Althea Kekker Funeral Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“A Life Worth Celebrating: Jesus’ ”

Text: Isaiah 43:1-3; Revelation 12:7-12; Luke 23:33-43

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

It has become fashionable these days to call what we are doing here today not a funeral, but a celebration of life. And by that it is meant a life well-lived but now ended.

Christian funerals are not that. We can call this a celebration of life, and maybe we should. But in this sense: this is a celebration of a life which has not ended, but that goes on. And will go on forever. Because while we remember Althea today, we celebrate Christ and His life. And especially His life given for us on the cross, that by His death and resurrection the enemy named death which stalks us all is vanquished. 

Last Tuesday, in the wee hours of the morning, it looked like Althea had been vanquished. That death had won. Again. Her body had finally given in. It could take no more. But while that’s what it looked like, the reality was actually quite different. For death is not the end for those who live in Jesus. 

For the fight for Althea’s life had actually been finished a long time ago. And not in a bed on the second floor of Silverado in Alexandria, but on a hill called Calvary. Or as we heard today, the place that was called The Skull. The fight taken up by Jesus not for His own life, but for Althea’s, for yours, for mine, for every person. So that we, who like those criminals crucified with Him are under a sentence of condemnation, might instead of condemnation hear these words: Father, forgive them, and, Today, you will be with me in Paradise. That “today” for Althea was last Tuesday. 

And that “today” for her will now never end. Because there is now nothing to condemn Althea. All her sins that would have condemned her were taken by her Saviour Jesus. He put them on His shoulders and was condemned for them in her place. So what charge can now be brought against Althea? Nothing. Her sins forgiven, her death vanquished, there is now for her only life. Life eternal.

Of course, satan doesn’t want you to know that, or remember it, or worst of all believe it. The one who was cast out of heaven and down to the earth, full of wrath, will do his best to pull you away from that life. He’ll show you your sins, remind you of your sins, magnify your sins, condemn you for your sins. He’ll show you death and all the ugliness of death and the strength of death and the enormity of death and the finality of death. And he’ll show you weak, puny little you. Loser you. Unworthy you. Lost you. Celebrate the past, he’ll say, ‘cause that’s all you have. 

But he’s wrong. Because as Isaiah told us today, when you pass through the waters, when you walk through the fire, you will not be overwhelmed, you will not be burned, because you are not alone. The Holy One of Israel, your Saviour, is with you. And it is His strength, not yours, that will see you through. His victory, not yours, that will win. His victory given to Althea on November 26, 1920 when she was baptized into Christ. On that day, and ever since that day, she had all the promises of God, all the strength of her Saviour, all His forgiveness and life. So that 99 years, one month, and 25 days later, at 2:38 in the morning, she would die a blessed death and enter into life with her Lord Jesus.

That’s something worth celebrating! A life worth celebrating. Not a life now done, but a life just beginning. 

A life that I know Althea was looking forward to. Especially for the past seven years she had to live without her dear Michael. The service that we’re using today, the readings and hymns, are the exact same as for him. She wanted it to be so. If she were here today, she might not remember that, but she would be pleased.

Another thing that would please her is that I’m not really talking about her very much - what she did, her life and accomplishments. She didn’t really like attention. I found that out a little over 9 years ago when her and Mike’s 60th wedding anniversary was coming up. I thought: Wow! 60 years! That’s something worth celebrating. And I wanted to have a special reception and celebration for them after church that Sunday. But Mike and Althea told me: if you’re going to do that, we’re not coming to church that Sunday. So I relented.

But I think Althea will be okay with receiving the crown of life from her Saviour. 

Her body soon will be laid to rest, to await the day of the resurrection of all flesh. That day when there will be no more broken hips, no more broken memories - just the day when all the promises of God to her will be finally and fully fulfilled. One of her favorite hymns was Crown Him with Many Crowns. But on that day, she’ll be the one receiving the crown of life. From Jesus. The Jesus she is even now with. The Jesus she will be with forever. 

I am grateful that just a couple of days before Althea fell and broke her hip and entered her last days, I was able to visit with her and have the Lord’s Supper with her. We sat at one of the little tables in the art area near her room by ourselves. But we were not by ourselves. For where the Body and Blood of Jesus are, there are the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. Even there, in a memory care. The same angels who came for Althea and carried her home on Tuesday morning.

