As for you, follow Me

Posted on December 27, 2020 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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Sermon for the Festival of St. John

1 John 1:1-10  +  John 21:19-24

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it… And the Word became flesh and dwelled among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

That familiar beginning of John’s Gospel teaches us many things about the Child who was born in Bethlehem. That long before He was born of Mary, in fact, outside of time and space, from eternity, from the beginning, He was with God the Father, not as a man, but as an eternal Person who is also God, together with the Father, a Person whom John alone in all of Scripture refers to as “the Word,” or the “Word of Life,” the Word who is begotten of God the Father, the Word in whom is life and who gives life, the Word who came in time and took on human flesh in Mary’s womb, to become the God-Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, one undivided Person with two natures, divine and human. All that we glean from the beginning of John’s Gospel, and that alone would be reason enough to give thanks to God for His Apostle and Evangelist, John.

The ending of John’s Gospel is somewhat less familiar. It tells of one of the last interactions of the apostles with the Word-made-flesh, after He had risen from the dead, shortly before His ascension. In this short account, Peter is the one talking with Jesus. In the verses before our text, Jesus had been having a private conversation with Peter, an important conversation, following Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus in the high priest’s courtyard, which had happened only a matter of weeks before, that terrible moment when Peter was called on to confess Christ—simply to admit that he was a disciple and a friend of Christ—but he shrank back at that moment and refused to bear the cross.

Today’s Gospel wasn’t the first time Jesus had spoken with Peter after that; in fact, we’re told by Paul that Jesus appeared to Peter privately on Easter Sunday before appearing to the rest of the apostles. And Peter was there when Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.” But here at the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus took Peter aside and asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Three times, just like Peter had formerly denied Him three times. But this time, Peter confessed his love for Jesus and received three times from Jesus the important command to “Feed My lambs, tend My sheep, feed My sheep.” If you love Me, then take care of My loved ones. Be a shepherd, be a pastor for My precious Christian people.

But connected with that pastoral office was also a personal prophecy, given directly to Peter by Jesus: Truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.

That’s where our Gospel picks up the story. He said this in order to signify by what kind of death he would glorify God. And after he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.” In other words, “Peter, you will get another chance to confess Me before men, and you will suffer for it, a death like Mine. But still I call on you, still I invite you, still I command you: Follow Me. Yes, you stopped following Me once. You wouldn’t follow Me to the cross, as you so boldly proclaimed you would. But now I have restored you to My path, to that narrow road that leads to life, to repentance and faith. Now shepherd the flock  that I am entrusting to you and to your fellow apostles and ministers. Follow Me. And don’t turn aside anymore.”

It was at that moment that Peter turned around as they were walking and noticed, walking behind them, “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” which is how St. John refers to himself throughout his Gospel. With Jesus’ prophecy of Peter’s eventual crucifixion still ringing in his ears, Peter looks at John, and then turns to Jesus and asks, What about him?

All right, Lord. If I must suffer, so be it. But I don’t want to suffer alone. Misery loves company, after all. What about him? Will he suffer, too, or will You let him off easy? What will be required of him? It doesn’t seem fair if I have to suffer much for Your name and he doesn’t have to suffer at all.

Jesus answered, If I want him to remain until I come, what is it to you? In other words, it’s none of your business. My plans and desires for each one of My followers belong to Me, not to you. I know what they are. That’s what counts. I will do what I see fit for each one. It’s not your place to compare your path with anyone else’s path or even to know anyone else’s path. Your place is to simply follow Me where I lead you. But all that Jesus put to Peter in a question, so that he could mull it over himself. What is it to me what happens to John or to anyone else? What is it to me if another Christian suffers less or more than I do? What does it matter? Will it make me suffer more or less? No. Will I accuse God of being unfair or unjust? I’d better not! Will I grow bitter toward my fellow Christian for having it easier than I? Will I grow bitter toward God? Heaven forbid!

This applies to so much in life! All our society can do today is compare one person’s plight with another. “You have privilege because of your race or because of your gender! You have privilege because you were born with more money than another, or with better parents, or a better home life. We have to create equity, so that, in the end, no one has any advantage over anyone else.” That’s the way of socialism and communism. But it isn’t the way of God.

God determines the role of each one. Even the role of unbelievers, but especially the role of His children. He has His plans and designs for each one, and they will not be the same. Oh, His love is the same and His desire that everyone be saved applies to everyone. But some will have more here on earth, some will have less. Some will suffer more, some less. Some will be called to the glory of martyrdom, some will have to trudge longer through this vale of tears, suffering the slow death of old age and of witnessing the wickedness of the world as it spreads and flourishes.

