Isaiah 61:1-3, 10; Revelation 7:9-17; St John 3:13-21
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, came to Jesus by night to talk some theology with Him. Unsure of how to start, the Pharisee addressed our Lord, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God. To which Christ responded, Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is genesthe anothen, He cannot see the kingdom of God.
Genesthe anothen is a Greek phrase that means either, born again or begotten from above. Nicodemus went with the first. How can a man be born when he is old? After some additional back and forth about baptism, the sinful flesh, and the Spirit, in which this ruler of the Jews was in the dark not only literally, but figuratively, Jesus said plainly, God loved the world in this way, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Though he was confused here, in the end Nicodemus was enlighten by the Holy Spirit and, along with Joseph of Arimathea, courageously and lovingly buried the body of Jesus.
I say this not only to give you some context to our Gospel, but also to give you an idea of what it was like to visit Dorothy. I would come to her in the afternoon. And for the last several years our bimonthly visits would always begin like this: “Hi, Dorothy, I’m Pr Mierow from St Peter’s Lutheran Church.” She’d look at me closely and after a few seconds say, “St Peter’s? That’s my church!” “Yes. Yes it is. I guess that makes me your Pastor.” “I guess so.” And with a big smile, “Why here, sit down.”
After some back and forth in which I was usually confused we eventually talked some theology. It was partially because I was sometimes a little apprehensive about bringing her the Lord’s Supper. Especially on “off days” for her memory. But it was mostly because I’m selfish and it was always a true joy to ask this elderly woman with a hilarious sense of humor the Christian Questions with their Answers. Because just like her daughter, Donna, it was a delight to hear them confess the faith.
For those who don’t know, the Christian Questions with their Answers are twenty questions prepared by Dr Martin Luther for those who intend to receive the Sacrament of the Altar. They’re part of the Small Catechism, a text that Dorothy had learned by heart when she became Lutheran, by God’s grace, as an adult, and never, even in her last years with failing memory, ever forgot. Again, by God’s grace.
It would go like this:
“Dorothy, do you believe that you are a sinner?” “Well yeah. Of course. We all are. You wouldn’t believe some of things I’ve done. I can’t tell a minister.”
“What do you deserve on account of your sins.” “Hell, I suppose.”
“Do you hope to be saved?” “Absolutely!”
“In whom do you hope?” And here’s where it got fun. She’d say, “In my Lord Jesus Christ.” And often, before I could even ask, “What has Jesus done for you that you believe in Him?” she’d recite the very words of Jesus from John 3: God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.
Dorothy knew the power of the fallen flesh. She believed and confessed what St Paul writes concerning it in Romans 7 and Galatians 5: For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh (Rm 7:18). Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:17, 19-21).
Therefore by faith, she also knew her desperate need for a Savior. For the One who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, and was lifted up on the scaffold of the Cross to draw all people to Himself. He is her “true Paschal Lamb whom God so freely gave us; He died on the accursed tree - so strong His love - to save us” (LSB 458:5). His blood marks her door. That is, His blood has marked her in body and soul from the day of her baptism into His death-defying death and life giving resurrection. “Faith points to it; death passes o’er, and Satan cannot harm her. Alleluia!”
Dorothy always maintained that she was baptized in a creek. Whether she was or not, water was applied to her with the word in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. “The water of her Baptism day restored again whatever the old Adam and his sin destroyed” (LSB 596:3). And God clothed her with the garment of salvation, covered her with the robe of righteousness, and planted her firmly in the Lord, as Isaiah proclaims.
She firmly held to this gift and her soul waited for the Lord, hoping in His Word. When she buried Clarence, she waited. When she buried Donna, she waited. When she battled memory loss and health issues and the lusts of her own flesh, she waited for the Lord, more than watchman for the morning. And “When nothing else revived her soul, her Baptism stands and makes her whole and now in death completes her.” That’s what you acknowledge here this morning as we cover Dorothy’s body with the funeral pall. This reality stands not only for her, but for “Christians who have been baptized and know the God of heaven, and in whose daily life is prized the name of Christ once given” (LSB 596:1).