That’s the life we celebrate this day. The life of Christ poured out upon Althea in Holy Baptism, put into Althea in Holy Communion, and strengthened in Althea in Holy Absolution - the life Althea now enjoys. Her Saviour’s gift to her. 

And maybe one final thought . . . Michael and I would sometimes joke about the different mansions there would be in heaven - the Lutheran mansion, the Anglican mansion, and such, and what they would be like. I’m sure Althea saw a lot of mansions in her travels to England and Scotland over the years. But the one she will now have surpasses them all. A mansion, in fact, I’m sure, even greater than her beloved Downton Abbey.

Thank You Jesus, for such great and precious promises. Thank You for Your life given for us. Thank You for Your life given to us. And thank You for the life You gave to Althea, for the blessing she was to us and to so many, and for the eternal life she has now begun. Keep us all strong in this same faith, that when our Saviour comes again in glory, we see Him - and Althea, again - face-to-face.

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

Commemoration of St. Titus Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“It’s All About Jesus”

Text: Acts 20:28-35; Titus 1:1-9; Luke 10:1-9

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

Most of the people we hear about in the readings today . . . we don’t know who they are. They’re nameless men. 

In the reading from Acts, Paul is speaking to the pastors of Ephesus. Instructing them, encouraging them. But who they are, we do not know. They’re nameless preachers.

In the reading from Titus, of course we hear Titus’ name, and Paul is writing to him, but we don’t know much about this Titus. And who are these men that he then appoints as pastors in every town? We don’t know. They’re nameless preachers.

And then in the reading from Luke, Jesus sends 72 disciples ahead of him, to preach, to proclaim peace. Who are they, these nameless preachers? Even his original twelve - we know their names but very little else about them.

It’s interesting, isn’t it? And it teaches us something. That it’s not about the preacher, it’s about what is preached. Or at least, it should be. It’s not like sports with stars and superstars. The man isn’t important. The man shouldn’t be the focus. The one he preaches is. Everything about Christ. Everything about His gifts. 

When it’s not, when the preacher becomes the focus, that’s when things go wrong. When you hear about a preacher today, it is usually because something has gone wrong. Think about Peter. We mostly know not of his successes but his failures. And today, when a preacher makes the news, maybe it’s because he was no longer above reproach. Or maybe he was no longer the husband of one wife; or he was arrogant, quick-tempered, a drunkard, violent, or greedy for gain; or he no longer held firm to the Word and preached it. And when that happens, the message is lost. Everything is about him. Everything about his fall.

That’s why your pastor and the assistant wear robes. To cover us up. Which pastor is up here, which assistant, doesn’t matter. Or at least, it shouldn’t. What matters is the Word. Everything about Christ. Everything about His gifts. He’s the star.

The pastor is just a mouth, and hands. A mouth and hands put here by God to preach. That what the stole I wear means. It’s not just decoration. I’m under orders to do this. It’s supposed to represent a yoke - like a yoke that used to lie across the shoulders of a team of oxen, so the farmer could tell them where to go, where to plow. Pastors are not free, to plow where they want, to say what they want, to do what they want. They are put, called and ordained. To preach Christ. Everything about Christ. Everything about His gifts.

Isaiah said, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news (Isaiah 52:7). Feet. That’s humbling. Not beautiful face or hair or clothes. Feet. Feet aren’t beautiful. Only when they preach Christ. When they bring good news.

So Jesus sends seventy-two out, two by two. He tells them where to go, what to say, what to do. But it all boils down to this: the kingdom of God has come near to you. That’s what it’s about. Not which pair did the best, got the greatest results. Not who they were. But that through the Word they spoke, the kingdom of God was there. And the kingdom of God is here.

Not much of a kingdom, huh? Or is it? 

In the reading from Acts, Paul told the Ephesian pastors he was giving his farewell sermon to that fierce wolves would attack the flock. Jesus too, when sending out His seventy-two, sent them out as lambs in the midst of wolves. And even for Titus, on the island of Crete, it says just after the verses we heard today that Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons (Titus 1:12). And that’s what they were saying about themselves! 

