Resurrection Sunday

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I love Easter Sunday!

At the beginning of today’s worship service with a raised voice, I declared: “Christ is risen!” With the same enthusiasm you all responded: “Christ is risen indeed! Hallelujah!” 

Today we join hundreds of millions of Christians across the globe celebrating Easter Sunday. We give glory to God for what He accomplished for us through the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, His one and only Son. 

The first Easter Sunday began in a very different way. 

Today’s Gospel lesson teaches us that the celebration of the resurrection can never be separated from Good Friday and never be separated from the Old Testament and its fulfillment in Jesus. 

The Gospel lesson focuses on two groups of people. A group of men and two women. What brought these two groups together was a gravesite; a tomb that held the remains of a man who was put to death by crucifixion for violating Jewish laws. 

The guard had been placed there by Pontius Pilate, the highest ranking leader in this province of the Roman Empire. Following Jesus’ death, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

The sun peaking over the horizon was a sign of relief for the guard. The soldiers had been told to guard the tomb until that Sunday morning. They had encountered no grave robbers. The seal was unbroken. “Mission accomplished!” Visions of being back at their barracks and savoring a hearty breakfast, danced through their heads. Their sense of relief and satisfaction for a job well done was only for a fleeting moment. 

As the sun rose on that first Easter Sunday morning the ground convulsed and a being bearing heaven’s light appeared. The angel then singlehandedly dislodged and removed the massive stone in front of Jesus tomb. The angel’s presence caused battle hardened soldiers to quiver and faint. 

Do you blame them?

The angelic being ignored the authorized representatives of the civil authorities who laid prostrate on the ground. The angel had dislodged and broken a Roman seal. The crime of tampering with a Roman seal was serious and would normally have resulted in arrest and swift and severe punishment for the seal-breaker. The quivering cohort of Roman soldiers was in no position to enforce the law around official Roman seals and their desecration. 

The women had come to the tomb that morning full of grief. The Rabbi who they had grown to love was dead. They wanted to be sure that all the customary burial rituals had been observed for their beloved teacher. They had come to weep and lament and cry out in anguish. They had come to pour out their souls to God. 

Mary and her friend had felt the same earthquake and had seen the same luminous being from heaven. Like the soldiers, fear gripped their hearts and minds. They too were quivering and ready to faint. Their grief was to be as brief as the soldier’s relief. 

The angel did have something to say to Mary Magdelene and the other Mary. 

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” (Matthew 28:5-6). 

The messenger from heaven then invited the ladies to investigate the tomb; to inspect the place where Jesus’ dead body was laid to rest. 

Empty!

The angel then commissioned them: Go to his disciples and tell them: (1) Jesus is risen from the dead; and (2) that he will meet them in Galilee.

Mary Magdelene and the other Mary obeyed immediately. “So, the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” (Matthew 28:8)

I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is so real. It speaks to the reality of the human condition. The soldiers, Mary Magdelene and the other Mary were all afraid. All of Scripture testifies that when human beings encounter the divine, a paralyzing fear grips them. The same scripture testifies that paralysis of that fear is broken by the words of the heavenly being: “Do not be afraid, God has found favor with you. Now go!” The empty tomb and the angel’s orders to them had sparked a joy that rose above the fear that had gripped Mary Magdelene and the other Mary. 

The Gospel reveals that the Lord Jesus stood ready to drive out the fear and make their joy complete. The risen Christ stood before these two witnesses. They fell at the Son of God’s feet and worshiped him. “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” His presence, words and commands drove out their fear completely. Off they went, and the rest is, as they say, history. 

The women disappeared and so did the angel. The guard eventually got up and ran from the tomb. 

Some went to the High Priests and reported what had happened. An angel came and opened the tomb and that the tomb was empty. The guard’s report sparked fear in the High Priests. Not the fear of God and then the joy of resurrection. It sparked fear of loss. It sparked fear of losing control of their flock to a sect that would use resurrection to draw the faithful away from the one true faith. They had to crush this rebellion. Their weapon of choice: Disinformation and bribery. 

