Last Sunday of the Church Year [Luke 23:33-43] (24 November 2013)

This sermon was preached at Trinity Lutheran, Tailem Bend (9 am) and St. John's Lutheran, Karoonda (11 am).  

Why do we need medicine? Why don't our bodies just get rid of the virus, get rid of the sickness? Don't we need medicine when it's something our bodies can't do? The medicine comes from outside of us, comes to us, because of what we ourselves couldn't do, and keeps us going. And the same goes for hope: the sure and certain assurance of God's promises in Christ Jesus for you.

 The hope for this world doesn't come from this world and extends beyond this world (it's Jesus).

If Jesus is the hope that you have for this world, then that means he is different than the hope that this world has to offer you. St. Paul writes to the Colossians (1:5) that their faith and love is “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel”. He can use that word 'hope' because he knows that it's very exhausting to find hope in this world. It was very clear in those days. They were the days you could find Greek tragedies with the heartwarming lines: “Not to be born at all – that is by far the best fortune; and the second best is as soon as one is born with all speed to return thither whence one has come”. The worldview of the culture that surrounded the early Christian Church was that time wasn't leading up to anything, wasn't going anywhere. The Christians have a different worldview, which we give special attention to on the Last Sunday of the Church Year, the Sunday of the Fulfillment.

It is very exhausting to find hope in this world. Your heart chases after it – maybe it's at the bottom of this bottle, maybe it's in this distraction, maybe it's in this bank account. The list goes on, it's all that list can do, because you'll never find true hope in things of this world. It's like trying to build a sofa out of cardboard boxes, it was never made for that. It's the same for all these things of the world – they weren't made to be your god, and they can't hold up to this.

And if hope in things is so hard to find, you turn to hope in works. This is a hope that seems so much better because it all depends on you, your own goodness and niceness. This is also a hope that only comes from the world – it's a hope in yourself in the end. And you're just a creation, so hoping in yourself is worshipping yourself, which is worshipping something of the creation, which is idolatry, having another god than the God who made heaven and earth. This hope fails.

This type of hope has no use for the day that has come or the day that is coming. That is to say, this false hope has nothing to say about Christ's crucifixion (which is today's Gospel reading) or about his second coming (which this day of the Church Year points to and looks to). These two days go together. And they are the hope that is for the life of the world, but they come from outside of this world, because in Christ's crucifixion and his second coming, these are completely and totally God's work, not a work of creation or humanity.

Both days show God's judgment. But Christ's second coming show that this world now is judged according to sin, and this will be made known when Christ does come down and stops every mouth. Hope in idols has an end that doesn't go beyond this world.

And for you, you can't see either the day that has come or the day that is coming. Christ was crucified long before you were born, you haven't seen it with your eyes. And Christ's second coming hasn't happened yet, and could happen at any time, so you haven't seen that with your eyes either. That is a burden to carry, one you can't see and the other is not yet, and both must be believed on the basis of a Word that has come to this world. So both Christ's cross and the Last Day are ridiculed by the world, even though it is the hope that the world has to offer that fails.

And yet, Jesus is the hope that has come into this world and he will come again. And it's all seen in that evildoer on the cross next to Jesus. The two who were crucified with Jesus are called according to the translation “criminals” but literally it's “evildoers”, and watch when this man says that Jesus has done nothing wrong, but he himself has been “justly condemned”. But see that for this evildoer on the cross, he has no hope from this world – only Christ.

How has this happened? He has been catechized by watching the crucifixion and reading the inscription on - and hearing Jesus' words on - the cross. He sees Jesus' blood shed, he reads the inscription “The King of the Jews is this one”, and he hears Jesus' words “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. He has been catechized that this hope who is Jesus, hasn't come from this world but to this world. Jesus is sent by the Father. He is sent to this world, and he prays to his Father. This shows that he's the only one with the claim to be the promised Messiah, that he is the Son who is begotten and was made man. He took human flesh to redeem human flesh – to redeem you.

He has no hope but Christ, because he's the first to see what Christ's cross does, the first to confess Jesus' innocence as an innocence that is for him (that is, he confesses in faith). He's the first one to get it – others during Jesus' arrest and trial have confessed that Jesus is innocent of deserving death, but this man is the first to confess this as his hope, the first to believe that this has all been done for his sake.