People loved by God, this is the “old normal” in which we live. There is much talk lately of our “unprecedented situation” and the phrase “new normal” is repeated ad nauseam. Don’t forget, beloved, the countless epidemic that have plagued the world since the time of the New Testament. Throughout each crisis the Church and her ministers have been present with the faithful people in their suffering, offering the succor of God’s healing Word and sacraments.
For crucial reasons Christians must not accede to talk of a “new normal.” Yes we can recall countless recoveries from war and pestilence and remember that “this, too, shall pass.” But more importantly, we confess that Christ is the Lord of history, the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). He has come to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, to bring the Gospel to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, and to comfort all who mourn. Cling to His promises and in the midst of things we cannot understand, believe and find comfort in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
He will return us to the “normal” that He has graciously established and wills for us. Do not be tempted to think that the world can no longer accommodate the ways and deeds of historic, biblical Christianity, the way Dorothy believes and confesses. The gifts of Christ are never obsolete, but always essential, and continue to have vital place in this dead and dying world. The Christian has confidence that what God has instituted is for our good.
Even as we loving place the body of our dear sister in Christ into God’s acre and await with eagerness the hope of the resurrection and a joyful reunion with those we love who have departed in the faith.
Thus do we use our baptisms well, as faithful Christians, within our vocations. And continue to join our song to the heavenly chorus of angels and archangels and all the company heaven, singing the praises to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. For one day, of course, there will be a “new normal” in which Christ Himself will change all things at His return. The world and all that is in it will be burned up and remade (2 Pt 3:10). We, His people, our sister Dorothy, Donna, and all who believe and are baptized, will be called up to meet Him in the air (1 Thess 4:17) to process with Him into the enteral banquet.
There we shall stand before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His Temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter you with His presence. You shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike you nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be your Shepherd, and He will guide you to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from your eyes.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, came to Jesus by night to talk some theology with Him. Unsure of how to start, the Pharisee addressed our Lord, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God. To which Christ responded, Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is genesthe anothen, He cannot see the kingdom of God.
Genesthe anothen is a Greek phrase that means either, born again or begotten from above. Nicodemus went with the first. How can a man be born when he is old? After some additional back and forth about baptism, the sinful flesh, and the Spirit, in which this ruler of the Jews was in the dark not only literally, but figuratively, Jesus said plainly, God loved the world in this way, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Though he was confused here, in the end Nicodemus was enlighten by the Holy Spirit and, along with Joseph of Arimathea, courageously and lovingly buried the body of Jesus.
I say this not only to give you some context to our Gospel, but also to give you an idea of what it was like to visit Dorothy. I would come to her in the afternoon. And for the last several years our bimonthly visits would always begin like this: “Hi, Dorothy, I’m Pr Mierow from St Peter’s Lutheran Church.” She’d look at me closely and after a few seconds say, “St Peter’s? That’s my church!” “Yes. Yes it is. I guess that makes me your Pastor.” “I guess so.” And with a big smile, “Why here, sit down.”
After some back and forth in which I was usually confused we eventually talked some theology. It was partially because I was sometimes a little apprehensive about bringing her the Lord’s Supper. Especially on “off days” for her memory. But it was mostly because I’m selfish and it was always a true joy to ask this elderly woman with a hilarious sense of humor the Christian Questions with their Answers. Because just like her daughter, Donna, it was a delight to hear them confess the faith.
For those who don’t know, the Christian Questions with their Answers are twenty questions prepared by Dr Martin Luther for those who intend to receive the Sacrament of the Altar. They’re part of the Small Catechism, a text that Dorothy had learned by heart when she became Lutheran, by God’s grace, as an adult, and never, even in her last years with failing memory, ever forgot. Again, by God’s grace.
