In Memoriam + Judith A Rodriguez +

 In Memoriam + Judith A Rodriguez + – September 17, 2022

Psalm 23; Psalm 84; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

St. Luke 17:11-19

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

The problem with leprosy is that severs the relationship between the brain and the body. Judith knew this all too well. She did not suffer from leprosy, but she did suffer from separation. She also suffered from various illnesses which turned her own body against her. There is plenty of physical suffering which results from a stroke, but the most frustrating effect is the difficulty in communication. The brain knows what to say and how to say it but the relationship between the brain and the muscles of the mouth is severed.

The lepers in Luke’s gospel had been severed from their families, from their community, and from the Temple. They could not go to that place where God promised to dwell with His people. These outcasts found one another and formed another, surrogate community, but such a leper colony could never replace mother, daughter, husband, or brother.

This is one way in which leprosy signifies sin. It separates us from God and our fellow man. Original sin severs the relationship between God and man. Manifest sin, those sins we commit in thought, word, and deed, severs the relationship between neighbors. Sin isolates. Sin divides. Sin hurts you and everyone around you.

Only the One who is without sin could health this amputation. The lepers could not go to where God promised to be so God came to them. The Second Person of the Trinity took on flesh so He could come to man, crossing the great chasm caused by sin and bringing man Himself.

How is such a miraculous gift given to us? Through death. Not the death of the flesh. This death is the wage of sin. It is the just punishment for our sin. Rather, it is by dying in the waters of Holy Baptism. Christians have nothing to fear in death because you have already died. Your first death was by drowning. There is now only the portal of death, the closing of your eyes in sleep.

It is this view of death which causes us to pray, “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God…Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You.”[1] With these words, the Christian prays for two things. He prays to be in Church. He longs for the Divine Service. He longs to be in the House of the Lord and to receive the gifts of God through Word and Sacrament. Blessed are those who dwell in the Church, for they will praise God day and night.

 Secondly, the Christian prays for the bliss of heaven. The courts of the Lord are in the presence of the Lord and while God is present everywhere, the Christian longs to be as close to God as possible. God has come to man in the Incarnation and now man longs to go to God, not by his own works or merits but by invitation. Blessed are those who sleep in Christ, for they are already praising God day and night in nearer proximity to Him.

One day in the bliss of heaven is better than a thousand on this side of glory. Yet if you have Christ, you have everything. One day in Christ on this side of glory is better than a thousand in the tents of the wicked. And, believe it or not, one day in the tents of the wicked is better than a thousand in hell. Such a day is better because it still provides the opportunity for repentance. God desires that all men would be saved and be reunited with their Creator in glory. Jesus died for all men. Jesus came to save sinners, not those who need no repentance. So long as a man draws breath, repentance is possible.

Our Lord has promised to be with you even to the end of the age. He is with you now, even though you cannot see Him with your physical eyes. This means you are already in His presence. Already being in the presence of Christ, you have the fullness of Him. You are the light of Christ in the world. At the same time, the soul of the righteous longs to be closer to Christ.

When a man goes on a business trip, he remains married to his wife. The whole time he is gone, if he is a righteous man, he longs to be closer to his wife. He might have the same feeling each day when he goes to work, but it is likely less intense. The man is finally at peace when he comes home to the arms of his beloved wife.

It is the same with the Christian. While we are here, we long to be with Christ. In death, we are closer to Christ and yet long for the day when body and soul will be reunited. On the last day, in body and soul, we will be in the arms of our Beloved. We will also be in the presence of one another. We will be united in one body and under one head.

Just as the Samaritan leper returned to Christ to give thanks and praise, so too does the Christian return to the place of her first death, the Baptismal font, to give thanks and praise to the God who came to her. Judith has returned to the earth from when man was made in eager anticipation of the Resurrection, when body and soul will be reunited. Until that time, she enjoys the bliss of heaven, looking upon the face of the Anointed and crying out, “O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Psalm 84:2, 4.

