Drawn to the Light

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

I'm a fan of Blue Bloods. And on one episode, if you're familiar, they gather for Sunday dinner. And in one episode, the daughter-in-law Linda asks if she can say the table prayer. And this is how it goes: Oh, Lord, bless these sinners as they eat their dinners.

Do we sometimes need to be reminded that we are sinners? I would tend to agree. Yes, we do. Because, if we lose sight of the fact that we're sinners, then we lose sight of the fact that God has sent salvation to us in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.

I sometimes get asked the question: why are you a pastor. Maybe some of you have asked me that question. I've certainly asked myself a number of times: why am I a pastor? And the real simple answer to that question, probably leaves people disappointed when they hear, but I'm a pastor simply because a congregation called me to be their pastor. If Saint John Kellner, or any other congregation would not have called me to be their pastor, I wouldn't be a pastor, I just be a theologically educated person. And that, and I guess oh a $1.50 maybe gets me a cup of coffee somewhere.

You probably don't get asked why did you become whatever - teacher or whatever your vocation is. And I bet you don't even get asked the question, why are you a believer in Jesus Christ? Why do you follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Son of God?

If you were asked that question, how would you answer it? What answer would you give?

Now, you don't need to lay up awake at night thinking how you'd answer that cuz I'll tell you how to answer it. It's simple.

We follow... I follow Jesus Christ as my savior and the Son of God because I've been drawn to Him as my Savior, by His Father. Jesus, in our Gospel lesson of verse 44 says: no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him.

A moment ago, we had a baptism, didn't we? And this is the description. The desscription of little Rosalie before her baptism: You must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

That's Rosalie. That's you and I, as sinners before God's gracious work in us of regeneration.

Now, some would say, now Pastor Ader, how can you say such harsh, cruel words about such a cute little baby?

In fact, in Confirmation class, when we're talking about sin, nobody thinks that a little baby has sinned. But she's demonstrating her sinfulness at 3 in the morning, when she cries, and she either wants to be changed, fed, held, or she doesn't know what, and you don't know what, and so you sit there.

Now, Rosalie didn't come crawling up to the font to be baptized, did she? Her mom and dad, together with her sponsors, brought her to the font. Now, why is it that Mom and Dad and the sponsors brought her to the font? Well, simple answer is probably because when they were like Rosalie's age, their mom and dad brought them to the font. And by extension, then, God working through the parents, brought the child to the font where the word of God, connected with that water, produced the lavish washing away of sin and a regeneration so that now that old life that Paul talks about to the Ephesians, can be left behind. And the new life that was created in that water of baptism can come forth, daily. And every day as we remember our baptism, that new man comes forth for us, and that old, sinful man is pushed down.

So why do you believe in Jesus Christ? Why do I believe? I can't answer for you all. I'll only answer for myself, cuz that's all I can do. I believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, because the Father drew me to Him. And He continues to draw me to Him.

Mr. Volker put it nicely when he talked about the fire and the moth. I'll put it a little more harshly. The bug zapper. The bug zapper. I would imagine most all of us here are familiar with a bug zapper. You plug it in, a light goes on inside, and it draws bugs into it. And if you're board, you may sit there and look at the bug zapper and watch the bugs fly in and out. And some of them fly in and out quite a few times until they get zapped. Some, it takes one time and they're zapped. And as a child growing up, well, not really a child, I guess junior high, but watching that bug zapper, I always liked it when one of those real big horse flies got in there. Cuz I knew, first of all, it would make a big zap and a big spark, but then also, it wouldn't be around to pester me or bite me. But, of course, it did the same to mosquitos. I mean, the bug zapper is indiscriminate. If I'd have stuck my finger in there, I'd have got zapped too. I don't know if I'd have dropped dead like a bug did, but I never stuck my finger in to figure it out. But those bugs are drawn into that bug zapper by the light.

Because why? Cuz they're drawn to the light. I don't... if I'd have paid more attention in biology, maybe I'd have understood why flies are attracted to light. But the point is they're attracted to the light, and it leads to their destruction. And we live in a world that's full of lights. Now, even if you haven't been to Las Vegas - and this isn't to make a comentary on Las Vegas - but you've seen pictures, and it's really all lit up. There's lights all over. Or Times Square. There's lights all over. Some are flashing, some are running, but they're dazzling lights, and they're all louring us into something. A restaurant. A show. A casino. A store. And what's in there is all kinds of stuff that looks appealing to us.

