Sermon 04292012, Easter 3, Third Sunday After Easter

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Lord Jesus Christ in coming down from heaven Your purpose was to save us from our sins.  When You were led to Golgotha, the disciples didn’t understand the full ramifications.  After three days, You rose from the dead and still the disciples did not fully understand, that the battle was over and the victory over sin, death and the devil had been won.  Yet, there was still more to be revealed, You, Jesus Christ in fulfillment of the plan of salvation had to go to the Father.  May we who gather here this morning confessing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior be encouraged in our confession and be empowered to boldly proclaim the message of salvation for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

He is Risen and now must go to the Father!  He is Risen indeed!  Alleluia!

This past Sunday afternoon, our church had the pleasure of embarking upon an adventure.  You see, through a generous anonymous donation, the Goodland Churches and we, Emmanuel Lutheran Church kicked off a “Films of Faith Series” with the movie entitled, “Lion of Judah” at the Sherman Theater.  Judah, the main character was born with one purpose in mind, to be the Old Testament sacrifice that took place in Solomon’s Temple.  Money had changed hands, Judah was bound and placed on the altar for the sacrifice for the sins of mankind.  In essence Judah’s final destination was that altar in Jerusalem to have his blood spilled to set the people free in fulfillment of the laws given by Moses from God.

Ironically, Jesus Christ came for a purpose as well.  Jesus Christ innocent man, came to die on the cross on Golgotha.  Jesus Christ came to walk the earth, heal the sick, bind the broken hearted and loose the demons that possessed the people in order that they would be free.  Just as Judah was the blood sacrifice in the movie, Jesus Christ was our blood sacrifice with a sole purpose.

Jesus Christ purpose was our salvation.  Jesus Christ came to set us free from the sins that bind us.  Jesus Christ descended from heaven and entered into this world in a stable in order to offer each and every one of us salvation.  In Jesus Christ offering us salvation it costs us nothing.  Jesus Christ offers us this as a free gift without cost and without any expectation or desire for payment.  Unlike our society which wants something for everything that is done, Jesus Christ broke the bonds of slavery to sin.  Jesus Christ offers us our salvation as a free gift, because of His great love for each and every one of us.

Because of Jesus great love for us, when Jesus Christ accomplished our salvation His ultimate destination was with His Father.  Just as when we take a long trip and have our eyes set on ‘getting home’, Jesus Christ had the same ultimate destination of ‘getting home’ to heaven.  Jesus Christ in order to fulfill the entire plan of salvation and complete the mission of salvation for all of mankind needed to return to heaven to be with His Father.  For in going home, the circle would be complete from where He began at His Father’s side in heaven, to the stable, to Egypt, to Nazareth, Jerusalem and back to heaven.  But what is more amazing is that Jesus going home to heaven also provided a promise from Him that we will talk about more fully next week.  So be prepared to hear the connection.

As a final thought, consider that Jesus fulfilling the plan of salvation reveals to and for us that Jesus Christ mission was dying on the Cross for each of us, not because He had to, but because He wanted to.  Jesus Christ chose death and returning to the Father in order to offer us eternal life.  May we who gather here this morning confessing our faith and for Lily especially taking the responsibility upon herself with her confirmation vows be empowered to understand that Jesus Christ died to set all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel free from our sins.  For Jesus Christ did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that the World might be saved through Him and His innocent death on Calvary for each and every one of us this morning.  AMEN.

Sermon 04222012 Easter 2, Second Sunday After Easter

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Jesus Christ is Risen from the dead, Alleluia!  Jesus Christ You laid down Your life for we Your sheep.  For in and through our baptism into Your life, death and resurrection, we are grafted into the flock of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  May we understand that we are in Your flock and that in knowing You we will be one flock with the One Shepherd, You Jesus Christ our Lord.  May we listen to Your voice and flee to Your loving arms that promise us eternal life for all the world, including all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  AMEN.

Jesus Christ laid down His life for us, but He is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!  Alleluia!

