Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
What a great day this is! It is filled with excitement, special music, beautiful flowers, lots of people in church. There aren’t many days like this in the entire church year. It’s all because we have the greatest news that ever has been shared with the world. The angel at the tomb told the women, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.”
Imagine for a moment that back then they had the communication technology that we have today. When the news anchors on TV really want to get your attention, they begin their story by saying, “We have some breaking news.” We all wonder what that could be and if it is going to have some effect on my life.” They have our attention and then they tell us what we need to know about the late breaking news. On that first Easter morning there was some breaking news. Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified on Friday had been placed in a tomb carved out of rock and a large stone was rolled in front of the opening in the tomb. Now on this Sunday morning, the tomb was empty. News was leaking out that He was risen from the dead.
We can imagine how the whole news team would be put into action. There would be live coverage from the scene. The camera would try to get a shot from inside the empty tomb. Reporters would be trying to interview people who were somehow associated with the crucifixion and burial of Jesus to find out what happened. They would try to get a statement from the chief priest and other religious rulers who stirred up the people against Jesus and worked to get Him executed. They would try to get a statement from the office of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who was responsible for having Jesus crucified. They would try to get a comment from the soldiers who were supposed to be guarding the tomb. They didn’t want to speak on camera. This was certainly breaking news on that morning and there would be a buzz around certain circles of Jerusalem for the rest of the day. A story like that would not go away quietly. Some might even say that this story will be retold and discussed for many years to come.
The truth is we are still buzzing about the events of that first Easter. It is still being discussed and celebrated as we are doing today. It was breaking news then and it is still breaking news today. But it is breaking news for another reason. The resurrection of Jesus was breaking news because some very powerful things were broken through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ death was not just some unfortunate accident. He was not the victim of misguided thinking. Jesus’ suffering and death were all part of God’s plan for the rescue of fallen sinners. His suffering, death and resurrection brought about reconciliation with God. It paid the price for the sins of the world so that we could be ransomed back to God. The sacrifice of Jesus for our sins and His resurrection from the grave brought breaking news to the world. Jesus broke the power of sin, death and the devil. That’s breaking news.
He broke the power of sin by setting us free from our slavery to sin. Our sinful human nature, that inherited sin, finds its way into our whole being and colors everything that we do. As a result we are slaves to sin. Our whole lives are dedicated to serving ourselves and our own selfish interests. Only by the power of Jesus’ perfect life in our place and His suffering and death as the punishment for our sins is the power of sin over us broken. That is breaking news!
He has also broken the power of death. He defeated death through His own resurrection. Death could not hold Him because He is the Lord of Life. What is significant for us is that by His resurrection He has taken away the sting of death from us. Death has lost its power over us. Death is no longer something to be feared but it is rather the beginning of our life forever with the Lord in perfect joy. As St. Paul said to the Romans, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Again Paul writes to the Philippians, “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.”
There is more breaking news. Jesus has broken the power of the devil. To be sure, the devil is still active, trying to destroy the good things of God, trying to influence the hearts of the faithful and drive them away from God and into despair. But the devil has lost his power over us. He can no longer defeat us because Jesus has won the victory over him through the resurrection. Jesus’ victory is our victory as well. When we are tempted, and we are tempted all the time, Jesus gives us the power to resist the temptation and overcome the worst efforts of the evil one. He gives us that power through the Holy Spirit who works in us through the means of grace, the Word and the Sacraments. We can become easy prey for the devil when we allow ourselves to drift away from those divinely appointed Means of Grace, when we fail to hear God’s Word of Law and His comforting Gospel, and when we forget about the blessings of our Baptism and when we keep ourselves away from the Lord’s Supper. Those Means give us the Spirit’s power to renew and refresh us whenever the attacks of the devil try to beat us down and weaken our resolve to follow the Lord’s will and His ways. Christ’s victory over the power of the devil assures us that those Means will always be there for us. He has won the victory over the devil and His victory is ours as well. That’s breaking news! Jesus has broken the power of sin, death and the devil.
