St. Matthias Sermon

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Rest Received; Rest Proclaimed”

Text: Matthew 11:25-30; Acts 1:15-26; Isaiah 66:1-2

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Sometime during the ten days between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and the sending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, these words of Jesus became the words of Matthias - what he preached. For sometime during those ten days, the lot fell to him, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles, taking the place vacated by Judas. 

And so along with Peter, James, and John, Andrew, Philip, and Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddeus, and Simon, Matthias preached this. These words that he had heard from Jesus’ lips, and saw Jesus fulfill. For that was one of the requirements for being placed into this office of apostle: he had to have accompanied the twelve all through Jesus’ public ministry, and be an eye witness of the resurrected Jesus. For apostles provided first hand testimony of what Jesus said, what Jesus did, and who Jesus was. 

At least two fit those requirements, and the lot fell to him.

And so Matthias preached these words of Jesus, and how Jesus fulfilled them. For he had seen it himself, with his own eyes. How Jesus gave rest to people burdened by sin; notorious sinners like prostitutes and tax collectors. Jesus did not avoid them or reject them as the world did; consider them sub-human and not worth His time, effort, or attention - He forgave them. He gave them rest from their life of sin and their never-ending quest to be accepted. He accepted them. He loved them. He took their sin and bore it Himself, all the way to the cross. Yes, come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthias had seen Jesus do that very thing.

But Matthias had seen even more than that. He had seen people burdened by the requirements of the Pharisaical laws that went well above and beyond God’s Word, trying to fulfill them and so win God’s favor. He saw people who struggled under many and various diseases and sicknesses. People possessed and oppressed by demons and unclean spirits. He saw Jews and Gentiles, men and women, young and old, officials and laborers - all coming to Jesus weary, tired, and broken. And Jesus gave them rest. He forgave them, healed them, comforted them, fed them, freed them, loved them. We’ve been hearing about it all this Epiphany season. Matthias saw it with his own two eyes. And now he would be sent to preach it to others - to the world! - as an apostle.

And he had seen this too: Jesus, gentle and lowly in heart. Yes, Jesus spoke and preached with an authority never before seen or heard, but He was not arrogant or condescending. He was with the people and served everyone - even children. He spoke not to impress, but to be understood. When He brought the proud to their knees, it was so He could lift them up. When He took away, it was to provide what was better. Yes, gentle and lowly in heart - Matthias saw it in Jesus. Surely, there could be no better description of Jesus.

Matthias had seen it all. Learned it. He soaked it all in. Like a sponge. For three years he listened and observed. He’d been there from the beginning, perhaps a disciple of John the Baptist who then followed Jesus, once John pointed to Him and said: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)! 

And then this too: the rest Jesus spoke of had been given to Matthias as well, not just to others. Matthias had been forgiven. Matthias had been fed. Matthias had been comforted and freed. Matthias had been given a new life! And so for Matthias, as for the others, it was personal. This good news they proclaimed wasn’t just a teaching or a theory or a doctrine - it was the gift that had been given to them, and the gift they would now proclaim to others.

For now Matthias received the yoke of apostleship. But with this office, this position, he didn’t get a fancy robe or pointy hat - being an apostle meant persecution, arrest, physical abuse, and finally a martyr’s death. Jesus had forewarned them. If they did it to Him, they would do it to those who came after Him (John 15:18-16:4). So I think it reasonable that Matthias did tremble at this Word of God, as Isaiah said today, when the lot fell to him. This was no small thing he was entering upon.

But what happened to him after this day, after this episode, we are not told. Like many of the apostles, we know very little about him, where he went, and where and how he was martyred. Accounts vary. We don’t even know what he did before this. Peter, James, and John were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector. What did Matthias do?

We don’t know. But from this day forward, he would forever be known as this: the apostle that replaced Judas. Judas, the betrayer, would be better known than he. Which is how it often is. Sins make the news more than the good things that happen. They’re juicier.

And so it is still today. When the church makes the news today, sometimes it is for the good that is being done, but more often (and what stays in the news longer) are the sins and scandals, or how the church is out of step with the times. It’s juicier. Everyone knows Judas, but mention Matthias . . . Matthias who?

