• Home
• Services
• About Augsburg
• About Pastor
• Sermons
• Links

• 2007
• 2006
• 2005
• 2004

This IS a day for weeping. This is NOT a day to remain in weeping.

In the first of his 95 theological statements nailed to the castle church door in Wittenberg, Luther stated a Biblical truism: "When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said 'Repent', He called for the entire life of a believer to be one of penitence." As our Lord showed and taught, and as the Apostle explicated and commented upon, Repentance is not what "we do," it's what we believe. It's not the state of our bodily actions, it's the state of our heart. To repent is acknowledge our sinfulness; not just that we happen to break God's rules every day in action, language and hidden imaginings, but that we ARE sinners in the core of our fallen human natures. To repent is to admit it's not just the "what" it's the "who." To repent is to be remorseful, sorrowful, contrite, genuinely sad that we have not loved God perfectly and that we not loved our neighbors as ourselves. To repent is to believe the Word of God; to believe the damning reality of what sin merits: "...for the wages of sin is death..." [Rom 6.23] ...all flesh is like grass...like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls off." [1 Pe. 1.24]

When one repents, not only does one amend one's disposition by the power of the Holy Spirit, but one many times weeps. One cries outwardly (literally) or inwardly (spiritually) over the enormity of ones' trespasses, over the total degradation and doom which would await, were it not for the Love of God in Christ Jesus.

There is a beautiful "pattern" in which our Savior deals with us, the wayward sheep. First he scolds, then he comforts. First he slays with the killing Law, then he resurrects with the living Gospel. First He produces in us tears of weeping, then He wipes them all away with the joy and jubilation of His presence and love.

"A little while and you will not see Me.... a little while and you will see Me." spoke the Lord to the 12. The beautiful "pattern" of faith continued (continues). In a little while the disciples would not physically "see" Jesus. What they would observe with their eye-balls would be His dead body hanging limp on the cross. What the world sees when it takes the time to look at this "Jesus Story" is just that-- "a wise and gentle teacher who preached acceptance and tolerance and who was murdered by religious zealots." The world neither understands faith, being the evidence of things "not seen," nor of repentance, the weeping over our sin which necessitated Jesus" passion and death.

Yes, for a little while He was unseen: "crucified, dead and buried." But the Lord had also spoken the truth: "A little while and you WILL see Me." Not seen again by the disciples till the evening of the Third Day. Oh was He "seen"then. Not only seen, but touched, wounds 'probed'. In that upper room the Lord ate fish and honey, and breathed the Very Spirit into the faces and souls of the apostles. But even then, the visible interaction with the Savior would only go one intermittently for another 40 days. After the Ascension, not only the disciples, but all of us New Testament Saints believe His words:"A little while and you will not see Me." The Lord has Ascended to Glory. Out of vision--but into faith!

Now we as His flock only "see" the Shepherd where He has deigned to be "seen:" in the preachment of His Holy Word and in the administration of His Holy Mysteries (absolving, washing, eating & drinking).

As long as the Lord's followers are in this world, weighed down by the "old-adam," buffeted by the temptations and results of sin, we will be like the disciples in vv 17 and 18. They were confused by His language of seeing and not-seeing: "we do not know what He is saying." Man's powers of observation and reasoning cannot apprehend the ways of God, only the Father can reveal His Gracious will to His children through His only-begotten Son, in the Spirit.

Christ assures us all: "you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice, and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy." This is literally true. Caiphas and the wicked Pharisees laughed, jeered and rejoiced while the Savior suffered and died-- all the while the disciples were weeping and lamenting. The disciples had their time of weeping; all through Good Friday and Holy Saturday; despondent and fearful until Easter eve when their grief was turned to joy. Jubilation. This is all eternally true as well. Christ's followers will always lament their sin and weep over their trespasses. We confess that we are sinful and unclean. We take Luther's advice and daily drown the "old -adam" in a continuing rhythm of confession. To this very day the "world" laughs, scorns, ridicules and revels in lawlessness, all the while you weep in contrition.

Brothers and sisters, the Psalmist speaks the truth: "...weeping may endure for a night. But joy comes in the morning." [Ps 30.5] Law always gives way to Gospel. Death gives way to life (at the font, and at the resurrection of all flesh). Lonliness gives way to re-union and fellowship with the saints (hereafter... but also here, this day). Tears give way to blessed smiles. Hunger will shortly give way to a supernal banquet. Confession and weeping always give way to Forgiveness and Jubilation.

Enough weeping for now. It is the Lord's Day. We preach Christ Crucifed... but for the forgiveness of Sins. Today is Easter all over again. It is time for the Feast of Love and Life. Believe Him when He says: "I will see you again and your heart will rejoice...and your joy, no one will take from you." See Him in His precious Body given for you. Taste Him in His sacred Blood shed for you. Rejoice as He loves you at Table and share your jubilation that you have been saved and brought home.