And that’s the world we live in, isn’t it? A world which crucifies the one sent to save it. A world which murders tens of millions of babies every year. A dog-eat-dog world that chews up and spits out whoever gets in our way. A world which devours reputations with twisted words and half-truths. And a world where these wolves are even in sheep’s clothing - that is, are even in the church. And maybe even sometimes looks like you. 

Yet out into such a wolfly world Jesus sends mouths without fangs, mouths to speak the truth, mouths to forgive, mouths to speak peace, mouths to give life - mouths to preach Him. Everything about Jesus. Everything about His gifts and His kingdom. A kingdom where the lamb battles the wolf, and the lamb wins!

Oh, it didn’t look like it at first. The lamb was hanging dead on a cross and then His cold, lifeless body was laid in a tomb. That’s what it looked like. And now the wolf was coming after them. So they locked the doors and barred the windows, that night when the kingdom of God seemed not near, but very, very far away.

But just when things were at their darkest and bleakest, the disciples found out the the kingdom of God was indeed near them! In fact, He was in that very same room. The locked doors, the barred windows, the sealed tomb, no obstacle for Him. And the same peace He had sent them to proclaim earlier He now speaks to them. For the satanic wolf didn’t win. He did. He had to enter the belly of the beast in order to provide a way out for us. And as Jesus stood there, alive, victorious, risen from the dead, He spoke of the way out. That the way out of the belly of the beast wasn’t with might or power or sword, but with His Word of peace and forgiveness. If you try to fight the wolf with your own might or power or sword, with your own person or words or looks, with your own ideas or thoughts or name, you’re done for. Only one name matters to the wolf, and it’s not yours. 

But where Jesus is preached, where His gifts are given, where there is Christ crucified, there is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God in the midst of a wolfly world. A little oasis, a refuge, a hospital. A place of forgiveness and life. A place of healing for the soul and rest for the weary. A place for you to be washed, baptized, in the name of the Lamb. A place where the only devouring is when the Lamb puts His Body into your mouth and pours His blood over your lips. By the hands and mouth that He has put here to do it. Who he is doesn’t matter. Or at least, it shouldn’t. Everything about Jesus. Everything about His gifts. Everything about His life. For you.

For as Paul told those Ephesian pastors, it is more blessed to give than to receive. So the blessed one is here to give to you, not to receive from you. To give Himself to you, that you might have all that you need in this wolfly world. And that you yourself, now so blessed, might do the same. Give. Not to make a name for yourself, but in His name. And where He has put you. In your families, in your workplaces, in your schools, in your communities. Wherever He has put your mouth and hands and feet. To be His Christians, His little Christs, in a world that needs what you have to give. What is given to you here by the pastors God puts here for you.

So . . . what about Titus? It’s his day after all, and I haven’t been talking much about him. Or have I? Maybe I’ve only mentioned his name once or twice, but his mouth, his hands, his feet - they’ve been here. His message and preaching, too. And after all, that’s what made Titus who he was. Same as Paul, the seventy-two, the Ephesian pastors, pastors today and over the centuries, and you. Everything about Jesus. Everything about His gifts. For where His Word is preached in its truth and purity, and where His gifts are given as He gave them, there is He, and there is His kingdom. There is His forgiveness and there is His peace. There is His healing and there is His life. 

And that’s not just in a church, but in a hospital room, in a nursing home, around a family dinner table, in a coffee shop with a hurting friend. Wherever mouths speak the Word of the Lord, there the kingdom of God is coming near. For there is the Jesus who comes to the lost and frightened and hurting and helpless and hopeless. The blessed one who gives hope, that we might be so blessed.

And in this wolfly world, that need is great. The harvest is plentiful, Jesus said, but the laborers are few. Over the years the Lord has taken some laborers from here and put them in other places. Maybe there will be more. If so, how blessed we are to be able to give in this way. But still we’ll pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. More laborers. For the need is great. That all hear the good news. That all know there is hope. That all know that the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, not to demand but to save. That all know that the kingdom of God has come near to them. With His forgiveness and life. 

And that you know it, is why I’m here. Just a mouth and hands and feet. To speak, to give. That here, everything be about Christ. Everything about His gifts, His forgiveness, His life. For you.

