The Lutheran Hour
-
"Make an Angel Happy"
- Download MP3 Reflections
-
Text: Luke 15:10
-
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed. To those who are lost; to those who are stuck in their sin; the risen Savior extends an invitation to repent, be turned, come home. By the Holy Spirit’s power may we heed this call to repentance and may there be joy amongst the angels of God. Amen.
Compared to some, I’m not a baseball fan. For example, we have a wonderful lady who has worked at The Lutheran Hour headquarters for years. If you enter her office area it will take you about a nanosecond to realize she is a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. There are Cardinal pennants, Cardinal baseball cards, Cardinal pictures, Cardinal newspaper clippings, Cardinal bobble-head dolls, Cardinal everything. This lady is committed to the Cardinals. She is a super-fan. Indeed, one of my great joys in life is to stand in the entrance of her office and talk to her about the Chicago Cubs. It goes without saying she is not ready to convert. I like her: she’s a fan.
Fans can be cool. They are so enthusiastic, so fired up, so caught up with whatever team they’re supporting. Fans can be cool and they can also be just a little bit crazy. For example, in the spring of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles came to Boston to play a routine baseball game. But what happened that day was hardly routine. John McGraw of the Orioles traded fisticuffs with the third-baseman from the Boston team. It didn’t take long for the players on both sides to leave their benches, join in the brawl, and start throwing a few punches of their own. But that day in Boston, things didn’t stop with the teams slugging it out. Not by a long shot. If you had looked at the grandstands that day, you would have seen groups of people shouting, pushing, and punching. The fans in the stands continued to shout, push, and punch until one of them heated things up by setting fire to the bleachers. The fire in the bleachers spread; it burned down the entire ballpark. The ballpark fire spread to the local neighborhood and before the fire was contained 107 other buildings had been destroyed. Yes, fans can be cool, or they can be a tiny bit crazy.
Which leads me to ask: “I wonder what kind of fans do we have in heaven?” We do have fans up there, you know. Jesus says so. In the 15th chapter of Luke, Jesus said, “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Now Jesus didn’t just make that statement cold. There is a context that you probably should understand if His words are going to make any sense. Let me share: Jesus had been telling the crowds that were following Him exactly what it would cost them if they were going to stay with Him. Now, in all probability, that crowd contained more than a few people who were less than socially acceptable. Yes, the crowd had some sinners that day: big sinners, little sinners, experienced sinners who had a resume, and those who were just breaking into the market.
The fact that Jesus didn’t exclude those sinner-types from His followers was disturbing to the critics who were listening to Him talk that day. They complained, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” In their minds receiving sinners and eating with them was just about as bad a thing as any civilized person could do. Jesus, being fully aware of these critics’ opinions, had a number of options as to how He would respond. For example, Jesus could have had the earth open and swallow them; that would have taken care of the problem. Or, He might have ignored them and kept on doing His Father’s business. That would have been an easy way to proceed. Jesus’ third choice might have really been interesting. As God’s all-knowing Son, Jesus could have started listing the secret sins of every one of those who were condemning Him. He could have embarrassed them by talking about their sins, their perversions, their hatreds which had a stranglehold on their hearts. Jesus decided not to pursue that route either.
What Jesus did do was this: He told three parables, three stories about the recovery of lost things. The first tale told of the joy shown by a shepherd who recovered one of his lost sheep. The second story spoke of the joy of a woman who found a precious and valuable coin which had been lost somewhere in her house. The third parable Jesus shared spoke of the joy a father felt when one of his sons, a prodigal son, a wandering son, came back home. That day Jesus answered His critics with three stories; three stories with the message: people are filled with joy when they find something special they have lost. Lest anyone not understand these stories, Jesus gave a one-sentence explanation: “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
And it’s Jesus’ line about rejoicing angels which has always made me ask questions. It’s not that I question the truth of those words. I believe the angels in heaven are fans for God’s repentant people. My questions stem from the fact I want to know more, and the Bible doesn’t give me more. It doesn’t answer my questions. For example, when I hear about those joyful angels in heaven, I want to know, “How did they find out a sinner has repented?” When I was young I thought the angels were watching us from heaven with the help of a giant telescope. When some doubter asked, “And how can the angels see us when we’re in a building?” I had a ready reply, “These are heavenly telescopes and they can see through walls. These telescopes have X-ray vision like Superman.” But, as I grew older, I started to think, “If I can give the angels joy by repenting; what do I give them if I don’t repent?” It was a tough question, so I started to rethink the heavenly telescope idea.
