“Alpha and Omega”

Revelation 1:4-8

Pastor Tom Johnson, 11/25/12

There is a lot of unique language used to describe Jesus in our Scripture this morning. We have heard those words read, we have sung them, and we have listened. This is Christ the King Sunday. We herald Jesus as the risen and reigning Savior of the world. We call him “King of the Jews,” “the Ancient One,” “the Lord who dwells on high,” “the Messiah,” “Faithful Witness,” and “Ruler of the kings of the earth.”

But then there is this very odd language. It is as strange, and sometimes ungrammatical, in English as it is in the original biblical languages. For a moment, hear and ponder these titles and descriptions of Jesus: He is called, “the firstborn of the dead.” In the first chapter of Colossians, St. Paul calls Jesus, “the firstborn of creation.” From God’s point of view—which is outside our time and space continuum—Jesus is the firstborn of creation and of the dead. He is our “forerunner,” the writer of Hebrews says. He is the One who was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago—but whose birth changed the course of history—not only of the time following his birth but also preceding his birth. He has “freed us from our sins by his blood.” All the blood sacrifices of animals that the Hebrew people offered pointed to the true source of forgiveness—the blood of Jesus that releases us from the guilt and power of sin. He has “made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father.” From Abraham and Sarah’s call to become the father and mother of a new kingdom millennia ago—to Christians today from every tribe, nation, language, and ethnicity—we are called to be God’s people, citizens of the Kingdom of heaven. “To [Jesus],” our Scripture says, “be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” From Scripture’s point of view, Jesus has been on his throne and reigned from eternity’s past and will into eternity’s future.

But the day is coming when he will reveal his power and reign to the whole world. He is “coming with the clouds” in glory. And here is when it gets a little strange—he will come as the one who has been pierced—still showing his scars from the nails in his hands and feet and spear in his side. This suggests that Jesus comes as the one who has already conquered death and the grave. The marks on his hands and side cry out his authority and victory over evil, sin, and even death itself. He is truly the “Firstborn of the dead” the one whose death and resurrection has given eternal life to generations of people.

And finally, he is the “Alpha and Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” This perhaps the most profound title of them all. He is the Alpha and Omega—the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. As our Psalm from this morning beautiful says, “Ever since the world began, your throne has been established; you are from everlasting” (Ps 93:3). As another Psalm says, “From everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Ps 90:2) He is the beginning and end of all things. He is at the center of the timeline of human history.

Maybe instead of seeing time as one continuous line as we experience it, we should look at time as a great circle that begins and ends with Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of all things. Jesus is also at the center of this circle. He is like the hub of the great wheel of human history. And we see the spokes of his activity as points along this timeline. He is the One “who is and who was and who is to come.” As the Alpha and Omega, he is able to intervene and bless us at any time in the past, present, and future. Ironically, he has no beginning and no end. But from our point of view, that is who he is.

Some might say that we speak too much and too highly of Jesus. But, the reality is that we cannot speak highly of him enough. Human language struggles to convey the grandeur and of who Jesus is. It surpasses human comprehension. Time, history, and Christ the King at the center is a like a colossal funnel drawing all things to himself. On that last day—which is the first day of a New Creation—Jesus will renew all things.

And as we approach that day, he draws us together and unites us to prepare us for what is, was, and will always be true—that he is King of heaven and earth. We are citizens and ambassadors of his Kingdom.  We look forward to more and more people coming underneath this glorious and gentle rule of Jesus. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Christ our King!”

“Waking up to a Bright, Eternal Day”

Daniel 12:1-3

Pastor Tom Johnson, 11/18/12

Today’s appointed Old Testament reading just happened to be about sleep and wakefulness. And today also happens to be the last Sunday of our Bible study on sleep and wakefulness during our Adult Education Hour. Daniel has a vision of the beginning of eternity. He sees the coming of the Kingdom of God. He sees the end of war and the ushering of final peace. He sees the radical and permanent transformation of God’s people. He sees the end and beginning of all things through the lens of something we all experience: sleep. He writes, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Our eternal future will begin like something we are very familiar with: getting up after a night’s rest.

