Preaching Christ

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Mark 9:42 (RSV)

Pr. Jolivette and I were leaving the funeral of a fellow pastor, having heard a funeral sermon by another pastor who was reputed to be an excellent preacher. As we left, I said to Jolly, 'Did I miss something in the sermon? I didn't hear much of the Gospel.' Jolly replied, 'That is because there wasn't any.'

Jesus' words from St. Mark's Gospel recall the vow set before me at my ordination: 'As you shall give an account before the Lord in the great day of his appearing...'.

We are to preach the Gospel, in season and out. We are to be unwavering in our proclaiming the Good News of Christ's death and resurrection. The question that is always before us in the Church is: 'How does this preach Christ?'

If we cannot answer that question or answer that whatever we have devised does not point to the Savior, it is best to be silent. The task of the pastor, yes and all believers, but especially the pastor, is to make Christ known.

God grant all pastors the gift and wisdom to always preach Christ risen from the dead.

Seeing the Kingdom

And he called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power." Mark 8:34–9:1 (RSV)

The heart of Baptism is the reality that we actually die and are raised with Christ. Jesus is clear that we must take up the cross to follow Him. He is not referring to some spiritual burden or religious act we must perform. No, we are to die to ourselves so that we may rise a new creation.

As the death of Jesus would be a meaningless death if He had not been raised, so too would our dying be meaningless. If we die with Christ, we are also to be made alive with Christ. Thus, Baptism is the bedrock of the Christian life, for in it, we do die with Jesus and are made alive by the glory of the Father.

Luther teaches in the Small Catechism that this dying and rising in Christ is a constant action. We daily realize that our sin would separate us from God. As we confess and repent of our sin, we die to ourselves, and through God's mercy, we are raised up through forgiveness.

Joined to Christ through our Baptism, we live within His Kingdom, for to be in Christ is to be in the Kingdom. Thus, living in Christ, in His Kingdom, we have gained the very treasure of Heaven, which is eternal life.

You Are The Christ

And Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others one of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." And he charged them to tell no one about him.

Mark 8:27–30 (RSV)

Jesus is not a creature of our imaginations. We did not conjure Him out of thin air or invent Him like a character in a drama. Nor did we petition God to send a Savior, then dictate how that Savior would come into the world. Jesus is 'True God, Son of the Father from eternity, and true Man, born of the Virgin Mary.'

Jesus' question of His disciples is also put to us: "But who do you say that I am?" The answer St. Peter gives is the only answer possible. Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, whom God the Father has promised from all eternity.

We cannot do anything other than confess Him as our Lord. He is the Chosen One of God, the Messiah, who has come to save and redeem the world. We, like St. Peter, may not fully grasp the depth of meaning in this truth. We may struggle to live out our confession.

The Good News remains that Jesus is whom God has sent Him to be. Though we may attempt to twist and bend Jesus to our definition of who He is, the fact remains, 'You are the Christ!'

Areopagus

Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead."

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, "We will hear you again about this." So Paul went out from among them. But some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Acts 17:29–34 (RSV)

God gets His hands dirty with our salvation. God is no stranger to dirty hands. He formed Adam from the dust of the ground, breathing into him the breath of life. When God sent His Son in the fullness of time, He sent Him in the pain and blood of human birth.

Jesus touched lepers, the sick, the outcast, and the dead, taking their uncleanness upon Himself. He took note of those whom everyone else had written off as without hope. His hands were pierced as He was nailed to the cross.

Jesus died an ugly death, gasping out His life in the sweat and grime of Golgotha. He was laid in a tomb, there three days, and everyone assumed what Martha said of Lazarus, "He's been dead four days, you won't be able to bear the stench."

Many of those who listened to St. Paul on the Areopagus scoffed at such silly talk. How could anyone believe in a God who gets down in the dirt, sweat, and blood of human existence? Who is crazy enough to believe a three-day dead corpse could live? What madman would hang their salvation on such a creature?

Some did believe; others wanted to hear more about the resurrection. Many there that day were hopeful that St. Paul's witness was the God who took hold of death and defeated it.

Prejudices

And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house, and would not have any one know it; yet he could not be hid. But immediately a woman, whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, "Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." And he said to her, "For this saying you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." And she went home, and found the child lying in bed, and the demon gone. Mark 7:24–30 (RSV)

I do not subscribe to the current fashion among some that being white automatically makes one a racist. Labeling an entire group of people because of their skin color is, by definition, racism. It leads nowhere and does nothing useful.

