Sermons

In the Name of him who conquered death and gives life to all who believer, Dear Christian Friends, When speaking about life’s certainties, Benjamin Franklin is believed to have said “In this world nothing is certain except death and taxes.” I don't know for sure but I have a hunch that he used this line as a springboard for a commentary on taxes--not death. While death and taxes may be the two great certainties in life, they are not equally popular subjects of conversation. From time to time people seem to talk a lot about their taxes. They complain about them. They prepare for them. They seek creative ways to pay less of them. But the same cannot be said about death. For the most part, people don’t want to talk about death as freely and openly as they do their property tax bill. When the subject of death comes up in the family or at the work place, some people may either avoid the conversation or try to change the subject. As believers we know that death is as close to us as our shadow, but sometimes we too feel more comfortable talking about the rising costs of our taxes than we do our own death. The last three Sundays of the Christian Church year (last week, this week and next week) call our attention to the end of the world, as we know it, to Judgment Day and Jesus' return. The end of our earthly life then is not an unrelated thought. Our death, our day of judgment, is at the forefront of our thoughts as we listen to the Scripture readings and sermons at this time of the year. But death doesn’t just happen during the last three weeks of the Christian Church year. Since death occurs every single day of the year, God wants us to be ready for our own death at any time. Wouldn't you agree that being prepared for our own death and judgment day is the most important task we face as believers, as parents and grandparents, as pastors, teachers and fellow Christians? And so on the basis of the words of the Psalmist David our Sermon theme today is Learn to Walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. The Word of God teaches us that 1) it is an inevitable valley through which the Lord leads us; 2) it’s a valley Jesus first walked; and 3) it’s a valley through which we can walk triumphantly. We don't know at what time in his life David wrote Ps. 23. Did the Holy Spirit inspire him to write it as a shepherd boy? Did he compose it as a soldier? Or later as he ruled Israel as king? One could make a case for any one of those situations in his life. All during David's life he walked "through the valley of the shadow of death." David lived much of his life under the threat of death. He once confessed to his friend, "There is but a step between me and death." Death frequently struck his family. He lost his best friend at a young age. He lost one son shortly after birth and another was killed in battle. As David knew that death was inevitable, so do we know and believe in the certainty of our own death and judgment. Maybe at a funeral you have heard the question asked, “Why did he have to die?” or “Why did she have to die so young?” When one looks for the answer from a worldly viewpoint so often there is no acceptable answer. But when we look at death from the view point of God’s Word we know that death happens because of sin. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death.” And again God says, “A man is destined to die once and then face judgment.” When God created us, however, he never intended for us to walk through this dark valley of death. In fact, God wanted just the opposite for us. God wanted us to walk forever with him in a world free of death. But sin changed all that. When Adam and Eve sinned and infected all of their children--us included--with terminally disobedient natures, God made the whole human race subject to death. He declared that “the soul that sins shall die” to impress upon us the seriousness of sin. If God had made a headache or the flu the most serious consequences for sin, you and I would hardly be impressed with sin's deadliness. There is nothing like death to get our attention. Whether it threatens us or strikes someone we love, we can't ignore death and its message: We have sinned and deserve to die. But David found comfort as he faced the inevitable, as he walked through this dark valley of death. As his Good Shepherd, the Lord wasn't driving him into this valley, but leading him through it! The Holy Spirit opened David's eyes to see that the Savior whom the Father would send would travel through that valley of death ahead of him and take all the terror and spiritual uncertainty out of death. As our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, God's only Son, entered the valley of death ahead of us. Jesus said, “I lay down my life for the sheep.” All through his life, Jesus, the Lord of Life, knew that death was waiting for him. Before he was born in Bethlehem he knew that his lifeless body would one day hang from a cross. Even though God's Son was sinless he died because God made him who had no sin to be sin for us. That was God's plan to rescue us from the spiritual death and punishment we deserved. The righteous would die for the unrighteous. Because Jesus walked through the valley of the shadow of death we are guaranteed our safe passage through that same dark valley of death. And so for that reason the Psalmist David can write, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." You and I don't travel this path alone. Our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, first walked through the valley. David discovered that even though he found himself in the dark valley many times during his life he had no reason to fear. As he faced the giant Goliath, as he ran and hid from King Saul, David knew that the Lord still loved him and was protecting him. But it’s a whole lot easier for us to believe that when things are going well for us. When we realize just how close the shadow of our own death is or when we watch someone we love die, we are tempted to have doubts. We need reassurance and comfort as we walk through that valley. David tells us where we can find it--in Word and sacrament. Here David likens God's comforting Word to a shepherd's rod or staff. In David's day, every shepherd carried a staff or rod. It served a two-fold purpose. It was a weapon that could be used to protect the sheep from predators and rustlers. It was also a tool with which the shepherd led the sheep through treacherous terrain. To a sheep, the shepherd's rod or staff was the symbol of his presence. God's Word and sacraments are like that rod and staff. They are the evidence of God’s presence as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. The Lord promises, "Wherever I cause my name to be recorded, I will come to you and bless you." As we walk through this shadowy valley, the only thing that brings us real comfort is our Good Shepherd's promises of forgiveness, new life and salvation. I've attended and conducted many funerals over the years of my ministry. I can't remember anyone falling asleep during a funeral sermon. I believe there is a reason for that. People who come to a funeral are hungry for comfort. I can’t begin to tell you how many Christian mourners have come up to me after they’ve heard God's promises of forgiveness and life in Christ and said, "Pastor, I don't know what I would do without my Christian faith." Like David, we don't know when the Lord will lead us through this valley of death. But what we do know is that Jesus has already walked through that valley for us. When we walk through that valley leaning on the promise of forgiveness, life and salvation we by the grace of God, can walk triumphantly with our Savior by our side. Walking triumphantly through the valley of death is not something we have to wait for. We can and do walk triumphantly right now. Anyone who reads this verse of the psalm can't help noticing the hope that David expresses. In fact, the words, "I will fear no evil" express triumph. You and I haven't learned to walk through this valley until we have learned to walk it triumphantly. When David says that he won't fear evil, he isn't just burying his head in the sand and ignoring reality. He is expressing his confidence based upon his Lord's promise of victory. The Lord had revealed to David that his most famous descendant would be the Messiah who would be the King who would triumph over Satan and all evil. Yes, the Christ would even conquer death and guarantee his resurrection! In Psalm 16, David expressed his hope: "you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures as your right hand." David died. But in his last days, he didn't feel sorry for himself or make everyone around him feel miserable. David knew that the valley of the shadow of death was not a destination. It was merely a valley he must travel through in order to more fully enjoy eternal life. Jesus Christ died and rose again so you can walk through this dark valley --not fearfully--but triumphantly. His resurrection has guaranteed your resurrection. Jesus said, "He who believes in me will live even though he dies." You and I may reach a point here on earth where we, like Paul, say, "I long to be with Christ which is better by far." But let's realize that our Lord has a reason for keeping us here--just as he had for Paul. He may greatly diminish the quality of our life here. He may send us pain and let us die slowly--not necessarily to give us more time to prepare for death-- but to help those who must watch us die prepare for their deaths. That is why it is so important for us to express our confidence in God's promises and in Christ's triumph over sin, death and hell to those around us before we die. Don't avoid talking about death with your children and grandchildren. Don't discourage your parents and grandparents from expressing their faith in God's promises as they prepare to die. Don't be one of those Christians who doesn't know how to die! When you were a child you learned how to walk one step at a time. As children of the heavenly Father we are still learning how to walk; how to walk through the valley of death with Jesus who leads us, with Jesus who went before us, with Jesus who gives us the certain victory. Amen.