In a way, the day that has come and the day that is coming meet so beautifully in that evildoer on the cross. When he requests “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom”, this shows a great understanding of God's kingdom, and the tension between what is seen and what is believed concerning the fulfillment of all salvation. Now, on the cross, Jesus is King, and now his word bestows forgiveness (“Today you will be with me in Paradise”). Not yet has Jesus entered into his kingdom – of glory - (“and he will come again with glory”), yet Jesus' word of forgiveness now opens the door for this evildoer who is now dying to enter the not yet kingdom too when it comes. And it will come that same day! When he dies, he no longer sees Christ's kingdom only by faith, but also then by sight. And he, with you, awaits when Christ will come again, which will be plainly seen by all.

Christ is that hope that comes to the world, as a gift, wrapped in suffering and death on a cross and all for you. If Christ is the hope that has come to the world, then what he brings is a gift. And if it's a gift that comes to you from outside of you, there is nothing in you that makes your salvation happen. Nothing. That's a hope that you would have to supply and build for yourself. But that's not the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not from you, but it's given to you. And here's the gift: You're not judged according to your sin, you're judged according to Christ's righteousness and gracious favor, because the judgment for your sins he took on himself on that day, the day he died on the cross.

And then, by faith in this gift, all the other gifts you have abused are put in their right place. The things of this world don't have a hope for salvation for you, but they are given to you – clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, husband or wife, children, land, animals, and all that you have. And your works are also put in their right place, for they are the works done by those who already have the true hope, out of thanksgiving to the only Savior from sins, and for the good of the world which God has created and sustains even through you.

Because he is the one who has come into this world and he will come again, he must bring you into this hope. The tension remains that you can't see his cross, that you must hold to it by faith and not by sight, but that doesn't mean that the pure gift of the cross hasn't been delivered to you. It came to the evildoer on the cross, in the words of Jesus “Today you will be with me in Paradise”. It came in his absolution. His absolution comes wrapped to you in the words that the pastor is given, in water, and in the bread and wine. These you can see, but you believe that they are what Christ says they are, not what your eyes say they look like.

And because Christ sends you this hope, as he himself was sent by the Father, so he himself must send you the Holy Spirit to bring these gifts, to sustain you in the burden of living by faith and not by sight, in now having Christ's kingdom, but not yet entering into its fulfillment in heaven.

The day is coming, the Last Day, but its content you have already heard: His absolution rings with “today” and “you (sing.)” (as he said to the evildoer on the cross) to you. What else than such an absolution can carry you through this valley of tears and to himself in heaven? [The Christian has no reason, wants no reason, to ignore the things of the end, but hears them, tastes them, again and again in the divine service.]

Conclusion:

The hope for this world doesn't come from this world and extends beyond this world (it's Jesus).

There is a hope that comes from the world, but it's false. What the world can't do, what you can't do, Christ does. There is a hope that comes to the world, and that is Christ who was crucified for your sins, and who will come again to bring you what he has already brought you: everything that comes with the forgiveness of sins. Amen.

Pentecost 26 [Luke 21:5-19] (17 November 2013)

This sermon was preached at St. John's Lutheran, Karoonda (9 am).  

The Last Day is something that is rarely in the forefront of our conversation. But Jesus had it on his mind, because he brings it up when people are talking about how nice the temple is. And that means something for the Church, because what else has he said, and what does the temple have to do with the end of the world? But keep in mind one big difference between Jesus and the temple. The temple was destroyed in 70 AD and has never been rebuilt. Jesus was put to death and on the third day rose. When the Church hears today's Gospel reading, this must always be in the background as we listen.

Jesus doesn't go astray and he can't be leveled, and his Church remains his.

It's important to notice what Jesus doesn't say. He doesn't say “here's a secret way to figure out when the end of the world is.” He does encourage his disciples to faith and perseverance in him. During the week before he was crucified, Jesus was teaching in the temple, he saw that “some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings”. No one has asked a question of him. But the word for 'offerings' means offerings that are lifted up, some translations say “votive offerings” and Jesus takes that opportunity to talk about things that will be thrown down: every stone of this grand temple. Now the first temple that King Solomon had built was quite grand, but it was destroyed in 586 BC, and when it was rebuilt after the exile, as the Bible says, there were some older people who remembered what the first temple looked like and wept when they saw the rebuilt temple, because it was simple and plain. In Jesus' day, King Herod the Great had started a long renovation of the temple to gain the favor of the people, so the temple by that time did indeed look quite grand. And it would be a disaster when it was destroyed again.

