Our Blessed Fellowship

I just have to say this again, because I just thought it was so wonderful hearing the little ones shout alleluia. So, Christ is risen! (He is risen indeed! Alleluia!)

All right. Thanks be to God. We Gather on the second Sunday of Easter. We have five more Sundays of Easter. And then after that we've got 45, I think Sundays of little Easters, because this is the reason we gather. This is the reason the church gathers on Sunday. We rejoice in our Lord's resurrection. And it's in His resurrection that we have fellowship with one another and with our Father in heaven and His son Jesus Christ in communion with the Holy Spirit. Amen Our text is the epistle lesson. And in our epistle lesson, St. John uses the word Fellowship quite a few times. Fellowship quite a few times. I sometimes like to be a little interactive. So feel free to answer back to me if the Lord or Spirit or whatever moves you. But when you hear the word Fellowship, most often, what do you think of when you hear the word Fellowship?

Are you speak up if you're speaking up so we can all hear you?

Friends. What else? Pardon?

Eating with others. Yes, got to have food.

I mean is fellowship really complete without food and friends? When I started in the ministry, I began in North Dakota, and my parents were coming out to visit. I was explaining to them this matter in the Dakotas which they call "lunch." And my mother goes well, what exactly is lunch? I said Mom, lunch is anything from just a cup of coffee to a cup of coffee and a piece of cake or a piece of pie. I said all the way till full-blown dinner - it all comes under the heading "lunch." A lot of lunches out there. In fact, I showed pictures to my nephew who was about 4 at the time, and he says, "Don't you do anything out there, Uncle Kevin, except eat?" Because they were all pictures of people gathering to eat. If I asked you where here in Immanuel do you have Fellowship? Where would you say? If I was a visitor and I wanted to know where do I go for Fellowship, where would you tell me to go?

Downstairs! Because downstairs, what? What you called downstairs here? Fellowship Hall! Fellowship hall. Now, a little test on church architecture. If I said there's something in the narthex for you to pick up, you'd know that's the back of the church, correct? You know, the narthex. We now are in the Nave. You know why we call it the Nave? Look up at the ceiling. What does it look like? Bottom of a boat, right? Wouldn't it be nice to have a fishing boat this big. You'd probably have to go on Lake Michigan with that. But that's where we get the word Navy from. It's like a boat. And if you remember in a baptism, part of the prayer is that they may be kept safe in what we call the Arc of the church. And sometimes the church is pictured as Noah's Ark, because eight souls were saved in it, and we, too, are saved in the church. In the Nave. I'm in the chancel area and the whole chancel nave is the sanctuary. Now, if I asked you where is the undercroft? Would you have any idea what I'm talking about?

It would be downstairs. What we call the fellowship hall, because "let's go to the undercroft," that sounds kind of creepy, doesn't it? It is kind of creepy because you go over to Europe where did the people bury the people in the church? Under the church - the undercroft. So that's the fancy word for it. But we call it the church parlor or the church fellowship hall. And we do have good Fellowship there. We sometimes have very good bars and cookies, pies and cakes, full meals. We Gather with our friends and we enjoy our company.

And we gather for that Fellowship for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we just get together for the fun of it because we think we need to - it's been a while since we've visited, had fellowship. So let's have fellowship after service. Sometimes it's after special event, maybe a baptism a wedding. An installation or ordination. Sometimes it's for sad occasions, isn't it? After a funeral, we gather downstairs as family and friends, rejoicing in our loved one's victory over death through Christ Jesus, but then also gathering to support one another in our grief.

But I don't think when John is talking about Fellowship that he's necessarily talking in terms that we understand Fellowship.

He's talking about a gathering, a group, rather intimate group. Some of you may follow The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings and one of the series is The Fellowship of the Ring. It's a small group, and they've all got something in common, don't they? They're trying - if I remember right - trying to head out to destroy this ring because it's evil. And John here, he's talking about a fellowship. A close-knit fellowship that is based on really Jesus' resurrection. I mean, that's why Jesus calls us together and to be witnesses to His resurrection. Even John here at the end of his 20th chapter, emphasizes that, you know, Jesus did an awful lot of things that aren't written in this book, and perhaps volumes could be written. But he said, what's written here is that you might believe. And, really, what he focuses on is Jesus' resurrection, there. You know, Thomas, not being there, had to wait a whole week.

I changed the sermon up a little bit this morning, cuz I changed it up last night, but talked about Thomas and really would have been a hard thing, a hardship for our Lord just to pop in when Thomas showed up later that evening? No, it wouldn't have been. But he had to wait a week.

We might wonder why did He have to wait a week? My simple answer is if He would have just popped in, we probably wouldn't have had the beautiful message and the beautiful blessing that our Lord gives us. As being those who are blessed because we believe and we have not seen.

