They Saw Jesus Walking on the Sea: St. John 6:16-29

St. John 6:16-29: "1 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, 'It is I; do not be afraid.' 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. 22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone--23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks--24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, 'Rabbi, when did You come here?' 26 Jesus answered them and said, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.' 28 Then they said to Him, 'What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?' 29 Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.'"

In today's pericope there are three miracles that our Lord performs, so that the Apostles might give witness. First, we have the walking on the water by our Lord as told by St. John, the Evangelist. Second, we have the calming of the winds and wave as He is walking towards them. And third, the disciples immediate arrival at the shore, when they had willingly received our Lord Jesus into the boat.

In order to set these events into their proper setting the Evangelist, St. John, points out a few facts. Immediately after the feeding of the 5,000, which text we heard the Fourth Sunday in Lent, commonly called Laetare, we are told by St. John that the crowds were so impressed by the miracle of receiving food in abundance that they desired to make Him a king. Since He is already a King, just not of this world, we are told He departed up the mountain to a solitary place to pray. It is here where the reading begins, get into a boat to cross over to the other side. The question arises, "Why did they not wait for Him?" This is answered in the other Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, who relate to us that Jesus had instructed them to get into the boat and go to the other side without Him. St. John adds the detail that it was evening by the time they set out.

Having rowed three or four miles, a strong wind arises, and makes their rowing difficult. It is then they see our Lord Jesus walking to them upon the water. In the other Gospels we are told that they thought it was a ghost, and that this was the reason for their fear. Here St. John relates something remarkable which the other Gospel writers omit. And that is the words that our Lord spoke to inform them that He was the one they were seeing. The English translation (as is often the case) does not convey what the Greek holds. For the English says, "It is I." However, the Greek says, "Ego eimi," or in English, "I AM." Our Lord announces Himself by using the same Name that He announced Himself to Moses in the burning bush, "I AM THAT I AM." This designation of our Lord is common in the Evangelist St. John's Gospel. In this we can see two things, one, how weak the English translation is; And two, our Lord calms the Apostles' fear by declaring His Name.

This too, of course, is how the Lord calms our fears, by making known His Name among us. How does our Lord make known His Name among us? The answer lies in the First Petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed be Thy Name." When we pray this petition we are praying that God's Name may be holy among us. This is done when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity among us, and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution among us. For when these things are being done, then God's Name is being hallowed among us. Not only that, but when God's Name is made holy among us by the pure preaching of the Word, and the right administration of the Sacraments, the Holy Spirit is also at work among us. What is His task? To bring us the Kingdom of God, which is the Second Petition of the Lord's Prayer. He brings us the Kingdom of God, by giving us faith to believe God's holy Word, and also have faith that the Sacraments are efficacious for forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. This also leads us to the Third Petition of the Lord's Prayer, that Our Lord's will would be done on earth, as it is done in Heaven. For when the Word is preached in its purity, and the Sacraments are rightly administered, then the good and gracious will of God is being done, for it is allowing the Word of God to be taught among us (Hallowing His Name) and it is permitting the Holy Ghost to do His work of creating and sustaining faith and life in us (that is, bringing us the Kingdom of God).

Therefore, in our Lord's Name, we see Him giving Himself to His disciples, and when His Name is placed upon us, and we remind ourselves that His Name is placed upon us, when we make the sign of the cross upon our foreheads, our Lord is giving Himself to us, so that we might not be afraid of the evil will and counsel of the devil, the world, and our flesh.

So we see in the very short sermon of our Lord, "It is I; Do not be afraid," that He declares to His disciples and to us, who He is, and in knowing who He is we need not fear. For He is the Son of God Almighty, who walks on the water, calms the wind and waves, and transports the boat immediately to shore, so that those who saw these things, may be witnesses and proclaim to all, and especially to us, who is the Messiah.

May God be with you,

Deacon Dulas

You Still Lack One Thing: St. Luke 18:15-30

St. Luke 18:15-30: "15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.' 18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' 19 So Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not bear false witness," "Honor your father and your mother."' 21 And he said, 'All these things I have kept from my youth.' 22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, 'You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.' 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. 24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' 26 And those who heard it said, 'Who then can be saved?' 27 But He said, 'The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.' 28 Then Peter said, 'See, we have left all and followed You.' 29 So He said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.'"

The rich man went away sorrowful, because he had much wealth. This man approached the Lord Jesus in what seemed to be a good way, for he addresses our Lord Jesus as "Good Teacher." But our Lord's rebuke of this address to Him, should perk up our ears, for even when the devils proclaim Him to be the Son of God He does not rebuke them for their what they said. (Even though He may say to them to be quiet, and not let this fact be known). Therefore, this should be of interest to us.

We are shown the answer to our Lord's rebuke in the question and answer of this man. For his question is what "he must do" in order to inherit eternal life. Our Lord lists for him the Commandments of the Second Table of the Law, the ones having to do with our neighbor.

This rich man, tells our Lord that he has kept all these since his youth; To which our Lord responds that he still lacks one thing. Now, this rich man in posing the question in the first place, already knows there is something missing. Why else would he ask the question about what he must do? This man already senses that he is lacking something.

But we see our Lord's grace in his response to this rich man, for the our Lord purposely relates the Commandments dealing with our neighbor, because this man's heart is not right toward his neighbor, even though he thinks it is. Therefore, our Lord tells this man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, in order to show this man that he is not keeping the Second table of the Law, regarding his neighbor. Our Lord further adds that this man should then "follow" Him.

This is why the man goes away deeply saddened, for he realizes his lost condition. He realizes that he has not kept the law as perfectly as he thought he had. He also learned that he did not have the faith of a little child, like our Lord spoke about in the beginning of this pericope. The faith that trusts our Lord completely without questions, and not having learned cruel malice, does not openly seek the harm of one's neighbor, but openly and freely loves without prompting.

The thoughts of the rich man are expressed through the responses of the disciples and the crowd, "Who then can be saved?" Everyone, who has been listening, has heard the Law, preached clearly and succinctly, and had it applied to their very hearts by our Lord Jesus. They are now ready to hear the Gospel, that inheriting eternal life, that is, receiving forgiveness of sins salvation, is impossible through any work of man, but with our Lord God it is possible.

For only our Lord God, in the person of our Lord Jesus, could fulfill the Law perfectly for us, filling in that which we lacked. And only He could offer up Himself as the perfect, unblemished and holy Lamb as a sacrifice on our behalf. Only He could die for our sins, and the sins of the whole world, and buy us back from sin, death, and the devil.

