Judica Midweek—“Do not neglect to meet”
A reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah, the thirty-first chapter.
Thus says the Lord: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews, the tenth chapter.
Brethren: Since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
then he adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Small Catechism—Sacrament of Holy Baptism (Parts 2 and 3)
Second
What benefits does Baptism give?
It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.
Which are these words and promises of God?
Christ our Lord says in the last chapter of Mark: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)
Third
How can water do such great things?
Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with the faith which trusts this word of God in the water. For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Titus, chapter three: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.” (Titus 3:5–8)
Sermon
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
This evening’s reading from the Letter to the Hebrews marks a shift from doctrine to exhortation. From what our Lord Jesus has done to do away with sin, death, and the power of the Devil through His High Priesthood, to how we live as Christians in these last days knowing that Christ is our Great High Priest and trusting in Him and His perfect work. St. Paul has shown how Christ is our perfect High Priest, whose once-for-all sacrifice has accomplished what the Law never could. Now he invites us—baptized and believing—to live in that reality.
“Let us draw near…Let us hold fast…Let us consider…” Tonight, we are invited to draw near to Christ. To come before the throne of God, with boldness and confidence because Christ has sprinkled us with His blood and washed us with pure water. We are invited to draw near to be reminded of our Baptism and to return to it in Confession and Absolution. We are invited to draw near to Christ in His body and blood. And we are called not to draw near alone.
As Holy Week and the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord draw near, we are reminded that this is not just about our personal piety. What the Lord would have us draw near to receive is received by Christians in a life lived together in Christ Jesus—together in what Luther calls in the Large Catechism, “a little holy group and congregation of pure saints, under one head, even Christ.” A gathering where we enter through the hearing of God’s Word and continue in that Word. A gathering of the saints where, “until the Last Day, the Holy Spirit abides with the holy congregation or Christendom. A gathering where, “by the Word our Lord works and promotes sanctification, causing this congregation daily to grow and to become strong in faith and its fruit, which He produces. A gathering of Christ’s flock where, “we have forgiveness of sin, which is wrought through the holy Sacraments and Absolution and through all kinds of comforting promises of the entire Gospel.”
It is to this gathering of the saints around God’s presence to which St. Paul invites us when He says to draw near. Draw near and hear the Lord’s Word. Draw near and wash your sins away in Baptism. Draw near and have your sins forgiven by God through the called minister of Christ. And all of this leads to the invitation to draw near to Christ in His body and blood.
You first exhorted to draw near the Lord this way that you may have full assurance of faith through sharing in His blood. Remember what we have heard in our readings from the Letter to the Hebrews. The Old Covenant could never cleanse the conscience perfectly and once-for-all. The Law and its sacrifices were shadows of things to come. They were shadows pointing ahead to the One who cast them. These sacrifices only reminded the people of sin, but never removed it. They needed to be repeated over and over. And so, instead of having a clean conscience, no consciousness of sin that has us standing accused before our righteous and just Lord, there exists under the Old Covenant the opposite, even in the carrying out of the Law in sacrifices commanded by God.
The Lord’s body and blood give what the Law never could. He is the caster of the shadows. He is the substance. The veil is torn, and now the true and more perfect most Holy Place is open to us—through the veil, that is, His flesh. Because Christ has done this, you can draw near—not in fear, dread, or uncertainty, but with the full assurance of faith, with a heart that has been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and with a body washed with pure water.
These words clearly point us to that Sacrament by which we are made sons of God by faith. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. We are sons of God by faith through Holy Baptism. Our sins are washed away in the blood of Jesus. Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace. And as St. John in Revelation puts it: Blessed are those who wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Cleansed in the blood of Jesus, we can stand in the presence of God with confidence, boldness, and the full assurance that He loves us, cares for us, hears our prayers, and works all things together for our good and the good of all His elect.
Pay attention in Divine Service next time to what I’m wearing and where and when I walk during Confession and Absolution. When it comes to what I wear, there are vestments that every baptized believer could wear and then as we move to the outermost garments, there are vestments particular to the Office of Holy Ministry. Generally speaking, the white parts closest to my body are vestments that teach us what every Christian has by virtue of their Baptism, their being clothed in Christ like a vestment. Listen to some of these vesting prayers I pray as I put on each piece of clothing for Divine Service.
When I put on the white cloth called the Amice that covers my normal clothes at the top I pray, “Place, O Lord, upon my head the helmet of salvation, that I may repel the assaults of the enemy.” When I put on the long white robe called the Alb I pray, “Cleanse me, O Lord, and purify my heart, that, washed in the Blood of the Lamb, I may attain unto everlasting joys.” What is asked for in these prayers shows us what these vestments mean and points us to the gift through which God answers our prayers. “Baptism works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this.” “With the Word of God the water is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit.”
Moving on from what a pastor wears in Divine Service, consider how I move and when during Confession and Absolution. As I walk up during the Processional Hymn, I stand even with the first row of pews. If it were a conventional church space, I would stop before the Chancel, the part of the Christian worship space that is marked off from the Nave where y’all sit, usually by an altar rail. It isn’t until after the Absolution and the Introit begins that I move up and stand right in front of the Altar.
This is intentional. There are parts of what a pastor is doing where he is representing the entire Christian people and showing what they all have by faith. There are other things he does representing Christ to the people. And sometimes these are happening at the same time. What I do after Absolution by walking into the nearer presence of the Altar teaches us what all Christians have by their Baptism and the forgiveness of their sins.
