Facing the Test

Text: “3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

I’m not here this morning to reassure you that the world is not, in fact, ending, that everything will be just fine. That’s not what I’m here to do this morning.

I hope that the fear is exaggerated. But I certainly can’t say that with any kind of authority whatsoever. I pray that the measures our local, state, and national leaders have taken will be sufficient to control the spread of the disease.

I’m not here this morning to reassure you that everything will be fine, that the world isn’t ending. The hard reality is that this is a very clear sign, a clear reminder, that the world is, in fact, ending. It is a reminder that every one of us will die one day.

You know, it’s been interesting to see all the posts on social media this week. One of them that has been making the rounds, but hasn’t caught on the way others have, is a quote from C.S. Lewis. He was asked to reflect on how people might deal with the dawn of the atomic age.

In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. "How are we to live in an atomic age?" I am tempted to reply: "Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents."

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. ...It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

No. I’m not here to reassure you that everything will be fine. That’s why this plague, just like every other plague that the church has lived through— and remember that there have been many!— evokes a call for repentance.

Geneticists can explain the origin and the mutations and the way it functions and the prospects of a vaccine. Epidemiologists can explain the way a virus spreads and the best policies to contain it— and, God willing, they will save countless lives in the process. But, behind the explanations lies a spiritual truth that we must confront. This is the world that we have chosen— not just once, long ago, when our first parents ate the forbidden fruit— every sin that you and I commit is a rejection of the creation and the perfect created order that God gave us.

Behind the explanations from epidemiologists and geneticists, behind the >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> lies a spiritual truth that we must confront. This is the world that we have chosen— not just once, long ago, when our first parents ate the forbidden fruit— every sin that you and I commit is a rejection of the creation and the created order that God gave us.

There was an episode in Jesus’ ministry when “There were some… who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”” ()

“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”” ()

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Natural disasters, tragic accidents, plagues like this one, they do. They call you and me to repent of the sin that has put us under the curse of death. They are signs of the end of the world, not to mention reminders of the end of our own lives, as well.

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In , Jesus foretold the kinds of things that would mark the time just before His coming. Wars, rumors of wars, earthquake, famine, persecution and much more. He also included pestilence. [That’s one of the big reasons why m]any great Christians, including Martin Luther 500 years ago, beheld the mess of the world around them and thought the end must be coming soon.

And they weren’t wrong. The end is coming. In fact, it is nearer and nearer every day. The signs are all around us. And, yes, this is one of them.

But Jesus said at the end of his speech, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” ().

I’m not here to reassure you that everything is going to be ok, that the end of the world is not coming. I’m here to remind you of Who it is who is in charge of setting that date. I’m here to remind you that His plan and His preparation for that day are perfect.

On that day, every sin that has made this world what it is will be accounted for, fully and finally. And in order to make sure you were ready for that day He came down into this fallen creation, took on human flesh; took every one of your sins— from the biggest to the smallest— and went to the cross; and, finally, walked out of the tomb three days later to give you an inheritance in the new creation where there is no death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away, and He who is seated on the throne has made all things new.

He came down into this fallen creation, took on human flesh, went to the cross to give you an inheritance in the new creation where there is no death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away, and He who is seated on the throne has made all things new.

{give you an inheritance in the new creation where there is no death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away, and He who is seated on the throne has made all things new.}

He came down into this fallen creation, took on human flesh, went to the cross to give you an inheritance in the new creation where there is no death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away, and He who is seated on the throne has made all things new.

In the meantime, as we wait for that new creation, it seems we have a test to face— individually and collectively. Martin Luther wrote about the Black Death that was ravaging Europe in his day— thankfully even the worst estimates of what we face don’t compare to the number of people killed by that plague. He described it as a test.

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things - praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts - not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.

In the meantime, we have a test to face— individually and collectively. Martin Luther wrote about the Black Death that was ravaging Europe in his day— thankfully even the worst estimates of what we face don’t compare to the number of people killed by that plague. He described it as a test.

“First, we can be sure that God’s punishment has come upon us, not only to chastise us for our sins but also to test our faith and love — our faith in that we may see and experience how we should act toward God; our love in that we may recognize how we should act toward our neighbor.” (Luther’s Letter to Rev. Hess on “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague”)

The days to come will test our faith and our love. And, by the way, the ‘test’ is not for God— as if you must prove something to Him— the test is for you, to teach you that you are a baptized child of God and that nothing can take that away from you or take you from Him. The test is for you, to teach you how to love your neighbor better than you do now.

