Emmanuel Lutheran Church Asheville

THE FEAST OF THE RESURRECTION, 4/8/07 
Sir, we would see JESUS!
Emmanuel Lutheran Church
Luke 24: 1-12

In the Name of JESUS!

“Christ Is Risen Indeed!”

In the name of our risen and victorious Redeemer, Jesus Christ, dearly beloved:

“Oh, women, why your senseless fear?
Why do you weep and cower here?
Do you not know your Lord is ris’n?
Christ broke the bars of hell’s dark pris’n!”

But they upon that Easter morn
Were very sad and so forlorn.
For they had seen their Jesus die
Upon the cross ‘gainst darken’d sky.

His pain they knew was so intense.
Their Savior’s death – it made no sense
To troubled minds beset by sin
When Christ’s own words were lost within.

They saw their Lord’s body entombed
On that dark Friday afternoon.
They saw the stone rolled into place,
Soldiers guarding with martial pace.

Christ had said, “I’ll suffer and die,
And in three days I’ll come alive.”
His Word is true. He tells no lies.
Yet tears this morn fell from their eyes.

To them it seemed their Friend was gone.
Sealed in the grave was God’s own Son.
He said His Kingdom was at hand,
But then He died at Jerusalem.

So on that morning, Easter Day,
They came their last respects to pay
To Jesus Christ, their Friend, so dear,
Whom they now thought was buried there.

But who would roll the stone away
From th’grave where their dear Friend was laid?
Yet questions arose as they drew near
For th’stone’s rolled back – the door is clear!

Ent’ring the grave so carefully
And dreading their dead Lord to see,
They were surprised to see in white
The angels there in shining light.


Seeing the angels ‚Äòfore their eyes, 
They were afraid and terrified.
They were holy and pure and bright,
But they were sinners in God’s sight.

Yet kindly words the angel spoke
To these women, those doubting folk.
“Fear not,” said he, “Your Lord is ris’n!
He is not here! He’s crushed Death’s pris’n.”

“He’ll go ahead to Galilee
Along the shore of that great sea.
You tell His friends He’ll meet them there
To bring them peace, His love to share.”

The women hurried from the grave
Where Christ had lain our souls to save,
Now changed by God to Victor’s place,
Where saved was our lost, dying race.

Still – they were full of fear and dread.
Confusion reigned within their heads –
“Can it be true? What have we seen?
What did the angels really mean?”

Foolish women! – So slow to trust
The angels’ words. Believe you must!
Is it too much to ask of you
To trust your Lord with homage due?

Oh, yes, it is too much for you
To trust God’s Word and follow through.
Unless you see the risen Lord
You will not trust His own sure Word.

You want to touch His hands, His feet.
You need your own dear Lord to meet.
Then – you’ll believe and trust His Word,
For you Christ’s own dear voice have heard.

“Oh, women, why such senseless fear?
Why do you weep and cower here?
Do you not hear your Lord is ris’n?
He broke the chains of Death’s dark pris’n!”

+

But, women, you are not alone.
The men who followed God’s dear Son –
They, too, are slow in heart to believe;
Their doubts stay, too; they do not leave.

Peter and John saw emptied tomb, 
But they still left with hearts of gloom.
Th’ Emmaus two told Jesus’ friends,
“We’ve seen the Lord!” – but doubts still rend.


Yet Jesus loves! – Praise we the Lord!
He comes to doubters, speaks His Word.
He shows them hands and feet and side,
Saying to all, “My peace abides!”

Christ moved them on to faith and trust,
These folks of sinful, mortal dust.
He points the Way to heav’n above
Through His redeeming, saving love.

We see the weakness of these folk
Sore pressed by unbelief’s dread yoke,
So slow to trust their Lord’s alive
To conquer sin and give them life.

+

And yet like them, we people, too,
Have doubts and fears. We’re sinners, too.
We hear God’s Word and love our Lord
But often act against His Word:

“’Tis more bless’d t’give than to receive.”
Yet we to our possessions cleave.
We find it hard to give and share,
Truly from all our hearts to care.