When the TV news team reports the breaking news of the day, it is because they feel that it is something that you need to know. The same is true for the breaking news about the resurrection of Jesus. It is something that people need to know. It is news that has to be shared. If the news team breaks into a program with breaking news about bad weather approaching it is for your protection and safety that they share that information with you. In the case of Jesus’ resurrection it is even more important than breaking news about the weather. It is breaking news about eternity. We have this breaking news that needs to be shared with a world that is increasingly hostile to God. There needs to be a sense of urgency in our sharing of the Good News of Jesus’ victory over sin, death and the power of the devil because so much of the world is headed for eternal damnation including many of the people you know. They are right here in our own community. We have breaking news that could mean eternity in heaven for those who believe in Jesus or eternity in the fires of hell for those who reject Him. We are all part of the Breaking News Team that has something that people need to hear. The breaking news is that Jesus has conquered sin, death and the devil by His suffering, death and resurrection. Because He lives we shall live also.
So often the breaking news on television is bad news. We, on the other hand, have good news. We have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The breaking news is simple; Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Hallelujah! Amen.
And the peace which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
gm
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Blood of the Covenant - Mark 14:12-26
In today’s business climate, one of the sage words of advice that you will hear time after time is, “Make sure you get it in writing.” Make sure you have everything in writing before you put your signature on any contract. That’s how we make a contract valid today. Our signature is our statement of intention to keep our part of the contract. It wasn’t always that way. There was a time when handshake was good enough to seal the deal. Someone’s word was the guarantee that they could be trusted. In ancient times people had another way of sealing a contract or a covenant with one another. It involved the shedding the blood of an animal. In fact, two parties would actually cut an animal in two and walk between the pieces as a sign of their agreement or covenant. Actually the Hebrew word for covenant comes from the idea to cut. That might explain the origin of the term, “To cut a deal.” The closing of a deal or making a covenant always involved the shedding of blood.
That gives a special meaning to the words that Jesus spoke in our text for this Maundy Thursday about His blood of the covenant which is poured out for many. This was a new covenant between God and man. A new covenant was needed because the people of God made a real mess of the old covenant. When God made His covenant with the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai, it was a covenant based on God’s promises and their obedience. It was a covenant sealed with the blood of countless animals that were sacrificed on the altar of the tabernacle, the tent church that served them until the temple would be built in Jerusalem many years later under Solomon. When the people heard the commandments of the Lord they proclaimed that everything that God commanded they would do. I can imagine that God smiled a knowing smile when they said that. He knew that they would never be able to keep their word. To remind them of the covenant that He made with them, that He would be their God and they would be His people, He gave them a system of sacrifices. Through that blood, their covenant would be sustained until the time when the Messiah would come who would rescue them from their sin.
When the Messiah came, there would be a new covenant, a new way of doing things, a new relationship between God and His special creatures. The new covenant would be sealed with blood, not the blood of animals as in the old covenant, but with the blood of His only begotten Son. It would be a covenant not based on obedience, but a covenant based on faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The reality of our sin made it clear that mankind could never keep their end of God’s covenant based on obedience to His will. Because of our sinful human nature, we are spiritually blind, spiritually dead and enemies of God. The people of Israel demonstrated that throughout their history as we read the Old Testament. They were constantly tempted to wander away from the true God and turn to the false gods of the people around them. Even when they followed some of the ceremonies and observed the festivals, they did it with hearts that were concerned with only carrying out the requirement and there was no repentance and no love for God. Time after time the prophets of God tried to call the people to repentance but they didn’t listen. God used foreign nations to punish His people in order to bring their hearts back to Him in sincere worship. They rebuilt the temple but it didn’t take long for some of the old, sinful ways to come back.
St. Paul tells us that when the time was right, the Messiah was sent into the world. That Messiah was the Son of God, the Word made flesh, born of the Virgin Mary. His message was still the same. “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” He called His people to turn from their sinful ways and turn to God for forgiveness and new life. He knew that He had come into the world to bring the new covenant, a covenant that would sealed with blood, a covenant that would be based on faith and trust in His sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and the new life that would be part of this new covenant.
