High Minded

By Dr. Eric C. Stumpf, Senior Pastor

Concordia Lutheran Church – Hammond, IN

Col. 3:1-11 + 29 July 2007 + 9^th Sunday in Pentecost

            Christ is Risen!  (Response) He is risen, indeed, Alleluia. 

            I bring you greetings and blessings from your brothers and sisters in St. Paul’s, Munster.  I know many of you are very concerned about your pastor’s health.  He faced a major operation Thursday and God-willing his healing will be complete and will soon because in the pulpit.  Meanwhile because of your love for your pastor you will keep him in your prayers, and give encouragement and help to his wife during these days.  It is with that in mind that I can say with all conviction, Christ is Risen!  (Response)  He is risen, indeed, Alleluia.

            In 1993 when the Missouri River flooded and ripped through Hardin, Missouri, the little town was nearly swept away.  Gone were the grain bins, city hall, houses, and stores.  The river also cared out a crater 50 feel deep where the cemetery use to be.  Swept away were the trees, the ornate brick entrance to the cemetery, and about 900 caskets and burial vaults.  Some of the caskets turned up down river, along the highways, railroad tracts, and bean fields.  Those who lost their homes also wept for the loss of their relatives’ remains, many of the bodies were never found.

            It was not a flood that swept through Jerusalem which destroyed the tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea.  This was not the reason Jesus’ body was not there.  No secret tomb holds his remains because Jesus has risen!

            The death and resurrection of Christ was the vision of God for the redemption of the world and our personal salvation.  This was accomplished in the person of Jesus.  The resurrection of Christ now gives us a vision to set our sights on, to know in him we have life and security in our future glory.  To set our minds on these high things, enables us to set our minds on the vision God has for us.

Satan Wants to Led Us Away From God’s Vision

            Satan desires nothing more than to lead us away from the hope God has for his people.  He does this by generating and supporting lies.  Satan began even before that first Easter morning.  When Jesus broke open the tomb the soldiers of Pilate were guarding, the soldiers ran and reported what they had seen.  They were told to tell others the disciples came and stole the body.  Satan provided a reasonable explanation which many, even today, still accept rather than the truth.  One of the New York Bestsellers is God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens.  He argues that the terrorists of 9/11 were who they were because of religion.  Then he begins to blame all religion for the troubles of the world.  “…it can be stated with certainty…that the Gospels are most certainly not…truth.”  He finally concludes everything bad is religious.  Hitchens’ point or Satan’s point does not square with the facts.  The disciples were in hiding, not lurking around like some special forces operatives going deep cover.  They did not stand up too well against the soldiers who came to arrest Jesus in the Garden, they did not find instant courage to assault the guards at the tomb.  But these disciples were transformed by the resurrected Christ and bore witness that they had seen him, touched him, ate with him, talked with him, and saw him ascend into heaven.  Ten of the eleven died defending this truth, not a hoax.  Christ has risen, he has risen indeed, alleluia.

            Another trick of the devil is to minimize the resurrection of Jesus as much as possible.  Periodically news magazines will feature Jesus on their covers with stories that sensationalizes the possibility that Jesus is not all that he appears to be.  In the infamous “Jesus Seminar,” made up of so called scholars, one Ph.D, a doctorate not in Biblical studies but in mathematics, is Paul Verhoeven, perhaps better known for being the film director of the X rated movie “Showgirls (1995),” winner of 7 Raspberry Awards, including Worst Director and Worst Picture of the year.  Mr. Verhoeven claimed to apply scientific judgments on the Gospel and concluded much is not true, especially the resurrection.  The “Jesus Seminar” could not hide the fact that their work was almost entirely unscientific, offering opinions based on no fact, but fanciful alternatives sure to sell their books and films to a gullible public.  While Satan has worked very hard to destroy the hope we have in the resurrection of Christ, the truth still marches on, and we still hold it close to our hearts.

            If anything, Satan assaults show our weakness and gullibility to be mislead.  Left to our sins and ignorance we would have no hope in life, we would be in despair, and find no forgiveness.  It is only the despair of our shortcomings which prepare us for the hope and rescue God gives to us.

Our Hope Is In the Truth

            Saint Paul in the epistle lesson gives us the hope we have in the resurrection of Christ.  Because he was raised from the dead, the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world were accepted by God.  Even more, because Jesus rose from the dead we have life which death can not take away, as death failed with the Son of God.  Paul even projected this into time, Since, then, you have been raised with Christ…  The action is complete and perfect.  This life now changes us, we set our hearts on things above, the vision for every Christian is to be empowered by the life of Christ, not just as a moral example, but the very means to life in this life.  Empowered by Christ we put way sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness.  We put away anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscenity, and lying to one another.  This is God at work in you through the power of the resurrection.  For, you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  Through our baptism we died with Christ, and now our life is hidden with Christ.

            This means that by ourselves we are weak mortals, unable to win against the lies of Satan, the power of our sinful flesh, the lure of the world.  We are like a thin stick, easily broken by a child.  But by the grace of God he takes us through our baptism, sets us inside the power and life of Christ, Joined in him we have strength of life beyond any comprehension, so no one can break us, separate us from the love of Christ.  He is Risen!

SDG