The Last Letter

Exodus 14: 19-31
Responsive Reading: Psalm 114
Second Lesson: Romans 14: 1-12
​Gospel Lesson: Matthew 18: 21-35

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Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
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Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the most influential people in the 19th Century.  Napoleon in his years as emperor of France led the French into a global power like no other ruler in the country’s history.  Napoleon’s military genius is still studied throughout the world nearly two centuries after his death.

Less known that Napoleon though is his sister Elisa[1].  Elisa’s life was quite active having served as a member of the French Royal Family at the height of their empire.  Elisa though is known for something else than this though.  On her death bed, someone in the room commented to Elisa that “Nothing is as certain as death[2].”  Elisa while dying wanted to make one last point as she mouthed out the word “Except taxes.”  So Elisa Bonaparte’s greatest legacy is the phrase “Nothing is as sure in life as death and taxes.”

While Elisa’s words seem tough to argue, I know someone that would disagree with Elisa Bonaparte’s assessment of life’s certainties.  The Apostle Paul wrote the whole Book of Romans which we have been hearing about all summer would dispute the point about death and taxes being life’s greatest certainties. 

The Apostle Paul’s point about life’s certainty comes to us in our lesson for Today: “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.  For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be the Lord both of the dead and the living. – Romans 14:8-9

Paul’s words contain some of the most powerful promises in the entire Christian faith.  “We belong to the Lord[3].”

Picture the following scenario[4].  Imagine a girl named Hannah.  Hannah is a girl not much older than seven years old.  Hannah on a particularly busy Saturday at the Mall goes to the stores with her mother.  Mother tells Hannah to “stay nearby.”  Hannah being a curious seven-year-old wanders accidentally away from Mother.  Hannah and Mother notice they’re separated at about the same time.  Hannah goes one way, and Mother goes the other way.  Mother figures that she’ll quickly find Hannah in a matter of minutes.  Hannah keeps wandering further and further away trying to find Mother.  After an hour, Mother gets really worried about what exactly had happened to Hannah. Mother’s heart is beating what seems like a million beats a minute; tears begin to well in Mother’s eyes.   What Mother soon sees out of the corner of her eyes off in the distance is Hannah looking lost, Hannah’s shoulders are shrugged fearing she’s never going to see Mother again.  At this moment, Mother calls out Hannah’s name.  Hannah turns her eyes are soaked with tears, and she runs into Mother’s arms.  For Hannah, there was no greater comfort in the world than knowing her Mother was near her side.  Hannah knew that even as she had wandered away, she didn’t worry about whether she would get in trouble, she took comfort instead that she remained her Mother’s most prized possession within the whole wide world. 

Here’s what Paul is saying throughout our lesson for Today.  We are Our Lord’s most-prized possessions; he will not stop searching for us until he finds us.  When we gather with the Lord, the reunion will go even way beyond Hannah and Mother within the Mall. 

Paul’s Lesson gets to the greatest hopes of the Christian faith.  “We belong to the Lord.”  This promise seeks to guide us when confronting life’s struggles[5].   The promise is that Christ truly has gone ahead to prepare a place for us.  Christ promises to keep us in his continual care.

A while back, I was talking to one of our high school seniors; he was struggling with where to attend college.  He was giving me all the options of the schools that he was considering.  He finally asked me “Will I not be as successful in life if I don’t branch out from Silver Bay?”

 As I hear the question, my only response is “Why try to find a place where you might belong when you’ve found a place that you know you do belong?”   You will never be held back by clinging to the people and places and ultimately the hope that you hold most dear.  

For the great earthly truth was earlier spoken by Elisa Bonaparte than death and taxes are certainties, yet there is no greater spiritual truth than when suffering and death, come your way, you want to cling to that which is most certain[6].  “You belong to the Lord.”  With this promise, Our Lord promises to take you even with him as he journeys through the grave alongside you, with new life waiting on the other side. 
Let me close with one last story illustrating What exactly does it mean to “Live and die to the Lord?”  September 1862, Lieutenant Colonel Wilder Dwight was sitting on a horse preparing to go into battle during America’s Civil War[7].  Dwight decides to pen a letter to his mother.

The morning of September 17th, Dwight begins his letter like any other letter home, exchanging pleasantries, and assuring Mom he’s doing well[8].

Dwight had to stop though in the middle of writing his letter as he was called into battle.  The battle on this day was intense and a bullet struck Dwight’s wrist going through into his hip[9].  The bullet ends up shattering Wilder Dwight’s hip.  Dwight collapses onto the ground, unable to move under his own power.  Dwight’s fellow soldiers offer to move him; Dwight refuses because of the nature of his wound.  So the battle moves on away from Wilder Dwight.  Dwight was a dying man lying alone in a field.  So needing something to do, he starts rewriting his letter from earlier that morning.

Here’s what Dwight wrote: “Dearest mother, I am wounded so as to be helpless.  Good bye if so it must be.
I think I die in victory.  God defend our country.  I trust in God & love you all to the last.  Dearest love to father & all my dear brothers.  Our troops have left the part of the field where I lay — Mother, yours Wilder[10].”

Lt .Colonel Dwight gets moved to a nearby farmhouse where he survives for two days.  In those days, he writes the very last words of his letter. “All is well with those that have faith[11].”

Here’s the remarkable thing about Wilder Dwight, he was well right before entering into battle, gets struck, and lying on his death bed- he remains “well” two days later.  Either “living” or “dying,” Lt. Colonel Dwight knew that he ultimately belonged to the Lord[12].

Many Bible scholars believe the Book of Romans to be the last letter written by the Apostle Paul.  The book of Romans is a summary of everything that Paul believed about the Christian faith.  What did Paul believe through shipwreck, persecution, arrest, and imprisonment as he stared death in the face.  Paul believed like Lieutenant Colonel Wilder Dwight that “Whether he lived or died that he belonged to the Lord.”  The whole point of the Book of Romans can be summed up in this phrase.  Christ upon the Cross declared “You belong to me” and death’s not going stop that.  “You will be mine forever.” We could study the Bible for years and years, and not hear it any clearer than the Book of Romans.  Sometimes the last letter like in the case of Lieutenant Colonel Wilder Dwight can say all we really need to say. 

Amen
 
 


[1] Klaus, Ken. “Famous Last Words.” Lutheran Hour. 23.June.2013. Web. Aug.18.2017. 
[2] Klaus, Ken. “Famous Last Words
[3] Structure of Sermon inspired by Brandt, Mark. “Belonging to One Another.” Lutheran Hour. 29.July.2007. Web. Aug.18.2017. 
[4] Figured the following analogy would work. 
[5] Meyer, Timm. “We Belong to the Lord.” Sermon Central. 27.Sept.2007. Web. Aug.18.2017. 
[6] Metaxas, Eric. “The Little Way of Ruthie Leming.” Breakpoint. 7.May.2013. Web. Aug.18.2017 taken from Pastor Leon Stier’s “No Place Like Home”  Email Mediatations. May.9.2013
[7] Stier, Pastor Leon. “Last Letter Home.” Email Meditations. 22.Oct.2016. Web. Aug.18.2017.   
[8] Stier, Pastor Leon. “Last Letter Home.”
[9] Stier, Pastor Leon. “Last Letter Home.”
[10] Stier, Pastor Leon. “Last Letter Home.”
[11] Stier, Pastor Leon. “Last Letter Home.”
[12] Stier, Pastor Leon. “Last Letter Home.”