The shepherd's voice

Who is the shepherd here? It is not the good, faithful, orthodox pastor; Jesus is the shepherd. And there is a fundamental difference between Jesus and all Christian pastors. Jesus is the God-man, God in the flesh; and as such, He is our Savior. The pastor is not the Savior; the pastor points to the Savior. So the point of this text is not good pastors vs. bad pastors; it is that no one can love the sheep like Jesus loves them, because only He owns the sheep. ...

[L]ook at Jesus! ... He lays down His life for sheep who love to wander. There is no selfishness in Him, but love. That is the one who says, “Follow Me; listen to My voice.” He says it not to dominate you or control you, but because He knows what it best for you.

So that is what it means to be a Christian — to hear Christ’s Word and follow Him. You can’t do that on your own; He has put us all into one flock, one Church, and there is where He has promised to be. The Church is found not where things are hippest or smokiest, not where things are biggest or oldest, but where the Word is rightly preached and where that Word is joined to water, bread, and wine as Christ instituted it. The Church is institutional because Jesus instituted preaching and Sacraments; and the human aspects of that institution — meeting and bylaws and hierarchies — must always and only serve those things, the ways in which sheep hear the voice of Christ the Good Shepherd.

So what does the voice of your Good Shepherd say to you? He says,

Repent, and be baptized for the remission of your sins;

Repent, and sin no more.

I do not desire your death, but that you should turn from your wicked way and live.

Rejoice, your King comes to you!

I forgive you all your sins;

On this mountain I will prepare a feast of the choicest cuts of meat and the finest of wines;

I will wipe away every tear from every eye;

I will never leave you nor forsake you;

Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life;

Lazarus, come forth from your grave!

Little girl, I say to you, arise! Young man, I say to you, arise!

Take and eat, this is My body given for you;

Behold, I make all things new!

These are the things your Good Shepherd says to you. Those words are your life. All other words are innocuous but temporary and un-saving; or, they are devilishly deceptive and damning. Do not listen to them. Keep your ears tuned to the voice saying to you continually, “Repent! Follow Me!” and “I forgive you! Do not fear!”

From a recent sermon by Christopher Esget of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia — published on his blog. Read the whole thing.

Life of my life, death of my death

Jesu, meines Lebens Leben,
Jesu, meines Todes Tod,
Der du dich für mich gegeben
In die tiefste Seelennot,
In das äusserste Verderben,
Nur daß ich nicht möchte sterben:
Tausend, tausendmal sei dir,
Liebster Jesu, Dank dafür!


Jesu meines Lebens Leben, Ernst Homburg, 1687

Election

Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one,
And said: "I have given help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
I have found My servant David;
With my holy oil I have anointed him,
With whom My hand shall be established;
Also My arm shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
I will beat down his foes before his face,
And plague those who hate him.
But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,
And in My name his horn shall be exalted.
Also I will set his hand over the sea,
And his right hand over the rivers.
He shall cry to Me, 'You are my Father,
My God, and the rock of my salvation.'
Also I will make him My firstborn,
The highest of the kings of the earth.
My mercy I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall stand firm with him.
His seed also I will make to endure forever,
And his throne as the days of heaven.
If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
If they break My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes.
Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
My covenant I will not break,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:
His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me;
It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky."

From Psalm 89.

Redemption

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
   Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.

From Luke's gospel, ch. 21.

He finds you

This Gospel today is not for the righteous but for sinners, not for the healthy but for lepers, not for the rich but for the poor, not for the haughty but for the lowly. This Gospel gives you everything you sinners need in these little words: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

You cannot redeem yourself with those words. But lift up your voice, and your Redeemer will draw near. "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

You cannot bring back your lost child, your dead spouse.
You cannot rectify the missteps you have taken.
You cannot atone for your sins.
You cannot fix your marriage, sharpen your failing eyesight, bring back your fading memories.
You are the walking corpse, the leper who cannot even get close enough to Jesus for Him to hear you without shouting.

So shout, and keep on shouting. He hears you. Keep on knocking — the door will be opened. Keep on seeking, but know this: it is He who finds you. You lepers cannot draw near to Him, but He draws near to you.

From Sunday's sermon at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran in Alexandria, where I was a visitor this week. The whole sermon — not very long — is posted on Pastor Esget's blog.

Perseverance

He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."

Vocation

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live."

Gospel

"I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud arising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?"

Ehh ... you feeling alright, Jesus?