My next solution was: maybe God puts out a special edition of a newspaper. I could see some kid on a street corner in heaven calling out, “Extra, Extra, read all about it. Ken Klaus repents of driving without his seat belt on.” Then I thought about a scrolling newsfeed; you know like the kind they have on Times Square in New York. There would be a big screen picture of the sinner repenting and underneath the picture, in moving lights there would be the words, “Preacher promises not to plagiarize any more sermons. For this news and more, tune in on channel 1 at 7:00 PM.” My last explanation was God sent telegrams. You know, some delivery angel would peddle his bike up to a mansion, ring the doorbell and say, “Telegram for Ken’s guardian angel. Sign here, please.” Then, inside the telegram it would say something like, “Greetings from the throne of judgment. Stop. Ken Klaus has repented. Stop. Please feel free to rejoice. Stop.”
Of course all this unScriptured speculation is silliness. So are my wonderings about the way in which angels celebrate. I mean, are angels dignified in their rejoicings? Does one of them turn to the other and say, “Well, old sport, I see Ken Klaus has finally repented. Good show, don’t you know?” Is that what Jesus meant when He said the angels were rejoicing in heaven? What do they do? I just don’t know. Nor do I know how long the celebration lasts, or how many angels are invited to celebrate, or… well, I could go on. I don’t know, and since the Bible is silent, I have to be silent as well. Conjecture is futile, foolish, and fruitless.
Of course, just because Scripture is silent about some things, that doesn’t mean it’s silent about everything. For example, I know the angels are joyful when a sinner repents. Notice, the angels don’t rejoice because somebody is a really, really nice person, or because an individual has become wealthy, or because they have a talent which makes them the idol of millions. The angels don’t rejoice because we’ve done some good deeds, or because we’ve made some sacrifices, or because we try very, very hard. The angels don’t rejoice at such things because they know that we, when left to our own devices and abilities, are lost. The angels know there is not a single human being who can try hard enough, or stick at it long enough for his works to make any difference in his eternal destiny. Even the best person humanity has produced cannot save himself. We have all sinned and fallen short of the perfection God demands. As a result we have to pay the penalty price for our sins. The news that unforgiven humanity is headed for hell will hardly produce rejoicing in heaven.
There is something else I can tell you about repentance. Because of the Greek words which are used, and I’m not going to go into any of the details, I can tell you that this repentance which gives joy to the angelic fans in heaven is complete and full repentance. Jesus isn’t talking about a half-hearted, half-finished kind of thing. Do you remember when you used to argue with your friend, or brother, or sister and your parent or teacher would say, “All right, that’s enough squabbling. I want you two to say ‘I’m sorry,’ shake hands and behave.” Then they would stand there waiting until you did. You didn’t want to say, “I’m sorry,” but you said it because you had to. Well, that’s a half-hearted repentance. Half-hearted repentance is Judas feeling regret for betraying Jesus; feeling remorse that he had handed over an innocent person. That kind of repentance doesn’t do the trick; it doesn’t cause joy among our heavenly fans.
Now, if you want to make your fans in heaven happy, if you want to bring joy to the angels in paradise, you have to really, sincerely, completely, honestly repent. You have to feel sorry for what you’ve been doing wrong, and that means sorry enough to stop doing that wrong. It means, by God’s grace and power, being sorry enough to be sent in a different direction. In its best and most complete form repentance means not looking over your shoulder and longing to go back to the dark past; on the contrary, it means being moved away from the slavery of sin and into the freedom which has been won by the Savior.
That’s the kind of repentance the Old Testament prophets put before their faithless friends; it’s the kind of repentance John the Baptist wanted to see in the hearts of the people who came to the Jordan to hear him; it’s the kind of repentance Jesus preached. What? You think gentle Jesus loved people just they way they were? He did; but gentle Jesus didn’t want to leave people just the way they were. Describing His own ministry Jesus said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Before He ascended into heaven, He instructed His disciples, “It is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations” (Luke 24: 46-47). Jesus was talking about God’s call to repentance that I share with you today.
