LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 65

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2. LCMS Convention Sermon–“Knowing the Way”
Text: John 14:6–“I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life”

On a Thursday evening nearly two thousand years ago,
Christ gathered His disciples . They were not in a beautiful, airconditioned facility such as this . It was a small, upper room .
They were not twelve hundred delegates strong, just twelve
disciples and their Lord . And they didn’t have printed copies of “Today’s Business” to let them know what was going
to happen next . Their Lord knew, but the disciples were
bewildered .
“Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we
know the way?” Those words spoken by Thomas summarized
the bewilderment of the disciples, who had left everything to
follow Jesus, as Jesus began to speak about going away from
them and preparing a place and coming back to take them to
be with Him .
But Christ would not leave His disciples bewildered . He
would not leave their hearts troubled . “I am the way, the truth
and the life,” He proclaims . And later that same night, He
would go to prepare a place for them . That preparation would
include His blood shed, His life given, as payment in full for
the sins of the world . It would include His resurrection from
the dead as the firstfruits of all who fall asleep in Him . It would
include His ascension to the right hand of the Father where
He serves as our perfect, eternal High Priest . And just as He
has promised, He will return to take us, all who have preceded
us, and all who shall come after us, body and soul, to be with
Him for eternity . By the grace of God, we know where we are
going, and we know the way!
This day, we give thanks and praise to God for the lives
and service of those ordained and commissioned ministers
whose souls the Lord has called to Himself since our 2007
Convention . They are listed in the Convention Workbook,
pages 25–26, approximately 490 in total if my counting is
correct . Conceived and born lost and not knowing the way, as
are all people, we thank God that through the water and Word
of Holy Baptism, He brought them to know the One who is the
way, the truth, and the life . We thank God that He continued
to work throughout their lives and kept them in the One who
is the way . They were not bewildered as the disciples were .
As a result of God’s gracious working in their lives, they knew
where they were going, and they knew the way .
We also thank God for working through these 490 servants to show scores of others the way . If the average span of
service for these 490 servants of our Lord were just 30 years
each, and it may well be higher, that is nearly 15,000 collective years of service . Think of how many people were shown
the way to eternal life as a result of God working through these
servants during these 15,000 collective years of service . To
God alone be the glory!
In January 2000, Billy Graham was honored at a luncheon
in Charlotte, NC . After wonderful things were said about
him, Graham stepped to the rostrum and told a story about
Albert Einstein . It seems that Einstein was once traveling from
Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle,

punching the tickets of each passenger . When he came to
Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket . He couldn’t find
his ticket, so he reached in his other pocket . It wasn’t there, so
he looked in his briefcase but couldn’t find it . Then he looked
in the seat by him . He couldn’t find it . The conductor said,
“Dr . Einstein, I know who you are . We all know who you are .
I’m sure you bought a ticket . Don’t worry about it .” Einstein
nodded appreciatively .
The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets .
As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and
saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking
under his seat for his ticket . The conductor rushed back and
said, “Dr . Einstein, Dr . Einstein, don’t worry . I know who
you are . No problem . You don’t need a ticket . I’m sure you
bought one .” Einstein looked at him and said, “Young man, I
too know who I am . What I don’t know is where I’m going .”
Billy Graham went on to tell the crowd that he was wearing a brand new suit . It was the suit that he would be buried
in . “But when you hear I’m dead,” he said, “I don’t want you
to immediately remember the suit I’m wearing . I want you to
remember this: I not only know who I am, I also know where
I’m going .”
As it is for Billy Graham and the 490 servants we remember with thanks this day, so it is also for us: We know who we
are, we know where we are going, and, by the grace of God,
we know the way . As He did for the disciples, as He did for
the 490, may our Gracious God also keep us steadfast in our
faith in the One Who Is The Way, The Truth, and The Life;
may we always “know the way .” Amen .
Dr . Glen D . Thomas
Executive Director
LCMS Board for Pastoral Education
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2010 Convention Proceedings