As our Epistle reading put it, “3 ...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (). It is a test of faith and love— again, not for you to prove yourself to God, but for Him to teach you to know Him better and to know who He has made you to be.

“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil.” Why? “For you are with me.”

It is a test of faith and love. And it is a test that He does not leave you to face alone.

And He does not leave you to face it alone.

He points you back to the baptismal font to remind you that your sinful flesh was drowned there and you were raised to new, eternal life— you have eternal life right now!— because you have been joined to Christ and you share in His indestructible life.

He points you back to the baptismal font to remind you that your sinful flesh was drowned there and you were raised to new, eternal life— you have eternal life right now!

When all you see is the fear of death, He invites you to come and eat of the bread of life, given that you may eat of it and never die. “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” () because the bread that He has given for the life of the world— that He has given for you!— is His flesh.

If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

You will see and experience how you should act toward God.

No, He does not leave you alone. He is there through the water; He is there in, with, and under bread and wine, so that even as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death you will fear no evil. Why? “For you are with me.” Because your Good Shepherd is with you. He has walked the road of death. And it could not defeat Him. And He now walks this road with you.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I don’t know what the days ahead will hold for us. We pray with increasing earnestness that God will bring an end to this pandemic and spare countless lives. But regardless of what happens, you know where your help comes from.

As our synod president, Matthew Harrison, reminded us on Friday,

You all know Luther’s great Reformation hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” It’s his hymn version of . But you may not know that it was written during the plague in Wittenberg in 1527. “A mighty fortress is our God, A trusty shield and weapon; He helps us free from ev’ry need That hath us now o’ertaken” (Lutheran Service Book 656:1).

The end of the world is coming— perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps a year from now, perhaps a hundred years from now. The end of the world is coming. And that is very good news because, as the Psalmist has written,

Your times are in the hands of the Lord (). Your days are numbed by Him (). In fact, the very hairs of your head are numbered (). You have only the resurrection to look forward to (). And you have the glorious apostolic promise: “All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (). (Matthew Harrison, “A message from LCMS President Matthew C. Harrison amid the coronavirus pandemic” March 13, 2020)

Let’s face this test head on, learning to love God and one another, in the confidence of knowing who and whose we are.

“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.””

4th commandment—

4th commandment/8th commandment

4th commandment—

5th commandment

5th commandment

death no more imminent than throughout history

it is, in fact, a certainty

if it comes, let it find us doing sensible things

in that case, working, socializing, etc.

in this case, sensible in the sense of taking precautions, but also loving one another

Leads to “repent;” be prepared for death; repent and trust in Christ

Luther:

God’s punishment has come upon us

to test our faith “that we may see and experience how we should act toward God”

“that we may see and experience how we should act toward God”

to test our love “that we may recognize how we should act toward our neighbor”

“the we may recognize how we should act toward our neighbor”

Jesus: “unless you repent you will likewise perish”

Harrison:

trust the authorities

do what you can to care for one another and help prevent the spread

trust God

In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. "How are we to live in an atomic age?" I am tempted to reply: "Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents."

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors - anaesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things - praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts - not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.

Luther:

we may recognize how we should act toward our neighbor.

In , Jesus foretold the kinds of things that would mark the time just before His coming. Wars, rumors of wars, earthquake, famine, persecution and much more. He also included pestilence. Many great Christians, including Martin Luther 500 years ago, beheld the mess of the world around them and thought the end must be coming soon. But Jesus said at the end of his speech, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” ().

You all know Luther’s great Reformation hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” It’s his hymn version of . But you may not know that it was written during the plague in Wittenberg in 1527. “A mighty fortress is our God, A trusty shield and weapon; He helps us free from ev’ry need That hath us now o’ertaken” (Lutheran Service Book 656:1). Your times are in the hands of the Lord (). Your days are numbed by Him (). In fact, the very hairs of your head are numbered (). You have only the resurrection to look forward to (). And you have the glorious apostolic promise: “All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (). (Matthew Harrison, “A message from LCMS President Matthew C. Harrison amid the coronavirus pandemic” March 13, 2020)

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things - praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts - not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”