Lay ministers serve RLC

Resurrection Lutheran Church welcomes Rev. John Hazzard as its next pastor. Pastor John has been a member of Resurrection his whole life. On Nov. 2 he was ordained by the North America Lutheran Church Bishop Dan Selbo and installed by Pastor Tim Loehrke. After retiring from Port Clinton Schools, Pastor John followed finalized his dream to become a pastor.

Sermons

Day of Pentecost Sunday May 24, 2026

Text—Acts 2:1-21; John 7:37-39

Pastor John Hazzard

“The Day of Pentecost”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

One of the most important lessons we learn in life is how to overcome disappointment. I am sure every one of us knows what it feels like to look forward to something with excitement, only to have reality fall short of our expectations. A child counts down the days until Christmas morning and discovers the gift they hoped for wasn’t under the tree, instead they opened clothes which included much needed socks and underwear. A family saves for months for a vacation, only to have rain spoil the entire week. A student studies hard for an exam but still receives a disappointing grade. A worker hopes for a promotion that never comes, or someone waits for a phone call, an answer, or a breakthrough that never arrives. If you want to see real disappointment just watch as a child plays with their playschool work bench, a bench filled with different tools, holes, and pegs. Watch as the child attempts to pound a square peg into a round hole. For the first few minutes they try patiently, over and over again, to reposition the square peg and force it through the round hole, then they start to hit the peg harder and harder with their little wooden mallet. The result is predictable. Pretty soon the scream starts, and then the mallet is thrown across the room. Some of us never get over that. We even receive gifts and later find out that they didn’t live up to our expectations. Life has a way of reminding us that many of the things we anticipate most can sometimes leave us discouraged and empty.

Jesus’ followers also knew what it meant to wait. After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, they gathered in Jerusalem holding on to His promise that the Holy Spirit would come to them. But unlike so many moments in life that end in disappointment, the Day of Pentecost was anything but a disappointment. What God poured out that day exceeded every all their expectations. It changed their hearts and empowered ordinary believers, just like you and me, to turn the world upside down. They waited, prayed and repented together as they hoped for what God would do next. Jesus told them before He ascended into heaven that they were to go back into Jerusalem and wait. He told them that they would receive the power of the Holy Ghost. That was Jesus’ last promise. He told them that they would receive power like they never imagined. It would be a holy and divine power that would only come when the Holy Ghost came to them. They waited for 49 days. Then on the 50th day, the day of Pentecost, the Jews were gathered to celebrate the festival they called the Feast of Harvest, or the Feasts of the gatherings. It was sometimes referred to as the Feast of Weeks, because it always occurred after a hole week worth of weeks, which came out to be seven times seven days. It was on that 50th day of Pentecost that The Holy Spirit finally arrived. And when it had finally arrived it was not disappointing.

Acts chapter 2 explains, “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” What a site this must have been.

We have all experienced the sound that these mighty winds create as trees are bent and busted, when shingles are torn from the rooftops, and rain is driven so hard that you can’t see more than twenty feet in front of you. But the thing about the winds is that it happens outside. The sound that suddenly came from heaven, that brought the Holy Spirit, was experienced inside the house they were sitting in and filled them with the power of the Holy Spirit sent by God.

From the very beginning of Scripture, the breath of God has always been connected with the Holy Spirit, life, power, and transformation. In Book of Genesis 2:7, Adam was nothing more than dust until God breathed into him the breath of life, and he became a living soul. Later, in Book of Ezekiel 37, the prophet stood in a valley filled with dry bones, a picture of hopelessness and death. Yet when the breath of God entered those bones, they rose up as a mighty army. Throughout creation we see reminders of this same truth.

Strong winds sweep through forests, clearing away dead leaves, fallen branches, and debris from the ground, making room for fresh growth and renewed life. In the same way, the Holy Spirit moves through our hearts, blowing away the bitterness, fear, sin, and burdens that have gathered over time so God can bring renewal, healing, and spiritual growth into our lives. Every time God breathes in Scripture, something changes. Dead things come alive, weak things become strong, and what once seemed hopeless is transformed by His power.

That same life-giving breath was present again in the New Testament. In Gospel of John 20:22, Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Those frightened followers who had once hidden behind locked doors would soon become bold witnesses to the rest of the world. Then on the Day of Pentecost that same Holy Spirit arrived with the sound of a mighty rushing wind, filling the house and filling the hearts of believers with supernatural power. The Holy Spirit still works this way today, renewing weary hearts, restoring hope to discouraged souls, and filling ordinary people with extraordinary power.

We too experience the Holy Spirit in different ways throughout our lives of faith. Sometimes the Spirit moves in powerful and unmistakable ways, much like we heard in Acts chapter 2, where the disciples and all who were gathered were set on fire with zeal and boldness. They became so filled with the Holy Spirit that they could not stop speaking about Jesus Christ and proclaiming the good news of the cross and the resurrection. The Spirit gave them courage, conviction, and joy that overflowed into the lives of everyone around them. There are moments in our own lives when the Spirit stirs our hearts in that same powerful way, awakening our faith, strengthening our witness, and motivating us to serve the Lord with boldness and love.

Yet there are also many times when the Holy Spirit comes to us more quietly and gently. The Spirit makes God known to us through the Holy Scriptures opening our hearts and minds to an understanding of His Word and promises. The Holy Spirit comes to us as we gather together as the body of Christ in worship, and as we receive the holy sacraments through which God strengthens and sustains our faith. Often the Spirit works in subtle ways, guiding us in times of uncertainty, comforting us in sorrow, and filling us with peace that surpasses all human understanding. In moments when we feel weak, afraid, or alone, the Holy Spirit reminds us of Christ’s promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Through every season of life, whether in dramatic moments or quiet whispers of grace, the Holy Spirit continues to draw us closer to Jesus and keep us steadfast in faith.

All throughout Scripture, the Spirit of God is pictured not only as breath and wind, but also as water. Wind gives life, but water sustains life. Wind clears away what is dead, but water causes what is living to grow. And that brings us to the invitation Jesus gave in John 7:37–39. It is no coincidence that Jesus spoke these words during another great Jewish feast, the Feast of Tabernacles. During that celebration, the priests would carry water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it out at the temple as a reminder of how God provided water for Israel in the wilderness. It was in the middle of that ceremony, surrounded by people remembering God’s provision from the past while longing for God’s blessing in the future, that Jesus stood and cried out with a loud voice, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

What a powerful picture. Jesus did not describe the Holy Spirit as a puddle, a cup, or even a stream. He said rivers of living water would flow from within those who believe in Him. A river is alive. A river moves. A river refreshes everything it touches. A river carries life into dry and barren places. Before the Holy Spirit came, people were spiritually thirsty. They searched for satisfaction in religion, possessions, achievements, pleasures, and human approval, yet nothing could truly satisfy the deepest longing of the soul. That is still true today. We live in a world full of thirsty people. Some thirst for peace. Some thirst for purpose. Some thirst for forgiveness. Some thirst for hope. Many try to satisfy that thirst with success, entertainment, money, relationships, or temporary pleasures, only to discover they are still empty inside. But Jesus declared that the Holy Spirit would become a continual source of life within the believer. The Spirit is not merely something we experience once on Sunday morning. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence living inside of His people every single day. He refreshes weary hearts, comforts troubled minds, convinces us of sin, guides us into truth, strengthens us in weakness, and empowers us to live faithfully in a broken world.

