The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of Jesus

The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus – February 2, 2025

Psalm 48; Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18

St. Luke 2:22-32

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Forty days after the birth of our Lord, Mary and Joseph bring Him to the Temple to be redeemed. At the same time, Mary presents a sacrifice for her purification. Both are according to the Laws of the Old Testament wherein the firstborn male of both humans and animals were to be given to the Lord and women who have given birth must be purified from the uncleanness inherent in giving birth.

In the case of some beasts, the firstborn could be redeemed with the sacrifice of a lamb in its place. In the case of the firstborn child, God commanded they always be redeemed. The redemption price of a son or daughter was a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering and either a pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering.^[1] If a lamb was too expensive, two pigeons or two turtledoves would suffice.

To be redeemed means to be substituted. It means giving one thing in place of another so that you might receive back the first possession. Redemption is not quite the same as making a purchase. Giving the checker money in exchange for groceries isn’t the same as redemption because the groceries did not belong to you in the first place. Rather, if you’ve ever been to a wedding reception or banquet with a coat check, you have experienced redemption. You gave the clerk your coat in exchange for a ticket. At the end of the night, you redeemed your coat by giving the clerk your ticket. The coat is your property, and you willfully gave it to the clerk. You then “bought back” your coat at the price of the ticket. This is redemption.

The redemption of the firstborn is connected with the forgiveness of sins. God instituted the redemption of the firstborn in relation to the final plague of Egypt, wherein the firstborn sons of Egypt were killed by the Angel of the Lord but those of Israel were spared by the blood of a lamb placed on the doorposts. The boys of Israel were redeemed from the plague by the blood of a lamb. Their sins were passed over by the Angel, forgiven in the shedding of the blood of a lamb.

The purification of Mary is an acknowledgment of sin. Giving birth is a bloody business and coming into contact with blood makes one unclean in the Levitical law. This is because there is life in blood and if you are in contact with blood, it means that life has been poured out. Life being poured out is a sign of death and death is the wage of sin. Being truly a man, even the birth of our Lord was attended by the usual events of giving birth. Therefore, the Blessed Mother of Christ needed to be purified. She, too, required the forgiveness of sins.

If these rituals pertained to the forgiveness of sins, why did Christ, who is without sin, submit to them? Why did Christ need to be redeemed? There are at least two ways to answer this question. First, it is not Christ’s sins that need to be forgiven but ours. Much like His baptism in the Jordan River, Christ’s redemption at the Temple places Him into our redemption. Rather than forgiving His sins, it is placing our sins on Him. He is being “bought back” by the human race, that His holiness would be given to man and our sins would be given to Him.

Secondly, submitting to this ritual is part of Christ’s active obedience to the Law of God. When the Second Person of the Holy Trinity took on our flesh, He humbled Himself to be like us in every way but without sin. That means that He also humbled Himself to be placed under the same Law of God that had been placed on all mankind. He did not need to be redeemed from His sins, He didn’t have any, but He humbly submitted Himself to the same rigors and rituals that all mankind was expected to observe.

The significant difference is that all mankind fails in some aspect of the Law. St. James tells us that to fail in one tiny aspect of the Law is to fail in the whole Law, “Whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”[2] And even this tiniest of stumbles in the Law is worthy of eternal condemnation. And since the Law of God is eternal, it is necessary that the Law be kept perfectly. With man this is impossible. With God, nothing is impossible. Thus the necessity of the Law required that Christ not only submit Himself passively to death on the cross but that He actively keep the Law perfectly His entire life. Submitting to circumcision, the presentation, and the rest of the rituals commanded in the Law is Christ actively keeping the Law of God on our behalf.

When the rituals of the presentation and purification had been completed, an old priest approached the Holy Family and took the Christ child into his arms. Simeon did not need to be told who this child was. Like the magi, he immediately recognized his Lord. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had beheld the Christ, the Savior. Led by the same Spirit, he went up to the Temple and found the Lord’s Christ returning from fulfilling His obligation to the Law. Taking up the child in his arms, Simeon said,

“Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace,
According to Thy word.
For Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,
Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples.
A light to lighten the Gentiles,
And the glory of Thy people Israel.”[3]

Simeon’s prayer is a prayer for death. The Holy Spirit had promised that Simeon would not die until he had seen the Christ. Since he was now holding the Christ in his arms, Simeon told God that he was ready to die. There was nothing left in this world for him to do; nothing to experience, nothing to long for. He had all in all. He had the Lord’s Christ in his arms and there is nothing more needful.

