August Epistle: A Sure and Certain Hope
We recently celebrated our nation’s two hundred and fiftieth birthday. On July 4th we watched fireworks fill the sky and paid tribute to our forefathers who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence. Once a year we light the sparklers, shoot rockets into the sky, and remember the sacrifices made to win our freedom.
July 4th is not the only event we remember regularly. We set aside time, marking our calendars, in order to remember and celebrate many events of the past: Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Easter, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving…. We tie ourselves to the past and remember people and events that have been and are important to us.
We like to do that, tie ourselves to the past. We make picture albums and hang photos on the wall. We reminisce about the “good old days” and tell stories to keep memories alive. As a young boy, I loved riding in my grandparent’s car. They had plastic covers on the seats of their Oldsmobile. But in the glovebox, they had a tin of butterscotch candies, which they shared with their grandchildren. I remember that fondly, not because of the butterscotch, but because it ties me to my grandparents. They were generous and kind, and my grandfather’s eyes wrinkled when he laughed. Memories, photos, celebrations, these all tie us to the past. And why not? The future is unknown to us!
“Back to the Future” is the catchy title of the 1985 classic movie starring Michael J. Fox. It’s catchy because “back” refers to the past, not the future. We face the future. The past is behind us. But the Aymara people of the Peruvian Andes don’t see it that way. They see themselves backing into the future and facing the past. What is known, what is before their face, is the past. What is behind them, what they cannot see, is the future.
Around 90% of Peruvians consider themselves Christian. Seventy-five percent are Roman Catholic, followed by another 15% being Protestant. For the Peruvians who are Christian, then, the future is not completely unknown. The same applies to Christians everywhere.
For example, we know that our Shepherd is leading us. We know, already by faith, that He will lead us to green pastures and quiet waters. We know that through the sunshine and the rain of he days to come, through the bright peaks and the valley of the shadow of death, Christ will lead and guide and care for and protect us. These are His promises to His Church, promises made to you and me. And we stand firm on His promises.
We know, too, that He will return on that Last Day to raise the dead, transform our bodies, and lead us to the banquet of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. And then eternity, in the peace and joy and light of heaven, begins.
Photos and celebrations tie us to the past. But the future for those who are in Christ Jesus is just as certain! You are tied to the past because you have lived it. You are tied to the future because of your baptism. “Baptism now saves you,” St. Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:21. Romans 6:3-5 says, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?... If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." Ephesians 1:13-14 says, "...You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it." Paul writes in Colossians 2:12, “Buried with him in baptism,… you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
You are tied just as surely to your future with Christ in heaven, to your resurrection and eternal life, as you are to your past. I picture a rope, strung tightly between two strong trees. In the middle of that rope is a knot. That knot represents you. You are tied to one tree, the past, and you are tied to another tree, your future with Christ. Some of that future, your future years in this life, is hidden. You back into it, your eyes see only the past. It’s like the future rope beyond you is a little shrouded in mist. But with eyes of faith, in the power of your baptism, you see, looming large out of the mist, the solid tree of resurrection and life in heaven. You’re already tied to it. It is sure and strong and safe. And that means you are safe.
Our Epistle readings the last two Sundays had Paul saying, “You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:15-18). These are future-looking verses, assuring us as the children of God that our future, in one sense, is known.
Revelation 7:9-14 describes our future as though we were looking at a picture: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” … Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” It’s a picture of you and me, standing before the throne of God after our resurrection from the grave. It’s a photo of our future and it’s in vivid colors!
We celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, Thanksgiving, etc. Perhaps we should be celebrating our baptism date as well! After all, there is a lot more to our future than there is to our past. Our baptism assures us of this. It ties us to Christ and to His Word of promise; we are His sheep, and nothing will snatch us out of His hand (John 10:27- 28). We are tied to our future. Our life, now and into eternity, is sure.
God be with you and give you His peace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
- Pastor