It would be a disaster like the end of the world. Notice how I said “like”. For Jesus himself said, “these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” A lot of energy has been used to take these words of Jesus and try and figure out just how close we are to the end of the world. A lot of energy has been used in ignoring that the world is going to end at all. But did you pick up on the importance of Jesus' words “See that you are not led astray.”?

Jesus says “For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. ⁹ And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” The first thing he warns his disciples about in describing the destruction of the temple is false teachers. These are specifically false teachers who come in Jesus' name, and they claim to know the time, that is the time that unfolds according to God's plan (which is how the word is used in the Bible). They will predict the Last Day, and they will be wrong. But far scarier is that they're doing it in Jesus' name. Ironically, where do false teachers lead you away from? Away from Jesus, that is, they put themselves in place of Jesus, and would have you put yourself in place of Jesus.

Now let me tell you a story about my sat nav device. It has been a great help to me. But it always asks my permission if there's a route that includes an unpaved road. But there have been a good number of times when it's fooled me and sent me down one anyway. My sat nav has led me astray. But here Jesus says that not everyone who uses his name says something that is right, that speaks the truth. And that shouldn't be a surprise, all the way back to the 2^nd commandment, which says that “you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” And that commandment wouldn't exist if you weren't able to misuse God's name. Luther explains this to include “lying or deceiving by his name” - which is false teaching. But modern culture finds that unpopular, so you'd be much more comfortable ignoring those words of Jesus.

The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem wasn't the end of the world. But to go through it seemed like the end of the world. And there have been many occasions since then that have also looked like the end of the world. But the destruction of the temple shows God's judgment, specifically in rejecting Jesus. The prophet Malachi prophesied that suddenly the Lord would come to his temple, but when Holy Week came around and Jesus is in the temple, the people said, “This couldn't happen like that”. And roughly thirty years later, judgment came. And this judgment only points ahead to God's final judgment on all who reject the Christ.

 

And even though that's true, nothing (no disasters, no wars) moves you any closer to Christ's return. The destruction of the temple seemed like the end, but not immediately is the end. Every disaster and war is a reminder that God's judgment will come, eventually. Only the passing of each day brings the end closer, but you don't know by how much.

 

But Jesus can reassure his disciples, his Church, because . . .

Jesus is the temple where his people dwell and receive his gracious presence and gifts. The presence of God is where Jesus is found. The Gospel of Luke starts in the temple with Zechariah and ends in the temple with the apostles giving praise, but that's so you may see that from the time of his incarnation in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the presence of God is where God the Son has become flesh for you.

 

If Jesus says don't be led astray from him, that means that he won't lead you astray. He won't lead you astray, even when he says to you that the end has begun because the judgment for your sin fell solely upon him at the cross. And he rose, which is what will happen at the end to all Christians who have departed to be with him. For Christians, Christ won't lead you astray because there's one road – of catechesis from Christ through his Word. It's only going one place, through death to eternal life – where he himself promises, because how can the Church's story be different from Jesus' own story?

We read today's Gospel with the sure assurance that the Church won't perish before the end. Seriously. “But not a hair of your head will perish.”. Even persecution and death won't be enough to harm one hair on your head, for even though you suffer and die, you will live eternally.

Jesus won't be leveled, so persevere by faith in him. Jesus says, “By your perseverance, gain your souls!” Jesus says, “you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. ¹³ This will be your opportunity to bear witness. ¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.” You won't survive persecution by your defense, you'll survive because Jesus speaks the Gospel which is true wisdom, and he's the one who can't be defeated.

 

Jesus says God's temple will be destroyed as a demonstration of God's wrath at the rejection of Jesus, and for some of you, he says, your bodies will be put to death to demonstrate the same thing, because by his Word and Sacrament he dwells in you, declaring you holy. That is also how he prepares you for his second coming, which could come at any time: the Church's life comes from Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

 

But persecution isn't just a demonstration of the unbelief of the world. Even persecution is used for a witness. But it happens to Christians who are on the journey with Christ. And you are on the journey of Christ by your Baptism and fed along the way with the Lord's Supper. But you are on the journey in the callings where God has placed you: father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife or worker (as the Catechism puts it). That's where acts of Christian love happen, and that's also where persecution will come for the sake of Christ's name. Endurance is therefore done in your vocations by faith.

