“Jesus Christ is Our Transfer Ticket”
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
Dear fellow rescued, redeemed, and reconciled sinners, grace,
mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. [Amen.]
“Paschal Lamb, Your off’ring finished
Once for all when You were slain,
In its fullness undiminished
Shall forevermore remain.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Cleansing souls from ev’ry stain;
Cleansing souls from ev’ry stain.”
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
534:3)
Epistle
Reading....................................................................................
Colossians 1:13-14
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the
kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of
sins.
Prologue: While living in West Berlin, Germany, where I served
my tour of duty in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, I
frequently rode the public transit system which, by the way, military
personnel were allowed to ride for free when in uniform. (And anyone who
knows me well knows that I like “free”!) The system was a combination of
above ground busses and underground subway trains.
The routes ran throughout the whole city, but no one route covered
its entire length or width. I often had to transfer from one bus to another
or a bus to a subway train or a subway train to a bus. When not in uniform
I had to have a “transfer ticket” in order to get from my starting place to
my destination.
A Christian’s life-journey is from earth to heaven and a “transfer
ticket” to do so is necessary. That “transfer ticket” is not a person’s
family heritage, good works, or denominational affiliation. The only
“transfer ticket” to get from earth to heaven is Jesus Christ, who travelled
from heaven to earth to rescue, redeem, and reconcile sinners like you and
me.
[Tomorrow / Today] is the last day of this, yet another, church
year. “It’s also known as the ‘Sunday of the Fulfillment’ which signifies
that in Jesus Christ all things have been fulfilled and we now await His
return to judge the living and the dead. And, it’s also known as ‘Christ
the King Sunday’ which signifies that Jesus Christ is the supreme King, Who
continues to provide for, protect, and direct His church (that is, all
Christians) here on earth until He returns on the Last Day to lift us to
eternal life with Himself in heaven.” (My sermon on November 21, 2004.)
In his explanation to The Second Petition of The Lord’s Prayer
(“Thy kingdom come”), Martin Luther wrote: “The kingdom of God certainly
comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may
come to us also.” In addition, “The kingdom of God is His ruling as king
over the whole universe (kingdom of power), the church on earth (kingdom of
grace), and the church and angels in heaven (kingdom of glory).” (Luther’s
Small Catechism with Explanation. Copyright © 1986, 1991 Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page184.)
Perhaps we can accurately summarize all that by simply saying that
the Last Sunday in the Church Year crowns the church year by reminding us
and emphasizing that, like the Holy Scriptures themselves, it’s all about
Jesus Himself, the Christ of God, who is at the same time both Judge and
King. His kingship was testified to at His crucifixion as we heard in today’s
Gospel Reading: “The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him
sour wine and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’
There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’” (St
Luke 23: 36-38 ESV)
After all, He, in fact, fulfilled everything that the Father
demanded of Him for the rescue, redemption, and reconciliation of sinful
mankind. In Him alone forgiveness of our sins, healing of our sin-sick
souls, and certain assurance of eternal life with Him in heaven have been
gained for all people and all who by Spirit-given faith cling to Him alone
as Lord and Savior receive the blessed benefit of it. So it is that today’s
Epistle Reading reminds us that …
“Jesus Christ is Our Transfer Ticket”
that’s necessary for us to journey from this sin-filled earth to sin-less
heaven. In reflection on that reality, let’s first of all consider that …
I. Christ’s Person and Work Reveal God To Us. (15-17)
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things
were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in
him all things hold together.
Do we really recognize the revelation reality that the person and
work of Jesus Christ reveal God to us!? That message is contained in the
most sacred Old Testament name for God that appears some 5,000 times,
namely, “Yahweh.” That name transmitted the identity-message: “The God, who
would reveal Himself in the person and work of the coming Messiah.” Of
course, that was none other than Immanuel … Jesus, whom His cousin John the
Baptizer declared to be “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world.” (St John 1:29 ESV) And that very “Lamb of God” was referred to in
today’s Gradual: “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
(Rev 7:14b ESV)
That most holy name of God was prominent in today’s Old Testament
Reading, where the word Lord appeared in all upper case letters: “Then those
who feared the Lord [Yahweh] spoke with one another. The Lord [Yahweh] paid
attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him
of those who feared the Lord [Yahweh] and esteemed his name. ‘They shall be
mine,’ says the Lord [Yahweh] of hosts, ‘in the day when I make up my
treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who
serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the
righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not
serve him.’” (Mal 3:16-18 ESV) In addition, it was prominent in today’s
Introit as well: “Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord
[Yahweh]! May the Lord [Yahweh] bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and
earth!” (Ps 134:2-3 ESV)
While that’s great and wonderful news, there’s still more! Saint
Paul informed the Colossians then and us today that …
II. Christ Reconciled Us to God, Whose Fullness Dwells in Him. (18-20)
18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For
in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him to
reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace
by the blood of his cross.
In his devotion entitled “The Cross, God’s Judgment Tree,” the
Reverend Rudolph F. Norden wrote: “Many things have been transacted under
trees. Under the Washington Elm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, George
Washington took command of the Continental troops. Under the Treaty Tree in
Texas, Stephen F. Austin signed boundary agreements with the Indians. The
Peace Tree on San Juan Hill in Cuba marked the spot where Col. Theodore
Roosevelt and the Rough Riders dislodged the enemy from his stronghold.
“But no tree ever saw a greater event than the accursed tree—Calvary’s
cross. There Jesus was crucified, having been made a curse for us that we
might be redeemed from the curse of the Law; and then He rose again. St.
Peter told the council members who voted for Jesus’ death, ‘The God of our
fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging Him on a
tree’ (Acts 5:30).
“The cross was a Judgment Tree. On it Jesus endured the judgment of
death, which the righteous God demanded of all sinners. Jesus, the sinners’
substitute, suffered death on the cross. But by that act sinners are
declared just; they escape the judgment of death through faith in Jesus as
their Savior. The Judgment Tree becomes the Peace Tree, the tree that
brought peace with God.” (Rudolph F. Norden in Each Day with Jesus: Daily
Devotions through the Year. Copyright © 1994 Concordia Publishing House,
St. Louis, MO. Page 123.)
Saint Paul succinctly stated it this way: “Christ redeemed us from
the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed
is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” (Gal 3:13 ESV) Saint Peter boldly
declared: “[Christ] Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we
might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been
healed.” (1 Pet 2:24 ESV) All of that was in fulfillment of God’s
salvation-prophecy-promise He made to Adam and Eve when He told Satan: “I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and
her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you will bruise His heel.”
(Gen 3:15 ESV)
You see, the virgin-born human man, Jesus Christ, was also fully
God as attested to by His divine names, divine attributes, divine works, and
the divine glory He received all of which God alone possessed. He at the
same time possessed more sins than any sinful person that roamed, roams, or
will roam the earth since He carried on His back the sins of all people of
all time (including yours and mine) and yet was totally holy … completely
without sin. He is the One who reconciled us to almighty God as described
by Isaiah: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we
esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded
for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the
chastisement that brought us peace [reconciled us to God], and with His
stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5 ESV)
In the context of all that together with our annual National Day
of Thanksgiving coming this Thursday, we are reminded of the following
truth: “In St. Mary’s Church, Cambridge, England, there is a hassock with
these [two] words embroidered on it: ‘Think—thank!’ If we, the children of
God by faith in Jesus Christ and the heirs of eternal life, stopped to think
more of God’s mercy and love toward us, we would thank Him more.”
(Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations. Compiled by David F. Burgess.
Copyright © 1988 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 93.)
So, on this The Last Sunday in the Church Year—also known as
Christ the King Sunday and Sunday of the Fulfillment—as we bid a fond
farewell to yet another church year let’s joyfully think about and thank God
that …
“Jesus Christ is Our Transfer Ticket.”
He alone is the One in and through whom we endure this temporal
life filled with trials and tribulations, heartaches and despairs, failures
and disappointments; depart it at God’s determined time; and enter eternal
glory in the heavenly mansions that Jesus is even now preparing for us. As
we await that transfer, let’s continually bear in mind that …
I. Christ’s Person and Work Reveal God To Us. (15-17) He does so in
the reading and hearing of God’s Holy Word, the Blessed Sacrament of Holy
Baptism, the declaration of Holy Absolution, and the Blessed Sacrament of
Holy Communion. At the same time let’s also continually remember and freely
share with one another and others that …
II. Christ Reconciled Us to God, Whose Fullness Dwells in Him. (18-20)
As we do so, let’s carry securely in our hearts and minds that recognition
and request that we prayed in today’s Collect: “Lord Jesus Christ, You reign
among us by the preaching of Your cross. Forgive Your people their offenses
that we, being governed by Your bountiful goodness, may enter at last into
Your eternal paradise.”
God grant it all for the sake of Jesus Christ, His humble Son, our
holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[Amen.]
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