Recently, Michele and I saw one of the preview clips for the upcoming two-part movie adaptation of The Hobbit: Bilbo Baggins.  For those of you who enjoyed the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Peter Jackson returns with the prequel to the trilogy.  Having already met the character of Gandalf, it is not a stretch to see Gandalf a few years younger embarking upon an adventure with the Elves, Dwarves, Men of the Age and a hobbit.  In this prequel Gandalf plays a key role as leader, guide and shepherd as the band of ‘explorers’ head to the Misty Mountains.

Just as Gandalf leads and guides this group, this morning’s Gospel opens the door to the biblical understanding of some terms that we need to ‘come to grips with’.  The first term is ‘hireling’.  In an agronomic society in the Holy Land, Jesus Christ used terms that the people would easily understand.  Ironically here in Western Kansas, we grow the same crop, wheat.  And we know that sometimes on the farm we need additional help.  The term ‘hireling’ simply denotes a day laborer who only has an interest in working and being paid a fair wage.  We have heard many stories of laborers from the bible, like the story of the denarius and the landowner paying the one who worked 12 hours the same as the one who had worked one hour.  The sad aspect is that the hirelings were usually exploited and sometimes abused and in most cases could leave one farm and go get another job rather quickly.  Thus the hirelings in some cases did not care about the land owners investment, the crops yield or even the herd if they were watching a flock of sheep or pigs.

A disciple on the other hand was one who craved to ‘learn’ what was being taught in order to pass on the teachings.  It is clear from Jesus that He had 12 ‘real’ disciples who were always with Him and hung on His every word.  These disciples walked with Jesus, soaked up His knowledge and presence for the sole purpose of passing on what they learned.  The disciples were learning about the salvation message that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.

But for us today, we need to ask ourselves are we ‘hirelings’ or are we ‘disciples’?  This is a tough question if we truly ask ourselves and honestly discern our true feelings.  On the surface all of us want to say we are ‘disciples’, but the truth that God sees from our lives is that we sometimes act like ‘hirelings’.  We want what we want immediately and do not see, nor understand ourselves as ‘interested’ or ‘investing’ in what is most beneficial for the kingdom of God.  Whether it is reading the bible daily, exercising the muscle of faith given to us in baptism like we had this morning with Matthew and Abigail, or individually seeking opportunities for service as a lector, acolyte, coffee host or greeter.  Should we seek for the glory with our names in the bulletin like a ‘hireling’ or should we be a disciple and do the job, not for our own glory, but for the glory of God?  Hence, the question still requires an honest answer; are we hirelings seeking our own glory, or are we disciples, seeking God’s Glory?

The promise we have no matter our answer, whether hireling or disciple is that Jesus Christ died for each of us.  Jesus Christ Who came down from heaven, suffered and died the death we deserve, is our Great Shepherd Who calls, gathers and cares for us in each of our daily lives.  Jesus Christ, no matter the situation had as His primary focus His going to Jerusalem and suffering for each and every one of us.  Jesus Christ in the Gospels clearly tells of His impending suffering and death and had as His focus the eternal gain we would inherit by His active obedience as the Great Shepherd.  Jesus Christ was not a ‘hireling’, but a true ‘disciple’ and shepherd of the Great Flock of witnesses gathered now in heaven.

But what is our answer are we ‘hirelings’ or ‘disciples’?  No matter our answer Jesus Christ lived, died and rose from the dead in order to set us free from the sins that bind us.  As the Great Shepherd we who are His sheep hear His voice and are gathered into His loving eternal arms.  For this is the message of salvation that we share with each other and which God shares with us clearly and freely for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  May we who gather here at today, whether hireling or disciple embrace the message of salvation offered for each of us and understand our role as model and mentor for the newly baptized like Abigail and Matthew and journey with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the World might be saved through Jesus Christ and His life, death and resurrection for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

Sermon 04152012 Easter 1, First Sunday After Easter

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Jesus Christ is Risen from the dead, Alleluia!  Just as the disciples gathered in the upper room with fear and doubt of the events of the last week, may we who gather here this morning understand fear and doubt is overcome by Jesus Christ.  For in Jesus Christ offering His life, we can more fully understand that our freedom is the gift of eternal life You freely offer to each of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

The disciples were afraid and doubted, but He is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!  Alleluia!