In Memoriam + Norman Eugene Fields +

In Memoriam + Norman Eugene Fields + – September 1, 2022

Psalm 23; Isaiah 46:3-4; Romans 6:1-11

St. John 6:27-40

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

Death inherently involves separation. For the one who dies, death is the separation of body and soul. For those left behind, it is the separation from an uncle, a dad, a brother, or a friend. Death often leaves a sense of isolation in the wake of this separation. Being forcefully separated from the ones you love always causes you to desire nothing more than to be with them. Because you can’t do anything to be with them right now, you feel isolated, alone.

This is not the way God created man. Man is created to live in community—first with God and then with fellow man. Creation was not called very good until Eve was created, a suitable helpmeet for Adam.[1] Even then, God commanded Adam and Eve to multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.[2] Through these our first parents, God commanded man to fill the earth with relatives to love and to be loved by.

What’s more, God, Himself, walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He came to them and walked in the cool of the day. He talked to them. He communed with them. God created man to be in communion with Him.

But when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the knowledge of Good and Evil, they broke the commandment of God.[3] They separated themselves from the Love of God by sundering their relationship to Him. They had betrayed their Creator. The wages of sin is death because sin separates us from God and death is separation.[4]

What’s worse is that separation from God does not simply leave man alone. Man is not cast out of the Garden to fend for himself out of the sight of God. God is not a spiteful father kicking his bum of a son out of the basement. Man’s sin cuts directly at the heart of God because it is a denial of Who God is. Man’s sin invokes the wrath of God.

Because of the severity of this separation between God and man, the punishment for sin does not end with temporal death. The punishment for sin begins with suffering in life, continues in physical death, then lasts forever in the torture of hell. This is the just and rightful fate of all men who sin against God. Satan and his wicked angels have been condemned to this torment and would love nothing more than drag, tempt, and coerce every man into hell to join them.[5]

“I walk in danger all the way. The thought shall never leave me, that Satan, who has marked his prey, is plotting to deceive me. This foe with hidden snares may seize me unawares if I should fail to watch and pray. I walk in danger all the way.”[6]

What shall we say then? Is God wicked and spiteful? By no means. At the same time, He cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden, He sacrificed an animal for them and made clothes from its skin.[7] He promised that the Seed of the woman would crush the head of Satan and atone for the sin of man.[8] This promised Seed is God Himself.[9] The Seed is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of the Father, Jesus Christ.

The Son came down to man, just as He did when He walked in the Garden with Adam and Eve. He took on our flesh because we had severed the relationship between God and man and man is incapable of healing such a cosmic wound. God became man to die. God became man to die the death that you and I deserve.

But death did not have a claim to the Son of God.[10] He was born without sin. He committed no sin. Jesus Christ was tortured and executed for your sin because He didn’t have any. Not having sin, death could not hold Him. He had not earned a wage of death. Instead, He was laid in a virgin grave to rest for three days.

When Jesus spoke of the food which endures to everlasting life, the crowds immediately asked, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus responded, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”[11] To believe in the Son of God is to realize the severity of your situation, the depth of your sin, and your inability to make things right with God. To believe in the Son of God is to look at your own sins with hatred because your sin is what separates you from God and earns death. To believe in the Son of God is to confess your sins and trust that Christ has died to destroy them; to trust that Christ has died for you.

In 1956, when Norm was baptized, he died. He was drowned in those waters because he was born a creature of this world. He was buried in those waters, but he was not buried alone. He was buried into Christ Jesus, and if he was buried into Christ Jesus then he was buried into Christ’s death. If then, Norm was baptized into the death of Jesus, then he will certainly be raised in a resurrection like Christ’s. His old man, the sinful nature with which Norm was born, was crucified with Christ, and buried in the grave.

This happened so that when Norm arose from the waters of Holy Baptism, he would arise a new creation. He had become a new creation in Christ. As such, death no longer has dominion over Norm, just as it has no authority over Christ.