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

Epiphany 2 / Sanctity of Life Sunday Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“A Message of Love”

Text: Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42a

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

God loves you. That’s the message of this Sanctity of Life Sunday. It’s really the same message as every other Sunday of the year. And yet, on this Sunday, it’s a bit different, too. A little more important to say. And to say a bit louder and a bit more boldly.

We just sang of this love: 

The only Son from heaven,

Foretold by ancient seers,

By God the Father given,

In human form appears.

No sphere His light confining,

No star so brightly shining

As He, our Morning Star. (LSB #402, v. 1)

What light is that? The light of His love. The love of the Father to send His Son. The love of the Son to go to the cross and die for the sin of the world. The love Isaiah, too, spoke of, when he prophesied of the still-coming Jesus:

I will make you as a light for the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

To shine the light of God’s love to all nations; to the ends of the earth.

But what does the ends of the earth mean? Pole to pole? Sea to shining sea? All seven continents? Yes. But you’re thinking too big. You need to think smaller.

That my salvation, that the light of my love, God says, may reach from womb to tomb. From the big house to the poor house. From homes gilded with gold to those made of cardboard. From first world to third world. To winners and losers. To wanted and unwanted. Married, single, divorced, widowed. Big families, no families, broken families, blended families. Literate and illiterate. Educated and not educated. God loves you. 

Do you think that way? Do you act that way?

If you ask people who their favorite team or favorite athlete is, most folks don’t usually pick the team that finished last, or the guy who sits on the bench and doesn’t play much. They pick the winners, the stars, the MVPs and the GOATs - not the you-lost-us-the game kind of “goats,” but the Greatest Of All Time “goats.” That’s who the world loves.

Do you think that way? Do you act that way?

Think about who Jesus picked to be His disciples. The guys who fish all night and catch nothing. Those are the folks who today shoot the air balls, miss the penalty kicks, fall off the beam, and drop the pass. Folks who sit so far down the end of the bench that no one even knows their names! To them, Jesus said, follow me.

Do you think that way? Do you act that way?

Statistics say the world does not. And like it or not, the world is a powerful catechist. Even to us. About who is worth something and who is not. Who is important and who is not. And the messages we are bombarded with every day are bound to influence us and our thinking. Making our message this Sanctity of Life Sunday even more important.

For the world continues to snuff out life. Life it thinks is not important or of any worth. It was reported that abortion was the leading cause of death worldwide last year, accounting for approximately 42 million, or 42% of all deaths. But then add to that number all the mercy killing, assisted suicide, genocide, murder, war, neglect, abuse. Seems like a whole lotta things considered more important than life - my life or my neighbor’s life. 

But the truth is, that after all those other things that seem more important go away, your life and your neighbor’s life is the only thing that’s not. That will go on living. 

And so Jesus comes into this world of death with His life. Teaching us and showing us that God loves you. No matter who you are.

Many today will tell you that whatever that is growing inside a woman is not a baby, not a person, not a life. But Jesus says: that baby is worth my life.

Many today will tell you that handicapped persons are not fully human, so not worth as much. But Jesus says: that person is worth my life.

Many today will tell you that the elderly, the suffering, the dying, are not worth keeping around. But Jesus says: that person is worth my life.

Can we learn to see others that way? Do you think that would change us? 

That’s why Paul could thank God for the Corinthians, as we heard today. Otherwise, he certainly wouldn’t have! They were a mess. There were so many problems in that church. And yet Paul saw something else in them. People worth the life of Jesus. And so worth his life.

Can we learn to see others that way? Do you think that would change us? 

How do you look at others? Even in here? Do we see them this way, or judge them some other way? Think them not worth as much . . . of our love, our time, our energy, our effort, our forgiveness?

And so Jesus not only came into this world of death with His life, He comes into this world of sin with His forgiveness. Teaching us and showing us that God loves you. No matter what you have done, where you have fallen, how much you have failed. Jesus says: you are worth my life.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

That’s how John put it. For Jesus didn’t just come to live with sinners, He became one. He didn’t just live with those despised and abhorred, He became that, according to Isaiah. Sometimes people go out and sleep in a box and go hungry one night to see what that’s like, to be homeless - and that’s fine. But don’t think that’s what Jesus did. He did much more than that for you. He became that. He became you. And died for you. That you know His love and have His life.