It is to this faith, that our Lord Jesus died for us, that we are to cling to and believe in like little children. Therefore, let us come before Him as little children. For of such as these, belongs the Kingdom of God.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

And Which of You By Worrying Can Add One Cubit to His Stature: St. Luke 12:1-34

St. Luke 12:1-34: "1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. 4 And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 8 Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. 11 Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.' 13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' 14 But He said to him, 'Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?' 15 And He said to them, 'Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.' 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: 'The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, "What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?" 18 So he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.'" 20 But God said to him, "Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?" 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.' 22 Then He said to His disciples, 'Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29 And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'"

Our Lord Jesus tells us today, to not worry. For our Heavenly Father, knows all our needs and well provides them. He also tells us that we should not be consumed with earthly possessions, for when we die, they will no longer be ours. He illustrates this by a parable about a man who couldn't fit his grain into his barn, so he built bigger ones, and then having acquired (in his own mind) all that he needed for this life, he states that he will, "Eat, drink and be merry."

This parable is prompted by an individual, who from the crowd, shouts to Jesus to make his brother divide his inheritance with him. Our Lord Jesus then points out that this man is breaking the ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's inheritance." Through the parable our Lord Jesus shows us why it is useless to covet, or to be obsessed with the acquistion of earthly goods. For this man in the parable, had all that he thought he needed. But he lacked faith in God. His faith was instead in his possessions.

This misdirected faith, we are shown, leads to our eternal destruction. The problem with worrying about what one has in this life, is first, it denies, or ignores, that our Heavenly Father, already knows that we have need of these things. Like our Lord Jesus states, "Consider the lilies of the field." These don't toil or spin, they aren't worried about making more money, or finding a better job, a bigger house, a nicer car, or anything like that. However, our Lord takes care of them, so that they grow. We are much more important to our Heavenly Father than lilies. Therefore, trust your Heavenly Father, and do not worry about your life. He will provide all that you need.

This brings us to the second thing that worrying about what one has in this life leads to. For we are often confused about what need is, and what a want or desire is. We often think that our wants are really needs. Needs are what we need to support this body and life. They include both spiritual and physical needs. Physical needs would be food and drink, a house or home, friends and family, and clothes. Spiritual needs would include forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation, those things provided through Word and Sacrament.

However, we often confuse our needs with our wants. Just using the needs listed above we can set an example. We may only need bread to live, but we want the best bread that our money can buy. We may only need water to drink, but we will want the best drinks we can buy. We desire the best home, the best clothes, the most popular friends, and family that is (in the eyes of society) the most acceptable.

So what would our Lord Jesus have us do? He would have us sell all that we have, and give alms to the poor and needy. He says this to make the point that if our earthly possessions are getting in the way of our faith, they should be done away with. It is better to have nothing of this earth, and live as a beggar, and have great faith, than to possess all things, and have no faith. The world would lead us to believe that the opposite is true.

Much of the economic problems in our society are due to the very fact that people try to live beyond their means. They have been taught by our society that the getting and having of things is the most important thing. Like the saying goes, "He who dies with the most toys, wins." What a shameful and horrible thing to say and believe! For it makes earthly possessions out to be the true god. And it doesn't just stop with earthly possessions, for our status amongst our neighbors also falls into this category. We are more worried about being "exposed as a Christian" than we are about living as who we really are. Do not be afraid of those who can only kill the body, or those who may heap shame on us, or belittle us on account of our faith. They will have their punishment. But if we join with them, the punishment will be ours.

This is why our Lord Jesus comes to us today, to give us Himself. He is the true treasure. The treasure that moth can not eat up, nor fails, nor that thieves can steal. The treasure that He gives is His Body and Blood offered as a once and for all sacrifice on the tree of the cross. For we are daily tempted to be worried about this life, and not trust in our Heavenly Father to provide for us. And daily do we fail, for the devil, the world and our flesh, constantly assail us, and lead us into shame and despair.

But our Lord Jesus shows us the lilies. On Easter, in most churches, there are many lilies that are in the church. The lily is a symbol of the resurrection. So when we consider the lily, we are considering our Lord's death and resurrection for our salvation. Therefore, let us consider the lilies, and not the things of this world, for the spiritual things of our Heavenly Father are worth more than anything this world has to offer.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Lord, Teach Us to Pray: St. Luke 10:38-11:13

St. Luke 10:38-11:13: "10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.' 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.'

"11:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.' 2 So He said to them, 'When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.' 5 And He said to them, 'Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him;" 7 and he will answer from within and say, "Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you?" 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!'"

Our Lord teaches us two things in today's pericope. One, how the ministers of God should behave when they go into the homes of those who receive them. And two, how to pray to our Heavenly Father for those things we need.

Our Lord Jesus teaches us that when the ministers of God go into the homes of those who receive them, that they "should not remain idle, but should rather fill the minds of those who receive them with sacred and divine teachings."* That is, that they are tasked with preaching the Word of God at all times in the midst of those who receive them. They are to be the embodiment of the Word of God among the people of God. Our Lord does this, in that when He enters the home of Mary and Martha (and we learn in other places, that this is the home of Lazarus in Bethany) He sits down to teach and preach.

We also learn from the Blessed Mary how those who receive the ministers of God are to receive them and their words. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus. She didn't just sit nearby, but at His feet, that is, she shows her diligence, eagerness, and steadfastness in hearing our Lord's Word. She wants nothing more than to hear what our Lord has to say. Martha on the other hand is consumed with being a good hostess. And in her obsession, she misses out on the opportunity to hear what our Lord teaches.

This is true for us as well, when the ministers of God come into our homes, we may be tempted to be more concerned about being good hosts and hostesses, than hearing what he has to say. This is why the ministers of God visit people in their homes, they come to bring the Word of God, that is not to say that other things cannot take place, but both minister and hearers have an obligation to preach and hear, respectively. The danger that is being expressed, is the minister who never says anything about what God has done, or, the hearer, who doesn't want the minister to say anything about God and what He has done. Are you the type of person who doesn't want the minister in your home, because you don't want him to be "all preachy?" Then you should repent, for this is for your benefit. He has been sent by God, and to not receive him, is to not receive our Lord Jesus. A similar question can be asked of the ministers of God, are you the type of minister who goes into people's homes, and do not say anything about God, because you do not want to sound "all preachy?" Then repent, for you have been sent by God, to bring the good news of salvation to those people.

In this Mary chooses the better thing, for she shows how diligently we are to cling to the Word of God, and crave for it to be spoken to us. And our Lord Jesus, is all to willing to oblige.

The second thing our Lord teaches us, is to pray. And He teaches His disciples (and us) by giving them the Lord's Prayer. This gives us a good chance to look at the Lord's Prayer, and receive some catechesis on it. Afterall, being in Lent, this is the season for catechesis. Therefore let us look briefly at each petition.