“I walk with Jesus all the way, His guidance never fails me; within His wounds I find a stay when Satan’s power assails me; and by His footsteps led, my path I safely tred. No evil leads my soul astray; I walk with Jesus all the way.”[12]

Why then are we gathered here today? We are gathered because the last remnants of sin which cling to Norm’s flesh must also be buried. They too must be buried in the ground and return to the dust from whence they came. This is true for all mortal men.

For the Christian, for the Baptized children of God, while his body returns to dust, his soul is with Christ.[13] Right now, Norm has joined the choir immortal, singing with the angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven. He is reunited with Della and together they are worshiping Christ day and night.[14]

We are gathered here today to mourn the separation we now experience from our beloved Norm.[15] We do not get to play cards with him, talk baseball, or watch him patiently and lovingly play with children. We do not get to hear his voice, and no matter how hard he might try, he does not get to entertain each of you when you stop by.

These are beautiful memories of a beloved uncle, dad, brother, and friend, yet they are also the bread of earth. Man needs the bread of earth. We need each other. But we ultimately need the bread come down from heaven. We need to receive the Bread broken and given for you. We need to receive the Blood, given and shed for you. Jesus calls Himself the Bread from heaven, the Bread of life. All who come to Him shall never hunger nor thirst.[16]

We are gathered here today to give thanks, to worship, and to praise the Triune God. It is through the heavenly bread of Jesus’ Body and the heavenly drink of His Blood that we will be reunited with Norm, Della, and all the saints in heaven for eternity. In the sacred wounds of Jesus, we too will have eternal life.

Then will come the last day, the resurrection of all flesh. The Baptized, who were buried in a death like His will be raised to a new life like His. This body we lay in the grave today will be reunited with the soul that is already enjoying the presence of Christ. On that day, and for all eternity, Norm will enjoy the company of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and all Christians in our flesh. With these eyes, Norm will see you.[17] He will know you. He will rejoice to see you and proclaim, “Glad you got to see me!”

All mankind will be raised on that last day but not all will join the company of heaven. Those who do not believe, those who reject the Bread of Heaven will join Satan and his wicked angels in torment. There will be a great chasm set between those above and those below, such that none may cross over. These are the stakes of eternity.

Norm and all who die in Christ eagerly await the resurrection of all flesh because the resurrection means unity. It means body and soul being reunited. It means brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, dear friends and beloved uncles will be reunited in the flesh for all eternity.

“My walk is heavenward all the way; await, my soul, the morrow, when God’s good healing shall allay all suffering, sin, and sorrow. Then, worldly pomp, begone! To heaven I now press on. For all the world I would not stay; my walk is heavenward all the way.”[18]  

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.

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[1] Genesis 2:15-25.

[2] Genesis 1:28.

[3] Genesis 1:29-30; 2:15-17; 3:19.

[4] Romans 6:23.

[5] 1 Peter 5:8.

[6] Hans Adolf Brorson, I Walk in Danger All the Way, stanza 1.

[7] Genesis 3:21.

[8] Genesis 3:15.

[9] Romans 1:3-4.

[10] 1 Corinthians 15:20; Romans 6:8-11.

[11] St. John 6:28-29.

[12] Brorson, I Walk in Danger All the Way, stanza 5.

[13] St. Luke 23:43.

[14] Revelation 7:9-12.

[15] St. John 11:35.

[16] St. John 6:35.

[17] Job 19:26-27; St. Luke 16:22; Revelation 7:9.

[18] Brorson, I Walk in Danger All the Way, stanza 6.

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

Proverbs 4:10-23; Psalm 84; Galatians 5:16-24

Luke 17:11-19

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

The direct result of leprosy is separation, particularly separation of three kinds. First, leprosy separates the afflicted from his own body. The disease can infect the nervous system, effectively shutting down communication between the affected areas and the brain. This leads sores and wounds to go unnoticed, resulting in serious infection or loss of members.