That was to be John’s fate. He would watch his brother James be the first apostle to be martyred. He would watch the Church grow over the next sixty years, but he would also watch many of his brothers be persecuted, tortured, imprisoned, and killed. He would watch false doctrine begin to creep into the Church. And he himself would be exiled to the island of Patmos in his old age for his preaching about Christ. Is that a better fate than being put to death at a younger age? Who are we to say?

John corrects a little misunderstanding that had crept into the Church, the notion that he wouldn’t die at all but would remain until Christ comes again. But he points out in the Gospel, that’s not what Jesus said. You have to pay attention to Jesus’ words, as they were uttered, in context. He didn’t say, John will remain. He asked the conditional question, If I want him to remain, what it is to you? No, John led a long life, allowing him to pen three Epistles, a Gospel, and the Book of Revelation. But he wouldn’t remain until Christ returns. And even if he did, what is it to you?

You have your own calling to follow Jesus. You get on the path by admitting your sin, by confessing it, as John discussed in today’s Epistle. God simply declares that all have sinned, and that certainly includes you. So don’t make God a liar! You need Baptism and the forgiveness that accompanies it to get on the path. You stay on the path by walking in daily contrition and repentance and faith, by continually confessing your sins. And that water of your one-time Baptism keeps washing and cleansing you every day. You follow Jesus by obeying His commandments, by loving your neighbor according to His commandments, by confessing Him before men. You follow Him by hoping in Him, trusting in Him, and, yes, by enduring the world’s hatred and suffering other earthly woes, wherever Christ leads. And when it gets hard, you just take another step. Then another. Then another. And when you think you can’t take another step following behind Jesus, you pray for His strength, and He will give it. You cling to His Word, and it will hold you up. You run to His Sacrament, and He will feed you. And then you take another step. And when you’re tempted to stop following, to forge your own path, then you remember how terribly that went for Peter, and you resist the temptation, and you stay on the path, and you take another step.

As for you, follow Me, Jesus says. Because no matter how exactly that following plays out in this life, you know the One whom you follow, and you the place where He leads. Yes, He leads to the cross. But He also leads to resurrection and to life. Because He is the Word of life who was with God in the beginning, and who was God, the true Light that gives light to all men. He will light your path as you follow Him, and if you follow Him, you will never walk in darkness. Amen.

 

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Courage to confess Christmas in the face of death

Posted on December 26, 2020 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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Sermon for St. Stephen’s Day

Acts 6:8-15, 7:54-60  +  Matthew 23:34-39

You’ve probably wished a Merry Christmas to more than a few people this year, and you don’t look any worse for it. Sometimes we hear in the news of backlash against people for saying Merry Christmas, but overall Christmas is still tolerated in our country, partially because our society has so emptied it of its original meaning that not enough of Christ remains to offend anyone, except for His name glaring at them in the word “Christmas,” which is, I’ll grant you, sometimes still enough to make people mad.

Why is that? Why do people get mad at Christmas and at those who believe in it? After all, Christmas is meant for everyone, because Christ came to be everyone’s Savior, the Savior of the world. The message of Christmas is an open, divine invitation to everyone, to believe in Him who was born in Bethlehem to be your Savior. Why does that invitation make people so angry?

It makes them angry because, implied in that invitation is this other divine message: You’re not good enough as you are. Your traditions are not good enough. Your family is not good enough. Your works are not good enough. Your beliefs are not good enough. You were born in darkness. You have guilt clinging to you for your every word and deed, and even for the very nature with which you were born. You need saving, and there’s only one way to be saved: by acknowledging your sin, by abandoning who you are, and by fleeing in faith to the One who was born on Christmas.

And so we arrive at this strange celebration of the feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr, that is, the first martyr, the first Christian to seal his testimony of Christ with his death. This day marks the beginning of the world’s hateful attempt to rid itself of Christians, which flows from its hatred of the One who was born in Bethlehem and murdered at Calvary because the world takes offense at both the manger and the cross.

See how the Jews raged against Stephen! Why? Because he was preaching openly in Jerusalem that Jesus was the Christ that Israel had been waiting for, the Christ who had been born in Bethlehem, the Christ whom Moses and the Prophets had prophesied, the Christ who had fulfilled the Old Testament and who had instituted the New Testament in His blood—blood that had been shed by the Jewish leaders, in league with Pontius Pilate. The Temple was no longer the place to seek God; now Jesus Christ was the place to seek God. So the Jewish government stoned him and put him to death publicly, as a witness, as a testimony to how deadly it can be to believe in Christmas. They meant for Stephen’s death to be a deterrent, to stop any of these other Christians from believing in Christ, or at least from confessing their belief out loud.

