“And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” Matthew 27:46

The night before Jesus died, He prayed to the Father, in great anguish: “if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” (Matthew 26:39). Now, as the moment of His death approaches, after hours of agony, Jesus has His answer: it is not possible; the cup will not pass; He is forsaken, and handed over to persecution and death.

And yet this is not a cry of despair. Jesus is quoting Psalm 22, the song of a righteous man who has been handed over to persecution (“Many bulls encircle me … I am poured out like water”), but who never loses faith in God’s holiness (v.3), dominion (v.28) and deliverance (v.31).

So it is for Jesus. He has heard the answer we all dread when we pray in desperation and fear: ‘no’. As a human being, He experiences forsakenness by God in being handed over to His persecutors. But He remains united to God, both as the faithful believer who refuses to despair, and as the incarnate Son of God whose union between Godhead and flesh can never be dissolved.

In our baptisms, we are united with Jesus in this moment (Romans 6:3). All our forsakenness, all our anguish, all our experience of the silent ‘no’ from heaven in response to our prayers is united with that of Christ. But at the same time, we are united with the inextinguishable hope of Christ the incarnate Son of God, and share in His vindication.

This is the paradox of the Cross: the moment that shows most fully our forsakenness by God is the moment that shows (and, indeed, effects) most fully God’s acceptance and salvation of us.

You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from him,
but heard when he cried to him.
(Psalm 22:23-24)

Amen.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11:25-26

Recently a friend of mine said she had attended a Humanist funeral service. She commented that it was nice enough; fine tributes were given and many memories were shared, but she said that she found it lacking something. Although my friend does not attend church, she put her finger on a very real problem. At the time of death, when everything else has been stripped away, what do we rely on? Do we seek tributes or memories? Iif so they ring hollow in our ears as they are sadly lacking the ability to give comfort and peace at such a time.

No, we need hope, even in the midst of the most hopeless of situations. And this is where Martha found herself. She was standing outside the tomb of her brother Lazarus as she spoke with Jesus. Her pain and sorrow were real; no tribute to or memory of her brother could soothe, let alone erase it.

Into this void steps Jesus Christ, and He speaks. His words deliver what they say – resurrection and life. These words are not mere platitudes or greeting card slogans: no, they are life-giving words. He speaks and even the dead listen. He commands it and the dead rise. Only the One who has conquered death can freely give life to all who trust in His promises. When all else has been taken from us, and death has stripped us of all we held dear, it is only the words and promises of Jesus that matter: “I am the resurrection and the Life”. On the Last Day we will hear His voice and we will rise with Him to eternal life.

Match that, humanist funeral.

Lord of Life, You triumphed over death and the grave and You give eternal life to all who trust in You, Amen.

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24

NEWS FLASH!

The Olympics are coming to town! Do you think the athletes are prepared? Yes. Do you think there will be any ‘walk-ons’ (half-hearted competitors)? No. Near our home in Colorado, in Colorado Springs, is the training centre for U.S. athletes who will be competing for medals in the 2012 Olympics. One of their mottos is: ‘It’s not just every four years, it’s every day’. Their routines are strict: running faster, jumping higher, lifting more weights, painstakingly counting calories and monitoring heart rates. Striving for more speed, precision, and endurance, their focus is squarely on the prize: a gold medal.

The race Paul speaks of is of even greater importance and with a much loftier goal: life as a Christian with a reward of eternal life! While an athlete may be tempted off-course by parties, sleep, and pizzas, the distractions and temptations of a Christian are more deadly: idle gossip, laziness, skipping worship, violent or risqué movies and music, apathy. As an athlete trains and races, so must we as Christians train and discipline ourselves to finish the course which the Lord Himself has given to us. Like Paul, we have been given a ministry, to bear the message of salvation….EVERY DAY. Let’s live this ministry out loud! Pray when you arise, read the Bible, the Holy Word of God, listen to Lutheran Radio during cleaning and workouts, pray more, share the Good News with family and friends.

Through discipline and hard work, our athletes might have a chance at the Gold. As bold, repentant, and forgiven Christians, prepared through the study of God’s Word, strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, and by the grace of God our Father, we can be sure of our prize: Eternal life with Christ in heaven. Don’t just be a ‘walk-on’ Christian.

Run the straight race through God’s good grace;
Lift up your eyes, and seek His face.
Life with its way before us lies;
Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

(LSB 664 v. 2)

 Amen.

“They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave sour wine to drink.” Psalm 69: 1

During the season of Lent, Christians focus on their spiritual lives, the Passion of Christ, and their own suffering. The season of Lent is a penitential time for Christians. We focus on our sin, our depravity, our utmost need for a Saviour. Sin is our greatest enemy. Sin attacks us via Satan’s temptations, worldly lusts and desires, and the sinful lust and desire of our own corrupt human flesh. The Holy Spirit shows us our filthy sin. We see it. We despise it. Yet, at times we revel in it. So often when sin attacks we capitulate to it. We need spiritual help. We need a Saviour. We need salvation. Only God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is able to save us from spiritual abuse, sin’s attacks.