We sing this song of Simeon every Sunday after receiving the Holy Communion and we ought to sing it with the same vigor and intention of Simeon. What you receive in your hand or on your tongue is the same Christ that Simeon held in his hands. It is the same body of Christ, the same God become man who would forgive all your sins. So too, we ought to recognize that having received the very Body and Blood of Christ, we, like Simeon, are prepared for death. We have all in all, the thing most needful, and there is nothing left for us to do, experience, or receive in this world.

That is a radical thought. You might piously share it, realizing that the forgiveness of sins is the most important thing in this life. But at the same time, none of us is longing for death. You want to see your granddaughter’s dance recital and your son’s basketball game. You don’t expect to die on your way home today and I’m sure that you aren’t hoping to die today.

On the one hand, those thoughts are bad or sinful in themselves. You want to make use of the blessings and gifts that God has given you. You ought to enjoy the many gifts God has given you in this world.

On the other hand, you ought to be prepared at all times for death. To live is Christ and to die is gain, St. Paul says to the Philippians.[4] To live in this world is to be the Body of Christ, to enjoy the things of this creation, and to be stewards of God’s good gifts. It is to bear the light of Christ to the nations and His glory to His people.

And yet to die is gain. It is gain because it means freedom from the sin which clings to the flesh and the joy of the nearer presence of Christ. We are sojourners in this world, it is not our home, our final destination. For the Christian, to die is great gain because it is one step closer to the resurrection of all flesh.

Therefore, every time we sing the Nunc Dimittis, you ought to realize that you are prepared to die. At any moment, should the good Lord call you home, you are prepared. Your sins are forgiven, and Christ is prepared to receive you into His open arms. Will your loved ones mourn your death? Absolutely. Death is separation and separation is painful. But when a Christian dies, the Christians who mourn him do not do so without hope. We mourn the pain of separation and the loss of the presence of our loved one, but we also rejoice that they have conquered this world of sin. The victory of Christ on the cross has been made complete for our loved one and we now look forward to the reunion in the resurrection.

The Nunc Dimittis is a hymn of supreme confidence that the Body of Christ is the one thing most needful. It is a hymn of confidence that what Christ says is true and He has said that the death of a Christian is little more than sleep. Sing it boldly and confidently, believing that the words are true.

Should you find yourself doubting, fearing death, then turn toward the promises of Christ. One difference between us and Simeon is that he only had the word of promise from the Holy Spirit that he would see the Christ. You have so much more. You have the Word of God, like Simeon, but you also have Holy Baptism. You have the Holy Communion. You have the Word of Absolution spoken by your pastor with his hands placed on your head. You have God’s Word and His Word tied to physical means that the promises of Christ are true. Make use of these means of grace for the strengthening of your faith and the emboldening of your confidence that you are prepared to die.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Leviticus 12:6-8.

[2] James 2:10.

[3] St. Luke 2:29-32, The Nunc Dimittis.

[4] Philippians 1:21.

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity – September 15, 2024

Psalm 86; 1 Kings 17:17-24; Ephesians 3:13-21

St. Luke 7:11-17

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Scriptures speak of three deaths and in turn, our Lord, Jesus Christ, rescues from each of these deaths with resurrection. First, there is temporal death. This is the separation of body and soul. It is the death that we tend to think of, and fear, most. It is the moment when the body ceases to breathe and the soul is separated for a time.

This death comes for all—believers and unbelievers—on account of original sin and the sin which clings to the flesh. Until Christ reveals Himself on the Last Day, everyone experiences temporal death. However, for the unbeliever, this is a terrifying step into the unknown. It is the closing of the eyes to this world and a frightful step into something of which they cannot conceive.