It would go like this:
“Dorothy, do you believe that you are a sinner?” “Well yeah. Of course. We all are. You wouldn’t believe some of things I’ve done. I can’t tell a minister.”
“What do you deserve on account of your sins.” “Hell, I suppose.”
“Do you hope to be saved?” “Absolutely!”
“In whom do you hope?” And here’s where it got fun. She’d say, “In my Lord Jesus Christ.” And often, before I could even ask, “What has Jesus done for you that you believe in Him?” she’d recite the very words of Jesus from John 3: God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.
Dorothy knew the power of the fallen flesh. She believed and confessed what St Paul writes concerning it in Romans 7 and Galatians 5: For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh (Rm 7:18). Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warn you as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:17, 19-21).
Therefore by faith, she also knew her desperate need for a Savior. For the One who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, and was lifted up on the scaffold of the Cross to draw all people to Himself. He is her “true Paschal Lamb whom God so freely gave us; He died on the accursed tree - so strong His love - to save us” (LSB 458:5). His blood marks her door. That is, His blood has marked her in body and soul from the day of her baptism into His death-defying death and life giving resurrection. “Faith points to it; death passes o’er, and Satan cannot harm her. Alleluia!”
Dorothy always maintained that she was baptized in a creek. Whether she was or not, water was applied to her with the word in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. “The water of her Baptism day restored again whatever the old Adam and his sin destroyed” (LSB 596:3). And God clothed her with the garment of salvation, covered her with the robe of righteousness, and planted her firmly in the Lord, as Isaiah proclaims.
She firmly held to this gift and her soul waited for the Lord, hoping in His Word. When she buried Clarence, she waited. When she buried Donna, she waited. When she battled memory loss and health issues and the lusts of her own flesh, she waited for the Lord, more than watchman for the morning. And “When nothing else revived her soul, her Baptism stands and makes her whole and now in death completes her.” That’s what you acknowledge here this morning as we cover Dorothy’s body with the funeral pall. This reality stands not only for her, but for “Christians who have been baptized and know the God of heaven, and in whose daily life is prized the name of Christ once given” (LSB 596:1).
People loved by God, this is the “old normal” in which we live. There is much talk lately of our “unprecedented situation” and the phrase “new normal” is repeated ad nauseam. Don’t forget, beloved, the countless epidemic that have plagued the world since the time of the New Testament. Throughout each crisis the Church and her ministers have been present with the faithful people in their suffering, offering the succor of God’s healing Word and sacraments.
For crucial reasons Christians must not accede to talk of a “new normal.” Yes we can recall countless recoveries from war and pestilence and remember that “this, too, shall pass.” But more importantly, we confess that Christ is the Lord of history, the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). He has come to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, to bring the Gospel to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, and to comfort all who mourn. Cling to His promises and in the midst of things we cannot understand, believe and find comfort in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
He will return us to the “normal” that He has graciously established and wills for us. Do not be tempted to think that the world can no longer accommodate the ways and deeds of historic, biblical Christianity, the way Dorothy believes and confesses. The gifts of Christ are never obsolete, but always essential, and continue to have vital place in this dead and dying world. The Christian has confidence that what God has instituted is for our good.
Even as we loving place the body of our dear sister in Christ into God’s acre and await with eagerness the hope of the resurrection and a joyful reunion with those we love who have departed in the faith.
Thus do we use our baptisms well, as faithful Christians, within our vocations. And continue to join our song to the heavenly chorus of angels and archangels and all the company heaven, singing the praises to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. For one day, of course, there will be a “new normal” in which Christ Himself will change all things at His return. The world and all that is in it will be burned up and remade (2 Pt 3:10). We, His people, our sister Dorothy, Donna, and all who believe and are baptized, will be called up to meet Him in the air (1 Thess 4:17) to process with Him into the enteral banquet.
There we shall stand before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His Temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter you with His presence. You shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike you nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be your Shepherd, and He will guide you to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from your eyes.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.
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