We all do have prejudices. A prejudice is a prejudgement we make about others, often with little truth to the judgment. Left unchecked, prejudices can lead to being racists, so we must carefully consider every prejudice for it is.

The Jews held prejudices about non-Jews. Simply put, God loves the Jews and does not love the non-Jews, the Gentiles. God would never do anything good or useful for a Gentile. The Syrophoenician woman fit that category. A Jew would have nothing to do with her, certainly not heal her child.

Jesus often acted and spoke in a way that stepped outside the social boundaries. His words and actions would challenge His disciples, the leaders of the Temple, and His fellow Jews, to consider God's will beyond their prejudices.

When Jesus said, 'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son.' He was serious about loving the world. His challenge to His disciples to see beyond their prejudices is to learn the love of God. His encounter with the Syrophoenician woman revealed her faith to us all, allowing us to see beyond what we think we know about others.

Miracles

And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he (Jesus) was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. Mark 6:47–52 (RSV)

We call Jesus walking on water and stilling the storm a miracle. We, whose relationships are tainted with sin, would see it so. Sin has distorted our interactions with other people as well as the creation itself.

Our root sin is the desire to be God. When Adam and Eve reached for the fruit, they were reaching for the power to be God. They wanted to become what they were not created to be. As a result, they hid from the Father who created them, and animals would die to cover their nakedness.

The waters and storms are obedient to Jesus, for He is their Lord. They act in accordance with His will and purpose. The disciples only can see the anger in the storm and are fearful of its power. Eyes and hearts infected by sin can do no other.

The day will come when the new heaven and the new earth will be upon us, and we will hear the mountains, the oceans, and all created things praising their Lord. We will add our voices to that chorus in eternal harmonies. It will be natural to us on that day. Until then, it is miraculous to our eyes.

Macedonia

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing beseeching him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Acts 16:6–10 (RSV)

A Yiddish proverb: 'If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans for tomorrow.'

St. Paul was intent on going to Bithynia to preach the Gospel there. But, every time he tried, something prevented it. I would imagine that he, like us, would assume that these barriers would resolve in time. As they did not, he began to see that the Holy Spirit had other plans. The Spirit provided the vision of Macedonia needing the Word, and to Macedonia St. Paul and his companions went.

The same Spirit has called us all as St. Paul. We, by virtue of our baptism, are sent to proclaim the Gospel. We may be clear on how we are to accomplish this, or we may be uncertain as to how God could use us. God's purpose will be played out in our lives. As we pray, 'Thy will be done,' we ask the Lord to open our eyes to see His will for us.

Then, we, like St. Paul, must go to Macedonia. What we may have planned will be transformed into God's plan. Someone is waiting to hear the Good News of Jesus from you. You may be eager to go and share. You might be uncertain but willing as the Spirit leads. You may well be terrified of the thought, hoping the Lord will overlook you.

The Spirit will lead us wherever we should go. Perhaps to Macedonia, or to Guttenberg, Prairie du Chien, or to the neighbor who longs to be blessed by the Lord. We will go in the same Spirit who called St. Paul. We go confident that it is the Lord who leads.

Opinions

For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; because he had married her. 18 For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly. Mark 6:17–20 (RSV)

Herod wanted to keep John the Baptist safe from Herodias. Herod knew in his heart that John spoke the truth about his marriage to Herodias. Herod and Herodias sinned by marrying, as Herodias' husband was still living. His lust for her and her lust for power drove them.

Still, a tiny flame of the fear of God flickered within Herod. He was glad to listen to John, though Herod was perplexed by what he heard. There was hope for Herod as John spoke God's Word. Even if we are confused by the Word, it can still work within us.

Then came the party, the dance, and Herod's promise. Herod had John murdered for the sake of his promise as he didn't want to look bad in front of his guests.

We must take care with the opinion of others. Listen, seek to understand, and grow from their insights is a helpful thing. However, if the opinion of others drives all our thoughts and choices, we will soon stop thinking for ourselves, doing what pleases them.

Jesus teaches that we can serve God with our whole being or serve some other god. We cannot do both. If what others think of us moves our hearts, we worship at the altar of public opinion. None of these will stand for us on the last day. Only Christ will stand on that Day.

Prayers

And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him; and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, and besought him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live."

Mark 5:21–23 (RSV)

Early in the morning of the 25th of February, 1989, my youngest brother, Doug, died. He had been battling the same lung disease that Mark has. A transplant would have probably saved his life, but medical science wasn't advanced to operate successfully in those days.

