Most of us have been with the flock since infancy by our Baptism, with the community of God's people, among whom is our safety and welfare. You can't be a member of the flock in isolation. A sheep that is separated from the flock is a lost sheep. Sometimes we have gone our own way, deserted the flock and the shepherd. Left to ourselves we would perish, drugged and poisoned by the noxious weeds of the world, the prey of that lion who walks about seeking whom he may devour and torn by the sharp teeth of fear and uncertainty.But the Good Shepherd would not let us perish. He came after us, patiently and lovingly, and carried us back on His shoulders to the flock. On our wounds and injuries, Jesus poured the balm of forgiveness, and for our hunger, He gave the food of His Word and the fellowship of His family. If we are in the flock today, we must confess that Jesus has often come after us and carried us back.

The Lord is having Supper. You are invited today – to His table. Today, Jesus gives you His Body to eat and His Blood to drink for the remission of all your sins. You eat and drink Salvation. Everything He earned for you by His perfect life, He delivers to you, into your mouth. Everything He paid for by His suffering and death, He gives to you, into you today.

What the rich man did with his mammon colored, shaped, and finally destroyed him. Like an alcoholic, he was unaware of his self-destructive behavior even after its bitter conclusion. What Lazarus was able to do without mammon becomes an inspiration for all. Why? Because mammon cannot save you from sin, cannot resurrect you from the dead, and cannot give you life that lasts forever. Thinking he has everything, the rich man fails to see that he has nothing that matters. 

The word for disciple is a verb. In English, it's been turned into a noun by putting "make" in front of it to make disciples. I’ll spare you the Greek grammar, but it should be translated like a verb, as in, “Go disciple.” And if “disciple” is the verb, how do we “go disciple” people? It's by baptizing and teaching and going. Typical “missional” theology typically has cut off the phrase from “baptize,” and then it's tried to establish what it means by making disciples without the baptism Jesus gives! 

Nicodemus is a teacher of Israel, a man well-versed in the things of God. He was well qualified to recognize that, because of the things Jesus did, He had a special relationship with God. Today we would call Nicodemus a theologian. But as John tells the story, it soon becomes evident that, even though Jesus is religiously important, Nicodemus has no idea about what Jesus means when He says that Nicodemus must undergo a complete change in his being if he is going to be included in God's kingdom.

Yes, the Spirit is given to each individual, then that individual is gathered to others into fellowship. Just as Luther says in the Catechism, "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel and enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith." Here we have both next to each other. The Holy Spirit has called me to faith. No one else can believe for me, But my faith is never separated from the faith of others in the Church, which is why we can listen, sing, and hear God's word together. "In the same way, He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith."

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.