The day of Pentecost and every day for the Christian Church since has been a gift of God. Everything needed for faith and life is a gift from your gracious God. The Holy Spirit gives faith. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the gift of the Father in giving up His only-begotten Son to die to save you from sin, death, and the devil’s captivity. The office of the Holy Ministry, this Christian congregation, the sinners-made-saints sitting next to you, and all the opportunities for neighborly love are gifts to you. 

God himself would fulfill the task with them. He would clothe them with power from on high. He would open the way for the Word by convicting men of sin and of righteousness. He would give his messengers power and wisdom which would overcome their enemies. He would lead them into all the truth. He would preserve the vision of Christ living and untarnished. He would himself speak through their tongues and words.

Jesus constantly repeats the promise that He who asks shall receive, and He who knocks shall open the door. Jesus reminds us also that we can talk with God the Father as children with their fathers. It is not a matter of being able to put many words together or speaking glibly and eloquently. We will not be heard because of our many words. God knows beforehand what things we need. However badly we may express ourselves, He understands us. 

Never tell a lie. Always tell the truth. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia. You are forgiven. You are God’s child. Nothing—not even death, devil, and hell—stands in the way of Jesus, the Truth, and His Spirit, the Helper working all things for your salvation.

Thus, St. Paul writes: "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose, I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith” (Philippians 1:21–25).

Bad shepherds will look, sound, and act like saviors, messiahs, or Christs. But their words cannot save, their sacraments cannot forgive, and their churches are white-washed tombs. When push comes to shove, they will abandon, fleece, or devour you. They care nothing for you but only what robs away Jesus’s glory. And that’s the key to discernment. Has Jesus sent them to speak in His stead and by His command? Do their words lead to Jesus’s cross and resurrection for forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation? Do they call, gather, enlighten, and set you in Christ’s church by the Word of Jesus and His Spirit? Or do they lead you to trust in their world-building plans, science and innovation, and promises of a progressive utopia here on Earth? If it's the latter, they are false shepherds, evil imposters, and their lies are false hopes, dreams, and vanity.

Thomas does not believe Jesus Christ when Christ forgives him until Christ says go ahead and put your finger in my side. What Thomas is doing when he's wiggling his finger in the side of Jesus Christ is touching his sin. Thomas knows his sin very well. You know this stuff, and you can; you know it immediately when you touch it and can feel it. So Thomas puts his finger in, wiggles it around, and behold, he's touching his sin there. Then Peter, same thing. And when they feel it, this is sacramental. This is incarnational. This is what it means to be the body of Christ and not just an idea of Christ. The sin that belonged to them doesn't belong to them any longer. It's actually on Jesus Christ. 

In summary, the risk for infectious disease transmission by a common communion cup is very low, and appropriate safeguards- wiping the interior and exterior rim between communicants, use of care to rotate the cloth during use, and using of clean cloth for each service-would further diminish this risk.

Sometimes our expectations don't match up with reality. We can plan, prepare, and hope for the best, but sometimes, things don't go how we want them to. We can swallow the black pill, expect the worst, and then be shocked when God gives us better than we expected. Facing the future is scary and confusing. But what if what Jesus promises and gives is even better than anything we could imagine? What if the future is known and Jesus is with us, even when we don't understand what's happening?

But something more important was happening in this crucifixion than just another tiresome execution. A soldier pierced the side of the dead body, and immediately water and blood came out. It was such a strange occurrence that one of the witnesses took an oath that he had seen it: "He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth—that you may believe."

Like the disciples, we are drawn along by Jesus. We can do nothing except follow Him, watch, and listen. Everything hangs on Him. The disciples hung back when Jesus went to Jerusalem because they were scared. What is He doing? Does Jesus want to get Himself killed? The fearful, faltering disciples Jesus draws on.

As we approach the cross of Christ in faith this Holy Week, we pray that he strips us of our illusions and idols so that we can follow the beggar king who came to save us. We pray that he gives us the strength to embrace the way of poverty and suffering, knowing that it is only through this way that we can truly find new and eternal life. And we pray in this way because the way of the cross is the way of self-emptying and suffering love, the way of dying to live, and the way of the beggar king who comes to take away our poverty and give us his riches.

The only way for there to be vindication for your cause is for God in Christ to do it. And apart from Jesus vindicating you, you cannot possibly speak truthfully or righteously. Only Jesus working by His Word and Spirit, can bring about what you’re asking for—that your enemy repent, believe the Gospel, and live! That is almost always lost in the declaration of judgment against sin. 

In today's Gospel, we have a lovely picture of the life of the faithful Christian, the joy of a local congregation, and the childlike innocence of the Christian church. The Christian, the local congregation, and the whole Church on earth live, breathe, and have their being in Jesus, His Word, and the gifts His Word gives. You, as children, trust that God the Father will always give you what you need to support this body and life. You live in faith, knowing God the Father sent His Son Jesus to suffer, die, and rise for you.

Perhaps this day you’ll observe traditionally by attending Divine Service, watching a parade in his honor, and celebrating with a festive meal, dancing, concerts, or a play. Perhaps you’ll wear green and adorn your hat, dress, or home with shamrocks. Or maybe you’ll follow a modern “tradition” of drinking a green milkshake or a wee bit too much Irish whiskey. But I’d like to suggest you add a fitting tradition to this day. Read or sing St. Patrick’s Breastplate (Lorica). Our hymnal has a paraphrased version, “I Bind unto Myself Today.” According to The Book of Armagh (9th century), this morning prayer is ascribed to Patrick. What better way to begin your day than remembering your baptism into Jesus, the promises God gives in the Sacrament and the Word that withstands all the assaults of the devil, the world, and the flesh?

Clinging to Christ and His victory, we can beat back the devil's attacks. When he tries to claim us as his own and make us despair because of our sins, we can boldly call the devil the liar he is. "No, Satan, I am not yours. Christ has died for me, and I am forgiven. He has conquered you, and so shall I." So when faith is strong, we can laugh in the face of the devil with blithe boldness. He cannot bear such scorn. The devil must then depart from us, for our Lord Jesus sits on the throne in our hearts. Then is the kingdom of God come upon us.

How long, O LORD? How long? That is the lament of the Christian in prayer. We trust that Jesus will do what He promised while it seems undone. We live in the peace of sins forgiven by declaration, not experience. We live by the Word even while its fruits seem never to show. We live in the hope of what we have not yet seen. We’re not praying against imaginary enemies and for imaginary gifts. We pray according to God’s Word, by the reality it reveals, and for the promises made.

When you get a Word of promise from God, the devil immediately wants to talk to you. And he takes what the Father says and adds that qualifier like “If!” That’s his whole strategy, his whole bag of tricks. It’s the same thing he does to Adam and Eve in Genesis. There they had a promise and a threat from God, and the serpent added, “Did God really say?” Now you know what you pray for in the Lord’s Prayer when you ask, “Lead us not into temptation.” It’s not simply asking God to keep you from hunger, threats, or even your desire for power. You ask God to give you His Word so that you speak as Jesus speaks.

The Christian life is the life of those who have been reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And because we have been forgiven and reconciled through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are now free to love and serve others without fear or anxiety. This is what the blind man did when he followed Jesus after he was healed. He glorified God and served others, because he had been saved by Jesus’ grace and mercy.

That verse, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” was proclaimed by the preacher to the Hebrews almost two thousand years ago. It’s just as true today for Ed as it is for you and it has been for every Christian who has heard those words proclaimed into their ears these millennia. Jesus keeps His promises. He has never left His church, working faith by the Spirit through the inspired Word breathed out on His people to give life and salvation.