Text: Matt 16:21-28
Facebook Live: To die in Christ is life!
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Death is part of life. It’s heartbreaking. We see those we love … no more.
At times we can anticipate death and prepare for its arrival. Other times death is thrust upon us when we least expect it - leaving little or no time to prepare for the loss, confusion, and sorrow that is left behind.
At times death is met by denial.
No way! I don’t believe it! I was just with them!
Or … it is met with the sad question, “What’s in it for me?”
In our gospel for today and immediately following Peter’s confession of faith from last week that Pastor Merrell taught on, Jesus began to show his disciples [and to prepare them for death … his death] that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
Death was real for Jesus. He knew it would come; he knew his purpose in our redemption … but his disciples didn’t yet fully understand.
Certainly Peter didn’t. For what a change we see in Peter, as he goes from confessing: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Receiving praise from Christ for his good confession revealed to him by the Father through the working of the Holy Spirit to in the span of 4 short verses saying: “Never, Lord!” … “This shall never happen to you!”
So much for building the church on Peter the man as the stern rebuke of the Lord confirms …
23 … “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me;
But also for each one of us (you and me) as we too wrestle with the Saint / sinner dichotomy within us both redeemed in Christ and bound in sin.
So, Jesus tells Peter: “For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Human concerns though, are real; especially when they affect us and we’d rather not think about the one major human concern that we all have - death and the consequences it brings.
As one loved one said to me after the funeral of her deceased boyfriend:
“We didn’t make plans for this. This was so unexpected.”
We are a self aware people and many look to self when death is near. For me as a pastor and for those under my care, it can be heartbreaking. I am always reminded of those blessed departed souls – family and Peace members - that are no longer here having departed to be with the Lord.
Planning for a funeral for we who remain has changed in these trying times as well, not only are funeral services limited in number but many who take care of the affairs of the deceased are no longer active church members themselves or at times even believers so the emphasis has gone:
From the pastor and the church - to the funeral director and funeral home
From the reality of death seen in light of Christ and his resurrection - to a simple celebration of life
From death as our enemy - to death as our friend at times even over age and sickness
From the congregation of the saints - to simple family and friends
From the resurrection of the body imperishable - to the immortality of the soul
From burial - to cremation
Rev. William Cwirla Reformation Insights into the Pastoral Care of the Sick and Dying
These are just some of the changes I’ve seen inside and outside the church and as one who gets to proclaim Christ, to member and nonmember funerals alike, the trend has become similar.
Death becomes sanitized, life accomplishments heralded, and pictures of a life well lived celebrated.
It is good to celebrate life, it is a gift of God ... but so is eternal life.
But Jesus says in our gospel:
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
For the Christian, sin and death has been killed with Christ’s death. And we who have been brought to faith in Christ have been raised with him in his glorious resurrection to a life eternal. So as we deal with the impending death of a loved one or think about death and that reality that waits in our own lives, how should we think?
Martin Luther in a letter to his dying mother thought this way and wrote in this way:
“Dear death, dear sin, how is it that you are alive and terrify me? Do you not know that you have been overcome? Do you, Death, not know that you are quite dead? Do you not know the one who has said to you, “I have overcome the world?”
Luther’s letter to his dying mother (Letters of Spiritual counsel)
Death is not good and death was not God’s plan … for you. Death is a result of sin and the fall and we are born in sin and born to die.
How else could we understand the lunacy that is this broken and corrupt world we live in? - Who desire to kill children that are alive in the womb and the elderly whom society deems less than useful through abortion and euthanasia?
But there is good news for we who hope in Christ! We have overcome death because Christ has overcome death triumphing over it at the cross for you and me.
Our church, like the whole Christian church on earth, is a dying church; and I don’t just mean declining members that we see in the pews or online in the earthly sense, because for us - death – closes the temporal exposing the immortal. We depart this life for the life etermal.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. 1 Cor. 15:42-44
Our hope is in Christ, whether we depart this life to be with the Lord at death or the Lord returns to gather you and me, the wheat into his barns, we will be and we have the guarantee that we will be raised with the Lord and will be with the Lord forever.
Those whose hope is not in the Lord, have no hope at all.
As Luther writes in his preface to the Burial Hymns:
“Since they are beyond the pale of faith in Christ, they must either, cherish this temporal life as the only thing worthwhile and hate to lose it, or expect that after this life they will receive eternal death and the wrath of God in hell and must fear to go there.”
LW 53:325-326
It is in keeping with the text of our gospel today where Jesus says:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life [in this temporal and broken world] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake [by being made God’s child through the working of the Holy Spirit] will find it.
In keeping with that joyful understanding of losing our life for Christ’s sake and receiving life eternal as we in this life take up our own cross, l will recite again the 3rd verse from out sermon hymn.
708 Lord Thee I Love With All My Heart.
3 Lord, let at last Thine angels come,
To Abram's bosom bear me home,
That I may die unfearing;
And in its narrow chamber keep
My body safe in peaceful sleep
Until Thy reappearing.
And then from death awaken me
That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face,
My Savior and my fount of grace,
Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend,
And I will praise Thee without end.
