A New Song

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,

for He has done marvelous things!

His right hand and His holy arm

have worked salvation for Him. (Psalm 98:1).

Rejoice, give thanks, and sing! Praise the Lord, for He has triumphed over His enemies, and your victory is won! The mighty arm of the Lord has stretched out against the powers of sin, death, and hell, and He has won salvation for you, His people.

Rejoice, you faithful people, because God has created all things anew. The heavens and the earth have been changed, in the twinkling of an eye, in the space of a breath. Our Lord Christ breathed out, “It is finished,” and gave up the Ghost. And in that instant, the battle was won. The old has finished; the new has begun. He has risen from the dead, lives, and reigns to all eternity. The power of the devil is ended.

My Sheep Know Me

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

Jesus was walking in Solomon's Portico in the Temple, and the Jews came to Him and asked Him to declare plainly to them whether He was the Christ. Their souls were in suspense. They were waiting with baited breath – among other things. Would Jesus just please come out with it – Are you the Christ, or not?

And what would have been the benefit if Jesus had declared Himself openly, as they sought? The Jews were anxious, nearly beside themselves with anticipation of Him doing anything, saying anything at all that might make Him liable for judgment, so that they could get Him out of their way, by hook or by crook. They knew who and what Jesus was, for they had been following Him throughout His ministry. They had heard the reports and the testimonies of the crowds. They had seen the signs He had performed.

Gone Fishing

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

Last week, you heard how Jesus appeared to His disciples in the locked room. And not just once, but twice. He broke into their sad reverie and breathed His peace upon them. Then He told them not to just sit there. “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me,” He told the women (Mt. 28:10). And so the disciples went to Galilee, and there they waited for the Lord.

You can almost picture their restlessness. They were not afraid, because Jesus had given them His pervading peace, but they were not at ease. After all, their fear is gone, but so is their Lord. What will happen now? Go to Galilee. Hurry up and wait. The Spirit will come, someday. Eventually you will see Jesus. And then what?

Rejoice, O Highly Favored One!

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

Today we are gathered to confess and adore a sacred mystery. We are gathered to bow our knees and lift up our hearts at the Name of the Lord who did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but took up residence in the flesh of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We bow the knee in humble confession that our Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God before all worlds, was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man. God is made man. The King of the Universe inhabits the womb of a virgin.

Rejoice and sing, o you faithful people! God has deigned to dwell with His creation. He has descended to earth and taken up human flesh and blood in the womb of a virgin, just as He foretold by the prophets of old. Rejoice and sing for joy that the Lord who is and who was and who is to come, the Living One, has received life from the flesh of Mary. Blessed is she who is found worthy to be called the Mother of God! And more blessed is the fruit of Her womb, Jesus!

Not Doubting, But Believing

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

The women had come and declared to the apostles what they saw and heard from the angels at the empty tomb, but they wrote it off as fairy tales, as the prattle of grief-wracked women. Peter and John had gone running to the tomb, and they saw nothing inside. They believed that Jesus was gone. But what did that mean? And so they huddled in the locked room, fearing the Jews and waiting for something to happen.

And that evening, while they were locked in their little cell, Jesus came and stood among them, in the flesh. And the Lord spoke to His disciples: “Peace be with you.” That is, Look, I am with you. I have come to you again, and I bring you My peace.

+ Walter H.W. Thies +

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

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

For the mountains may depart

and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Many years ago, this verse - Isaiah 54:10 - was given to Walter Henry William Thies as his confirmation verse. It has stood him in good stead throughout his life, and it now provides a message of great comfort and peace for us who mourn his death.

Mountains may depart and hills may be removed. Think of how the landscape around you has changed throughout the years. Think of how your families, your communities, your congregations have changed throughout the years. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, so quickly and silently carries the world through the ages. Nothing stands still in this life. As King Solomon said, there is a season for everything, and a time for everything under the sun. There is a time to live and a time to die, a time to laugh and a time to mourn, for all of us.