But the Word of God does its work. Matthias and the others would preach it, would proclaim Jesus and all that He said and did, but the Lord would do the work. The success wasn’t up to them, or how well-known they became. The Lord would do the work through the Word they preached. And it wouldn’t take a college degree to figure it out or understand it. The Father would reveal it even to little children. For, as Jesus said, this is His gracious will. That we all be His children and rest in the work of Jesus for us. His work that provided our forgiveness, accomplished our salvation, and gives life that not even death can end. 

Come to Jesus, Matthias would preach. He would preach Jesus - God in the flesh, God on the cross, God risen from the tomb, God gentle and lowly, who came not to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:28), who came not to burden you but to lift your burdens, who came not to demand from you but to give you rest. And through that Word, many did find rest. Even Matthias. Even when he was martyred. For when you know the one who has defeated death and the grave, not even stones or cross or sword can seprate you from Him and the rest He has for your soul.

And this preaching begun by Matthias and the others continues still today. For you. For you who are burdened and haunted by sins of the present and the past. For you who are heavy laden under the cares and troubles of this world. For you who are stretched thin in a world that never stops demanding and taking. For you who are tempted by satan to disbelieve our Lord and His Word and believe another truth, which is no truth at all. For you who are persecuted and shunned for your faith. For you try to do those things God would have you do, but fall far short. For you who maybe feel more like a Judas than a Matthias. 

For you is this Word preached today: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. That word was for Judas too, but he would not believe it. He thought his sin too great and grievous to be forgiven. But no sin is too great or too grievous. For that is the Son of God for you on the cross. If it were a mere man, then yes, perhaps some sins would be too great. But no sin is greater than the Son of God. And so no sin left unatoned for. No sin still on you who believe in Him. He took them all, died for them, was buried with them, and then rose without them. Left them in the grave. They stayed dead but He didn’t. Matthias saw it with his own two eyes, and so preached it. And through that Word many - including you here today, are receiving that rest - the forgiveness of your sins.

The rest given in Holy Baptism, where your sins die! Where you are buried and raised with Christ to a new life. No longer burdened or condemned by sin, but at rest in His forgiveness. 

It is the rest given you in Holy Absolution, so that you no longer have to worry and be concerned about the Last Day and what will happen to you then. The word you hear now is the word you will hear then: that your sins are forgiven and you are a child of God. 

It is the rest you receive in the Gospel, and the Gospel that is the Divine Service, when you hear that Jesus has come to serve you. That you don’t have to win His favor - He comes to win you with His grace and favor. To provide what you need.

And it is the rest of His Supper. You know, my wife makes dinner for us almost every night - a gift I usually take for granted. And I’m all proud the few times I actually prepare the meal for her! But at this Table, it is your Saviour who feeds you, every week. Every week you come with your sins, your burdens, and your cares, and He says: Sit. Rest. Let me serve you. Let me feed you. And He does, and not just any meal, but the meal of His Body and Blood. And this feast, here, every week, is the feast and rest that will never end. 

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthias heard those words and saw the Saviour who spoke them, and they made all the difference in the world. Today you hear them too, and through them the Father reveals His Son to you. That His forgiveness and rest be yours. No matter who you are or what you have done. Jesus is gentle, kind, caring, for all in need; and He is lowly in heart - so no one too low that He can not, will not, lift up.

The lot fell to Matthias that day, but it is no lot or chance that has brought you here. The Lord has brought you here that you may know His Son. That His Word be preached, and that you hear and believe. That when you die, be it as a martyr like Matthias, in old age as John, or somewhere in between, you die as you lived - in Jesus. Confident that He who rose from the sleep of death will awaken you, too, to life. 

So Arise! Shine! For your light has come (Isaiah 60:1)! Your Epiphany light today shining through Matthias and the twelve and their preaching of the Word, shining the light on the one who has done all things for you. The one who is your rest.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Epiphany 6 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“”Blessed” Is a Statement of Faith”

Text: Luke 6:17-26; Jeremiah 17:5-8;

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

This sermon is a gently reworked encore presentation from yesteryear.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our world tends to judge things in a very easy and straightforward way. Often, a very surface and superficial way.

And so, blessed is the man to whom nothing bad happens. Who attains the desires of his heart, and to whom life is good. Who does not struggle to make ends meet, and who others look up to and want to be like. Not necessarily rich, but comfortable. Not necessarily religious, but kind and generous.

