WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:02.700 Hallelujah Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia! 2 00:00:06.800 --> 00:00:07.600 May be seated. 3 00:00:10.100 --> 00:00:17.500 Grace mercy, and peace especially peace be to you from God our Father 4 00:00:17.500 --> 00:00:19.600 and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 5 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:21.200 Amen. 6 00:00:23.700 --> 00:00:27.300 Have you ever struggled with sharing the word of God? 7 00:00:28.700 --> 00:00:36.500 You're preparing a sermon or a Bible study or a word to speak at the 8 00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:44.100 bedside of the dying or through the plexiglass of the incarcerated. Or 9 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:48.100 maybe you're just thinking about a word that you'd like to share with 10 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:53.900 us a family member or a friend all of us have been given the word of God 11 00:00:53.900 --> 00:00:56.500 to share but sometimes 12 00:00:57.700 --> 00:00:58.900 I struggle 13 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:07.000 with knowing what to say. It's as if there's this one right thing that 14 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:11.600 I could say about the word of God the scripture passage that I have in 15 00:01:11.600 --> 00:01:17.900 mind and I'm worried that I might not get the one right thing to say. 16 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:20.700 Have you had that fear? 17 00:01:20.700 --> 00:01:22.200 Have you had that struggle? 18 00:01:24.800 --> 00:01:25.900 Augustine 19 00:01:26.900 --> 00:01:31.200 way back had that same challenge. 20 00:01:32.100 --> 00:01:37.400 Recently over Christmas break I had the opportunity to reread 21 00:01:37.400 --> 00:01:42.700 Augustine confessions kind of devotionally this time from a really 22 00:01:42.700 --> 00:01:45.000 good translation that may 23 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:49.100 Augustine sound a bit more like a twenty-first-century friend than a 24 00:01:49.100 --> 00:01:54.300 old stuffy academic speaking Shakespearean English. 25 00:01:56.600 --> 00:02:02.900 And as I read through Augustine confessions, I was astonished in book 26 00:02:02.900 --> 00:02:09.400 12 when Augustine came up with this exact same struggle. 27 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:14.300 He was talking about Genesis 1 verse 1 in the beginning God created 28 00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:15.700 the heavens and the Earth. 29 00:02:17.100 --> 00:02:19.200 What's so challenging about that? 30 00:02:20.100 --> 00:02:27.000 Well, Augustin came up with at least 5 interpretations of that text and 31 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:34.200 that excludes the heretical readings of that text. Augustine said, 32 00:02:34.200 --> 00:02:39.900 they're all within the bounds of our confession, which is the right 33 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:40.800 one. 34 00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:46.300 Well, he says it's impossible to get into Moses head and know exactly 35 00:02:46.300 --> 00:02:48.900 what Moses was thinking. 36 00:02:48.900 --> 00:02:55.000 Yeah, there are some readings that make more sense of the text than 37 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:55.500 others. 38 00:02:57.100 --> 00:03:01.100 But I can't pick between just one of those 39 00:03:01.100 --> 00:03:03.700 there all 5 right. 40 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:10.500 So he says this as he lays out these words to God the confessions 41 00:03:10.500 --> 00:03:15.100 the whole book of the confessions are a prayer to God and he's 42 00:03:15.100 --> 00:03:20.600 pondering this problem sharing the word of God and he says this to God. 43 00:03:20.600 --> 00:03:27.100 He says as for those who feed on your truth, oh God the wide 44 00:03:27.100 --> 00:03:29.800 pastures of Charity. 45 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:39.000 Let me be united with them those five other readings in you and in you 46 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:46.300 or God delight in company with them. Like sheep in a pasture Augustine 47 00:03:46.300 --> 00:03:50.700 comes alongside these five other readings of the scriptures and he 48 00:03:50.700 --> 00:03:57.900 says, we're all little lambs feasting on the word of God together in 49 00:03:57.900 --> 00:03:59.300 unity. 50 00:04:00.100 --> 00:04:02.000 A beautiful image. 51 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:09.100 So what I'd like to do today is the layout 3, just three readings, of 52 00:04:09.100 --> 00:04:17.899 John 20 verses 19 to 23 and to bring out some gifts that we Christ 53 00:04:17.899 --> 00:04:23.000 sheep can feed on this morning for these words of God really have 54 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:27.100 been given that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of 55 00:04:27.100 --> 00:04:33.500 God and that by believing we might have life in his name. All three 56 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:35.700 readings that I'm going to lay out this morning are 57 00:04:36.500 --> 00:04:38.600 about who is Jesus? 