Our lips betray our loving Lord.
We‚Äôre quick to speak an angry word. 
We spit out names – curse e’en our friends.
We give in so to Satan’s ends.

We act as if our Lord were dead
In thoughts we toss about our head.
Too oft the world sees our grave sin
Instead of Christ, who dwells within.

We nurse our fears and doubts and grief;
We sink in dreadful sin so deep.
The good we leave so oft undone.
It even seems the devil’s won.

And so we see we’re just like them,
Those sad and unbelieving friends.
We follow in the devil‚Äôs way, 
Unto our Lord too oft say, “Nay!”

+

Yet Jesus comes with love and grace,
Forgiving sin, removes each trace.
He not in terror comes as Lord,
But speaks to us His saving Word.



“Oh, people, why your senseless fear?
Why do you mourn so, fretting here?
Do you not know your Lord is ris’n?
Christ’s won o’er hell, the soul’s dark pris’n?”

Christ shows to us His hands, His side;
He speaks His truth which will abide: 
“I love YOU, child! You’re Mine indeed.
I live for you! I’ve set you free.”

“Your sin is gone, buried with Me,
Who died for you on Calvary.
And now I live! My vict’ry’s yours!
Into your hearts My grace I pour!”

“The devil cannot harm you now;
You really have my saving pow’r.
My Word is sure that you are Mine.
No more o’er sin and death repine.”

“Come unto Me, oh, bless`ed one;
Share now the vict‚Äôry that I‚Äôve won, 
Rest here secure in My strong arm. 
Nothing, My child, will e’er you harm.”

“I’ll take what looks so bad to you
And change it t’good that’s done for you.
I‚Äôll crush what Satan does conceive. 
I’m on your side. I’ll never leave.”

+

Oh, Christ, how good You are to us!
You take our debt and its dread curse,
Bury our sins – yes, one and all –
And love us still with man-y’a fault.

Come, fill us with Your Spirit, Lord.
Let joy and peace come through Your Word.
Let HALLELUJAHS to heav ‘n rise
Till we join You above the skies.

AMEN! – O Lamb for sinners slain,
Who lives fore’er for us again!
Abide with us in daily life,
Till we’re removed from earthly strife,

Our praise and thanks to You we sing.
Our hearts to You, oh, Lord, we bring.
Live now in us with love and peace
And never let our praises cease.

Oh, Father, that we ask be done
Through Jesus Christ, Your own dear Son, 
Who with the Spirit we adore,
And praise You, God, forevermore. Amen.


To GOD alone be all glory and praise!

© (Revised – 3/16/2007)
The Reverend Frederick A. Stiemke, DD
Vacancy Pastor

Palm Sunday, (4-1-07)
Sir, we would see JESUS!
Emmanuel, Asheville, NC

Philippians 2: 1-11
In the Name of JESUS!

“Having the Mind of Christ Jesus”

Beloved in the Lord, please pray with me:

O Christ, Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
O Christ, Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.
O Christ, Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us Your peace. Amen.

In the name of Jesus, our humble Savior and glorious Redeemer, dear friends:

Do you hear that sound of great rejoicing? What is it? It’s the rustle of palm branches and people shouting, “Hosanna!” as they also throw their outer cloaks upon the road in front of that Man from Nazareth riding on the donkey. What’s happening? Ah, the King is coming! What an awesome event that was! It was so astounding that we try to replicate it each year as we celebrate Palm Sunday. So shout it out, dear friends, “Hosanna! Hosanna! The King is coming!” Yes, join me as we lift our praises to heaven, “Hosanna! Hosanna! The King is coming!”

As you shout your “Hosannas,” you are both lifting up a word of praise, as well as the cry to God that pleads, “Save, we pray!” And we join the first Palm Sunday crowd in adding, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” This joyous victory parade is even meant for us today, for it did not happen by mere chance on the whim of the people.

