WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.525 --> 00:00:01.725 In the name of Jesus. 2 00:00:02.425 --> 00:00:02.825 Amen. 3 00:00:04.425 --> 00:00:08.425 Well, there is nothing like a bad case of laryngitis to cut a preacher 4 00:00:08.425 --> 00:00:09.325 down to size. 5 00:00:11.025 --> 00:00:14.725 I pray that you will bear with me as we limp through the next few 6 00:00:14.725 --> 00:00:15.425 minutes. 7 00:00:17.025 --> 00:00:19.625 A longtime listener to sermons from this pulpit 8 00:00:19.625 --> 00:00:26.025 once told me, you know, the problem in this place is that everyone is 9 00:00:26.025 --> 00:00:30.125 kind of trying to hit a homerun, preferably a grand slam. 10 00:00:31.325 --> 00:00:32.825 And that's just not practical. 11 00:00:34.725 --> 00:00:39.425 I would also add, it's not the way the Lord usually gets his business 12 00:00:39.425 --> 00:00:39.825 done. 13 00:00:42.325 --> 00:00:44.225 Look at Le, Saint Simon and Saint. 14 00:00:44.225 --> 00:00:44.925 Jude. 15 00:00:45.825 --> 00:00:48.325 What do we really know about these guys? 16 00:00:48.425 --> 00:00:50.125 I mean, really? 17 00:00:51.925 --> 00:00:52.725 Not much. 18 00:00:54.025 --> 00:00:56.825 Simon was also called zealot. 19 00:00:58.325 --> 00:01:03.125 Which meant that maybe he was a bit of a hothead and to the far right 20 00:01:03.125 --> 00:01:07.525 on the political spectrum of his day and wanted to usher in an Earthly 21 00:01:07.525 --> 00:01:10.225 Kingdom by force if necessary. 22 00:01:11.925 --> 00:01:12.425 May be. 23 00:01:14.425 --> 00:01:16.525 And Jude or Judas 24 00:01:16.525 --> 00:01:18.125 what do we know about him? 25 00:01:18.425 --> 00:01:21.525 Well, we know he was also called Thaddeus. 26 00:01:22.925 --> 00:01:29.125 He was either the son or the brother of James, James the less that is, 27 00:01:29.625 --> 00:01:33.425 which meant that he would have been either the cousin or the step 28 00:01:33.425 --> 00:01:35.825 brother, or the brother of Jesus. 29 00:01:36.025 --> 00:01:36.825 Take your pick. 30 00:01:39.425 --> 00:01:40.325 All we know for sure 31 00:01:40.325 --> 00:01:45.725 is that John wanted to find to define this particular Judas as not 32 00:01:45.725 --> 00:01:46.725 Iscariot. 33 00:01:47.925 --> 00:01:50.125 He wasn't that Judas. 34 00:01:50.925 --> 00:01:54.825 So I guess in this case it is good to be defined by who you are not. 35 00:01:57.025 --> 00:02:00.625 And after the resurrection of our Lord, the traditions on these two 36 00:02:00.625 --> 00:02:04.425 guys, very widely from east to west. 37 00:02:05.825 --> 00:02:11.325 The West traces, a cruel martyr's death for both of them, and the East 38 00:02:11.325 --> 00:02:13.825 tracks him down to a peaceful end. 39 00:02:16.025 --> 00:02:17.625 So think this through with me. 40 00:02:18.825 --> 00:02:23.925 In terms of like Saints trading cards, you know, like baseball trading 41 00:02:23.925 --> 00:02:25.825 cards, stay with me. 42 00:02:27.725 --> 00:02:31.825 With Simon and Jude, we don't have anybody hot really hot like a Saint 43 00:02:31.825 --> 00:02:36.425 Peter, you know who at top of the ninth bases loaded 44 00:02:37.425 --> 00:02:40.025 denies his Lord three times and strikes out. 45 00:02:43.325 --> 00:02:46.925 And then in overtime hits a Grand Slam and wins the series. 46 00:02:49.225 --> 00:02:50.225 Or think about St. 47 00:02:50.225 --> 00:02:54.925 John the Evangelist the disciple whom Jesus loved. 48 00:02:55.425 --> 00:02:57.025 Does it get any better than that? 49 00:02:59.325 --> 00:03:03.625 Or what about the nefarious, backstory of the infamous, Judas, 50 00:03:03.625 --> 00:03:04.425 Iscariot? 51 00:03:06.425 --> 00:03:07.525 Who now that I think of it 52 00:03:07.525 --> 00:03:09.125 hever ended up becoming a saint. 53 00:03:10.125 --> 00:03:13.625 So what do we make of Simon and Jude? 54 00:03:15.425 --> 00:03:17.125 There's no stories to tell. 55 00:03:17.625 --> 00:03:21.925 There's nothing much to point to, and we aren't even sure what their 56 00:03:21.925 --> 00:03:22.825 full names are. 57 00:03:26.125 --> 00:03:33.125 And yet, there they are in the Johannian account of the supper at 58 00:03:33.125 --> 00:03:33.725 the table. 59 00:03:35.225 --> 00:03:38.025 There on the night when he was betrayed. 60 00:03:39.425 --> 00:03:46.825 You see, Jesus the place for them there with him and with his father 61 00:03:47.425 --> 00:03:49.425 and with the promised Holy Spirit. 