And He stayed. That’s what His first disciples wanted to know. In the reading from John they asked Jesus, where are you staying? Because He was. He wasn’t just dropping in or dropping by for a short time. He came to stay. Even after His death, resurrection, and ascension. For Jesus told those same disciples: I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). And so Jesus’ love and light is to the ends of the earth and to the end of the age. 

So where is He staying today? You know. In His Word and Sacraments. Here is His love and forgiveness for you and for all. His Baptism saying: you are worth My life; I want you as My child. His Absolution saying: you are worth My life; I forgive all that you have done, all the places you have fallen, everywhere you have failed. And His Supper saying: you are worth My life; My life I give to you in My Body and Blood. Take and eat and live. Because your life is important to Me, is holy to Me, is worth everything I have.

You may not think of yourself that way, or others that way, and yet . . . that’s what Isaiah wants you to know. That’s what Paul wants you to know. That’s what John wants you to know. That it’s true. God loves you. Jesus died for you. And for all people. Even those who today take life. And advocate for the taking of life. 

Can we learn to see ourselves that way? And see others that way? Do you think that would change us? 

And if others despise us and abhor us for that - for speaking up for life, for trying to put an end to abortion, for babies, for the disabled, for the elderly, for the suffering, for the dying, for trying to put an end to mercy killing and assisted suicide, for sinners big and small, for young and old, for wanted and unwanted, for trying to speak for the sanctity and worth of every life - if people despise us and abhor us for that . . . well, we’re in good company. So was Jesus. But He came for all and stayed for all, is for all and wants all. To the ends of the earth and to the end of the ages.

And so the message of the church on this Sanctity of Life Sunday, and every Sunday, is God loves you. And today maybe we say it a bit louder and a bit more boldly. 

And today we pray that not only may we say God loves you, but that we say this too: and so do we. Lord, stay with us and give us - and all the world - such love. The love you have for us. For all people. For all life.

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

Baptism of Our Lord Sermon

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“To Fulfill All Righteousness”

Text: Matthew 3:13-17; Romans 6:1-11

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

He looked just like them. Like all the other Tom, Dick, and Harrys - or back then it would have been all the other Thomas, Reuben, and Simeons - going out to be baptized by this John in the Jordan. He walked like them, talked like them, and dressed like them. He was one of them. Like all of them. So they didn’t take too much notice of Him . . .

But then His turn came for the baptism. John . . . he seemed reluctant. He didn’t act the same as he did with all the others. They were too far away to hear what he was saying, but finally he did baptize this Yoshua ben Nazaret - Jesus of Nazareth. Just another baptism . . . until it wasn’t. For then it seemed like the sky, the heavens, were being torn open. They’d never seen anything like it! And then a sound like thunder, only louder, and almost voice-like. And then a dove landed on Him. It seemed almost like heaven was reaching down to earth, right there, right then, on Him!

Because it was. That’s exactly what baptism is. The joining of heaven and earth. Heaven reaching down to earth. You don’t need a ouija board or tarot cards or some other kind of fortune teller to get in contact with the spiritual world - all you need is water and the Word of God. And then, right there, in that water, is the portal of heaven. Where heaven meets earth. Where God meets man. And where God forgives man. 

That’s exactly what baptism is, and what happened in your baptism. For while you can’t see it here, in Jesus’ baptism the invisible becomes visible. It shows us what cannot be seen. That in baptism, the Spirit descends and the Father is well-pleased with you. Well-pleased, for you are now His child. Taken by Him. Born again, born from above, to a new life.

That’s what St. Paul said. Jesus was baptized like us and we are baptized into Him. We die with Him and we rise with Him. And so our sins die with Him and we rise to a new life with Him. You look like every other Tom, Dick, and Harriet - but you’re not. Not anymore. When you were baptized, what happened to Jesus happened to you. And now heaven, which had been shut by Adam and his sin, is open again. For you. 

But all that deserves a bit more explanation. Paul assumes we know it - do you not know? he says. Like we should. But many don’t. Many don’t think so highly of baptism. Many don’t know that baptism is not something that we do for God, but what God is doing for us, and to us. 