And so, our fellowship is in the resurrection of Jesus, but it's also in the forgiveness of sins, cuz part of this whole section on Fellowship is about confessing our sin and being truthful. Being truthful, first and foremost, I think John would say, with ourselves. That we are sinners, that we are sinners. I love it. Usually it's one of those weeks when we're in the Ten Commandments in confirmation class. And I come in and I'll ask the students, "How many of you sinned today?" Not a student raises a hand.

Because they're not thinking in terms of being a sinner. Which, well, I'm not going to go into that. But anyways - and part of it is cuz they haven't developed enough to understand all that - but then I give examples. So, how many of you today , you forgot that you had an assignment due, and before the teacher asked them to come in, you asked your neighbor, "Can I borrow your homework for a moment?" And you borrow their answers?

And I bet you never gave a second thought whether they had the right answers or not. That's a good thing, if you got somebody, you know is cheating on you, you write in in the wrong answers, then go back and change them. They'll learn their lesson pretty quick. But then - remember that, Mr. Betts? Then, I'll say, "How many of you had an argument with a sibling, or maybe it was with your parent. You know, you wanted to stay out late or you wanted to do something, and they said no, and you stormed off and a huff, and you said 'I hate you.'"

I said the first instance, you're stealing, aren't you? In the second instance, you're murdering. And then the third instance is usually something with phy-ed class and taking extra looks when you shouldn't have taken the first look, maybe. Or the first look would have been enough. What are you thinking about when you're taking that second look?

And then I say, "now how many of you sinned?" And then, of course, then the hands go up. Because we always tend to think, often times, of actually doing something and sinning. And not necessarily what we're thinking or what we say. Sometimes, we're very sinful in the words that we share with one another, aren't we? But then, if we think we've escaped that, then there's that whole thing about the things that God wants us to do that we fail to do. Like speaking well of our neighbor when somebody's trash-talking them. Or helping our neighbor protect his property when we see somebody, you know, lurking around and funny lights flashing around while we know they're down in someplace warmer than we are. So first and foremost, we have to come clean with ourselves that we are sinners. And unfortunately, sometimes those outside the church forget that we're really a fellowship of sinners. And they say, "Why do I want to go to a church? They're no better than I am." Well, of course, we're no better than you are. The same words slip out of our mouth when the hammer hits the thumb instead of a nail. Or the heavy wrench falls on the foot, or something isn't going right and we're frustrated and we engage before we think. Yeah, those things come out of our mouths.

And we have lustful and idolatrous and adulterous thoughts and envies and all that stuff to you says that comes out of our heart, that's being human, that's being a sinner. And yeah, we're exactly like them out in the world. Hey, you're not so different from us, but there is a difference. And John says, "If we say we have no sin the truth is not in us." And we make God out to be a liar. And His word is not in us. So, our fellowship is not only as sinners, but also a fellowship of those who have God's word in them. God's word in them. Now, when did the word come into us? Well, thankfully not like Jeremiah, where God said, "Here's the scroll. Now take it up and eat it, Jeremiah."

And he ate it, and at first, it was sweet and then it turned sour in his stomach. No, it came to us when we came to the fount of baptism. Somebody brought us there. Mom and dad, or maybe as an adult or older child, we came on our own. But there, the word was spoken. The water was poured. No waiting a week. Faith was there. God's word was planted in us. And it's been growing and maturing in us ever since.

And so, in that sense, we're different from those out in the world, because they have not God's word in them.

And so we shouldn't be surprised that they don't understand often when were talking about Godly things. Things that require faith. Things that require the Holy Spirit. I mean, look at the disciples. Especially in the gospel of Mark. They're not very good examples of followers of Jesus. But then, the Holy Spirit comes in, and it's amazing what they can put everything together. And so, we shouldn't wonder that somebody that doesn't have the Spirit in them isn't necessarily going to understand everything we say. But yet, by God's miraculous working, when we share God's word, when we use God's word, God can create faith in that person through that very word.

And so our fellowship is in the word. Our fellowship is in the understanding that we are sinners and we come together and we confess our sin. And God, who is faithful and just, forgives us our sin.

I love the way John puts the ending here, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin." Hello, John, we're sinners. Of course we're going to sin.

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the father: Jesus Christ, the righteous. Here's the word of the day. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. Propitiation.

How many of you just hearing the word know what it means? Like if you just first heard it, you'd know what it meant. You're not alone.

It simply means, Jesus Christ is the sacrifice of atonement that brings us peace with God.

So when we throw around words like propitiation, we get funny looks - we pastors get funny looks from members. You throw that word around, "oh, who do they think they are? They think they're so smart, throwing around big words." It's like going into the doctor and they use those fancy medical talk. This is church talk.