The Altar represents God’s gracious presence in our midst. This is fitting because in the Divine Service, the very body and blood of Christ will be made present for us on that Altar. Because of this, Christians will often bow toward the Altar in reverence to Christ as they enter their pew and when they leave. What my motion signifies then is this: All Christians by virtue of their Baptism and returning to that Baptism through Holy Absolution, have access to God. They can stand in God’s presence. And so, after the Absolution, I enter into the Christian church's representation of the Holy of Holies, that only the high priest and only once a year could enter. We have access to God’s gracious presence through the sin-cleansing blood of Jesus applied to us in Baptism and Absolution. And therefore, have a right to eat the fruit from the tree of life. That precious body and blood of Christ given as a fruit from the tree of the cross so that we would share in Christ’s saving death and glorious resurrection.
Draw near to Christ in His body and blood that you may have the full assurance of faith through sharing in this precious fruit from the tree of life. But also draw near to Christ in His body and blood that you may stir up one another to love and good works in His Body, the Church.
Let us hold fast…means more than one. These words involve a group. The Christian life is not private. Every letter written in the New Testament was written to gathered congregations, not individuals or single family units. Even Philemon, written to Philemon about his slave Onesimus is addressed in this way: Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. At the end, St. Paul says, Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow laborers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with y’all’s (not YOUR!) spirit. Amen.
You were baptized into a body, and your perseverance is meant to happen within that body. This is why St. Paul in Hebrews doesn’t just say, “Have faith.” “Just watch a church service online every once and a while.” “Just post something nice about Jesus on Facebook every now and then.” He doesn’t say any of this. He says, Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.
Do not neglect to meet. Neglecting to meet, neglecting the assembly, is to neglect the gifts God graciously gives to His beloved children. It is as ridiculous as the image of an extremely emaciated and clearly dehydrated man crawling on all fours in a desert. Then someone comes along, offers the man food, drink, a place to shower, a beautiful home to live in, and enough money to provide for all his needs until he dies peacefully from old age. And this man near death looks up at this generous benefactor with a look of malice, curses him, and keeps crawling off into an endless barren wasteland. It sounds crazy when it is put that way, but this is exactly what we are doing when we neglect to meet together for Divine Service.
It might be tempting to think that poor attendance at Divine Service is a modern problem, but it isn’t. The Christian Church has been dealing with delinquent or straying members since the beginning. If this weren’t the case, St. Paul wouldn’t say, Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some. It is the reality in this world that every congregation will deal with straying members in need of shepherding and encouragement. So St. Paul tells us, Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The encouragement given to those who have neglected the Divine Service is not one only to be given by the pastor, or the Board of Elders. It is a job for every baptized believer. Every member of the Body of Christ knows people that should be in church but aren’t. We know people who have never really been to church. People who haven’t been in years. People who think you don’t have to attend Divine Service at all to be a Christian. Every member of the Body of Christ knows family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors who are either lost and unbelieving or who are straying from the gathering in some way or another.
There’s a little book out there called Be At Leisure: A Lutheran Approach to Outreach that speaks to how we address those who have neglected to assemble. I recommend reading the whole thing, but here are a few fun and encouraging portions where the author is using a sermon of Chrysostom titled, To Those Who Had Not Attended the Assembly: “A word that Chrysostom likes in his sermon is ‘impudence,’ which means persistence to the point of being annoying. You can think of the parable of the friend at midnight in Luke 11, when the man goes to his neighbor in the middle of the night and keeps knocking on his door asking for something to serve his guest who has unexpectedly come to him. Jesus says, ‘I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.’ So also, Christians, by their impudence, can bring back the straying. Here’s what Chrysostom preaches: ‘For “a continual dripping of water,” it says, “bores the rock.” And yet what is softer than water? And what is harder than rock? But nevertheless, the persistence overcame its nature. And if persistence overcomes nature, how much more will it be able to prevail over the will.’ And again, ‘“What, then, if they do not want it?” someone says. Make them want it by your continual besieging. For if they see us pressing upon them they will assuredly want it.’ …Pester them until they blush and return, or until they curse Christ and you.
Holy Week and Easter are perfect times to practice this sort of impudent encouragement. Don’t beat someone over the head saying, “Go to Church! How can you be a Christian if you don’t go to Church?!” It comes off like that bit in Pink Floyd’s The Wall. “If you don’t eat your meat, you can’t have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat?!” Most everyone thinks about attending church at Easter. So simply invite the straying people you know. Bring them if you can. And if they’re far away? Urge them to find a church where the body and blood of Christ are given faithfully. Find out for yourself a good church near them to recommend. Give them the same invitation that our Lord graciously extends to each of you. “Draw near. Take, eat. Take, drink. This life-giving meal is for you.”
Let us pray. O Lord our God, we give You thanks and praise that through the once-for-all sacrifice of Your Son, You have opened for us a new and living way, granting bold access to Your holy presence. Cleanse our hearts by His blood, and strengthen our faith through His body given and His blood shed. Preserve us in the fellowship of Your holy Church, and stir us up to love and good works. Give us compassion and holy boldness to encourage one another, and to lovingly invite those who have strayed to return and draw near with us to Your gracious presence in the preaching and Sacraments at Divine Service; through Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