Our Lord begins teaching us how to pray, by teaching us to Whom we are to address our prayers. We are to beseech our Heavenly Father. After the Lord's Prayer in the text, He even gives us examples of how we are to imagine our Heavenly Father, that is, as a father. When we ask our earthly fathers for something, and we are told by Jesus, that even the evil ones do this, our fathers, because of their love for their sons, give us good things. And we knowing how our earthly fathers give to us, we have no qualms about asking them for the things we need. Therefore, we should have the same relationship with our Heavenly Father, not afraid to ask Him for the things we need.

Our Lord then explains to His disciples what things are to be asked for from our Heavenly Father, and these can be broken down into two categories. One, is spiritual needs, and the other is physical needs. Our daily earthly needs are sandwiched in the Lord's Prayer, between our daily spiritual needs.

Like the Ten Commandments, where the first three deal with our Lord God, in the Lord's Prayer, the first three deal with our greatest needs. Our first need is that God would hallow His Name, that is, that He would make His Name holy among us. Now we know that God's Name is holy in and of itself, but we pray that God would make His Name holy among us. How is this done? God's Name is made holy among us when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution, and we gladly and willing require and enjoy His Word preached in its purity. Therefore, those who don't care about such things, or do not think that preaching correct doctrine is as important as "getting the Word out" are profaning the Name of God among us. Of course, one is not actually "getting the Word out" if the Word that is being put out there is incorrect.

The second spiritual need we have is that our Lord's kingdom would come among us. Again, God's kingdom comes in and by itself, even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come among us. So, how does God's kingdom come? It comes when He gives us His Holy Spirit. In other words, whenever the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution in our midst, the Holy Spirit is give to us. And when that happens, He, through the outpouring of His grace upon us, creates in us faith and life, so that we may believe the Word that was preached, and believe that in the Sacraments we receive forgiveness, life and salvation. In short, in order for our Lord's kingdome to come to us, we need the means of grace given to us in their truth and purity. Wherever the means of grace are not given out, or are given out contrary to Christ's institution, the kingdom of God cannot come, nor can His Holy Spirit create and sustain faith and life in us by the outpouring of His grace.

The third spiritual need that we must ask for and receive before requesting any earthly need, is that our Lord's will would be done on earth, in the same way that it is done in Heaven. Again, we know that God's will is done without our prayer, but we pray that it may be done among us, or in other words, that we may gladly and willing receive His holy will. How is this done? Whenever God breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our flesh, which do not want us to make God's Name holy among us, nor let His kingdom come among us. In other words, God's will is done when we make sure that the first two petitions are happening among us, that we do not become apathetic towards God's Word, and correct doctrine and practice, nor allow false teaching and practice to exist among us. For when we are apathetic, or allow false practice to exist among us, we are weakened in our faith. This is what the second part of the Blessed Martin Luther's explanation to this petition explains, that is, that when we are allowing God's will to be done, and His kingdom to come, He is strengthening and perserving us in the One True Faith. This is why the Word of God, and the right administration of the Sacraments in our midst are so important, for these are the means by which the Holy Ghost works to create and sustain, and strengthen our faith. Where these things do not exist, our faith is either weakened, or in grave danger of being wasted away.

Having learned how to ask our Heavenly Father to keep His Word and Sacraments pure in our midst, we are now ready to ask for those things which we need to sustain this body and life. For when we have the Word of God in its truth and purity, we learn to be content with the simple things that our Lord gives us, and we ask only for the necessities to sustain life. This is why the next petition simply states, "Give us this day our daily bread." For in daily bread is meant all that we need to support this body and life, or to say it another way, we are asking for only those things which we need to support our earthly life. God certainly gives daily bread without our prayer, and on account of His grace and love for His creation, He even gives it freely to all evil people. But when we ask our Heavenly Father to give us daily bread, we are acknowledging from Whom our earthly bread comes from, and we are by virtue giving Him thanks for it.

Having taken care of our spiritual and earthly needs, we now turn to those things that attack us in this life, and draw us away from our Heavenly Father, and that is sin. Both the sin that we commit, and the sin that is commited against us. This petition rightly follows the others, for part of our sin, is being lax in God's Word, and receiving and rejoicing in the Sacraments. We also daily have desires that go way beyond what we need to support this body and life, for we do become discontent with our lives, and chase after the things of this life. There are also those who commit sins against us, for we live in an evil world full of sin. Therefore in this petition we request our Heavenly Father to forgive us of our sins, and we also request Him to forgive those who sin against us, releasing them from the sins that they committed against us, so that we do not hold those sins against them. It should be pointed out that this petition does not require them to ask for forgiveness. It should also be said, that when we hold grudges, we are making the second half of this petition out to be a lie. This is dangerous, for we learn from our Lord Jesus, that when we refuse to forgive our neighbors who have sinned against us, our Heavenly Father, will not forgive us. This of course, does not apply to those who through Church discipline have publicly had their sins retained. This petition is probably best summed up in the words of the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, who said, "Bear with one another."

The sixth petition request our Heavenly Father to give us the strength to resist temptation, so that we may not be led, or deceived, into false belief, despair, or other great shame or vice. This of course is done through the Holy Ghost, who dwells within us, by continued use of the means of grace. We may be assailed by the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh, but by the Holy Ghost, we may overcome them and obtain the victory over temptation.

Finally, our prayer to our Heavenly Father sums up our lost condition, and prays that we would be delivered from the evil one. This petition has to do with our last hour on this Earth. When we pray this petition we are praying that our Lord would keep us free from all evil that would remove us from receiving our eternal reward in Heaven. We are saying when we pray, "Deliver us from evil" that our Lord would grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this vale of tears to Himself in Heaven. This is why when this petition is prayed those who pray it make the sign of the Holy Cross at the word "deliver." For we are delivered from the evil one, and are granted a blessed end, and an eternal home in Heaven, by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose suffering and death, won for us forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation.