And the opposite, then, is true. Woe to the man to whom bad happens, for whom life is a struggle. For whom the desires of His heart remain far away, who is heaped with one misfortune after another. Who is burdened with sadness and looked upon with pity. Who no one wants to be like.

But it’s not just “the world” that thinks that way. We do it too. For even as I was speaking those words and describing those people, I’m sure you formed a mental picture in your mind of who I was talking about. Of who is blessed, and for whom life is woe. We think we know. We think we can judge such things.

Today Jesus reminds us: not so fast. Or how does the old saying go: don’t judge a book by its cover! Blessings and woes may not be what you think.

Actually, our world sometimes figures this out, even if it’s just for a short time. Like when those who we think are so richly blessed commit suicide or spend their lives in an unending quest for something they cannot obtain. They looked blessed, but have an emptiness they cannot fill. Or, on the other side, when those we think should be sitting in the dust and saying “Woe is me” actually consider themselves blessed – like victims of natural disasters, or those who have lost everything in a fire, or a person in a hospital battling disease.

At such moments, we realize that blessing and woe is more than skin deep . . . is more than what we see . . . is more than what we think. Events such as these – that don’t seem to make sense or fit into our nice, little, well-defined world and how it should be – cause us to re-evaluate. Which is good. Which is what Jesus’ words for us today would have us do as well. Re-orient. Re-evaluate. Re-think. Where is your life? Where are you going? And why?

It’s interesting to think about the scene that day in Galilee, as Jews and Greeks alike had come to hear Jesus and be healed by Him. Jesus lifts up His eyes and sees people in all kinds of conditions and places of life. And He speaks of blessings and woes. But who is blessed? And to whom is woe? Careful (again!) if you think you know! Were the poor and hungry and sad now blessed because they had been healed? Or was Jesus now warning them of the woes that often come to those who think they are blessed? And what about those to whom the woes applied? Were they of all people most to be pitied (1 Cor 15:19)? Or perhaps because they had come out to hear Jesus, did they turn to Him and receive blessing? Recognizing their need, their true poverty, or the life they had spent in a quest for something they could not obtain?

Don’t judge a book by its cover. And don’t judge your life by its cover either. 

And the prophet Jeremiah can help us understand this. Perhaps Jesus had the words of Jeremiah that we heard today in mind when He spoke to the crowd in Galilee that day. He did know His Old Testament pretty well. He spoke it through the prophets, after all! And was quite fond of quoting it. So what does Jeremiah say of blessings and woes?

Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

Or perhaps we could paraphrase it like this: Blessed is the man whose faith lies not in what happens to him, but in what happened to Christ. For such faith is neither captivated nor distressed by the things of this world, and does not judge by that standard. But faith focused on the cross of Christ and what happened to our Saviour there, receives the promises and blessings won by Jesus for us there.

Such faith is like Jeremiah’s tree planted by streams of water – that come times of green and plenty when life is good . . . or times of drought and want when each breath of life is a struggle and strain – is nevertheless well-watered and fed by Christ. The unseen but deep roots of faith connected to Christ strengthening and sustaining. Such a man or woman is truly blessed, though what is seen and on the surface, may seem exactly the opposite.

And you have been so blessed. Don’t think so? Remember, don’t judge a book by its cover! Don’t judge your faith or life by how it feels to you, or what you think it is or should be. And don’t trust what you can or cannot do, or what you have or have not done, or what you have or have not gotten or achieved. Trust the Word of the Lord who says, Blessed in the man whose trust is in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. In what He has done.

The Lord who created you, and then redeemed you, and now sanctifies you. The Lord who became man and entered this wilderness of sin for you, and took your sin upon Himself. The Lord Jesus who then entered death for you, that in His resurrection He might render death powerless. The Lord who did not pull you up by the roots and throw you into the fire because of your sin (as you deserved!), but who puts out the flames in Holy Baptism – His water which gives you the faith you need for this life. The faith that connects you to Him. That drinks of His forgiveness and life. That endures both blessings and woes, strong in Him.

And so “blessed are you” is a statement of faith, not of sight. And therefore a statement of the cross – a statement that cannot be proven or deduced, but can only be believed. But that doesn’t make it weak or uncertain, but in fact, exactly the opposite – that’s what makes it so sure! Because it is rooted and grounded not in anything of this world, which comes and goes and changes so fast - including definitions of what it means to be blessed! - but is instead rooted in the death and resurrection of Christ. The death and resurrection of Christ that has reconciled us to the Father and the Father to us. The death and resurrection of Christ that has given us new life, and provided all that we need.

And so yes, blessed are you who are poor – with nothing to hold onto but Christ! – for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied – filled with Christ’s own body and blood!

Blessed are you who weep now – in repentance – for you shall laugh in the joy of forgiveness forever.

And blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and revile you on account of the Son of Man! When they see Christ in you. Christ your life and salvation. Christ your forgiveness and love. Christ, the firstfruits. Christ, the Tree of Life, who gives life to us trees, that we may live and produce fruit. The fruits of faith and good works. In season and out of season. In plenty and in drought. Not relying on what we see, but trusting in His Word.

So Arise! Shine! For your light has come (Isaiah 60:1)! Your Epiphany light today shining on who is blessed. He is. And He who is blessed says blessed are you. And His Word makes it so. And so it is true. Blessed are you!

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Epiphany 5 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“Fishers of Men Are Preachers of Jesus”

Text: Luke 5:1-11 (Isaiah 6:1-8)

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The last two Sundays we have heard of Jesus preaching. First it was in the synagogue in Nazareth, then the synagogue in Capernaum. Today He is preaching again, but this time is a little different. It is not in a synagogue, but by the Lake of Gennesaret (also known as the Sea of Galilee). It is not a Sabbath but a work day. And He preaches not from a reading table with a scroll of Scripture in front of Him, but today His pulpit is a boat. But the preaching is the same. That doesn’t change. He preaches so that all would repent of themselves and believe in Him. 

After a while, when He finished preaching, Jesus tells Simon to put out again. And not just a little, but to the deep part of the lake, and let down their nets for a catch. Really? They had just finished cleaning their equipment, all Simon wanted to do was go home and go to bed, it was the wrong part of the lake and the wrong part of the day . . . but okay. Because you say so. Anybody else, no way. But for the Jesus who casts out demons, healed his mother-in-law of a fever, turned water into wine, and more . . . you don’t say no to Him.

And of course, you know what happened. They catch more fish than they can handle. The nets are tearing, the boats are sinking, fish are flipping and flopping all around them. There is chaos in the boats. And in the midst of it all, Peter falls down at Jesus’ knees and says: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. And maybe for Peter it wasn’t just sin in general; maybe He had a particular sin in mind. Like not really believing that they were actually going to catch anything. Like thinking that Jesus might be a good preacher, but He’s a really lousy fisherman. Like his anger, perhaps, at having to go out again when he knew they weren’t going to catch anything and all he really wanted to do was go to bed? The weight of all that now crushing him; sinking him more than all those fishes were sinking their boats.

But Jesus doesn’t do it - depart from him. He doesn’t get out of the boat then and there and walk on the water to the shore. Let ‘em sink! Doubters! Ingrates! I hope they choke on the fish bones. No. Instead, He forgives. Do not be afraid, Jesus says to his frightened friends. For not just Simon, but James and John, too, found themselves in the same place. From now on, He says, you will be catching men. They are going to be preachers. The large catch of fish not payment for use of the boat as His pulpit, but lesson number one for Simon, James, and John: do not doubt the power of the Word of God. 

And for the next three years, they would hear the power of that Word, as Jesus taught with authority, drove out demons, and forgave sins. They would see the power of that Word as Jesus tamed creation, quieting storms as easily as we tell a dog to sit and feeding multitudes when they didn’t even have enough food to feed themselves. And then they would witness the fulfillment of that Word when the whipped, pierced, nailed, and bloody corpse of Jesus that had been laid in a tomb, rose from the dead. And didn’t just rise, but rose like new. The holes in His hands and feet and side no longer gory, but glorified. 

