Easter 4 – Jubilate (Baptism of Tessa Anderson @ CLH) April 30, 2023
John 16:16-22
Sorrow and Joy in the Sight of the Lord
v.22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear friends in Christ, today is a day of great joy and celebration! Indeed, the ancient Latin name for this Sunday is Jubilate—joy/rejoice! A perfect name for a Sunday in the season of Easter in which we rejoice in our Lord Jesus' resurrection from the dead. A day made even more joyful as we were blessed to receive Tessa Anderson into our fellowship of faith through Holy Baptism at CLH.
Indeed, joy and gladness fill our hearts as God has added yet another precious child to His kingdom through the washing of water with the Word. What a day for the whole church to celebrate—not just family and friends. For we have a new sister in Christ in our midst. One who has been forgiven all her sins and raised to everlasting life by the power of Christ's Word at work in her heart. Truly, God be praised!
As wonderful as these moments of joyful celebration are for us in the Christian church, yet we remain mindful that the Christian life is not always one of "Happy happy, joy joy." Indeed, just one week ago, even in the midst of our celebration of Tessa's cousin Bowen's baptism, yet we were reminded of the dreadfulness of this broken world. For Tessa and Bowen's great-grandfather, Ed Kaun, died. He was a dear member of our church family, and we grieve at the pain his loss brings into our lives, even as we realize that one day we too will die, for "the wages of sin is death" as St. Paul writes in Romans 6:23. For now, it seems, death has won. And though we are surrounded by new life in Christ through Baptism, yet death haunts us closely, baring its fangs and causing us grief.
This was the very situation our Lord Jesus was preparing His disciples for in our text. For Jesus is teaching His disciples on the night in which He will be betrayed into suffering and death. In mere hours Jesus will be arrested, tortured, crucified, die and be buried in a tomb. As Jesus told them (John 16:16a and 20a), "A little while and you will see me no longer…Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice…"
When Jesus is taken from them—publicly shamed and executed—placed in a tomb—the enemies of Jesus will rejoice. They will shout and cheer in their apparent victory over this troublesome rabbi from Galilee. And while the religious authorities celebrate, Jesus' own disciples will weep and lament. For He will be dead, sealed in a cold dark tomb, surrounded by guards, and they will see Him no longer. Again, the victory of death seems absolute, and brings sorrow and grief to troubled hearts.
But Jesus does not end His preaching there. No indeed, He preaches hope and joy! For as John records (16:16b…20b), "…and again a little while, and you will see me…You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy." So, death does NOT have the final word, but rather the Lord of Life. Indeed, though Jesus would rest in the tomb, yet it would only be for a little while—three short days—and then He would rise triumphant from the grave and He would see His disciples once again, turning their sorrow into great joy!
Beloved, when the risen Christ beholds you, there is always joy, even in the midst of sorrow. For Jesus' victory over sin and death grants us hope and peace. For we know that though "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Jesus' death on the cross has paid for your sin—every sin—from little Tessa's sins—to Ed's—to yours and mine. Jesus took all of our sins into Himself on the cross to suffer the wrath of God—the full payment for sin which is death. Your debt of sin has been paid in full—your ledger has been cleared by the blood of Jesus shed on your behalf. And now that He has risen from the dead, so too does He promise that same resurrection life to all who believe.
This means that whenever you and I are brought down by our sins—afflicted with shame and guilt—when the world rages against us—even when death itself plagues us—yet we still have hope and joy. For we know our risen Lord Jesus sees us. He has conquered our enemies for us, and promises that we too shall arise from the dead on the Last Day.
Truly, our trials and tribulations—our sorrows and sins—even our deaths—will last but a little while. For we belong to Jesus—He who has risen from the grave. Again, as Paul writes earlier in Romans 6(:4-5), "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." Having been baptized into Christ's death and resurrection like Tessa was this morning, joy may now always fill our hearts, no matter what we experience. For the power of Christ's own resurrection fills us with perpetual joy, hope, and peace.
Joy that forgiveness of sins and eternal life have been gifted to us by faith through Holy Baptism. Hope that we will be reunited with all those whom we love who have died in the faith. Peace knowing that the devil, the world, and even our own sinful flesh cannot rob us of the great gifts and promises of God fulfilled in Christ Jesus' death and resurrection. For Tessa and all the baptized faithful (you and me) have already received the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. The gift that has been fulfilled for our dear brother Ed.
Furthermore, all the suffering, anguish, weeping, and lamenting that we endure this side of heaven will no longer be remembered on the Day of Resurrection. As Jesus says, "When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you." So, like a woman giving birth, these pains we experience in this fallen world of sin are passing away, to be replaced with insurmountable joy.