We wrap up our prayer by saying, "Amen." That is to say, "We know that what we have just prayed for, You O Lord, will grant to us, and we believe that You will freely give us all that we ask for and more." Therefore, the Church has prayed this prayer daily and much. In the past it was prayed whenever the Church Bells were rung, announcing the time of prayer, and those who were unable to come to the Lord's house for prayer, would stop and pray this prayer in their stations in life. The Blessed Martin Luther suggested that this prayer should be prayed when we awake in the morning, before and after meals, and when we lie down to sleep. This prayer is also prayed in both Matins and Vespers, the morning and evening prayers, respectively. This means that we ask our Heavenly Father for all spiritual and earthly needs, about ten times a day (if one eats three meals a day). Ten being the number of perfect completion, we pray this prayer completely and perfectly every day.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

* St. Cyril

For What Profit Is It To a Man If He Gains the Whole World, and Is Himself Destroyed or Lost?: St. Luke 9:1-27

St. Luke 9:1-27: "1 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 And He said to them, 'Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.' 6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. 7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. 9 Herod said, 'John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?' So he sought to see Him. 10 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, 'Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.' 13 But He said to them, 'You give them something to eat.' And they said, 'We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.' 14 For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, 'Make them sit down in groups of fifty.' 15 And they did so, and made them all sit down. 16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. 17 So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. 18 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, 'Who do the crowds say that I am?' 19 So they answered and said, 'John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.' 20 He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered and said, 'The Christ of God.' 21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.' 23 Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.'"

This pericope ends the way it began. We are shown the importance of having the Word of God over earthly things. The disciples, when they are sent out by our Lord Jesus with power and authority over demons, and to heal sicknesses, are instructed to take nothing with them. In this the Early Fathers are in agreement in their teaching, that our Lord does this to teach the disciples that they are to live by the Gospel, and not by the things of this world. They go out into the world with no staff, in other words, nothing with which to protect them and aid them in their journey. They go out with no bag, meaning they don't have a suitcase of extra clothes, or whatever other things would have been carried in a bag. They carry with them no bread, meaning they have no food, they are to beggars, and receive only what they given through charity. They also are to bring no money, so that they will not be able to buy any of the things they think they might need. They are also supposed to go without an extra tunic, that is, not an extra pair of underwear.

The Lord sends them out as beggars, with nothing but the Word of God. St. Ambrose says of this text, "Of what kind then he ought to be who preaches the Gospel of the kingdom of God is marked out by these Gospel precepts ; that is, he must not require the supports of secular aid; and clinging wholly to faith, he must believe that the less he requires those things, the more they will be supplied to him." Herein we see the purpose of our Lord sending out His disciples as beggars with just the Word of God. They are to live by faith. When they are forced to live without the means of this world, they will cling all the more to our Lord. The same thing is true of us, when we are stripped of all the props of life, we can more freely believe and cling to our Lord's gifts.

One might wonder what the end result of this sending out into the countryside by our Lord Jesus without earthly entanglements. Well, we are told by another Gospel writer, that they returned with joy, proclaiming all the wonderful things they did through the Gospel. Therefore we can learn something from the disciples. What is most important is the Gospel. What that means is that the Word of God preached in its purity and the Sacraments administered according to Christ's institution, are more important than any earthly possession one has. But, not only should the ministers of the Word rely on God, and not on earthly possessions, but so too should all Christians. This is why this pericope ends the way it started.

But before our Lord explains all these things that have happened in this reading, we get a physical example of our Lord's abundance toward us, and how faith in our Lord, will supply our needs. For sandwiched in between the disciples being sent out without any of earth's props, and our Lord telling us that those who seek after the things of this world are in danger of losing their soul, we have the feeding of the 5,000. Here our Lord shows what faith produces, that is, our Lord bestowing upon the 5,000 men, plus women and children, enough food so that everyone ate to their fill. Our Lord provides their needs. And notice that we talk about needs, for there are many wants which we have, which our Lord never provides for us, for He knows that they will be harmful to us, and will put up a barrier to our faith. But here in the wilderness, our Lord teaches us about faith, and about how He will provide for our needs.

From here, after St. Peter declares, on behalf of the disciples, that He is the Messiah, He goes on to explain to His disciples the purpose of His coming, and that is to suffer and die to bring forgiveness, life and salvation. Here we are told to take up our cross and follow Him. Our cross is His cross, the cross where He suffered and died. What our Lord is telling us, is that those who wish to live by faith, must live by faith in the cross. We are too often so consumed with our earthly needs, that we forget about our spiritual needs. We neglect studying of the Word of God, we neglect prayer, that is, our private worship of our Lord. But worse than that, we may even neglect the public worship of our Lord. Not taking advantage of the means provided by the Church so that we may receive into our ears the preaching of what our Lord Jesus did for us.

Here in there are a lot of Church's at fault as well, wittling down the public services of worship to once a week, and then even placing a time frame on them of one hour, so that everyone can get out as soon as possible. The Church throughout the ages as always had daily public worship, that is, until most recently. In the Lutheran Church Matins and Vespers were prayed each day, along with instruction in both the Word of God and the Catechism following these services, respectively. On Sundays and Feast days, the Lord Supper was offered to all those who desired to receive who were in fellowship with the Lutheran Church. These were preceded, either directly before the service, or the preceding night before with a service of public confession, and then private confession following afterwards. All this was done so that everyone had ample opportunity to hear the Word of God, so that faith might be created and sustained in the believer.

However, today, this does not take place. The excuses are many. "No one will come." "We are too small to have more than one service." "That is too much Church." "It is too much work." "Are you trying to burn us out with Church services?" "We only have one pastor, and that is too much work for him." "The electric bill will go up, because of all these extra services." And the list could go on. All these concerns are centered in worldly pursuits and concerns. None of them have to do with the spiritual. In short, they are lies of the devil, who does not want us to be so surrounded by the Word of God.

The problem is that we have made the world our home, and the Church a hobby, or something to do in our free time. Instead, it should be the Church that is our home, and our life, and all the cares and concerns of this world should take a back burner, or better yet be done away with all together. It would surely reduce stress, if we were not so consumed by the acquisition of things. Now, certainly we have some earthly obligations. We have to feed our family, and pay for our rent or mortgage, and our bills. But we could attack even these things, for we don't need the fanciest food, or living quarters, or automobile. We don't need all of the bills which we have, which we think we need, but could really be done away with. For we only have these things because the world says that we need them. In reality they are only things that get in our way of our spiritual life, for the pursuit and maintenance of these things, only takes away our time for study of God's Word and prayer.

Therefore, our Lord Jesus puts the question to us, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" On this fourth day of Lent, we have an opportunity, in the spirit of the Lenten fast, to put off from ourselves, all the earthly entrapments that weigh us down, add to our stress, and take us away from daily hearing what our Lord has done for us. Let us examine our lives, and get rid of all those things that hinder us from hearing God's Word; All those things which are nothing more than worldly pursuits.