In the movie “Soul Surfer”, Bethany the main character after losing her arm in a shark attack, gets back up on the board, because she is a surfer at heart.  But reality deals her a cruel blow and the once champion, fails at the one thing she enjoys most, a surfing competition.  At a complete loss, searching her soul and about to give up, Bethany along the sea shore hears some words of wisdom from her father in the query of her question, “What do I do?”  Her father says, “Listen for what comes next”.

This morning we find ourselves with the disciples in the upper room following the tragic events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.  The disciple like Bethany, don’t understand what to do, their leader, teacher, companion and friend, Jesus Christ was nailed to the Cross and died.  But the women now are telling them, “Jesus is alive”.  “He is Risen”!

Yet, in great fear of the Jews and the potential of experiencing the same fate that Jesus had experienced, the disciples have gathered behind a locked door.  But who should arrive, Jesus Christ Himself.  And immediately, Jesus Christ overcame the disciples fear.  The doors of the disciples hearts that had cowered in fear and ran when Jesus was taken by the soldiers was melted away like snow on a warm summer day.  The disciples who had walked with Jesus Christ, recognized Jesus Christ, not only His voice, His mannerisms and His sacred touch, but His mere presence radiated the love He had for His companions.  Jesus Christ overcame the fear that shackled the hearts of the disciples, because He was physically present with them in the upper room.

Not only was their fear melted away, but Jesus Christ overcame the disciples doubt.  Historically from the Gospels and Jesus miracles, when Jesus would raise someone from the dead, whether the little girl, Lazarus or the boy being carried to his burial, Jesus to prove they were not a spirit and were in fact alive, would tell the people, give them something to eat.  But Jesus Christ proved His being alive and melted the doubts of the disciples by showing His Hands, His Feet and His Side.  Jesus Christ made very tangible proof that He was not a ‘figment’ of their collective imagination, but really there with them in the upper room.

And Jesus first words to them were “Peace be with you”.  This Peace offered to the disciples was a peace of forgiveness.  With all of the disciples fleeing the Garden when He was taken, Peter’s denial in the Courtyard and now cowering in fear and doubt behind a closed locked door, Jesus saw into their hearts and forgave them for the doubt and fear and turned it into a strength for proclaiming, “He is risen”! 

You see, the disciples unlike we today had a tangible Jesus Christ present with them in a personal way.  The disciples could put their fingers into Jesus Christ wounds, feel the caress of His loving and forgiving hands and their doubts and fears disappeared.  For Jesus Christ offered to the disciples and to us freedom through His sacrifice.  The freedom they experienced was to proclaim to each other and the entire world the message of salvation found in Jesus Christ.  The disciples who saw the resurrected Jesus Christ like the women who went to the tomb early in the morning could now say, “He is risen”!  What is so amazing is that the message “He has risen” frees each and everyone of us this morning from the bonds of sin, death and the devil, because of what Jesus Christ did on the Cross of Calvary.

The message of peace that Jesus Christ proclaims to the disciples and which Thomas wouldn’t believe until he touched Jesus Hands and Side, we believe today here at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Goodland Kansas on faith.  And this faith given to each of us through our baptism into Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection, emboldens all of us to overcome our own individual doubts and fears and gives us the freedom found in Jesus Christ to proclaim the message of salvation for all of humankind.  We are emboldened by Jesus appearing in the upper room to proclaim “He is risen” and enabled to live not bound by our sins, but freed from our sins because of Jesus Christ.  For Jesus Christ clearly told the disciples, including Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”  For this is ‘what comes next’, our opportunity to share the message of salvation, not only with and for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  But we have the opportunity to spread the saying, “He is risen” to the ends of the earth since it is the salvation message won for all mankind through Jesus Christ on Calvary for you and for me and all of the saints of all time and place.  “He is risen” and we respond with the proclamation, “He is risen indeed, Alleluia”.  AMEN.