In this psalm, David offers this prayer for help in the midst of attacks and sufferings imposed on him by his enemies. As Jesus is the promised Son of David (2 Samuel 7:8-16), these afflictions of David foreshadow the even greater afflictions of Christ. Hence, this psalm is quoted in the New Testament with reference to Christ.

We too can use this psalm as our prayer. We ask God for help in the midst of suffering from attacks by our worldly and spiritual enemies. Jesus the Christ is very aware of our afflictions. Jesus, true God and true man, lived among those who hated him. His enemies persecuted him to death – literally.

Jesus suffered in His body when scourged by the soldiers and nailed to the cross. But much greater was the suffering of His soul, for He felt the heavy burden of our sins resting upon Him and experienced the full measure of God’s wrath. All this suffering was laid upon our Saviour by God Himself who, making use of the wickedness of Judas, Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, and the soldiers, visited on Him the iniquity of us all. Therefore, we with our sins mocked, scourged, and crucified the Lord (IS 43:24). We are the ones that should smite upon our breasts and repent.

Martin Luther said the life of a Christian should be one of daily repentance. Not just during the season of Lent, but every day of the year we call out to God asking for forgiveness of our sin. The Good News is that, for Christ’s sake, we are forgiven. Christ suffered in our place. In our Baptism our sin was imputed to Him and His righteousness imputed to us. This is the greatest gift of all – redemption. As we journey through this Lenten season let us call upon the Lord to deliver us from our enemies, spiritual and physical. Let us turn to the one who experienced these same afflictions for us and triumphed over them that we would have freedom from sin, death, and Satan.

Let heaven and earth praise him… …for God will save Zion. (Psalm 69: 34-35.) Amen.

“The next day, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’!” John 1:29

Could there ever be more Gospel in one sentence? Here we are told of the one Who removes our sin from us. Why us? Because we too are in the world. We are told this person is Jesus. He is also described as the “lamb of God”. Why “lamb”? Is it just a cute picture of a gentle animal and a quaint description of the humbleness of God? No. It is much more! The lamb was the choice sacrificial animal of the Lord. “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male… the whole congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight” (Exodus 12:5-6). This Passover was celebrated year after year in Israel’s history, by way of a sacrifice, to remind them of the Salvation of the Lord. This was one of the most memorable ceremonies for the children of God until the time came when God would reveal that there would only be one sacrifice, once and for all, whereby men and women would look back and say, ‘Yes, this is the Salvation of God’. This was the very moment when the lamb became His story!

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made the story His when, as a lamb, He sacrificed Himself for the world. That’s how He took our sin away. John the Baptist saw it. And it is his prayer that you and I see it. So do we see it?

“He was oppressed, and He was afflicted… like a lamb led to the slaughter” Isaiah 53:7. We use every piece of Scripture to describe the good news about Jesus, as Philip did for the eunuch. We look at our own lives and we see how much we need Jesus because of our sin. We desire His grace. We desire His mercy. We long for the means by which He grants these blessings to us! What are His means? His Word! Read His Word, for here even you and I have been given a prophecy. One day “no longer will there be anything accursed, but rather will there be the throne of God and the Lamb and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face and His name will be on their foreheads… they will need no light from a lamp or a sun, for the Lord God will be their light and they will reign forever and ever”. Revelation 22:3-5.

Let us pray: Lord God; Lamb of God, thank you for taking away the sins of the world, for having mercy on us and for granting us your peace. Amen.

“’What is truth?’ Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews, and said, ‘I find no basis for the charge against him.’” John 18:38

Do we know the truth? We are sure we do, because we have the written word (truth) of God in the Holy Bible, the ‘Workshop Manual’ for mankind’s salvation. Through our faith in Christ Jesus we are assured of salvation.

Caiaphas distorted the truth to protect his own power, Pilate was frightened of the truth as it threatened his power, but we have nothing to fear from the ‘POWER’ that is Christ Jesus. It is all ours through His love. What is this POWER? It is TRUTH. What does this TRUTH give us? SALVATION through His love.

Thank You for this Lord God, Amen.

“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” John 19: 26-27

When Jesus was presented at the temple, 40 days after His birth, Simeon told Jesus’ mother Mary that a sword would pierce through her soul (Luke 2:35). Now, standing at the foot of the cross and watching her son die, Mary must have felt the anguish of that sword. The angel Gabriel had promised that her son Jesus would be great and reign over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:32, 33) and yet here He was, dying the most shameful death possible. Mary must have felt as though God had truly abandoned them both.