His last nine days in hospital were spent surrounded by family, praying for a miracle. The miracle we sought did not come in the manner for which we longed.

Jairus came to Jesus pleading for a miracle. His daughter lay near death, so he sought Jesus as his last hope. We know the rest of the story. Jesus raised her from death to life. Her family rejoiced, and we praise Jesus for such mercy.

We pray for life for those we love, and, at times, those prayers are not answered to our eyes. We are taught that God will hear our prayers. We expect a response. We know the reply we wish to have, but it is not always the response we receive.

The mystery of God's will and purpose lies beyond us. We make our prayers, trusting that the Father hears them. We spend a lifetime learning to be at peace in our prayers. Faith lives in the world of prayers whose answers we do not always see or comprehend. In such faith, we continue to pray, 'Thy will be done.'

Jesus Only

But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." Acts 15:1 (RSV)

C.S. Lewis describes it as 'Christianity and...', the habit of folk adding something to the faith as necessary to be a real Christian. The Church was still in its early days when some within decided that one had to follow the law of Moses before one could be a believer.

Salvation no longer was through the death and resurrection of Christ alone; it was 'Jesus and...'. Such is a severe error and danger to all whom the Gospel is proclaimed. Somehow the death and resurrection of Jesus aren't enough. God needs our help in completing salvation. It is the sin of Adam in a new dress. We desire to be God, and if we can't have that, we at least want to be partners with God in salvation.

Many things can damage the believer and hinder faith. Against these, the believer must be vigilant. We cannot add to what Jesus has done for us that will make salvation complete.

We are saved by grace through faith. It is not a work that we may boast. Nor should anyone lay an additional burden on those whom the Lord has called through faith. It is Jesus only by whom we must be saved. Thanks be to God that this is so.

Teacher, Do You Not Care?

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?" Mark 4:35–41 (RSV)

The day will come when the cries of Jesus' disciples, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" will be our cry. We will encounter the hour of crisis when our trust begins to waiver, and our hearts are full of dread. It may be a fleeting moment or a daily companion. "Do you not care, Jesus?"

These trials will come. You may be enduring the greatest trial of your life as you read these words. A great storm of life may have been battering your faith for years. One might wonder how you will be able to hold on for even an hour more. "Lord, do you not care?"

When the wind is driving the waves into mountains, you realize how small you are compared to that power. It is like staring into the face of death that has come for you, knowing there is no other path before you. How alone you can feel at that moment. How helpless and terrified is your soul as hope fades.

What the disciples could not see because of the storm was that Jesus was still with them. The same storm that surrounded them, causing their hearts to fail, was raging around Jesus. Jesus would later endure every agony unto death as He hung on the cross.

Jesus is always with us. There is no time or place where He is absent. He has known all our fears, pains, sorrows, and death itself. He does care for us. He has gone through hell for us. Even as we are dying, Jesus is with us, speaking a word of hope, "I have faced even death itself. I am still your living Lord. Have no fear; this storm will not last."

At the end of all things, when all the trials and sorrows have ceased, when death itself is no more, Jesus will still be with us.

Sowing the Word

And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." Mark 4:15–20 (RSV)

As Jesus explains the parable of the Sower, we Iowans might wonder why the sower wastes seed on the soil he knows has little hope of producing a crop. We carefully consider the nature of each field to determine which is suitable for crops and which is not.

Our goal is to produce a reliable harvest year upon year. The Father's purpose goes in another direction. The Father knows that many hearts are hardened against His Word. He knows that some are less than ideal, while others are caught up in the love of the world.

Still, He casts His Word on them nonetheless and continues to do so. The Word He sends is the Word that called all things into being. Mountains and great storms are obedient to His Word. Thus, He sends His Word into the hardest, most thorny, disinterested hearts. We would not waste time or effort, for we cannot cause the Word to affect.

But then, we have not been commanded to bring anyone to faith. Jesus' Great Commission sends us to proclaim. Nowhere does Jesus say that the response to the Word is ours to achieve. The Holy Spirit is constantly working with the Word, creating faith where we couldn't imagine it possible.

So proclaim the Word with the same abandon that the Father goes with His mercy and grace. Have no concern for what the outcome will be; that is the Father's to accomplish. We are sent to sow the Word.

What We Know

O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

"For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?"

"Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?"