And it all starts with that conversation between Jesus and John. John was right, that he needed to be baptized by Jesus, as we all do. But Jesus was right, too, that He needed to be baptized by John in order to fulfill all righteousness. So Jesus is not just being a teacher or an example here, as so many - even non-Christians - will say and acknowledge today. There’s something else going on here, this fulfilling all righteousness. 

Now, both Old and New Testaments are clear on this: on our own, righteous is something we want to be and should be and try to be, but that we are not and cannot be (Psalms 14 and 53; Romans 3:9). Our sin too often gets the better of us. Sinful thoughts and desires which then blossom into sinful words and deeds. We try to make excuses for them, justify ourselves, make up for them. But the damage is done. Our righteousness gone. And all this on a daily basis. 

But Jesus can be what we cannot be. And is. He is the righteous one (Isaiah 53:11; Acts 3:14). But here, He is fulfilling ALL righteousness. Not just His, not just some, but ALL. Yours, mine, the whole world’s. He is filling it up, filling it to the brim, so that there couldn’t possibly be any more. What Jesus is doing here, and in His whole life, He is doing for this. For you and me. To fill up our righteousness. That we be and have the righteousness we need.

That’s why Jesus shows up with this mass of sinners at the Jordan. He didn’t put Himself above us or separate Himself from us. He didn’t avoid us and our sin. He puts Himself right down in it with us and stands with us. He says: John, treat me just like them. Treat me like a sinner, because that’s what He came to be. That’s what Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians: He who knew no sin became sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

So Jesus is born as a man. He grows up with us, like us. He is baptized like us. It’s like . . . like He wants to BE us, so that we can be HIM. So that we can be children of God. In fact, so much does He become us that He doesn’t only live as one of us, He then dies our death, too. And it’s not just His death - it really is OUR death. To fulfill ALL righteousness, He dies all our deaths. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and so to pay ALL those wages for ALL people and fulfill ALL righteousness, He takes ALL our sins and dies ALL our deaths. And His baptism is the start of it. In His baptism, He who knew no sin became sin. It was as if all those sins that were being washed off all those sinners were being washed onto Him! That when Jesus was baptized, all that we are and do, became His. His responsibility.

But, Paul tells us today, if that’s true, the opposite is too! That when YOU were baptized, all that Jesus is and does became yours. In baptism, he says, you die with Christ. But you also rise with Christ. You live with Christ. You have been set free from your sin. You are forgiven. You are righteous. Jesus became like you, and now you become like Him. He grew up with us, and now we grow together with Him. And when you die, physically, that’s not going to be the end for you either. Christ didn’t stay dead, and so neither will you.

So John’s baptism, Jesus’ baptism, and your baptism - they’re all different, but they all go together. You can’t understand one without the others. Without all three, you only have part of the picture. John’s baptism pointed to the Saviour. Your baptism gives you the Saviour. And Jesus’ baptism connects the two. Or maybe better to say, fulfills the two. After Jesus fulfilled all righteousness with His death and resurrection, John’s baptism was no longer needed. Now, there would be a new one. A new one that not only points to Jesus, but gives Jesus. And His Spirit. And His righteousness. And His forgiveness. And His sonship. And His heaven. And His life.

That’s why Jesus then commissions His disciples and tells them to go and baptize all nations - not as John did, but in this new way: in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Because that’s who was there at Jesus’ baptism. The Son in the water, the voice of the Father from heaven, and the Spirit descending in the form of a dove from the Father and landing on the Son. And that’s who’s there at your baptism, too. The Son baptizing you, the Spirit descending on you, and the Father calling you His child. And what God says is, IS! And so you are His child. A righteous one. An heir of heaven.

But just as John’s baptism was a single event that had a lasting effect - Jesus’ baptism by John led to His death on the cross - so, too, is your baptism. It is a single event that has a lasting effect. Your baptism leads to a new life here, and an eternal life in heaven. So that each morning, when you rise from sleep, you rise to live not the same old sinful life as before - but the new life you’ve been given. In Christ. You living in Christ and Christ living in you. Each morning, saying I am baptized! Because that’s who you now are. 