For then we will be like the disciples who were sent out into the world as beggars, who learned to live by faith, and who learned to trust in our Lord Jesus. They returned to Him in joy, and the same thing will happen to us, for having learned to live by faith, we learn to be content with whatever our Lord has given us, and in whatever situation our Lord has placed us. In this faith, we will eat to our full, like the 5,000, and be satisfied, in all our Lord provides.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Everyone Who Is Perfectly Trained Will Be Like His Teacher: St. Luke 6:33-49

St. Luke 6:33-49: "33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.' 39 And He spoke a parable to them: 'Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 41 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye. 43 For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 46 But why do you call Me "Lord, Lord," and do not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.'"

Today is Shrove Tuesday. The day before Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. What is Shrove Tuesday? To "shrive" oneself, means to confess. Hence, this is the day in the Church year when the people of God, made their final preparation for Lent by going to Confession. In some Lutheran parishes, Vespers is concluded with the service of Public Confession, and then Private Confession is offered afterward, in preparation for the Mass on Ash Wednesday morning where the worshippers will receive ashes upon their foreheads in the form of a cross, reminding them that they are sinners who are in need of a Savior.

Shrove Tuesday has taken on different significance in different parts of the world. Here is an excerpt from Edward T. Horn, III's book The Christian Year, talking about Shrove Tuesday:

"The close of the period--from Quinquagesima to Ash Wednesday--has been a period for considerable celebration in anticipation of Lent. In the Middle Ages, carnivals were popular all over Europe on Shrove Tuesday which was known as Fasten's Eve in Scotland, Fastnacht in Germany, and Mardi Gras in France. In Italy masques were worn and folk comedies such as Harlequin and Columbine, Scaramouche and Pantalon, and Punchinello were presented. In Germany the Fastnachtsnarr Hans Wurst presided over the masquerade of gigantic sausages, pretzels adn beer kegs. In France the principal attraction was a fattened ox led through the streets to a barbecue. The French influence is perpetuated in the United States in the annual Mardi Gras in New Orleans. In England, the pancake is associated with Shrove Tuesday and Shakespeare's clown in All's Well That Ends Well remarks, "As fit as a pancake for Shrove Tuesday." In Germany, the doughnut came to symbolize Fastnacht. Both of these customs are believed to have been designed to use up whatever grease might be on hand before Lent began, during which its use was forbidden. Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the shrift, or confession, which was made before Lent began. It is a legal holiday in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida."

Thus far Edward T. Horn, III.

Today's reading prepares us for Lent in a different manner. It reminds us of the catechesis that will take place. In fact this whole reading, taken from the Sermon on the Mount, is catechesis. It is instruction in the commandments and teachings of our Lord. Therefore our Lord tells us that the person who is well catechized, will be just like their teacher. Our Lord Jesus may use His ministers to teach us His doctrines, but it is He who is doing the instructing. Therefore, the person who is well-educated in the doctrines and practices of the Church, will be like our Lord Jesus, meaning, the Holy Ghost will be working in them to create faith in the Heavenly Father.

The well-catechized individual also will crave to learn more and more from our Lord Jesus, just like the crowds who came from far distances to hear our Lord teach. He will also know how to better serve his neighbor. So that all the things that our Lord talks about in this pericope, he will take to heart and try to do a better job. More than that, the well-catechized individual will know that when he fails in serving his neighbor, that he has a Savior who suffered and died for him on the tree of the cross. He will know how to confess his sins, that is shrive them, and receive absolution from our Lord Jesus Christ, through the minister of God given to him by God.

Let us then today, shrive ourselves of all sin, seeking our minister to confess our sins, and receive absolution from him, for his absolution is as valid and certain, as if our Lord Jesus Christ, forgave us Himself.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Love Your Enemies, Do Good, and Lend, Hoping For Nothing in Return: St. Luke 6:1-35

St. Luke 6:1-35: "1 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And some of the Pharisees said to them, 'Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?' 3 But Jesus answering them said, 'Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?' 5 And He said to them, 'The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.' 6 Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. 8 But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, 'Arise and stand here.' And he arose and stood. 9 Then Jesus said to them, 'I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?' 10 And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 11 But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. 12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; 15 Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. 17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. 20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: 'Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. 24 " But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets. 27 But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 32 But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.'"

As we draw closer to Lent, we hear the Words of our Lord from the Sermon on the Mount once again, telling us how we are to behave towards our neighbor. The summary is to love without expecting to be loved back. To do good things, without expecting a reward, or receiving gratitude or thanks for having done it. We are to lend, whether that be money, or food, or clothes, not expecting it to be given back. In other words, we are to do these things freely. This is what Christians are supposed to do. However, we know all too well, that we fail miserably at this.

For we are always expecting some return for our good works. For example when it comes to love, even among the people we love the most, we expect that they tell us that they love us back, and if they don't then we assume that they are mad at us, or we did something we ought not to have done. We all like to have a pat on the back sometimes, and be told that we are doing things the right way, and that our efforts are being noticed.

Our Lord, though requires us to do these things without expecting anything in return, that is, to do these things that our Lord lists, unconditionally.

This prepares us for Lent. For during Lent we will hear instruction in the Ten Commandments. In the Second Table of the Law, we learn about what responsibilities we have toward our neighbor, and when we hear them, we will realize how far off we have missed the mark. This will produce in us one of two reactions. One, we will ignore the warning signs, and think about all the good things we have done, and we will tell ourselves, quite mistakenly, that we are not that bad of people, for there are numerous examples of more corrupt and incorrigible individuals. And we will go on with our lives as if we had never heard the Law and the preaching on the Commandments.

The second reaction that instruction in the Ten Commandments will produce in us is despair. We will realize how much we have failed, and how often we continue to fail to do what our Lord desires us to do. And we will sorrow over our sins, and desire to do better, but every time we hear the Commandments again, we will once again be reminded of our failure. For those of us in this category, we are ripe to hear the Gospel, and we are ready for the teachings of Passiontide, where we will hear over and over again, that our punishment, and our constant breaking of the Law, has been paid for, and the penalty is removed from us, and placed upon our Lord Jesus Christ, who placed all of our sin and guilt on the altar of the cross, and sacrificed it once and for all to our Heavenly Father.

And our Lord Jesus, Who stands has both High Priest, offering atonement on our behalf, and as the sacrificial Lamb, will have His sacrifice accepted by His Heavenly Father, and upon His intercession on our behalf to the Father, our sins will be forgiven. And upon hearing this, we have extreme joy.

