Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: Hebrews 13,20-21. Miscericordias Domini

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Hebrews 13,20-21 2714

Misericordias Domini 037 mercies of the Lord

Monica, Widow, mother of St. Augustine, ✠ 387

Frederick Conrad Dietrich Wyneken, Pastor, Apostle, Synodical President, ✠ 1876

4. Mai 2014

1. O Almighty God, who hast given Thine Only Son to be unto us both a sacrifice for sin, and also an ensample of Godly life: Give us grace so that we may always most thankfully receive that His inestimable benefit, and also daily endeavour ourselves to follow the blessed steps of His most holy life (The Book of Common Prayer 137). Amen.

2. »Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good so that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.«

3. On Misericordias Domini, the 2. Sunday after Easter, we hear about the mercies of the Lord. The Historic Gospel Lection is Jesus’ Good Shepherd discourse. In John 10 Jesus teaches us: »I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The Father loves Me because I lay down My life so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. I have received this charge from My Father.« Jesus uses the image of shepherd and sheep because often times the shepherd needs to put his life at risk, even to the point of death, to defend the helpless sheep from a ravenous predator. Jesus uses the image to discuss His death and resurrection.

4. We might be tempted to think that Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trials, suffering, crucifixion and death all occurred by the will and at the hands of His adversaries. In John 10 Jesus teaches us that He alone was in control of the events at the end of Holy Week. Judas’ betrayal, Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane, His trials before the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate, His suffering at the hands of the Roman legionnaires, His crucifixion and even His death all occurred under Jesus’ power and authority. No plan was formulated against Him and no hand was set upon Him that was not under His Divine direction. Jesus allowed His enemies to beset Him and overcome Him. Jesus emphasized: »I lay down My life so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord.« The Gospel according to John records the last moments of Jesus’ life: »When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said: „It is finished,“ He then bowed His head and gave up His spirit« (John 19,30). The crucifixion did not kill Jesus, but when Jesus had fulfilled redeeming sinful mankind by bearing their sinfulness He then yielded up His life and breathed His last. Jesus was in control of His life from beginning to end.

5. On Easter Sunday it is more of the same. Jesus took up His life again and raised Himself from the dead. As early as John 2 we read: »So the Jews said to Him: „What sign do you show us for doing these things?“ Jesus answered them: „Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.“ The Jews then said: „It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days?“ But He was speaking about the temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken« (John 2,18-22).

6. Since Jesus has authority over His death and resurrection, He likewise has authority over your death and resurrection. Every Christian death is a good death. Having been washed clean of sin in our Baptism, where we died to sin and were united with Christ in His death, when we take our last breath and die, we will do so in and under the Name of Jesus and we will die a good death. It does not matter if our death is tragic, sudden or the result of a long illness, for when we die, we die as a redeemed child of God the Father, in the presence of Jesus and His angels will bear us to Him in Paradise. On the last day we will be bodily raised in glory. It does not matter if our body has decayed into ashes indistinguishable from the dirt that covers us, or a fresh corpse still bearing the image of how we looked, for Jesus will raise our body up. We will have hands and feet, flesh and bone, mind and will. Our body will be restored to its former image but it will be made glorious for it will not be saddled with the corruption of original sin.

7. Karfreitag and Ostersonntag displayed the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ who was crucified and rose from the grave. Thus the apostle writes in his Epistle to the Hebrews: »Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good so that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.« Jesus is the Good and Great Shepherd for He has purchased our salvation with His blood of the eternal covenant. John the Baptizer proclaimed this eternal covenant when His eyes saw Jesus on the banks of the Jordan River: »Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!« (John 1,29). Jesus is the Shepherd and the Lamb who laid down His life and took it up again to redeem all fallen men and women from their sinfulness. Thus the heavenly hosts sing: »Worthy are You, O Lamb of God, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation! Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth, wisdom and might, honor, glory and blessing!« (Revelation 5,9.12)

8. The crucified and risen Christ is not merely a past and future event. Yes, the crucifixion is done and in the past; yes, the resurrection is awaiting its future fulfillment, but right now, today, in the present, the crucified and risen Christ is our Good Shepherd, and He sends the Holy Spirit to work in us. The Spirit of God creates good works in us so that we give glory to God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. »For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God the Father prepared beforehand, so that we should walk in them« (Ephesians 2,10). What might these good works be? and what do these good works look like? Your good works are whatever you do throughout your day that helps and benefits your neighbor. This includes being diligent in your vocation, performing the duties of your stations in life, such as a good parent, an obedient child, an honest broker, a pious Christian and so forth. Christ’s vocation is to be the Good Shepherd, and His good work was to be the vicarious Lamb of God for our sin. Your good works are those you do for others. In all you do for your neighbor and your church, the Holy Spirit blesses and uses to glorify Jesus our Savior. All this stems from the Christ who was crucified and risen for our justification. Our good works glorify Him and give testimony to His crucifixion and resurrection.

9. Our Good Shepherd gives us this promise: »My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.« Truly, this is Misericordias Domini, the mercies of the Lord, for by His death and resurrection we have the mercy of God the Father. »Surly goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, an we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever« (Psalm 23,6). To the Risen Christ be glory, honor and praise now and forever. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, our Good Shepherd, send forth the Holy Spirit to our church and in our lives so that we know we are Your sheep and follow You in both faith and sanctified living. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

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, May 11, 2014

Hebrews 13,20-21. Miscericordias Domini

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