And if you're put to death and everything is okay, then when you see your Lord put to death on the cross, that's why everything is okay, even when it seems like the world is coming to an end. The forgiveness of all your sins is what makes it okay – nothing you do or can offer, only his pure grace and mercy.

 

Conclusion: Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. It has some similarities with the end of the world, but the end is coming. But for you his coming is a promise of safety and life because he is the One who died and rose again, and he prepares you through Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Amen.

Pentecost 25 [Luke 20:27-38] (10 November 2013)

This sermon was preached at Trinity Lutheran, Tailem Bend (9 am) and St. John's Lutheran, Karoonda (11 am).  

“Never throw anything away”. That's not what my grandfather said; it's just what he did. You never know when something will end up being useful (empty box? Amiright?). And even though it's rare, most people can think of a time when something they threw out would have been useful if they'd kept it. But think of the Sadducees in today's reading: they threw out something they should have known is always useful – God's holy Word, the Holy Scriptures. So Jesus preaches to you,

Hang on to that empty tomb.

There are plenty of reasons to abandon the resurrection. I didn't say there are any good reasons, in fact they're reasons that disagree with God's Word. The Hellenistic culture didn't like the sound of a backwards resurrection of the body, and surprise, neither did the Hellenistic thinking Sadducees. Greek culture wasn't down to earth that way; in the end it looked down on the physical things of the world. And when you listen to the argument for undefining marriage as an institution that recognizes the union of different genders, isn't that the same thing? There's nothing new – it's just an old argument dressed up in today's notions of radical equality and individualism and political correctness. And the Sadducees had bought into the wider culture of their day. And much of the church has unfortunately bought into the wider culture of our day.

So that's why the Sadducees asked the question that they did, to attack Jesus. The Sadducees had let go of the resurrection but in doing so they were letting go of the kingdom of God. That's why Jesus answers, “those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, ³⁶ for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” First, those who are worthy of that age, the age to come, heaven, are those whom God deems worthy. They are saved by grace alone, as a free gift. They are faithful hearers of the Word who receive Jesus' kingdom by faith. In cutting themselves off from God's Word the Sadducees had cut themselves off from Jesus and his kingdom, for it is a kingdom that is preached. So it is as Jesus says, sons of God are sons of the resurrection. They go together. In fact, the Sadducees were basically saying “death is the last word for your body” and Jesus was saying “wait a week and see what my disciples will be eyewitnesses to”.

The Sadducees also had their favorite books of the Old Testament, just the books of Moses, because they had the instructions for the temple, and the Sadducees were the priestly class, and their wealth and status came from the temple, but the actual high priesthood was something that could be bought for them. Not good. The rest of the Old Testament they then threw out, just like they threw out the resurrection. So Jesus quotes to them from Exodus, from Moses' account of seeing the burning bush: “But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” But in the verses following, he turns around and does the examining, and quotes from the psalms.

Jesus pushes the issue that way, not content that any part of Holy Scripture should be abandoned. He even mentions the angels, which, surprise, the Sadducees didn't believe existed either. And he pushes that the one who is the God of the living, the one in whom all the saints do now live – is he himself. That's Jesus, and that's the community he joins you to: the living (on earth and in heaven).

But at least the Sadducees knew that if they became Christians that they then believed in Jesus' resurrection and their own, and so they knew they weren't Sadducees anymore. The same couldn't be said for the Pharisees, and they were the main audience for Jesus' words here, because Jesus examines the scribes (from the party of the Pharisees) concerning the psalms in the hearing of the Sadducees. The Pharisees did believe in the resurrection, didn't throw out any of the Scriptures, and believed in angels. But some of the Pharisees who later became Christians thought they could keep their doctrines of salvation by works. This later led to St. Paul's angriest letter, the letter to the Galatians. You know, the one where he writes, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” This stands as a word to all: you can't believe in Jesus yet fear, love, and trust in yourself above all things. So Jesus defends the resurrection of the dead because he alone gives it. And because he alone gives it, the resurrection is a comfort, and it is true because Jesus is the resurrection and the life. So even though the Pharisees and Sadducees believed different things, they are treated the same at the end of the Gospels because they had in common that they rejected Jesus and wanted him dead.