And notice something else Jesus said: the water does not simply flow into us — it flows out of us. The Holy Spirit was never meant to stop with us. When God fills a person with His Spirit, it begins to affect everyone around them. Rivers overflow.

A Spirit-filled believer brings encouragement into discouraged homes. It brings peace into anxious situations. It brings kindness into bitter conversations. It brings hope into hopeless places. Just as rivers nourish fields and forests, the Holy Spirit flowing through God’s people brings life wherever He moves.

That is exactly what happened at Pentecost. Those disciples who had once waited quietly scared behind closed doors suddenly overflowed with boldness, joy, and power. Peter stood and preached. Thousands were saved. The church was born in that very moment. A church where we are in the very presents of our God. We know this because scripture plainly tells us, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.”

The Spirit of God flowed out from Jerusalem into the entire world like a mighty river that has never stopped flowing. And the same Spirit still works today. There are people sitting in churches every week who are exhausted, disappointed, discouraged, and spiritually dry. Some have tried forcing life together like that child trying to pound the square peg into the round hole, frustrated because nothing seems to fit. Some are carrying heartbreak, unanswered prayers, failed plans, and private burdens nobody else can see. Yet Jesus still stands and cries out to thirsty souls: “Come unto me and drink.”

The wonderful truth of Pentecost is this: God does not disappoint those who come to Him hungry and thirsty for His presence. The world often promises satisfaction but leaves us empty and broken. Fortunately for whether He sets us on fire or comes to us gently to comfort us, the Holy Spirit is always here to fill the deepest needs of our heart. He takes dry bones and breathes life into them. He takes fearful disciples and turns them into bold witnesses. He takes ordinary believers and fills them with an extraordinary power that guides our actions, shapes our desires, and produces virtues like love, joy, and peace.

The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keeps your hearts and minds in our crucified and risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Seventh Sunday of Easter May 17, 2026

Text -- John 17:1-11& 20-21

Pastor John Hazzard

“The High Priestly Prayer”

GRACE BE UNTO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER AND FROM OUR PERSONAL CRUCIFIED AND RISEN LORD AND SAVIOUR, JESUS THE CHRIST.

As we read and study the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we frequently see Jesus praying. There are several examples given in the Bible. We have The Lord’s Prayer, and we know how and what He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. But have you ever wondered what He prayed, what He said to His Father, on all those other occasions.

Today marks the end of the most glorious and triumphant seasons of the Church Year, the Easter Season, and our text takes us back to that gathering in the upper room and to the High Priestly Prayer He prayed just before He and his disciples left for the Garden of Gethsemane where he was betrayed.

In today’s gospel reading we are privileged to know exactly what Jesus prayed for in his longest recorded prayer, the prayer known as Christ’s High Priestly Prayer. In this prayer Jesus first prayed for himself, then for his disciples, and last of all for all believers.

Jesus began with a petition which set the tone and focus for all that the disciples were about to experience, including His crucifixion and Resurrection. Jesus prayed “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You……

Jesus prayed that His heavenly Father would glorify him in the hours ahead. Some have wondered how that can be. He will be arrested, tortured throughout the night, convicted in two illegal Sanhedrin court trials, pronounced innocent by the highest judicial authority in the land, and be condemned to die anyway because it was the most politically expedient thing to do and then be executed between two vicious criminals in on of the most dehumanizing, brutal and painful forms of capital punishment ever devised by the human mind. Where is Glory in that?

Jesus answered that question in his next petition when He prayed, “glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You……That the world may believe that You have sent Me.” What did God send Him to do? God sent Him to live among humanity as a vulnerable flesh and blood human being like those He was sent to save. God sent Him to suffer and to die on a cross to pay the penalty for the sins of every person who has ever lived and those who will live in the future. God sent Him to conquer their greatest enemies: temptation, sin, death and the devil. And God sent Him to rise on the third day to proclaim their eternal relationship with us. God sent His only Son into the world so that the world, in times of triumph, in times of defeat, and even when going about the ordinary tasks of life, may believe.

Jesus proclaimed in His prayer, “I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work You gave Me to do.” Jesus saved us all and glorified His heavenly Father as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

This means that Jesus Christ was tempted in every way, just like you and I, but yet never once gave way to sin. He alone was perfect and without blemish. In the Old Testament, spotless lambs were offered as sacrifices, symbolically taking the place of sinners through the shedding of their blood for atonement. These sacrifices pointed toward Jesus Christ, the true and ultimate Lamb of God, the only One worthy to take away the sin of the world through His suffering, death, and the shedding of His holy blood.

Only the High Priest was considered worthy to offer such a perfect sacrifice. A priest serves as a mediator between God and humanity, appointed to present sacrifices before the Lord. Yet no earthly priest could offer the final sacrifice for sin. Only one High Priest was worthy: The Most High Priest from the order of Melchizedek, Jesus Christ Himself, glorified and appointed by the Father as our eternal High Priest.

This is why, when Jesus breathed His last breath up on that cross, the doors of the sanctuary were opened and the thick veil concealing the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom. In that sacred moment Jesus, the Ultimate High Priest, offered Himself as the Lamb of God to be the final and perfect sacrifice that allows us to be justified so that we can stand before our righteous God saved.

No one, not Judas, not Rome, not the Pharisees, not the Sanhedrin, not all the sinners who have ever lived could take Christ’s life from Him. Jesus freely gave it, taking all our sins onto Himself, as he declared “It is finished” – having accomplished the work God gave His Son to do. Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed.” Every human being stands guilty before God, for a person needs only to sin once to become a sinner, and every one of us has sinned countless times. As God declares through Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and “the wages of sin is death.” We cannot atone for our own sins or restore ourselves to fellowship with God by doing good works; only God Himself, the One offended by our sin, can reconcile us to Himself.

The Greek name Iēsous, the Hebrew name Joshua, and the English name Jesus all carry the same meaning: “God saves.” Many throughout history, including Joshua from the Old Testament who led God’s people into the Promised Land, bore that name as a testimony of faith in the God who saves. Yet only Jesus Christ has been able to live up to the name in the fullest and most eternal sense, true God from before creation and forevermore. The one true God entered this world as a vulnerable flesh-and-blood human being: the Christ, anointed by the Father to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins and the only way to salvation.

Jesus continued in prayer, saying, “I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. I have given them the words that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.”

We come prayerfully to God’s Word seeking to know Him, seeking what only God can give, but ultimately it is God and God alone Who comes seeking us to make us His own. The One True God came as that vulnerable flesh and blood human being to make us worthy of the eternal relationship He has created us in His Own Image to have.

And of those eleven disciples remaining in that upper room and all who accept the relationship God alone can offer and insure, Jesus prays, “As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they may also be in us, so that the world may know that You have sent Me.”

Just as Jesus had prayed for them, the disciples were blessed and strengthened by God to continue together in the mission they had been given. United in faith and guided by the Lord’s promise and prayer, they carried on the work Christ had entrusted to them as His witnesses in the world. As our first reading in the book of acts reminds us, they first needed to figure out what to do with the spot left open by Judas, the apostle that betrayed Jesus. Jesus called twelve of his disciples into his most inner circle and twelve was an important number for the Jewish people, therefore they chose a replacement for Judas.

After some discussion and prayer, the disciples decided that the best way to choose a new apostle was by casting lots totally trusting that God’s will would be done, and they choice fell to Matthias. We can only wonder what went through his mind when he learned he had been chosen. Whatever he may have been thinking, we will never know because he is never mentioned again. That silence itself reminds us that the focus is not on Matthias and his feelings, but on God’s choice and God’s work through him.

In much the same way, God chooses His people today without first asking whether His plans fit into their own. In baptism, God has chosen you and claimed you as His own, and He has no intention of letting you go or changing His mind about you. He has freely given you treasures far greater than anything the world could offer forgiveness, mercy, and everlasting life through Jesus Christ. Unlike earthly riches, these gifts will never lose their value or fade away. God has simply poured them out upon you by His grace, and they belong to you forever.

These gifts of God are not only promises for the life to come; they also shape the way we live here and now. Having been chosen, forgiven, and claimed by Christ, we are called to remain in His Word, for it is through that Word that we come to know the truth of who God is and the freedom He alone can give.

One day when Jesus was teaching in the Temple, He told His followers, “If you continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know The Truth, and The Truth will make you free.” (JOHN 8:31b-32) True freedom can never be separated from its source, from knowing The Truth about that Source and His relationship to us, from knowing The Truth which only The Word of God, incarnate in Jesus Christ and inerrant in The Holy Bible, can reveal.

We are called to live in faith and truth, sharing that faith and truth with others so that the world may believe. Even in the ordinary, everyday places where we live and serve, we bear witness to the truth of Christ, the truth that sets us truly free both now and for all eternity.

God came into this world as the only begotten Son of God, suffering and dying for our sins before rising again on the third day to proclaim the promise of eternal life and the everlasting relationship of love and trust we have with Him. Through Christ, we are given more than mere existence; we are given true and abundant life. This is why we are called to live and share this good news so that the world may believe in the things that truly matter, the things worthy to be treasured and lived for in Christ’s Church, in our homes, in our workplaces, and even in the ordinary moments of daily life. To Jesus be the glory!

THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL HUMAN UNDERSTANDING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS – OUR CRUCIFIED AND RISEN LORD AND SAVIOUR. AMEN

Pentecost 2 June 7, 2026

Text: Matthew 9:9-13

Pastor John Hazzard

“Follow Me”

GRACE BE UNTO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD OUR FATHER, AND FROM OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR -- JESUS THE CHRIST.

In Matthew’s gospel chapters 8 and 9 it speaks of the miracles of Jesus Christ. Matthew organizes Jesus' miracles into three groups of three to reveal the full scope of His authority and identity. The first group (Matthew 8:1–17) demonstrates Jesus' authority over disease and social separation as He cleanses a leper, heals a Roman centurion's servant, and restores Peter's mother-in-law. Through these miracles, Jesus reaches across barriers of ritual impurity, ethnicity, and social status, revealing Himself as the compassionate Messiah who fulfills Isaiah's prophecy by bearing the infirmities of His people. The second group (Matthew 8:23–9:8) reveals Jesus' authority over nature, the supernatural realm and sin. He calms a storm, casts out demons, and heals a paralytic after forgiving his sins, demonstrating divine power over creation, evil spirits, and humanity's deepest problem—spiritual brokenness. The third group (Matthew 9:18–34) displays Jesus' authority over death, chronic suffering, and human inability. He raises a ruler's daughter from the dead, heals a woman who had suffered for twelve years, restores sight to the blind, and gives speech to a demon-oppressed man.

Together, these miracles show that no physical, spiritual, or moral condition is beyond His power. By arranging the miracles in this way, Matthew presents Jesus as the promised Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, the One who possesses divine authority to restore what sin has broken and who alone can bring people into God's eternal kingdom.

Having demonstrated Christ's authority over disease, nature, demons, death, and even sin itself, Matthew now turns our attention to what may be the greatest miracle of all, the salvation of sinners. In today's Gospel passage, we witness Jesus calling Matthew and sharing a meal with tax collectors and other notorious sinners. To many in His day, these were the very people who seemed furthest from God and least deserving of His favor. Yet it is precisely among such people that Jesus chooses to spend His time. This encounter provides one of the clearest and most profound statements of the purpose of Christ's coming into the world. When challenged by the Pharisees for associating with sinners, Jesus declares, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:13). With these words, our Lord reveals the heart of His mission. He did not come for those who considered themselves spiritually healthy or self-righteous, but for those who recognized their sinfulness and their need for mercy. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, offering forgiveness, restoration, and new life to all who respond to His call in faith. This miracle of salvation remains the greatest miracle of all, for it addresses humanity's deepest need and opens the way into God's eternal kingdom.

Jesus is criticized for reaching out to Matthew and calling him as one of his disciples. Jesus makes quit the negative impression when He goes to Matthew's home to have a meal with him. It was at that moment that the Pharisees began to judge Jesus in the same way they judged the tax collectors and prostitutes He was associating with. They wondered why Jesus have anything to do with such riffraff like tax collectors and other sinners. Jesus turns the tables on the Pharisees, telling them all need his grace and mercy. The tax collectors, prostitutes, Matthew, the Pharisees, they don’t seem so bad.

This reminds me of an old story about two boys standing in a lunch line. At the beginning of the line sat a large bowl of apples with a sign that read, "Only take ONE. God is watching." Further down the line was a large bowl of chocolate chip cookies. One of the boys grabbed a handful of cookies and whispered to his friend, "Quick! Grab some while God's watching the apples!"

We laugh because the boys completely misunderstood God. They imagined that God could only watch one place at a time. Yet before we laugh too hard, we often make a similar mistake spiritually. The Pharisees acted as though God only cared about certain outward sins while overlooking the pride, self-righteousness, and lack of mercy they had in their own hearts. They were appalled that Jesus would spend time with tax collectors and sinners, but they failed to see their own need for the very same grace. Jesus reminds them, and us, that God sees everything. He sees not only our outward actions but also the condition of our hearts. The question is not whether God sees sinners. The question is whether we recognize that we are among them.