Sermon 04082012 Easter Sunday

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Jesus Christ You have risen from the dead.  You have set us free from the bonds of sin, death and the devil.  May we be set free from that which binds us and understand our freedom is the gift of eternal life You freely offer to each of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this Easter morning.  AMEN.

He is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!  Alleluia!

When Voldemort came to Hogwarts with Harry’s lifeless body, and suddenly realized that Harry was not dead, but alive, the joy that surged through Harry’s friends changed the landscape of the movie and what the power of the Resurrection Stone was of the Three Deathly Hallows.  Yet for us today, this Easter morning, our landscape changes as well.  We do not have a ‘Resurrection Stone’, but we have something more powerful and more meaningful for each and every one of us.  We have a risen Savior, Jesus Christ.  From the Garden where He was betrayed to the chambers of the Chief Priest and Elders to Caiaphas then to Pilate, Jesus Christ journey ended being led to the Cross on Golgotha and then died and was buried in a new tomb.  But Jesus Christ, Lord of the World, died and rose from the dead to set You and me free.

Jesus Christ is Risen!  Jesus Christ as He had predicted came to Jerusalem, entered riding on the colt the foal of a donkey.  The people expected His coming as King to set them free from the tyranny of the Romans and renew the Kingdom of God promised to the people of Israel.  But Jesus Christ came to set us free from something more profound and which bound us for all eternity, our sins.  In Jesus Christ setting us free from our sins, He accomplished what no animal sacrifice, and no other death could do.  Through His atoning sacrifice of His own life on Calvary for you and for me, Jesus Christ has set us free from the bonds of sin and eternity.  Jesus Christ in true suffering servant fashion endured Hell here on earth to set us free from our sins and rise on the third day in complete fulfillment of the plan of salvation for all of mankind.  Jesus Christ in rising from the dead looses the bonds and shackles that we live in and with and frees us to proclaim long and hard, “Jesus Christ is Risen today!!!  Alleluia”

For Jesus Christ is risen from the grave.  The cloths which were wrapped around Jesus lifeless Head and Body are neatly folded in the tomb and the stone that closed the entrance is rolled away.  Jesus Christ now in His resurrected and perfect Body, no longer marred and disfigured, is recognizable with the pierced Hands, Feet and Side is risen from the grave for you and for me.

Jesus Christ is risen and we are free.  The sins that bound us we are set free from.  The eternal consequence of Hell that we deserve, we are set free from.  We are set free by the innocent Blood of Jesus Christ that was spilled by the soldiers, the nails the spear and in our receiving the sacrament this morning we are set free and given eternal life by Jesus Christ for you and for me.

Today is Easter, but for four young ladies we also celebrate First Communion.  Today Alexis, Danielle, Kaylee and Sydney receive for the first time a foretaste of the feast to come.  They receive the precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, given and shed for them for the forgiveness of sins for the first time.  In their receipt of Jesus Christ they receive the gift of eternal life that was promised to them when they were baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  In their receiving the Lord’s Supper they understand in a more tangible way the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the joy of the resurrection we celebrate this morning.  In, with and under the Bread and Wine, which is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ they receive the forgiveness of sins offered by Jesus Christ for them and for each of us.  For Jesus Christ did not come into this world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him and His sacrifice for our sins on the Cross of Calvary that frees all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this morning.  Jesus Christ is risen today!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  AMEN.

First Communion Girls!

04072012 Funeral Sermon Suzanne Couch

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight O Lord, our rock and our redeemer!!  AMEN!!

Let us pray!  Heavenly Father as we gather here to celebrate the life of our sister in Christ Suzanne, may our hearts be enabled to hear the Gospel message of the salvation Jesus Christ offers each of us today.  Though the veil of death separates us today from Suzanne, we are sure of the certain promise You made to the thief on the Cross that we will be with You in paradise.  Comfort us with this thought and let the salve of Your Gospel message surround us so we may hear clearly the Gospel message of what Your Son and our Savior Jesus Christ did on the Cross of Calvary for each and every one of us gathered here today.  AMEN.