But it had just the opposite effect. Christians were forced to confront the reality: to believe in Christ is to attract the world’s hatred. And so they were also confronted with a choice: Deny the One who was born in Bethlehem and be accepted in the world, or confess Christ and face losing everything on earth. Thanks be to God, most Christians chose the latter, and because of the courage they showed and the sacrifices they made, you and I are still celebrating Christmas.

This St. Stephen’s day marks the beginning, not only of the world’s attempt to rid itself of Christians, but of the Christian’s willingness to face death for the sake of confessing Bethlehem’s Child. That’s really what we celebrate today. We deal with the reality of the world’s hatred and with the Christian’s obligation to sacrifice everything here for the sake of Christ. But we celebrate the reality of the strength and courage that God has given to countless Christians to follow in the footsteps of Christ all the way to death, beginning with Stephen, who was blessed, not only with courage, but with the conviction that even his abusers could be forgiven by God, and with the desire and prayer that they be forgiven, as one of them was, a man named Saul, later known as the Apostle Paul. May the Lord use the example of Stephen to help us find some of that same courage and conviction, so that we’re ready, not only to say Merry Christmas, but to die for saying it, knowing that the One who was born in Bethlehem now stands in glory at the right hand of the Father, and so will all who are faithful unto death. Amen.

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The manger is the sure sign of God’s love for mankind

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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Sermon for Christmas Day

Titus 3:4-7  +  Luke 2:15-20

Last night we heard the angels announce the good news of Jesus’ birth. This morning we go with the shepherds to investigate if what the angels proclaimed is true. Now, one thing the angel said couldn’t really be investigated by the shepherds. The identity of the baby as “a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord” couldn’t be seen. But that’s why the angel gave them an external sign, something they could investigate and see if it was true: that they would find in the town of Bethlehem a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Finding a baby wouldn’t have been much of a sign. But finding a newborn baby, lying in a manger, that would be sign, something otherwise unheard of, something they could search for and find to prove the angel’s word. Because if that was true, if they found a newborn baby lying in a manger as the angel had said, then everything else the angel said must also be true: that the Child’s birth is good news, because that Child was born “unto them,” unto us. Then He truly is a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord.

Well, they went. They hurried into town and started searching the stables, because they had to know if what the angel said was true, that this Child was actually the Lord, Yahweh, Jehovah, the One who is who He is. If they found things as the angel had said, it meant proof that God was not some distant Deity who was disinterested in mankind, or who had abandoned us in our darkness and written us off because of our sins. If they found that baby lying in a manger—in a feeding trough for animals—it would prove that God cares about us, that He loves us deeply enough to become one of us, that He loves us greatly enough to choose, not a palace, not even a crib, but a manger for His first bed, and humble shepherds for His first visitors.

Not only that, if the shepherds found a baby lying in a manger, as the angel had said, it would mean that the angel’s other word was true, that the Child is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One whom Israel had been waiting for for thousands of years, the Seed of the woman promised to Eve, the Seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in whom all the families of the earth would be blessed, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Star rising out of Jacob, the Son of David, the Builder of the Lord’s House, the great Prophet, Priest, and King, the perfect Substitute for sinful Israel, the Light to the Gentiles, the Servant of the Lord from Isaiah’s prophecies who would be despised and rejected by men, led like a lamb to the slaughter for our sins, for our iniquities, the price that would bring us peace.

Not only that, if the shepherds found a baby lying in a manger, as the angel had said, it would mean that He is the Savior whom God sent to save mankind, first, from our sins, and finally, from all the consequences of sin, including a world filled with hatred and evil, even from death itself.

You know how it turned out. The shepherds did find Mary and Joseph and that Baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. All the proof they needed was staring up at them with newborn eyes: the angels were telling the truth. This is the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And truly He was born “unto us,” to be our Savior and Christ and Lord. As St. Paul wrote to Titus, The kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared. The birth of Christ was the first appearing of that kindness and love for mankind. The ultimate appearing of it would be that same Child grown up into a 33-year-old Man hanging on a cross. This is what it took for God to be not only our God, but our Savior, and it all began with a Baby lying in a manger, the sign of the angel’s truthfulness, but more than that, the reality of the depth of God’s love.

But God’s kindness and love for mankind didn’t only appear. He actually saved us, Paul writes to Titus, not by being born—no one was saved from sin, death, or the devil by Christ’s birth alone. He saved us, not even by the act of later dying on the cross. He actually saved us from sin and from the power of death by connecting us with His birth and with His death, as Paul says, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Through Holy Baptism. Through Baptism, which is the rebirth of water and the Spirit, the Holy Spirit made us “newborn babies,” as it were. Reborn babies. To all who received Christ, God gave them the right to become children of God, as John writes in his Gospel, sons of God, just like our Brother, Jesus, who lay in Bethlehem’s manger.

And now, as children of God, we are called on to reflect the kindness of God and His love for mankind in our words and deeds, with similar kindness and love for mankind. If God our Savior was willing to humble Himself to be placed in a manger so that He could become the Savior of lost mankind, how low is too low for you to humble yourself to serve your neighbor in his need? If Christ received shepherds as His first visitors, who is too lowly for you to receive? If Christ has saved us, not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, to whom will you not show mercy, regardless of what works of righteousness they may or may not have done?

It’s a holy calling you have, if you believe in the birth of Christ, if you celebrate Christmas at all, a holy calling not only to believe in, but to imitate the One who lay in the manger, and to make known in the world, as the shepherds did, not only the fact that He was born, but who He is and why He was born, to show God’s love for mankind to mankind as a member of mankind, to draw all people to Himself, that all may believe in Him, be baptized into Him, and be saved by Him. That is what the sign of the manger is meant to prove. Amen.

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Hold onto the real events of Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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Sermon for Christmas Eve

+ Luke 2:1-14 +

Some of you were here nine months ago on March 25th when we celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel’s announcement to the virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God. Let me read to you what I said in the conclusion of that sermon: “Nine months from today, Lord willing, we’ll be gathered together again, celebrating Christmas, almost certainly in a world that looks quite different than it did last Christmas.” It wasn’t a prophecy, per se, but it was kind of prophetic, don’t you think? And the divine counsel I gave you at that time was this: “So hold onto the things that don’t move, that don’t change.”

We’ve gathered this evening, nine months later, in a world that does look quite different than it did last Christmas. We’ve gathered together because of one of those immovable, unchanging things, to hold onto it and to be uplifted by it. It’s the holy night when to us was born, in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

This may seem like stating the obvious, but in today’s world it bears stating out loud: the Christmas story that you heard tonight from Luke’s Gospel is real. It’s not a fairytale. It’s not a myth or legend. It’s not figurative or symbolic of some grander truth. A virgin really conceived the Son of God in her womb, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Nine months later, she and her husband really traveled down to Bethlehem from Nazareth to comply with the Roman census, and they lodged in a stable, and there she gave birth to the Word of God who had taken on human flesh in her womb, and she really wrapped up the newly born incarnate God in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger.

There really were shepherds staying out in the fields of Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flocks by night, and they really were scared half to death when the brilliant light of the Lord’s glory shone around them, and when they saw an angel standing there in front of them. But they had nothing to fear from this angel. He brought them good news of great joy which was for all the people.

Why good news? Why great joy? Because a promise that had been made some 4,000 years earlier to a newly created, hopelessly ruined human race had finally begun to be fulfilled, the promise made to our first mother, Eve, that her Seed, her Offspring, would do battle with that ancient serpent, the devil, and would win. And His victory would open the door for the rest of our race to be rescued from the devil’s kingdom, because without Him, that’s where we would all remain as slaves and prisoners.

Sin is the great problem, the real problem that has plagued humanity since the beginning. Every virus, every war, every act of hatred, every act of tyranny, every lie, every bout of depression and loneliness, every broken relationship, every death is caused by sin—sin that we commit with our hands and speak with our mouths and embrace in our hearts, sin that others commit against us, sin that corrupts every part of us, body and soul; sin that defies, disobeys, and disbelieves God, sin that turns us all inward, to focus on ourselves, to trust in ourselves, to serve ourselves. The devil had us by right. There was no good news. We couldn’t save ourselves, and none of the gods of the nations could save us, either. We were doomed to a pointless existence on earth, and to an eternity of suffering in hell.

But then to us a Child was born, to us a Son was given, born like us, but without sin, given to reveal God’s love for our wretched, miserable, loveless human race, given to carry out God’s plan to redeem our race by giving His own life as a sacrifice on a cross.