Matthew himself serves as a powerful example of the very truth Jesus is teaching. Unlike the Pharisees, Matthew had no trouble recognizing that he was a sinner in need of God's mercy. As a tax collector, he was likely one of the most despised men in all of Capernaum. Tax collectors were viewed as traitors to their own people, collaborators with the Roman occupiers, and men who enriched themselves through dishonesty and exploitation. Matthew's profession had probably made him wealthy, but it had also made him an outcast. Few people would have considered him a candidate for discipleship, let alone apostleship. Yet when Jesus approached him and simply said, "Follow Me," Matthew immediately rose, left his tax booth, and followed Him.

What makes Matthew's response so remarkable is the cost involved. The fishermen who followed Jesus could always return to their boats if they chose. Matthew could not simply return to his former position. By leaving his tax booth, he was abandoning his livelihood, his financial security, and whatever wealth and status he had accumulated through years of collecting taxes. Yet none of those things mattered when compared to what he found in Christ. Matthew understood that all the money in the world could never heal his greatest problem. More than likely, he had witnessed Jesus' ministry firsthand. Living and working in Capernaum, he may well have seen or heard of Jesus healing the paralytic. But what would have captured Matthew's attention most was not merely the physical healing, it was Jesus' declaration, "Your sins are forgiven." Here was a man who possessed authority not only to heal broken bodies but also to forgive broken souls. Matthew recognized that this was exactly what he needed. He knew his greatest need was not financial success, public acceptance, or earthly comfort. His deepest need was forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and freedom from the burden of his sin. And when Jesus called him, Matthew gladly left everything behind because he knew he had found the One who could provide what no amount of wealth or worldly success could ever give.

Jesus came for sinners, those who know they are sinners and recognize their desperate need for mercy. He came for those who understand they suffer from a terminal spiritual disease that they cannot cure on their own. He came for the hurting, the hungry, the thirsty, the weak, the broken, and those whose lives have been shattered by sin. Jesus did not come for people who believe they have no need of Him; He came to call sinners to repentance and faith. The Apostle Paul understood this truth well when he wrote, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost" (1 Timothy 1:15). Paul never lost sight of the fact that he was a sinner saved entirely by the grace of God. This is the very point of our text: Jesus has come into the world and is calling sinners like you and me.

The tragedy is that many people believe themselves to be righteous and therefore see no need for Christ. They assume either that they are already acceptable to God or that they can earn His favor through their own efforts. But Jesus leaves such self-righteous people to themselves because they will not seek healing until they recognize their disease. They will not seek salvation until they understand that they stand condemned apart from God's grace. As theologian Julius Schniewind wisely observed, "This then is conversion, to accept the death sentence and then the acquittal of God." Those words capture the essence of true repentance. Before a person can embrace the good news of the gospel, he or she must first acknowledge the bad news of their condition. We must come to terms with the reality that we are utterly unable to save ourselves. It does not matter how moral we appear, how faithfully we attend church, how much Scripture we memorize, or how many religious activities we perform. None of these things can remove our guilt before a holy God. Salvation comes only when we recognize our need, humble ourselves at the foot of the cross, and receive by faith the forgiveness and acquittal that Christ alone provides.

This is precisely why Jesus' ministry was often so controversial. His message exposed the true condition of the human heart. He stripped away the mask of self-righteousness and confronted people with the reality of their sin. The religious leaders of His day were offended because He revealed that outward religiosity could never be a substitute for genuine repentance and faith. Jesus came not merely to comfort sinners but to confront them with the truth so that they might be saved.

This truth remains essential for evangelism today. Many faithful teachers have emphasized that people cannot truly receive the gospel until they first recognize their need for it. A person who understands that he or she is a sinner will see the need for a Savior. Conversely, a person who believes he or she is fundamentally good will see little reason to seek Christ's righteousness. The gospel begins with an honest acknowledgment of our guilt before God and our inability to save ourselves.

Yet this message faces tremendous resistance in modern culture. Society often encourages people to deny personal responsibility, minimize sin, and view themselves primarily as victims of circumstances. Rather than confronting moral guilt, many are taught to excuse it or explain it away. This creates a significant barrier to the gospel because people who refuse to acknowledge their sin will rarely see their need for forgiveness. As a result, salvation does not come through merely making people feel better about themselves. True evangelism must faithfully proclaim God's Word and trust the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to the heart.

Consider a child who has done something wrong. Punishment alone cannot restore the relationship, nor can simply pretending the offense never occurred. Reconciliation begins when the child recognizes that what was done was wrong and genuinely grieves over it. Only then can forgiveness be fully understood and received. In a similar way, sinners must first recognize their offense against God before they can appreciate the magnitude of His grace. The good news of the gospel shines brightest when we understand just how desperately we need the Savior who came to call sinners to Himself.

As we bring this passage to a close, we see that Matthew's Gospel presents Jesus as far more than a great teacher or miracle worker. Through His authority over disease, nature, demons, death, and sin, Matthew reveals Jesus as the promised Messiah foretold by the prophets, the One who alone has the power to restore what sin has broken and bring people into God's eternal kingdom. Yet, all these miracles point us to an even greater miracle: the salvation of sinners. The calling of Matthew reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. A despised tax collector became a disciple because he recognized his need for mercy and responded to Christ's call in faith.

This is why this passage is so important for us today. Before we can receive the forgiveness Christ offers, we must first recognize our own spiritual need. Like Matthew, we must acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves and that our greatest need is reconciliation with God. Jesus did not come for those who believe they are righteous, but for sinners who know they need a Savior. The good news of the Gospel is that the same Christ who called Matthew still calls sinners today. He offers forgiveness for our past, peace for our present, and the promise of eternal life for our future. Therefore, let us humble ourselves before Him, trust in His saving work, and rejoice in the grace that transforms sinners into disciples and heirs of God's kingdom.

The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keeps your hearts and minds in our crucified and risen Savior, Jesus the Christ. AMEN

Pentecost III, Cycle A June 14, 2026

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel

Grace Ev. Lutheran Church, Westerville, OH

“Our Compassionate God!”

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

There’s a certain cynicism that arises when we hear Old Testament passages like our reading from Exodus. It tells how the Lord God led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, carrying them, as it were, “on eagles wings,” out of slavery, bringing them to Himself, as God wants to renew His relationship with His people, establishing a new covenant wherein they would be His “treasured possession,” a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. We read in Exodus today, “Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.” And what happened next? We read, “All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” What makes us cynical is the fact that we know the proverbial “rest of the story,” that almost immediately, the people were NOT doing all that the Lord had spoken! They were NOT obedient to God’s commandments. That they did NOT live according to the covenant the Lord God made with them, as they encamped at the foot of the mountain in the wilderness of Sinai. The behavior of the Israelites brings to mind children who promise to do their chores, promise their parents they will do as they’re asked, with no intention of following through. As parents sometimes lose patience with their disobedient children, we would surely have been impatient with the Israelites who wandered away from God, who went their own way repeatedly, who melted down the Egyptian’s gold and made an idol, even as the Lord was writing the commandment on the tablets that stated “You shall have no other gods before me.” Yes, the people answered, “All that you have commanded we will do!” And knowing the rest of the story, we would say. “Save your breath!” For we know that time and time again, the Israelites failed to keep their promise to God that they would do everything God had told them to do in this new covenant!”

At times, it makes us wonder, “Why would God be so patient, with Israel?” “Why did the Lord God, again and again, after Israel’s repeated disobedience, seek to reconcile with His people, try to bring them back into the covenant, work so tirelessly to restore and renew His covenantal relationship with His children?” Why didn’t God cut them off, definitively, completely, finally?

Honestly, couldn’t we ask, in the same way, “Why does God deal so graciously, patiently with us? With you and me, His sometimes errant, disobedient children?” We humans are not so forgiving and forbearing. We tire of hearing the same excuses over and over again. We have little patience for those who say they will do one thing, while doing another. It makes us feel angry, frustrated, and impatient. What is it about God that causes Him to deal so gently with us sinful humans? The Scriptures tell us it is His compassion. The Bible has more than 100 passages which speak of God’s compassion.

In our Gospel account, Matthew tells us, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” We could clearly list one of the attributes of God, as “compassion.” And it says volumes that Jesus—God has compassion for us. Compassion because we are harassed and helpless. Compassion for us because the devil and the world around us attack us and abuse us, with illness, affliction and all manner of tragedy and grief. Then, there is our sin and disobedience. We are guilty, as were the Israelites, of being sinful. We are guilty of not doing all that the Lord has commanded. But the Lord God has compassion. The Lord is compassionate, seeing and knowing that life is hard and sometimes in life we scatter over the hillside like frightened sheep without a shepherd. God saw the Israelites and despite their disobedience, He had compassion on them. God sees us, and despite our disobedience, He has compassion on us, even as Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion on them. And what is compassion?

There’s talk today of “toxic empathy,” which is not compassion. Toxic empathy may begin with compassion, but devolves into unhealthy, excessive overidentification with the pain, suffering or difficulty of others, such that there are no boundaries and no ability to actually help in any way. We do well to guard against empathy that becomes toxic and misdirected. Compassion, on the other hand, is “the emotional response of recognizing another’s suffering, coupled with an active, genuine desire to help ease that pain. More than just feeling sad or pity for someone, it bridges empathy (understanding another's feelings) with a warm-hearted, motivating drive to take action.” So, in this regard, it is a fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, when He saw the sinful, troubled crowds, had compassion on them. More than just recognizing their suffering, the Lord does something about it, calling disciples and sending them out to minister to the crowds. He gave the twelve authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. And the twelve went out, proclaiming the inbreaking of the kingdom of God, healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and casting out demons. That’s how Jesus’ compassion included action, for the sake of the shepherd-less crowds, that day in Israel. And how does Jesus’ compassion for us include action?

St. Paul writes, “ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

In compassion for us weak, broken sinners; because we are weak, broken sinners, unable to save ourselves from eternal wrath, in His compassion, Christ died for us. In compassion, God manifests His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, saving us from wrath and judgement. As we have been reconciled to God by the death of His Son, we are now saved by His life, given new life and new hope for the future. In Christ Jesus, we now have a shepherd—a Good Shepherd who is with us, who guides us, who feeds us with His own presence, to strengthen and encourage us in this new life we have. In His compassion, God, through His Son, Jesus, sets us free from sin and guilt, despair and death, strengthening and encouraging us to live new lives full of hope and peace and joy.

And because God shows us compassion, we are compassionate, as well. Yes, we give thanks for God’s love, mercy, and action, as we are forgiven and freed. Martin Luther reminds us that, in our Gospel freedom, it is for us, now, to share that with others. Our compassion is not a means to earn salvation, but it is the natural, unforced outflow of those of us who experience God's unconditional grace. So that, freed from trying to justify ourselves before God, we are liberated to love, serve, and "suffer with" our neighbor without expecting a spiritual reward for the reward is already ours, in Christ! For this reason, Luther writes in his treatise “On the Freedom of the Christian,” as our heavenly Father has compassion on us in Christ, so also we freely and willingly help and care for our neighbor, with each of us becoming to the other, Luther says, a kind of Christ, so that we may be Christs to one another. That’s true for us in home and family, in church and community, that we are to be “a kind of Christ, Christs to one another,” in love and compassion.

Think about, imagine what our world might be like, what our homes and marriages and families might be like, what our church might be like, when we, each and every one of us, are Christs to each other. In our forgiveness and our Gospel freedom, may we be compassionate Christs to one another!

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

6th Sunday of Easter May 10, 2026

Gospel Reading: John 14:15-21

Pastor John Hazzard

“Jesus Will Send a Helper”

GRACE BE UNTO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER AND FROM OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR ... JESUS THE CHRIST.

A couple were traveling to Catawba Island last week and, along the way, they got into an argument over the pronunciation of the name of our township. She said “Catawba” and he said “Cat-a-waba.” The argument went on for some time until finally they decided to wait until they got here to settle the argument. They agreed to stop at the first place they came to and let the cashier settle the argument. He said to the cashier, “Will you please settle an argument and tell us where we are?” The clerk nodded and said “McDonalds.”

Now, as humorous as that story is, it reminds us of an important truth: we should always know where we are going and how we are going to get there. As a matter of fact, that was the issue on the night our text took place. The disciples had no idea of where they were going and were not equipped with an understanding of how to get there.

It was an emotionally charged night, the night of the Last Supper and Jesus was celebrating the Passover with His disciples. He was washing their feet and teaching them to love one another the way He loves them. He explained that He was going to be leaving them and that He was the only Way and the only Truth needed to have Life and have it abundantly. Jesus was preparing them for the crucifixion which would take Him from them that very night. The disciples were devastated by any thought of His leaving them. To say that their hearts were confused and troubled would be an understatement. Fear, uncertainty, and sorrow filled the room.

That brings us to our sermon text this morning. In our lesson for today, Jesus was more or less saying, let not your hearts be troubled; if you believe in God, believe also in Me. And to help you believe and share that same belief with the world, I am going to send you a helper, the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that His disciples would need a helper to strengthen them and give them courage in his absence. He tried to comfort them when He proclaimed, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” In essence, Jesus was saying: “Let not your hearts be troubled. If you believe in God, believe also in Me. And to help you believe, and to share that same belief with the world, I am going to send you a Helper, the Holy Spirit.” Jesus did everything he could to reassure them that he would not leave them as orphans.

Here Jesus tries to encourage his disciples by telling them that God will send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth who will guide the disciples into all truth (16:13) and that this Spirit will serve as another helper. In the Greek language the word used here is paraclete which means one who comes along side as an advocate, counselor, and helper. This Helper would dwell with Christ’s followers forever, serving as Christ’s own presence among them while He would no longer be physically visible to them. Jesus promises that His followers will have the divine presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is why we pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who is ever present in the life of the believer. Scripture plainly tells us that our Triune God dwells with you and will be in you. This doesn’t mean the Holy Spirit had not been at work before this moment. The Spirit had always been active among God’s people, but after Pentecost, the Holy Spirit would dwell within believers in a new and powerful way as the church carried the Gospel into the world.

