Matthew 28:16–20

¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

¹⁷And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

"Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!

For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!" (Psa 117:1 ESV) Let us extol the richness of our God; the God whose name is Father, Son and Holy Spirit;

Oh, the richness of that name. "There is no other name given under heaven by which we might be saved." Acts 4:12. That is the name which saves. And when we invoke that name at the beginning of worship, he comes into our midst and is present with us in his compassion, commission, and commitment. It is no accident that we begin our worship service in the name of the Triune God. It is not just an ancient custom. We are not merely addressing ourselves and telling ourselves what we are going to do. We are asking that the one true, holy and compassionate and merciful God come to be in our midst and dwell among us with his grace and love. And by the power of his Word, what he says happens. God is present "for us;" meaning he is present "on our behalf" as our "helper and advocate." Where God is present "for us" his grace is continually poured out; his salvation; his life; his forgiveness are given to us....

But, where is God present to give out his Gospel promises? Notice something in our text: "The disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had directed them to." Before his death, Jesus had arranged for the disciples to meet him at a certain mountain in Galilee. The 11 remaining apostles went to that place which Jesus had designated. For, you see, Jesus chooses the place where we are to meet him; the place where he is present "for us". He designates and appoints the place where he gives out his Gospel and grace. We do not tell Jesus where he is to meet us. Nor is He is not hiding inside us. Not in our feelings; not in the quiet and peaceful places of our choice. He is not in the sky, the forest, or the sea, but his forgiveness and salvation are found only in the place he designates — in Word and Sacrament; the means of grace. He is found in the word proclaimed. He is found in the water of Baptism. He is present in the bread and wine of Communion. These are the places he has designated. Here is where he calls us to assemble as his church in his presence.

Martin Luther made it clear that God's omnipresence is not the same as his presence in grace "for us." While God is everywhere, he cannot be found everywhere as the God of love and mercy. Luther says: "It is one thing if God is present, and another if he is present for you. He is there for you when he adds his Word and binds himself, saying, 'Here you are to find me.'" We see this presence of God "for us" in specific ways and specific places throughout the Scriptures. He is present "for us" in Word and Sacrament; that is, in worship.

When the 11 disciples saw him, they worshipped him. But some doubted. Worship is what takes place in the presence of God. Worship is receiving his mercy and grace by faith. Worship is gathering around the Word preached and the Sacraments administered. That is where the compassion, commission and commitment of Jesus is present.

But it tells us that some doubted. These 11 disciples had deserted him in the hour of his suffering. They had abandoned him. Denied him and ran away. Like us, they had not been model disciples. Neither have we. We ought to love him above all things, but instead we love the world and its pleasures. We ought to fear God above all things, but instead we sin willingly without fear of punishment. We ought to trust in God above all things, but in difficult situations our heart wavers and we nervously and anxiously doubt his fatherly care. We ought to obey him with our whole heart, but our stubborn flesh takes us prisoners and makes us captives to sin. Our thoughts ought to be pure and holy, but our desires give us impious thoughts.

We have failed at being Christ's disciples. We have failed at our mission to make disciples. We are weak and doubting. Just like the 11 gathered there.

But our God is a God of compassion. For in spite of their failure, Jesus came to them and spoke to them. Only on two occasions in the Gospel of Matthew does Jesus approach someone: here on this occasion, and when the disciples were afraid on the mount of transfiguration. Here they doubted, they were confused, they were afraid of what he might do.

But our compassionate Lord came to them, and spoke. With his Word he comforted and strengthened them. They did not say anything. In this entire text there is not one single word from the disciples. Jesus does all the talking. Worship is not our babbling, but it is God speaking to us; it is his word of grace and forgiveness and comfort and life that God speaks to us in the preaching and the sacraments.

We extol the richness of the Triune God as he comes to us: the Father who loved us sent his Son to save us. The Son who loved us obeyed his Father and died in our place to take away our sin, even though we consistently fail him and have weak faith. The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son to deliver the gifts of grace from the cross to us through the Word as it is preached and is incarnate in water and wine and bread.

We extol the richness of the Triune God who created the heavens and the earth. And Jesus Christ who has been given all authority in heaven and earth. Who sits at the right hand of the Father and rules over his creation.

Jesus has all authority. He has the authority to forgive the disciples who doubted and were weak and fumbling. He has the authority to forgive our sins and release us from the bondage of our flesh, the world and the devil. He has authority over all the earth to send us to all nations to make disciples. By his authority we go to all peoples and make disciples by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. For Jesus has the authority to make disciples through baptism. Jesus has the authority to save us from our sin. To proclaim his Gospel. To give life and salvation to all the world. This includes us who are weak in faith and stumble in sin. His grace and mercy extends to us because Jesus has the authority to forgive our sins and make us the children of God. By his authority he washes us from our sin and empowers us by the Holy Spirit to live lives of righteousness; to fear, love and trust God above all things and to love our neighbor as ourselves. By his Holy Spirit he sends us to all nations to make disciples through proclaiming the Gospel and administering the Sacraments. He has authority to cast out Satan from our lives and pour into us the Holy Spirit through the waters of Baptism.

We extol the richness of our God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit who is ever present "for us." "Lo, I am with you always to the end of the age." He is with us in the Word of the Gospel as it is proclaimed and preached and as it is applied to us in water and bread and wine. He is with us in the means of grace, the place where he has appointed for us to meet him. Here in worship as we gather around his word and receive his holy Sacraments. In spite of our failure to serve him and be deserving disciples, he is committed to us; he is faithful to us. His grace and mercy are with us until the end of the age. Such is the vast richness of our God.

We extol the richness of our God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit: for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.