Grace and Peace to you from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in
the truth, for His word is truth. Amen
Second Sunday
of Easter (2010)
Continuing the Ministry of Jesus
John 20:21 (ESV)
Jesus said
to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am
sending you.”
The Resurrection is complete
and now we enter the Easter season. For the next fifty days, until Pentecost,
the Church enters what has historically been known as, “the time of
fulfillment.” During this time, the lectionary changes its focus from Hebrews
to the Acts of the Apostles, because Acts presents to us those early blessed
days when the resurrection of our Lord was fresh in the hearts of the Apostles.
It was during these early days of the Church that the Spirit breathed on the
apostles and unfolded God’s intentions for His people even as they received His
gifts. Those early days were filled with uncertainty and obstacles, yet with
the guiding hand of God, challenges were met, problems were addressed, and the
wonder of life in Christ was discovered. To say that God’s plans were
successful is an understatement. Today, the life and growth of the apostolic
church is opened for us so that we may immerse ourselves into that same life
and add our efforts to this divine, apostolic
As our Lord completed His
work of salvation on the altar of the Cross, His death brought justification to
all men as He had redeemed the world to His heavenly Father. However, the
benefits of His life, death, and resurrection, which were meant for all
mankind, had yet to be applied. Word of His divine gifts of the forgiveness of
sin and life eternal had to be proclaimed. They had to be proclaimed from
person to person, country to country, and continent to continent. Thus, the
task of accomplishing this work would become the assignment of the church. The
disciples were now to carry on the work of Christ. God’s mission had been
turned over to them. Therefore, they were to speak and act in the Lord’s name
after He was gone.
Today, as we relive the life
of Christ in the revolving church year, we find ourselves annually at this
point. Having contemplated what Christ has done for us, we must always go on to
consider what we are bound to do for Him. Thus, this morning we begin to think
of; Continuing the Ministry of Jesus.
On that first Easter eve the
disciples heard the command, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent
me, even so I am sending you.” Who is it that gave them, and therefore us,
this charge? Such a question must always be first and foremost in our minds,
for unless we have and everlasting respect for the One who gave this
commission, we will never be able to fulfill it. It is none other than the same
Christ we know and follow. The Christ who asks for our service after Easter is
none other than the very same Christ who led us to Easter through His birth,
ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection. Moreover, His life of ministry is
a perfect example for our lives; a life of obedience to the will of God.
He was sent, and He went. Thus,
it is on that basis He now sends us. His perfect obedience to His heavenly
Father grants Him the right to command us. He came into the world, “not
to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew
20:28 ESV). This He did and having done so, He now asks us to be His
ministers, to devote our lives to the service of our fellow man, giving our
lives to that service just as He did. That is, just as He, “came to seek and to save the
lost” (Luke 19:10 ESV), He now sends us.
As our Lord began His
ministry in His home town of
From the beginning, it had
always been the law of God that men should love one another. However, to love one
another, “just as I have loved you” (John 13:34 ESV) was something new,
something powerful. Moreover, it had always been the divine rule that men
should forgive those who trespass against them. However, it is vastly different
to forgive someone seventy times seven. Our Lord instructs us to forgive, “one
another, as God in Christ” (Eph. 4:32 ESV) forgives us. From the days
of Abraham men were to be kind and considerate to their neighbors, however far
too many have forgotten what it means to be a Good Samaritan. Our Lord calls us
to a new understanding of neighborliness; He calls us to, “Love your enemies, bless them
that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Matthew 5:44 KJV). Thus, our
Lord makes it clear, these things we must do if we are to be children of His
Father. Jesus not only gave us this command, but He gave us a perfect
illustrated of its meaning in the writings of St. Paul; “one will scarcely die for a
righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die.” Yet,
“God
shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
(Romans 5:7-8 ESV). Therein lays the difference. It was to save God’s
enemies that Christ was sent and it is for this very same purpose that we have
been called and are sent today.
As the apostles were called
by Christ and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, we too have been called and
enlightened. Therefore, our response to that call is what entitles us to the
name Christian. It is not enough to serve God through faulty human wisdom and
reason. This always leads to serving ourselves. Instead, we must serve the God
who revealed His will for us in Christ. This is the Christ who ate with
publicans and sinners, the Christ who did not condemn the adulterous woman, the
Christ who prayed for His crucifiers and saved the dying thief, the Christ who
stooped to wash His disciple’s feet, giving us an example that we are to do
unto others as He has done to us. This is the Christ who commissions us: the
Christ of tender affection, of infinite gentleness, of kindly understanding.
This is the Christ who, “having loved his own who were in the world”
. . . . “ loved them to the end” (John 13:1 ESV).
As followers of Christ it is
easy to see that He is pre-eminently worthy of the highest honor and acceptance
that we can render. He is deserving of the very best service we can possibly
give. There is no other who qualifies for our service and loyalty as does
Jesus. Our Lord Jesus bought us at a price; His precious and holy life. Surely,
if we are to devote our lives and work to anything, then devoting them to Continuing the Ministry of Jesus is
infinitely better than devoting it to the world. The world only absorbs our
best and then discards us, telling us our services are no longer required.
