Easter 2 - Quasimodo Geniti April 11, 2021
1 John 5:4-10
Born of the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood
v.4, 7-8 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith...For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear friends in Christ, today we saw in our O.T. reading the vivid imagery of the vision of Ezekiel being taken by the Spirit to a valley full of dry, dead bones. He is asked the pivotal question, "Son of man, can these bones live?" It is a question that we who live in this sinful and broken world often ask ourselves as well. When we look at the devastation and death, heartache and sorrow, that exists in this life (whether in a pandemic or not), we are left to wonder whether there is any hope for us--can these dry, dusty, dead bones--bones aching with pain and sorrow over abuse, neglect, broken relationships, disease, death, etc. Can these bones live again? Can they be raised to new life?
St. John answers that question beautifully for us in our epistle reading, "For everyone who has been borne of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith...for there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree." Can our bones, corrupted by sin and afflicted by evil, ever live again? Can the bones of our loved ones, placed into the ground upon their death, ever rise to life once more? The answer is a resounding "YES!" How? By being born of God through the Spirit the water and the blood.
What does that mean? We are blessed to see this very miracle take place at each and every Baptism. "Yeah, so what...big deal...just a little bit of water and getting somebody's hair wet--what good does that do?" If it was just plain water--no different than when you jump in the shower or go swimming at the lake--nothing whatsoever. But this water of Baptism is no plain and simple water. For it is water combined with God's Word of command and promise.
The Holy Spirit works through the water and the Word to pour out the blood of Jesus upon all who receive this sacred Baptism in faith. What a joyous day is our Baptismal birthday! For each person who is baptized receives full forgiveness for all sins and a promise of eternal life and salvation. They have been born anew--born of God--by God--who has breathed His life into their bodies and souls by His Spirit working through His Holy Word.
You see, by virtue of our original sinful condition that we are conceived and born in apart from God, death reigned in our hearts--and plagues our bodies still. The devil himself desires to keep people apart from faith in Jesus Christ. But now, by the working of the Holy Spirit in Baptism--faith, hope, and love reign in a person's heart--your heart, my heart—every believing and baptized Christian's heart. A love OF God and FOR God. A love strengthened in the mercy and grace of God given to us in Jesus that leads us to love our neighbour selflessly in what we think, say, and do--a love that trusts in our heavenly Father to forgive us for the sake of His Son, even when we fall short of loving our neighbour as He commands.
Without Jesus we are all just a bag of dead, dry, dusty old bones like Ezekiel saw in his vision. Separated from God's love and mercy in Christ, people are but desiccated husks with no life or vitality in us at all. But connected to Jesus in Baptismal faith, we live a different story. John says in the verses following our epistle reading, "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life."
That's it. Can we who are sinners still hope to have everlasting life? Can our loved ones--baptized into Christ and now buried in the cold, hard, ground, live again? Yes. Through faith in the Son of God. How do we receive the assurance of this faith? Well...I'm sure you remember the children's song, "Dem Bones." Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones, now shake dem skeleton bones! The toe bone's connected to the foot bone, the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone, etc."
Well, beloved, the "faith bone's connected to the Baptism bone," as it were. In Holy Baptism, the Spirit works through the water and the Word to give us the blood of Jesus who was raised from the dead--and to bring us to faith in Him. As Dr. Luther once explained regarding this statement by John concerning the testimony and agreement of the Spirit, the water, and the blood, "The water cannot be proclaimed without the blood. Nor is the blood of Christ given without the water of Baptism. Besides, the blood and the water do not come to us except at the instance of the Holy Spirit, who is in the Word. Therefore these three cannot be separated, but the three do one thing...For these three constantly accompany one another, and through the Word a daily immersion and perpetual Baptism takes place, a perpetual shedding of the blood of Christ and of the Holy Spirit, a continual cleansing from sins" (AE 30:315).