While many of us do not have experience with leprosy, we do have experience with this type of separation. Dementia and Alzheimer’s erode a person’s mind, turning their own ability to think against them. ALS and Multiple Sclerosis sever the connection between mind and body. The mind is fully aware as the body slowly decays. Autoimmune disorders like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s Disease, and even psoriasis turn the defense system of the body into a savage opponent. In each of these cases, there is a sense of losing control over oneself. The mind and body are separated, an indication and constant reminder of the separation of body and soul, the very definition of death.

The second kind of separation resulting from leprosy is a separation from community. Lepers were cast out from the community to prevent the spread of the disease. This was commanded by God in Leviticus 13. After extensive measures taken to ensure the cause of disease was Leprosy – measures also commanded by God – the Leper would be cast out.

Eventually, these outcasts would gather into colonies outside of town. They sought community together and while this helped, it did not replace getting to see their grandchildren on their birthday, watching their daughter’s wedding, or embracing their beloved. The lepers relied on the charity of others for food, but when anyone without leprosy approached, they were forced to cry out, “Leper!” so that the one approaching would know to keep their distance.

The third, and worst of the separations, was separation from the Temple. The Lepers were forbidden from entering the Temple, that place where God promised to dwell with his people. They could not offer sacrifices nor hear the Word of God preached. The Leper must stand afar off and cry, “Lord, have mercy!” He is not free to approach the Table of the Lord and receive the gifts offered there. Salvation is possible for the Leper, but it is difficult to maintain faith when you are not fed on the Words and Gifts of God.

Leprosy is not a creation of God – it is a corruption of his good creation. God uses corrupted diseases, especially leprosy, to instruct and chastise His creation. Leprosy causes separation from self, community, and the presence of God because Sin causes separation from self, community, and God. Original Sin places a barrier between man and God, causing man to be born at war against God. Sins against your neighbor separate you from the community in which God has placed you. The summary of the Law, the summary of God’s will for creation is to love God and love your neighbor. To transgress the Law is to separate yourself from God and neighbor.

Then there is sin against yourself, sin against your conscience. This is perhaps the most insidious form of sin for Satan uses it to convince you that you are not worthy of forgiveness. You sin against yourself when you know what you are doing is sin, but you do it anyway. You sin against yourself when you hear your conscience say ‘no’ but your flesh says ‘yes.’ You sin against yourself when you know that you should repent but are too ashamed. These sins separate you from your own humanity, for you are actively choosing to be less than God has made you. You are choosing to be an animal, not a man.

This separation is the natural state of man. We are born citizens of the kingdom of Satan, pledging allegiance to the Prince of Lies. We are separated from God by virtue of our flesh, inherited from Adam. For this reason, the Rite of Holy Baptism begins with the words, “Depart unclean spirit, make way for the Holy Spirit.” This exorcism declares that Satan has no more claim over Charles or any of the Baptized children of God. Charles has been set apart to be the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, as have you, beloved children of the Father.

There are three different words for the healing miracle in today’s text. First, as the lepers turn to go, they realize they have been “cleansed,” that is, they have been made clean. Their leprous spots have disappeared, and their skin is fresh. This cleansing is not only a miracle of healing but a display of the effects of Holy Baptism. In Holy Baptism, the leprosy filling your soul is cleansed. You are made clean in the Waters of Holy Baptism. How? God’s Word, in and with the water, washes your soul clean and transfers the stains of leprosy onto Christ Himself. Afterall, Holy Baptism would be nothing if Christ had not born the sin of the world to the Cross.  He was anointed in his own Baptism to be the sacrificial lamb who died to atone for your sin. The waters of Holy Baptism are made clean only because Christ has taken your filth upon himself on Calvary.

