St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – Watertown, WI
Pastor Mark Gartner
Sermon for New Year’s Eve and Day – December 31^st, 2001 and January 1^st 2002

How many of you remember the movie or story, "Old Yeller"? What a wonderful story to describe how close a tie can be developed between a dog and his owner. Old Yeller was the dog that made sure that everyone was protected during times of harm. Old Yeller was the one who helped when he was needed. Old Yeller was willing to put his life on the line to defend "his family". At the end of the movie we remember the sad day, when Old Yeller died, because he was willing to give his life to defend his owners life.

In a few hours 2001 will draw to a close and 2002 will begin. The present year will be a thing of the past and another chapter in the volume of our lives will be completed and a new one begun, What is written in the old volumes of 2001 we know. Between photo albums and good memories we can recount with great detail the things of last year. But what will be written in the volumes of 2002 we don’t know. The veil hanging between the present and the future is too thick. We cannot see through its stitches to get even a glimpse of what is coming. What may this New Year have in store for us? Joy? sorrow? mourning? weeping? death? Looking at it from this point of view we could think to ourselves that this a gloomy picture. But we must still take the step into the New Year. Should we do it with fear and trembling? No!. Still it would be foolish to go forward carelessly. Traveling through this wilderness we call life, let us for a moment lay down our backpack, as it were, and reminiscence over the road already traveled in 2001, and look for a faithful guide for our journey into 2002 and beyond. Thank goodness we have the perfect companion and friend to take us on this journey. A friend who was willing to give his life to make our lives better. A friend who was willing to give his life to save us from our sin. So let’s look at this journey using the theme:

The disciples of whom we read in our text had arrived at a turning point in their lives. No longer were they to enjoy the visible presence of Jesus. Jesus was about to ascend to His Father and our Father. It was like sending one of your children out to live on their own – to tackle the things of this world on their own. The disciples in a very short time would be "on their own" with its hardships, dangers and persecutions. The thought of being left alone might have made them a little afraid or concerned. Alone in this world, without their Teacher, Protector, and Comforter - a fearful future loomed ahead.

But these were earthly thoughts. Jesus assures them: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given me." (v.18) Then follows the Great Commission: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." To this Great Commission He attaches the words of our text "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." The disciples were to wage war against the strong and mighty kingdom of Satan. They were to destroy its very walls, and on its ruins plant the cross, the emblem of the Crucified One. What a task! They needed assurance. "Surely!" says Jesus - take note to what follows. "I," who possess all authority in heaven and on earth, 1, your exalted Savior, "am with you." Though my visible presence will be gone, still, I, Jesus, will be with you invisibly, a ever-present help in trouble. Not a day shall you be left alone: "I am with you always" to guide and protect you.

The disciples believed their Master. What a sweet sound these words must have been to them! How comforting the truth that Jesus is with us. We are not alone. The Lord knows our way. And when the disciples stood before kings, the powerful of the world, to proclaim the Gospel -- a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks, this promise, "I am with you," again gave them courage. An d when they were persecuted and put to death for His sake, even then the assurance, "I am with you," filled them with the power to never back down.

We as Christians are Christ's disciples. The words spoken to His first disciples apply also to us. We don’t live under the persecutions that they did, but we still need His promise. Speaking to His disciples, the Lord does not say, "I am with you all your days," thus limiting His gracious presence to the time of the disciples, but He uses words of wider application, "I am with you always." Wherever there are disciples of Christ, Jesus’ promise holds good, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age." This was His promise to us at the beginning of this past year, and it is the promise we need as we stand on the dividing line of new year.

As we look back and move forward we need to always remember the truthfulness and faithfulness of this promise. Our Lord has kept His promise. He has showered His blessings upon us. He has filled our lives with many good things. There are not too many of us who could truthfully say that we lacked something. For most of us we would have to say that God has given us more than we deserve. He has guarded us against all danger and protected us from all evil. We can say of this past year, Praise be to our good and gracious God!

The Lord has also showered many spiritual blessings upon us. He has been with us in His Word. He has taught us the way to salvation, encouraging us to walk in His footsteps, comforted us in trouble, correcting us when we have sinned. He has shown us our sins and the Savior from sin. He has led our feet upon the paths of peace. He has made us to lie down in green pastures and has led us beside the quietly waters. He has been with us in the Baptism and Lord’s Supper. In Holy Baptism he has taken us and has brought us into his spiritual family. He has been with us in the Lord’s Supper. Here He has given us Himself with the bread and the wine, assuring us: I am with you and you are mine. This is most certainly true.

Yes, the Lord has been with us, with each one of us individually and with our congregation as a whole. He has not permitted Satan to sow the seed of discontent in our midst. He has kept His flock here firm and steadfast in the true, pure, and only saving teachings of God’s Word. He has preserved His ship, the congregation, in the midst of all waves and storms of this sinful world so that it did not sink and perish. Lord, You have been with us. For all your blessings, both temporal and spiritual, we praise You, O Lord.

While pondering the Lord's goodness, His gracious presence, His guidance, and protection, we are compelled to confess with a contrite heart that we have not always appreciated His closeness to us in his temporal and spiritual blessings. We have not always been faithful in the use of the temporal blessings. At times we have been unfaithful stewards. We have not always grown in good works in proportion to the measure of the blessings given to us.

And His spiritual gifts, too, we many times have forgotten how great these blessings are. We at times have not been in God’s house without any good reasons why. The warnings we receive through His Word we at times forget about – the warning which tell us certain actions are sinful. We can cry out our whole life with the words that I have fallen short of God’s demands and deserve to die. I deserve to be separated from God, because of my sinfulness. Still we know that God is close to us and we can cry out to him for his love and mercy. We know that our sins are forgiven.

Through all of our sins, we are certain that God will be with us as we go into the new year. How precious the promise: "I am with yon always"! If the Lord is with us, no real evil can conquer us. If the Lord is with us as we take steps into the uncharted world of the future, all the worries, cares, anxieties, and temptations of sin of the coming year are nothing to be afraid of. It is my prayer and God’s prayer that the coming year will be one where we are willing to let the road map of God and his promises lead us forward as we dig deeper and deeper into the love and mercy that our God gives freely to us.

And when the devil tempts us to sin, we know that Jesus is with us and he reminds us of the weapon he used to defeat him – God’s holy Word. Let God’s powerful and gracious words uplift and encourage us every day. And when we are downcast on account of our many sins and God’s Law condemns us, Jesus assures us that our sins are forgiven. And when sickness enters our homes, Jesus is with us. And when we come to Jesus in prayer and lay it in his hands, he remind us that he is always with us and that he will never leave us to make the travels in this world alone. Amen.