In our lives we have many challenges that we each individually face.  But for a child, there are some challenges that for adults don’t seem all that hard.  A great example of this would be my daughter Sarah, who just turned three.  One of her favorite pastimes is to put together puzzles.  I am not talking only the simple 5 or 6 piece variety, but the floor puzzles that are 3 feet by 4 feet with upwards of 60 to 100 pieces.  Sarah without any pictures puts these puzzles together and to the amazement of her mother and both sets of grandparents does so with ease and great speed.

Today God through the Gospel of John puts all of the pieces of a puzzle together that we are presented with today from our reading.  Just as Suzanne enjoyed crossword puzzles and having her family gather together whether it was Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter, John reveals to us the puzzle from our Gospel how God’s love for us gives us eternal life.  John wrote, “²⁴ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

The mystery we have revealed to and for each of us today is how we who hear God’s Word can have eternal life.  We receive eternal life through the grace that God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit offers freely to each of us by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary.  Jesus Christ sacrifice on Calvary which ironically we mourned yesterday, Good Friday was the ultimate judgment for all of humanity.  In and through Jesus Christ hanging on the Cross of Calvary, we who have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His death for each of us are promised by God through the words of John that we will pass out of death into life when we believe in that Gospel message.  No longer will death have dominion over us.  No longer should we be fearful of our sins that we commit daily, but we are promised by God to have eternal life through Jesus Christ sacrifice for all of mankind, even Suzanne and each of us gathered here today.

Having said this, you might ask, but Pastor, what then do you say to us as we mourn Suzanne?  This is one of the puzzles of life that does have a simple answer.  For the answer to this we have to look to the Psalmist David.  We heard clearly the following, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:”.  Today we are walking through one of those valley’s in our lives where we feel alone, lost and having lost, not only a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, but especially a friend who could even laugh, even at her own expense.  Today, our loss is tangible.  We will not be able to garden, watch boxing or high school sports, go spotlighting or acquiring hay or listen to the clocks that chime on the hour in the living room, kitchen and all around the house.  Death is here and surrounds us clearly and tangibly and silenced her unique laugh.  But through David’s inspiration by the Holy Spirit we should “fear no evil” because God promises to us that hear and head His Gospel message that His “rod and staff they comfort me”.  This promise God makes to us is an abiding presence that was tangible in Suzanne’s life.

No matter the situation, Suzanne gave of herself, supported and was the backbone of the family.  Whether it was taking care of Grandma, caring for her garden, reading directions for what needed put together, Suzanne was there and willing to help, even if it was just her presence or her sense of humor. 

Just as Suzanne modeled for each of us her dedication, Jesus Christ models for all of us today His dedication to and for Suzanne and each of us today.  For in His dedication to being nailed to the Cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ in hanging from the Cross overcame sin, death and the grave for Suzanne and for each of us today.  In, through and by Jesus Christ life death and resurrection we who hear and head the Gospel as lived by Jesus Christ will partake of eternal life.  For having heard the message of salvation offered to and for each of us, we no longer understand the “valley of the shadow of death” in terms of Satan holding it over our heads or to be feared, but we now see and understand it through God’s eyes.  And we will proclaim with David, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” because of the free grace that Jesus Christ offers us through His innocent death on Calvary for each and every one of us.  Take peace, comfort and joy in this gift of God that we celebrate in the life of Suzanne today as she rests in her Lord and Saviors arms.  AMEN.

Now may the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding guard our hearts and minds and comfort us today, because of eternal life that Jesus Christ offers each of us today!  AMEN!

Sermon 04062012 Good Friday

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Lord Jesus Christ, just as our altar is stripped and bare, You hang naked on the Cross in order to bear our sins.  May we bear our souls and feel Your love surround us as we look to the Cross.  For You bore our sins and died this Good Friday in order to set all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel free from our sins.  Thank You for this gift of eternal life through Your death.  AMEN.

From our text this evening, we hear how Jesus Christ our suffering servant bears the sins of many.  Here from Isaiah:

¹² Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

Tonight we gather around an altar that is bare.  Tonight we see the black of the cloth draped on the Cross.  Tonight we mourn because we know what happened on Good Friday.  Jesus Christ in the last 24 hours has been stripped of all humanity.  He was taken by force from the Garden, beaten in the Jewish courts and now as He hung on the Cross at Golgotha, He is naked for all to see.  Jesus Christ humanity is revealed for all to see.  People revile Jesus Christ, taunt Him and He is there to bear every insult every burden everything and anything anyone can dish out upon Him.