Again our Lord said, ““Peace
be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
These words from our Lord Jesus Christ speak to our responsibility as He sends
us to continue that for which He had been sent. Our opportunities to aide in
the completion of this mission through a Christian congregation are wide and
varied. There is choir work, altar guild, teaching, ladies aide, trustees,
elders, and evangelism and outreach committees just to name a few. We can also
speak of the service which our offerings make possible outside the
congregation; work such as missions, social services, and Christian education.
However, none of these are really central. They are only parts of a whole, and
one must fit them all into the framework of the complete picture of activity
that makes up today’s church, which is the proclamation of the Gospel; the
message of the forgiveness of sins in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He
alone is the central focus of all our activities.
Thus, Christian
congregations are not social organizations for the purpose of socializing.
Unfortunately, far too many believe that is the purpose of the church. Rather,
we are people who have been called and sent to continue the mission of the
risen Christ. Moreover, this mission can only be carried out when we realize
that we are sent to people; to frail,
sinful, blemished, imperfect people, to proclaim the Lord’s will. Often, this
seems to complicate the work of Christian service enormously. In fulfilling the
mission, we do not do the Lord’s will in isolation; rather we do it in
conjunction with others and we do it to others. The problems arise when we
begin to make distinctions; we decide that we’re going to work with this person
and not with that one, or we decide we’re going to be friendly to this person
and not to that one. Of course, there is not a person alive who does not find
certain human associations more congenial than others. There are people to whom
we instinctively “warm up,” and there are others who leave us absolutely cold. However,
our sin does not consist in this, but in allowing these personal likes and
dislikes to interfere with the building of God’s kingdom. But thanks be to God,
as we grow in grace, we begin to understand the mission better, and thus we
come to the right understanding that our mission is not only with kindred
spirits, but with those with whom we feel little in common, even those with
whom we may have disagreement. Indeed, it is especially to the latter, for it
is to them that we may make our greatest contribution. We are reminded of the
words of our Lord Jesus, who said, “For if you love those who love you, what
reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what
more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your
heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:46-48 ESV). Sadly, too often we
allow our personal issues to get in the way of doing the work to which we have
been called.
Our Lord’s loving care was
absolutely impartial; He died for all without discrimination. Therefore, we who
are the children of God should bear His family characteristics; like Father,
like son. If we show favoritism at all, it will be in the direction of those
who need it the most, not with those whom we like the best. As our Lord Jesus
said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are
sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17 ESV).
Not only are we to seek the lost souls who do not know Christ, but we are to continue
to proclaim the love of God in Christ Jesus to those who once knew Him, but who
have fallen away. Was not our Lord Jesus sent to, “the lost sheep of the house of
Our Lord Jesus showers us
with His graciousness, providing us with divine sustenance to strengthen our
spirits so we might accomplish the mission to which He has sent us. He calls us
to gather around Word and Sacrament in close association to receive from Him
that which strengthens our faith and assures us of the forgiveness of sins. He
points us to the baptismal font to remind us of our birthplace as sons and
daughters of His heavenly Father, showing us the place from which the people to
whom He has sent us will also becomes children of God, heirs of His heavenly
kingdom and brothers and sisters in Christ. He gives us His body and blood in
Holy Communion, joining us to Him and His heavenly mission, cleansing us of our
sin and renewing our mission fervor to serve Him by serving others. Moreover,
He revives our sagging faith through His holy and revealed Word of Holy
Scripture, reminding us of His sacrifice and the eternal life of joy and
happiness which awaits all who believe in Him, including those whom we reach
through Christian outreach who are brought to faith by the Holy Spirit. Thus,
our Christian worship is never a private affair between ourselves and God. On
the contrary, our Christian worship always has the social implications that God
has not only made us His sons and daughters, but brothers and sisters of one
another. We are family and we are always looking to increase the family size.
Our Lord has called and sent us to fulfill His mission and that begins with the
members of God’s family.
Continuing the Ministry of Jesus is a divinely imposed task. We have been called and
sent to serve people. Therefore, we pray that in our words, attitudes, and
actions they might see our good works and glorify the Father which is in
heaven. Today’s Gospel Reading is indeed a missionary text, laying upon us the
duty of bringing our Christian witness and influence to bear on those who are
still outside the
We have been sent by Christ
to proclaim the wonders of His mission to save all men from their sins. We are
called upon to continue that proclamation which will draw men to His atoning
sacrifice and the truth that upon that accursed tree, He died to justify all
mankind to His heavenly Father. Moreover, to proclaim the forgiveness of sins
through the preaching and teaching of His revealed, holy, and saving Word
through which the Holy Spirit engenders faith in the hearts of men, leading
them to Chris. This is our call, this is Continuing
the Ministry of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray; Almighty and
gracious God, You want all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth. Magnify the power of the Gospel in the hearts of Your faithful people
that Your Church may spread the good news of salvation. Protect, encourage, and
bless all who proclaim the saving cross of Christ, which, when lifted up, may
draw all people to Himself, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
May the peace of God which passes all understanding
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.