Five centuries before that day, God through Zechariah foretold this event when he wrote, “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” [9: 9] Our heavenly Father had set this victory parade in place as one of His great saving acts by His Son, Jesus Christ. Incidentally, since it took 500 years finally to take place, this is a vivid reminder that God’s time-clock and our own are often not the same. Thus Scripture reminds us over and over to, “Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. Wait for the Lord.” [ Psalm 27:14]

But is Christ the King the crowd said He was? Look again at the scene. There’s no charging white stallion, the normal mode of transportation for kings of that day – only a lowly donkey, and then one that no one had ever ridden before, but subservient nevertheless to its rider. There’s no royal purple robe – only the unbleached linen cloak of a poor man. No jewels deck His garment, but there will be ruby red blood stains in just five days. There’s no crown, except a crown of thorns that awaits Him, too. No golden scepter does Jesus hold in His hand. Instead there would be a lowly reed placed in His hands by mocking soldiers. No earthly throne awaits Him except two rough hewn, notched wooden members forming a cross, the instrument of the cruelest form of execution devised by mankind.

Who is this Jesus of Nazareth that receives the crowd‚Äôs adoration? Hidden beneath of the fa?ßade of the lowly carpenter‚Äôs son is none other than the eternal God, come to rescue His people. Plainly He could tell His disciples, ‚ÄúI and the Father are One.‚Äù [John 10: 30] Years later, St. Paul, who started out in life as an enemy of Jesus, after his conversion could testify, ‚ÄúIn Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.‚Äù [Colossians 2:9} The Apostle reminds us in today‚Äôs Epistle that Jesus, ‚Äúbeing in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.‚Äù [2: 6] Thus, today on the basis of Holy Scripture‚Äôs witness, we confess concerning Jesus that He is ‚ÄúGod of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not made.‚Äù Christ is our heavenly King.

However, to those living in His day, our Lord had no resemblance to an earthly king. In fact, Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But My kingdom is from another place.” [John 19: 36] Outwardly Christ’s realm has no likeness to worldly kingdoms. Thus our Epistle reading for the day reminds us that He “made Himself nothing,” i.e., He emptied Himself, “taking the very nature of a slave, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death – even death on a cross!” [2: 7-8] Days before the crucifixion our Savior told His friends, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.”

The great paradox in God’s Kingdom is that humiliation is the path to glory. Jesus Himself saw that His shameful death on the cross was the very moment of His greatest glorification, when He told His disciples about His impending death and said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in Him.” [John 13: 31] Paul repeats that same truth in today’s text, Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” {2: 9-11}

If we meditate on all this prayerfully with the Lord‚Äôs help, there‚Äôs a powerful, pointed lesson in all we‚Äôve considered together. The path chosen by our fallen world and that by our loving God to glory and honor is radically different. The world‚Äôs path is in seeking status, prestige, accumulating the most riches and things and pleasures, and in having the most servants. One can gain the world‚Äôs applause that way for a time. One can almost hear the world shouting, ‚ÄúThere‚Äôs a great man! Let him be the one you imitate.‚Äù Tragically, our sinful nature is such that we all get easily caught in that mindset and deathtrap at times. 

But where is God in that picture and what will be the end of such a person without a radical change? Our Lord plaintively reminds us, ‚ÄúWhat shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?‚Äù [Mark 8: 38] 

It is just because we too often follow the pattern of the world that Christ entered Jerusalem that day with His eyes set firmly on His impending glorification in His death for our sins. He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death – even death on a cross that in the shedding of His blood He might wash all our sin away and reclaim us as the forgiven children of our heavenly Father. The hymn writer correctly penned his words on the basis of Scripture concerning Jesus, “His blood can make the foulest clean. His blood avails for me!” Thank God! That’s true – eternally true!

However, in our text today, Paul is telling us that not at some future point, but even now, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: . . . who humbled Himself!” Beginning with today we are to have a very different mindset – the mindset of Christ. We are to have different motives than the world, a whole new outlook. That is to be our goal each and every day.