Because Paul knew that all his talk of how great baptism is and all that Christ has done for you would be misunderstood and misused. And so to nip that in the bud he says: What? Are you going to continue with all your old sins because you can just come back here and be forgiven? Is that what you think this is all about? No! That’s not it at all! That’s not who you are anymore. That’s like . . . well, that’s like John’s baptism never left. But you, you weren’t baptized by John - you were baptized by Jesus. And you’re not just forgiven your sin, you died to sin. And you were given not just a new lease on your old life - you were given a NEW life to live. A Christ life. So all that sin? Stop it! Don’t take back those sins Jesus already died for. You really don’t want them. They’ll kill you. Physically and spiritually.

So better - far better! - is to remember who you are. I am baptized! I may look like every other Tom, Dick, and Harriet, but I’m not. Not anymore. I am a child of God. John’s baptism was not just an empty event. Jesus’ baptism was not an empty event. And neither was yours. Something happened there. To you. And it changed you. Like nothing else in this world can. And it was all a gift. You didn’t earn it or deserve it. None of us do. Or can. But just as Jesus’ birth was pure gift out of God’s pure love, so was your new birth in Baptism. Pure gift out of God’s pure love.

Do you not know? You do. You know. God’s Word has made the invisible visible to you. You see what others cannot. And so you know, too, that here at this altar is another portal of heaven. Where heaven meets earth. Where God meets men. And where God forgives man. Where Jesus comes to you to feed you with the same Body and Blood that stood in the Jordan that day, that hung on the cross, and that rose from the dead. To feed and strengthen your body and blood that was baptized into Jesus, and that died and rose with Him. New food for a new life. For a new you.

Do you not know? You do. You know. Even though the struggle continues. Those sinful thoughts and desires still rising up in you and at times blossoming into sinful words and deeds. But instead of making excuses for them, we confess them. Instead of justfying ourselves we are forgiven and justified by the blood of Christ. And instead of trying to make up for our sins, we rejoice that we don’t have to - that instead of having to help ourselves, we get to help others. We get to begin to live rightly again, as God intends. Because we can’t make ourselves righteous by acting rightly. But we do act rightly when made righteous by God. And you are. Righteous. Because of the one who fulfilled ALL righteousness, and then poured it out on you and into you when you were baptized.

So now you’re full up, full to the brim, with His righteousness. You can’t add to it - it’s as full as it can get. Jesus doesn’t do anything half-way. So now, you live from it. For just as sinful deeds blossom from a sinful nature, so too do righteous deeds, good works, blossom from those justified by Christ. And that’s you, don’t ya’ know? You do. You know. You are baptized. A child of God. A righteous one. And with you, the Father is well-pleased.

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

The Epiphany of Our Lord Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“Who Sought Who?”

Text: Matthew 2:1-12; Ephesians 3:1-12; Isaiah 60:1-6

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

Epiphany. Wise Men. The star. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. You know the story. It’s part of the Christmas story we all know so well. Our nativity scenes wouldn’t be complete without those visitors from the east in their royal robes and turbans, on their knees, offering their gifts to the baby in the manger.

It’s really kind of an ordinary scene, when you think about it. A couple away from home with a newborn child - that part’s not so strange. I saw one of those on Friday at the airport. Actually, just a young mother with a baby wrapped to her chest, a backpack hanging from one arm and a suitcase in the other! That’s who Mary would have been if Joseph hadn’t stepped up.

And the rest of the scene. Doting shepherds and wealthy wise men gazing at the child. That may not be historically accurate - the shepherds and the wise men weren’t there at the same time - but we get the gazing at the child. We like babies. And again, actually, that happened to me on one of my flights on Friday. There was a baby in the row in front of me, less than a year old, and the woman next to me and I had fun smiling at her and enjoying her smile back at us. Babies get a lot of attention.

The thing about Epiphany, though, is that baby the shepherds and wise men are looking at - that’s God! God in the flesh. God here in the world. God in that manger, in a house, for all the world to see. Poor Jewish shepherds, wealthy Gentile wise men, you and me today. But the Christmas season goes by so fast - only twelve days! It’s not enough. So Epiphany gives us a little more time with God the baby before we move on to God the man and God doing what God came to do - be the Saviour of those poor Jewish shepherds, wealthy Gentile wise men, and you and me today. So today we linger by the nativity scene just a little longer, and marvel . . .