58 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:47.300 The first reading involves the comparison with Moses. Moses in the 59 00:04:47.300 --> 00:04:48.400 beginning of John's gospel 60 00:04:48.400 --> 00:04:54.200 he says that Jesus has come to bring grace upon grace. 61 00:04:54.200 --> 00:04:55.900 Yes, 62 00:04:55.900 --> 00:05:00.700 he says through Moses came the nomos 63 00:05:00.700 --> 00:05:07.700 the law the Torah. As Lutheran's we know that in those first five books of 64 00:05:07.700 --> 00:05:08.200 the Bible 65 00:05:08.200 --> 00:05:14.300 there are both law and gospel. There is grace in Moses, but Christ 66 00:05:14.300 --> 00:05:17.000 brings grace upon grace. 67 00:05:19.100 --> 00:05:26.400 Jesus brings grace upon grace, so we shouldn't be surprised in John 68 00:05:26.400 --> 00:05:32.900 chapter 20 when there might be a comparison between Jesus and Moses. 69 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:40.700 Well let's start first with Moses. In Deuteronomy chapter 20 Moses comes to 70 00:05:40.700 --> 00:05:47.600 the people of Israel and he sits before them on new mission. As they go 71 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:54.400 into the promised land Moses tells them that they have a mission and 72 00:05:54.400 --> 00:05:58.000 here's what he says in Deuteronomy 20 vs 10 and 11. 73 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:03.500 When you draw near to a city to fight against it offer terms of peace 74 00:06:03.500 --> 00:06:04.200 to it. 75 00:06:04.200 --> 00:06:08.900 If it responds to you peaceably and it opens up to you than all the 76 00:06:08.900 --> 00:06:10.100 people who are found in it 77 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:17.400 shall do forced labor and shall serve you. Well not loads of grace 78 00:06:17.400 --> 00:06:18.000 there. 79 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:24.800 But the alternative if they don't accept your peace well 80 00:06:26.200 --> 00:06:31.300 just read the rest of Deuteronomy in the Book of Joshua and you'll get 81 00:06:31.300 --> 00:06:32.700 a sense of what happens 82 00:06:32.700 --> 00:06:39.700 if the people don't accept your words of peace not lots of Grace. 83 00:06:40.900 --> 00:06:46.400 But don't miss the point Moses sent the people out to speak a word 84 00:06:46.400 --> 00:06:53.000 initially of peace. Well when Jesus comes to his disciples in John 85 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:56.000 chapter 20, he brings grace upon grace. 86 00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:01.000 He he speaks to them these words of peace, but he doesn't make the 87 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:04.400 disciples then his indentured servants. 88 00:07:06.400 --> 00:07:08.800 There his friends. No longer 89 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:10.700 do I call you servants 90 00:07:10.700 --> 00:07:12.100 I have called you friend. 91 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:17.300 This peace that Jesus comes to speak in John 20 is a restorative 92 00:07:17.300 --> 00:07:17.900 peace. 93 00:07:17.900 --> 00:07:23.000 These disciples had deserted Jesus most all of them at his crucifixion 94 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:29.500 and Jesus word of Peace comes to restore that friendship that he has 95 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:30.500 with them. 96 00:07:30.500 --> 00:07:37.300 It's a peace that he shares to restore their relationship and 97 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:38.600 friendship, but 98 00:07:39.700 --> 00:07:42.600 there's grace upon grace a second time. 99 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:44.000 He speaks a word of peace 100 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:49.300 and this time Jesus says peace be with you as the father sent me even 101 00:07:49.300 --> 00:07:51.200 so I am sending you. Now 102 00:07:51.200 --> 00:07:56.400 he is sending the disciples out on this mission to speak words of 103 00:07:56.400 --> 00:08:02.400 peace to all the world. Instead of firing the disciples after the 104 00:08:02.400 --> 00:08:06.100 debacle at the crucifixion and deserting Jesus. 105 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:13.900 He sends them out on mission giving them words of peace to share. 106 00:08:15.300 --> 00:08:17.500 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ 107 00:08:17.500 --> 00:08:20.300 peace be with you. 108 00:08:21.900 --> 00:08:27.200 No matter what sin you have committed no matter how many times you 109 00:08:27.200 --> 00:08:32.299 have fumbled the mission of God when you speak God's word to someone. 110 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:34.900 Peace be with you. 111 00:08:34.900 --> 00:08:37.500 Peace be with you. 112 00:08:37.500 --> 00:08:42.400 Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on his disciples so that they might 113 00:08:42.400 --> 00:08:46.500 forgive sins and withhold sins point out people sins. 114 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:51.300 So also Christ has given you his spirit. 