It’s the call to repentance most people don’t want to hear. On their own, most people think there’s no need to repent. After all, we reason, we’re pretty good folks. A number of years ago a fellow by the name of Frederick Treesh told a police officer, “Other than the two (people) we killed, the two we wounded, the woman we pistol-whipped, and the light bulbs we stuck in people’s mouths, we didn’t really hurt anybody” (Newsweek, 9-19-94). Treesh didn’t think he was so bad, and most of you don’t think you’re so bad either. Which is why, on our own, we can’t repent; we can’t be forgiven and we can’t be saved. Indeed, we don’t want to be saved. Which is precisely why God comes looking for us. Yes, it’s true. Look at Luke 15. In Jesus’ stories the lost sheep doesn’t go looking for his shepherd; the lost coin doesn’t roll around the floor trying to find its owner; and the lost son doesn’t look for his father, he goes looking for a job and a square meal.
If we’re going to repent; if we’re going to be forgiven; if we’re going to be saved; it will be because God went looking for us, found us, turned us from the course we were going and sent us in the right direction. If we’re going to repent, that repentance is going to begin, continue, and end with God’s calling and by God’s grace. When humanity first sinned, the loving Lord didn’t walk away in disgust. Even though He was deeply disappointed by the deliberate disobedience of His children, God set into motion a plan designed to save us from our sins. To give hope to a dying and dead world, God, by prophecy and prophet, promised to send His Son to take our place. God kept His promise and fulfilled those prophecies when Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God, was born in Bethlehem. The Christ’s Divine commitment to our salvation continued as He said “no” to Satan’s temptations; it continued when His Divine perfection shunned the sins which we have all committed; it continued when, with Divine power, Jesus conquered death three days after His friends and family had laid His corpse into a borrowed tomb.
God’s call to repentance continues this morning as a living and victorious Lord Jesus summons sinners away from what they are to the forgiveness and salvation God offers so freely. The Lord’s call to repentance through a crucified and risen Savior was shared the day the church was born. When the Savior sent His Spirit upon His followers on Pentecost, the apostles preached the first Christian sermon. In that message, the Apostle Peter answered a question from the crowd. Convicted of sin they asked, “What shall we do to be saved?” God’s spokesman said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Repent, be turned, be saved. That is the message for today.
In the early 1900s, a mother from one of the poor sections of London came to the rector of an inner city mission. Brokenhearted, she told the man of her daughter who had run away from home to enter a world which would lead to a life of sin. That’s the way the mother’s unsophisticated but very accurate words described the situation: “My daughter is leading a life of sin.” The mother asked the clergyman to help her find her girl. The minister agreed and instructed the woman to bring in every photograph she had. “Of my daughter?” the mother asked. “No,” replied the rector. “I want every picture you have of you.” The woman agreed and before an hour was up, returned with the photographs. Taking a pen and dipping it in red ink the pastor wrote two words on the bottom of the mother’s pictures. Two words… what would those words have been if you had written them? The minister wrote, “Come back.” Those pictures were placed in every religious mission station, in every bar, and every bawdy house.
Weeks later, the young girl was going into one of those places of sin and she saw the photograph of her mother. She stopped to look; she paused to read. In less than a moment the words blurred. Tears, you know. Tears of what she had lost. Tears of what she had become. Tears concerning the path she was walking. The girl turned around and began to walk towards home. It was a long march; she got home in the early hours of the morning. She arrived at a time when she knew everyone would be asleep and the door to the home would be locked. In spite of what she knew, very quietly she tried the latch on the front door. It lifted. She had no more than set foot inside the home when she found herself surrounded by mother, father, brothers, and sisters. Mother explained, “We’ve been waiting. The door has never been locked since you went away.”
The world, death, sin, and Satan will do their best to keep you from your home of heaven. They will do all they can to keep you in your sin. In contrast to what they want, today I am sharing what your Savior wants. He wants me to place a picture of His face before you. On His picture are these four words: “Repent, believe, come home.” Wherever you are, whatever sin is holding you, Christ’s invitation stands: “Repent, believe, come home.” Because of Jesus’ love the door to heaven remains open. “Repent, believe, come home.” If you do, you can be sure that repentance will have you surrounded with your spiritual family, with the joyful angels of heaven. They will be glad because you have heard the Spirit’s invitation to: Repent, believe, come home. It is an invitation The Lutheran Hour is glad to convey. Repent, believe come home. We are ready to help. Call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for September 23, 2007
TOPIC: ChurchANNOUNCER: Once again, here’s Pastor Ken Klaus, responding to statements from spiritual seekers. I’m Mark Eischer
KLAUS: As you said, Mark, this month we’ve been answering people who have legitimate questions about God, His church, and their relationship with both.