The angel called it glad tidings, good news, also known as “the Gospel.” It’s of great joy for all the people, because God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. It’s an open invitation to all people, no matter who they are, no matter what they’ve done, to turn to this Child in humble faith and to find there a God who loved you this much and wanted you this badly to be saved, that He gave His only-begotten Son for you. To you is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Then the great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel and sang that famous song, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! Glory “in the highest,” that is, in the highest places, in the heaven of heavens, in the miraculous star that appeared to light the way for the eastern sages, glory among the holy angels who serve God by serving our race, and glory among all those souls who now rest on high, who had fallen asleep trusting in God’s promise to send the Messiah to redeem them from sin, death, and the devil.

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men. Make no mistake. The Christian message of peace on earth is entirely in connection with the Baby who was born on Christmas night, who is true God and true Man, the Messiah whom God had promised to His Old Testament people of Israel, the Christ for whom the Jews who originally kept the Menorah lit were waiting. The angels’ song of “peace on earth” was not a wish for us all to get along in peace. It was a proclamation of what God was doing on earth, in the Person of His Son, to bring peace between Him and mankind, because of His gracious goodwill toward sinful man. Only where sinners have been reconciled with God through Christ, by faith in Christ, can they truly begin to live at peace with one another.

Tonight we proclaim and celebrate that which is real: the birth of the Savior who is Christ the Lord. And if His birth was a real event in human history, then God’s love for us is also real, and so is His guidance and governance of the events that are taking place today, in our world, in our country, in your life. So hold onto the things that don’t move, that don’t change. Hold onto God’s love for you in Christ Jesus and seek refuge in Him from every storm. And no matter what happens between now and next Christmas, you will find peace and hope and joy in the God who is with us, Emmanuel. Amen.

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Be faithful unto death, and you will not die

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Rev. Paul Rydecki
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Sermon for Midweek of Advent 4

+  Revelation 2:8-11  +

Last week we considered Christ’s words to the angel of the church in Ephesus and we heard both praise and rebuke: praise for their hard work in insisting on purity of doctrine and life, rebuke for the love they had lost. Of the seven letters, three have a mixture of praise and rebuke, two have only rebuke, and two have only praise. The letter before us this evening to the angel of the church in Smyrna, has only praise from the One who walks among the lampstands.

To the angel of the church in Smyrna, write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who was dead and now lives. There are two things about Himself that Jesus wants the church in Smyrna to focus on: That He is the First and the Last, and that He is the One who was dead and now lives. Those are comforting words, Gospel words, intended to comfort and calm these suffering Christians. The First and the Last, similar to the Alpha and the Omega. We talked about that a few weeks ago. Nothing came before Jesus and nothing will come after. No one will get rid of Him or outlast Him. Even when His enemies thought they had gotten rid of Him and defeated Him and outlasted Him when He died and lay in the tomb for three days, they were proven wrong. He was dead, seemingly defeated. But now He lives, and has shown the world why He allowed Himself to die in the first place, not because His enemies defeated Him, but because He chose to die as the once-for-all sacrifice for the sins of the world. And now He lives and is seated on His throne, and He laughs at the powerful men and women of this world who think they’ve defeated Christianity once and for all. “Science has prevailed,” they say. But Christ is the Last. He’ll be standing, together with His Church, the members of His body, when all His powerful enemies come to ruin in the end.

I know your works, Jesus says. Just like He knew the good works of the Ephesians. In fact, it was to the Ephesians that St. Paul wrote: By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. All Christians have been saved by grace, through faith, and all Christians have been recreated in Christ Jesus for good works. He is the Vine, we are the branches. If a man remains in Me, Jesus says, and I in him, he will produce much fruit. So the Smyrnan Christians were clearly remaining in Christ, because they were doing the good works for which they were created, living as penitent, believing Christians, walking the path of God’s commandments.

I know your tribulation. I know your troubles, everything you’re suffering, especially what you suffer for the sake of being Christians in a godless world. Jesus knew it, but, notice, He didn’t immediately remove their tribulation from them, even though He reigns over all things. Tribulation, trouble, is exactly what He told His people ahead of time they would face in this world. St. John wrote Jesus’ words in his Gospel: In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. The tribulation will end someday, and it will end well for all who endured it.

I know your poverty—The Christians in Smyrna were poor; they didn’t have much money or the security that comes with it. The context suggests that their poverty may be the result of having their livelihoods and resources stripped away from them because of their faithfulness to Christ. But you are rich! Jesus says. Rich in the things that really matter: in faith, in God’s favor, in spiritual gifts and spiritual possessions, including a treasure stored up in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy.