For the Christian, temporal death is a frightening thing until one realizes that Christ has made death a portal. His death has removed the sting of death.[1] We still endure death because of the corrupt nature of our flesh, wrought by sin. This corruptible must put on the incorruptible; the dishonorable must put on the honorable; the weak and natural must put on the powerful and spiritual.[2] We do not face death unknowingly. We know what lies on the other side of temporal death. The holy angels descend to guide our soul to the bosom of Abraham, that is, to the side of Christ.[3] The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has made temporal death a sleep for those who die in Christ because “He who believes in Jesus, though he may die, he shall life. And whoever lives and believes in Jesus shall never die.”[4]

Secondly, there is spiritual death. Spiritual death is separation from God, when the unrepentant and unbelieving are alienated by willful sins from “the life which is of God.”[5] The prodigal son “was dead” in his sinning in the foreign land.[6] All are born dead in your trespasses.[7] Those who are alive in Christ, that is, who have an active and living faith, are still sinners and certainly still sin. However, their faith leads them to hate their sin and desire to be free from it. These holy ones, these Christians, are spiritually alive. Those who are spiritually dead are those who willfully sin against God. They are unrepentant and unbelieving. All mankind is born spiritually dead. We are not born ignorant of God or His holy law. We are born opposed to it; striving against it; and hating God.

And so long as we draw breath on this side of glory, all Christians are tempted to such spiritual death. We are tempted to willfully cast aside God’s Law and His Holy Gospel. We are tempted to cast aside the Savior who bled and died for us. We are tempted to treat His Holy sacrifice as cheap and turn instead toward the indulgence of our flesh. Willful sinning is knowing what God’s Law is and choosing to do the opposite—whether you think it doesn’t matter because “God will just forgive you” or because you don’t believe God is serious. Such willful sinning leads to unrepentance because it isn’t worth repenting of sin that you don’t take seriously.

Finally, there is eternal death. Eternal death is the death awaiting those who are spiritually dead. This is eternal damnation, where the spiritually dead will be eternally separated from God, who is life. This death has two parts. First, there is the suffering of the soul immediately after death. Then, this suffering is intensified when, in the resurrection of all the dead, those eternally damned souls are reunited with their bodies to suffer for all eternity in body and soul.[8]

In Christ, there is life.[9] This Life has promised to rescue in each of the three kinds of death. In Hosea 13, Jesus says, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!”[10] He ransoms, rescues, redeems in the three kinds of death by means of giving life, that is, through resurrection.

Scripture is quite clear that temporal death is the least of the deaths in that it is temporary for everyone. It is still a consequence of sin, but it is the least deadly. Christ’s rescue from temporal death is the physical resurrection of all flesh on the last day. All who are in their graves “…will hear the voice of the Son of God…and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”[11]

Also, to combat this temporal death, Jesus has given His Word, the words of Holy Scripture. These words are given to be used during this temporal life for the instruction, rebuke, warning, exhortation, and consolation of man.[12] These words prepare the soul for temporal death, that the hour of death might be met in peace and joy, strengthened by the Holy Spirit by the Word of God.

From the second death, spiritual death, by which the unrepentant and unbelieving are separated by willful sins from the life found in God alone, we are also rescued by Christ. Because we are born in our sin, we are sinners by birth, and original sin clings to our flesh, we are as good as the dead young man in the reading. He didn’t cry out to Jesus for help. He didn’t accept Jesus into his heart. He didn’t choose Jesus over other gods. Such acts of man’s will to turn toward God are the teaching of the Arminian churches, such as the Methodist Church. They teach that man is born with the power to choose God for Himself. That man was never truly dead in trespasses and sins, only seriously ill. But the Scriptures are clear. The young man of Nain was dead; dead in his trespasses and sins, just as everyone is born spiritually dead and incapable of acting, willing, or choosing to be saved.

The faith given to man is absolutely God’s work alone, just as the resurrection of this young man was the work of Jesus Christ alone. His physical resurrection is a picture of your spiritual resurrection. Just as the young man is raised by the words of Jesus, “Young man, I say to you, arise,” so too your faith is given to you by the Word of God. God works through the means of His Words and those words combined with physical elements in the Holy Sacraments to work faith in you. This faith then receives and clings to the forgiveness won by Jesus Christ on the cross.

This faith receives the benefit of the action of Jesus to deliver you from spiritual death. His death paid the penalty that you owed to God for your state as a sinner. Before you ever took a sinful thought, word, or deed, you had already willfully turned your back on God. Your soul was already spiritually dead and turned against God. The penalty for this sin is death and it is this penalty that the death of Jesus has paid. And so, the resurrection of your soul from spiritual death is entirely the work of God so that you would receive the benefit of the broken and shed Body and Blood of Jesus.

