The Lutheran Hour
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"Good News for You"
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Text: Isaiah 61:1
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! The birth of the Savior, His life fulfilling the law, His death on our behalf, His conquering of the grave through His resurrection are God’s Good News that I share with you, today.
It has been a good many years since I read a sermon written by a master preacher, I think it was Walter A. Maier. In that message he spoke of a mountain man named Hugh Glass. To the best of my recollection, I would like to tell you that story. It had been 19 years since Lewis and Clark had made their momentous expedition across North America. Since then remote outposts, pockets of the white man’s civilization had been established in far removed places. Still the continent was, for the most part, unexplored and unclaimed – a storehouse of great wealth to any man who was bold enough, and any hand that was strong enough to claim it.
To stake such a claim was the goal of Major Andrew Henry of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. In March of 1822, he advertised for 100 good men to go up the Missouri with him on a trapping expedition. The call was answered by men like Tom Fitzpatrick, Mike Fink, Etienne Provost, William Sublette, Jim Bridger, and Hugh Glass. Right from the beginning the trappers ran into difficulties. Yes, they expected the weather not to cooperate, what with one day being hot and humid, the next cold and hailing. What they didn’t anticipate was losing one of their boats and $10,000 worth of supplies. They never expected to lose their horses to some Indians, but they did. They spent winter at the mouth of the Yellowstone River where they restocked and prepared for trapping which began in March.
With the coming of the new year, all of them hoped for a change in their luck. It was not to be. Part of the crew which had gone back east were killed by an Indian war party. The rest of the group spent much of the summer fighting, and then trying to negotiate a peace with the local tribes. When it was time to make winter camp, 60-year-old Hugh Glass led the expedition. He led, but not for long. Glass was attacked by a grizzly. Although armed with nothing more than a knife, Glass, a giant of a man, managed to kill the bear. But that was only after one side of his face had been torn away and his body had been mangled. The expedition of 80 men couldn’t risk getting caught by winter on the open plains, so two of them, Tom Fitzgerald and Jim Bridger were elected to remain with Glass until he died or mended.
That was what should have happened. It didn’t. One of the men keeping watch, Tom Fitzgerald, became afraid of Indians. He saw signs of them everywhere. Fitzgerald finally managed to convince Bridger to desert their charge. “After all,” he said, “Glass is going to die anyway. Let’s take his guns and leave him. No one will ever know.” That’s what they did, rejoining the expedition and saying they had given Glass a “decent burial.” No one would have known differently, except for the fact Hugh Glass didn’t die. A few days after his friends’ leaving, Glass awoke and found he had been abandoned. And not only abandoned, but robbed as well. His gun, his knife, his flint, his steel for fire. All were gone. Heartbroken at the betrayal, Glass was filled with a desire for revenge. Revenge kept Glass going as he started to crawl towards the Missouri River, 100 miles to the east. Glass and his hatred were kept alive by eating berries, grasses, roots, anything – even, one day scaring wolves away from a dead buffalo carcass. That night his anger feasted on raw meat.
At Fort Kiowa, Glass met two trappers who took him northwest to the mouth of the Yellowstone. Each day Glass got stronger. So did his hatred. Somewhere along the way, Glass got a rifle and a pistol. Two bullets, one for each of his betrayers. When he reached the Yellowstone, he was disappointed. The Henry Expedition wasn’t there. So, without hesitation, through blizzards and subzero cold, Glass lit out, traveling another 250 miles to the Big Horn River. It was around Custer, Montana, that he came upon his false friends. Glass burst into the lighted room and to those who thought they were seeing a ghost, shouted, “Where are the men who deserted me while I was dying and stole everything I had?” No one said a word. They didn’t have to. All heads and eyes, turned toward the traitors. As Glass reached for the guns which would give him revenge, he saw for the first time a rough manger made of evergreens, with a hand-carved figure of the Christ Child placed inside. Glass surveyed the room and saw other decorations, decorations made by the hands of rough mountain men. He asked, “What’s this?” Several men spoke. They all said the same thing. They all said one word: “Christmas!”