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36(RSV)

I have a trilobite fossil on my desk. It isn't very big, but it is ancient. The last trilobite went extinct about 252 million years ago. My mind stumbles as I try to contemplate that vast span of time. That little creature lived over a quarter of a billion years ago.

He is but one of the many mysteries of the creation that challenges my mind. I am equally dumbfounded on a clear night at the uncountable stars above. We deal with numbers so large that it makes the time between my life and the tiny trilobite seem like nothing.

St. Paul reminds us of the depth of the mystery that is God. It is not that God seeks to keep us in ignorance, instead that we cannot begin to grasp the wonder and glory that is God. The infinity of the universe, His creation, teaches that we have no true understanding of God.

Still, the psalmist writes that we are a little lower than God Himself (Psalm 8.5). Not only this, but the eternal Father has given His Son to be our salvation. It is through Jesus that we have a small glimpse of the glory that awaits us,

Until then, we marvel at the love made flesh in Jesus.

Jesus' Family

And his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting about him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking around on those who sat about him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother." Mark 3:31–35 (RSV)

Jesus loved His mother and brothers. As He was dying on the cross, He gave St. John the care of His mother. His words in St. Mark's Gospel are not insensitive. His mother and brothers had great concern for His well-being. No doubt they had heard the talk about Jesus. The threats made against Him are no secret. The leaders of the Temple claimed that He was possessed by the evil one. They called Him a blasphemer, worthy of death.

What parent would not wish to protect their child? A child's illness troubles our hearts. How much more knowing that others seek to do them harm? Understandably, Mary sought to take Jesus home. She believed she could keep Him safe from those who would do Him injury.

Jesus cared for his mother and her anxiety for Him. He also sought to do His Father's will. Jesus was willing to set aside the love of His mother for the sake of all who needed Him. He chose the challenge of doing the Father's will over the security of a quiet life in Nazareth.

He looks upon us all as His brothers, sisters, and mothers. He sees us enslaved by sin and death, without hope if He turns aside from the path set before Him. He loves His mother by loving us as fully as He loves her. He goes to the cross and death that we might be His forever.

Those Called

And he went up on the mountain, and called to him those whom he desired; and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach and have authority to cast out demons: Simon whom he surnamed Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, whom he surnamed Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Then he went home; Mark 3:13–19 (RSV)

When St. Mark wrote his Gospel, the first of the four, most of the Twelve Jesus had chosen as His disciples were still alive and known in the Church. They were real flesh and blood people with families, personal histories, and personalities.

It is hard for us to see them as ordinary people. They are noble images in the pages of Scripture or an altar painting. We imagine them as a cut above us, super Christians who had the privilege of following Jesus in His earthly ministry.

Since we have set them on a higher plane than ourselves, we excuse ourselves from the commission Jesus gave to them. The only real difference between ourselves and the Twelve is twenty-one centuries. Jesus chose ordinary folk to be His disciples. The gifts for the ministry He gave to them we have received.

The Holy Spirit poured out on them on Pentecost is given to us as we are baptized. The Gospel they proclaimed has not changed and still needs our voices to make it known in our age.

We may not have our names enshrined in the pages of the Church's history, but the call to share the Good News is now ours to make known. When we have gone from this life, it will be the call of others to take up. So it shall be until our Lord returns.

Who Is Righteous?

And as he sat at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:15–17 (RSV)

Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If' begins with: If you can keep your head while others are losing theirs and blaming it on you...' The poem goes on to extol the virtues listed after every 'if' in the poem.

Someone modified the line to read: 'If you can keep your head while others are losing theirs, perhaps you don't fully understand the situation.'

Kipling's poem was about the courage of an individual's convictions. The waggish paraphrase pokes at those who think they know but don't.

The scribes of the Pharisees thought they understood who was righteous before God and who was not. They 'knew' with whom one could break bread and who you could not. Jesus breaking bread with tax collectors and sinners, in their minds, was not the action of a righteous person.

The scribes could see the tax collectors and sinners as unrighteous. What they either could not or would not see, that they were little better. Jesus knew what St. Paul would later affirm in Romans, 'there is no one righteous, no not one.'

Jesus comes to give the healing only He could bring. He came for those who were sick unto death with sin. The tax collectors and sinners did not deceive themselves. They were sick with sin and needed Jesus.

The scribes saw them rightly as sinners; only they could not see themselves as any different. They did not understand their situation. They were in as much if the not greater danger of being lost to God. Jesus longed for them to see this truth about themselves as well.