What exactly will the Holy Spirit do for the disciples and eventually for all believers? Jesus went on to explain in the latter part of chapter when he says:“ … the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” This is an important promise. Jesus is telling his disciples not to worry because the Holy Spirit will continue to be at work in their lives. The Spirit would help them remember Christ’s words, understand His teachings, and faithfully proclaim the Gospel. It was by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that John was able to proclaim (in John 1:14-18), “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. … For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.”

After telling His disciples this He then reassured them that by the power of the Holy Spirit He would leave them His peace when he said, “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” The world offers only temporary peace—peace based on circumstances, comfort, wealth, health, or human success. But the peace Christ gives is different. It is the peace of knowing that our sins are forgiven, that death has been conquered, and that nothing can separate us from the love of God. It is the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding.

That night in the upper room, as Jesus prepared His disciples for His Crucifixion and Resurrection, He comforted them with a description of our eternal home geared to our human level of understanding. He told them “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” Even though the disciples may not have realized it at the time they knew the way to where Jesus was going, because Jesus, who was sitting right in front of them, is the Way, the Truth, and the life. It is only by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus’ disciples, and Christians today, can truly comprehend the significance of what it means for Jesus to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Jesus then ends our gospel text this morning by proclaiming, “ Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Jesus is explaining to his disciples that anyone who keeps His commandments—the greatest of which is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself—is demonstrating the genuine love they have for Christ as they walk in obedience to Him. Good works are not the conditions needed for salvation, but the symptoms shown by those saved.

Please, don’t confuse this with the idea that our good works can save us. This is exactly what the Pharisees and Sadducees of old as well as many religious leaders today believe. They failed to see that the Law and the sacrificial system pointed forward to Christ, the one who is our ultimate sacrifice, Jesus the Christ. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world so that those who believe and trust in Him may be saved. So, when Jesus tells His disciples that those who keep His commandments love him, He is saying that the good works we do as believers indicate that we have a right spirit in us. All those who love Christ are blessed as He manifests Himself in such a way that we can experience an intimate relationship that causes us to desire what is pleasing to God and leads us to eternal life in heaven.

Life should be lived the way God created, redeemed, enlightens, and empowers us to live it. Our life here on earth is a small taste of the life in God’s eternal house with its many mansion-rooms. The Life is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ living in us.

How do you describe heaven, the place of glory which is beyond anything we have ever seen or could even imagine, the glory only God could envision and then create? Last week, as we reflected on Jesus as THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE, it reminded me of a story about the dying man who turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."

"You don't know? You, a Christian man, don’t know what is on the other side?”

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with and tried to lick his face with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing...I know my Master is there and that is enough for me."

I love that story because it captures the essence of heaven better than any human description ever could. Heaven is beyond human understanding. Scripture gives us glimpses, images, and promises, but its full glory is greater than anything we can imagine. Yet for Christians, the greatest joy of heaven is not golden streets or pearly gates. The greatest joy is this: heaven is the place where we live eternally in the visible presence of God.

That is why this Gospel text is so important for us today. We live in a world filled with troubled hearts, uncertainty, fear, suffering, and death. Like the disciples in the upper room, we often do not know what lies ahead. Jesus speaks the same promises to us that He spoke to them. He reminds us that we are not abandoned. He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide, strengthen, comfort, and sustain us. He gives us His peace in the midst of a troubled world. He reminds us that He alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And He assures us that He has prepared a place for us in the Father’s house.

Therefore, dear friends in Christ, let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in Christ. Walk by faith. Live in the peace of the Holy Spirit. For the One who conquered sin, death, and the grave is leading us home.

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE + SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN.

4th Sunday of Easter April 26, 2026

Sermon Text: John 10:1-10

By Pastor John Hazzard

“Christ Our Good Shepherd”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The central theme of John’s gospel is summed up in chapter 20 verse 31 where it plainly states: the gospel’s purpose is “…that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” All throughout the Gospel, Jesus unmistakably reveals His divine identity. He teaches that to see Him is to see the Father (John 14:9), and He makes the bold declaration, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). These statements leave little room for debate about who Jesus claimed to be.

In addition to these direct claims, John records a series of profound “I Am” statements that further reveals Jesus’ divine nature and saving mission. In John 8:58, Jesus declares, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am,” echoing the very name of God given in Genesis. In John 9:5, He says, “I am the light of the world.” In another passage, He teaches, “I am the door.” He later proclaims, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Each of these statements points to His unique role as the source of truth, salvation, and eternal life.

In the first century animal husbandry, which included raising sheep, was an important part of the Judean culture and economy. In most situations a person was not considered wealthy because they owned a lot of property but instead was measured by how many animals the family possessed. Livestock played a central role in daily life; they were used for payments, offered in sacrifices, and were even given as a part of some marriage arrangements. Caring for animals, which included shepherding, was an important part of Judean culture.

Two essential aspects of shepherding were the sheepfold and the shepherd himself. The sheepfolds were secure, often communal, enclosers used to protect the sheep from predators and thieves at night. These enclosures were usually made of wooden or stone walls topped with thorns and bramble that discouraged all unwanted intruders from sneaking into the sheepfold. The only entrance was a single doorway, or sometimes a simple opening, where the shepherd himself would lie down, effectively becoming the door that guarded the flock from the dangers of the world.

This vivid picture of the sheepfold and the shepherd is more than just a glimpse into daily life in the first century. It sets the stage for a deeper spiritual truth. Jesus draws directly from this familiar scene to reveal something profound about Himself and His mission. Using imagery His listeners would immediately understand, He connected their everyday experience of shepherding to the greater reality of salvation and protection found in Him. Jesus declares in verse 7 of our gospel reading, “…Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

During the day, the shepherd would lead the sheep to pasture and water, and at night, bring them safely back into the fold. The interesting thing is that despite several flocks of different sheep being in the sheepfold, the sheep recognized its own shepherd. At his call, they would separate from the others and follow him out, trusting his voice as he led them to safety and provision. This intimate relationship between shepherd and sheep beautifully illustrates the trust, dependence, and guidance that Jesus speaks of when He identifies Himself as both the Good Shepherd and the door for the sheep. What does Jesus mean when he describes himself as being the door for the sheep? He is saying “He is the way, the Truth and the Life.” The door is essentially the way to the truth that we can have “life and have it abundantly.” When Jesus speaks of “life,” He is speaking of the life believers live today in the blessing of God’s tender love and mercy, and when he says, “have it abundantly” He is pointing to the eternal life we will experience in God’s Kingdom yet to come.

Not only is Jesus the door but He is our Good Shepherd as well. Just as the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and then go to him as he leads them out. We should go to Jesus who doesn’t just point to the way but instead goes out in front of us to lead the way. Make no mistakes about it. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is the incarnate Son of God who was sent to save us so that we might have life and have it abundantly. As St. John declares, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Just like a good shepherd places himself between anything that would destroy his sheep, risking his own life, Jesus took our sins upon Himself and paid our debt through the shedding of His blood, dying and rising again for our salvation.

St. Peter explains this in his first epistle: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep gone astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24–25). We are able to stand before this eternal Shepherd and Overseer because, as the apostle Paul teaches, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). In His great mercy, Christ has taken all of our sin and has graciously given us His righteousness, covering our guilt so that we may stand eternally before a Holy God. Therefore, when we confess our sins, God forgives all that we have done and left undone for the sake of Jesus Christ, who was given to die for us.

Throughout Scripture, God deliberately uses this image of a shepherd to reveal His relationship with His people. In Psalm 23, this relationship is deeply personal, portraying the Lord as the Shepherd who knows and cares for everyone, allowing us to lie down in green pastures and leading us beside still waters. Yet, as Jesus’ ministry makes clear, the shepherd does not lead a single sheep in isolation. He tends to an entire flock. He knows each sheep by name, but his work is carried out within a community and especially His Holy Christian Church known as the Body of Christ. In John 10, we learn that the Church is His flock, gathered and led by the Good Shepherd. Under His care, we live without fear and walk together in faith, confident that God is ever-present in our lives.

This image of the Church as Christ’s flock naturally leads to an important question: where do we encounter this Good Shepherd today, and how does He continue to care for His people in such a personal and profound way? Scripture makes it clear that His care is not distant or abstract, but active and here with us. We know that God is truly present in our lives because of what He Himself has instituted, His Word and His Holy Sacraments, all made effective by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the same Spirit given to all who believe in Jesus Christ, dwelling within them as a divine gift. As the Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 1:13–14, those who hear the word of truth and believe the gospel are “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Through this indwelling, the Holy Spirit not only assures believers of their salvation but also continually works to renew, sanctify, and conform our lives to the image of Christ. Because this is true—because Christ is present with us and His Spirit is at work within us, the Christian life becomes one of continual dependence and trust. It is not about self-reliance but about remaining close to the Shepherd who sustains us.

We must look continually to Jesus. The Christian life cannot be lived by willpower alone. When we take our eyes off Christ, we stumble, but when we fix our gaze upon Him, the Good Shepherd of our lives, we find strength, hope, and forgiveness. Look to Him in His Word, where He speaks truth to your weary heart. Look to Him in prayer, where He reminds you that He is near. Look to Him in the Sacrament, where He nourishes and strengthens your faith with His own body and blood.

In the end, the image of the shepherd and his flock brings everything together. We are not left to wander alone or fend for ourselves. Christ, the Good Shepherd and the door of the sheep, calls us by name, gathers us into His flock, and provides all that we need for life and salvation. If we remain in Him, hearing His voice and following where He leads, we can live with confidence, knowing that we are safe in His care now and forever.

The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your heart and mind in our Crucified and Risen Savior; Jesus the Christ, The Door and Good Shepherd of our lives. Amen.

Fifth Sunday of Easter May 3, 2026

Text: John 14:1-14

Pastor John Hazzard

“How to Best Know God”

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today we will continue to explore the I Am statements of Jesus. The one we will look at this morning has multiple attributes associated with it. The “I am” statement that I am referring to is, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” This is a statement of Christ’s divinity that is given in the 14th chapter of John’s gospel and is an important part of what has become known as the “Upper Room Discourse.” Jesus explained on the night in which He was betrayed at the Last Supper, some very important truths that the disciples needed to understand. These truths were necessary to prepare them for His soon to come death and resurrection as well as what the disciples need to know to proclaim Jesus Christ our promised messiah.

It is in this context that Jesus tries to comfort His disciples when he lovingly tells them, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” And then confused by all that was happening, Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus replies, …“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

This wonderful verse makes it clear that Jesus Christ is our Lord, the only way to heaven. Jesus does not merely point to the way; He is the way. This means that our salvation is not in what we do or how we act but instead is in the person of Jesus Christ our promised messiah. It is all about what He did for us. When we turn to Christ and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we have life and have it abundantly for all eternity in the very presence of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is not just one of the ways. He is the only way. “No one comes to the Father except through” Him.

Jesus explained to His disciples exactly who He truly is when he said, “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” It seems to me that Jesus was quite frustrated with Philip because He asked him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? In other words, are you kidding me? Haven’t you been paying attention to anything I have been saying or to all the things that I have done that only God can do like: heal the sick, make the blind see, raise people from the dead after three days? How is it possible that you still don’t understand? So, Jesus made it abundantly clear, silencing all the Gospel critics who argue that Jesus never came right out and said He was God, when He said, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” In essence Jesus is saying, not only am I “the way” to God and the one who speaks God’s truth, but I am God.

This is also seen when we listen to the ancient prophecies that promised a Savior who would come to lead God’s people out of darkness and into His peace. Isaiah spoke of a “highway” in the wilderness, a holy way upon which the redeemed would walk (Isaiah 35:8). Isaiah proclaimed that people walking in darkness would see a great light (Isaiah 9:2) and that a child would be born who is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). All these promises point to One who would not merely show the way, but who would be the way, the One through whom sinners would find their path back to God. Every prophecy given about the Way God will redeem His chosen people converges in the person of Jesus Christ, who in truth comes to fulfill the longing of every human heart and to lead us back home to the Father.

Christ continues to lead His people even now. Not only is He the Way but He is also our Good Shepherd. He gathers us through His Word (the Holy Bible), cleanses us in Holy Baptism, and feeds us with His Body and Blood in Holy Communion. He does not stand far off, pointing toward heaven; He goes before us, guiding His Church through every wilderness until we reach the Father’s house. The Christian life is not about wandering in search of God; it is about Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life who has already found us and will not lose us as long as we cling to Him.

Christ is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” because He alone brings us to the Father. This is the heart of the apostolic proclamation in Ephesians 2:18: “For through Him (Jesus Christ our Promised Messiah) all have access in one Spirit to the Father.” Through Him. Through Christ. Paul wrote this to Jews and Gentiles alike, people who once stood divided by hostility and sin. Yet Christ has broken down all the barriers and has reconciled both Jew and Gentile to God through the cross. Jesus has torn the curtain from top to bottom that once separated us from the Holy of Holies where God lives. He is the Way and the Truth because He reveals the Father to us, reconciles us to the Father, and ushers us into the Father’s presence. He is not simply a teacher of godly truths but the vulnerable flesh and blood Son who opens the very life of God to those lost in the weeds of life looking for their way back to their Heavenly Father.

This message is especially important because our world is filled with people who feel lost—lost in guilt, in fear, in grief, in loneliness, in confusion, and in sin. The good news of the Gospel is that Christ is the Way for the guilty, the broken, the fearful, the sinner, the weary. He is not just the Way in theory. He is your Way not because you walk faithfully, but because He does, not because you find God, but because God in Christ has found you.

We live in a world where everyone is searching for a way—some way to peace, meaning, belonging, and hope. The deeper truth of Scripture is that, left to ourselves, we are not merely people looking for a way; we are people who are lost. Isaiah’s words ring true: “We all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way.” We are a desperate people who are in need of repentance, the kind of repentance that John the Baptist called the people of his day to. The truth is, for us to find our way, it most certainly requires a repentant heart.

No amount of human effort or moral striving can build a road back to God. Every self-made path ends in a dead end. Into this lost and wandering world Jesus comes speaking words unlike any uttered before: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He does not offer directions, He offers Himself.

And so we return again to Paul’s promise: “For through Jesus we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” We have access, peace, and most important of all, place in the Father’s house. We should remember that Isaiah prophesied, that people walking in darkness would see a great light (Isaiah 9:2) and that a child would be born who is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). This is not some future possibility but a present gift. In Christ you stand before the Father as His beloved child. Through Christ you live in the Spirit who keeps you on the path.

As we watch and wait for the second coming of our King, we should always remember that Jesus Christ is the One who shows the Way, the Truth, and the life. When you feel lost, He is your Way. When you walk in darkness, He is the Truth that lights your path. When you fall into sin, He is your Redeemer who gives you eternal life. When you feel alone, He is your Shepherd. When you feel far from God, He is the One who brings you to the Father. Through Him you have access to God—now, and forever.

The peace of God which surpasses all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in our crucified Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ; the way to the eternal relationship we were called to from before the foundation of the world. Amen

Holy Trinity Sunday May 31, 2026

Gospel Text: Matthew 28:16-20 & Acts 2:14, 22-36

Pastor John Hazzard

“Holy Trinity Sunday”

GRACE BE UNTO YOU AND PEACE FROM GOD OUR FATHER, AND FROM OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR -- JESUS THE CHRIST, AND FROM THE HOLY GHOST THAT GUIDES, STRENGTHENS AND PROTECTS US. AMEN

Today the Church celebrates Holy Trinity Sunday, a festival unlike any other in the Church Year. Throughout the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, we focus on the mighty acts that God has graciously performed in history, Christ’s incarnation, His death, resurrection, ascension, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But today, the Church pauses to confess the mystery behind all those saving works, our Triune God who accomplishes them. Today we confess not simply what God has done, but who God is.

The festival of Holy Trinity has deep roots in the life of the Church. While Christians have confessed the Triune name from the beginning, baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28, the Church gradually developed a special Sunday devoted entirely to this doctrine. By the Middle Ages, Trinity Sunday was widely observed throughout the Western Church, and in 1334 Pope John XXII officially established it for the whole church calendar. Yet, this festival can be somewhat of an abstract theological celebration. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is not a puzzle for scholars; it is the very heart and the very source of our salvation.

When we attempt to understand the Holy Trinity, we often fall short because we try to comprehend God through the limitations of our human understanding. None the less, our Triune God makes Himself known to us through his words and actions. Throughout the Holy Scriptures, God makes himself known as the one true God who exists eternally in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As we see the Trinity at work throughout Scripture, our understanding of God is shaped not by human reason, but by divine revelation. More importantly, we come to see the depth of God’s love for us as the Father sends the Son for our salvation and the Holy Spirit brings us to faith through the Gospel.

That is why our readings today fit together so beautifully. In Genesis, we hear of the Father creating by His Word while the Spirit hovers over the waters. In Acts, Peter proclaims the crucified and risen Christ who is now exalted at the right hand of the Father and pours out the Holy Spirit upon His Church. Then in Matthew’s Gospel, the risen Jesus gathers his disciples and gives what we call the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Many English translations of Matthew 28:19–20 can leave us with the impression that Jesus’ command is mainly about sending missionaries to distant places. Yet in the original Greek, the emphasis is not on the command “go,” but on making disciples as we live our daily lives. Jesus’ words can be understood as, “As we go about our lives in this world…” This is closer to what the original Greek was saying. In other words, all of us are called to share Christ wherever God has placed us. Through our words, actions, and relationships, we are called continually teach others about Jesus. Because of this, we ourselves must first be grounded in the truth of Christ that by the grace of God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit shapes us and leads us to humbly serve those whose needs are made visible to us.

At the close of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus promises that He will remain with us until the end of the age. His ascension into heaven did not mean that He abandoned His Church; rather, His presence among us changed from visible to invisible. Even now Christ continues to dwell with us as we wait for His glorious return. During this time of waiting, we are called to make Christ known through every aspect of our lives — through our thoughts, words, and actions. We are to reflect the character and love of Jesus so that others may come to know and trust in Him.

As we wait for Christ’s return, we continually face spiritual opposition and therefore depend upon the help of the Holy Spirit. C.S. Lewis once observed that there is no neutral ground in creation because every part of life belongs either to God or Satan who stands in rebellion against Him. This ongoing spiritual struggle reminds us why it is so important to understand and confess rightly who God is — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and to trust in His work and His presence in our lives.

When Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” He was doing more than simply describing God. He was revealing the very identity of the God who saves and sends us. The doctrine of the Trinity, therefore, is not merely an abstract teaching but a confession of the true God who has made Himself known to us in Scripture and who commissions us for His mission in the world.

Our world today is very different from the world of the early Church. After Peter preached at Pentecost in Acts 2, the people responded with deep conviction and asked, “What shall we do?” Today, however, many approach worship and Scripture with indifference. Some even treat the Bible like a menu, choosing only the teachings they find appealing while ignoring the rest. This attitude reveals how easily we can lose our reverence for God’s Word and truth.

This is why it is important that as we worship, we understand and take time to reflect on the lessons, creeds, and confessions that we make as the one holy Christian and apostolic Church. A good example of what I am talking about is when we hear about our Triune God as we confess the Nicene Creed. It is in this creed that we confess, “We believe in on God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten of the Father, God from God…of one being with the Father…We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified…”

And, even though Scripture doesn’t explicitly define the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, we are given descriptions in the lessons we read. We see our Triune God at work in Genesis 1, John 1:1, and in what could be easily argued as the most inspiring statement about the Trinity in all of the New Testaments, Ephesians 1:3-14. Here the Apostle Paul declares, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

It is important to know that before Jesus sends His disciples into the world, He first reveals the name of the God who sends them in these same lessons. The mission of the Church is rooted in the identity of God Himself—God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—an identity that is only known by those who take the time to know Him. We are sent by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is deeply comforting, because the Triune God is not distant from us. The Father creates and sustains us. The Son redeems us with His blood. The Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel, enlightens us with His gifts, and sanctifies by keeping us in the true faith. Our salvation from beginning to end is the gracious work of the one Triune God.

So today, as we hear Christ’s command to go and make disciples, we also hear His promise. The One who sends the Church is the One who saves the Church. And the Triune God who claimed us in Baptism continues to be with us, just as Jesus promises: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH SURPASSES ALL HUMAN UNDERSTANING KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN OUR RISEN LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS THE CHRIST. AMEN

Lutheran Church

RESURRECTION

Lay ministers serve RLC

Sermons

Luther Home
of Mercy

Lutheran Church

RESURRECTION

Lay ministers serve RLC

Sermons

Luther Home of Mercy

Luther Home
of Mercy