And yet, in the midst of His suffering, Jesus shows His tender love for His mother, placing her in the care of “the disciple whom he loved”. How often when we are in the midst of suffering do we feel as though God has abandoned us! But He will never leave or forsake us. Through the water of Holy Baptism, we became God’s dear children and members of His body, the church. His love for us is so deep that He gave His only son to die for us, so that we might receive the free gift of life eternal with Him. Just as Jesus cared for His mother, so God also provides care for us – through our families, government, doctors, nurses etc. – and through our Christian brothers and sisters. We are joined together each week at His table when we receive the gifts of His body and blood, which nourish and sustain us. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).

Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine!
Never was love, dear King,
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my friend,
In whose sweet praise
I all my days
Could gladly spend.

(LSB 430)

Amen.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep”. John 10:11

Jesus drew a distinction between Himself as the “good” shepherd and others who claim to be shepherds. He goes on to explain that the essential character of the good shepherd is that he gives his life for the sheep.

The word for “life” refers to much more than physical life. It carries the idea of essence, or all that makes us who we are. The same word is used to describe the greater love: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). He demonstrated this greater love by suffering death on a cross for the forgiveness of all our sins.

Jesus was declaring that He was the ONLY one to be followed and trusted because He was the only one who cared for the sheep and loved them as His own. In every flock there are those who seek destruction and self-gratification. They try to lead us away from the Word of God.

We should aspire to be like Jesus and be shepherds who truly love their sheep and are prepared to make sacrifice for those entrusted into their care. Jesus gave of Himself in ways we can’t even understand. We humbly receive His gift. “For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand” (Psalm 95:7). Let’s give our all for our fellow sheep and bow down and worship the Good Shepherd.

We thank You, Good Shepherd, for making us Your sheep. May we always remember how many benefits that brings us. Amen.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” I Corinthians 9:24-25

Why is endurance so important? Aren’t the results of my efforts guaranteed? If we are to take seriously the numerous warnings and exhortations that are presented in the New Testament, we had better consider the possibility that our endurance is not so certain. While our salvation is quite certain and totally secure, our success in our Christian lives and ministries is not. That is why the Scriptures teach that living for God’s approval requires finishing well. Paul tells us to run the Christian race with the intent to win the prize at the end of the race. Paul’s audience knows that in any race there can only be one winner. This prize is offered to each and every believer. Unlike a foot race, we’re not competing against each other. Every Christian can win the prize. That’s good news because there will always be someone faster, stronger, or smarter than us. But that’s okay, because you and I are running against opportunities God gives us, not what He gives other Christians. We are competing against ourselves.

The Christian’s prize is the honour and glory of eternal rewards. It is the joy of hearing Jesus say, ‘Well done!’ This is the amazing grace of God. We receive salvation as a free gift and then the Lord blesses us on top of that with temporal and eternal rewards for faithfully serving Him.

Unlike the athletic crown, our victor’s crown will affect us forever and ever. Paul states that our reward is “imperishable”—it is eternal! The Christian life is not a race to achieve entrance into heaven. We are saved by grace, not by effort or discipline or obedience or good works or anything else we do. We are saved by believing, not by achieving.

For this amazing gift make us truly thankful, Lord God. Amen.

“I am poured out like water;
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.”
Psalm 22: 14-16

I am poured out like water: I am weak and ineffective. I spread my efforts wide, pushing bits of this and that around with me, but turn course at every major obstacle and finally evaporate, leaving a messy mark on all that I touched. But, my Lord Jesus poured out His blood for many for the forgiveness of sins.

All my bones are out of joint: I am overwhelmed, unable and inflexible. My paltry goals seem unattainable. Life’s demands stretch me too far. To stray from my self-appointed course on behalf of another would surely be more than I could bear. But, my Lord Jesus in His death and resurrection embraced each race, each generation, and each demand of the law.

My heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast: I am too easily influenced, too distracted too indifferent. The heat of others’ strong opinions presses against the malleable sentiments surrounding my mustard-seed faith. Molten, I take the middle-ground. But, my Lord Jesus, a rock of offence, compressed by a world of sin, sought mercy for His crucifiers, care for His mother, salvation for His world.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd: I am brittle and broken. The effects of Adam’s sin and my own sinful indulgences leave my body a crumbling vessel, detestable and hazardous to my neighbour. But, my Lord Jesus, whose body thirsted and died on the cross, is a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

My tongue sticks to my jaws: I am a mute witness. Though I have drunk of this life-giving water, I hold my peace, or I babble about myself. I pretend that the silent smile on my face will give my neighbour the cross to cling to in his hour of need. But, my Lord Jesus, whose words calmed storms and fed thousands, who was silent like a sheep led to the slaughter, was exalted so that at His name every knee would bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.

You lay me in the dust of death: I am dying. My days are numbered. Accident, age, and illness grind away at this body daily and will finally reduce it to dirt. But, my dear Lord Jesus laid down His body, His life in death. And after three days in the earth He took it up again. He is the resurrection and the life and, as I believe in Him, though I die, so shall I live.

My Lord Jesus, in Your mercy You have redeemed me. To You be all glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.