Now, if you look through the records of those days, you will find conflicting accounts of what happened next. Some will say Glass forgave Bridger because he was so young, and Fitzgerald because he had joined the military. Others will tell you that Glass, remembering the story of Jesus’ cradle, cross, and open tomb, said something like, “Christmas, and I’ve come here to take revenge. I can’t kill a dog on this day. For the hellish misery they’ve put me through – I forgive them.” I can’t tell you exactly what happened. You can believe as you will. But I can tell you that the man who had survived the attack of a grizzly and had chased off a pack of wolves to get to some raw meat; the man whose revenge had pushed him, half-starving and half-dead, to cover hundreds of miles; the man who had plodded through blizzards and cold didn’t take his revenge that day. Something happened to Hugh Glass. Something bigger than a desire for revenge touched that mountain man. I believe that Glass was set free from the hatred in his heart, the anger in his soul. I believe that night, somewhere around Custer, Montana, Hugh Glass was given liberty from his fury; he was set free from the prison of his revenge. I believe his broken heart was healed by Jesus, who is God’s Good News, who is our great joy.
In mid-December of 2005, I believe that a person would have to search far and wide to find someone who, like Hugh Glass, doesn’t know Christmas is coming. The Salvation Army bell ringers are standing in front of the front doors of most major department stores and our neighbors are hoping their houses, decorated with flashing, festive lights, will make it into the local paper as a place that everyone must drive by if they wish to capture the holiday spirit. Unlike Hugh Glass, we know Christmas is coming. Like Hugh Glass we all still need the promised Christ Child who alone can bring Good News to the poor; who can bind up our broken hearts; who can set us free from all that is wrong in our lives. Only in Jesus, God’s Son, our Savior, can our lives become more than the passing of days filled with sadness and sorrow, topped off with troubles and terrors, punctuated by plights, predicaments, and problems. Only with Jesus can true lasting Good News be found.
Now, I know those are pretty strong words. You may not agree with them, you may not want to hear them. After all, you’re a pretty “up-beat” person, and life is what you make of it. Well, even though you may think I’m exaggerating, I’m not. Because of sin, the sin that permeates and corrupts every corner of our world, that reaches into our hearts and minds and souls, there just isn’t much good news. In a few weeks, television stations and magazines will be listing the top news stories of 2005. They will talk about natural disasters like a tsunami that devastated entire countries, an earthquake in Pakistan which killed tens of thousands, a hurricane in the south of the US which drowned entire communities and left the homeless wondering what had happened to their lives, their plans, their future.
The list of the top news stories will speak of man-made horrors which come from the black hearts of human beings. There will be the story of suicide bombers who sacrificed themselves and the lives of innocents to send their country spiraling into a dark age of fear. There will be the story of petty potentates from poverty stricken countries who deserted their people and devoted themselves to the construction of nuclear weapons. In the list of top news stories will be potential problems – problems which have not happened, but sometime in the future may. It might be a flu, or an Ebola virus which continuously threatens to break out of its confines and bring misery, suffering, and death to millions around the globe. It might be a stock market crash. Even that which hasn’t happened can be a top news story, if it’s bad enough.
I can tell you what these news people will not list. They will not list how life has mauled you. Oh, you may not ever encounter a grizzly bear or a pack of wolves like Hugh Glass, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t been mauled, betrayed by friends or family. It doesn’t mean that you are not weary with worry. Listening to my voice today are teens that have been betrayed by classmates; children who have been laughed at by supposed friends. Listening to me are spouses who have been deserted, abused, and mistreated by the person who promised to love you until “death us do part.” There are the elderly who wait for the phone call or the visit from their children and grandchildren which never comes. You may have been let down by an employer who promised a promotion, but passed you over for that position when the time came. So many of our futures which once seemed so bright and beautiful have become tarnished by the unexpected, the bad news of the world.
If this is true for you, and many must confess that it is, it is my privilege and honor to tell you that this day I have Good News for you. Now, understand, I’m talking about real Good News here. This is not the good news of the TV selling programs which tells you that you can pay for your Christmas gifts with three, easy, monthly payments. I’m not talking about the good news which comes from giving a gift which really is exactly what the recipient always wanted. I’m not talking about the good news which comes in finding a parking place in the crowded mall parking lot right near the door, and next to the handicapped spots. I’m not talking about the good news which comes when it starts to snow, a pretty, fluffy, non-threatening snow, after everyone has arrived at your house for Christmas. My Good News is not a transitory, temporary thing. I’m talking about real Good News which comes from heaven’s high throne; which comes to you wherever you are, whatever your situation. God, who alone can put substance and significance into these words says, “I have Good News for you.” Put aside all the misconceptions that you may hold about God… that He is unfair… that He is cruel…. that He is unjustly punishing you. Believe Him, when out of His love and grace, He says, “I have Good News for you.”