Disinformation and bribery are nothing new. The High Priests and elders did not need AI, internet trolls and blogs or non-traceable Bitcoin to pull it off. Cold hard cash went to the soldiers. They were paid to tell a story. This was the tale they were to tell. If you are asked by your superiors: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’” (Matthew 28:13). 

The soldiers’ response would have been: “If we report that we were asleep while on guard duty we would be guilty of a military crime punishable by death, just ask any soldier.” The High Priests’ response: “If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”  (Matthew 28:14). 

So, the soldiers did as they were told. The Gospel concludes this vignette with these words: “And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.” (Matthew 28:15)

The angel told the women: He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. (Mathew 28:6). Jesus said he would be killed and that he would rise from the dead. 

Jesus told Nicodemus, a member of the ruling elite, the Sanhedrin, also known as the elders, that he would be crucified and to see his crucifixion through Scripture: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3:14-15) The bronze serpent described in Numbers 21:4-9, fashioned by Moses and put on a pole and lifted up among the people, became a means of salvation for those who looked upon it with faith. Though bit by snakes whose venom would surely kill them, those that looked at the snake according to God’s command lived. 

Jesus identified himself with the bronze serpent. He declared that the serpent pointed to him, his mission and his coming. The bronze serpent evoked and pointed to the words of the Prophet Isaiah in Chapter 53 of his Book. The lifeless metal serpent lifted up on a pole in the middle of a sea of people, pointed to a man who would be lifted up in another large crowd of people. In Psalm 22, King David saw the Messiah hanging on a pole, hands and feet pierced. David saw the Messiah was surrounded by other criminals suffering for their sins, bulls (pointing to Israel’s religious elite) and dogs (pointing to gentile forces). Isaiah promised the crowd’s reaction would be mixed. 

Some would see the man hanging on the pole as a criminal, punished for his own sins. They would see him as a man who was justly judged by human and divine courts and cursed by God. The crowd would revel in his suffering. They would hurl insults at him, and gamble for his clothing. 

The man hanging on the pole would move the hearts of some to repent. They would see that they have gone terribly astray. Their sin would come before them. They would see their guilt and that they justly deserve the punishment the man on the pole was suffering. They would see in the man on the cross and offering for their sin. 

Both Isaiah and King David declared that the man on the pole would die and be buried. Both declared he would not stay dead but would come to life.

The serpent on the pole also pointed further backwards to the very beginning. The death and the resurrection of Jesus fulfilled another scripture verse they knew very well. God said: And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15).

These words were spoken by God as an integral part of his pronouncement of judgement on Adam, Eve, Satan and the whole human race that followed them. God pronounced a death sentence on their offspring: from dust you came and to the dust you shall return. God then judged the serpent for his crime.

The Devil had a mission in the Gaden of Eden. Adam and Eve were in a perfect relationship with God. God walked with them. They stood before God is a blessed innocence we cannot imagine. 

Scriptures teach us that Satan had walked with God in the same way. Satan had sinned and rebelled against God. God cast him out of the heavenly realm. The perfection he had enjoyed with God was forever destroyed. Satan’s most passionate desire was to destroy the relationship between God and mankind. The evil one destroyed Adam and Eve’s innocence and ours by causing them to sin. By eating of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve were transformed. They could not see one another and God in the same way. They were cast out of paradise. Their whole life they would suffer and then die. They were cursed for life and then wiped out. Fade to black….the end. 

In the middle of the death sentence, words of hope emerge. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15). With these words God had described an epic battle. A life and death struggle between Satan and a descendant of Eve. The fruit of the virgin’s womb, the Son of God and the Son of Man, just as Isaiah had foreseen. Satan would sink his fangs deep into the flesh of the Son of God and the poison would run deep into his blood. The vile snake’s bite should have proved fatal, however, that last deadly move by the serpent would prove to be fatal and his undoing. The Son of God would crush the serpent’s vile skull and reverse the curse of sin and death. 

