Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
9 E Homestead Ave. Palisades Park, NJ 07650 201-944-2107 Sundays 11:00 a.m. We preach Christ crucified (1. Corinthians 1,23)

Thursday, June 28, 2018

1. Peter 3,8-15. 4. Sunday after Trinity

One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you
The Word of the Lord Endures Forever 
se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

1. Peter 3,8-15a  3418
4. Trinitatis  049
The Eve of the Nativity of John the Baptizer 
24. Juni 2018 

1. О Triune God, our Baptism covenant, bring to remembrance that You have washed us clean and given us the garment of Christ’s righteousness in this Sacrament, so that we rest in assurance that we are Your child (Starck 242).  Amen.  
2. »Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, so that you may obtain a blessing. For »Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil« [Psalm 34,12]. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 
  3. The Apostle Peter tells us a truth we may not want to hear: we Christians will suffer on account of our faith in Christ. He then urges us to give a respectful defense of the Christian faith. The English translation is „apology“ (απολογια). The meaning here is not to be sorry but to give a well reasoned reply and a well thought out response to address the issue at hand. 
4. We can understand the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament to be a Christian apology for our faith in Christ. The first and foremost defense of our faith is Christ’s resurrection and the empty tomb. The Apostle Paul gives a succinct defense for the Corinthian Christians: »I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures and that He appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve, then to more than five hundred brothers at one time, then to James, then to all the apostles and last of all, He appeared also to me, Paul. Indeed, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep« (1. Corinthians 15,3-8.20). 
5. Saint Paul presents 2 historical facts: Jesus was crucified by the Romans and His tomb was empty 3 days later. The crucifixion was not an issue. The Jews and the Romans knew it had happened. Roman historians mention that Pontius Pilate had executed Jesus. What stirs up the hornets nest is the empty tomb. Again, this is an undisputed fact: the tomb was empty and the body of Jesus was missing. His corpse never turned up; no one found it. A few theories quickly arose to explain this. 1. The disciples must have gone to the wrong tomb. The Christians then argued: well then, take us to the right tomb and show us the corpse of Jesus. 2. Well you disciples must have stolen the body. The Christians then argued: well then, prove it. Present the corpse of Jesus. 3. Well then, you Christians just made this resurrection up; you are just deluded or crazy. The Christians then argued: Mary Magdalene saw the risen Jesus and talked to Him. The apostles saw Him and touched His body. He is a living, breathing Jesus. He ate and drank with us. Peter saw Him, James saw Him and Paul saw Him; furthermore, 500 disciples saw Jesus on the same occasion. The Apostle Paul rightly argues that there is overwhelming eyewitness testimony that: 1. The tomb was empty, 2. Jesus bodily rose from the dead and 3. Over 500 people testify to seeing the risen Jesus. The world cannot even produce His corpse to challenge our Christian proclamation. 
6. The resurrection of Jesus is the key piece of evidence in the Christian defense of the faith. Paul states that he is handing on to us what he had received from others: Jesus died and rose. The defense of the faith thus quickly goes to the New Testament as the written documents of those apostles who had witnessed the risen Jesus with their own eyes. We present and defend the Christian faith with and from the biblical texts: they are our primary source. We also use logic, grammar and semantics to present an orderly and reasonable defense of the faith. Thus we also take great care to avoid logical fallacies, to not using Biblical texts out of context and not forcing the Scriptures to say something they do not say. 
7. Go in peace, for Christ is your Apology. He justly defended you against the accusations brought forward by the prosecuting Satan. Jesus is your Confidence (Luise Henriette von Brandenburg). He is your Defense and the Right Man who fights for you (Luther). Jesus honors you and your name from the slanders of the world. He speaks well of you and declares you righteous before His Heavenly Father. Such is the love and respect that Jesus lavishes upon you this day and every day; may you do the same for your neighbors.  Amen.
8. Let us pray. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High. „O Holy Spirit, true Leader and Guide of all the elect…. Here we are upon wild and stormy waves, in an evil world; but help us through this all, so that we may finally attain to heaven and arrive at the Fatherland with joy after all these great tribulations“ (Löhe 343-44).  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 
Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

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 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 
ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 
The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, Vol. 4. © 1963 Henry Regnery Co. 
VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand. 

No comments:

Post a Comment