Spiritual death is perhaps the most concerning of the three deaths because it is like a ticking time-bomb. All men are born spiritually dead. Once you experience temporal death, the opportunity for the Word of God to work in your heart has ended and your eternal fate is decided. It is during your temporal life, during your life on this side of glory that the Word of God has the opportunity to work faith in you as well as for you to willfully turn your back on God and return to the filth of your sin. That is why it is essential to be in church every Sunday and every opportunity throughout the week; to read the bible every day; to begin and end each day with the Word of God and prayer; and to focus your life on Christ—that His death and resurrection would be the most important thing in this world for you because it is the most important thing in this world and the next.

Our Lord has also delivered us from the third death, eternal death. He has done this by providing everything we need to endure in the faith until the last day. He died to pay the penalty of our sins, but He rose the third day that we might have life and life to the fullest. He rose for our justification, that we would be declared righteous before the Father.[13] Our penalty is paid, and we are made sons of the heavenly Father, sons who will inherit His everlasting kingdom.[14] This is yours by faith, for it is a promise that you cannot see at this time. It is a promise made by God to all who believe, who hold the faith once delivered by the Holy Spirit and preached week in and week out from this pulpit.[15]

Christ rescues from eternal death by means of resurrection to eternal life. In the resurrection on the last day, you will not be tempted to sin. You will not be inclined toward sin. You won’t even be interested in sin. If that were the case, then it wouldn’t be eternal life. It would be temporary life. Eternal life means you are free from sin in every way. You will not endure sin and you won’t win. Rather, you will be in perfect bliss to enjoy the glory of God in a way not even the angels have been given to understand. You will be in perfect bliss with all the saints who have gone before and who are yet to be baptized. You will know God and see Him with your own eyes.[16]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] 1 Corinthians 15:55.

[2] 1 Corinthians 15:42-44.

[3] St. Luke 16:22; 23:43.

[4] St. John 11:25-26.

[5] Ephesians 4:18.

[6] St. Luke 15:32.

[7] Colossians 2:13.

[8] St. John 5:25-29.

[9] Colossians 3:4; St. John 1:4.

[10] Hosea 13:14.

[11] St. John 5:25-29.

[12] 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 15:4.

[13] Romans 4:25.

[14] Galatians 3:7, 26; 4:1-7; Ephesians 1:5.

[15] Jude 1:3.

[16] Job 19:27.

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, 2023

Psalm 34; Sirach 24:7-8, 10-15a; Hebrews 4:1-10

St. Luke 10:38-42

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Brethren, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”[1] The word “dormition” is simply a fancy way to say, “the falling asleep” and in this case it is a euphemism for death. Other cultures, believers and unbelievers alike, have compared death to sleep. For the unbeliever, this can only ever be a euphemism, a nice way to say something unpleasant. For the Christian, it is a euphemism, but it is also true on its face. When the Christian dies, she enters rest. Her body is laid in the earth to finish the decay wrought in the flesh by sin. There is no tension, pain, or stress remaining in the flesh. It is at rest even as it is returned to dust.

Her soul is taken to the bosom of Christ, her true rest. Here, the Christian knows rest like she’s never known before. All tears, worries, cares, and anxieties are wiped away. All that she now knows is peace and joy.

All of you have the promise of this peace and rest at this very moment. By virtue of your Holy Baptism, by being placed into the name of Jesus, you have been given the promise of eternal rest with Christ. This promise does come with a warning. The promise cannot be taken from you, but you can forfeit it. You can give up your claim to the promise. This happens when you stop paying attention to the promise and to the One who has given that promise to you.

In the Gospel, we heard of Mary and Martha—Mary who chose to listen attentively to Jesus and Martha who busied herself with much serving.[2] I’m still not convinced this is the same Mary that bore our Lord, but she exhibits the same type of faith as the Blessed Virgin. Both understand the importance of the Word of God and how to place her own wants and desires beneath that of God. Both trust that what God has to say and what God is doing is to her benefit, even if neither comprehends it fully. ‘The dishes can wait, Jesus is speaking.’ ‘My plans for a fancy church wedding can wait, I am to be the mother of God.’ 