Wow! This testimony of God in Baptism gives us Jesus' blood for the cleansing of all sins--over and over and over again--to both create--and strengthen--faith in peoples' hearts. That's why I try to encourage each of you as we gather to make the sign of the cross as we begin each service in remembrance of our Baptism--for Baptism--though a washing of water and the Word--cleanses from sin because it connects us to the cross of Jesus and the blood that He shed there for the forgiveness of our sins. This is why I so often rest my hand on the Baptismal font while pronouncing holy absolution to you--for the forgiveness you receive in absolution is also connected to--and founded upon--your Baptism into Christ.
This is of extreme comfort and joy for the Christian because life is not always good or easy. There are many bumps in the road and steep valleys in the journey of this life filled with darkness, despair, and death. Whether it's the doctor's diagnosis of cancer--or family discord that leads to painful separation and arguments, leading maybe to the death of a marriage in divorce--or perhaps it is realization that one's dreams of the future direction of one's life have died because cold, hard reality regarding economic, familial, or health situations have forced our lives in certain directions--Yet the Christian is always filled with hope and joy and peace in believing. Not because the life of the Christian is always good or easy, filled with unicorns and rainbows--but rather because of the promises of our God given to us in Baptism, signed, sealed, and delivered by the blood of Jesus are absolutely sure and certain, no matter what!
For the Spirit, the water, and the blood testify that having been baptized into Christ Jesus we are conquerors and victors over whatever the world may throw our way--sin and death have been trampled underfoot--even the devil has been cast out of our hearts! Not because we are suddenly so perfect or special or wonderful--far from it. This side of heaven we will always remain 100% sinner. But, as Baptized, believing Christians we will also remain 100% justified before God--through faith in Jesus Christ who shed His blood for us. In Baptism, we have put on Jesus--put on Him who truly is Perfect, Special, and Wonderful.
As St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by Baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His."
As one Easter hymn beautifully confesses, "Alleluia, Christ is risen! Death at last has met defeat: See the ancient pow'rs of evil In confusion and retreat; Once He died, and once was buried: Now He lives forevermore, Jesus Christ, the world's Redeemer, Whom we worship and adore" (LSB 477 v.2). You who believe and are baptized have put on Jesus Christ, been born again, and are victors in all things--over sin, the devil, and even death itself! The Spirit, the water, and the blood of Jesus all testify and agree. For Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
1 John 5:4-10
Born of the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood
v.4, 7-8 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith...For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear friends in Christ, today we saw in our O.T. reading the vivid imagery of the vision of Ezekiel being taken by the Spirit to a valley full of dry, dead bones. He is asked the pivotal question, "Son of man, can these bones live?" It is a question that we who live in this sinful and broken world often ask ourselves as well. When we look at the devastation and death, heartache and sorrow, that exists in this life (whether in a pandemic or not), we are left to wonder whether there is any hope for us--can these dry, dusty, dead bones--bones aching with pain and sorrow over abuse, neglect, broken relationships, disease, death, etc. Can these bones live again? Can they be raised to new life?
St. John answers that question beautifully for us in our epistle reading, "For everyone who has been borne of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith...for there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree." Can our bones, corrupted by sin and afflicted by evil, ever live again? Can the bones of our loved ones, placed into the ground upon their death, ever rise to life once more? The answer is a resounding "YES!" How? By being born of God through the Spirit the water and the blood.
What does that mean? We are blessed to see this very miracle take place at each and every Baptism. "Yeah, so what...big deal...just a little bit of water and getting somebody's hair wet--what good does that do?" If it was just plain water--no different than when you jump in the shower or go swimming at the lake--nothing whatsoever. But this water of Baptism is no plain and simple water. For it is water combined with God's Word of command and promise.
The Holy Spirit works through the water and the Word to pour out the blood of Jesus upon all who receive this sacred Baptism in faith. What a joyous day is our Baptismal birthday! For each person who is baptized receives full forgiveness for all sins and a promise of eternal life and salvation. They have been born anew--born of God--by God--who has breathed His life into their bodies and souls by His Spirit working through His Holy Word.