It is that new covenant that brings us to this point in the season of Lent, the time that we call Holy Week. This week began with Jesus making His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. It included some of the most intense times of teaching in the short ministry of Jesus. It also included the events that occurred on that Thursday evening, that night that we now call Maundy Thursday from the Latin word “mandate” that means “command.” Jesus gave His disciples a new command. From that time forward they were to make use of some of the elements of the Passover meal that they were celebrating and through them receive His body and His blood for the forgiveness of their sins, for the strengthening of their faith and for the power to carry out His will in their lives.
His body and blood were about to be offered as the sacrifice for our sins. They were also going to be the seal of the new covenant between God and man. In the words that Mark used to describe this important event Jesus took the bread, the unleavened bread that was a part of the Passover meal, broke it into pieces so that it could be distributed to each of them and said, “Take; this is my body.” He took the cup and when He had given thanks he gave it to them and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” His body and His blood are given in, with and under the bread and wine as a seal of the new covenant. It is His body and blood that would be sacrificed on the cross that makes the new covenant possible. The sin that separated us from God is forgiven, washed away through the blood of the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The new covenant, sealed with blood, is now a covenant based on God’s sure and certain promises and our faith, which itself is a gift of God through the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Means of Grace, the Word and the Sacraments.
Through the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we receive the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Our sins are forgiven because Jesus is our Advocate with the Father. He took the punishment that we deserved because of our sins. He went to the cross to suffer and die as the payment for all sins. When we receive the Sacrament, we are reminded of the sacrifice that was made on the cross. Our faith is strengthened and the blessing of that forgiveness is ours.
We also are given life. We can think of that in two ways. We have new life now and life forever in the presence of God in heaven. The new life that we have now helps us to turn our lives around from the selfishness that is a part of our sinful nature to a life of love and service to our Lord and to those around us. The new life does not try to hide from God but instead looks forward to growing closer and closer to God throughout this life and yearns for the life of perfect happiness in heaven.
Right along with forgiveness and life, we have the promise of salvation. Salvation implies that we are saved from something. Actually through God’s grace we are saved from our slavery to sin. In connection with that we are also saved from the eternal punishment that we deserve because of that slavery to sin. Not only are we saved from that horrible fate but we are saved to joyfully serve our God with our whole lives.
As we observe Maundy Thursday, this is really a time for us consider the wisdom of God in making His plan of salvation known to us throughout the Bible. When we look at it closely, we can see the connection between the Children of Israel being rescued from their slavery in Egypt and our rescue from the slavery to sin. We can see the connection between the shedding of blood as a seal of a covenant in the Old Testament and the shedding of Jesus’ blood as a seal of the new covenant for all true believers. We have a loving God. He loved us so much that He provided a way for us to be with Him forever in heaven in spite of our sin. He had to send His own dear Son to make it possible through His suffering and death. He has given us a great gift in the Sacrament of Altar. May we come to the Sacrament with repentant hearts, receive it with thanksgiving and return with new strength, peace in our hearts, and joy for our lives ahead. Amen
And the peace which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen
That gives a special meaning to the words that Jesus spoke in our text for this Maundy Thursday about His blood of the covenant which is poured out for many. This was a new covenant between God and man. A new covenant was needed because the people of God made a real mess of the old covenant. When God made His covenant with the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai, it was a covenant based on God’s promises and their obedience. It was a covenant sealed with the blood of countless animals that were sacrificed on the altar of the tabernacle, the tent church that served them until the temple would be built in Jerusalem many years later under Solomon. When the people heard the commandments of the Lord they proclaimed that everything that God commanded they would do. I can imagine that God smiled a knowing smile when they said that. He knew that they would never be able to keep their word. To remind them of the covenant that He made with them, that He would be their God and they would be His people, He gave them a system of sacrifices. Through that blood, their covenant would be sustained until the time when the Messiah would come who would rescue them from their sin.