We should keep in mind that Daniel’s original audience was a displaced and persecuted people. Daniel was speaking to people who saw the destruction of their capital city, Jerusalem. Many of them were carried off as spoils of war into Assyria and Babylon. They saw unspeakable violence and death. They witnessed a tragic blow to their homeland. They felt the disappointment of their kingdom’s fall. Daniel wants to give them a peak into the Kingdom to come. He wants to give them hope of a brighter future. He wants to comfort them just as we comfort our children as we tuck them in—assuring them that they will safely journey through the darkness to the brightness of a new day. Others, sadly, wake up to “shame and everlasting contempt.” This rude awakening happens when they finally realize the enormity of their sin. In both Daniel’s and John’s visions, these are especially those people who aligned themselves with evil and wickedness. They may have triumphed before the night, but they wake up to the greater reality of who has the victory.

Daniel sees the angel and great prince of angels, Michael, arriving for duty. His job is “Protector of God’s People.” He is Guardian Angel to the believer. He is invisible to our eye but puts a hedge of protection around us. In the Catechism, Luther instructs us to pray as a reminder to ourselves and a request to God, “Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.” God has answers our prayers. Michael sets up a security perimeter around our beds, our homes, and our lives. We lay our heads down on our pillows with a deep sigh of relief knowing that as we fall asleep, Michael and his army of angels are working the nightshift. Even though the world outside may be in a time of distress, we are secure in the strong hands of God. We close our eyelids and we fall asleep. We let go of the worries and troubles of the world. We rest in the guarantee that the day of salvation and deliverance will come. It is so certain, that our names are written in a book.

John’s vision in the book of Revelation is almost identical. Believers who die have simply fallen asleep. They have not vanished or ceased to be. From our perspective in time and space, they are sleeping. They are asleep in Jesus. They have been washed and forgiven by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. Believers rest in the finished work of Jesus who was died and rose again. We are secure in faith and trust in his labors on our behalf. We also lay our heads on our pillows with the promise and assurance of a new day. “Weeping may tarry for the night,” scriptures says, “but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). We are simply on the darker side of the earth. The sun will arise just as surely as Jesus rose from his empty grave. And like the sun, which overcomes the darkness of the night, Jesus too will shine brightly when he comes to wake us up. With a trumpet blast and shout of command, we wake up to everlasting life.

And when we wake up, it is a startling realization. We open our eyes to everlasting life. And before we too quickly gloss over those words, “everlasting life,” we should understand that it does not merely mean “never ending” or “eternal.” It means life on a scale and life to a degree that far surpasses life as we experience it today. It is “everlasting” just as the Hebrew Bible describes the care God gives as his “everlasting arms” and the concern he has for us as his “everlasting love.” Everlasting life is the divine, magnanimous life of God.

From our perspective in time and space, we fall asleep in this life. But from God’s perspective, when we close our eyes here, we open them to this new and greater reality in eternity. We are clothed with Christ himself—dressed up in his righteousness—and we shine more brightly than the stars of heaven. Our Scripture says, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” The wise are those who trust God—those who listen to the Word of God—those who put their confidence in the great Sleeper and Ariser in history, Jesus Christ.

He fell asleep on the cross of Calvary. He lay on a stone bed hewn out of rock. He was tucked in with linen cloth and spice. He rested from all his labors on our behalf. And then, early on the third day, just before the sun began to rise, Jesus woke up and got up in victory. Death no longer has the final word. For those who trust in God, death is simply a brief nap before a bright, and eternal day.

Sermon from Concordia University Chicago: “Empty Vessels/Rich Supply"

1 Kings 17:8-16

When we think about the widow of Zarephath, we may picture an old lady, with gray hair, with her back aching as she picked up sticks to cook her final meal for herself and her son. But she and her son are a classic example of what the Bible refers to as the widows and orphans—literally, “the widow and fatherless.” The widow and the fatherless are a unit. They are single mothers with young children who have been bereaved of husband and father—at a time and in a culture where husband and father was the bread winner. This young woman with a young son at home has been overcome by despair and hopelessness. The Hebrew Scriptures over and over again remind us of the vulnerability of single moms who are overwhelmed with raising young children with no husband or extended family to help. The entire nation is experiencing a drought and famine. And like any society in hard economic times, this single mom and her son feel it the most. She is preparing the last meal they will have together before inevitable starvation and death. In the New Testament, James says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27).

 

It is why it is so strange that God would send Elijah to be fed and sustained by someone who had nothing to give or even to sustain herself. It was strange enough that God would feed Elijah in the previous verses by a flock of wild ravens. Now God sends a starving and hopeless young woman to nourish Elijah through the remainder of the famine. The vessel with flour is nearly empty. The vessel of oil is nearly empty. And yet, by the Word and promise of God, the empty vessels become a rich source of food and sustenance. The vessels never become full. But they fully satisfy their need.

