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Bridge
The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity – 10/6/2024
Genesis 28:10-17
Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer
That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Old Testament lesson from the book of Genesis in the twenty-eighth chapter with special emphasis on verse twelve which reads as follows:
“And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!”[1]
Thus far the Scriptures.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
How do heaven and earth connect? What bridges the gap? I think it is safe to say that most people in our day and place assume that there is not only a connection between heaven and earth, but that it is relatively easy to move through this connection from earth to heaven. Indeed, this is the default assumption of many: heaven is not only real, but that it is something that I can come to by my own efforts. This is why there is such an indifference to the Christina faith, even among those who profess to be Christians. After all, if church services are just mere formalities, what is the point to attend them, or to do anything that the Bible teaches for that matter?
This idea is so basic to our society that challenging it will get people very upset very quickly. As an aside, there are those who just do not care about all this stuff, but that topic is a matter for another day.
And this passage from Genesis has been used to illustrate this idea, the idea that there is a connection between heaven and earth that we can travel across. The theologian Adolph Koeberle notes that we human beings tend to focus our efforts to work our way into heaven on one of three parts of ourselves: our wills, our emotions, or our minds.[2] In other words, we try and cross the chasm between heaven and earth either by an act of our decision-making faculties, by cultivating certain feelings and emotions, or by using our intelligence. And make no mistake, every human being is prone to doing this. For this reason, we must constantly be on guard against falsehood, as St. Paul notes in our Epistle lesson from Ephesians.[3] In fact, one of the great predictors of human behavior is to think about how someone might try and use a particular situation to prove or earn their own holiness, righteousness, goodness, etc. Doing so will lead to correctly guessing a person’s actions in a given situation much of the time.
What is interesting about this passage, though, is that the ladder does not allow Jacob or any other human being to go up it, rather, the ladder is the means that the angels go to and come from the earth back to heaven. In other words, this ladder is not one meant for us to climb.
So, then, where does the bridge get made if not by us or our efforts? The answer should be rather obvious to us who have been around the Christian church for a while: the ladder, the means by which God covers over the chasm between heaven and earth is none other than Christ Jesus the Lord. He by becoming man has literally brought heaven to earth in order that we who are trapped here in this plane of existence, on this earth, might be forgiven, renewed, and redeemed so that we can go to the paradise of heaven and the new creation to come.
But this brings another question: what about church? What is its purpose? Dear friends, our congregation exists to first and foremost, above all else, grant to those in need of forgiveness, life, and salvation the gracious gifts of our Lord Jesus. Those things that he suffered, bled, and died for us to have are given here by His Word of promise. Do you want to have what Christ earned for you? Do you want to go to heaven? Then come to the church, where heaven meets earth in the very saving Word of God! Preaching and baptism and absolution and the Lord’s Supper are where we encounter the saving God in the ways that He has promised.
This means two things: church membership and attendance are not an entitlement nor are they some kind of club for the privileged, instead, this congregation is a hospital for the downtrodden, the sin-sick, and the forlorn. We come to this place because we need what Christ gives, that is life, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation, and the reward of faith in this work of Christ, heaven and the age to come. But, for those who despise these things, it is as if he or she says that there is no need for these gifts, rather, he or she is perfectly able to make it into God’s good graces on one’s own. This way is madness, foolishness of the highest order. Christ already paid the debt of our sins and earned for us life and salvation at no cost to us, and yet so many would rather work some plan of their own rather than submitting to Christ and His loving mercy.
Secondly, this building, and most especially this room, is set aside for the Lord of all heaven and earth who comes to us each and every time we gather in His Name and hear His Word. In other words, this is the real, physical location where heaven and earth meet. And yet, there is a casual disregard in so many churches these days about the sanctuary, the room set aside to hear and receive God’s Word. We often talk about church as what we bring: our worship, our prayers, our thanksgiving. But that is not what is at the core, rather, it is Christ who comes to us, delivers heaven to us, and gives us everlasting salvation. For that reason, this place is to be treated with reverence and respect. Not because the wood or glass or carpet is in and of itself special, rather, it is because of what our forefathers in this congregation dedicated this place to be: a house of the Lord set aside to hear His Word and to receive His gifts. Any other thing that is done in this room is an insult to that simple dedication. Any other thing that would detract from that misses the point. This is why the pastor and elders and altar guild members bow before going to the altar, to show respect for what this place is set aside to do. This is why gossip and idle talk are not fit, rather this place is set aside for prayer and contemplation on God’s Word.
We have a strong temptation to set aside reverence of God in this culture that idolizes informality. But the Almighty God will be respected, even if our disregard of His Word and His church is something that goes without punishment in this life, we will certainly respect Him in the age to come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord.[4]
But here we must keep this straight: heaven comes here in the form of forgiveness and life and salvation. And all we can do to show our appreciation for Christ’s perfect and finished work is to handle His Word and treat His church with care and reverence and respect. After all, our Savior is the true and living God, the only bridge between heaven and earth.[5] And His Almighty rule is of mercy and grace, granted to us by His own work and will, visited on us by His means of grace, and held in us by the gift of faith.
In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1] Genesis 28:14 English Standard Version
[2] See Adolph Koeberle The Quest for Holiness published by Wipf and Stock in 2004.
[3] Ephesians 4:25
[4] Philippians 2:10-11
[5] Jeremiah 10:10
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