Stir up one Another & Meet Together / Hebrews 10:15–25 / Pr. Ted A. Giese / Thursday April 17th 2025 / Maundy Thursday / Mount Olive Lutheran Church

Mount Olive Lutheran Church / Pr. Ted A. Giese / Maundy Thursday April 17th 2025: Season of Lent, Holy Week / Hebrews 10:15–25 “Stir up one Another & Meet Together” Informed and Adapted from a Homily by Saint John Chrysostom - Homily XIX

And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

        “This is the covenant that I will make with them

               after those days, declares the Lord:

        I will put my laws on their hearts,

               and write them on their minds,”              

         then he adds,

         “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”                

        Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight O Lord. Amen.

Grace peace and mercy to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Good Christian Friends the table is set, we celebrate the night that Jesus first gave us the meal we cherish and partake in and in our Epistle we hear some familiar words, “let us draw near with a true heart;” we often hear those words when we are preparing to partake of the meal at the beginning of our Sunday Divine Service as we gathered here joining together in the confession of sins: “let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching [that is earnestly asking] Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.” Now in this Epistle from the Book of Hebrews the writer, on account of this same Jesus our eternal and “great priest over the house of God,” directs us from these words straight away into words that bring to mind our baptism: “our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” The writer of the Book of Hebrews stresses that we do all of this “in full assurance of faith.” Now when we have our Confession of Sins and Absolution as your pastor I stand right there at the baptismal font, the place—with few exceptions—which we’ve set aside for our baptisms, and there that Baptismal Font sits before the Altar from which Holy Communion is served; the place where Jesus gives us His Body and Blood with the bread and the wine for the strengthening of our faith and the forgiveness of our sins unto life everlasting, that Holy and most precious gift which we receive with joy in peace.          

Over these days in Holy week we remember how Holy Communion is linked to Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection and we are also called to remember how Saint Paul likewise links Baptism to Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection when Paul writes, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with [Jesus] by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”[1]

The Writer of the Book of Hebrews makes the point that these things, like the remembrance of our baptism and the forgiveness of our sins in Holy Communion are not solitary actions in the life of the Christian, making all of this abundantly clear when he both warns and encourages us saying “let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Dear ones, to further build this case for gathering together, Scripture likewise says, “The Lord is at hand;” encouraging us in the face of all adversities “not be anxious about anything;”[2] while ever reminding us that “[the hour of our] salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed,”[3] and that “the appointed time has grown very short.”[4]

Perhaps the obvious question then is “what is meant by the advice that we as Christian are not to forsake the meeting together?” Perhaps it’s good to ask, “How we as Christians are to be expected to ‘stir up one another to love and good works,’ from a distance?” “Is this not easier and more profitable to do when we're together?” The writer of the Book of Hebrews knew that much strength arises from being together and assembling together. Remember what our Lord Jesus teaches when He promises; “where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them.”[5] Or what Jesus prays for us when He prays to His heavenly Father “keep them in Your name, which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are One.”[6] Scripture reminds us of these things, Jesus prays to His heavenly Father for these things with reason, so that the “full number of those who believed [would be] of one heart and soul, [as we hear of our early brother and sisters in Christ from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles and that we like they would be generous with each other and share] everything in common,”[7] and not this only, but also because love is increased by the gathering of ourselves together; and love being increased, of necessity it then follows that the things of God must likewise increase when we are together.[8]

And what are we to do when we are together? We are to, “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” Here, first we are being asked to, “consider one another” in order that we would, “provoke each other unto love,” that we would ‘stir up one another to love.” But what does it mean to, “Consider one another?” Dear ones if anyone be virtuous, let us imitate them; let us look on them so as to love and to be loved. For from love good works proceed and the coming together as Christians in congregation, is itself a great good: since it makes love more warm; and out of love all good things arise. Nothing is good which is not done through love.[9] And we are called to do good things for our neighbours not to gain something for ourselves but rather because they need it. “We love because God the Father in Christ] first loved us.”[10] If we do good works not out of love but for ourselves than such Good Works are false and are not love, they are not for our neighbour and they are not pleasing to God. 