When the Messiah came, there would be a new covenant, a new way of doing things, a new relationship between God and His special creatures. The new covenant would be sealed with blood, not the blood of animals as in the old covenant, but with the blood of His only begotten Son. It would be a covenant not based on obedience, but a covenant based on faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The reality of our sin made it clear that mankind could never keep their end of God’s covenant based on obedience to His will. Because of our sinful human nature, we are spiritually blind, spiritually dead and enemies of God. The people of Israel demonstrated that throughout their history as we read the Old Testament. They were constantly tempted to wander away from the true God and turn to the false gods of the people around them. Even when they followed some of the ceremonies and observed the festivals, they did it with hearts that were concerned with only carrying out the requirement and there was no repentance and no love for God. Time after time the prophets of God tried to call the people to repentance but they didn’t listen. God used foreign nations to punish His people in order to bring their hearts back to Him in sincere worship. They rebuilt the temple but it didn’t take long for some of the old, sinful ways to come back.
St. Paul tells us that when the time was right, the Messiah was sent into the world. That Messiah was the Son of God, the Word made flesh, born of the Virgin Mary. His message was still the same. “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” He called His people to turn from their sinful ways and turn to God for forgiveness and new life. He knew that He had come into the world to bring the new covenant, a covenant that would sealed with blood, a covenant that would be based on faith and trust in His sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and the new life that would be part of this new covenant.
It is that new covenant that brings us to this point in the season of Lent, the time that we call Holy Week. This week began with Jesus making His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. It included some of the most intense times of teaching in the short ministry of Jesus. It also included the events that occurred on that Thursday evening, that night that we now call Maundy Thursday from the Latin word “mandate” that means “command.” Jesus gave His disciples a new command. From that time forward they were to make use of some of the elements of the Passover meal that they were celebrating and through them receive His body and His blood for the forgiveness of their sins, for the strengthening of their faith and for the power to carry out His will in their lives.
His body and blood were about to be offered as the sacrifice for our sins. They were also going to be the seal of the new covenant between God and man. In the words that Mark used to describe this important event Jesus took the bread, the unleavened bread that was a part of the Passover meal, broke it into pieces so that it could be distributed to each of them and said, “Take; this is my body.” He took the cup and when He had given thanks he gave it to them and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” His body and His blood are given in, with and under the bread and wine as a seal of the new covenant. It is His body and blood that would be sacrificed on the cross that makes the new covenant possible. The sin that separated us from God is forgiven, washed away through the blood of the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The new covenant, sealed with blood, is now a covenant based on God’s sure and certain promises and our faith, which itself is a gift of God through the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Means of Grace, the Word and the Sacraments.
Through the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we receive the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Our sins are forgiven because Jesus is our Advocate with the Father. He took the punishment that we deserved because of our sins. He went to the cross to suffer and die as the payment for all sins. When we receive the Sacrament, we are reminded of the sacrifice that was made on the cross. Our faith is strengthened and the blessing of that forgiveness is ours.
We also are given life. We can think of that in two ways. We have new life now and life forever in the presence of God in heaven. The new life that we have now helps us to turn our lives around from the selfishness that is a part of our sinful nature to a life of love and service to our Lord and to those around us. The new life does not try to hide from God but instead looks forward to growing closer and closer to God throughout this life and yearns for the life of perfect happiness in heaven.
Right along with forgiveness and life, we have the promise of salvation. Salvation implies that we are saved from something. Actually through God’s grace we are saved from our slavery to sin. In connection with that we are also saved from the eternal punishment that we deserve because of that slavery to sin. Not only are we saved from that horrible fate but we are saved to joyfully serve our God with our whole lives.
As we observe Maundy Thursday, this is really a time for us consider the wisdom of God in making His plan of salvation known to us throughout the Bible. When we look at it closely, we can see the connection between the Children of Israel being rescued from their slavery in Egypt and our rescue from the slavery to sin. We can see the connection between the shedding of blood as a seal of a covenant in the Old Testament and the shedding of Jesus’ blood as a seal of the new covenant for all true believers. We have a loving God. He loved us so much that He provided a way for us to be with Him forever in heaven in spite of our sin. He had to send His own dear Son to make it possible through His suffering and death. He has given us a great gift in the Sacrament of Altar. May we come to the Sacrament with repentant hearts, receive it with thanksgiving and return with new strength, peace in our hearts, and joy for our lives ahead. Amen
And the peace which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen
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