62 00:03:51.125 --> 00:03:56.125 If anyone loves me, Jesus said, I will, he will keep my word and my 63 00:03:56.125 --> 00:03:57.425 Father will love him. 64 00:03:59.125 --> 00:04:02.725 And we will come to him and make our home with him. 65 00:04:04.125 --> 00:04:08.525 And the helper the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name 66 00:04:09.525 --> 00:04:14.225 he will teach you all things and bring you to remembrance of all that 67 00:04:14.225 --> 00:04:15.425 I have said to you. 68 00:04:17.825 --> 00:04:21.525 Wow, so being a saint. 69 00:04:23.025 --> 00:04:24.025 Being a Christian. 70 00:04:25.525 --> 00:04:26.325 Being a preacher. 71 00:04:27.625 --> 00:04:29.725 Is not about hitting a homerun 72 00:04:30.725 --> 00:04:31.925 or a grand slam. 73 00:04:34.025 --> 00:04:35.525 No, it's about Jesus 74 00:04:36.725 --> 00:04:42.525 and his father, making his home their home with you. 75 00:04:44.525 --> 00:04:48.025 It's about the Holy Spirit teaching you 76 00:04:49.125 --> 00:04:50.025 all things. 77 00:04:51.825 --> 00:04:57.325 It's about God, the father and his son with you individually 78 00:04:58.625 --> 00:05:00.925 and the Holy Spirit teaching you 79 00:05:02.025 --> 00:05:03.025 specifically. 80 00:05:05.825 --> 00:05:07.625 The prophets foretold this. 81 00:05:09.325 --> 00:05:12.125 Jeremiah declared, I will put my law within them 82 00:05:13.425 --> 00:05:17.825 declared the Lord and I will write it on their hearts and I will be 83 00:05:17.825 --> 00:05:22.825 their God and they shall be my people and no longer shall each one, 84 00:05:22.825 --> 00:05:27.625 teach his neighbor and his brother saying know the Lord for they shall 85 00:05:27.625 --> 00:05:28.725 all know me. 86 00:05:30.025 --> 00:05:32.725 The least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. 87 00:05:33.925 --> 00:05:38.325 For I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin 88 00:05:38.325 --> 00:05:39.025 no more. 89 00:05:41.325 --> 00:05:43.025 The evangelists proclaimed it 90 00:05:45.025 --> 00:05:51.025 and the word became flesh and dwelt tented among us. 91 00:05:52.025 --> 00:05:54.925 And we have seen his glory. Glory 92 00:05:54.925 --> 00:05:59.225 as of the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth. 93 00:06:01.225 --> 00:06:04.625 And our resurrected savior promised it. 94 00:06:06.225 --> 00:06:10.325 Going there for make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the 95 00:06:10.325 --> 00:06:14.425 name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching 96 00:06:14.425 --> 00:06:15.925 them to observe all that 97 00:06:15.925 --> 00:06:18.925 I have commanded you. And behold 98 00:06:19.225 --> 00:06:24.325 I am with you always even unto the end of the age. 99 00:06:27.125 --> 00:06:33.725 And now, you and I and the church throughout the ages are being hurled 100 00:06:34.225 --> 00:06:35.125 triumphantly 101 00:06:36.525 --> 00:06:42.225 toward that, great magnificent eschaton, the new heavens and the new 102 00:06:42.225 --> 00:06:42.725 Earth. 103 00:06:44.825 --> 00:06:49.325 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold the dwelling 104 00:06:49.325 --> 00:06:51.625 place of God is with, man. 105 00:06:53.125 --> 00:06:58.525 He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself 106 00:06:58.525 --> 00:07:01.025 will be with them as their God. 107 00:07:02.725 --> 00:07:07.625 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no 108 00:07:07.625 --> 00:07:08.125 more. 109 00:07:09.625 --> 00:07:13.625 Neither shall there be mourning or crying or pain anymore. 110 00:07:15.025 --> 00:07:17.125 For the former things have passed away. 111 00:07:19.425 --> 00:07:21.625 Like, Saint, Simon and St. 112 00:07:21.625 --> 00:07:22.225 Jude. 113 00:07:22.925 --> 00:07:26.825 The Lord has a place for you at his table. 114 00:07:27.925 --> 00:07:30.125 You specifically. 115 00:07:31.925 --> 00:07:35.325 He and his Father have made their home with you. 116 00:07:36.825 --> 00:07:39.325 And he sends you his Holy Spirit to teach you 117 00:07:40.525 --> 00:07:41.325 all things. 118 00:07:44.225 --> 00:07:44.825 Rejoice 119 00:07:44.825 --> 00:07:49.725 not the demons are subject to you, but that your name is written in 120 00:07:49.725 --> 00:07:50.625 the Book of Life. 121 00:07:51.925 --> 00:07:54.225 In Jesus name. Amen.