115 00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:58.000 To send you into all the world with his word. Some of you in a very 116 00:08:58.000 --> 00:08:59.200 short few days. 117 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:04.800 you know, how many days. Some of you will be sent as Vicars or interns 118 00:09:04.800 --> 00:09:12.700 as pastors or deaconesses with this word of Christ. Be people of peace 119 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:17.800 return to that peace that Christ has given to you and share that 120 00:09:17.800 --> 00:09:21.900 word of peace with all whom you meet. 121 00:09:23.500 --> 00:09:24.200 But wait 122 00:09:25.400 --> 00:09:32.000 there's more. More grass for us to feed on this morning. 123 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:36.100 We haven't even dealt with the fact that this Jesus who came to bring 124 00:09:36.100 --> 00:09:38.600 peace came through a locked door. 125 00:09:40.100 --> 00:09:44.500 He's no mere man. Our friend 126 00:09:44.500 --> 00:09:51.100 Cyril of Alexandria reminds us that it is Jesus coming in the full 127 00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:56.100 nature of God as he walks through that door. 128 00:09:56.900 --> 00:10:02.500 And when he shows the disciples his hands and his side it's to 129 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:07.100 demonstrate that Jesus has done exactly what he promised 130 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:13.400 he would do. Raise this body of a temple the temple of his body in 3 131 00:10:13.400 --> 00:10:14.000 days. 132 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:19.600 Jesus raised himself to new life just a few weeks ago in this very 133 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:20.500 Chapel. 134 00:10:20.500 --> 00:10:26.600 We heard a sermon about how Jesus must be God because he raised 135 00:10:26.600 --> 00:10:31.000 himself up from the dead according to John's gospel. 136 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:39.600 Yes, this Jesus is God himself come to his people. 137 00:10:40.600 --> 00:10:43.700 In John chapter 1 further. 138 00:10:43.700 --> 00:10:49.700 It says that Jesus was with God in the beginning and that through him 139 00:10:49.700 --> 00:10:51.400 all things have been created. 140 00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:54.700 So Cyril notices 141 00:10:56.300 --> 00:11:02.000 that John 20 sounds a lot like genesis 2. In Genesis to the Lord God 142 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:06.600 breathed life into Adam. 143 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:12.300 He received the breath of life into his nostrils in John 20 144 00:11:12.300 --> 00:11:18.900 Jesus comes to breathe his Spirit to give new life to these disciples 145 00:11:18.900 --> 00:11:24.000 to fill them with wife, but they might be brimming with life that they 146 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:26.100 might have life and have it abundantly. 147 00:11:29.300 --> 00:11:32.100 And now they are truly alive. 148 00:11:33.400 --> 00:11:39.900 Dear brothers and sisters you have received the Life of Christ. 149 00:11:39.900 --> 00:11:43.400 You have been born anew of water 150 00:11:43.400 --> 00:11:44.200 and the spirit. 151 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:49.800 The life of Jesus is brimming inside of you. 152 00:11:49.800 --> 00:11:56.600 He has spoken his word and breathed his Spirit into you so that you 153 00:11:56.600 --> 00:11:58.800 are part of this new creation. 154 00:12:01.900 --> 00:12:07.600 And that's a word a word of life that we desperately need in these 155 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:15.200 days of pandemic as we watch that little number grow day in day out 156 00:12:16.500 --> 00:12:23.200 of deaths from the pandemic. That number just continues to grow. We 157 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:27.200 watch on Facebook and we see posts that yet 158 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:32.600 another loved one has tragically died far too soon. 159 00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:41.100 We hear news reports of another mass shooting of ongoing abortions of 160 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:43.900 migrants dying at our borders. 161 00:12:43.900 --> 00:12:50.700 We are desperate for a Word of Life and this morning Christ brings it 162 00:12:50.700 --> 00:12:58.800 to us by breathing this life giving breath into us and filling us with 163 00:12:58.800 --> 00:13:00.700 his life. Dear friends 164 00:13:00.700 --> 00:13:03.100 take a deep breath 165 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:07.900 you are so alive in Christ. 166 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:11.700 But 167 00:13:12.700 --> 00:13:13.400 wait for it 168 00:13:14.400 --> 00:13:16.000 there's even more. 169 00:13:18.300 --> 00:13:23.600 In John chapter 20 Jesus comes as a new Adam. 170 00:13:25.400 --> 00:13:31.600 Commentators have picked up on the fact that John 19 and 20 sound an 171 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.700 awful lot like the story of Adam. 172 00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:40.600 In Genesis 2 Adam is brought to life in a garden. 