Death can sting in many ways. First, death can sting by casting a shadow over every moment of life. No matter what earthly joy you are experiencing, death guarantees it won’t last. Second, death can sting by separating loves. There are no phone calls or hugs from the dead. Third, death can sting by instilling fear of what follows. Deep down, every human being senses that after death there is some sort of reckoning. . . a judgement. Yes, death can sting in many ways.

Note that word can. Because He lives, death has lost its sting for those who put their faith in the living Lord. Because Christ lives, we have all the proof we need that God accepted Jesus’ death as the complete and final payment for all our sins. Those who are in Christ need no judgment. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. More, Christ’s resurrection is the assurance that our Christian loved ones are not lost. Death remains unnatural. But Christ has defeated death. So, while death may still cause tears, death does not cause dread. Because He lives, death has lost its sting.

Scripture says it was hard to miss, because God placed it “in the middle of the garden”—the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve were allowed to eat from every tree in Eden except that one. Why did God forbid them from eating the fruit of that one tree? Simply so that mankind would have one way to demonstrate they loved and trusted God. By disobeying God, Adam and Eve proved they didn’t fully trust Him. More, they proved that they loved the thought of being in control more than they loved God. It was rebellion. Still today, we rebel against our good and gracious God when we love or trust anything more than Him.

That Tree of Rebellion points to the need for Christ. We needed God to send a Savior who would succeed where we fail. The Christ would be the only man who ever loved and trusted God perfectly. More, while hanging on a tree, the Christ would shed his blood for our rebellion. It is the first tree in the Bible that serves as a Christmas tree. . . a tree that points us to Christ—the Tree of Rebellion.

In the ancient Middle East, a shepherd needed certain skills to do his job well: knowledge of edible grasses, ability to trim hooves, capacity to fend off predators, competency to birth lambs. However, the greatest qualification of a shepherd is much simpler. A good shepherd needed to care for his sheep. Without that, none of those other skills would be fully utilized.

In Scripture, meaningful ministry is often pictured as a compassionate shepherd caring for his sheep: Jesus’ care for us; a spiritual leader’s care for his “flock.” Certainly, gospel ministry requires specific skills: ability to actively listen to people, aptitude for applying the gospel to someone’s situation, etc. But ultimately, meaningful ministry requires a compassionate heart—a profound caring for others. An individual might know God’s Word backwards and forwards. But if they lack compassion, they will not fully perform meaningful ministry. Today, we ask the Spirit to see how Jesus models a compassionate shepherd’s heart so that we might be filled with that same compassion.

Welcome to worship today at Morrison Zion Lutheran Church.  We exist to glorify God.  We… read more