In the Ader translation, it would say "he is the all availing sacrifice for our sin, and not only for ours but that of the whole world." See, you have to include the whole world, because the moment we take out the whole world, we can begin questioning our salvation, our forgiveness. We can begin questioning, "Well now Pastor announced the Forgiveness of our sins, but how do I know that forgiveness is resting on me?"

Well, first of all, because Christ Jesus died for the whole world, that means he died for you. And wondering if His forgiveness that's announced is resting on you? Well that, that's where faith comes in. As Luther says, faith is the hand that receives what God extends to us and God's extending forgiveness and we receive it in faith. And we're forgiven, and that's why driving out the Holy Spirit unbelief is really the unpardonable sin, because you've driven away the means whereby you can grab hold of that forgiveness.

And in all of this, we're to walk in the light. The world's walking in darkness, but we're to walk in the light. And sometimes walking in the light, our failures show forth a little better than if they're in the dark. And the world will say, "We don't want anything to do with that. You're no different than we are."

But we are different than them. Because we're a fellowship of those who acknowledge their sin, who are filled with the word of God, and who receive His forgiveness, and proclaim the righteousness and resurrection of Jesus, not our deeds but His deeds. Not my resurrection but His resurrection.

With which we've been joined again in that water of baptism. We're joined in Christ's death, we're joined in His resurrection.

We are part of a very blessed Fellowship. Now, I know we think of downstairs as a fellowship hall. And that's usually where we gather for fellowship, isn't it? Coffee or bars or whatever. But that's one kind of fellowship, and that's a good fellowship. And we can share that Fellowship even with those who don't believe in Jesus. In fact, that may be a source where our Lord is opening a door for us to introduce them to Jesus.

But we also share in Fellowship up here, don't we? I mean, this is really the fellowship hall isn't it? And I'm not going to get into any arguments with the ladies or men that bake here, as to who makes the best roll or bar or pie or cake, whatever. But really, the most satisfying and the most richest and most beneficial of food is what we receive here this morning again, in Christ's body and blood that nourishes our soul. I mean, well, we won't count how many bars I've taken on my times through the line when I've been here. It's been a good number, and I put on some calories in that usually develops into either the middle shelf or the love handles or whatever you want to call it.

But I can work those off. I mean they're not going to last. I mean if I'm diligent, I'll probably go and I'll walk a couple blocks and work off those calories. Not that I'm that diligent, but what we receive here, no matter how many times we come here, it never wears off. It's always eternal. It's always there. It always satisfies. It nourishes our faith. Strengthens us in faith. Reminds us that our sin is forgiven. Supplies us with the grace we need to lead God-pleasing lives. Walking in the light as He is in the light as John puts it.

This is the fellowship hall. And we're glad you're here.

But you know, this Fellowship that John is talking about goes far beyond the walls of Immanuel. It extends across the area, across the countryside, across the nation, around the world. People of faith in that same Fellowship are gathering, perhaps right now, at other times during the day. In fact that read something that really amazed me, that - and I forget who said it - but there is not a moment on the Earth as it circles through the universe, you know, rotates around the Sun, and we get the years and the seasons and all that - there isn't any time in that timespan, whether it be a day or a week or a month or a year, that prayer isn't being lifted up to God, praise is not being lifted up to God. And that God is not being worshipped and praised and honored. That's pretty amazing when you really think about it, and it expands the idea of our fellowship. You know, today is the first day that we have this new worship schedule. I had to make sure I knew which direction I was going after service at Kellner. But there were some fellow members of Immanuel that were over there this morning, and it was nice to see, because you know, as Lutherans, we really don't like change. I'll admit that. But this is really an expanding of our fellowship together in Jesus Christ. And last night, in my prayers, I just said "Lord, everything will work out, becuase we're giving it over to You. And You will put Your mark on it, and You will bless it. And You will give us the right sense to acknowledge Your blessing, as well as acknowledge our weaknesses."

And it maybe the ride of a lifetime. But it reminds us again of this fellowship that exists with us. And so, praise be to God. And remember, our fellowship is with one another. And the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

There are lots of times in the week, in a lifetime, when we like to point fingers at one another. And it's always good to be reminded that the blood of Christ cleanses all of us of our unrighteousness. That would be something to have a T-shirt made of, I think. To remind one another that yeah, maybe I do need to go to my brother and convess my sin, because after all, Christ died for their sin, as well.

And we are part of this blessed Fellowship. Those whom our Lord Himself blessed. You're blessed, Thomas, because you believe, because you saw, but blessed are those... blessed... Jesus is talking about you and me and those generations before us and those generations that will come after us. Blessed are those who believe, even though they have not seen. That's the power of the resurrected Christ at work in your life and mine. And may he continue to bless us in this most holy fellowship until the day of his return. Amen.

And now may the peace of God, which surpasses our human understanding, keep our hearts and our minds in faith in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.