So that’s what they would preach. Jesus, and all that He said and all that He did. All that they heard and all that they saw. And you know the first time they did? The first time Peter and the eleven stood up and preached after Jesus died and rose . . . perhaps we could say it was in the wrong place and at the wrong time, just like their fishing that day. For they were in Jerusalem, among the folks who had just forced Pilate’s hand to crucify Jesus not even two months ago. But preach they did. They preached Jesus crucified and resurrected. And if they had been using nets, they certainly would have been tearing and their boats sinking, for about three thousands souls were added to the church that day (Acts 2:41). 

From now on you will be catching men. They are going to be preachers. And here’s the thing: because they did, because they preached, that’s why you’re here today. We could even be a bit stronger with that statement: Jesus chose those fishermen that day because He wanted you to believe. You, some 2,000 years later. You who are sinful men and women. You who also doubt and question and, perhaps, even get angry at God. They preached so that you would believe. Or as Paul would later write in his letter to the Romans (10:14-15): How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? They were sent to preach so that you would know Jesus. So that you would believe.

For after them would come more preachers. Peter had his Mark. Paul had his Timothy and Titus. John had his Polycarp. And after them, more preachers. But it all started with those twelve. Emperors tried to shut them up. They were martyred, exiled, tortured. Governments try to do the same today with persecution and threats. But Jesus wanted Himself and His Word preached, and so preached it was, and preached it will be. And as Jesus told those same 12 disciples who were following Him, listening to Him, and watching Him: the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). His Word that catches fish and catches men is more powerful than all.

And what is preached now is the same as what was preached then: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus as the crucified and risen one who has power over sin and death and the grave. That is what we need to hear. That is the message that makes all the difference in the world. 

And who it is preached by now is the same as who it was preached by then: sinners. Peter felt the weight of his sin. Isaiah did, too, as we heard in the Old Testament reading. Paul called himself the chief of sinners, and he wasn’t humble-bragging - he meant it. For it is not those who do not need forgiveness, but those who need it most of all, who are chosen to preach it. Which may seem backward and a bit off. But so did putting out into the deep in the heat of the day. For the power is not in the preacher, but in the Word that is preached. In the Word that says: Do not be afraid. I am not departing from you. I will not leave you to choke on your sins or sink into death. I forgive you. 

You know, those are pretty astounding words! Words that maybe because we hear them every week we don’t appreciate them as much as we should. As much as Isaiah did that day when he had his vision. As much as Peter did that day in the boat. But that makes them no less true. For think about it - each week we come here and confess before the God of all, the Creator, the King of the universe, the Judge, the Almighty, that we have lived as if He did not matter, and as if I mattered most. We confess what we have done wrong (again!), what we failed to do right (again!), and that because of all this, we deserve to be placed under punishment now and punishment that won’t even end after we die! That’s pretty bold. Usually, when we know we’ve done something wrong, we deny it, we lie about it, we run away and hide, or try to hide the wrong - like Adam and Eve did; like little kids often do. 

But not here. Here we confess. Because we’ve heard the preaching of Jesus. Because we have heard that He does not give up on us. He’s too sinful. She’s beyond hope. Go to hell. No. Instead He says I forgive you all your sins. Again. Yes, there is always more forgiveness than you have sin. For the blood shed for you and your forgiveness is the blood of God, and so it’s power will never run out. And Jesus wants you to know that. And so He sends preachers to preach it. To fill your ears with it. And to fill your mouths with it. The same Body and Blood that died and rose for you, feeding you now with the forgiveness and life you need.

I’m sure there were times when Peter and the others didn’t feel like preaching. When it seemed as if they had preached all night and caught nothing. When, even though Jesus didn’t give up on them, they gave up on themselves. Maybe you too. But at just such times, they could remember what happened that day on the Lake of Gennesaret, and remind themselves not to doubt or underestimate the power of the Word of God. For it wasn’t because of anything they did. It was all Jesus. All His Word. All His authority.

And that Word has now caught you. You are here not because of anything you did - not really. It was all Jesus. All His Word. All His authority. His preaching to you, His forgiveness for you, His life for you. 

And while Jesus may not have called you to be a fisher of men, a preacher, He has called you to your place in life as a father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, worker, student, friend, and neighbor. And the Word of God that you have received you take into those places - whether you realize it or not. And it makes a difference. For them, for you. And especially when you give what you yourself need most of all: forgiveness. For still today there are those who think God should depart from them. Who think themselves unworthy and too sinful. And when you speak forgiveness, when you live forgiveness . . . that’s powerful stuff. Even if you’re in the deep in the heat of the day. Don’t doubt of underestimate the power of God’s Word. For others, or for you.

So Arise, shine, for your light has come (Isaiah 60:1)! Yes, your Epiphany light today is the light that preachers shine on Jesus. The light of His love and forgiveness, the light of His joy and life, that has lit up you and lights up the world.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Epiphany 4 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“The Devil’s Devil”

Text: Luke 4:31-44; 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:13;

Jeremiah 1:4-10

I titled this sermon “The Devil’s Devil” for that is how Martin Luther once taught Christ - that He bedevils the one who bedevils us. That Jesus is the Law’s Law, death’s death, the devil’s devil. And that is what I tried to teach in this sermon, using the example of the blue lights of the policeman. Jesus has come to overcome all that tries to overcome us.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

A number of years ago I was driving home from a Wednesday night Bible Study. It was probably 9 o’clock or so, and I was pretty tired from a long day. I just wanted to get home and go to bed. I was almost home as I approached one of the last couple of intersections that stood between me and my pillow, and the light turned yellow . . . At a moment like that, you have a split second to decide what to do. I could hit the brakes and wait through a light that would seem to take forever. Or, I could go just a teensy bit faster and try to make it through. So with visions of a soft pillow, a warm blanket, and blissful sleep, I chose the second option. And, of course, you know what happened. I probably wasn’t even all the way through the intersection when I saw the blue lights come on. I had to pull over. My bed would have to wait . . .

Well long before that evening, the blue lights went on in a city of Galilee, named Capernaum. Jesus was teaching in the synagogue one Sabbath, which as we heard last week also, was a common practice of His. But this particular Sabbath was different, as while Jesus was teaching, an unclean demon interrupted Him and cried out: Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God. To this demon, the appearance of Jesus was like the light turning yellow. Before this, the light had been green. He possessed this man and was cruising right along, full speed ahead. But now things were different. Could it continue on, continue possessing this man, or would it be forced to stop? 

Well, it didn’t take long for the answer to come. The blue lights came on. Jesus pulled the unclean demon over and told it: Be silent and come out of him! And just like me that night, the demon had to obey. His nice, cozy home in this man would be no more.

But it wasn’t just that. It was also the fever that had a hold on Simon’s mother-in-law. It was also many and various diseases that afflicted the sick who were brought to Him. It was the sin and guilt that oppressed all in the other towns of that region, where Jesus went and preached the good news to them. Wherever He went, the blue lights came on, and the demons, the fevers, the diseases and sicknesses, the sin and guilt - all of it, was forced to stop. Here was one who had authority over them. And they had to obey.

And the people were astonished. Not at the presence of an authority figure - we all have those. People who have the authority to tell us what to do. The police, the government, judges; the principal and teachers at your school; your boss at work, your parents at home.

The people in Capernaum knew that, too. But this was something different than what they were used to. For that day, it wasn’t them getting pulled over, it was the guy who blew past you on the Beltway doing crazy speeds, pulled over. It was the bully or cheater at school who got called down to the principal’s office. It was the guy at work who always skates by and takes credit for other people’s work that got the pink slip. This was a great day for them, for finally, here was the relief they needed. Here was one on their side! Here was the one with authority over what was possessing, oppressing, and afflicting them, and who was using that authority to help them, protect them, rescue them, and save them.

It was authority with love.

We’re not used to thinking that those two things go together - authority and love. Maybe that’s because for us, in a sinful world, they so often don’t. Authority is used unfairly or for selfish reasons. It is used abitrarily and not the same for all. It is exercised harshly. Or maybe to phrase it using Paul’s words today: If I have authority and have not love, I am just a pounding hammer. I gain nothing.

But authority with love, that’s something they were not used to. Yes, sometimes the blue lights went on for them - and us! - when the Law is preached and we are forced to pull over and repent - but even then it is in order to love, to forgive. So that they wouldn’t be punished, so we won’t be condemned. For that is, in fact, what Jesus had come to do. To save. And so the one with all authority, with authority the likes of which had never been seen before, uses that authority not over others, but over what is harassing us; what is hurting us. He serves those under His authority. He lays down His life for those under His authority. And so the people were astonished. And Paul said: That, that right there, is the more excellent way.

Because it is the way of God. The one who is love and loves perfectly. Who loves you perfectly. Even when you are unloveable. For frankly, none of us is . . . loveable. But as Paul said when he wrote to the Christians at Rome (5:8): God showed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, - while we were still quite ugly, rebellious, out of order, and unloveable - Christ died for us. And already that day in Caprnaum, Jesus is showing that love that will take Him to the cross. 

And that’s His love for you, here today, as well. His authority here for you. For whatever demons are oppressing you, whatever the skeletons in your closets or the monsters under your bed, He has come to turn on His blue lights and drive them out with His love. Whatever sins are weighing heavy on you, burdening you, and giving your conscience no rest, He has come to light them up and drive them out with His forgiveness. And whatever weakness and doubts are causing you worry and fear, those too, He has come to overcome with the good news that the kingdom of God is here for you. That you be captive to these things no more. 

And so He has planted His cross firmly into your heart and life and marked you with it. Not to oppress you, but to save you. That His death and resurrection be your death and resurrection to a new life. So the enemy cannot have you. For you belong to Him. To the King. To your Saviour, who in love put His Name on you when you were baptized, and He isn’t taking it back. That’s His authority for you. Authority with love.

That changes things a bit, doesn’t it? Jesus blue lighting the things that are trying to blue light us! Jesus’ amazing, astonishing love, and that by laying down His life in death, He now has authority over life and death. An authority He will use on the Last Day, when He speaks not to demons, diseases, or sicknesses, but when the blue lights go on for death and the grave, and even they are forced to pull over and give you up in the resurrection, to live with Him forever.

We heard God give authority today to Jeremiah, to be His prophet, to speak for Him. He told Jeremiah that I have put my words in your mouth. And with those words, Jeremiah will pluck up and break down kingdoms. He will destroy and overthrow. He will build and plant. Jeremiah. How could Jeremiah do anything like that? Well, he couldn’t. But the Word of God can. The Word of God that has authority. So Jeremiah would speak, and the blue lights would come on for kingdoms, nations, and kings.

And God gives that authority today, as pastors blue light sins, speaking in the stead and by the command of Jesus. His words, His authority, His forgiveness. As husbands lay down their lives for their wives, blue lighting fear and need with the love and care of Jesus. And all Christians - no matter how young or new to this you are, for as God told Jeremiah, Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’ - all Christians, as our Lord’s priesthood of the baptized, blue light sin with forgiveness, strife with peace, hatred with love, falsehood with truth, sadness with joy, betrayal with faithfulness, loneliness with our presence, harshness with gentleness, and more. Whatever the need, whatever the trouble, Christ has authorized you to turn on the blue lights and drive it out with His love. And you do. I’ve seen you. It really is the more excellent way, is it not?

And then God said this to Jeremiah, too: Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you. Words similar to those at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus tells His disciples-now-apostles, followers-now-sent-ones: I am with you always. For living a life of love can be a bit frightening. Opening yourself up for others, laying down your life for them, in a world eager to take advantage of such people. And so sometimes we don’t, and so need to repent of this, too. 

But the Lord is with you. He has given you His Spirit. In fact, the Lord has touched your mouth, too, as He did Jeremiah, and into your mouth has put His word - His Word made flesh! The once-crucified-but-now-risen Body and Blood. The same Body and Blood that blue lighted demons, diseases, and sin in Capernaum, to blue light whatever is oppressing you, to bless and keep and serve you, and to strengthen you to now do the same for others. To love.

I was lucky. The policeman who blue lighted me that night let me off without a ticket. Sin, death, and the devil will not get off so easy. Jesus has come to forgive your sins and give you life, which means that sin, death, and the devil must be abolished. And when the Lord comes again, they will be. And you’ll get home. Not to a soft pillow, a warm blanket, and blissful sleep, but to the glory of the Lord and the presence of the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. And then, as Paul said, faith and hope will no longer be needed, for we will see what we now believe in and hope for. But the greatest of these, love, will remain. For God is love (1 John 4:16). And we will abide with Him, and in His love, forever.

So Arise, shine, for your light has come (Isaiah 60:1)!
Today, a blue Epiphany light, for you.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.