For Jesus Christ was nailed to the Cross.  Jesus Christ endured the nails through His hands and feet.  The Roman soldiers not known for being gentle forced the nails through His flesh with blow after blow.  Jesus Christ blood flowed from the wounds of the nails.  And now the full weight of Jesus Christ body hung from the nails through His flesh.  But it was more than just Jesus Christ weight.  Jesus Christ in being nailed to the Cross was held there by the sins we commit.  Jesus Christ chose to stay on the Cross, pinned by our sins and the sins of the entire world.  Jesus Christ chose this for a divine purpose.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the divine purpose of setting us free from our sins.  For Jesus Christ bore our sins and died for all of mankind.  Jesus Christ fulfilled the divine plan of salvation in His death on the Cross for You and for me.  Tonight is difficult for us, unlike the disciples who saw their teacher hang from the Cross, dead and never expected to see again, we know a different truth.  We know Jesus Christ has fulfilled the plan of salvation.  We have been grafted into the promise of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ life, death and resurrection.  For the plan of our salvation began its fulfillment in the Garden of Eden, was seen in the betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane and now is fulfilled on Golgotha for You and for me and all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel this evening.  AMEN.

Sermon 04052012 Maundy Thursday

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Lord Jesus Christ, You went to the Garden for peace and solitude, but entered the greatest spiritual battle.  Your soul anguished over the choices offered, but in the end You prayed to the Father, “Your will be done”.  May we in our prayers understand Your sacrifice and as we pray the prayer You taught us, enable us to take up our Cross and follow You.  For You came and bore our iniquities in order to offer us eternal life for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

As one enters the Garden of Gethsemane outside of Old Holy City of Jerusalem, it is clear that this is indeed Holy Ground.  Not unlike when Moses turned to see the bush that was not consumed, the Garden of Gethsemane impels one to remove your shoes, because this is where Jesus Christ prayed prior to being betrayed by Judas.  Is this place Holy, because Jesus Christ walked there?  It probably is not for that reason.  But this was the place where Jesus Christ while in prayer with His Father in Heaven for this cup to be taken from Him, did spill blood.  St. Luke’s account of Jesus prayer in the Garden is very clear, “And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” This the innocent Blood of Jesus Christ, which we will partake of tonight, fell to the ground.  But the reason for this is clear from our text for this evening.

From Isaiah we hear how Jesus Christ our suffering servant suffers in the anguish of His soul.  Here Isaiah’s words:

¹¹ As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ soul was anguished.  The intensity that Jesus felt in the Garden over the decision that had to be made was not just tumultuous, but monumental.  For Jesus Christ Who had entered Jerusalem the prior Sunday as a ‘Rock Star’ and now in the Garden struggling was a radical change.  It was not just a shift of emotions, but the fullest burden of Jesus Christ task in front of Him was finally and firmly falling upon His shoulders and His Humanity was feeling the fullness of the burden of our sins, while His Divinity undivided and equal was rising to the task at hand of going to the cross for you and for me.

For Jesus Christ bore our iniquities and all of the sins of mankind.  Some scholars disagree when Jesus began to bear the iniquities of our sins.  Some claim it began when He was nailed to the Cross, others believe it began when Jesus Christ was beaten and scourged by the Roman Soldiers, but I am a firm believer that Jesus Christ bearing of our iniquities began at the stable in Bethlehem as a babe, continued as Jesus grew in stature and did not end until He was laid in the tomb as the sacrificial lamb that takes away the sins and iniquities of the world.  This was the entire length of His earthly life and Jesus Christ in bearing our iniquities wants us to understand He did this, not because He had to, but because He wanted to in order to give each of us eternal life.