“Brothers, and all who have come to this place at this hour of our mother Mary’s departure, you have done well to light lamps that shine with the fire of this visible earth. But I wish that each of you will also take hold of his immaterial lamp in the age that has no end; this is the threefold lamp of the inner person, which is body and soul and spirit. For if these three shine forth with the true fire, for which you are now struggling, you will not be ashamed when you enter into the marriage-feast to rest with the bridegroom. So it is with our mother Mary. For the light of her lamp fills the world, and will not be quenched until the end of the ages, so that all who wish to be saved may take courage from her. Do not think, then, that Mary’s death is death! It is not death, but eternal life, because ‘the death of the just will be proclaimed glorious before the Lord’ (Ps 115:15 [Psalm 116:15]). This, then, is glory, and the second death will have not power to do them harm.”[3]

These words are spoken by St. Peter in one of the earliest records we have of the death of St. Mary. They are a summary of the importance and purpose for remembering her death. It is good if you have faith in this life but if you allow the lamp of faith to falter in your dying hour, then that faith is for nothing. Throughout this account of St. Mary’s death, she is preparing to die. Even the mother of God is frightened over the prospect of death. She knows that it will be Satan’s last chance to tempt her away from the faith and he will be like a cornered and rabid dog, viciously seeking to tear her away from her Son and Lord.

St. Paul gives the Hebrews a similar warning: “Since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”[4] This is not so much in the spirit of a finger wag, “You better start paying more attention or else…” as it is a warning of danger. Know that death is real. Know that Satan is real. Know that the demons are real. Do not fear them, for Christ has conquered them for you. But do be cautious of them. Do know that your own strength, your own efforts, are not enough to overcome them.

At the same time, know that your life as a Christian is not to sit on the couch and just assume that Jesus does everything so you can watch TV. This is the laxity that can damn. On the other hand, there is the business which can damn. Martha is distracted by serving such that she doesn’t have time to hear the Word of God.

What does St. Mary do when she is concerned about the impending temptations associated with her death? She prays to Christ. She prays, remembers the promises He has given her, reminds Him of His promises, recites Scripture, then lays the outcome in the pierced hands of Jesus.

If the mother of God, who saw multiple angels in her lifetime, bore the Son of God, watched Him die, saw Him rise, and likely watched Him ascend into heaven, had a moment of fear, doubt, or worry concerning the temptations which arise before death, don’t be ashamed of your own fears, doubts, and worries. The Lord regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden, and He will do the same for you. He who is mighty has done great things to her and He will do the same to you.

We do not gather tonight to worship St. Mary. Scripture makes it clear that the promise of eternal rest does not lie in created humans. “If Joshua had given them rest, then [God] would not afterward have spoken of another day.”[5] Even the early accounts of St. Mary’s death have people try to claim miracles on her behalf, to which an angel says, “No one can perform miracles apart from [Jesus’] hands. For He provides power to everything that is.”[6] And when some relatives scoff that Mary is concerned about temptation, she rebukes them and tells them to pay attention to their faith, lest their own lamps go out and they miss the Bridegroom.[7]

We gather to give thanks to God that He has shown mercy on us by the Incarnation of His Son. We give thanks that St. Mary was the vessel chosen to bear the Christ child so that all mankind could be saved. We give thanks that God has chosen to give to His church a mother, not infallible, but as the figurehead of the Church.

We gather tonight that our faith would be strengthened. If Mary could tremble at temptation and yet be given holy rest in Christ, then so can we.

We gather tonight that we might learn to imitate the faith of St. Mary, she who always displayed a proper orientation toward the will of God, submitting her own will to His. We learn to imitate her humility and her steadfastness, insisting that God keep His promises to her now and at the hour of her death.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Hebrews 4:1.

[2] St. Luke 10:38-42.

[3] John of Thessalonica, “The Dormition of Our Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary,” On the Dormition of Mary, Popular Patristics Series, Vol 18, translated by Brian E. Daley, series editor John Behr (Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1997), 58.

[4] Hebrews 4:1.

[5] Hebrews 4:8.

[6] John of Thessalonica, “The Dormition of Our Lady,” 50.

[7] John of Thessalonica, “The Dormition of Our Lady,” 53.

