Rev. Cary M. Richert
2^nd Sunday of Easter (C)
April 10, 2007

ALPHA AND OMEGA
Revelation 1:8, 17-18

 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "Who is and Who Was and Who Is Coming, the Almighty."

And when I looked at him, I fell at his feet as though dead.  And he placed his right hand on me saying: "Stop being afraid.  I am the First and the Last, and the Living One.  Indeed I was dead, but, behold I am alive for ever and ever!"

CHRIST IS RISEN!  ALLELUIA!    HE IS RISEN INDEED!  ALLELUIA!

          The apostle John wrote words of today's text while in exile on the island of Patmos.  Exile was John's civil punishment for proclaiming Jesus Christ to be Lord, in a culture that was steeped in emperor worship, and considered the Roman emperor to be lord.  It seems that Christ's work of reaching out with Gospel holds no guarantees for a comfortable, problem-free life!  On Patmos John was given to see a vision of the crucified, resurrected and ascended Lord ... the Alpha and the Omega ... the One Who is, Who Was and Who Is Coming.

          Christ identifies Himself in ways that show Him to be one with the God the Father.  That's really important because it reminds us that, when we worship Jesus, when we pray in the power of His name, when we search His Word and cling to His promises, especially in times of need ... we're dealing with the one and only true and eternal God, who never slumbers or sleeps in watching over His beloved children.

          When John, in his vision, found himself in the presence of Christ, he fell at Jesus' feet as though he were a corpse.  Why?  Because the glory of God and the purity and holiness of Christ expose the depth and darkness of our sinfulness, our unworthiness to be in the Lord's presence, and our inherited separation from Him.  Frankly, we fear what we deserve from Him - the full extent of His righteous wrath, judgment and death ... pictured as a sharp double-edged sword coming out of the Lord's mouth.

          And what was the Lord's word to sinful, unworthy John lying facedown in the dirt?  Not a word of condemnation.  But, a word of grace:  Stop being afraid.  There’s nothing to fear.  Jesus has set us free from our sins by His blood.  He's the bridge across the great divide that separates sinful man from the holy and righteous God.  His Cross and empty tomb are the reassurance we need to approach His throne of grace with confidence, (to stand washed and cleansed before Him) so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. [Hebrews 4:16]

          Are you in need of Christ's comfort today?  His encouragement?  His strength?  His reassurance?  His hope?  Jesus -- the Alpha and the Omega -- places His right hand of grace and mercy and love on you.  Stop being afraid, He says to you.  Jesus knows your fears, your needs, your abilities, your stamina, your strengths and weaknesses better than you do.  In your need, the Lord doesn’t send you away and tell you to come back to Him when you're a better person, or when you have stronger faith and trust in Him.

          In your need the Lord simply and graciously invites you:   Come to me, you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. [Matthew 11:28-30]

          This past week has made it all too evident that we live in a fallen world ... a world full of sin and evil ... of anger, hatred and violent retribution ... a world of prejudice, shame and disappointment ... a world of disease and pain and suffering.  The spiritual enemies of sin, death and the power of Satan surround us, seemingly at every turn in our lives.

          Even in the Lord's Church these spiritual enemies seek to undermine and destroy Christ's work.  Yet the Lord reassures us, as He reassured Peter, that as we remain faithful to our confession and proclamation of Jesus, not even the gates of hell shall prevail against His Church. [Matthew 16:18]   For, as the Alpha and the Omega reassured John, He's the One, not Satan, who holds the keys of death and the grave.

          In the face of our troubles, pain, and suffering, Satan would have us give up, lose hope, deny Christ, curse God.  Yet, as we were reminded this past Sunday, we know that our Redeemer lives, the Alpha and the Omega, who, at the last day, will stand once again on the earth.  And after our own skin has been destroyed, yet in our flesh we shall see God.  That's the joy of Easter!  That was the faith of ancient, suffering Job.  It's our faith as well.

          After feeling the loving hand of the Lord and hearing Christ's gracious word of comfort, the apostle John was able to stand before the resurrected and glorified Lord, to receive and record His message, and to deliver Christ's word of reassurance and hope to His persecuted Church.

          By faith and through the Lord's word of forgiveness we, too, are able to stand in His presence here in His Church, made holy by His blood.  Here He comes to us with His reassuring Word of hope and comfort, His Word of strength and encouragement.  Here we find the crucified, resurrected and ascended Lord present in His Holy Supper, where He feeds and nourishes our hungry and thirsty souls.  And here we experience the blessings of family found in the love and consolation of one another!

          When, in your own private moments of confusion, distress, and anxiety, you wonder, "Where do I turn?" Turn to the Cross.  It's at the Cross, Luther reflected, that we’re taught to believe in hope even when there appears to be no hope.  The love of God and the Cross of Christ are the pathway to hope, especially in the face of life's greatest challenges.     

          On the Cross, Jesus conquered our greatest enemies.  On the Cross, Jesus redeemed us from the evil that comes to us in this life.  On the Cross, Jesus paved the way of our eternal salvation.  And because of the Cross and the empty tomb, the Alpha and the Omega places His right hand upon us and says, "Stop being afraid.  I am your refuge and strength.  I am an ever-present help in your trouble.  I am the Lord Almighty, who is with you, the God of Jacob, who is your fortress." [Psalm 46]

          God grant us grace to stand strong in the presence of adversity ... and lift high the Cross and the empty tomb of Christ as a testimony to His Almighty power and His tender love and mercy!  Stop being afraid!  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding! [Proverbs 3:5]  In the name of Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega.  AMEN.

CHRIST IS RISEN!  ALLELUIA!    HE IS RISEN INDEED!  ALLELUIA!