Only God

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the paralytic—  "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Mark 2:5–12 (RSV)

I have been a pastor of the Church for forty-four years. In those years I have been privileged to witness beautiful things done in the Lord's Name. The same Church has done many questionable things.

As a pastor, the challenge is to carefully discern which is faithful to our Lord and which is folly. At times, the choice is clear and unmistakable; other times, not so much. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, for the sake of the souls entrusted to my care, a pastor cannot be reckless.

The scribes heard Jesus offer the paralytic forgiveness. They were 100% correct in their judgment that only God alone could forgive sins. They had the responsibility to guard the faith against those who would blaspheme.

At that moment, Jesus challenged them to hear the fullness of God's Word. Forgiveness and healing with a word are both a work of God the Father. Jesus spoke a word of healing to the paralytic so the hearts of all present would know that the authority to forgive was in Him as well.

As in all the ages of the Church's life, new ways of faithfulness are raised. Luther's call to renew and reform the Church, though not his choosing, was the faithful call. In our time, many voices have called for the Church to act in ways we would not have considered.

Our response is rooted in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Does it proclaim Christ? This is our test and measure. If it does, then we must give it careful consideration. If it does not, even if the whole world is seeking the change, we must not for the sake of the precious souls for whom Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead.

Immediately

The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

"Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,

who shall prepare thy way;

the voice of one crying in the wilderness:

Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight—"

St. Mark hits the ground running as his Gospel begins. There is an urgency in his writing that leaves one breathless. Again and again, St. Mark will write, 'immediately' as the action unfolds.

St. Mark has no time to lose. We must get out the Good News. The entire world must hear it right now! As we read his Gospel, we understand that this is a matter of life and death.

We lost some of that urgency and fire as we go about every day of a congregation. We also make the assumption that all those who need to hear the Good News have heard it.

The Gospel still must be proclaimed. Many in Clayton County, Iowa alone need to hear this Word. We must never assume that all have been evangelized. Jesus commanded us to go and proclaim the Good News. He did not set a time limit.

St. Mark understood that until Jesus returns, now, this minute is the time the Gospel must be proclaimed.

Creating Faith

Then he (Jesus) said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high." Luke 24:44–49 (RSV)

Hitterdal Lutheran Church completed its mission on August 16, 1998, closing as a congregation. Hitterdal was one of the three congregations of my first call. Our daughters, Beth and Sarah, were baptized there in 1977. I have the bell tower rope as a memento of our time there. (That is a story for another day)

I attended and shared in the leadership of the closing worship. It was a bittersweet day, full of memories and not a few tears. During the pot-luck that followed, Howie Gudvangen came up to me and said, 'Pastor, I want you to know that I think of what you taught me in confirmation nearly every day.'

The wonder of that statement is that had you asked me about Howie's time in confirmation, I would have lamented that I failed to connect with him. He didn't appear to be interested in either being in class or learning.

Luther reminds us in the Explanation of the Third Article of the Creed that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to create and sustain faith in those who hear the Word. As Jesus opened His disciples' minds to understand the scriptures, the Holy Spirit is at work today, creating faith.

Howie's witness to me about his confirmation classes, twenty years after he was confirmed, comforts me as it reminds me that I am called to preach and teach the Word. The Holy Spirit will use that Word when and where He pleases to create and sustain faith.

Warmed Hearts

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. Luke 24:28–35 (RSV)

Cleopas and his companion had heard reports of the resurrection but had given up and were going home to Emmaus. Like so many in every age, they could not recognize Lord, even when He was physically with them. Human doubt and uncertainty smothered their faith in Jesus' Word.

Jesus spoke to them of every passage of Scripture that was a witness to Him. No one could have had a more remarkable teacher than they did. Still, they did not realize it was Jesus who was teaching them.

Only as Jesus blessed and broke bread did their eyes see Him as their Risen Lord. Luther rightly teaches that our Lord comes to us in Word and Sacrament. We hear the Word proclaimed, which the Holy Spirit uses to prepare our hearts for every encounter with Jesus.

The Word that dwells fully in the Sacraments brings us to the real presence of our Lord, whose mercy infuses the water of Baptism and gives us His Body and Blood in the Supper.

Daily we remember our Baptism by which we are joined to the death and resurrection of our Lord. We come joyfully to the Supper, where our Lord meets us in His Body and Blood. All His gifts light the fire of faith within us as it did for Cleopas and his companion.