What does our Lord Jesus teach, in the Gospel of Saint John Jesus says, “a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”[11] This is why Holy Thursday is called Maundy Thursday: The word “Maundy” means “command” or “mandate,” Jesus on this night gives a ‘new command’ a ‘new mandate’ that we, as His followers, love one another just as He loves us. Jesus teaches us this on the night before His Crucifixion and death where He goes to show us this love and confirming for us how “love does no wrong to a neighbour;” and how it is “therefore [His] love [that] is the fulfilling of the law.”[12] Yes Jesus who gives His all in all at the Cross of Good Friday gives us His same Body and Blood with the Cup and the Bread in the meal He introduced that first Maundy Thursday. He commands them to love each other as He loves them, then proceeds to show them just what that love looks like in action. 

Because of the love of Jesus, which He gives us in His meal, ultimately distributed to us from His once for all sacrifice upon His Cross, the Early Church Father Saint John Chrysostom can preach to us that “We have no need of labours or of sweating if we love one another [now as Christians].” Because of Christ Jesus such love “is a pathway leading of itself towards virtue. For as on the highway, if any man find the beginning, he is guided by that highway, and has no need of one to take him by the hand; so it is also in regard to love: only lay hold on the beginning [on Christ Jesus], and at once [you’ll be] guided and directed by it,[13] because as we know, “love does no wrong to a neighbour;” and love, “does not insist on its own way;” yes as Saint Paul says, love “is not irritable or resentful.”[14]

Saint Paul also encourages us saying, “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone,” Paul encourages, “and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”[15] And who will those be, who makes up “the household of faith” for you? Here we come back again to our Epistle reading from the Book of Hebrews where we are being taught that the chief folks that make up that household are the ones we see gathered around us here? Look around, these are your brothers and sisters, your fellow members of this congregation. And as we have opportunity to love those next to us here as we gather together around God’s Word Sacraments, it is then that our cup will overflow onto others, upon our neighbours, upon strangers, even upon those who hate us, those more included to persecute us and run us down, mock and ridicule us, and God forbid do violence against us as they did to our Lord.  

With this in mind consider how such and attitude towards us would in fact be the “very reason for loving [such a challenging soul],” and more than that those closet to us. Dear ones love is not passive, it is active, athletes exercise to keep in shape, and they train for the challenge set ahead of them, for the test of their strength before them. When it comes to love and forgiveness, life together in a congregation is practice enough to be prepared if you take advantage of it, it is a regular training for your soul in such things, training that happens best when Christians gather together and then outside of your life with your brothers and sisters gathered together around Word and Sacrament in this congregation your daily life itself will then be full of individuals and experiences that will exercise your ability to forgive and your ability to love. Such training over time will make you strong. Spiritual laziness comes when we are left to our own devices, spitefulness comes when we forget to love our brothers and sisters in Christ and seek after our own needs first.

If your brothers and sisters suffer alone, if they “neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,” how will they be encouraged? In addition to receiving forgiveness and love from God for yourself at the altar rail, being together at this communion rail is a weekly encouragement to likewise forgive one another, to love one another just as Christ has forgiven and loved you. Saint Paul reminds us, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” [And in so doing] “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”[16] We do this in our lives together and at the communion rail as brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Lord for His part promises, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”[17] And Jesus in our Gospel this night says, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”[18] Within twenty four hours it will be fulfilled in the kingdom of God upon the cross, and now in the meal that He has instituted for us Jesus comes to forgive our sins, the very sins which died there with Him upon the cross, the very sins and lawless deeds God your heavenly Father promises to forget, in love, for the sake of His Son. “Draw near with a true heart,” take comfort in this love and in this love, love each other. Amen

Let us pray: Lord have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us, “take our minds and think through them, take our lips and speak through them, take our hearts and set them on fire; for the sake of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.

[1] Romans 6:3–4
[2] Philippians 4:5b-6a
[3] Romans 13:11
[4] 1 Corinthians 7:29
[5] Matthew 18:20
[6] John 17:11
[7] Acts 4:32
[8] Homilies on the Gospel of Saint John, and Hebrews, Works of St. Chrysostom, Nicene and post Nicene fathers first series Vol. XIV, Eerdmans Publishing Company Grand Rapids, 1989, Page 455.  
[9] Ibid, Page 456.
[10] 1 John 4:19
[11] John 13:34–35
[12] Romans 13:10
[13] Homily XIX, Homilies on the Gospel of Saint John, and Hebrews; page 456.
[14] 1 Corinthians 13:5
[15] Galatians 6:9–10
[16] Ephesians 4:31–32
[17] Hebrews 10:17; Jeremiah 31:34
[18] Luke 22:16

Photo Credit: Main photo The Last Supper: Judas Dipping his Hand in the Dish (La Céne. Judas met la main dans le plat) by James Tissot from th brooklyn museum.