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity – October 2, 2022

Psalm 86; 1 Kings 17:17-24; Ephesians 3:13-21

St. Luke 7:11-17

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When comparing prayers written 500 or more years ago to those written in recent decades, you’ll notice many differences. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Language develops over time. And even if the general temptations and afflictions experienced are common to all men at all times, the specifics certainly change.

There is, however, one area in which we should pay more attention to the prayers of our distant forefathers than even our grandparents. I speak of prayers concerning suffering and death. Hear the words of our hymn of the day, The Will of God is Always Best, written in the 16^th century:

Lord, this I ask, O hear my plea, Deny me not this favor;

      When Satan sorely troubles me,

            Then do not let me waver.

      O guard me well, My fear dispel, Fulfill Your faithful saying:

            “All who believe By grace receive An answer to their praying.” [1]

Notice that in this hymn, we did not pray that God would remove the suffering or temptation. Whenever Satan troubles us—and in whatever way he might do so—we prayed that God would not let us waver from the faith He has given us. It is a prayer against losing faith in the face of suffering and temptation.

Then, we prayed that God would guard us and remove our fear. Finally, we prayed that God would fulfill the promise He has given us. He has said that the prayers of all who believe will be answered and, in this hymn, we are holding God to His promise.[2]

Our prayer continues in the fourth stanza:

When life’s brief course on earth is run And I this world am leaving,

      Grant me to say, “Your will be done,” Your faithful Word believing.

My dearest Friend, I now commend My soul into Your keeping;

      From sin and hell, And death as well, By You the vict’ry reaping.[3]

The topic of our prayer has shifted from suffering and temptation to death. Notice that our prayer is not for one more day, a miracle, or even for a peaceful end. By praying “grant me to say, ‘Your will be done,’ we are asking that God would again keep us steadfast in the faith once delivered in the face of death. We are begging God to give us the faith necessary to face the dreadful end of our life on this side of glory.

Our prayer ended by commending our souls to God’s care. It is only by His death and resurrection that the victory over sin and hell, and death as well, is given to us. We can ask God as our dearest Friend because He has come to us and brought us into His home through faith. He alone has the power to conquer death and He has called you His own. Why trust the greatest cancer doctor Mayo has to offer when he is powerless against death? Instead, see that God has given great gifts of healing to doctors but it is the Almighty alone that determines the days of your life. He alone will welcome you into the glory of heaven when the number of your days has come to an end. He alone has won the victory over Satan and the grave.

Hear now, a modern prayer, written on behalf of those experiencing serious illness:

O Lord, You are the great Physician of soul and body; You chasten and You heal. Show mercy to Your servant. Spare his life and restore his strength. Even as You gave Your Son to bear our infirmities and sicknesses, deal compassionately with him, and bless him with Your healing power. We commit him to Your gracious mercy and protection; through Jesus Christ, our Lord…[4]

In this prayer, we are asking for God’s mercy, to spare the life of the afflicted, to restore his strength, that God would deal compassionately with the afflicted, and that God would bless him with God’s healing power. Finally, we commend the afflicted to God’s gracious mercy and protection.

There is nothing heretical or false about this prayer. It is published in the Pastoral Care Companion, the small booklet designed for pastors to use on visits for the purpose of individual pastoral care. There does, however, seem to be something missing.

The modern prayer makes no mention of receiving the affliction in faith. It seems to assume that the affliction is contrary to God’s will for the Christian. Strictly speaking, prayers are not written for the purpose of teaching. They are written for the purpose of asking God for something. But our faith is shaped by the words of our mouth and the actions of our body just as much as our words and actions are shaped by our faith.

The temptation in omitting prayers to receive suffering in faith is to believe the goal of this life is to avoid suffering. The sin in this temptation is elevating the avoidance of pain, suffering, and even death, to the highest good. None is good but God alone.[5] The highest good is God, and Him taking on your flesh and dying in your place so that you might receive His life. Modern Western medicine has made this a daily temptation so that we seek constant and permanent relief from every pain. There is always a prescription, doctor, specialist, or surgery for what ails you. And if there isn’t, if you are deemed to be terminal, then there is medication to render you unconscious and unfeeling until the medicine itself finally stops your heart and lungs.

