An Emergency Meeting in Hell - Sermon for the 2nd Sunday of Easter

Second Sunday of Easter
April 16^th, Year of Our + Lord 2023
Our Redeemer and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches
Custer and Hill City, SD
An Emergency Meeting in Hell 
A Strategy for the New Reality

   Satan called an emergency meeting with two of his senior lieutenants, two demons named Enochos[1] and Distazo[2].  A secret transcript of their conversation was recently discovered, posted on the internet social platform ‘Discord.’   

[Beginning of Transcript]

   The evil one opened the meeting:  “Enochos, Distazo, I’ve called you here to strategize with me.  Our situation is quite dire, I’m afraid, and we need a new plan for enslaving people, now that He is alive again.  You’ve both been out, patrolling the earth, so why don’t we begin by hearing your reports.” 

   Enochos went first:  “Well, Lord Beelzebub, as you know, the situation is bleak, even though it started out so promising.  I’ve been piling guilt onto human souls for thousands of years, and I never saw anything like the guilt that crushed His disciples on that wonderful night that He was betrayed, and during the following dark Friday.  It was the most delicious agony to watch Peter cry, the rooster’s morning call ringing in his ears, after he for the third time denied even knowing the Nazarene, much less going to death with Him.  Truly, I’ve never enjoyed watching faithful Israelites mourn quite like I did on that Friday, and into the night and all-day Saturday. 

   But now, all our hard work seems quite undone.  Since He came back to life and started appearing to His own, the reversal, from deepest guilt to utter joy, is, frankly, excruciating for me to watch.  “Peace to you” He said to them. Can you believe it?  Not a word of rebuke, not a bit of anger, no retribution at all for those country bumpkin fishermen and zealots, all of whom abandoned Him.  Not even a hint of a guilt trip.  “Peace,” He said, setting them free.  And then He breathed on them, filling them with His Spirit.  It’s more than I can stomach, and I don’t know what we can do to bring back the guilt.” 

   Distazo joined in:  “This is truly hard for me to say, but I don’t think there’s any doubt about it.  His disciples are convinced that the Mighty One is pleased with them, despite all their failures.  I was hoping that Thomas might keep wavering.  His refusal to believe the news from the other ten, that they had seen Him risen from the dead, I thought maybe this would create the nagging question that could give us a chance.  But 8 days later, He appeared to them again, and this time Thomas became the most certain of all of them:  ‘My Lord and my God,’ he exclaimed.  Ecch.”   

   “But even more disturbing was what the Nazarene said to Thomas, after He showed him His hands and side, and removed all his doubts:  ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’  As usual, the verb tenses the Nazarene uses are confusing.  But I got the sense He was including people of the future.  As in, these Eleven are being sent out to tell this unfortunate story to others, who will also stop doubting and believe, just like Thomas.  Dark master, what are we to do, the whole world could believe, and we would lose them all!”

   Lucifer frowned, the darkness in his being was aching more than normal, more than it had since he first rebelled.  “I knew we should have stayed away from this whole mess, but I couldn’t resist seeing Him suffer and die.  Oh how I hate Him, all the more now because He’s robbed me of all my weapons.  Moses’ law is still true, and human beings still can’t keep it.  But this Son of Mary has completely fulfilled the Law for them.  And, He took into His own death all the suffering and punishment that humanity deserves.  I’ve nothing left to accuse them of; it is finished.  If this news gets out, we’ll be spending eternity with just each other, only demons, with no men or women to torment.  What can we do?”

   Enochos and Distazo were not used to seeing their leader like this.  They had all lived on hate since the earliest days of their rebellion.  Now the evil one’s distress called for empathy that they did not possess.  But after a long, discomforting silence, Enochos spoke up.  “You said the humans still can’t keep Moses’ law?  So I can still try to pile guilt on them, can’t I?  Why don’t we just keep lying and accusing and tempting like we always have?  Why can’t that work?” 

   Distazo wasn’t sure, but his co-demon’s suggestion gave him an idea.  “It doesn’t appear that the Nazarene is going to stick around with the disciples, not to be seen at least.  He has said several things about building His New Israel through them, through the words they will speak.  That seems like a doubtable plan to me. Could we stop the spread of this confidence and innocence before God by attacking the disciples and their ministry?” 

   Enochos nodded in agreement and added:  “Yes, who’s going to believe that the word of those grubby men could really take away guilt?  I mean, did God really say that?” 

