death. Unlike this world, where we face sickness, aging, and loss, in that world we are eternal—like the angels—and are fully the children of God.

Then Jesus does something brilliant. He points the Sadducees back to Moses, whom they deeply respected. He reminds them of the burning bush passage where God says, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6) Jesus is showing them that God is not the God of the dead but of the living. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive to Him even now.

With that one statement, Jesus both exposes their error and affirms the hope of resurrection life.

And that brings us to the heart of the good news for us today: the life to come will be radically different—and infinitely better—than the life we experience now.

For all who place their trust in Christ, who receive Him into their hearts, there is the promise and the guarantee that life does not end here. This world, with all its struggles and losses, is not the end of the story.

So when we stand at a graveside, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. When we face pain, loneliness, or fear, we remember that Jesus Christ is the King of the Resurrection. He has gone before us, and He has promised that those who belong to Him will live forever in the presence of God.

And in that life to come—free from death, sorrow, and sin—we will know perfect joy, perfect peace, and perfect love.

Because our God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Praise Song King Of Kings

Giving of Tithes and Offering

Doxology

Prayer of Dedication

Hymn #220 He Lives

*Benediction

Sanctuary

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