This passage should remind us of how God sustained his people in the forty years in the wilderness where there was no water or bread. God sent bread from heaven in short supply every day. They were to gather only as much as they needed and not on the Sabbath. Some gathered more than others. But it was always enough. Scripture says of that time in Deuteronomy 8 (v. 3), “[God] humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” And so God continues to works in our lives. We may find ourselves on our precipice of despair and hopelessness—physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual bankruptcy. It may seem that God meets our cry of desperation in short supply...like two nearly empty jars of flour and oil...like a dew of manna on the wilderness floor...like a fistful of water splashed on an infant's head...like a quarter-sized piece of bread and a sip of wine...like a friend who comes alongside who has their own problems.

But with the Word and promise of God, the empty jars are a rich supply. The dew of manna is the bread of heaven. Plain water is a holy Baptism that washes away our guilt and sin. Ordinary bread and wine are the Body and Blood of Jesus that strengthen and preserve us body and soul to eternal life. And our fallible Christian friend sticks closer than a brother. And so Jesus tells us in John 14, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me...I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you...because I live, you will live also.”

New Consecration Sunday sermon by President Dan Gilbert

Mark 12:41-44

This is our annual Stewardship Sunday sermon preached by the President of the Northern Illinois District of the LCMS, Pastor Dan Gilbert.

"The Earth Is the Lord's"

Psalm 24

We sang the words of Psalm 24: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it the world and all who dwell therein!” From the earth’s molten core to its highest stratosphere, it is the Lord’s. From her subterranean caves to her mountain summits; it is the Lord’s. From her polar ice caps to her red hot lava; it is the Lord’s. It is God who put diamonds, gold, and silver into the crevices of rock. It is God who stockpiled oil, coal, and natural gas into her subterranean coffers. It is God who set the sun in its place to bathe our spherical home with energy and light. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” It is the Lord who gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater. It is the Lord who provides house and home. It is the Lord who opens doors to employment. It is the Lord who brings families together. It is the Lord who makes a friend stick closer than a sister or brother.

When we receive a birthday present—when our paycheck is deposited into our account—when our child is born—when we sit down to eat a meal, we receive everything as a gift from God. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” As Psalm 145 (v. 16) says, “You open up your hand, O Lord, you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” As James says in his letter, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (1:17).

“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and all who dwell therein!” The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and land creatures are the Lord’s. Young children, the mature, you, and I are the Lord’s. All humanity is the Lord’s. At first, it may seem overstated. But God is Creator and sustainer of the universe. Scripture says in Romans 11:36: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” And so Psalmist praises God, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Ps 139:13,14).

It might seem like God has laid claim to everything in order to put us in our rightful place—to rob us of our stuff—or deny us the enjoyment of our things. But that isn’t the point at all. Our text says, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and all who dwell therein!” But it also includes the refrain we sang, “They shall receive a blessing from the LORD and a just reward from the God of their salvation.” God is not just divine Owner of everything in the universe. He is divine Giver. He has everything but he also gives it all away. “We shall receive a blessing from the God of our salvation.” He gives blessings. He gives us his stuff—his things. As Luther says in the Catechism, “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.” He gives us all these things. But they are all stuff on loan. They may be in our possession now, but we cannot pack them into our suitcases and take them to our eternal home. There is no carry on luggage allowed on our journey to heaven.

The people God brings into our lives will no doubt bless us into eternity—our fellowship as Christians will never come to an end. Relationships are eternal. And because the things we enjoy are evidence that God cares for us, we should be as generous and as caring with our stuff as he is. We should view money, things, and relationships all as part of God’s activity to love and support human lives. God uses our stewardship to provide for others. He uses our stuff as a means to his ends.

He not only wants us to love and support us through this life. He wants to love and support us into eternity. And so he gives us his most cherished and valuable possession—his Son, Jesus Christ. This gift is not a loaner. He has given the eternal Son of God in his birth in Bethlehem and the incarnation. He has given himself in his teaching, healing, and revealing the Kingdom of Heaven. He has blessed us by enduring the crucifixion and triumphing over the grave. He is our greatest treasured possession. We are in Christ. And he is in us. He has not only given his Son as the greatest gift. He has also made us his own at an even deeper level.

Scripture asks, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” (1 Cor 6:19,20). He purchased us with his life and blood. We are his treasured possession. He has adopted us in our baptism—sealing the transaction with water, Word, and Holy Spirit. We are brought into God’s family by the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are his. He is ours. And together we give, we draw people in, and we look forward to a bright and blessed future together in his eternal care.