ANNOUNCER: These discussions were motivated by the Lutheran Church-Canada open door websites. You’ll find them at www.whatyoubelieve.net or www.whatyoubelieve.ca. Which brings us to our statements for today. Pastor, how would you respond to someone who says, “Church is just for old people”?
KLAUS: Oh, you mean, people like me, Mark.
ANNOUNCER: Well, I wouldn’t go that far.
KLAUS: It is a fair question. Let me answer it this way: No one can argue against the fact that the Church is for old people. That is, in part, because the elderly have come to realize the mortality rate for humanity is pretty close to 100%. Those folks who have repeatedly stood at the graveside of friends and family members know their personal calendars don’t have a limitless supply of days remaining. In the face of such facts, a great many seniors are turned to the Savior who alone can guarantee forgiveness, salvation, and a peaceful transition between this world and the next.
ANNOUNCER: But I’ve known more than one person who lives as though life will never end. They act as if they have all the time in the world to make the acquaintance of the Savior and receive the forgiveness which His life, death, and resurrection offer.
KLAUS: People do that, Mark, but it’s dangerous. In the Gospel of Mark, talking about the final judgment, Jesus said, “Concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake” (Mark 13:32, 33, 37).
Postponing consideration of where you are going to spend eternity, and putting Jesus on “hold” is not only dangerous to the individual but it is an affront to the Savior who gave His life so we might have life.
ANNOUNCER: So I could sum up our answer to this question: “Is Church for the old?” by saying absolutely; but it is also for the young. In truth, Christ and His Church are for all who realize that an eternity spent apart from the Savior is going to be nasty, indeed.
Well, we have time for one more of these seeker statements today.
KLAUS: Fantastic! What’s next?
ANNOUNCER: What would you say to someone who believes churches are full of hypocrites?
KLAUS: Well, if people believe the Church is full of hypocrites, they would be right. The Church is packed to the gills with people who are first-class, grade-a hypocrites. But nobody should limit their condemnation of the Church to the sin of hypocrisy. Any sin can be found in the Church. There’s a reason for that: the Church is made up of sinners. That’s right, the Church is composed of people like you and me who are not the people God expects us to be.
ANNOUNCER: But I’ve always thought people ought to attend church so they can worship the forgiving Savior, not so that they can judge the shortcomings of others.
KLAUS: And in that, Mark, you’d be absolutely right. Go to any worship service and you will see a bunch of sinners who have been forgiven of their past because they have been washed clean by the Savior’s blood. Look closely and you will see God’s people humbly asking the Lord to change them from the sinners they are to the saints He wants them to be. Yes, they still stumble and slip but they believe God will pick them up, set them aright and put them on the right path. It’s a path that has room for one more…
ANNOUNCER: I’ve noticed, both of these statements today seem to be coming from folks who are looking for a way to say the Church isn’t for them. Would you say that’s true?
KLAUS: It is. People always think that religion is good for other people; morality is good for other people; worshiping the Savior and receiving His forgiveness is for serious sinners, not people like them.
ANNOUNCER: Why do they feel that way?
KLAUS: Because, Mark, people like to stand on their own, even when they know they can’t. Saint Paul said it this way, “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and a folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:23-25).
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selection for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC“Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs” arranged by Henry Gerike. Used by permission
“Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord” arranged by Fred Baue. From The Great Dance: Church Music for Guitar by Fred Baue (© 2007 Wildstone Audio) Frederic W. Baue / BMI
“Arise and Shine in Splendor” by Heinrich Isaac & Martin Opitz, arr. Christopher Johns. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Beautiful Savior” arranged by Fred Baue. From The Great Dance: Church Music for Guitar by Fred Baue (© 2007 Wildstone Audio) Frederic W. Baue / BMI
“Prelude in G, S. 541” by J.S. Bach. From Organist Frederick Hohman & Johann Sebastian Bach by Frederick Hohman (© 1988 Pro Organo)