Easter 6 Rogate

Good Shepherd

2004 Pass Rd, Biloxi, MS 39531

Draft Num 21:4–9; Js 1:22–27; Jn 16:23–33; Ps 107:1–9; anti.: v. 19   –     5/10/26

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus said, the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.We are one week away from Ascension Sunday when our Lord Jesus returns to heaven to take up His seat of power with God the Father yet again where the Man Jesus will reign over the whole universe. We are two weeks away from Pentecost when God the Father and our Lord Jesus send God the Holy Spirit to the Church Who reminds the Apostles of all that Christ said and did, and through their preaching of these men and the witnessing of all Christians to their neighbors the Holy Spirit enlightens the hearts of the lost so that they may be saved. But that is not all the Holy Spirit does for He also leads all Christians to walk in the good works that He has prepared for us beforehand (Eph 2:10). We are laborers sent out into the field while our Master is away overseeing the Kingdom; our work is to plant seeds and water, the Holy Spirit will cause the growth.

While we await the return of our Lord St. James warns us, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. St. James is not saying that by doing God’s Word we are saved, but he is saying that once Christ has saved us from our sins we must be doers of God’s Word or else we will lose the righteousness which God has given us. A fellow named Andreas says, “If someone is a hearer of the word only and does not confirm it by his deeds, he will lose the word as well, for it will slip through his fingers and disappear.” (Catena) That is St. James’ meaning, that you can be like the seed that falls among the rocks or the thorns. At one time you believe, but the cares of the world, the fear of persecution, or the love of wealth weaken and destroy your faith. The remedy for such danger is knowledge of God’s Word, and the persistent effort to keep it.

What then is this work that the Holy Spirit is preparing for you and me and all Christians? St. James tells us one of these works when he says, If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. First he says we must bridle our tongues, and then we must not deceive our hearts, presumably with what we are saying. The simple meaning is that we must watch what we say and speak only the truth. Were you to read the book of Psalms or Proverbs, as God commands you to do, you would see repeated warnings about using the tongue for flattery, for boasting, for slander combined with the command, What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (Ps 34:12–14).  And St. James himself warns about the danger of the tongue two chapters later, the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell (3:5–6). Let your words, then, be of truth, be uplifting, and be of Christ and not your own glory or that of another. For when you flatter you lie to gain an advantage which God has not granted you, that is sin. When you boast of yourself you sin and deceive yourself. When you call others names, when you harm someone’s reputation, when you speak rumors about others you are a gossip and sinner. These are not the good works the Holy Spirit is preparing for you.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. There are many other good works which St. James could have included, but these are enough to learn today. As many of you know, part of my vocation as pastor is to visit each of you to help you in your devotions, to bring you the Lord’s Supper if needed, or learn of your needs for prayer, but especially I am supposed to visit the sick, the shut-in, and the widows and widowers. I have not visited all of you yet, so please remind me or invite me over if I have not visited with you and your family yet. St. James would remind you here though that God has not called only pastors visit those who are lonely or in need. The Holy Spirit has also called you to care for those among us who are widowed, deprived of parents, sick, or merely lonely. Who in your family, your friends, or your brothers and sister in Christ here at Good Shepherd could use the encouragement of having you bring cookies, or cook a meal, or simply come to talk? Think about that today.

St. Augustine says, “Neither I nor any other preacher can see into your hearts . . . but God is looking, for nothing can be hidden from him. . . . Do not deceive yourselves by coming eagerly to hear the Word and then failing to do it. If it is a good thing to hear, it is a much better thing to do. If you do not hear, you cannot do, and therefore you will build nothing. But if you hear and do not do, then what you are building will be a ruin.” (Sermons 179.7–8) I hope with every sermon you do not simply hear and forget, but hear and with the help of the Holy Spirit act even if not all that I have preached remains clear in your minds. Whether you remember my sermons or not, be zealous to be found working when your master returns, even and especially when your life becomes difficult, the economy is in shambles, or persecution is on the rise. The difficult times require you to be strong, the easy times require you to be vigilant Now let us turn to Christ’s Ascension.

Before His Ascension, Jesus told the Apostles, I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven. What does it mean that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father? Some Christians think that means a literal throne where Christ is literally sitting, localized to the throne room of heaven, that is, the humanity of Christ is only local there. But this is not the whole picture. What does it mean to be at the right hand of someone else? In the ancient world, the right hand side of the host or the king was the place of favor. We see an indication of this when Jesus admonishes the Pharisees about their pride of seating: But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. We likewise see these that last night with the Apostles when St. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was seated at Jesus’ right. In the king’s court, however, the right-hand man spoke with the king’s authority. The image then that we are to understand is not merely that Jesus ascends into heaven and isolates His humanity to one room, but rather that in His humanity and His divinity He takes up again His divine authority and power. St. Paul explains this to us in Philippians 2: Christ Jesus,
though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (2:6–11)
What St. Paul has described is the same event as the Ascension, the same sitting at the right hand of God the Father, the same reassumption of all divine powers and authority by both natures in Christ.

What does this mean for us? It means that though our Lord Christ is absent from us visibly, He has not abandoned us to labor in the fields alone. He rules over all the universe, which means He rules over the world in which you live, which means He knows what befalls you every day. This naturally means that what God promised in Genesis 8 remains true, While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease (22). But also, dear Christians, since Jesus loves you, since God the Father loves you, you can be certain that Jesus watches over you even though you do not see Him in the flesh, thus St. Paul says in Romans 8: we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (28). No matter what happens, no matter how dark and depressing, Jesus has not abandoned you but has given you the Holy Spirit in Baptism. He will guide you to the truth, strengthen your faith with God’s Word, and move your heart toward compassion. Further, when the devil or the world or death would frighten you, remember that Christ’s death on the cross for your sins still happened. Jesus still rose from the dead showing that He has defeated sin, death, and the devil. The blood of Christ in which you were washed remains effective. The church on earth remains your family, and we are here to help you stand when you have fallen and to visit you when you are lonely or ill. Do not lose heart, you are in God’s hands.

St. John Chrysostom says, “We can become more like God if we are merciful and compassionate. If we do not do these things, we have nothing at all to our credit. God does not say that if we fast we shall be like him. Rather he wants us to be merciful, as he himself is. “I desire mercy,” he says, ‘and not sacrifice.’” (Hosea 6:6; Catena) So be vigilant, strive to be strong in word and in deed, look to Christ on the cross by whom you live, and give thanks to the Lord for His steadfast love and the wonderful works He has done for you. For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Now the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen