Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: Matthew 25,1-13. Eternity Sunday

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Matthew 25,1-13 5515

Ewigkeitssonntag. Lr. Sn. d. Kirchenjahr (27. Trinitatis) 073

Caecilia, Virgin Martyr in the first 3 centuries

22. November 2015

1. O God, When You carry us when the way is unbearable, then we can go forward. When Your Light shines forth, then we can find the way. Draw near with Your Light and Your Help, Thou our Friend and Lord, our Comfort and Life. Amen. (VELKD, Prayer for Ewigkeitssonntag § 1 2015)

2. Jesus said: „Then the reign of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Go out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise: ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying: ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other bridesmaids arrived also, saying: ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered: ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.“

3. Some among the 1. generation of Christians expected the 2. Advent of Jesus to occur in their lifetime. In Thessalonica, the church there became concerned when their members began to die. They thought these deceased Christians would miss out on experiencing the glorious return of Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote them these comforting words: »But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the advent of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. Now concerning the times and the seasons, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will arrive like a thief in the night. But God has destined us to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing« (1. Thessalonians 4,13-18; 5,1-2.9-11).

4. Paul’s exhortation reminds us of the parable Jesus spoke in today’s Gospel pericope. The bridesmaids were awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom, but his delay was so long that they all fell asleep. Right now, like the bridesmaids, we patiently await Jesus’ advent and the consummation of the wedding with its banquet. The Gospel Readings for the past few weeks have told us that Jesus’ second advent will be a surprise. We don’t know when it will occur, so we wait ready for His arrival. We will become drowsy and fall asleep as we await His return, but when the cry goes out we will awake and join the wedding procession behind Jesus. Jesus will arrive to take His Church into the heavenly reign. Whenever Jesus arrives, we know we will be ready for we have faith in Him.

5. What might this eternal life look like? One of the images Jesus used to describe eternal life in His presence is the image of a marriage feast. Wedding receptions are joyous events with plenty of food, alcohol, music and dancing. It is an event to be celebrated and enjoyed by all in attendance. The feast described in Matthew 25 will be celebrated in the new creation, for on the last day Jesus will create a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21,1). He will also reunite our soul with our newly resurrected body. God will then dwell with men and women (Revelation 21,3). This is a renewal of the Garden of Eden, where Adam, Eve and God dwelt in holiness and perfection. John described this dwelling of God and mankind as the new Jerusalem. Jesus describes this holy city of God as an immense capital and built with the finest metals and gems. Twelve huge pearls form her open gates. Beautiful jewels of jasper, sapphire and emerald adorn the city. The streets will be paved with pure gold that is transparent as glass. Gold can be beaten thin enough to become transparent so that light passing through this thin gold appears light pink and greenish blue. Yahweh will dwell in our midst, and from His throne will flow a river. On each side of this river will grow the tree of life, with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. When Yahweh placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He intended for them to eat from the tree of life. In the new heaven and new earth, the tree of life will be before you, and you will be able, yes, encouraged by Yahweh, to eat of its invigorating, rejuvenating fruit.

6. Martin Luther to his Son Johannes [Hänschen]

[Coburg Castle] June 19, 1530

To my dearly beloved son Hänschen Luther at Wittenberg,

Grace and peace in Christ! My dearly beloved son, it pleases me to hear that you are studying well and praying diligently. Do this, my son, and keep it up. When I return home, I will bring you a nice gift from the fair. I know a pretty, lovely, pleasant garden, where many children go; they wear golden coats and gather nice apples, pears, cherries and plums from under the trees; they sing, jump and are merry. They also have pretty little horses with golden bridles and silver saddles. I asked the owner of the garden: „Whose children are these?“ He said: „These are the children who like to pray, study, and be pious.“ So I said: „My dear sir, I also have a son, his name is Hänschen Luther. Might he not enter into the garden, too, so that he might also eat such lovely apples and pears, ride such fine horses and play with these children?“ Then the man said: „If he likes to pray, study and be pious, then he, too, may enter the garden. Lippus [Melanchthon] and Jost [Jonas] as well. And if they all go together, they will also get whistles and drums, lutes and all kinds of stringed instruments; they will also dance and shoot with small crossbows.“ And he showed me a lovely lawn, all ready for dancing, where golden whistles and drums and fine silver crossbows hung. But it was still early, so the children hadn’t eaten yet, which is why I couldn’t wait for the dancing and said to the man: „Ah, dear Sir, I must hurry off and write all this to my dear son Hänschen, so that he will be sure to study diligently, pray well and be pious, so that he, too, may enter into this garden. But he has an Aunt Lena, whom he must bring as well.“ The man said: „That he can, go and write him thus.“

Therefore, my dear son Hänschen, make sure to study and pray, and tell Lippus and Justen to do the same, so that they may study and pray, too. That way, all of you will get into the garden together. May you be herewith commended to God, and greet Aunt Lena and give her a kiss for me.

Your dear father

Martinus Luther

7. Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that we will celebrate a banquet with Him where we will really eat and drink in this eternal life. John saw a vision of the new earth, and that included the ground, water, plants, animals, birds and fish. As we are now stewards of this earth, we shall be stewards on the new earth. We may farm, shepherd, invent and build. We may play sports, hike or lie in the shade under a tree and just think. There may be plays to see, concerts to hear, music to be produced and dances to be danced. Every extinct kind of animal and plant may be flourishing on the new earth. With the new earth as our home, then the universe may be our backyard to explore and exercise stewardship over. Imagine the potential that awaits us when our Divinely created human ingenuity is unshackled from the curse now imposed upon us!

8. Eternal life in God’s fellowship will be a return to His originally intended created order. We will have our Divine image and likeness fully restored. Original sin will be removed from our body and soul; original righteousness will be the foundation for our resurrected body. There will be no sin, no curse, no natural disasters, no disease, no infirmities, no disabilities, no strife, no violence, no hatred, no murders, no warfare and no death on the new heaven and earth. Jesus promised us full restoration and holiness.

9. The Triune God created men and women to be in perpetual fellowship with Him. For a short while, Adam and Eve experienced this fellowship. After Adam brought sin into the human race, God still desired to be in fellowship with His crowning jewel of creation, therefore He promised Eve a savior who would triumph over both sin and the serpent. Next week we begin the liturgical season of Advent with its preparation for the birth of this Savior in Bethlehem. Today we look ahead to the culmination of the salvation that our Savior Jesus brings us through His death, resurrection and second advent.

10. Jesus’ return is delayed; we do not know the day nor the hour of when He will return, therefore, we wait and watch for His second advent. Jesus will return, for He has a wedding to attend with His bride, the Church, and a splendid wedding reception to throw that is but the beginning of eternal joys for those who believe in Him as their savior from sin, death and hell.

11. Jesus teaches that when He arrives, those who were ready go in with Him to the marriage feast, and the door will be shut. Earlier, in His Beatitudes, Jesus taught: »Not everyone who says to Me: ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the reign of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.« (Matthew 7,21). Jesus explains this will in John 6: »For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day« (John 6,40). Thus Jesus exhorts us in Matthew 25 on this Ewigkeitssontag (Eternity Sunday) to be patient and be ready for His second advent. We believe in Him to be our Lord and Savior who will arrive to raise us up to everlasting life. Trust in Jesus to fulfill His promise, for He will do it. Amen.

12. Let us pray. O Heavenly Father, You make known to us the path of Life through Christ Jesus, so that in Your presence there is fullness of joy and abundant happiness forevermore. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

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All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Matthew 25,1-13. Eternity Sunday

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