Saint Athanasius Lutheran Church

We all do it. We all think we know better. We know what's right. We know what's good. At least, good for us. We make what we think, what we want, sound good, not rebellious. We call it fairness, freedom, reson, love. And maybe, when it comes to people in the world, maybe sometimes we do know better. But when it comes to God, good and pious sounding names and rationalizations don't change the fact of what we're doing: going our own way, and expecting God to bless us in it.

In the beginning, when there was no death, there was a tree of life. All the other trees -- except for one -- could feed Adam and Eve and the children they would have. But these were not trees of life. There was only one tree that could do that. But instead of eating from the tree of life, Adam and Eve decided instead to eat of that other tree -- the one with death in it. And so now, in Christ Jesus there is again a tree of life. Jesus has restored us. Now, the Body and Blood of Jesus. The Bread of Life.

Of all the saints days we commemorate in the church, Saint Mary Magdalene sounds the most jarring, doesn't it? Seems the most unusual, the most unlikely, the most out of place, the most... well let's just say it: wrong. But that's what makes this day so right. Mary reminds us that we are all unlikely saints. A saint is someone God has taken hold of and says: forgiven, free, mine! And that makes Mary Magdalene the perfect saint.

Hearing God's Word, learning it, applying it, believing it, submitting to it ... it isn't easy. Because it means confessing that I'm not the king. It means confessing that I am a sinner. It means admitting that maybe I don't know all I think I know. That maybe the way I've ordered my life isn't right at all. That I need to hear something to set me free from the palace of my own desires, defenses, and demands that I have built around myself -- that turned out to be not a palace, but a prison.

What is it today that causes some to be offended, scandalized, at the God who only wants to come and give His gifts? Perhaps one reason is our belief in equality -- that everyone should be treated equally. And perhaps at some times and in some ways that is important and true. But not always. Because love doesn't treat everyone the same. Love takes into account who a person is and what a person needs and acts accordingly. Parents know this. Well so, too, with God.

His little girl was dying. He didn't know what to do. He would do anything for her -- anything! So when he hears the news ... that Jesus just got off the boat that just came ashore, he didn't hesitate. For he had heard. How Jesus healed. He would go to Jesus. Well, he did it. He got through. He had gotten to Jesus, and Jesus was coming with him. He was anxious at first, but with each step they took, he had more and more hope.

Sometimes our names tell people what we do. Kids know what Bob the Builder does. Adults know what to call Len the Plumber for. And John the Baptist... yeah, he baptizes. He wasn't always called John the Baptist, though. First he was just John. John would not have the name of his father, for he was not following in the footsteps of his father. He would follow in the footsteps of another from Israel's history -- Elijah. So with the coming of John the Baptist, the page turns from the Old Testament to the New. From prophecy to fulfillment.

We live in the information age. We know stuff. And we know more stuff now than ever before. And what we don't know, we will know, right? We'll research it, investigate it, discover it, uncover it, science it. But not the kingdom of God. Jesus tells us today that we do not know how it sprouts and grows. So we don't know how the kingdom of God sprouts and grows, but we know that it will. Because these words here aren't just a description -- they are a promise. A promise that Jesus has been fulfilling from the beginning of time to the end of time.

There are things in this world that we can see, and things in this world that we cannot see. Things visible and invisible. So now here's the question: How do we understand and interpret this reality? What does it mean? Is it good or bad? Well, only by the word of the One who knows. The One who not only sees the visible and the invisible, but is the maker of all things visible and invisible. It is only by the Word of God that we can interpret -- correctly -- the things of this world and life.

In the Holy Gospel we heard today, we hear Jesus speaking from His heart. He is mere hours from being lifted up on the cross, to lay down His life for His friends, for His enemies, for you and me, for all people. So, Jesus gives us God's Word, God's powerful Word and promise, to do three things, we heard today -- three things that we need. First, Jesus gives us the Word to keep us from the evil one. Second, Jesus gives us the Word to sanctify us. And then third, Jesus gives us the Word to make us one.

Have you ever thought: If only this person would go away, my life would be so much better. And so maybe instead of a gun or a knife, you pulled out your words and stabbed them repeatedly with your criticism, or you threw them under the bus, or you did a little character assassination. But it doesn't work. So how good that we have this Sunday every year - Good Shepherd Sunday - to comfort us and give us hope in the midst of such a world. And to remind us of who we are and what that means.

It's great to be able to help people, but not even Jesus Himself healed everyone. We read story after story of towns where Jesus was, and He was healing people, but the next morning, He's gone -- He's on to the next town, leaving behind people who had wished for healing, but were not healed. You see, it's not just about healing -- it's about preaching. Preaching that the Word of God is now fulfilled in this man, Jesus of Nazareth.

When today's Gospel is heard the Sunday after Easter every year, I think the contrast most often made in our minds is between the ten disciples who were in the room that night and Thomas, who wasn't. Between the ten who believed and the one who doubted. And so into that room filled with doubt and fear so thick you could probably cut it with a knife, comes Jesus to give peace. He does not condemn or harshly criticize. Jesus repeats Himself -- peace be with you -- so His words sink in. Peace to chase away those doubts. Peace to calm their fears.

There was a march in Washington a week or so ago. You might have heard about it. It was called the March for our Lives. But long before there was a March for our Lives in Washington, there was a March for our Lives in Jerusalem. And whether or not you think the march in Washington was worthwhile, accomplished anything, or will ultimately do any good, I'm not really here to talk about that. But the march in Jerusalem... that's why we're here today. Because that did accomplish something -- it accomplished the greatest good of all time.

What a contrast of minds we heard today. This mind of Christ, it is what we had before sin. Before sin corrupted our minds, twisted our thinking, curved us in on ourselves. Adam's mind only for Eve, and Eve's mind only for Adam. Christ's mind only for you. And our mind...? And yet it has changed. Paul said it. That in Christ Jesus, we are being put back to where we were before. That in Christ Jesus, we are being put back into our right minds.

Today we enter Passiontide. The last two weeks of the Lenten season. When we began this Lenten season, our alleluias were taken away, as was the Gloria in Excelsis, the hymn of praise we sing toward the beginning of the service. Today, even more is taken away. No more Gloria Patris. And our cross is veiled. For soon, now, very soon, we will remember when our Lord was taken away from us. When He was arrested, tortured, and then crucified. Things are getting serious now.

It seems to me that selective vision was a problem for the people if Israel we heard about in the Old Testament reading today. They saw the manna, the food God was giving them, but they weren't seeing God's love, God's care, God's faithfulness -- they saw only the food they had grown tired of and now loathed. And because that's all they saw, they loathed God as well. So God wanted to help them see again, to focus their eyes on Him again. So He sent fiery serpents among the people and as you can imagine, this caused the people to change their tune pretty quickly!

For the Law, the Commandments, are good, but not if used wrongly. Not if we think that God spoke these words for us to save ourselves. For the Commandments, Jesus would later explain, are all about love. They are what love looks like. If you could love perfectly, you would live like this. So what these Commandments show us, then, is how we've fallen short. How we've not lived in the freedom God has given us.

The only good Christ is a dead Christ. The only good Christian is a dead Christian. Sadly, I don't think you will hear that from many pulpits or in many churches these days. It sounds better to say that to be a good Christian is to be a person who does a lot of good things. However, those things are defined by society at the moment. And so the Christian life is one of constant dying and rising. Dying to sin, dying to ourselves, and rising with Christ.