Text and tune: Public domain
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Death is part of life. It’s heartbreaking. We see those we love … no more.
At times we can anticipate death and prepare for its arrival. Other times death is thrust upon us when we least expect it - leaving little or no time to prepare for the loss, confusion, and sorrow that is left behind.
At times death is met by denial.
No way! I don’t believe it! I was just with them!
Or … it is met with the sad question, “What’s in it for me?”
In our gospel for today and immediately following Peter’s confession of faith from last week that Pastor Merrell taught on, Jesus began to show his disciples [and to prepare them for death … his death] that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
Death was real for Jesus. He knew it would come; he knew his purpose in our redemption … but his disciples didn’t yet fully understand.
Certainly Peter didn’t. For what a change we see in Peter, as he goes from confessing: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Receiving praise from Christ for his good confession revealed to him by the Father through the working of the Holy Spirit to in the span of 4 short verses saying: “Never, Lord!” … “This shall never happen to you!”
So much for building the church on Peter the man as the stern rebuke of the Lord confirms …
23 … “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me;
But also for each one of us (you and me) as we too wrestle with the Saint / sinner dichotomy within us both redeemed in Christ and bound in sin.
So, Jesus tells Peter: “For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Human concerns though, are real; especially when they affect us and we’d rather not think about the one major human concern that we all have - death and the consequences it brings.
As one loved one said to me after the funeral of her deceased boyfriend:
“We didn’t make plans for this. This was so unexpected.”
We are a self aware people and many look to self when death is near. For me as a pastor and for those under my care, it can be heartbreaking. I am always reminded of those blessed departed souls – family and Peace members - that are no longer here having departed to be with the Lord.
Planning for a funeral for we who remain has changed in these trying times as well, not only are funeral services limited in number but many who take care of the affairs of the deceased are no longer active church members themselves or at times even believers so the emphasis has gone:
From the pastor and the church - to the funeral director and funeral home
From the reality of death seen in light of Christ and his resurrection - to a simple celebration of life
From death as our enemy - to death as our friend at times even over age and sickness
From the congregation of the saints - to simple family and friends
From the resurrection of the body imperishable - to the immortality of the soul
From burial - to cremation
Rev. William Cwirla Reformation Insights into the Pastoral Care of the Sick and Dying
These are just some of the changes I’ve seen inside and outside the church and as one who gets to proclaim Christ, to member and nonmember funerals alike, the trend has become similar.
Death becomes sanitized, life accomplishments heralded, and pictures of a life well lived celebrated.
It is good to celebrate life, it is a gift of God ... but so is eternal life.
But Jesus says in our gospel:
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
For the Christian, sin and death has been killed with Christ’s death. And we who have been brought to faith in Christ have been raised with him in his glorious resurrection to a life eternal. So as we deal with the impending death of a loved one or think about death and that reality that waits in our own lives, how should we think?
Martin Luther in a letter to his dying mother thought this way and wrote in this way:
“Dear death, dear sin, how is it that you are alive and terrify me? Do you not know that you have been overcome? Do you, Death, not know that you are quite dead? Do you not know the one who has said to you, “I have overcome the world?”
Luther’s letter to his dying mother (Letters of Spiritual counsel)
Death is not good and death was not God’s plan … for you. Death is a result of sin and the fall and we are born in sin and born to die.
How else could we understand the lunacy that is this broken and corrupt world we live in? - Who desire to kill children that are alive in the womb and the elderly whom society deems less than useful through abortion and euthanasia?
But there is good news for we who hope in Christ! We have overcome death because Christ has overcome death triumphing over it at the cross for you and me.
Our church, like the whole Christian church on earth, is a dying church; and I don’t just mean declining members that we see in the pews or online in the earthly sense, because for us - death – closes the temporal exposing the immortal. We depart this life for the life etermal.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. 1 Cor. 15:42-44
Our hope is in Christ, whether we depart this life to be with the Lord at death or the Lord returns to gather you and me, the wheat into his barns, we will be and we have the guarantee that we will be raised with the Lord and will be with the Lord forever.
Those whose hope is not in the Lord, have no hope at all.
As Luther writes in his preface to the Burial Hymns:
“Since they are beyond the pale of faith in Christ, they must either, cherish this temporal life as the only thing worthwhile and hate to lose it, or expect that after this life they will receive eternal death and the wrath of God in hell and must fear to go there.”
LW 53:325-326
It is in keeping with the text of our gospel today where Jesus says:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life [in this temporal and broken world] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake [by being made God’s child through the working of the Holy Spirit] will find it.
In keeping with that joyful understanding of losing our life for Christ’s sake and receiving life eternal as we in this life take up our own cross, l will recite again the 3rd verse from out sermon hymn.
708 Lord Thee I Love With All My Heart.
3 Lord, let at last Thine angels come,
To Abram's bosom bear me home,
That I may die unfearing;
And in its narrow chamber keep
My body safe in peaceful sleep
Until Thy reappearing.
And then from death awaken me
That these mine eyes with joy may see,
O Son of God, Thy glorious face,
My Savior and my fount of grace,
Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend,
And I will praise Thee without end.
Text and tune: Public domain
In the name of the Father, and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