And Christ did die, but his tomb is now empty. Christ rose from the dead and doesn't abandon his Church at the resurrection of the dead (as he doesn't abandon her now either). Jesus has to defend the resurrection (and every biblical doctrine) because he is the cause of your resurrection to life eternal. He couldn't let it go, because his resurrection isn't optional to believe. It's tied to his death. It's tied to who he is and what he does. Therefore it's tied to what the creation is, what sin is, what heaven is, what his Church is. It's tied to all these things. To take it out would make a different religion, and surprise, it's a religion that the surrounding culture would say is no different to itself, and a religion that in the end leads to fear, love, and trust in yourself above all things. That's how serious this is. For,

The resurrection says something about his death and your death. It says that his death is indeed the sacrifice that pays for all your sins, the death that he died in your place. It displays the victory that he won for you at his cross. And it displays his promise to you, that where he is you will be. He is risen from the dead and lives and reigns with the Father. And by his blood shed for you, you will also physically rise, live, and reign with him in heaven forever. And if that promise is true, then that means he will never abandon his Church now. And so,

The resurrection is a greater comfort than an embarrassment. See, for the Sadducees, this woman who had seven husbands who died, and who herself died childless, was just a hypothetical. But Jesus knows that if such a thing should happen, if someone should go through this much grief in life or more, that is a for sure a person who needs the true hope of the teaching of the resurrection. She needs to know that “There’s still more.” She needs to know that life after life after death will be wonderful beyond compare, because this life was not.

[Aside: Now the example Jesus and the Sadducees used in their argument was that of marriage. We surely find the story the Sadducees tell strange. Who marries seven different brothers? What kind of law is that? But it was certainly on the books. You see, we think of marriage as romantic love, a choice we make. Think of a Valentine candy heart. On it, it says, “Soul Mate.” But back then, marriages were often arranged, and it was important to carry on the family line, the family name. So if one brother didn’t carry it on, the next in line took up the responsibility. The Sadducees used this example to show how ludicrous the resurrection would be because the woman seven times widowed would end up with seven husbands.

But Jesus answers with a remark we might find just as strange. He tells the Sadducees that they have it wrong. They don’t understand what the resurrection is all about. Marriage is for this life, for companionship, for having children to repopulate the earth. In the resurrection, no one dies, so no additional people are needed. In the resurrection, everyone will be a brother or sister in Christ, so the companionship of a spouse won’t be needed. What Jesus is saying is that life after death will be so different that marriage won’t be needed anymore. Oh, loved ones will be there, and we’ll rejoice in each other’s presence. On the day of resurrection we’ll hug and hold hands and touch and talk once again. But it’ll be different. It’ll be so much better, so much more to come on that day. Now, we can’t say just exactly how that will be, but Jesus says it will, so that’s what we believe.]

And that's how the Church hangs on to the resurrection. When you confess the catechism you do that, because the resurrection is all over the place there. “On the last day he will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.” We pray that by God's grace “we may believe his holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.” The new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

Conclusion: Again, hang on to that empty tomb. Because Jesus is risen, there is a resurrection of the dead. Because Jesus is risen, there is no salvation outside of him, for the Father deems you worthy of that age for Jesus' sake. Because Jesus is risen, the Church on earth always has a bottomless well of comfort, and confesses the same, by the forgiveness of all your sins. Because Jesus is risen, heaven is for you, is all doors and windows for you. Amen.

All Saints Day (Observed) [Ephesians 1:11-23] (3 November 2013)

This sermon was preached at St. John's Lutheran, Karoonda (9 am) and Trinity Lutheran, Tailem Bend (11 am).  

I wouldn't want to take credit for something I didn't have anything to do with. No, wait, of course I would. Winter Olympics watch: in just a few months they'll start and we'll be reminded again of the speed skater who got the gold only because every other skater had fallen down. He knows he doesn't take any credit for that. And Christians should know not to take credit for their salvation before God so that they can beat despair. Because the only way to beat despair is with something stronger than despair. Only the true Gospel does that.

All glory be to God the Father, whose Son shed his blood for all his saints.