When the goal of life is to avoid suffering, it leaves no room for repentance. If pain, suffering, and death are only medical conditions, they are not the result of sin. If they are not the result of sin, then we have no need for God to remove them. Suddenly, God is only necessary when we choose to do something we think is evil. We must repent of this idolatry. All pain, all suffering, all illnesses, and death are the result of sin. God allows the suffering of His dear children so that we would never forget the severity of our sin. He allows these things so that we would repent of our sins and cling ever more tightly to Christ our Savior.

When our prayers are only focused on God ending our suffering or making it more palatable, we forget that God is a loving Father who chastens those whom He loves. We forget that the just outcome of our lives is misery and eternal death. We forget that it is only by grace that God delivers us from every evil of body and soul, property and honor, and finally, when our last hour has come, grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this vale of tears to Himself in heaven.[6]

It is not sinful to ask God to remove suffering, temptation, or grief. St. Paul does this three times concerning a particular messenger of Satan sent to torment him.[7] The Lord refuses to remove this temptation, saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” These words cause St. Paul to gladly boast in his infirmities for he knows that God is sending them so that he would be turned away from his own sin. He rejoices in suffering and temptation because it means that he is saved not by his own flesh but by the death of Christ. When Paul is weak, Christ is strong.

Thus we have the words of today’s hymn. We are reminded to pray that God would uphold us in the faith to which He has called us. When you are suffering sickness, pain, despair, or shame, turn to God and pray that He would not let you fall; that your flesh would not succumb to this temptation such that you would lose your soul to eternal death; and if it should be the will of God to remove you from this vale of tears, thanks be to God that He has ended your suffering and brought you home to Him in heaven.

When our Lord arrives in Nain, He interrupts a funeral procession. The mother of the boy is weeping loudly. This could be an indication of the Near Eastern practice of funeral mourning or simply an expression of her grief, but it is certainly weeping and wailing as though there is no hope. Christ bids her stop her weeping. This is not a commandment against grief, it is a commandment against wailing as though death were the greatest enemy, the greatest affliction of man.

Jesus has compassion on this grieving mother.[8] He sees her pain and it moves Him to express His love for her. Stopping the pallbearers, Jesus touches the coffin. He touches the instrument of burial, the mode of transportation carrying this young man from life to death, and He says, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”[9] Immediately, the boy sat up and began to speak.

Jesus was indicating to the crowd that this instrument of burial has no power in the presence of Christ. Jesus is foreshadowing His own death, by which the grave no longer has dominion over man. Jesus will take the place of this young man and conquer death on his behalf. Christ will rise again, just as this young man rose, but the resurrection of Christ endures forever. By His death, the victory has been won on your behalf. By His resurrection, eternity has been given to you.

The coffin is no longer the final resting place of this young man nor anyone who dies in Christ. The tomb is now a cemetery, a word that literally means “sleeping place.”[10] The young man hears the word of the Lord and immediately sits up and speaks the praises of God. Scripture is silent as to what the young man said, but I believe he immediately began singing the Sanctus, the Gloria in Excelsis, or another of the songs sung in heaven. He immediately went from praising God in heaven to praising God in the flesh.

So, when you suffer, pray that God would remove the affliction. Pray that God would hear your prayer and answer it just as He has promised. But do not forget to pray for the most important thing—that God would sustain you through this affliction in the one true faith; that God would grant you the strength to persevere through the affliction, as long as it is His will that you would be afflicted; that God would continue to show mercy to you by bringing to your remembrance that this world is fleeting in the eyes of eternity.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Albrecht von Preussen, The Will of God is Always Best, stanza 3, as found in Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 758.

[2] St. John 14:12-14.

[3] Preussen, The Will of God is Always Best, stanza 4.

[4] The Commission on Worship of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, “Prayer 254 alt.,” Pastoral Prayer Companion (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2007), 199.

[5] St. Matthew 19:17.

[6] Martin Luther, “The Lord’s Prayer: The Seventh Petition,” The Small Catechism.

[7] 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

[8] St. Luke 7:13.

[9] St. Luke 7:14.

[10] “Κοιμητήριον [koi-mā-TĀ-rion] – bedroom, place of rest.” A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd edition, revised and edited by Frederick William Danker [Commonly known as BDAG] (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), 551.