Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The text on which this morning's message is based comes from our Epistle lesson (Colossians 3: 1-11) read earlier.

A few years ago the world watched as three gray whales were icebound off Point Barrow, Alaska. An unexpected early freeze and ice flows had left them trapped, five miles from open sea. Six-inch thick ice kept them from coming to the surface for oxygen. They took turns coming to the surface in a small hole in the ice. Their only hope of survival was through the people who were above the ice, keeping the hole of survival open for them. Do you remember what happened? The humans above them had a bright idea. They began cutting a line of breathing holes with chain saws through the six-inch thick ice. For eight days they encouraged the whales from hole to hole, ever closer to the freedom and life-giving oxygen of the open sea. Eventually, a Russian icebreaker arrived and finished opening a path to the sea. Sadly, one of the whales didn't make it, but the other two continued on the path of holes and were released by the icebreaker. Now, whales are intelligent creatures, but did they understand what was really happening above them? I doubt it. Did they understand that when they heard the sound of the chainsaws that they were in the process of being saved from asphyxiation?   I doubt it. In fact, I'd bet that harsh sound scared them at first. Did they understand when they heard the sound of icebreaker's propellers that their rescue was at hand? I doubt it. In fact, it's possible that those noises might have been what scared the 3rd whale away, scaring him literally onto a path of certain death. We'll never know. And even if the whales might have intuitively understood that the people above them were working for their rescue, for their salvation, did the whales participate in any way in that plan? Did they send word to the people above that rescue could be had through chainsaws and icebreakers? Of course not. These whales had to simply depend on what was happening above them. Their life, their rescue was completely from above.

Colossians 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. The whales may not have understood that their rescue was from above them, but Paul encourages us to know and constantly remember that our rescue is from above. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.   Paul has spent the first two chapters of his letter to the Colossians proclaiming to them who Christ is and what He has done for them here on earth and continues to do for them in the heavenly realms above. We've read together many of these words in the past three weeks of Colossians epistle lessons:

1: 13 For he (God) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.   

15 He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God…. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Christ), 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation--

23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

2: 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you (i.e., all of you believers) have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. (I encourage all of you to read the entire book of Colossians. It is short, 4 chapters, about the length of a Reader's Digest article.) Paul goes on to say that we have died with Christ, buried with him in Baptism, then raised with Him in his resurrection, awaiting our own ascension to him on the last day: v.4. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Like the whales of Point Barrow AK, we are often unaware, forgetful, of the rescuing that is going on above us. All the whales could do was take one day at a time, going from one airhole to the next, trusting that something would help them. That is rather like it is for us. We cannot fully understand God's plan, but as living and breathing Christians, renewed and empowered by the Spirit, we can trust him to rescue us. We can follow Him along the path that He gives us. Where we were was certain death. But, in following after Christ, and his rescue of us from the cross, we can set our hearts on things above. By looking to Christ, and his resurrection, we can set our minds on things above.

Centuries ago a Spanish knight by the name of El Cid led his army against aggressive Muslim invaders. This remarkable leader was enormously successful, gaining victory after victory against the odds. His courage and expertise protected the Spanish kingdom from these North African invaders. But alas, El Cid was killed in battle. His generals knew that the knowledge of his death would cause panic among the troops and hearten the enemy. His generals pretended their leader was alive, put his corpse into his armor, tied it to his horse, and strapped a sword into his lifeless hand. The corpse fooled nobody. The Muslims didn't buy it, the Spanish soldiers didn't follow, and the battle was lost. The body of a dead man is a poor leader. The world believes that we follow a dead man. They believe that the stone of Jesus' tomb is still in place. Secular and Muslim governments believe that stone is still in place. Much of the mass media, movies, TV, and popular music believe that stone is still in place. They promote and tempt toward the very lusts and greeds that Paul speaks against in our text.

In the halls of higher education, most believe the stone is still in place. Ask college professors and scientists in public institutions and most will flatly say the stone is still there. As an example, I have a friend who teaches at a public institution who describes herself as a "recovering Catholic," someone who is striving to throw off the Christian upbringing of her youth. Another academic friend of mine once saw my "Lutheran Schools Share Christ" bumper sticker and quickly told me he didn't want me to share Christ with him. I quickly told him that I would not force Christ down his throat, but that I was obligated to tell him that Jesus is alive and wants him to know and follow him.

Even in some institutions that call themselves churches, the stone is still in place. In many modern liberal denominations, so-called pastors try to keep Jesus in the grave by saying things like "Jesus rose in spirit but not in body." They say "As long as we do good, the ideas of Jesus live on." In some liberal seminaries and liberal church governments, the resurrection is questioned and diminished. Not all so-called Christian churches teach the truth of the Gospel. For too many, the stone is still in place. We can thank God that we worship together in a church body that still believes the historical truth of the Bible and its focus on Jesus.

But as Christians we rejoice that we do not depend upon a dead body to save us. Because of a risen Christ, we know that we too have been raised. Our hearts are set on things above. Our presence here in church proclaims that we know that God sent his Son to live and die and live again for us. Our presence here proclaims to the world that we know that the stone has been rolled away. Our presence here proclaims that our minds are on things above, not on earthly things. In a few moments, that heavenly realm will come down to us as our lips touch the mystery of the resurrected body of our Lord from heaven.

A Japanese soldier hid himself in a cave after WWII. He received messages that the war was over, leaflets were dropped from the sky. But he believed, for 28 years, that if he came out he would be executed. He lived in the jungle for 28 years, eating frogs, rats, and mangoes. He wore tree bark as clothing. Then, in 1972, two hunters found him and told him he did not have to hide any longer. They rescued him, brought him back to civilization and eventually a reunion with his family.

The world has received the messages that the war is over, that death is conquered, that Christ Jesus is alive. But for years many of them don't believe the messages. We, like the hunters, have the opportunity to tell them that Christ is alive, He is risen indeed.

We can be like the whales, following the path of salvation cut out for us from above, perhaps leading others with us who are trapped under the iciness of sin. We can continue to set our hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

The grace, peace, rescue and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always. Amen.

Note: The stories for this sermon are indebted to Rev. Kenneth Klaus, published in Concordia Pulpit Resources (1998).