For you are seen by the risen Lord Jesus. He looks upon you each and every day. And you behold Him in His blessed Word and Sacraments. His blood has set you free from sin and death. His blood and righteousness grant you eternal life. And so, you truly do have joy that will last not but a little while, but forever and ever. As stanza 6 of our first Communion hymn considers the resurrection power of Jesus (LSB 633), "Now no more can death appall, Now no more the grave enthrall; You have opened paradise, And your saints in You shall rise. Alleluia!" What blessed joy! For Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
John 16:16-22
Sorrow and Joy in the Sight of the Lord
v.22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Dear friends in Christ, today is a day of great joy and celebration! Indeed, the ancient Latin name for this Sunday is Jubilate—joy/rejoice! A perfect name for a Sunday in the season of Easter in which we rejoice in our Lord Jesus' resurrection from the dead. A day made even more joyful as we were blessed to receive Tessa Anderson into our fellowship of faith through Holy Baptism at CLH.
Indeed, joy and gladness fill our hearts as God has added yet another precious child to His kingdom through the washing of water with the Word. What a day for the whole church to celebrate—not just family and friends. For we have a new sister in Christ in our midst. One who has been forgiven all her sins and raised to everlasting life by the power of Christ's Word at work in her heart. Truly, God be praised!
As wonderful as these moments of joyful celebration are for us in the Christian church, yet we remain mindful that the Christian life is not always one of "Happy happy, joy joy." Indeed, just one week ago, even in the midst of our celebration of Tessa's cousin Bowen's baptism, yet we were reminded of the dreadfulness of this broken world. For Tessa and Bowen's great-grandfather, Ed Kaun, died. He was a dear member of our church family, and we grieve at the pain his loss brings into our lives, even as we realize that one day we too will die, for "the wages of sin is death" as St. Paul writes in Romans 6:23. For now, it seems, death has won. And though we are surrounded by new life in Christ through Baptism, yet death haunts us closely, baring its fangs and causing us grief.
This was the very situation our Lord Jesus was preparing His disciples for in our text. For Jesus is teaching His disciples on the night in which He will be betrayed into suffering and death. In mere hours Jesus will be arrested, tortured, crucified, die and be buried in a tomb. As Jesus told them (John 16:16a and 20a), "A little while and you will see me no longer…Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice…"
When Jesus is taken from them—publicly shamed and executed—placed in a tomb—the enemies of Jesus will rejoice. They will shout and cheer in their apparent victory over this troublesome rabbi from Galilee. And while the religious authorities celebrate, Jesus' own disciples will weep and lament. For He will be dead, sealed in a cold dark tomb, surrounded by guards, and they will see Him no longer. Again, the victory of death seems absolute, and brings sorrow and grief to troubled hearts.
But Jesus does not end His preaching there. No indeed, He preaches hope and joy! For as John records (16:16b…20b), "…and again a little while, and you will see me…You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy." So, death does NOT have the final word, but rather the Lord of Life. Indeed, though Jesus would rest in the tomb, yet it would only be for a little while—three short days—and then He would rise triumphant from the grave and He would see His disciples once again, turning their sorrow into great joy!
Beloved, when the risen Christ beholds you, there is always joy, even in the midst of sorrow. For Jesus' victory over sin and death grants us hope and peace. For we know that though "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Jesus' death on the cross has paid for your sin—every sin—from little Tessa's sins—to Ed's—to yours and mine. Jesus took all of our sins into Himself on the cross to suffer the wrath of God—the full payment for sin which is death. Your debt of sin has been paid in full—your ledger has been cleared by the blood of Jesus shed on your behalf. And now that He has risen from the dead, so too does He promise that same resurrection life to all who believe.
This means that whenever you and I are brought down by our sins—afflicted with shame and guilt—when the world rages against us—even when death itself plagues us—yet we still have hope and joy. For we know our risen Lord Jesus sees us. He has conquered our enemies for us, and promises that we too shall arise from the dead on the Last Day.
Truly, our trials and tribulations—our sorrows and sins—even our deaths—will last but a little while. For we belong to Jesus—He who has risen from the grave. Again, as Paul writes earlier in Romans 6(:4-5), "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." Having been baptized into Christ's death and resurrection like Tessa was this morning, joy may now always fill our hearts, no matter what we experience. For the power of Christ's own resurrection fills us with perpetual joy, hope, and peace.
Joy that forgiveness of sins and eternal life have been gifted to us by faith through Holy Baptism. Hope that we will be reunited with all those whom we love who have died in the faith. Peace knowing that the devil, the world, and even our own sinful flesh cannot rob us of the great gifts and promises of God fulfilled in Christ Jesus' death and resurrection. For Tessa and all the baptized faithful (you and me) have already received the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. The gift that has been fulfilled for our dear brother Ed.
Furthermore, all the suffering, anguish, weeping, and lamenting that we endure this side of heaven will no longer be remembered on the Day of Resurrection. As Jesus says, "When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you." So, like a woman giving birth, these pains we experience in this fallen world of sin are passing away, to be replaced with insurmountable joy.
For you are seen by the risen Lord Jesus. He looks upon you each and every day. And you behold Him in His blessed Word and Sacraments. His blood has set you free from sin and death. His blood and righteousness grant you eternal life. And so, you truly do have joy that will last not but a little while, but forever and ever. As stanza 6 of our first Communion hymn considers the resurrection power of Jesus (LSB 633), "Now no more can death appall, Now no more the grave enthrall; You have opened paradise, And your saints in You shall rise. Alleluia!" What blessed joy! For Alleluia! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.