This is something those who try to good work their way into Heaven, will never experience. Those who do not see the depravity of their souls, will never see the great sacrifice that our Lord and Savior offered for us. Therefore, count yourself blessed, when your sins are pointed out to you, for it is one more chance to hear of the cross. And when we have heard about the cross, and the unconditional love that our Lord shows us in it, we learn to show this same love towards our fellowman, the Holy Ghost working through us. More importantly, when we do fail, and don't do as the Law commands, we learn to place those sins into the ears of our Minister, who, standing in the place of our Lord Jesus Christ, forgives those sins, putting in front of our eyes, once again the cross, pulling us out of despair and sorrow over our sins, and giving us joy at God's great love for us.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Let No One Eat Fruit From You Ever Again: St. Mark 11:1-33

St. Mark 11:1-33: "1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 2 and He said to them, 'Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. 3 And if anyone says to you, "Why are you doing this?" say, "The Lord has need of it," and immediately he will send it here.' 4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. 5 But some of those who stood there said to them, 'What are you doing, loosing the colt?' 6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: 'Hosanna! "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!" 10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!' 11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. 12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, 'Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.' And His disciples heard it. 15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, 'Is it not written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?" But you have made it a "den of thieves."' 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. 19 When evening had come, He went out of the city. 20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, 'Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.' 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, 'Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be removed and be cast into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. 25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.' 27 Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. 28 And they said to Him, 'By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?' 29 But Jesus answered and said to them, 'I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: 30 The baptism of John--was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.' 31 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'If we say, "From heaven," He will say, "Why then did you not believe him?" 32 "But if we say, "From men"'--they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. 33 So they answered and said to Jesus, 'We do not know.' And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.'"

In today's reading our Lord Jesus enters into Jerusalem and pronounces sentence against it. It is easy to read this text, which contains two well known narratives--the triumphal entry of our Lord into Jerasalem and the driving out of the Temple of the money-changers--and skip over the seemingly insignificant narrative of the withering of the fig tree. At first sight this scene seems rather odd. Why is our dear Lord Jesus withering fig trees? Couldn't He just find some other means in which to find some food? As a matter of fact, why is He upset that the tree doesn't have fruit when the Evangelist St. Mark tells us that it wasn't the season for figs? But this withering of the fig tree is more than it seems. For notice that the Evangelist St. Mark relates what the other Gospel writers do not, that after entering into Jerusalem and going to the Temple, He just looks around. In the Gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew, Jesus immediately goes into the Temple to drive out the money-changers.

However, here in this pericope, we get the fuller narrative of what our Lord did upon His arrival into Jerusalem. Our Lord Jesus upon looking around and doing nothing, goes outside of the city of Jerusalem, and seeing a fig tree from a far off, goes to it and pronounces judgment against it. This fig tree represents Jerusalem, and our Lord's proclamation against the fig tree, is His proclamation against Jerusalem. This prophecy against Jerusalem was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple leaving not one stone upon another. In the Gospel of St. Luke we are reminded of this by our Lord Jesus Christ's weeping over Jerusalem, as He enters into this once holy city. (St. Luke 19:41-44) This also takes place before the cleansing of the Temple.

What that means is that in two Gospels we have between our Lord's arrival on a donkey into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the Temple, we have our minds directed towards it's destruction, one, the Gospel of St. Luke, does this by showing our Lord weeping as His praises are being sung by the crowds as He enters Jerusalem, and the second is here in the Gospel of St. Mark, where our Lord, through the destruction of the fig tree, foreshadows Jerusalem's destruction.

Thereupon, He cleanses the Temple (for the second time, for He did this at the beginning of His ministry as related by the Evangelist St. John) and having done so, the scribes and chief priests sought to destroy Him. This is interesting indeed. For the Lord has already passed judgment on Jerusalem through the withering of the fig tree, which He does because of the unbelief of the Jews, and now, having cleansed the Temple, the Jews seek to destroy Him. We see in this a picture of the battle between God and the devil. For God has already passed judgment on the devil, and for this reason, he seeks to destroy mankind, and now that the Son of God has shown up to save mankind, he seeks to destroy Him.

But the Lord Jesus shows His authority over these would be destroyers, for here they come to question Him on whose authority He does these things. This is strange, for they know full well, which is shown us by their reasoning amongst themselves over our Lord's question to them about St. John the Baptist. They knew he was from God, but did not want to admit it, for this would reveal their unbelief. See how unrepentant they are! The same is true of their view of our Lord, for they know that He is from God, even all the people see it, but they cannot bring themselves to confess it, for their unbelief is great.

This again leads us back to the fig tree, for as St. Peter points out, the fig tree that our Lord Jesus cursed, has withered, and the disciples, wanting to understand this, ask of Him what it meant. To which our Lord Jesus reveals that it is about faith. The fig tree represented the unbelief, or the unfruitfulness of the Jews, which led to the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, but those who have faith, those who believe that our Lord Jesus is the Son of God, sent from the Father to win forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation, produce much fruit. And this faith, this fruit, always comes back to forgiveness of sins.

This is perhaps an odd thing for our Lord to say, since He was not very forgiving to the fig tree for not having any figs when it wasn't the season for them. But this is made more clear when one understands the fig tree to represent the unbelief of the Jews, who in their unbelief cannot forgive. Therefore, our Lord Jesus is teaching His disciple to not be like the scribes and chief priests, but rather be forgiving. For whenever there is forgiveness, the fruit of faith is produced, in those who are truly repentant. For forgiveness is only half of the equation, the other half is repentance, or confession of one's sin. The Jews refused to confess their sin of unbelief, and as a result they condemned themselves to destruction.

Therefore, we should view this a stark warning to ourselves to confess our sins, and receive absolution. This is why private confession, which sadly, has fallen into disuse among Lutherans, on account of pietistic and Reformed influence, is starting to be observed in more parishes in the Lutheran Church. This is rightly so, since our Lutheran Confessions state that it should not fall into disuse. This private confession, offers a chance for an individual to get into the habit of bearing one's sins to God the Father, and being able to hear the absolution from God pronounced by the minister sent by Him to do this.

This is especially important as we enter into the season of Lent, where our eyes will be directed to our sinfulness over the next few weeks. We have a great opportunity to relieve ourselves of those burdens of sin which trouble us, by seeking out our minister and confessing to him our sin, so that he may forgive us. Even if your parish does not provide set times for private confession, if you contact your minister, he will be happy to hear your confession. If he is not willing, or doesn't know what he is doing, then perhaps you need to seek a new parish and minister, one who knows the importance of these things, and actually follows the Lutheran Confessions.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

He Arose From There and Came to the Region of Judea by the Other Side of the Jordan: St. Mark 10:1-31

St. Mark 10:1-31: "1 Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan. And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again. 2 The Pharisees came and asked Him, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?' testing Him. 3 And He answered and said to them, 'What did Moses command you?' 4 They said, 'Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.' 5 And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. 6 But from the beginning of the creation, God "made them male and female. 7 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh;" so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.' 10 In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. 11 So He said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.' 13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.' 16 And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them. 17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' 18 So Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 19 You know the commandments: "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not bear false witness," "Do not defraud," "Honor your father and your mother."' 20 And he answered and said to Him, 'Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.' 21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, 'One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.' 22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, 'How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!' 24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, 'Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' 26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, 'Who then can be saved?' 27 But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.' 28 Then Peter began to say to Him, 'See, we have left all and followed You.' 29 So Jesus answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, 30 who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.'"

