Second Sunday of Easter
Notes
Transcript
I grew up across the street from the woods. We a group of us used to go play in the woods and often we’d have stick fights. Often we would maim one another and the only thing that actually solved the betrayal of a pine bow to the dome was not Neosporin but confession. “I’m sorry”.
Confession has two parts - admission and absolution
Jesus has made us people of peace. He does this through confession and absolution.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
After the resurrection the church, which pretty much consists of the disciples at that point, the church is entrusted with a task. Peacemaking.
How do we make peace?
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
We don’t.
The Holy Spirit works something in us - sanctification. The ongoing holiness of God’s people hinges on the Holy Spirit softening us and equipping us with good news. Here is the good news:
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
The good news is the forgiveness of sins. Now we as Lutheran Christians have a unique perspective on this.
In the stead and by the command of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins.
Who does the forgiving? Is it me or our God?
Let’s look at it like a judge. When they gavel someone into judgement they use specific language. They say “I find the defendant guilty or not guilty”
Now - this matters. The judge has not been personally wronged nor are they invested in seeing someone set free. They are impartial. They are also not the ones who release the shackles or carry someone into jail. They don’t make the laws but they do hear evidence and offer a verdict based upon the evidence presented.
For us, the evidence that is necessary is confession:
A simple I am sorry. Pastors don’t belabor the point. Or at least they shouldn’t.
AND the confession that Jesus ROSE. Justice has been done.
This empowers us to act in true agency. Like a judge does. They are agents of Justice. You are agents of God!
Your primary task on this earth is to be an agent of God’s redemptive power.
Jesus speaks to the 72 in Luke 10
“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Quickly let’s resolve the tension of binding and rejecting.
Absolution requires 2 things: CONFESSION (Admission & Faith)
If we don’t believe in the resurrection then we will try to exact justice today. (How’s that going BTW?)
Justice that only makes us feel better is not justice. It is revenge.
If we don’t believe we’ve done anything wrong why would we be hurt that forgiveness isn’t offered?
The forgiveness we offer is just not from us- it is costly. This grace sets us from the princes and powers of darkness that seek to deteriorate Gods way of life.
James the Brother of our Lord reiterates this in the practice of the early church:
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James was the early Bishop of Jerusalem and the author of the liturgy we know as the Liturgy of St. James and is still in use to this day by many orthodox churches.
What is interesting is that his liturgy uses a slightly different form of absolution:
Lutherans and Catholics have the Indicative absolution “I therefore forgive you” as the words of Jn 20 indicate
If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven
Many others utilize the St. James order- presbyterians have the precatory “God forgives you” (Lutherans use this as well)
What is important is that they both do the same thing.
The pattern of the liturgy: confession and absolution plays out in the larger liturgy of life.
When we live in proximity with one another we are going to get hurt. We are going to need the tools to resolve those disputes. The only tools that have ever worked are admission and absolution. Disclosure and dissolving
What are we doing here?
What are we doing here?
If the resurrection isn’t real, if you are not effected to make any positive change in the world then what are we doing here? There is a grand conversation happening across the United States, really the world about Equality and Equity.
A variety of divisions have been pointed out, race, economics, education, geography. However, the scriptures tend to lump everyone together in the eyes of the Lord. Look at our Psalm today.
Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and maidens together, old men and children!
In forgiveness we are bound together. Confessing our common sin leads to greater harmony. As a society we cannot live together until we learn to treat each other with mercy. The words ‘you are forgiven, I forgive you’ are the some of the most powerful words given to the Church by Christ.
This goes for us as well.
Concordia as we start to unroll and open doors what does it take for you and I to come back?
I guarantee you- your old spot has someone in it. You still have a place here, a new place.
Our world, our congregation, our lives have changed.
Everywhere we look, things at CLC will be different. There is no ‘getting back’ to the way things were.
After the resurrection things were different.
This emergence from lockdown is our little resurrection moment.
Look at our Acts reading:
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
After the resurrection the people were of one heart and soul. Why? - because of great grace.
The followers of the early church had everything in common because they all started in Mercy and the only credit they had was from Jesus.
Look at what the Lord has given you. LOOK around.
Over Covid we have done 3 Adult Conversion baptisms.
For me personally, on Friday Bob Shrope, Eric Bechtel, Jerry Hein, and Phil Sitze were tearing out the junipers out front and one of them borrowed my chainsaw. He said ‘I like that saw’! That’s it. I’ve made it. I have meaning to another in this body. I have provided for them.
This leads me to the last thing we have that others wish they had. You. We have everyone from infants to 90 year olds.
The reason why I am raising my boys here at CLC is because when they learn to drive Holly Hein will be there to encourage and warn them- and truly forgive them when one of them backs into her car.
When one of our church dies, my boys will know who you are, pray for your family and remember the lessons of eternal life (grace) you taught them.
Some churches wish they were younger, other churches act wiser than they really are. We have parents and singles and students. We have it all in spades. We can do this because of grace. We have God’s grace in common.
The only way we can be the church- every one of God’s people in His estate is by grace.
This fall we’re looking at a whole new slate of ministry opportunities. Mens and Women’s studies, a fantastic new Sunday school where we are all in it together like the early church, a more full Preschool and a terrific return to worship including our 65th anniversary.
The Lord has given you eternal life. We lose no time. This last year has not been in vain. We take a long term perspective and get after it.
Friends, in this new world of the eternal resurrection - God is calling you to His mercy. He is calling you to extend His grace to the world. It starts here in this room and permeates everything we do. You have been tasked with equipping this church- this generation to share grace. Your gifts equip the church to extend God’s grace.
If you hear one thing today - it is that God wants you to know that He has had mercy on You His people. He has accomplished His will- the forgiveness of sins. He will surely continue to save us. He wishes to provide life and salvation for you through this- His church - His living body. Amen.