But how do I acquire this even if I see it as most desirable both for time and eternity? In asking that question, I’m in deep trouble. For notice where I’m looking! – At myself! That’s not humbling myself as Christ emptied Himself. That’s looking to the “BIG I” to bring about the change. No, this mindset will become ours more and more only as we flee to our Lord and plead with Him to create and nourish this new outlook within us and daily to purge us of the old way of looking at and doing our own thing. We can only flee to the Rock that is higher than ourselves, Jesus Christ, and to stand in wonder and awe at the vastness of Christ’s love which led Him to the cross. That immeasurable love caused our merciful God to empty Himself and become obedient unto death – even death on a cross, so that we are not only forgiven, but have His help, the guidance of His Word and Spirit, and the precious body and blood of Jesus in the Lord’s Supper to grow in being imitators of Jesus Himself to the glory of God the Father. And so we cry out with the Palm Sunday children and adults who were Jesus’ friends, “HOSANNA! Save, Lord, we pray!” Amen.

To GOD alone be glory!
© The Reverend Frederick A. Stiemke, Vacancy Pastor

The 5^th Sunday of Easter (5/6/07) Sir, we would see JESUS!

Emmanuel, Asheville, NC John 16: 12-22

In the Name of JESUS!

"From Grief and Pain to Joy"

Beloved in the Lord, please pray with me:

O gracious Heavenly Father, who knows our needs even before we come to Your Throne of Grace, You know better than we ourselves how hard it is for us to look beyond present circumstances – especially when we are facing trials, pains, hardship and grief. Thus, we humbly ask that our great Helper, the Holy Spirit, will ever keep before us a sure and living hope based upon our Savior’s victory and Your sure promises. To that end bless now our meditations upon Your holy Word, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our victorious Savior and ever-loving Redeemer, dear friends:

The latter part of the blessed words of our dear Savior, Jesus Christ, in today‚Äôs Gospel reading can be very well summarized by the words inspired by the Holy Spirit in Psalm 126: 5, "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." As some of us know from firsthand experience, when everything seems to be going awry, a promise like this at first may well seem to be utter foolishness. That certainly was true of Jesus‚Äô disciples.

When Jesus told His followers that they were about to be torn by grief, but in a little while their heartache would turn to joy, it was near the end of the third year of our Savior’s public ministry. More and more of the folks who had sought out Jesus were turning away after hearing some of Christ’s hard statements. There was also increasing opposition to their Master by the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem. That was troubling enough. But now their hearts and minds were troubled and confused by Jesus’ telling them that they would not see Him for a little while because He was going to His Father. What led to their pain and confusion?

It certainly was not due to our Savior‚Äôs failed attempts to prepare them for what lay ahead. On a number of previous occasions reported in the Gospels, Christ told His disciples that He ‚Äì the Son of Man ‚Äì would be taken captive, grossly mistreated, and be put to death, but on the 3^rd day He would come back alive. He stated that plainly and clearly. In today‚Äôs text our Savior once again lays out what is ahead both for Him and for them. Recall His words: "In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me." [John 16:16] Obviously Jesus was referring to His impending death and resurrection, but the disciples had put those prior revelations of Jesus out of their minds. That was one of the factors leading to their confusion and the depth of their grief when their Lord was taken captive and killed on the cross. Likewise when we fail to remember God‚Äôs promises, we can get confused and our distress increases in the day of trouble.

What else may have led to their bewilderment and anguish? The clear answer from Scripture is their sinful and corrupt hearts and minds. But let me make that sinful failing more concrete. What is it that causes agony and pain and grief when things don‚Äôt go our way? A number of individuals through the years have delved deeply into what‚Äôs behind their distress in very difficult times besides their physical and/or emotional pain. They courageously shared with me their self-discovery. I have to confess that their self-revelations were very painful to me because their discovery also unmasked my own sinful and fallible self. What "stirs up the pot" so often is that we rebel against not being in control. The fact is that we are deeply distressed when we cannot ourselves set the course of events and dictate how and when what we desire will take place. This need for control has its roots all the way back in Adam and Eve in the Garden, who fell into temptation when they wanted to be "be like God." [Cf. Genesis 3:5] They passed on this original sin, this mindset, to all their descendents. That includes you and me.

Beloved, it takes not only a great deal of courage, but also the gift of none other than the Holy Spirit to hear and personally take to heart what I am now about to say to you. This frame of mind that we should have control in our lives is nothing less than idolatry. It‚Äôs another attempt by the old sinful nature to be equal with God, who alone has the rule and final word in all things. For this and all other sins each of us deserves nothing but everlasting separation from God and eternal agony in hell. From that, dear Father in heaven, mercifully deliver us!