Look at the Gospels carefully. All four say it. We hear it every Good Friday: When they came to the place called the Skull (Golgotha), they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. (Luke 23:33.). Jesus’ cross was planted on a rock called the skull. 

That hill outside Jerusalem pointed to the serpent’s head. 

On the first Good Friday the old serpent and Jesus were engaged in an epic battle. Satan’s fangs were embodied by nails in Jesus’ feet, his heels. The nails that pierced and sunk into hands also represented Satan’s deadly fangs. On Jesus head was a crown of thorns. A cruel joke. “So you say are the king of the Jews? Here is your crown.” Each spine on Jesus’ thorny crown was a tiny serpent’s fang that dug into his scalp. Satan’s fangs eventually did their work: “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.” The last of Satan’s bite took the form of a Roman lance that pierced his side. (Matthew 27:50).

Matthew’s Gospel reveals: At that moment (when he breathed his last) the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. (Matthew 27:51-53).

The effects of Jesus sacrificial death were immediate. Those who had died, believing in the coming Messiah who would resurrect them from the dead, came to life. The massive curtain in the Temple that separated the Holiest place from the rest of the Temple, where only the High Priest met God, was torn. It was torn from the top to the bottom, signifying an act from God above. The curtain represented a barrier between God and humanity, our sin. The High Priest could only go into the Holy of Holies with the blood of a sacrifice. Jesus death on the cross atoned for our sin and those who believe in him and his atoning sacrifice could enter God’s presence. 

The serpent’s head had been thoroughly crushed. The curse of sin and death had been thoroughly reversed. 

Isaiah promised that the Suffering Servant would come to life, “and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days.“ (Isaiah 53:10). God promised He would bless Suffering Servant and make him a leader. “Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great.” (Isaiah 53:12).

The risen Jesus bid the women to go to his disciples and declare he had risen from the dead and to meet him in Galilee. In Galilee Jesus declared to his disciples: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).

The one who had crushed the head of the serpent had become the head of the church. The church that would go into the world and free those held captive by the power of sin, death and the devil. He had smashed them all on Good Friday and began the creation of a kingdom that exists already among us and will be perfectly fulfilled on Jesus’ second coming. 

The Easter gospel lesson reminds us that life is still ultimately centered around the tomb, the grave….the end. We are either the one in the tomb or around the tomb. Like Mary Magdelene and the other Mary we will continue to walk to gravesides to pay our last respects and to mourn the loss of ones we love. We still lose the company, comfort, presence and solace of our deceased loved ones. We still miss them horribly. Death still hurts and it still stings. I have heard many people lament: “I would give anything to get them back…anything.” Maybe you have said this. 

How do you respond? 

There is still a lot of disinformation out there. Jesus’ status as the Son of God, his death and his resurrection are still denied. Others have come up with other accounts of what happens when you die. 

There are gravesides that we are called to by Jesus. He calls us to come to these gravesides and make a pronouncement: “God knows you want your loved one back. You will get them back and you don’t have to give anything! You do not have to pay a ransom for the return of your loved one. Just as Jesus said: 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”(John 3:16) 

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

We being the funeral services for our brothers and sisters in Christ with these words from the Apostle Paul: “When we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. We were buried therefore with him by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 3:5-6)

Like Mary Magdelene and the other Mary, we can leave the graveside with joy welling up within a grieving heart. Joy sparked by the faith and trust that the one who we buried, like the two Marys, encountered the risen Christ, not in a cemetery in Israel, but in eternity. Joy sparked by the belief that, because Jesus crushed the serpent’s head one day we too will meet Jesus face to face in the company of all who have gone before us. 

O death where is your sting?

O grave where is your victory?

He is risen.

Amen.

Copyright © 2026 St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Kamloops

https://standrewslutheran.ca

Visit my Blog: https://standrewslutheran.ca/blogs?blogcategory=Edward+Skutshek%2C+Rev.

Sermon Blog: https://standrewslutheran.ca/blogs?blogcategory=Lent+%26+Easter

Could Jesus have continued to heal people – perform miraculous signs and wonders – taught and preached with authority and start the church? And then after a long and fruitful life quietly pass away in his eighties or nineties?

Now that might have make him a really good man or a really good prophet - maybe even a saint. But would that make him the Saviour for all humanity? Would his long and fruitful life atone for our sinfulness and disobedience?

No. It was not God’s plan. 

A good man or a prophet or a saint would not satisfy God’s wrath against sin. To satisfy God it had to be a perfect sinless blood sacrifice. 

In Leviticus 17: 11 God says to Moses;

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”

And in Hebrews 9:22; Paul paraphrases what God said to Moses;

“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

So Jesus couldn’t be just a really good guy or a really good prophet or a really good saint. He had to be God incarnate.

The cross is fundamental to Christianity. When we or anyone else looks at the cross you immediately think of Jesus. – And we – as Christians belong to Jesus. In the gospel of John 6: 37 & 47 Jesus says:

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. “

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

And for us – when we look at the cross it reminds us that Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to sacrifice his life to save sinners like you and me.

And without Jesus on the cross we would not have any of the following: 

Without Jesus on the cross there is no redemption,

Without Jesus on the cross there is no atonement,

Without Jesus on the cross there is no salvation, 

Without Jesus on the cross there is no propitiation, that is, the death of Jesus on the cross satisfied God’s righteous wrath against a sinful humanity.

Without Jesus on the cross there is no resurrection,

Without Jesus on the cross there is no ascension into heaven,

Without Jesus on the cross there is no eternal life, and 

Without Jesus on the cross there is no church.

Without Jesus crucified – died – buried - descended into hell –and raised by God from death unto life on the third day and ascended into heaven - all according to the Scriptures - there is no eternal life for you or me. All that we would have - is the gnawing – dreadful fear of perpetual darkness and torment. 

Y’see - God’s blessings and his many graces flow through his church. Without Jesus on the cross there would be no church – and without the church - would God’s blessings and graces flow onto the earth and into each one of us? Probably not.

In 1 Corinthian 2: 1-2, Paul says: “When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

Did Paul mean - that he only wanted to know about Jesus Christ crucified and nothing else. I’m sure that a man with his theological training and his intense desire to share the gospeI -he wanted to know about a lot of other things as well. Like the nature of God - the Holy Spirit – how to preach the gospel and Christian morality. 

So what did he mean? Well he meant that – “Jesus Christ crucified” was at the core – the foundation of his teaching and probably everything else he did.

As Christians – as believers – as those whose faith is rooted and sustained in Jesus Christ on the cross – we must follow Paul’s example and think and do the same. But as sinful people we fail more times that we succeed.

Apart from Jesus Christ crucified on the cross there is no salvation and no eternal life. We would be dead because of sin and be rightly judged and condemned by God Almighty. 

In Hebrews 10: 31; Paul says; “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Dreadful – I think - is an understatement. If we die without a faith in the sanctify work of Jesus we are condemned. And we will be judged accordingly by the living God. Dreadful – indeed.

Everything Jesus did was in fulfilment of the Old Testament prophesies about him. His birth – his ministry and his death. This was God’s plan from before the beginning of time – before the Big Bang.

Beginning in Genesis. God confronted Adam and Eve and the Serpent after Adam and Eve had sinned by disobeying God’s command that you shall; “…not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

In Genesis 3: 15; God said to the serpent: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Metaphorically; there will be hatred and animosity between the offspring of Eve, that is, everyone who has ever lived and everyone who will ever live and the dark spiritual authorities that roam the earth looking for souls to devour.

But more specifically – as Eve’s offspring it means Jesus. And the offspring of the serpent, that is, Satan and his close personal demonic associates. 

But on the cross - Jesus crushed the head of Satan and defeated all the dark demonic authorities that have plaque humanity for centuries. Praise the LORD and thank him.

As I said at the beginning – apart from Jesus Christ on the cross – then there is no salvation and there in no life. We would be dead because of sin and rightly condemned by a just God. 

Let me ask the question again; Why did Jesus have to die on a cross. I’m going to repeat the answer -- because God planned it that way. 

Every detail of what happed that holy week – God had it already planned out. From the triumphal entry into Jerusalem – the betrayal by Judas - the actions of the Pharisees, Herod, Pilate, the soldiers and the Jewish public. It was planned out perfectly by the will and hand of God. It all happened as God willed it to happen. 

And the Old Testament Prophets foretell it.

In the Book of Acts. Peter and John had been arrested by the Pharisees and told not to preach about Jesus. Then they were released. When they returned to the other believers, they prayed these words in Acts 4: 27-28; “Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met with the gentiles and the people of Israel in the city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided before hand should happen.” In their prayer – Peter and John - speaking from the Holy Spirit confirm that God had decided before hand that everything that happed – happened as God meant it to happen.

We know that God’s will and hand is active in world affairs and in the lives of people to accomplish his plan of redemption. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.

Think about Jesus’s public execution. For certain major crimes a public execution was and still is common in many countries. There is an important reason for that. It sends a message to potential criminals who might consider committing a similar crime. Society is saying – ‘If you commit such serious crimes, you – too - may be publicly executed.’ And that was very likely the thinking of the Jewish religious authorities.

Sadly today - If you preach Jesus crucified – died – was buried – descended into hell - raised unto life from death on the third day and ascended into heaven – according to the Scriptures you might at the very least face a public ridicule but at the worst -legal prosecution or possible execution. In some communist and Islamic countries – preaching the gospel of Jesus can land you in jail for a long time. And in some case you can be stoned to death. 

I wonder if the dark authorities in this world are headed in the same direction as we preach the gospel of Jesus or preach anything else from God’s Holy Word. 

Look at the shape of the cross. It has a vertical piece and a horizontal piece. We can consider the vertical piece to represent our relationship with God. And the horizontal piece as our relationship between each other.

In Matthew 22: 37-40 – One of the Pharisees asks Jesus – what is the greatest commandment and Jesus said; “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. Love your neighbour as yourself.”

And with Jesus hanging and dying on that cross - he connects you and me together and all of us to God. 

Y’Know - Sometime we think of the character of God as one of love – mercy and grace. And all that is true. But there is also a God of Justice who hates sin – unrighteousness – and wickedness. 

God’s punishment for our sin is being enforced through the punishment inflicted on a willing Jesus as hung there dying on the cross. A good man or a prophet or a saint or anyone of us can never -never atone for our sinfulness. It is impossible. 

In the book of Acts after Peter and John had been arrested and appear before the religious leaders, they says at 4: 12; ”Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

So there was no other way except for God to come to the earth as the incarnate Jesus to suffer and die on the cross - in our place for the sins we commit every day of our lives.

Amen

Copyright © 2026 St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Kamloops

https://standrewslutheran.ca

Sermon Blog: https://standrewslutheran.ca/blogs?blogcategory=Lent+%26+Easter

Visit my Blog: https://standrewslutheran.ca/blogs?blogcategory=Richard+Senum

Lent is a time for Christians to spiritually and physically recognize the depth of love and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. When we see him on that cross we are reminded of our own mortality as a consequence of our sinfulness. In the eyes of God - sinfulness is lawlessness against his perfect – life sustaining commands – laws and precepts. And yet - we continually violate one or more of His laws each day of our lives -- even though we try not to. 

This dilemma was recognized by Paul in Romans 7:15; “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” On this side of Paradise – we are spiritually and physically incapable of living up to God standards. Or – again Paul says in Romans 3: 23: “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

So during Lent we are called to repentance – prayer – fasting or abstinence and charitable giving of our time and talents. Charitable giving because of God’s gracious gifts of life – love - grace and mercy in our lives - we are charged to share those divine gifts with those around us.

But I sometime wonder – am I doing enough and am I giving enough – not just in church but in my life outside of church. In a way my Lenten response has less to do with doing and giving than the attitude of a humble – contrite and repentant heart. Remember Cain and Abel. In Genesis 4: 3-5 we read; “In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.” Abel showed reverence to God by providing the best of the firstborn from his flock where as Cain just gave some of his produce. Was it the best from his first harvest? Probably not. Y’ see God knows our heart and knows our attitude towards him. Abel was reverent – Cain was casual.

It wasn’t the offerings to God from Cain and Abel that was the issue but the attitude of their heart. Abel had the right heart attitude toward God – and sadly like so many in this world he paid with his life for it. 

Similarly with Jacob and Esau – it’s the heart that revels our attitude toward God. Esau was only interested in his hunger to fill his stomach. But Jacob recognized the importance of a blessing from his father was like a blessing from God.

Jesus says in Mark 7: 20-23; that it is what comes out of our heart that defiles us. We read; “He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

So how much do our hearts value a right relationship with God our Father? How important is God to us? Do we view God with a reverent attitude or a casual attitude. In this post-modern world, we are probably a little of both.

So we are called to repentance – prayer – fasting or abstinence and charitable giving. 

Our heart attitude toward God is related to how we repent of our sinful life.

The simple meaning of repentance is - to turn from a sinful life and turn to God. Simple enough – right. But real repentance suggests something far more dramatic than simply turning from sin and turning to God. It would mean a fundamental spiritual regret and remorse that we have deeply offended God our Father and grieved his Holy Spirit. It is more than simply being apologetic for something we said or did. It the thing that makes us sob and cry from the depth of our heart when we know we have deeply offended and grieved the heart of God. 

And I’ll bet that everyone of us has had those moments of deep regret knowing we have offended God. Sadly it’s part of our life – and it’s a life long struggle between our sinful nature and our need to be right with God.

Hear again is some of what I read in Joel;

Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,

Rend is a perfect word to describe how we separate ourselves from a sinful life. Rend means to violently tear away with great emotional pain and anguish. I think of Lot’s wife. She could not rend herself from the life she must have enjoyed in Sodom. So – in this post-modern world – how do we – or can we - rend our heart and life from a sinful world.

In Psalm 51 - King David’s laments that he offended God. You can feel his sense of remorse as you read the words. He violated two of God’s ten commandments – adultery and murder. But – sometime I wonder – would he have been so remorseful if the prophet Nathan had not confronted him with his crimes. And don’t we try and hide those things and hope we are not found out. – What can we hide from God.

Fasting and Abstinence

Over the years I’ve heard some Christians say that during lent - they are going to give up chocolate or meat or wine or watching TV or whatever. There is no meaningful personal sacrifice – no heart felt submission to God. Heart attitude. Lots of people live with out those things all their lives – it is not a real repentant sacrificial fast.

As I go through the Scriptures there are several examples of fasting.

In the book of Ezra. Before he and some Jews returned to Jerusalem - he proclaimed a fast – with prayer. Asking God for a safe journey. We read in Ezra 8:21; “There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.”

And Isaiah refers to fasting and we read in 58: 3a; 

“Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’

Clearly fasting and prayer go together. Luke tells us in Acts that Paul and others are praying and fasting. During their prayer time the Holy Spirit speaks to them. In Acts 13: 2 – 3 we read; “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”

Our reading in the gospel of Matthew is part of Jesus’s – Sermon on the Mount. In it he speaks about giving to the needy – prayer and fasting. But he says we must be careful; “…not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.” But to be charitable – to pray and to fast in private. It is something we do for and with God not for the world or worldly. We are not to seek brownie points or accolades from the world - like showing people how good we are. But how do we define ‘good’?

When we do these things in private, we must be doing them with a humble and contrite heart. These things are private because it is a private conversation or action between each or us individually and our Father in heaven. And in doing so we are to be storing up treasures in heaven. 

So during our time in lent – it is a time to focus our heart on our heavenly Father. To build on our relationship and our faith in God and the blood of Jesus. 

So how do we rend our sinfulness for our worldly life and turn to God. Well – whether you fast or give to the needy – we must always pray. And pray as if our life depended on it – because – truly - it surely does.

AMEN

Copyright © 2026 St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Kamloops

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