With today's reading, our dear Lord leaves Galilee and enter into Judea. We are told that He crossed over the Jordan to get there. There is symbolism in the Evangelist St. Mark saying it this way, for he is relating that our Lord Jesus has entered the promised land by the same way that the Israelites entered the promised land, through the Jordan. In a sense our Lord has been in the wilderness ever since His Holy Baptism. For after His Holy Baptism, He entered into the desert to be tempted by the devil, and then resided in the land of Galilee, which was the first territory of Israel to be led into exile. So what the Evangelist St. Mark is getting at by introducing this pericope in this fashion, is that our Lord is drawing near to His crucifixion and death, that is, the completion of His work and life.

Just like the Israelites, who upon entering into the promised land went to battle with the Canaanites to take over their land. So too, does our Lord begin His sojourn in the promised land by battling the Pharisees, who ask Him about divorce to trick Him into saying something wrong. For this question has a slippery slope on both sides, for whether He was to say that it was lawful or unlawful for a man to divorce His wife, they could refute Him from the teachings of Moses. But He instead, seeing through their guise, asked them a question. He we see the Pharisees defeated, much like the Israelites defeated their enemies after they had crossed over Jordan into the promised land.

There is a marked difference here made between the Pharisees and the crowds. For the crowds gather about Him to hear Him, and He "as was accustomed" taught them. The crowds are willing listeners, the Pharisees are willing objectors. In their minds they believe that they are protecting the crowds, for they think that our dear Lord Jesus is a false prophet, and if they can show the crowds that He is wrong regarding certain laws of Moses, then they would stop following Him. However, the Pharisees having been defeated, the crowds believe in Him all the more.

There are three more significant parts to this pericope. One, the disciples ask our Lord Jesus in private about the matter of divorce. And unlike the response to the Pharisees, He gives them full understanding, so that they might be fully equipped. We see in this the difference with which our Lord taught those who believed on Him, and those who were just there to test Him. We also learn from our Lord that divorce is wrong. Those who are joined together, are joined together by God, and no man can put them asunder. What is interesting about this account from the Evangelist St. Mark, is that there is no mention of the supposed "out clause" of being able to divorce in cases of unfaithfulness, which, quite frankly, some people use as a crutch to get divorced. After driving their spouse to commit unfaithfulness through neglect or harsh treatment, they now have a clear conscience to divorce them. The problem with this scenario, is that it was their intent all along, they were just looking for an excuse to divorce someone they no longer want to be married too.

This is the point that our Lord Jesus is trying to make with the Pharisees, the ones who are always looking for a loophole in the Law. It is on account of the hardness of their heart that Moses grants them the right to divorce, not because it was our Lord God's will. God desires that those He has joined together remain together, even if there is unfaithfulness. Even in this case, the unfaithfulness should be repented of, and resolution should be sought between husband and wife. We can see an example of this in the Old Testament prophet Hosea, who is told by the Lord to take an unfaithful wife. The amazing thing about Hosea and his unfaithful wife, is that he remains faithful to her. Of course, this was done to show our Lord God's faithfulness to us, in the midst of our unfaithfulness to Him through sin and chasing after false gods.

This is also the case regarding the bill of divorcement that the Pharisees brought up. For among the Jews, no one was allowed to write Hebrew letters, except the scribes. Therefore, those who desired a bill of divorce had to go to the scribes to get one. And, it was only at the scribes approval that this bill would be released. There are two things about this. One, we Moses' intent to delay the divorce, so that the man would come to his sense, and remain with his wife. (No woman was allowed to ask for divorce). Second, the scribes had veto power over the man's will, so that they could say no to the request. In this process, we see the desire of Moses, and of God, that divorce was wrong, but because of the sinfulness of man, it was allowed to be a concession to the true Law. This "hardness of heart" refers to greater sins being committed if divorce was not allowed, for example, murder. Therefore, the bill of divorce would have been granted if the hatred of this man for his wife was so great, that he was probably going to create greater sins against his wife, if he was not allowed to divorce her.

The second significant thing in this pericope is the children who are brought to our Lord to be blessed by Him, and the disciples rebuking them. At this our Lord is greatly displeased. And from these words, we see the words of the baptismal rite of infants. "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God." We see in this the great faith of the crowds in our Lord Jesus, contrasted with the unbelief of the Pharisees. For the crowds clearly viewd our Lord as someone sent from God. The disciples, however, rebuke the crowds, in a sense they are acting like the Pharisees, and for this reason, our dear Lord Jesus is greatly displeased. He then tells us that the kingdom of God is such as these. What that means is that those who desire to hear and learn from the Gospel and the Word of God, must become like little children.

What are little children like? They receive instruction from their parents gladly and willingly, trusting them completely. They don't put up objections, they don't try to refute what their parents say. Now this could be sad if their parents are teaching them falsely. But our Lord Jesus instructs us in the truth. And the ministers that were sent by Him also preach the truth. Therefore, we should listen to them like a little child listens to his parents, trusting that what is being told them is the truth. Little children do not doubt their parents, if they are beaten or disciplined, they don't give up on their parents, if they are dressed in what the world considers old clothes, they don't care that they are not the most expensive clothes. Such should be our reaction to our Heavenly Father. We should not doubt Him, or leave Him if we suffer persecution and hatred from the world, nor should be desire to be rich and properous in this life, but learn to be content in what has been given to us. And this leads us to the rich man who comes to our Lord Jesus.

The next significant part of this pericope is the rich man who asks our dear Lord what he must do to inherit eternal life. This is his first problem, that he is wondering what "he" can do. Since, we are only saved through the work of God, that is, of the saving work of our Lord Jesus who suffered and died for us. But we see in the response of our Lord Jesus to the approach of the rich man, that this man did not have a right heart towards our Lord, for our Lord instructs him in his use of the phrase, "Good Teacher." That is to say, this man did not consider our Lord Jesus to be God, for only God can be called "Good." We can also see this in the man's question, for he desires to place his eternal life in his works.

Our Lord removes these props from him, for this man erroneously thinks they he has kept these from his youth. There are many today, and even church bodies who support this thinking, who think that they haven't sinned in years, because they have kept the outward tenets of the Law. Even if someone was able to not sin in deed and word, there is still one's thoughts. These thoughts come out of the heart, as we learned earlier in the Gospel of St. Mark. Our hearts are full of evil, and although this evil is suppressed and driven back by constant hearing of preaching, and receiving of the Sacraments, it will always remain there until our death. This is of course why it is important to be a part of a parish, for it there where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the Sacraments are instituted according to Christ's institution. And if these things don't happen in that parish, then one should find one that does. For no one can be a Christian by themselves, the Church is a community, and no one can be a community by themself. Even our Lord God is a community unto Himself, being three persons, in one God. And in this community of God, we are told again and again, that we are indeed sinners in need of God's grace.

And this is exactly what this rich man needs to hear. But first, our Lord Jesus removes the props of the works of the Law from underneath him, so that he cannot stand upon them, therefore, He tells Him in the end, to sell all that He has and give it to the poor, and follow Him. This makes the rich man very sad, for he had a lot of wealth. In this revelation, we see truly where this man's faith and trust were centered, in his possessions. Therefore, our Lord Jesus states that it is difficult for those who cling to their possessions to enter into eternal life. For their possessions are their god, and not the one True God.

After the disciples despair about who can be saved, and we along with them, our Lord Jesus offers to us, and the rich man hope. For although impossible for man to save himself. Our Lord Jesus, who is God, can save us. For all things are possible with God. And this doesn't mean whatever one wishes, but this is specifically referring to our salvation. Our salvation is won by God, the Lord Jesus, through His suffering, death, and burial. Through Him alone we have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. This is revealed to us by the camel, which goes through the eye of the needle. For this mystically is our Lord Jesus. He is the camel. On the cross His hands and His feet were nailed to the tree, the needle representing the nails in His hands and feet. And by the going through the eye of the needle is meant the entire suffering of His Passion. For it is in this difficulty of the camel going through the eye of the needle that we see a picture of our Lord's suffering and death on the cross. But having suffered the cross and shame, He won for us eternal life.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

And After He is Killed, He Will Rise the Third Day: St. Mark 9:2-32

St. Mark 9:2-32: "2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah'--6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. 7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!' 8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. 9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. 11 And they asked Him, saying, 'Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' 12 Then He answered and told them, 'Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.' 14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, 'What are you discussing with them?' 17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, 'Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.' 19 He answered him and said, 'O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.' 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. 21 So He asked his father, 'How long has this been happening to him?' And he said, "From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.' 23 Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!' 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, 'Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!' 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, 'He is dead.' 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, 'Why could we not cast it out?' 29 So He said to them, 'This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.' 30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. 31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, 'The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.' 32 But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him."

This pericope as the recurring theme of our Lord Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. The disciples first heard about our Lord's death and resurrection immediately after confessing Him to be the Son of God, which we heard in the previous chapter. Then on the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appear to our Lord Jesus to discuss, we are told from another Gospel, the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Coming down the mountain, He discusses with His disciples His death and resurrection, and then after casting out an unclean spirit, He again tells His disciples about His death and resurrection. That is three times in this reading where our Lord's crucifixion and resurrection are related to His disciples and to us; Four if you count the previous scene which happened, according to the Evangelist St. Mark, six days before.

And so our eyes and our thoughts are directed by our Lord Jesus to the cross, that is, to His death for us. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah discuss His death with Him. The question is often asked, "Why Moses and Elijah?" There are several reasons for this.

First, both Moses and Elijah had the privilege of seeing the Lord in His glory pass by. Both of them were hidden in a cleft of a rock for their protection. This cleft of rock prefigured the tomb of Christ, who was placed inside a tomb that was cut out of a rock.

Second, Moses and Elijah represent the beginning and the end of the prophets. Moses was the first prophet specifically called and sent by the Lord God, and Elijah was to be the last prophet to come and herald the coming of the Messiah; He was supposed to be the forerunner. Elijah's return is fulfilled in the person of St. John the Baptist, as we learn from our Lord in this reading that Elijah has come. However, we learn from another Gospel that this was St. John the Baptist.

The third reason for Moses and Elijah being the ones who converse with our Lord Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration deals with the special relationship that these two men enjoyed with our Lord God, especially in their final days. Moses we are told was buried by God, and Elijah we know was carried into Heaven on a fiery chariot. Both of these men received special treatment in their deaths from our Lord God, and were therefore equipped to prepare our Lord Jesus for His own death.

Fourth, the Lord brings His disciples to the Mount to meet Moses and Elijah, for there were those who (not among the disciples) who believed our Lord Jesus to be Elijah, or one of the prophets, which we learn from the previous chapter of St. Mark. Therefore, we see the reason for Elijah's presence. Our Lord Jesus was also accused by some to be a blasphemer and a breaker of the Law of Moses. Moses' presence is a testimony that our Lord Jesus is not a transgressor of the Law of Moses, but is in fact in fellowship and league with him.

Fifth, our Lord brings the disciples, St. Peter, St. James the Elder, and St. John, before Moses and Elijah to present to them a picture of life and death, or to say it another way, to present to them a picture of the resurrction itself, and the power that our Lord Jesus has over life and death. For Moses had died, but Elijah did not. And so, in these two men themselves we see a picture of our Lord Jesus' death and resurrection. We can also see in these two men our own resurrection from death.

Sixth, we have here in this meeting of our Lord Jesus with Moses and Elijah, a meeting of the Old Testament with the New Testament. The Old Testament promises, made by Moses and Elijah about the coming of the Messiah, are fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ. And the disciples, who were present, would become the prophets of the New Testament proclaiming that our Messiah, the Christ, who is our Lord Jesus, has come, and has brought forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

Finally, and there could be more, we see in Moses and Elijah two prophets who defeated and destroyed that which was evil, and that led to the oppression and slavery of men's souls. For Moses, through the plagues defeated Pharaoh, and led the people of Israel out of the oppression and bondage of slavery. In this we see represented God's deliverance from the slavery of sin. Elijah, also called down fire from Heaven, and killed the five hundred false prophets of Baal. We see represented in this our Lord God's removal of all lies and false preaching.

In our Lord's death and resurrection, we see both of these things, we see our Lord Jesus' sacrifice for us, winning for us forgiveness, life and salvation. And we see our Lord dispelling all false teaching, and false ways to get salvation, for in Him alone and in His death to we find salvation. So today, we get to hear of our Lord's death and resurrection, and we get to hear of what He did for us, fulfilling the Law on our behalf, and sacrificing Himself in our place so that, like Him, we too might not die eternally, but be raised again to live with Him in Heaven for all eternity.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas