Romans 8:28

Easter 2 | April 7, AD 2024 | Romans 8:28 | Andrew F. Weisner |
Acts 4:32-35
32 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Psalm 148

1 John 1:1–2:2
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

2/ My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

John 20:19-31
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Homily

A tree… TREES! A whole forest of them! Trees – or, a tree – tall and sturdy! Trees as signals and signs of the change of seasons: little sprouts coming out at this time of year, the beginning of leaves; and then later, a few months from now, trees full of leaves, perhaps luscious and green, a sign of summer, and providing shade from the mid-day summer heat. A tree – and forest of trees – and their leaves providing colorful beauty as they change when autumn arrives and progresses.

A tree… sturdy and strong, provides the wood that provides the slabs that are used to build a shelter to protect us from harsh weather. Trees can provide wood, with its buoyancy, for making a boat, for going out into the water to be able to see and catch fish to provide food. A tree – or part of a tree – can provide wood for making furniture, chairs, a bed-frame, and tables at which to sit to enjoy our family meals together or to lay-out our books and papers to do school work. Paper! – that, too, comes from trees! And when the tree is older or damaged or the wind knocks it down, its wood can be used for fueling a fire to keep us warm.

There are so many, many good things that come from a tree. I have listed just a few.

The wood from a tree, on the other hand, can be used for making a club. And that club can protect us from the attack of a bear or a mountain lion; or, that club can be used against another person. And one of the saddest instances of the use of the wood of a tree: the making of a cross, on which anyone – and especially, the innocent man, Jesus – would be crucified. “We are witnesses,” said the apostle Peter in a sermon, “to everything Jesus did throughout the countryside and Judea and Jerusalem; and then [the leaders] killed him by hanging him on a tree” (Acts 10:39; and 5:30,13:29). In the beginning of creation, God provided in the garden a tree of life, and a tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eventually, the disorientation of humanity made the tree an instrument of torture, pain, and death.

Unfortunately, we humans have a tendency to take something of God’s creation, intended for good, and twist it around. Another excellent, contemporary example: God allowed to us the invention of the cell-phone: a wonderful invention for people to be in communication with each other. Parents and family members can be in communication with their children or loved ones far away in some foreign country; youngsters at school can call and tell their older siblings or parents, “the game’s over; come get me!” There are so many occasions for good with a cell-phone. Yet, they are also used to help people kidnap other human beings and quickly shuttle them away; or, the use of cell-phone technology for sending photos, and other messages, that ought not be sent.

This human tendency – to take what God made as good, and then twist it for suffering and pain, is seen, for example, with a tree. And yet this human, sinful tendency, God himself, God our loving Father, gave another twist. He allowed this instrument of death, the cross, to be used for the death of his own Son, Jesus; and then, by his own loving power, God defeated death. Now, we Christians, can look at a cross, and it is both a symbol of death, but also a symbol of life.

And so, God has paved the way for everything in creation that may be, that can be, used for pain and suffering, to be turned around and used for good. And best of all, God promises that, when we can’t see a way to turn evil into good, he can. God promises to take our pains, our sorrows, even our evil intents, and turn them around for good… just as the cross becomes the means to new and eternal life. „God causes all things,“ St. Paul informs us, „to work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to God’s purpose“ (Romans 8:28).

There are other instances of God effecting dramatic change of simple elements for the cause of good. One is the use of water: though a very simple element, flood waters and hurricanes can be very destructive. Yet, within the Christian community (and particularly important at this time of year, the Easter season), immersion, or even a simple touch of water, coupled with God’s word of promise, can create new and eternal life: the gift of baptism. And: bread and wine, when improperly used can lead to suffering and even death, when coupled with the word and promise of God can provide for us the very presence of God, the forgiveness of sins, and a moment of heaven – Christ – on earth: on our altar, and given to us, the Body and Blood of our resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

From: The Rev. Andrew F. Weisner, Ph.D., Pastor,
North American Lutheran Church
Antioch Lutheran Church, Dallas, North Carolina, USA