All glory to God. That sentence doesn't exist outside of the blood of Christ shed for you. St. Paul says, “In him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritance”. That means that outside of him is a different inheritance. Outside of him is the inheritance from Adam, is the fall of Adam and Eve. They have given you the inheritance of their sin and their death, and their desire to listen to the devil's words more than God's.

St. Paul says, “having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will”. Outside of the will of the Father (and the will of the Father is to send you his dear Son), outside of that will is your will. And your will wants the glory. Oh, maybe not all the glory. Jesus helps. He does most of the work. But in the end, it's really up to you to do . . . something. It's up to you to be a good Christian, good enough for Jesus to help you the rest of the way to your salvation. Good enough to get a little of the glory, which is just what your will wants. But as Paul says, it's not your will that works your predestination for this inheritance, but his will.

St. Paul writes that the heavenly Father works all things according to his will, “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit”. But that means that outside of Christ is false hope, false praise, and a false word. You can set your hope, your eternal hope, your highest hope, you can place it outside of God, but that doesn't agree with the abundance of God's mercy for you that Paul writes. That takes away all glory from God. You can praise God, but if it's not praise because your hope is in Christ, then you're keeping a little of the glory for yourself. It's like when you praise a favorite band: “oh yeah, they're really great, and I knew they were great long before anyone else did.” You just found a way to praise yourself. You can hear a word that isn't truth. This word doesn't want to know of Jesus, or wants to know of a Jesus who isn't enough. This word sounds good enough to your heart, because if Jesus isn't good enough to hope in, then maybe if you add your good works, maybe if you add your feelings and experiences, then it will be enough. But this too robs Christ of all glory, and makes his blood something else.

You see, at the very time that Paul is listing all of God's great gifts and blessings through Christ our Lord, he's reminding the church that these are gifts and blessings, that they exist apart from the Church and have to come from outside the Church to the Church, as a gift. Paul reminds the congregation of their lives before the Gospel. All sinners are born lacking this grace of God, of God looking at you in mercy for Jesus' sake. God saves you from all this, calls you out of it, exposes it for what it is: the sin of having other gods, either obviously having them, or very subtly having them. The devil, after all, tells lies that are very subtle.

But Paul doesn't remind the Church of her life outside the Gospel of Christ crucified to stop at that. He does it to praise God for all that he has done for the Church. He does it to give all glory to our Father through Christ his dear Son. He does it to fight despair with the Gospel, through faith in that Gospel. “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might”

This is where we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. And we do it by believing the Gospel. “For all the saints who from their labors rest, who thee by faith before the world confessed. Thy name O Jesus be forever blessed. Alleluia, alleluia.”

This is the inheritance, and it is a heavenly inheritance, not from Adam, but from the new Adam who gives an inheritance not of sin and death and listening to the devil, but an inheritance of holiness, eternal life, and listening to his holy Word. This inheritance is given you in your Baptism, as you are joined by faith there to the One who shed his blood for you. And not just for you. The might of the Father is the might “he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places”. And Christ has delivered this eternal life to the Church on earth and in heaven, and will deliver it on the day of resurrection.

And this is the new will. It is not your will, but the will of Christ which you receive as a gift. It is the will that doesn't want what sin, death, and the devil have to sell, but only what Christ wishes to give for free – and that is forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. It is the will that daily repents of all sin, as we daily pray in Luther's evening prayer.

This is the true hope, the true praise, and the true word of those who need Christ's blood and cross. That is, your hope is the cross, your praise is the cross, and the Word that is for you is the word of the cross.

This is how we celebrate All Saints day, by giving thanks for the Gospel that sustained all the saints against despair, and will continue to do so as long as there is the Church on earth (which will be until the Last Day). But we also take the time on All Saints day to remind ourselves how Christians mourn the death of Christians. As Christians we grieve with the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. With the shock of death comes acceptance, with sadness comes joy, with anger and frustration comes trust, with regret comes forgiveness, and with loneliness comes comfort.

But above all this is the glory – what Christ has done by his cross through his Word, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. This is the glory, that Christ is seated “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²² And he [the Father] put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Conclusion: And so the saints live. All of them. All glory is to the Father, who sent his Son for your salvation. All glory is to the Son, whose blood frees the saints from all sin, from all death, from all despair of the devil. All glory is to the Spirit, who keeps the whole Christian Church with Christ in the one true faith. There's no glory left over for us, and that's a good thing. Glory to God alone. Amen.