173 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:47.400 He falls asleep has a rib removed and this gives life to Eve his wife. 174 00:13:48.800 --> 00:13:54.700 Then they eat fruit from a tree realized they're naked and this tree 175 00:13:54.700 --> 00:13:56.000 brings death. 176 00:13:57.400 --> 00:13:58.900 In reverse order 177 00:14:00.300 --> 00:14:07.700 Jesus comes on the scene and we here and John 19 verse 19 and 20 that 178 00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:10.800 he is hung up on a tree that brings death. 179 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:17.100 Then he is stripped naked Jesus is. He falls asleep in death 180 00:14:17.100 --> 00:14:25.100 and his side is pierced open with a spear. That word for side the side 181 00:14:25.100 --> 00:14:30.200 of Jesus that was ripped open in John chapter 19 is the word plura. 182 00:14:32.700 --> 00:14:34.100 In Genesis 2 183 00:14:34.100 --> 00:14:36.000 that's exactly the word 184 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:44.600 that means rib where God takes one of Adam's plurown out of his side to 185 00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:46.300 give life to Eve. 186 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:54.700 In John chapter 19 Jesus plura is ripped open like a new Adam. 187 00:14:55.900 --> 00:15:02.700 And when Jesus comes in John chapter 20 and shows his plura that has 188 00:15:02.700 --> 00:15:04.500 been ripped open to his disciples. 189 00:15:04.500 --> 00:15:11.800 It's to show that he is a new Adam and new life has come and he has a 190 00:15:11.800 --> 00:15:12.900 new bride. 191 00:15:14.400 --> 00:15:16.000 A new bride. 192 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:23.600 John the Baptist says about Jesus in John 3 that the friend of the 193 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:28.500 bridegroom who stands and hear him hears him rejoices greatly at the 194 00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:29.800 bridegroom's voice. 195 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:35.800 And in John chapter 20 when Jesus opens up his plura 196 00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:42.000 the disciples rejoice the bridegroom is here. 197 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:44.200 This is a wedding feast. 198 00:15:44.200 --> 00:15:48.200 This is a party let us rejoice. 199 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:54.200 Dear brothers and sisters of God 200 00:15:55.400 --> 00:16:01.700 Jesus the new Adam is come, there are so many stories that get tolled at a 201 00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:02.200 wedding reception. 202 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:08.400 There's so much joy, you can just go on and on about the new couple you 203 00:16:08.400 --> 00:16:12.000 can go on and on about stories that happen at a wedding reception. 204 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:18.300 There's not one right story to tell they're all full of joy. 205 00:16:19.800 --> 00:16:24.900 And so we have been giving all these stories to share because Jesus 206 00:16:24.900 --> 00:16:30.200 our new bridegroom has come to be with the bride the church. 207 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:35.800 We're sent out to share this great news with all people. 208 00:16:37.500 --> 00:16:43.200 We're coming back to Augustine really quick to close. Augustine says 209 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:46.600 about these five readings that he's laying out. 210 00:16:48.200 --> 00:16:53.600 He says amid the profusion of true opinions these five readings 211 00:16:55.100 --> 00:16:57.200 let truth itself bring about 212 00:16:58.500 --> 00:16:59.400 concord. 213 00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:04.900 In Latin that word Concord is Concordia. 214 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:13.500 Concordia these five readings Augustine says hang together in 215 00:17:13.500 --> 00:17:14.700 Concordia. 216 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:20.900 The word that are Lutheran reformers attached to our book of 217 00:17:20.900 --> 00:17:25.599 confessions the word that the founders of the Lutheran Church-Missouri 218 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:31.500 Synod attached to this institution the word that later Lutheran's gave 219 00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:38.000 to our colleges and so many of our churches Concordia places where all 220 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:46.400 the stories of Jesus together to bring Christ sheep life and life 221 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:48.100 abundant. 222 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:54.600 Dear brothers and sisters if you ever struggle with sharing a word of 223 00:17:54.600 --> 00:17:59.900 God just share one of the stories rejoice be people of peace. 224 00:18:00.500 --> 00:18:04.200 Share that God has come and filled us with his life. 225 00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:10.900 Share the Concordia that Christ has given us. In the name of Jesus 226 00:18:10.900 --> 00:18:12.300 Amen. 227 00:18:13.600 --> 00:18:15.000 We stand to sing our hymn.