Thank God! That deliverance has already taken place! In Jesus talking about going away for a little while and then returning so that His disciples could see Him, our Savior was clearly talking about His death that took place on the cross on Calvary. There in our place He offered Himself, taking all the punishment of His Heavenly Father for our sin and failings that we justly deserve. Now on the sure basis of Biblical revelation, the hymn writer could pen these words about Jesus, "His blood can make the foulest clean; His blood avails for me." That‚Äôs cause indeed for our tears and sorrows to be turned to songs of joy. And greater joy comes in knowing that three days after His death Christ came alive again ‚Äì the Winner over all our enemies ‚Äì and that His disciples saw Him alive again by many infallible proofs. More than 500 people saw the risen Christ at one time. After that little while of 3 days, our Savior‚Äôs prophecy was fulfilled for His followers, "‚Ķ I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."[John 16:22]

We also thank God that we have this sure and living hope: The "little while" of our earthly pilgrimage compared to eternity may well have other "little whiles" of grief and testing for us, but the day is coming for us who trust Jesus as Savior and His forgiveness that we will see Him with our own eyes on the Last Day. Then our grief will be turned to joy that never ends. As we heard in today‚Äôs Epistle, in heaven "He [i.e., JESUS] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." [Revelation 21:4]

In the meantime as we struggle here on earth to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and the victory He has won for us, we are not alone! Did what Jesus promised in our text register in your mind and hearts? He assured His disciples and us, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking what is Mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take what is Mine and make it known to you." [John 16:13-15]

Again, we have reason to thank our merciful and caring God, because that revelation of the Holy Spirit, the divine Comforter, is now written down for us in the Bible, God‚Äôs precious and true Word. St. Paul points us to the Bible, the Word of God, as "the sword of Spirit" [Ephesians 6:17b] John was led by the Spirit toward the end of his Gospel to remind us that while Jesus did many things not recorded in the Bible that "these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name." [John 20:31b]

Some of you I know are in the midst of one of earth‚Äôs dreadful "little whiles" of varying degrees of anguish, pain and testing. At such times we need to remember that God has not promised us that life in this fallen earth will always be "sunshine and roses." In fact, Jesus plainly told us, "The disciple is not above His master." True, our blessed Savior had moments of joy here on earth, but also many painful trials. He faced torment that the trusting children of God will never have to face. His Heavenly Father‚Äôs forsook Him on the cross that our Savior and His love may under gird us both in good times and bad. Because of Christ‚Äôs suffering in our place, our Heavenly Father will not forsake us.

By God‚Äôs grace and extraordinary intervention, with the Spirit‚Äôs help it might be that we may serve as an example to others in affliction, as did St. Paul. Nevertheless our hope lies not in our being more trusting than the disciples in their confusion and grief in the hour of trial. We all to a degree will fail, just like the inner circle of the Twelve Apostles. Our only hope lies in our faithful Savior, who willingly went through the ignominy and pain of the cross to save us from our sin and rose again to share with us His victory. It is He, our triumphant Redeemer, who stands before us today and invites us, "Come unto Me, all you who are wearied and burdened, and I will give you rest." {Matthew 11:28] Until the "little while" of all our trials are passed, Christ will graciously keep His faithful promise, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." [2 Corinthians 12:9] You may not realize that Christ is in the process of keeping that gracious promise in your present "little while." However, when it is passed and your tears have turned to joy, with the light of the Holy Spirit you will then see how underneath you in any dreadful hour were the everlasting arms of our compassionate, faithful and loving Savior, who assures us, "... do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous hand." [Isaiah 41: 10] Amen.

Dear Savior, forgive our sin and smallness of our faith. Fill us with Your Spirit and guide us with Your Word of truth. Amen.

To God alone be the glory!

© The Rev. Frederick A. Stiemke, DD

Vacancy Pastor

All Bible quotations from the Concordia Self-Study BibleConcordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO