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

Do Not Be Afraid; Only Believe: St. Mark 5:21-43

St. Mark 5:21-43: "21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, 'My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.' 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. 25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, 'If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.' 29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, 'Who touched My clothes?' 31 But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, "Who touched Me?"' 32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.' 35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, 'Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?' 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, 'Do not be afraid; only believe.' 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, 'Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.' 40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. 41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, 'Talitha, cumi,' which is translated, 'Little girl, I say to you, arise.' 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. 43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat."

Today, our Lord heals two people, one with a flow of blood, which had lasted twelve years, and one who was dead, being only twelve years old. This number twelve is what connects this woman and this girl. Another thing that connects this healing and this resurrection is faith. On the one hand is the faith of the woman with the flow of blood for twelve years, who believed that if she only touched the hem of our Lord Jesus' garment she will be healed. And on the other hand we have the faith of Jairus, who believed that if our Lord Jesus would only lay His hand on his little girl she would be healed.

It should also be pointed out that this narrative takes place shortly after our Lord casts out the demon Legion, for our text says that He had crossed over to the other side of the sea. What the Evangelist St. Mark is saying to us, is that our Lord, having received resistance to His holy Word, crosses over the sea, to go to a place where it will be more better received. And we find here in this area, two people who believe that our Lord is the Messiah.

The first one is Jairus, whose name means "illuminating, or illuminated." He comes and he begs our Lord to come and lay His hands on his daughter. Make note of the leader of the synagogue, a man who, in the eyes of the world, is in a position of authority, but when he comes to our Lord, bows himself before the Lord Jesus, showing that he knows Who has the true authority and power. This also shows us how we are to approach our Lord. It shows the humble attitude, and in what position we are to esteem our Lord when we come before Him. This is why the Church kneels or genuflects or bows at certain times during worship, and when we approach the altar, we are showing, through an exercise of our physical movements, our humility, and thereby are showing due honor to our Lord God.

Jairus also shows his faith, because he believes that our Lord Jesus could actually save his daughter. And it should be pointed out at this point, that this faith does not leave him, when comes those who say his daughter is dead. The reason will be given shortly, after we consider the other person of faith in this pericope, the woman with the flow of blood for twelve years.

This woman also has faith, but because of her uncleanness, she is afraid to approach our Lord face to face. She is considered unclean because of the levitical laws regarding a woman's flow of blood. There were two types of uncleanness of women in this regard. The first was after a woman gave birth to a child. If she gave birth to a female child, she was unclean for two weeks, that is, fourteen days, or twice seven, and then she would remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days, or a total of eighty days. However, if she gave birth to a male child, she was then considered unclean for seven days, and then remain in the blood of her purification for a total of forty days. We have an example for us tomorrow, when the Church observes The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and The Presentation of Our Lord. This festival takes place forty days after Christmas on February 2nd. During this period of uncleanness, the woman was not allowed to enter into the sanctuary, or touch any holy thing (for example our Lord), and afterwards she would be required to offer both a sin offering and a burnt offering at the Temple through the priest.*

The second type of uncleanness in regards to the flow of blood applies to this woman. From the first flow of blood a woman was considered unclean for seven days. Anything she touched was considered unclean, anything she sat on was considered unclean. If someone touched something that she had sat on or touched was considered unclean. If a man had sexual intercourse with her, he was considered unclean for seven days. If the flow of blood lasted for more than seven day (as in the case of this woman whose flow of blood lasted twelve years), the woman was considered unclean all the time of her flow of blood, and if it stopped, she would then count seven days from the time it stopped, and then offer a sin offering and burnt offering.**

What this shows us, is that on account of her uncleanness, that anything that she touches will become unclean. And on account of her uncleanness, she is not allowed to approach our Lord, who is holy. And so she steals a cure. In this she shows her faith. For she believes that our Lord Jesus is the One and True Physician who will heal her, unlike the many false physicians who chiseled away all her funds in finding a cure. It should also point out that during this entire twelve years she was not allowed to enter into the synagogue, therefore she was unable to hear the Word of God for these twelve years.

The Church of the New Testament has a similar practice, although it has fallen somewhat into disuse, this is the practice known as "churching of women." This practice arose out of the question of what to do with a woman, who was considered part of the faithful, but became pregnant, and therefore carried an unbaptized baby in her womb, or perhaps even the baby was recently born, but had not been baptized yet. Since, only the baptized were allowed to come to communion, and take part in that part of the service, what was to be done with these women. This question development into a particular rite in the Church, where pregnant women, and those who had given birth, but whose baby had not been baptized yet, would enter into a separate door meant specifically for this, typically located in the south wall just outside the chancel gate, where the woman would come and kneel wearing a white veil, and holding a lighted candle, and would receive a prayer and a blessing from the priest, dressed in cassock and surplice, to set them apart, and to pray for the unbaptized baby that they may be protected from the evil one, until they could receive baptism. This eventually came to be a rite of thanksgiving for women who had given childbirth, and is still practiced in some parishes.

However, in the churching of women, they were still permitted to participate, unlike this woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years. And so, in her faith, she reasons within herself that if she simply touched our Lord's hem of His garment she would be healed. And she was, and she knew and sensed it immediately. So does our Lord. This is important to point out, for both the woman and our Lord sense within themselves that something has happened. The woman realizes she is healed, and our Lord Jesus realizes He has healed. So, our Lord asks the curious question to ask within a throng of people, "Who touched Me?" He asks this not because He did not know, but in order to point out to all those in the crowd, especially Jairus, this woman's great faith. For it stands to reason that if our Lord says nothing, than this act of faith would remain silent for all eternity. But in order to show what sort of faith this woman had, He calls for her to make it known.

In fear and trembling, we are told, she comes and bows down before the Lord. Notice that she also embodies the same posture as Jairus at the beginning of the reading. Then our Lord, after she relates to the crowd what she did, and why she did it, (this we learn from St. Luke's Gospel) tells her to go in peace, for her faith has healed her. Of course it is not her that is doing the healing, even less so is her healing dependant on her faith, but it is our Lord that does the healing. Her faith simply grasped onto that objective reality. In other words, it didn't happen because she believed, but rather her faith gave her the confidence to trust that our Lord Christ would make it happen.

This scene, which happens just before the men from Jairus' house show up, and indeed, they show up "while He was still speaking," serves to bolster Jairus' faith, especially when he hears that his daughter is now dead. Notice that even though the ones who come tell him to not bother our Lord Jesus anymore, Jairus never tells our Lord Jesus to forget about it. This silence is also a sign of faith in Jairus. And our Lord reassures him that everything will be fine; to "not be afraid."

Having taken only St. Peter, St. James the Elder, and St. John with Him, and not permitting the crowd to follow, our Lord finally comes to find people wailing and crying outside, to which He responds that she is only sleeping. For this He is ridiculed, or as the King James Version says, "they laughed Him to scorn." Our Lord raised three individuals during His earthly ministry (not including Himself, and the ones who were raised at His crucifixion and death). This is His first. The other two are Lazarus, and the son of the widow of Nain. But our Lord raises this young girl only in the presence of her mother and father, and his three chief disciples.

Our Lord raises this girl by His holy Word. "Talitha, cumi." Which is literally translated in the Hebrew as "Little girl, arise." The Evangelist St. Mark, adds the appellation "I say to you" to show that it is by the Lord's preaching that this girl is raised from the dead. The same is true of us as well, we are raised from the spiritual death caused by sin, through our Lord Jesus' preaching, which He accomplishes through His means of grace.

There are two other things of import in this resurrection, first that she immediately gets up and walks around. This shows us a couple of things, first that she was wholly healed. She was not only restored to life, but the sickness, which prompted Jairus' calling upon Jesus is gone too. Also it shows us our response after being awakened from sin and spiritual death, that is, we now walk around in the faith of our Lord Jesus. We follow Him, obey His commands, worship Him, hear Him, and pray to Him. We participate in receiving His holy means, and by these means we are fully cured and healed of the sin and death that infected us.

The second thing of import to point out is that the little girl is given something to eat. Again, we see the importance of meals and eating in holy Scripture. We cannot help but call to mind the meal that we eat, after having been resurrected from spiritual death through Holy Baptism, which gives us sustenance in faith and life. The True Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given in bread and wine. By this meal we receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation, and thereby make a remembrance of our Lord's death and resurrection.

Therefore, today, we have two women who are healed by faith. One through her own faith, and the other through the faith of her father Jairus. Both of whom, by faith, had the boldness to trust that our Lord Jesus can heal and cure. And these to women are also connected by the number twelve, which mystically speaking refers to the twelve tribes of Israel who waited patiently for the coming of the Messiah, and the twelve Apostles who were sent out into the far reaches of the earth to proclaim that our Lord Jesus was the Messiah come. Mystically this means that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has come into the world to heal us of our sin, and raise from us from spiritual death, by preaching to us His holy Word, wherein He speaks to us, "Do not be afraid; only believe."

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

* For more information read the section in holy Scripture which applies to this from Leviticus 12:1-8.

** For more information read the section in holy Scripture which applies to this from Leviticus 15:19-33.

I Will Establish My Covenant With You: Genesis 6:9-22

Genesis 6:9-22: "9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, 'The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark--you , your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.' 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did."

This evening's reading tells us that Noah was a just and perfect man; that he walked with God. Noah is a picture of another just and perfect man, our dear Lord Jesus. That Noah walked with God, doesn't just simply mean that he went for walks with Him. It means that Noah did as God desired. He was in complete fellowship with Him, walking in all His ways. Noah is contrasted by the rest of the world. "Indeed it was corrupt." Noah is the only one who is righteous, and so God plans to destroy that which is corrupt, through a flood.

One can see two images in this narrative. The Cross of our dear Lord Jesus, and our baptism. In the Cross, God destroys all that is corrupt in mankind. Our Lord Jesus stands as both the Victim and the High Priest, offering Himself to the Father, as a sacrifice for all of mankind. He dies, we live. He suffers, we go free. We who are corrupt, suffer no punishment. He who is just and perfect, suffers our punishment. Like Noah, our Lord Jesus is also place in a type of Ark, but He is only in this Ark for three days; it is His tomb. Noah is carried through the death of the world, to life again after the flood. Our dear Lord Jesus is carried through the Tomb and death and, even hell, to life eternal.

The Cross and the Tomb, as well as the Flood, are all pictures of our Baptism. We are buried, through the waters of baptism, into Christ's death. For us Christians, this is our death. It is the death of all that is corrupt in us, that which we inherited from Adam. But just as we are brought out of the waters of baptism, so are we brought out of sin and death, so that now we have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation in Christ Jesus alone. Noah too was buried in the waters, carried safe and sound through those waters, to life again on the other side.

This is the covenant that God makes with Noah. That he will live with Him. And it is the covenant that God has made with us. He fulfilled this covenant through His Son's death on the Cross. And He makes us a part of that covenant through our baptism. When we receive the Flood of baptism, God places us into an Ark. He places us into the Church. Perhaps you have wondered why the main seating area in a church building is called the Nave? Nave, is the Latin word for ship. And in most historic looking church buildings, if you look up at the ceiling, the ribs of the  arches look like the underbelly of a ship. The Church is the ship, or to say it another way, the Ark, that carries those who have been called out of corruption, and put on the perfection of our dear Lord Jesus, to our heavenly home. We are carried through this sea, this life of death and trouble, to our eternal home.

This is God's covenant with mankind, this is His covenant with you. Rejoice at your baptism, and rejoice that when you come to the house of God, you are being carried through this flood of life, and nourished by the preaching of the Gospel, and by the very Body and Blood of Jesus given in bread and wine. And these gifts of God to you will sustain you, and strengthen you through this vale of tears, until you reach your heavenly home.

God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas

This One Will Comfort Us: Genesis 5:1-32

Genesis 5:1-32: "1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. 6 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. 7 After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. 9 Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan. 10 After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died. 12 Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. 13 After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died. 15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. 16 After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died. 18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. 19 After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died. 21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. 25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died. 28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed." 30 After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth."

The geneology from Adam which leads to Noah, contains one striking detail, and that is the ages of these offspring of Adam. I get asked the question all the time of why these men lived so long compared to our life spans. Many theories have been put forth, but the reality is that the reason why we don't live as long as these men is the affect of sin upon both mankind and nature. Sin, death, and the devil, have completely enveloped the world, and they have left it in darkness and despair. Death surrounds us all the time, we are always hearing of someone who has died. For Christians, we can take comfort in the Resurrection from the dead, just as our dear Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. But for those outside of Church; those who do not believe that our dear Lord Jesus fulfilled the Law of God, which they cannot, nor are able to fulfill, or are not that bad to merit condemnationon their behalf, and suffered and died in their place, and now gives us forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation, through the preaching of the Word, and the adminstering of the Sacraments, have no hope for a Resurrection from the dead.

 

Such was the case of the men of the world before and at the time of Noah. But the one True God shows His mercy, by giving to this lost generation the gift of a baby boy, named Noah. Noah means "rest." Noah was meant to be the rest for this lost generation. And Noah fulfilled that task, by preaching to the people of that generation, the warning of God of a flood which would destroy the whole Earth. But as we learn, they did not heed that warning.

 

The One True God, has sent His Son, to dwell in our flesh, so that we might have "rest." Rest from the terrors of sin, death, and the devil. And He sends out to this fallen generation His ministers, those who embody the message Noah, proclaiming all to come into the Ark of the Church, to be rescued from the flood of sin, death, and the devil. This Ark of Christendom, carries us through this life, we enter through waters, the waters of Baptism, and are carried through the means of grace, to our eternal home, where live not just for several hundred years, but for all of eternity. And unlike this life which is fill with dread and trouble and strife, our eternal life is filled with joy and peace, and indeed, rest.

 

So this evening we take our rest in the comfort of Noah, the comfort of the Ark, the Ark of our salvation.

 

God's peace be with you!

 

Deacon Dulas