Understand, this is not an unusual thing for God to say. When Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden; when they walked away from God’s will and decided to follow their own will; when they, by their disobedience deserved the sentence of death, God said, “I have Good News for you. I will send my Son to save you.” When God’s wandering people had been punished for their disobedience and denial, God, through His prophets, came to their repentant hearts and said, “I have Good News for you. By God’s grace you are restored and forgiven.” The Lord inspired His prophet Isaiah to say, “I have Good News for you: the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and opening of the prison to those who are bound.”
Good News comes from God. Two thousand years ago, to a world in which slavery was the norm; where entertainment meant watching men hack each other to pieces in a gladiatorial ring and women and children were torn apart by wild animals; where unwanted children were left on a hillside to die slowly of the elements; where rulers felt free to murder and plunder, God sent His holy angels to some simple shepherds “Fear not,” the angels said, “for behold, I bring you Good News of great joy. Unto you is born a Savior.” Decades later, in a Galilean synagogue, the baby that the angel announced had grown into manhood. Standing in front of His family and friends, Jesus said, “I have Good News for you. God has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor; to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to recover sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.” Such sweeping words would be foolishness if they were said by a mortal, sinful man, but in the mouth of God’s Son, our Savior, they become true and trustworthy. Through His life, death, and resurrection from the dead, Jesus brought Good News to the world. He is Good News for the world. Good News that Christ’s ministers have been proud to proclaim, even as I am doing for you today.
I bring God’s Good News for those of you who feel alone. God’s Good News is this: You have a Savior who understands lonely. Years ago, Bethlehem had no room for its Redeemer. God’s Son was pushed out into a barn to be born. Who better than He who was born alone; who died on a cross alone, can know the heavy sorrows of loneliness and rejection which weigh down those of you who are divorced, deserted, or disappointed in love; those of you who are far from family and those who have been burdened by the solitude of bereavement. I have Good News for you, you have a Savior who stands by your side in your loneliness.
Are you stressed, struggling, suffering? I have God’s Good News for you. Look at the Love of heaven lying in a manger. God’s Son has come for you in your struggles. Jesus is God’s Son. His love was so strong to save you that He was willing to live His life and have suffering as a daily companion. For you He was slandered and falsely accused, forsaken even by His Father and made to feel the terror of divine wrath for sin. For you He lived in darkness and agony; for you He wore a crown of thorns and was nailed to the cross of shame. I have Good News. God’s Son has come, and even now remains to help you through your struggles, to assist you in carrying your crosses.
I have God’s Good News for you: the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost. Are you angry? Jesus can soothe that anger. Are you rushed? Jesus can bring peace. Are you in pain? Jesus is the medicine which can soothe your soul. I have God’s Good News for you. It is God’s Good News that says all who believe on His Son as their Savior will be forgiven of their sins, and have an eternity in heaven. I have God’s Good News which says, in Jesus, this present life can be better. I have God’s Good News for you. Jesus comes and brings a temporal and eternal peace which the world cannot give; a peace which sweeps aside sin, sorrow, and sadness.
The young boy was taken to a busy shopping center to see Santa. After waiting in line for what seemed like an eternity, it was his turn to sit on the fat man’s knee. After the usual “ho ho ho’s” and “what is your name” questions, the boy was finally asked what it was he wanted for Christmas. “I would like two toy trucks, and two teddy bears, two remote control cars, and two video games.” “Well,” replied Santa, “that certainly is a tall order to fill. Do you mind telling me why you want two of everything?” The little boy had obviously prepared himself for the question, because he answered without hesitation, “So I can share.” It’s easy to share when you have two of everything. But God shared with us when He had only one Son to offer. God shared and sent His Son to live, suffer, die, and rise for you. This is God’s Good News for you. God’s Son has come. If you would like to know more about this Savior, God’s Good News, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for December 11, 2005
ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hello, Mark. Mark, you know, there are a great many people who tell me they really appreciate this part of the broadcast. As a matter of fact, they say that, although they enjoy the sermon, they really look forward to the Question and Answer part of our broadcast. It sort of reminds me of my days in the parish when people would come up and say, “I like your preaching, Pastor, but I really like your children’s sermons. I get a lot more out of that.” That’s an idea. Maybe we ought to do a children’s sermon on The Lutheran Hour. That would be a challenge.
ANNOUNCER: You mean we need props?
ANNOUNCER: Well, at least a shoebox.