   A blasphemous grin crept to the corner of the Accuser’s mouth: “Yes, that’s the wicked spirit, boys.  The last lie will be worse than the first.  The Carpenter’s Son has destroyed the power of sin to accuse those wretched humans.  But if we can make them doubt that the forgiving Word of Jesus’ Gospel is really for them, well that would be something.  How bitter that would be, if we can convince them that they must look for salvation somewhere else, when the Lamb is delivering it to them, right in their midst, through the message of these ridiculous Apostles.  Yes, let’s work on this plan.  We’ll get together again tomorrow.  Come with more ideas about how we can cast doubt on the truth of human guilt being washed away.  I may be defeated, but if people don’t know it, they can’t believe it.”                

[End of Transcript]    

 

Christ is Risen!  (He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!)

 

  A lot of people still believe that Jesus of Nazareth is God’s Son, and that He lived and served and died and rose again.  God be praised, this glorious truth still shapes the thinking and lives of billions of people, despite so many competing religious claims, and centuries of intellectual denial of the accuracy of the Bible.  Fighting against the lies of other religions and the claims of so many elite voices that reject the story of Jesus will continue to be critical tasks of the New Israel, until the Final Coming of Christ Jesus. 

   But another set of lies has achieved a foothold, within the Church, a final desperate rearguard action by the Devil and his minions: an attack on God’s chosen method of delivering the fruit of the Cross.  The diabolic dialogue I began with today is made-up, of course.  But the efforts of the evil one to confuse and denigrate the Office of the Public Ministry and the Means of Grace are very real, and can still cause dangerous spiritual doubts in baptized people, even though they believe that Jesus really rose from the dead. 

   For the Apostles, by worldly standards, are not very impressive, and don’t seem like the sort of spokesmen that the Lord Almighty should choose to build His Church.  And the means by which Christ builds His Church seem even less auspicious.  Satan has been casting doubt about the truth and power of God’s Word since the Garden, and human beings are still susceptible to his lies.  Can the Absolution, the declaration of God’s forgiveness, spoken through a sinful man, really forgive your sins and make you righteous before the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord?

   Yes.  The Absolution truly forgives.  It can and it does, because this is how the
Lord chooses to work in the new reality of Christ’s Resurrection.  He who created everything out of nothing with His Word can certainly deliver the victory won by Christ on the Cross by using this same Word.  In fact, while the Office of the Ministry is the public, official way God delivers His grace and mercy, the mystery of God’s effective Word is even deeper.  For God works forgiveness, real absolution, through you, too. 

   The Public Office of the Holy Ministry is special.  It is critical, fulfilling a deep need of us doubtful creatures, the need to be reassured by an authorized, public spokesman for God.  We thank the Lord for the Gospel in the Word and the Sacraments, and for the Public Office, established by Jesus, into which men are called to deliver His gifts, Sunday after Sunday, and all the days in between. 

  And yet there’s more; God’s not finished giving His Gifts.  The Holy Spirit also works forgiveness through your words.  When Christians speak a word of forgiveness to each other, or to the world, God works through that private Word also.  Luther called it the mutual consolation of the brethren, that is, the comforting word of grace spoken by and between brothers and sisters in Christ, a word that might also be heard and received by unbelievers, where and when the Holy Spirit wills. 

   Satan has worked hard through two millennia to cast doubt on the efficacy of the Absolution, in order to leave people stuck in the guilt they feel for their sins.  Far too often Christian teachers have denied that sins are truly forgiven through the words of sinners.  Something more must be added, they say, the assent of the will, or some satisfying work of penance, a sincere commitment of the heart, or perhaps some amazing outward sign, a charismatic affirmation of God’s grace.  It can’t be just the proclaimed Word, they say, we must add something more. 

   This is all rubbish.  Hear again what Jesus said to the ten disciples gathered in the upper room:  “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” 

   God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, have committed the Holy Name of the LORD to this promise.  As Jesus explained earlier, in Matthew chapters 16 and 18, what is forgiven in the Church on earth is forgiven in heaven, and what is bound in the Church on earth is bound in heaven.  The Christian Church is the forgiveness place.  This happens publicly through the called and ordained servants of Christ, men called to proclaim to all the nations the Apostles’ teaching about Jesus.  This also happens privately in the Godly conversations of all baptized believers.  And the Holy Spirit is truly at work, through His Word, wherever it is spoken.     

   Do not be unbelieving, but believe, and rejoice, and spread the Word: the sins of all men and women and children have been paid for by Christ.  Guilt and doubt are now nothing but worn out lies of demons.  For in Christ, you are forgiven, you are beloved, you are destined for eternal joy. He is your Lord and your God, forever and ever, Amen.        

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[1] Enochos is a transliteration of the Greek word enocos, which means ‘guilty.’

[2] Distazo is a transliteration of the Greek word distazw, which means ‘I doubt.’