On behalf of all of us Jesus Christ justifies each and every one of us through His life, His death and especially His resurrection.  We have been through our baptism grafted into this great plan of salvation and are fully justified from the sins that bind us.  We are set free by the Blood of Jesus Christ spilled in the Garden, spilled while He was scourged and spilled by the nails that pinned Him to the Cross and especially the spear that pierced His side.  This is the same blood that gives us eternal life that we partake of tonight in the meal He instituted.  In this meal we have a foretaste of the feast to come that we will share with Him in His Kingdom.

For this was the plan of salvation that Jesus anguished over in the garden and bore our iniquities in order to set us free from our sins. Though He rode into Jerusalem and became our guilt offering, He kept silent and bore our griefs and cares and was taken on this journey between rulers to the Cross of Calvary.  He was marred, despised, forsaken and afflicted was questioned, but endured scourging, bruising, piercing and having our iniquity and sin fall upon Him.  But in true servant fashion, Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but by bearing our iniquities saved us from our wickedness and through His death on the Cross of Calvary for the entire world, offers all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel eternal life.  AMEN.

04012012 Palm Sunday

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  AMEN.

Let us pray, Lord Jesus Christ, You took our guilt and punishment to set us free from our sins.  In humility You offered Yourself freely as the sacrificial lamb that takes away the sins of the world.  For You became our guilt offering for us to free us from the bonds of sin, death and the devil for all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel.  AMEN.

In the movie, X-Men: First Class, it begins with a child who is being separated from his parents in a German Concentration Camp during World War II.  And in the anger of the moment the boy is capable of performing Herculean feats with his mind causing gates to buckle, metal to bend and the soldiers fighting in vain to prevent the separation of mother and child.  It is not a matter that he has become anything, but this boy is someone special that the main villain of Sebastian Shaw wants to ‘harness’ for his own evil and nefarious purposes.

From our text this evening, we hear how Jesus Christ our suffering servant becomes something as well.  Here from Isaiah:

¹⁰ But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

As we have journeyed during our Lenten pilgrimage, Isaiah has opened to us the understanding of the suffering servant Jesus Christ.  From our reading today we begin to understand that Jesus Christ became guilt for us.  This was a conscious choice and decision that Jesus Christ made to become guilt for us.  What is interesting is that Jesus Christ in becoming guilt suffered the torment we should have endured.  Isaiah says, “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief”. In Jesus Christ being crushed for our iniquities He Who knew no sin was perfect and had our sin and guilt placed upon His Head like the goats that the priests of the Old Testament would impart to the animal the sins of the people and then let the goat go into the wilderness as the sacrifice.  Jesus Christ takes our guilt and the guilt of the entire world and bears it on the Cross of Calvary.

Jesus Christ offered Himself and placed squarely all blame, all consequences and all the iniquities of the entire world on His own shoulders.  Today though we celebrate the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem where we the people shout, “Hosanna to the King” the burdens that are borne upon Jesus Christ shoulders are monumental.  Wide are Jesus Christ shoulders and deep is the pain He suffers on our behalf, but this choice He made to offer Himself up for us freely and without cost or expectation.  For it is only through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary that we receive eternal life.

For Jesus Christ was our guilt offering for us.  Jesus Christ endured Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in order to offer to all of us the joy of eternal life.  Jesus Christ in His humility and humanity offers us the gift of salvation and became our guilt offering by choice.  From the first bite of the forbidden fruit the plan of salvation had been set in action and today as we celebrate one more milestone on this tragic, but triumphant journey, Jesus Christ as He enters Jerusalem we journey closer to His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary.

For this was the plan of salvation complete in the simple, yet profound act of the Word of God incarnate in the flesh of Jesus Christ as He rode into Jerusalem and offered Himself as the guilt offering for us all.  Jesus Christ kept silent and bore our griefs and cares and was taken on this journey between rulers to the Cross of Calvary.  He was marred, despised, forsaken and afflicted was questioned, but endured scourging, bruising, piercing and having our iniquity and sin fall upon Him.  But in true servant fashion, Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but by being offered as our guilt offering, saved us from our wickedness and through His death on the Cross of Calvary for the entire world, offers all of us saints gathered here at Emmanuel eternal life.  AMEN.