Sermon for Lent Midweek 3
Rev. Gregory Mech | March 27, 2019 | Wednesday Lenten Service | 4:00 pm | Immanuel Lutheran Church – Joplin, MO
A God Exposed
Before their sin, Adam and his wife were both naked and unashamed. Shame requires self-awareness that only sinners possess. Without sin, their eyes and thoughts didn’t descend to idolatrous navel-gazing. But as soon as they doubted God’s Word and disobeyed His commandment, as soon as they ate, their eyes were opened, and they saw their nakedness. And they were ashamed.
Fig leaves sewn together to make clothes could not cover their sin. So after doling out the consequences of their sins, God proceeded to cover their sin and shame with clothing wrought from the skin of an animal. But animals don’t doff their skins willingly or easily. An animal stripped of its skin, exposed to a nakedness deeper than mere skin, is not long for this world.
In the same way, the Lamb of God, the enfleshed God, was first mockingly clothed at the hands of men intent on abusing and shaming Him. They first pressed a crown of thorns into His head and draped a purple garment around Him, intending to mock His claim to be the King. Then, when they took Him to crucify Him, they stripped Him naked and hung Him shamefully on the cross, exposed and soon to die. But He has no shame because He has no sin. He has no shame because He has no self-care, no thoughts of self-preservation. His nakedness is for mankind who, even while clothed, are covered in shame. He was clothed in our nakedness and shame, our sin and guilt, so that He might clothe us with the robe of His own righteousness.
Lent Midweek 3
Stand
L O Lord, open my lips,
C and my mouth will declare Your praise.
L Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
C make haste to help me, O Lord.
C Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to You, O Christ, Lamb of our salvation.
Psalm 30:8–12; antiphon: Psalm 22:18 Tone C
They divide My garments a- | mong them,*
and for My clothing they | cast lots.
8 To You, O | Lord, I cry,*
and to the Lord I plead for | mercy:
9 “What profit is there in my death,
if I go down | to the pit?*
Will the dust praise You?
Will it tell of Your | faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be merci- | ful to me!*
O Lord, be my | helper!”
11 You have turned for me my mourning into | dancing;*
You have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with | gladness,
12 that my glory may sing Your praise and not be | silent.*
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You for- | ever!
Glory be to the Father and | to the Son*
and to the Holy | Spirit;
as it was in the be- | ginning,*
is now, and will be forever. | Amen.
Sit
OFFICE HYMN “In the Shattered Bliss of Eden” (LSB 572; tune: LSB 531)
+ READINGS +
OLD TESTAMENT Genesis 3:7–21
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her Offspring;
He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
16 To the woman He said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
17 And to Adam He said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
L O Lord, have mercy on us.
C Thanks be to God.
EPISTLE Galatians 3:23–29
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
L O Lord, have mercy on us.
C Thanks be to God.
HOLY GOSPEL John 19:1–5, 23–24
1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head and arrayed Him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck Him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing Him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” . . . 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also His tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
“They divided My garments among them,
and for My clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things.
L O Lord, have mercy on us.
C Thanks be to God.
RESPONSORY FOR LENT LSB, p. 231
L Deliver me, O Lord, my God, for You are the God of my salvation.
C Rescue me from my enemies, protect me from those who rise against me.
L In You, O Lord, do I put my trust, leave me not, O Lord, my God.
C Rescue me from my enemies, protect me from those who rise against me.
L Deliver me, O Lord, my God, for You are the God of my salvation.
C Rescue me from my enemies, protect me from those who rise against me.
SERMON “A God Exposed”
CANTICLE “Tell Out, My Soul, the Greatness of the Lord” (LSB 935)
OFFERING
Stand
KYRIE LSB, p. 233
C Lord, have mercy;
Christ, have mercy;
Lord, have mercy.
LORD’S PRAYER LSB, p. 233
COLLECTS
L O Lord, hear my prayer.
C And let my cry come to You.
COLLECT OF THE DAY
P Heavenly Father, when Adam sinned, he tried to cover his guilt and shame with fig leaves, which You replaced with animal skins to foreshadow the Lamb of God, whose innocent death would cover the sin of the world. Grant that we who have been baptized may rejoice in the Lamb of God, whose righteousness covers all of our sins to make us holy and blameless in Your sight; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
COLLECT
P Merciful God, in nakedness, Adam ate the forbidden fruit and brought sin and death into this world, but Your Son allowed Himself to be stripped and crucified to bring forgiveness and life to all. Grant us courage to point those ashamed of their sins to Jesus that they would not despair but find hope and salvation in Him alone; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
COLLECT FOR PEACE
P O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, give to us, Your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (410)
C Amen.
Stand
BENEDICAMUS LSB, p. 234
L Let us bless the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
BENEDICTION LSB, p. 234
P The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C Amen.
HYMN “Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure Eternal” (LSB 533)
Acknowledgments
Vespers from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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