Sermon for 26 June 2011, Proper 8A

The Rev. Paul J Cain

Matthew 10:34-42

Peace: Expectations, Priorities, Leaving, and Coming Back

Second Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 8A, 26 June 2011

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, WY

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Why then does He say what He says in Matthew 10?

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

The first paragraph of today’s Holy Gospel ends on a peaceful note, spiritually speaking, but what of enemies in one’s own household? How can the Prince of Peace of Isaiah 9:6 say such things?

I’m not saying that such a question is wrong. While it is most certainly true that if you ask the wrong question you will get the wrong answer, sometimes you will also get a less-than-helpful answer if your expectations, your definitions, your priorities are different than was originally intended.

Let’s assume Jesus knows what He’s talking about. Let’s ask some other questions to help us better understand Him.

Did Jesus come to bring peace to the earth? He says no. “Do not think [that],” He says. What did He come to bring, according to Matthew 10? He says, “a sword.” In the New Testament, a “sword” often means the Word of God. See Hebrews 4 and Revelation 1 and 2. And at first glance, that understanding does not seem to fit here. But does it?

Let’s reconsider. A man and his father often disagree on what God’s Word says, as well as a daughter and her mother. Life experience has taught you that in-laws can become outlaws J if politics or religion are discussed. Three quarters of all Americans consider themselves Christians, but support the theological positions of tens of thousands of different Church Bodies that often directly contradict one another. Let me boil that down further. Some theology, literally, “study of God,” agrees with what Jesus says in the Bible. Other so-called “theology” disagrees. There is the divide. That is the sword. Jesus, the Word, divides people. The Truth hurts.

There is also the issue of priorities. Does God come first in your life? While some folks would honestly say, “No,” most people want to say, “Yes.” The reality is that some folks live as if God did not exist. There is a gap between faith and life, a gap that you cannot bridge. It is a gap that can only be bridged by Christ, a gap that can only be filled with the Gospel of grace.

God’s priority is you. God loves you as if you were the only person in all creation. He loved you so much that He sacrificed His Son so that you would be His redeemed son or daughter in Christ. We finally have a better sense of what it means for Jesus to be our Prince of Peace. He is not the Prince of Peace in the way many define Prince of Peace, looking for peaceful times on earth, an end to war, and resolutions of all conflicts merely by talking. Jesus is the Prince of Peace between God and man. This is Gospel. This is what we mean by reconciliation, forgiveness, new life, new creation, atonement.

But sometimes, other priorities replace the First Commandment: You shall have no other gods. That commandment is brief and to the point. Sometimes it gets a fuller treatment: You shall have no other gods before Me, literally “in My face.” What that really means is that we are not to wave our idols in the Lord’s face. Some have even misunderstood the First Commandment to mean that people could have other gods if they just kept the Christian God first. Yeah, it’s a pretty thin, pathetic excuse, but people tried it. “No other gods” means no other gods.

But sometimes, other priorities replace God. Like what? Anything. Work, family, fun, sports, money, sex, the outdoors, freedom, sleeping in…anything. And that is why God’s First Commandment is first. We can now better understand what Jesus meant about family conflict over Him and His Word.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

The issue is one of priorities. The father and husband is given to be head of household, a vocation that also should include his baptismal identity in Christ. He, like both father and mother, are servants under God’s authority, lovingly ruling the household for the sake of their marriage and the well-being of their children. Parents are given to parent their children. Children are not rule the home and always get their own way. When children dominate parents, or when a spouse gives in to their spouse’s will over the Lord’s will, there are problems, all because of the wrong priorities. Jesus says, “Whoever loves anyone more than Me is not worthy of Me…”

So far we have talked about wrong expectations and faulty priorities. Let’s apply them to a real life situation.

In 2009, Outreach Publishing printed a booklet of ten reasons people leave church and why they’re coming back. I quote their “reasons” but give my own helps so we can better understand the priorities and expectations of others and better respond in love and concern when we hear them.