And the world, with all that, are blinding, sometimes. We get so caught up in the lights that we forget where they're leading us to. Until maybe it's too late like afterwards.

But unlike that light of that bug zapper or the light of the world that is drawing us to destruction, God draws us to the True Light that was coming into the world. Jesus Christ, John tells us, and he talks about people living in darkness.

How many of you move around your house at night in the dark? Do you ever run into anything? No. Why not? Because you know it. Would you care to come in and walk through my house in the middle of the night? No. Because I can guarantee you'll run into something in my house right now. But you're not familiar with it.

And as sinners, we're milling about in the dark, we don't know where we're going, but the True Light leads us. Not to something to our harm, but something for our good for our salvation. And Jesus...

...will raise him up on the last day. And elsewhere, Jesus says that religious education...

...and that eternal life isn't fully realized. But - and don't call 911 - but when I applied the water and the word to little Rosalie, she died. She died. And I know that's as easy for you to understand as if I were around for a funeral, and I said, you know, she's alive. Her body's just wore out, but she's alive!

And y'all say, well, Pastor Ader's a nut. Why is he a pastor? But the truth is what we believe. We believe that our old nature died in that water. It was drowned. I went in over my head at the font. And I came out alive. And one day, we'll all realize the fullness of eternal life, but it's something we have now. And think of it. You're living eternal life. You will never die. Jesus says, the one who believes in me will never die. Now, of course, physically, we'll die. But not spiritually.

What does that say about those of the world? Those who do not believe in Jesus Christ? How about this one: they're living eternal death. They're living a dead man's life. When they die, they're dead. Forever seperated from God.

We, because we've been joined to Christ in our baptism, we need never be separated from God. Nor, does He promise us, will He separate Himself from us. And I will raise him up on the last day. I will raise him up on the last day. Jesus promises to raise us up on the last day.

Out at the cemetery: Forest Hill or St. John's or wherever the cemetery is, there are people who have heard this promise of Jesus. There are family members, relatives, friends laid to rest there who heard the same words of Jesus, were drawn by the same Father to believe in Him and put their trust in Him, and they're waiting for the day when Jesus returns and they are raised. Graves open, the dead raised. Those of us who are alive, caught to meet them together and our bodies changed.

But it's all because we've been drawn to Him by His Father. Now, is there any hope for those living still in the darkness and ignorance of their sin? Of course there is, there's always hope. And God the Father will still draw people to His Son. And sometimes, guess what/ He uses people like you and me to draw people to His Son, as we live our faith, as we speak our faith, as we share the light.

So, how's life going for you, following the light of the world? Well, I got an awful lot of stuff, but I sure feel empty. How's life with you following Jesus? Well, I don't have an awful lot of stuff. But I'm at peace, because I know that my life rests in Jesus' hands. And that He has already given me eternal life, because He gave His life for me.

Oh wow.

And He would certainly like to give that same hope, that same light, that same wisdom to you. Jesus Himself says, I have come into the world that you might have life and have it to the abundant.

We still, ignorant sinners at times, hear those words, and some would say: by golly, God wants me to have everything that this world has to offer.

I don't think that's what our Lord is saying, at all. I have come into the world that you might have life and have it abundantly. Apart from Jesus Christ, there is no life. That's the point He's trying to drive home with us whole bread talk. Without bread, there's no life. Without Jesus, there's no real life. And the abundant life He offers us, I don't think it has anything whatsoever to do with the things, the stuff of this world that we are so preoccupied with - you, me, and everybody else. We're preoccupied with it. All you've got to do is walk around our house, don't we?

But the abundant life Jesus is talking about, I'm pretty certain that it has something to do with living a life free from sin. And wouldn't that be marvelous to live a life free from sin? My life free from my sin and the effects of your sin on my life. And you to live a life free from your sin and free from the effect of my sin on your life.

I think that's what is really living: to be free from sin. And Jesus, Himself will say if the Son sets you free, you're free indeed. And so this morning, we saw it with our own eyes and heard with our own ears that Rosalie's been set free. Not free to go and do whatever she wants. Mom and Dad will make sure of that, at least till 18, I'm sure. But free from sin, free from death. She now is a child of life, a fellow member of the family of God, together with all the rest of us. Thanks be to God that the Father continues to draw unto His Son, that those who are drawn may indeed be raised up on the last day. For God Himself's glory, but also for the continuing comfort of our souls. Amen. And now, may the peace of God, which surpasses our understanding, keep our hearts and our minds in faith in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.