It is easy to look around us and ask, “Why?” “Why is this happening?” “What has happened that we are being inundated with flames and smoke and ash?” The simple, short answer is that these things God has sent to bring us to Him, to remind us that we must rely only on Him for all that we need, most especially forgiveness and salvation.

Our Churches, with common consent, do teach that the decree of the Council of Nicaea concerning the Unity of the Divine Essence and concerning the Three Persons, is true and to be believed without any doubting; that is to say, there is one Divine Essence which is called and which is God: eternal, without body, without parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, the Maker and Preserver of all things, visible and invisible; and yet there are three Persons, of the same essence and power, who also are coeternal, the Father the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And the term “person” they use as the Fathers have used it, to signify, not a part or quality in another, but that which subsists of itself.

Also they teach that since the fall of Adam all men begotten in the natural way are born with sin, that is, without the fear of God, without trust in God...and that this disease, or vice of origin, is truly sin, even now condemning and bringing eternal death upon those not born again through Baptism and the Holy Ghost.

Also they teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did assume the human nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, so that there are two natures, the divine and the human, inseparably enjoined in one Person, one Christ, true God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, that He might reconcile the Father unto us, and be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for all actual sins of men. He also descended into hell, and truly rose again the third day; afterward He ascended into heaven that He might sit on the right hand of the Father, and forever reign and have dominion over all creatures, and sanctify them that believe in Him, by sending the Holy Ghost into their hearts, to rule, comfort, and quicken them, and to defend them against the devil and the power of sin. The same Christ shall openly come again to judge the quick and the dead, etc., according to the Apostles’ Creed.

Also they teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight.

It’s that time of year again. Depending on where you are, as you drive down this street or that, you’ll see banners on the properties of many churches across the country advertising their Vacation Bible School program, inviting parents to sign their children up for a week of fun with Jesus. In many cases, the program is sold to parents as a place to drop their kids off and be without them for a week—more a vacation for parents than for the children, I suppose—some planners have even designed their programs for this purpose.

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

Welcome to Pentecost, the Feast of Booths, the Church’s birthday, the day appointed by the Christ when He said to His 11, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) It was on that first Pentecost, when Jews from all over the world were gathered in Jerusalem for the feast, and Jesus’ disciples—His apostles—were gathered together in once place, probably that same upper room from Maundy Thursday, and as Jesus had told them would happen,

[S]uddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:2-4)

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She goes off to a solitary place and lets out a blood-curdling scream. He goes off to the range and empties a handgun’s clip in no time flat into the paper target. She kicks her husband and the kids out of the house and sets herself to making the kitchen and dining room spic and span. He goes out to his shop and makes 15 bird houses out of every last bit of scrap wood he has. They go to the studio where she throws some clay on a wheel and makes a vase, while he throws paint on a canvas and calls it art. These are but a few of the ways people find to vent—both destructively and productively. Venting is very cathartic.

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Dear listeners assembled in the sheep pen of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church, hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Jesus said,

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep...Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.

He has laid down His life for the sheep, dieing the death due the sheep on the tree of the cross. He has taken it up again, risen on the third day. This is good news for you, for you are a sheep of His fold. He has died that you would not have to, suffering the full wrath of God in your place with every last bit of your sin, and gives you the benefits of His death and resurrection—namely, forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation—sealed to you personally with the sign of the cross made on forehead and heart with the waters of Holy Baptism whereat He called you His own—His own sheep, His own child, His own brother and fellow heir of salvation.

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“But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away.”

Dear saints of God assembled here: Hallelujah! Christ is risen! [He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah!] The sight that the women who went to the tomb saw is the sign to you that He is risen, and that His resurrection is victory over sin, death, and the devil, and over all dead religions.

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As we conclude another Holy Week, we find ourselves at Holy Thursday, the night on which Our Lord was betrayed and on which He instituted the Sacrament of the Altar—that foretaste of the feast to come. Traditionally, this day was given the name Maundy Thursday. It gets this name from another event that happened on this most holy night, which we heard in this evening’s Gospel lesson: “[M]andatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos ut et vos diligatis invicem;” or as our ears are accustomed to hearing: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Maundy is from the Latin mandare, or as we heard from verse 34 above, mandatum. We get the word mandate from this root. On this most holy night, Jesus gave His disciples a mandatum novum—a new commandment, a new mandate: love one another.

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Jesus’ mother approaches him at a Wedding in Cana. The people of His hometown sought to arrest Him. The listeners at the temple sought to arrest Him, too. In all three times we are told that Jesus’ hour had not yet come. It was not time for Him to do the thing for which He was sent.

There was a time when a boy was born in Bethlehem. God placed a light to guide some Gentile sages from the east to the place where the child was. The Word and the light take them to the house where Jesus was, and they bow down and worship Him. Today, once again, we hear of Gentiles who have traveled to see Jesus. They find Philip, who tells Andrew, and these two tell Jesus. Hearing of them, Jesus says, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.”

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What is glory? Or, perhaps to put that into terms that make more sense, to interpret “glory” for a corrupt and sinful generation, what is greatness? You’ll hears answers like power and popularity, prestige and honor, possessions and property. To the world, these are the defining marks of greatness—of glory.

It has been the bane of humanity for countless ages and generations. “You’ll be like God,” the serpent told Eve, so she took some fruit, ate of it, and gave some to her silent husband standing beside her. (Genesis 3:5-6) And so began this downward spiral of man trying to be like God, man reaching for glory and greatness, man defining glory and greatness by his achievements.