One. I Don’t Believe in Organized Religion. This usually leads to the joke, “Well, come to church with me, there’s nothing more disorganized than the Missouri Synod!” We jest, but the real issue people have is with modern Pharisees in Christian congregations. People don’t become perfect when they become Christians. God sees us as perfect in Christ, but our lives can be a different story. Don’t judge a football team merely by its fans. Please don’t let a rude, crude, or lewd so-called Christian get in the way of getting to know Jesus.

Two. I Have My Own Way of Connecting with God. Some prefer TV services, internet Christianity, or being with God in nature. Invite them to meet the lonely prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19. God sent Him back to the people He had gathered to Himself. You can’t get Communion even from the Lutheran Hour. Chat room pastors can’t give you a hug. And nature is a law-dominated landscape. God is present everywhere, but where is He present for you and for your benefit? Only in Christ. That’s why Christians are gathered by the Lord in a place like this.

Three. I Got Tired of the Church Always Asking Me for Money. It probably wasn’t always. Those who are guests are not expected to contribute. Members should and do. How could the mission of telling the Good News About Jesus go forward without any money? The Church uses those funds to look outside itself and serve others at home and around the world as well as serving the young, the aged, and the rest of Christ’s flock in a given place.

Four. My Life Situation Changed, and I Just Never Went Back. Some people go through all the trouble of moving, changing addresses on their magazines, and finding a new home, job, and school for their children, and don’t get around to finding a sister congregation to the one they had before. Sometimes people don’t discuss matters of faith in Christ before they get married and their new spouse won’t go with them. Children, work, divorce, and death can also make Sunday morning seem more complicated, but isn’t this just another priority issue? If Good Housekeeping and Popular Mechanics can still find you, why can’t God’s Word and Sacrament?

Five. I Don’t Have to Go to Church to Be a Good Person. No, you don’t. What is meant by the word “good”? Good in the eyes of the world? Or forgiven by God and bound for heaven in Christ? No one is truly good except God. Why intentionally avoid His Word and gifts in Christ? Please ask the person to reconsider their expectations. Luther says, “Anyone who is to find Christ must first find the church. How could anyone know where Christ is and what faith is in Him unless he knew where His believers are?” (14) The Lord has more in store for you in Christ than you may expect!

Six. I’m Too Busy, and Sundays Are My Only Time to Rest. Is there really rest outside of God who invented the idea of a day of rest? Being busy can be a good thing, but sometimes more is just more. This is also a issue of misplaced priorities. Rest upon God in Christ.

Seven. Church Is Boring. Instead of expecting the physical activity of an aerobics class, the entertainment of a rock concert, or coffee and treats comparable to Starbucks, pay attention to what IS going on. And participate. Don’t just sit there! What is God saying in the three readings from His Holy Word? How do the hymns, songs, Psalms, and canticles tell that same story of Christ applied to you? Consider altering unrealistic or irrelevant expectations. Hear the Word of Christ. Let it have its way with you for your benefit.

Eight. The People Tend to Have Their Own Cliques—I Never Fit In. Christians can always be more friendly. Phones and streets usually work both ways. Miffed that no one introduced themselves to you? Did you look approachable? Did you introduce yourself to anyone? Communication and friendship should go both ways, too. Congregations can always be more friendly. Please be aware that Christians have their own “stuff” going on. Everybody does, if you just ask about it. They may be focusing on their own old personal problems rather than on a new face on a Sunday morning. They may be shy, new like you, or hurt and need the comfort of Christ in the service just as much as you do.

Nine. Christians Are Judgmental and Hypocritical. Yes, some are. I once heard this saying on the radio: “If a hypocrite is coming between you and God, guess who’s closer to God.” If even the worst hypocrite is coming to church, and they heard the Word, and the Spirit renewed their faith and brought them to repentance, isn’t that better than avoiding saints, sinners, hypocrites, and the Lord by staying home? At least a church-attending hypocrite has the opportunity to hear the Word of God and be brought to repentance and faith and possibly out of hypocrisy!

Ten. I Don’t Think I’d Be Welcome Anymore—I’ve Done Some Bad Stuff. Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). We all have “bad stuff” and are all sinners in need of God’s grace in Christ. Church is a hospice for all. That is why sinners are welcome here in Jesus’ Name.

Why do people come back? Some wish to be obedient to God. They want time with God, community and friendship, spiritual growth, love and forgiveness, peace, a healthier family life, balance, and most importantly, God’s Truth. In short, they are really looking for forgiveness, life, and salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. In Jesus, we receive the Father and heaven itself. Our expectations and priorities are changed. We are welcomed. And we welcome others in Jesus’ Name.

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

What does this mean in practice? Pastors care for their congregations for the sake of the Gospel. Congregations care for their pastors and families for the sake of the Gospel. “He who hears you hears Me,” is often quoted in the Lutheran Confessions, demonstrating unity with the Lord’s expectations and priorities.

God’s priority is you. God loves you as if you were the only person in all creation. He loved you so much that He sacrificed His Son so that you would be His redeemed son or daughter in Christ. Jesus is not the Prince of Peace in the way many define Prince of Peace, looking for peaceful times on earth, an end to war, and resolutions of all conflicts merely by talking. Jesus is the Prince of Peace between God and man, between the Lord and you. This is our message to, our whole congregation, returning Christians (no matter how long they’ve been away), and to our community, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Sermon for 19 June 2011, Holy Trinity A

The Rev. Paul J Cain

Matthew 28:16–20

Disciples 101

The Holy Trinity (A), 19 June 2011

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

In the Name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Blessèd be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity.

     Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mercy to us.

In Genesis 1, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. In Acts 2, Peter preached, “Repent and be baptized…”

And now in the last five verses of the Gospel according to Matthew, Our Lord gives the basics on how disciples are made: by means of baptizing and by means of teaching. When people receive Holy Baptism in the Name of the Holy Trinity, they are a new creation in Christ. Both baptizing and teaching are essential to making and being a disciple of Jesus. And Our Lord who has had all authority given to Him will be with us always!

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. There are only eleven disciples. Judas hanged himself in despair. Peter, even though he denied Jesus three times, remembered Jesus’ words: “Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.” Just before that, Jesus had told him, “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” This is the fulfillment.

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. “…but some doubted”? Isn’t this the strangest thing to hear: “some doubted”? Sometimes we modern Christians think, “If I was there, I wouldn’t have doubted!”

They saw the miracles. They heard the teaching. They didn’t have to read it from the Scriptures—they actually experienced it. Still, of course, “some doubted”! Resurrection was a new experience for them, even after seeing Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter and a widow’s son raised from the dead. I say these things not to excuse their doubt, which is unbelief and unfaith, but to help explain it.

We’re no better. We have the same human frailties, egos, and sinful behavior. We talk big, but our actions don’t always match our big words. We doubt the Lord’s love and care for us. We doubt God’s promises because we have been so conditioned by other people who have let us down. Of course, “some doubted”! There is forgiveness for doubt, too. Jesus invites you to come as you are, but He never ever leaves you that way. He calls you from doubt to faith. Jesus wants you to put your faith and trust in Him.

¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. How much authority does Jesus have? All authority in heaven and on earth.

How did He get that authority? Did He put Himself first, before others? Was there a hostile takeover in heaven? Did He crush His business competition? Was He a bully in order to get what He wanted? No—across the board. Such questions reveal to us a difference between authority and power. Authority is delegated. It doesn’t originate in yourself. Authority is related to the word author. The Author delegates part of His role to another. The Lord is the Author of Life, as we heard earlier in the Old Testament Reading from Genesis. Jesus says that this authority was given to Him.

Many in the world seek power. They want power over others. Politics is supposed to be an arena where rulers have in mind primarily the interests of those who are ruled, no matter what kind of government is in place. The temptation is always for the powerful to protect their grip on power. The powerful tend to protect other powerful people for the same reasons. Authority is different. When a ruler rules by the authority of another, that ruler sees him or herself as a servant. There’s a big difference in attitude and in practice when it comes to power vs. authority. There needs to be!

The Lord gives vocations to human beings like us. Some of us are male, while others are female. Some are husbands, others are wives, still others single. Some couples are parents while others are not. It is all as the Lord has prepared for us. We not only see the Lord’s delegated authority in civil government, we see it in the home, the Fourth Commandment lived out.

“Honor your father and your mother,” God says. This commandment as well as other scripture show God’s pattern for good order in the home. The chief parts of Luther’s Small Catechism are introduced in a similar way: “As the head of the family should teach [them] in a simple way to his household.” The vocation of head of household combines the vocations of Christian, man, husband, and often, father. The most important way a Christian head of household can exercise his servant authority is to make sure his family is fed spiritually by Christ at church and at home. Food, clothing, shelter, and education are important, too, but what item on the list endures forever? Homes need constant maintenance. Clothing wears out or children grow out of it. Food spoils and people tend to forget what they had at their last meal. Manly Christian Men are in the Word and lead their families to Christ.

Sports have only increased in prominence even among Christians on Sunday. Consider the following. Of all the kids playing sports in junior high, fewer play in high school. Far fewer play in college. Far, far fewer make it to the pros, and then only for a matter of years. The odds of a child becoming a professional athlete are 1 in 16,000 (autismspeaks.org). That means there’s only a potential for 1 pro athlete in all of Sheridan. No wonder college athletes are encouraged to stay and get a degree to “fall back on.” What about the rest of us? Isn’t one’s faith in Christ and baptismal certificate far more important for eternal life than a college degree? All who believe and are baptized will be saved! Shouldn’t a statement like that make setting Sunday morning priorities easier? Why not delay activities until after Sunday lunch? Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us! Press on toward the goal of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!

There has been a lot of misunderstanding of “head of household” over the years, especially when divorced from its Biblical grounding and servant attitude. In the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a daughter enlists her mother’s help in convincing dad, the head of household, to let her go to community college. To paraphrase the mom’s perspective, “The man may be the head, but the woman is the neck (pause) and can turn the head any way she wants!” J Humor aside, this teaches a practical reality. It can be very tempting to a wife and mother to misuse her God-given vocations for selfish reasons, not unlike how a head of household could abandon his responsibility for selfish reasons. A Christian woman is to use her vocation of “neck of the household,” if we can call it that for now, to turn the head to Christ so that he may better lead the family to Christ as a Manly Christian Man.

Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many. His attitude of service is evident all the way to the cross and beyond. The resurrected Christ explains the consequences of His servant authority.

¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Go. Baptize. Teach. Three powerful words. We could understand the first in two ways. 1) Go and make disciples, baptizing and teaching. Go do this! 2) As you go, make disciples, baptizing and teaching. Whatever you do and wherever you go, do this! The commission Jesus gives, the task our Lord Christ entrusts to His Church is that of making disciples. You are disciples, for you have been baptized in the name of our Triune God and have been taught. You were brought for baptism and the Lord’s teaching. Now we bring others.

For the sake of good order, ordinarily only our pastors baptize. Yet, as the last pages of The Lutheran Hymnal and Lutheran Service Book remind us, “in urgent situations, in the absence of a pastor, any Christian may administer Holy Baptism” (1023). “Take water, call the person by name, and pour or sprinkle water on the head of the candidate while saying: Name, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Holy Baptism administered by a layperson shall immediately be reported to the pastor for its recognition by the congregation.”

The baptized are taught. Adults who come to faith are commonly taught before they are baptized, so they know what they are being baptized into. The very young, including infants, are baptized because infants have sin, baptism grants forgiveness of sin, children are included in “all nations”, Jesus loves the little children, and because Colossians refers to baptism as the circumcision of Christ, a New Testament successor to the Old Testament circumcision of Abraham administered on the eighth day of a boy’s life. Then, children are raised in the faith into which they were baptized. Confirmation is an opportunity for those who have been baptized to publicly confess the faith and acknowledge the gifts they received at baptism. Granting faith is God’s work. Baptism is God’s work. Baptizing and teaching go together. Together they make a disciple.

People forget stuff. Teaching and learning continue from the baptismal font to the grave. Manly Christian Men could consider Bible Study “Cross Training” or body building for faith. Rejecting regular further teaching is on par with rejecting baptism. So many things can wait! The Word should come first! I ask you to first consider Sunday morning Bible Class before the other servant tasks that there are to do. What would you think if I decided to start next Sunday’s sermon or check my email or some other pastor activity instead of being there to lead Sunday Bible class? Those kind of things are important, but they can wait. Men, lead your families to Christ in God’s Word.

At times, we get burned out as servants of the church, as pastor or as lay servants. We cannot feed others unless we are fed first. Otherwise, we are busy Marthas in the kitchen of life banging pots and pans while those like her sister Mary sit at Jesus’ feet to listen to His teaching. I mean no offense to anyone. Luke 10:38-42 is powerful and practical reading for the baptized. I ask you to consider Sunday morning Bible Class before the other servant tasks that there are to do.

What promises to we have to sustain us on our way? Jesus says: And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. You never walk alone as a Christian. Jesus abides with you. He is not present with you in the same way He bodily was present with His disciples, but He is with you forever. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is present where two or three gather in His name. Where even two agree in prayer about anything in harmony with His word, He will grant it. He is present among us at worship. He gives His very Body and His very Blood in, with, and under the bread and wine of the sacrament of the Altar. In Baptism He takes you into Himself. In Communion He invites you to take and eat and take and drink Him into yourself. He has given you the gift of Himself! That is more than enough to supply any lack anywhere!

In the last five verses of the Gospel according to Matthew, Our Lord gives the basics on how disciples are made: by baptizing and by teaching. When a person receives Holy Baptism in the Name of the Holy Trinity, he or she is remade into a new creation in Christ. Both baptizing and teaching are essential to making and being a disciple of Jesus. Learning God’s Word continues one’s whole life long! Many Christian Men lead their families to Christ in the Word of God. And the same Lord who has had all authority given to Him in service to us will be with us always! The Lord has richly blessed you so that you may be a blessing.

Blessèd be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity.

     Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mercy to us.

Amen.

In the Name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Sermon for 12 June 2011, Pentecost A

The Rev. Paul J Cain

John 7:37-39

Rivers of Living Water

Pentecost Day, 12 June 2011

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

TLSB: “On the final day of the Feast of Booths, Jesus promises that believers will receive the Holy Spirit (at Pentecost) after His death.” Today we celebrate more than a Jewish fall harvest festival, more than an early summer Jewish festival fifty days after Passover. We celebrate again the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, His spending 40 days with his disciples before His Ascension into heaven, the comfort that heaven is now open to us, and we celebrate the certain truth of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

³⁷ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The Great Day of the Feast of Booths was the seventh or eighth day closing festival, when the celebration came to a climax. What exactly were the Jewish people celebrating? Beginning the fifteenth day of their seventh month—the dates varied between September and October—they celebrated the harvest and commemorated the Israelite wanderings in the wilderness for forty years. How did they celebrate? They went camping. They hung out in tents, usually translated Booths or Tabernacles, to celebrate the ingathering of the fall crops.

The Lord Himself appointed this celebration in Leviticus 23, a time “of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings each on its proper day…It is a statute forever throughout your generations…You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

While they were in the wilderness, the people complained, to put it mildly. They were given by the Lord what they needed to survive, including water. Jesus builds on this historic need and His own teaching thus far in the Gospel according to John: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” John 4:14, Isaiah 44:3, and Isaiah 58:11 all make Jesus’ point.

Are you dry? Do you feel weary inside? Have you just about had enough of this life and its troubles? “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

Jesus dwells with us. John 1 uses the Greek word for Tabernacle to describe His incarnation. He took on human flesh. He “tented” with humanity. And He is present with us this morning.

Paul wrote words of comfort and warning in 1 Corinthians 10: “For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” You can hear the hymn “Rock of Ages” in that text. And then Paul issues his warning: “Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” That evil included idolatry, sexual immorality, and grumbling, the very reasons the people dwelt in tents for a generation.

They had been baptized into Moses in the Exodus, and still they fell away. This Day of Pentecost we remember our baptism into Christ “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3 says that God saved us through the washing of Holy Baptism, the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior. This is what the Spirit does in the Church and in each Christian. As Luther explained, "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true." (Luther’s Explanation of The Third Article)

This is the work of God the Holy Spirit.

³⁷ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Now, Jesus has been glorified. He suffered Good Friday and was raised on Easter Sunday. He ascended forty days after His Resurrection. And this Pentecost we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the invitation to drink deeply of Jesus. Now is the day of salvation. The invitation permeates all of salvation history, even to the last chapter of Holy Scripture.

Revelation 22:17 says: The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Amen.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Wedding Sermon for Daniel Nyberg and Jessica Burnett, 11 June 2011

The Rev. Paul J Cain

Ephesians 5:1-2, 22-33; 6:1-4

Cleansed by the Washing of Water with the Word

Saturday of Easter VII, 11 June 2011

Blessing of a Civil Marriage

Wedding Sermon for Daniel Austin Nyberg and Jessica Ann Burnett

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming)

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Daniel and Jessica, Ephesians 5 is an inspiring text for your special day: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Today we walk in love as God ordained it in Christ.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Ephesians 5 shows how a Christian wife shows her love. Now if a husband commands her to do something contrary to God’s clear will in the Scriptures, she must obey God rather than men. Another benefit of honoring the husband as the head of the household is showing a united front of love and care and concern for the children.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Husbands don’t have it easy in this day and age—not that they ever did. What you have been given to do in Ephesians 5, Daniel, is to love your wife sacrificially, as Christ loved the church. Your love is a verb, continually in action in care and service and protection for your wife and entire family. You are not the King of your new household. You are a servant with authority. You show your love not only by your actions, but also by your words. Tell Jessica you love her. Tell her you respect her. Tell her you need her. Tell her you appreciate her.

Daniel, you are unique. I’ve performed many weddings. I’ve administered many baptisms. You are the first groom I’ve baptized as part of his preparation for holy matrimony. Daniel means “God is my Judge” or “Justice from God.” Like your bride Jessica, you have been cleansed by the washing of water with the very Word of God. Jessica, I finally found your name in Genesis 11:29. Iscah was daughter of Haran, and sister or half-sister of Lot and Milcah. Your name means means "foresight", or being able to see the potential in the future. You saw great potential in Daniel. And you have both received forgiveness, life, and salvation, gifts of true justice from God in Christ.

In a Christian marriage, both of you are to be reflections of and examples of Christ-like love, especially to the rest of the family. The love that Christ has for His Church and for individual believers like you is not fleeting. He is committed, in love, to you. He died for you. He Rose from the dead for you. He gave you the benefits of His crucifixion and Resurrection when He placed His name on you in Holy Baptism and continues to give these benefits to you in Absolution and His Supper. His love is commitment love.

Commitment love is what gets couples through the tough times. After all, forgiving each other will make your life together a lot more bearable, and a lot more enjoyable. Lutherans don’t consider matrimony a sacrament because it does not promise or deliver the forgiveness of sins like Holy Baptism or Holy Communion, but Holy Matrimony could never survive if forgiveness of sins isn’t actively practiced between husband and wife, parents and children, among siblings, and between each of you and God. Commitment love can’t sustain itself. We love, as Christians, because Christ first loved us. You need to be regularly reminded of Christ’s love for you and shown His love. That is why being united in attending the Sunday Divine Service, actively engaging in Bible study together, and being committed to family devotions are all so important.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with a promise), "that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Parents are to love, clothe, house, and feed their children, as well as give them some space once they’re on their own, yet Ephesians presents the most important parental responsibility. Having Christ at the center of the home means supernatural support, an abundance of forgiveness, and the truest way that husband and wife are one flesh, cleansed by the washing of water with the Word. Amen.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.