ANNOUNCER: That may not work so well on the radio. At any rate, we do have an email today from a listener who said, “As I drive around my small town I’m amazed to see so many different churches. In fact, we have one intersection with a different church building on each of the four corners. Why are there so many different denominations?”
KLAUS: I like that question.
ANNOUNCER: And the answer?
KLAUS: There are a number of reasons for denominations to exist. Some denominations are culturally motivated. Years ago, and indeed even now, when immigrants came to America, they naturally found themselves settling with others who spoke the same language, celebrated the same holidays, knew the same stories, ate the same food they did. That’s why, in many cities you will find little Italys or Havanas or Chinas. Nationalities find it easier to make the transition to the new world in the company of people who understood where they came from.
That was also true for religion and worship. For example, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the denomination where I hold my membership, was originally composed of, but not limited to, those who came from Germany. In fact, not so many years ago, when I served in the parish, my church was known as “The German Church.”
ANNOUNCER: Was that because you preached in German?
KLAUS: No, the church hadn’t had a German service since World War I. But for many folks in town, we were still the German church. They also had the Norwegian Church, the Dutch church, and the like.
ANNOUNCER: But I’m guessing culture isn’t the only reason for denominations.
KLAUS: No, not hardly. Denominationalism can also result from doctrinal divisions.
ANNOUNCER: That doesn’t sound so good.
KLAUS: Well, in one sense, it isn’t. The Lord Jesus, in His High Priestly Prayer, prayed that the Church would be one. And, indeed, that is the Lord’s wish. Sadly, people sometimes try to impose their ideas on God’s Word. Others disregard it. Others misinterpret it out of ignorance. Denominationalism, in many respects, has its origin in our sinfulness.
ANNOUNCER: When did denominationalism begin? Some would blame Luther and the Reformation for it.
KLAUS: It goes back far earlier than that. I can tell you that Jesus’ apostles knew there were going to be divisions in the church. As a matter of fact, they experienced some of those divisions already in the first century. You can read the epistles of the New Testament and you will hear their warnings.
ANNOUNCER: What kind of warnings?
KLAUS: Warnings not to believe other so-called “gospels,” warnings to avoid those who were causing divisions among the believers and spreading false teachings about the Lord.
If you look at the book of Revelation, where the Lord is speaking to the seven churches of Asia Minor, as well as to us, they are told to remain faithful and not lose their zeal, or listen to heresies.
ANNOUNCER: As you say, those same warnings need to be heard by us today. But how is the average person going to be able to distinguish between all the different denominations?
KLAUS: You know, I’ve seen a lot of folks spend a great deal of time investigating a car before they buy it. I know men and women who do background checks on a company before they invest stock. Parents oftentimes do some serious investigation before they buy a house. They want to know about crime rates, taxes, schools. Should something that affects your entry into heaven be any less stringently examined?
ANNOUNCER: But how do you evaluate?
KLAUS: Well, you can do what a lot of folks do. They pick a church on the basis of whether a church is conveniently close to them, whether they like the pastor, the style of music, whether they have really good parking, and the like.
ANNOUNCER: I would assume from your tone of voice that those are not the best reasons for selecting a church or a denomination.
KLAUS: I don’t think so.
ANNOUNCER: What should they do then?
KLAUS: Look at what a denomination says about itself. The closer it agrees with the Lord’s Word, which is perfect, the more authentic to the Bible’s teaching that church should be. The farther a church gets away from God’s Word, the less real it will be.
ANNOUNCER: Now suppose the denomination that seems closest to God’s Word isn’t teaching what you want to hear?
ANNOUNCER: But suppose the denomination that seems closest to God’s Word isn’t teaching what you want to hear?
KLAUS: Then, I’d say it’s time to adjust your hearing to what God is saying. Seriously…. would you rather follow God-or have God follow you?
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selections from this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” by John Leavitt. From What Child Is This by the Master Arts Chorale (© 2002 John Leavitt) Concordia Publishing House/ASCAP
“O People, Rise and Labor” arranged by Henry Gerike. Used by permission.
“Herr Christ, der einge Gottes Sohn, BWV 601” by J.S. Bach. From Orgelbüchlein & More Works by J.S. Bach by Robert Clark and John David Peterson (© 1997 Calcante Recordings, Ltd.)
“Fantasia sopra ‘Freu dich sehr, O meine Seele’” by J.L. Krebs. From A Year of Grace by Craig Cramer (© 2003 Vulcan Productions)