You see, by virtue of our original sinful condition that we are conceived and born in apart from God, death reigned in our hearts--and plagues our bodies still. The devil himself desires to keep people apart from faith in Jesus Christ. But now, by the working of the Holy Spirit in Baptism--faith, hope, and love reign in a person's heart--your heart, my heart—every believing and baptized Christian's heart. A love OF God and FOR God. A love strengthened in the mercy and grace of God given to us in Jesus that leads us to love our neighbour selflessly in what we think, say, and do--a love that trusts in our heavenly Father to forgive us for the sake of His Son, even when we fall short of loving our neighbour as He commands.
Without Jesus we are all just a bag of dead, dry, dusty old bones like Ezekiel saw in his vision. Separated from God's love and mercy in Christ, people are but desiccated husks with no life or vitality in us at all. But connected to Jesus in Baptismal faith, we live a different story. John says in the verses following our epistle reading, "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life."
That's it. Can we who are sinners still hope to have everlasting life? Can our loved ones--baptized into Christ and now buried in the cold, hard, ground, live again? Yes. Through faith in the Son of God. How do we receive the assurance of this faith? Well...I'm sure you remember the children's song, "Dem Bones." Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones, now shake dem skeleton bones! The toe bone's connected to the foot bone, the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone, etc."
Well, beloved, the "faith bone's connected to the Baptism bone," as it were. In Holy Baptism, the Spirit works through the water and the Word to give us the blood of Jesus who was raised from the dead--and to bring us to faith in Him. As Dr. Luther once explained regarding this statement by John concerning the testimony and agreement of the Spirit, the water, and the blood, "The water cannot be proclaimed without the blood. Nor is the blood of Christ given without the water of Baptism. Besides, the blood and the water do not come to us except at the instance of the Holy Spirit, who is in the Word. Therefore these three cannot be separated, but the three do one thing...For these three constantly accompany one another, and through the Word a daily immersion and perpetual Baptism takes place, a perpetual shedding of the blood of Christ and of the Holy Spirit, a continual cleansing from sins" (AE 30:315).
Wow! This testimony of God in Baptism gives us Jesus' blood for the cleansing of all sins--over and over and over again--to both create--and strengthen--faith in peoples' hearts. That's why I try to encourage each of you as we gather to make the sign of the cross as we begin each service in remembrance of our Baptism--for Baptism--though a washing of water and the Word--cleanses from sin because it connects us to the cross of Jesus and the blood that He shed there for the forgiveness of our sins. This is why I so often rest my hand on the Baptismal font while pronouncing holy absolution to you--for the forgiveness you receive in absolution is also connected to--and founded upon--your Baptism into Christ.
This is of extreme comfort and joy for the Christian because life is not always good or easy. There are many bumps in the road and steep valleys in the journey of this life filled with darkness, despair, and death. Whether it's the doctor's diagnosis of cancer--or family discord that leads to painful separation and arguments, leading maybe to the death of a marriage in divorce--or perhaps it is realization that one's dreams of the future direction of one's life have died because cold, hard reality regarding economic, familial, or health situations have forced our lives in certain directions--Yet the Christian is always filled with hope and joy and peace in believing. Not because the life of the Christian is always good or easy, filled with unicorns and rainbows--but rather because of the promises of our God given to us in Baptism, signed, sealed, and delivered by the blood of Jesus are absolutely sure and certain, no matter what!
For the Spirit, the water, and the blood testify that having been baptized into Christ Jesus we are conquerors and victors over whatever the world may throw our way--sin and death have been trampled underfoot--even the devil has been cast out of our hearts! Not because we are suddenly so perfect or special or wonderful--far from it. This side of heaven we will always remain 100% sinner. But, as Baptized, believing Christians we will also remain 100% justified before God--through faith in Jesus Christ who shed His blood for us. In Baptism, we have put on Jesus--put on Him who truly is Perfect, Special, and Wonderful.
As St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by Baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His."
As one Easter hymn beautifully confesses, "Alleluia, Christ is risen! Death at last has met defeat: See the ancient pow'rs of evil In confusion and retreat; Once He died, and once was buried: Now He lives forevermore, Jesus Christ, the world's Redeemer, Whom we worship and adore" (LSB 477 v.2). You who believe and are baptized have put on Jesus Christ, been born again, and are victors in all things--over sin, the devil, and even death itself! The Spirit, the water, and the blood of Jesus all testify and agree. For Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.