Then one of the lepers, seeing that he was healed, returned, glorified God, and worshiped and gave thanks to Christ. This Samaritan saw that he was not only cleansed, but that he was healed. This is he who recognizes the power of Holy Baptism. He sees that it is not an empty rite, nor a fragile ceremony easily lost. He knows Holy Baptism to be the washing of regeneration. He has been made new, made whole, reborn for a new life. The Samaritan sees that Christ has forgiven his sin, the source of leprosy, not just washed his skin to be clean. To put it bluntly, the Samaritan receives the healing in faith.

What then of the nine? Were not ten cleansed and yet only one returned to give glory to God? The Samaritan received the healing in faith, the nine did not. They saw the cleanliness of their skin but did not receive the healing. Perhaps they were disappointed Jesus didn’t give them money. Perhaps they believed the vitamins they took the day before finally kicked in. Perhaps the experimental drug is actually the elixir of life.

Whatever they thought, the last thing on their mind was, ‘God, the Lord, Creator of Heaven and Earth, has spared my life. He has cleansed my body and soul, forgiven my sins, and made me an heir of eternal life.’ They failed to glorify God.

What does it mean to glorify God? It is not simply to say good things about God or honor God. That would have to do with your opinion of God. To glorify God is to recognize God for who he is according to his majesty and power. This can only be done by the revelation of God’s Word. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit, baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, so that we would have the faith to glorify God, seeing him for who he is.

We cannot see the Samaritan’s heart. We cannot look into his heart and see his faith, only God can do that. But we know the Samaritan has faith because we can see his actions and hear his confession. He glorifies God and worships Jesus. He bows himself to the ground at Jesus’ feet, showing his unworthiness to stand before the Incarnate God and humbling himself before Jesus’ majesty. We can see his faith and hear him boldly confess the One True God.

There is another side to this. What of the nine? Were not ten cleansed? The nine received the same cleansing as the Samaritan but they did not receive it in faith. Because they did not receive it in faith, they did not return to glorify God nor worship Jesus. Their actions and words make it clear they are without faith. These are the one who have rejected their Baptism. Not everyone who is Baptized will be saved. Baptism is not a magical rite in which salvation is bestowed upon all who have the magic water poured on their heads. The salvation of Holy Baptism must be received in faith and the nine have given clear evidence to the contrary.

Just as the Samaritan was both cleansed and healed in the same moment, so too with Holy Baptism. Faith is created and strengthen in this Sacrament. Faith also receives this Sacrament. It makes logical sense that faith must first be created in order to receive the Sacrament, but the mysteries of God do not operate according to human logic. God has promised that Baptism bestows faith. He has also stated the Sacraments must be received in faith. Both are true and we confess it because God says so.

Therefore, we do not baptize anyone who walks through the door. Nor do we baptize the children of unbelievers, who will never be brought back into the church. We instruct the family and the sponsors of their solemn duty to raise this child in the faith into which they have been baptized.

We could say the cleansing of the lepers reunited themselves with their bodies. The cleansing also reunited them with their community. But the nine were not reunited with God because they rejected the One who brought them cleansing. The healing of the Samaritan reunited him with God and the faith given to him by Christ has saved him. The final words of the reading should be, “Your faith has saved you.” The faith of the Samaritan to receive the gifts of God for who God is has saved him.

This faith is not a work anymore than Charlie could walk down that aisle and baptize himself. This faith is a work of God, a gift of the Holy Spirit, and a union with Christ himself, whose death and resurrection has sealed this faith with the promise of eternal life. It is a blessed thing to be helpless. As you age and become incapable of helping yourself, remember that you are simply returning to the state of a child. Unless you become like one of these little ones, unless you are as helpless as Charles, you will by no means inherit eternal life.

Being helpless is a confession of your inability to save yourself. We are too worried that we have nothing left to contribute because we define ourselves by what we have to offer. Christ defines us by what he has to offer. Why would you think you can do better? Arise and come to the Great High Priest. Follow Christ on the journey to the Cross and there receive the cleansing flood of Holy Baptism and the food of His own Body and Blood.

In + Jesus’ name.  Amen.