And I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. The Christians in Smyrna were being slandered and lied about by the local Jews. The same thing had happened in many of the cities where St. Paul did his missionary activity; the synagogues would turn on him and any who followed him into the Christian Church and would do their best to get the Christians in trouble. The Jews were once, of course, the people of God, the people who were given the first chance to know and to receive the Messiah. But once they had heard the Gospel of Christ and rejected it, they were no longer considered by God to be the people of God. Instead, they’re called here a “synagogue of Satan,” similar to what Jesus said of the unbelieving Jews in John 8, I know that you are Abraham’s descendants…But if you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father…You are of your father the devil, and you wish to carry out the desires of your father.

Then Jesus encourages the Smyrnans in the face of the persecution they still have to face: Do not be afraid of any of those things that you will suffer. Behold, the devil will throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have tribulation for ten days. So He tells them they’re not done suffering yet, and that He isn’t going to step in to prevent further suffering. He just tells them not to be afraid of it. Why? Because Jesus is still in control of it and will use it for His good purposes. One of those good purposes is that you may be tested, not tested so that Jesus can see whether they’re genuine believers or not, but tested as fine gold is tested in the fire, to reveal its purity to everyone. There is a great benefit to the world when people see Christians willing to suffer loss, and prison, and even death for the sake of Christ. It has a healthy impact on the world, just as it has a detrimental impact on the world when someone who claims to be a Christian refuses to bear the cross. But Jesus will limit the Smyrnans’ suffering to “ten days,” to a short period of time. He’ll cut it short before it can do any damage to their precious faith.

Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Be faithful. Faithful in Greek means both “full of faith” and “faithful,” as in, proving yourself worthy of what has been entrusted to you. Here it really captures both meanings. Be believing, even up to the point of death. Don’t lose faith when it gets hard. Keep trusting in the One who walks among the lampstands. And, be faithful even to the point of death. Minister, fulfill your calling without shrinking back in the face of persecution. Hearers of the word, keep confessing the faith even if it means you have to die for it. Because, in the end, you won’t die. I will give you the crown of life. The crown goes to the victor, to the one who wins, to the one who overcomes. Except that, in this fight, you don’t overcome by saving your earthly life. You overcome by being willing to lose it for Christ’s sake, and your reward in eternity will be great.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be injured at all by the second death. The first death is the death of the body. And yes, we grieve when people die that first death, even for Christians. But our grief is softened by this truth, that a Christian who overcomes, who faces death having remained faithful, will not be injured at all by the second death, which is eternal death, separation from God, and suffering in hell. For the one who overcomes, who is faithful unto death, his or her victory is sealed. They can never be harmed again, never be tempted again, never risk becoming unfaithful ever again. It is the final victory for the Christian to reach death having been faithful, which is why we say that, at that moment, their soul enters the Church Triumphant—triumphant and victorious over every evil, every enemy, every danger, every tribulation. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Paul writes. Only a crown of life.

How can we apply this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna to our congregation? Would Jesus say that He knows our works? There are certainly good works being done. But here each one has to evaluate his or her own fruit and consider each day how to work as the Lord’s servant. Would He say that He knows our tribulation and our poverty? There is some tribulation, to be sure, and some blasphemy against you and against me for the beliefs we hold and the lives we live, but not yet to the point of having our jobs or income stripped away, and certainly not yet to the point of being thrown in prison. Our “poverty” is relative. I wouldn’t say we’re poor. We have a beautiful building that’s now paid off, and our members and our pastor’s family are well-fed, with food to spare and with luxuries we don’t need. We’re rich compared to many, and yes, also rich in spiritual things like the pure Gospel, God’s favor, and a spirit of cooperation.

Without a doubt, we will suffer more things for being faithful to Christ, maybe even real poverty at some point. We need to be ready to suffer those things patiently. But we have the word of Jesus, Do not be afraid of those things that you will suffer. We have His promise that He will put a limit to it, that He won’t let us be tested beyond what we can bear. And we also have both His call to be faithful unto death, as well as His promise that all those who are will receive the crown of life and will be entirely unharmed by the second death.

Carry these encouragements and promises with you into our Christmas celebration over the next several days. And even though we’re leaving the Advent season behind, don’t leave the Advent mindset behind. Keep living each day as if it might be your last one on this earth, knowing that Christ is surely coming soon! Amen.

 

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