What child is this (LSB #370)? This, this is Christ the king . . . The King of kings [who] salvation brings . . . Good news for all the world.

Except it’s not. Well it is, but not everyone knows it. For some, this baby means trouble. Herod, for one. Brett told us about him last Sunday; about how deranged and murderous he was. Herod was like the people on the airplane who don’t smile but groan when they see a baby getting on. The people who think that baby is only going to give them a headache - two hours of crying and screaming. When Herod heard about Jesus’ birth, he groaned. A rival king. And one that is already drawing attention from other countries. So Herod groans. And when Herod groans, Jerusalem quakes. They know what that means. Nothing good is going to come from this.

Except it is. For while Jerusalem was right to quake - Herod did what Herod does: he murders all those babies in his attempt to get rid of Jesus - in the end, Jesus dies not at the hand of Herod, but lays down His life for the life of the world. That our quaking may cease, that the sins we are ashamed of and afraid of be forgiven, and that we have peace with both God and one another. Which is good. And we know it. That’s the story, the truth we come to hear and be reminded of here every week.

Because sometimes we groan. Like Herod. Instead of the joy of the wise men, we find ourselves groaning. I know I do. Life can be hard. Life can be disappointing. Life can be ping-ponging from one struggle to the next. And sometimes, truthfully, Jesus makes life in this world harder - when we’re swimming against the cultural tide that wants to make us go the way of sin instead of the way of God. For much of what the world thinks and believes is not the truth of God’s Word. So while we smile at the baby in the manger, we groan at the reality of life.

That’s okay. You’re allowed to groan. I suspect the wise men groaned a time or two as well. I don’t know how long their journey from the east was, but it couldn’t have been easy. Maybe they asked more than a few times: are we there yet? And they probably groaned when they got to Jerusalem only to discover they were in the wrong place, and they had to travel even longer and farther. Like when my direct flight to Reagan got canceled on Friday and we had to be delayed and routed through Philadelphia. Yeah, I groaned.

But the Word of God answered their groaning. Because they reality of this story is that it wasn’t the wise men seeking Jesus, it was Jesus seeking the wise men. Jesus directing them and guiding them and pulling them in. Jesus who put the star there for them. Jesus who had it lead them to Judea. And Jesus who had the prophet Micah pen the words that told them about Bethlehem. All the wisdom of the wise men wouldn’t have gotten them there. Only Jesus could. And Jesus did. Jesus wanted them there. To see Him. To see their King. To see their God. To see their Saviour. Even if He was only pint-sized at the time! But don’t let the appearance fool you. It was the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God in that pint-sized body. The one come to take on sin, death, and the devil . . . and win.

Which is what St. Paul was all about and wanted all the world to know. This mystery of God in human flesh and bone. And that this King of the Jews isn’t just the King of the Jews, but the King of a new Israel. A new people not confined to the borders of a nation, but spread throughout the world. Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, from the four corners of the earth. He has come with light for everyone. To, as Paul said to us in the reading from Ephesians, bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. Or in other words, what Jesus did He is doing still - directing and guiding and pulling people to Himself. To see Him. To see their King. To see their God. To see their Saviour.

Now I don’t know if Jesus is still using stars to do it, but there are lots of just-as-stunning ways Jesus is doing it today. How people come to the church. Maybe how you wound up here. How God’s Word is reaching people today. How Jesus is pulling groaning people - groaning under all kinds of burdens in this world - to himself, to give them peace and hope and joy. 

And for us today, it’s not in seeing the pint-sized Jesus in the manger, but in seeing the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God on the cross and in the grave. Dead. Buried. Because that pint-sized Jesus took our king-sized sins and allowed them to crush Him instead of us. And I think He probably groaned a time or two when He was under the whip, when His hands and feet were hammered through, when He was crowned with thorns, and while He hung on that cross for hours. Jesus knows your groaning, and He wants you to know His joy. 

The wise men had that joy. And it was not little. Matthew says that they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Which is kind of an odd phrase. You kind of get the feeling that Matthew was searching for words to describe how great the joy of the wise men was. But you kind of understand it too with the gifts they gave. For when you receive so much you want to repay the giver, somehow. But you can’t quite give enough. You can’t give enough. But you try. Because that’s what joy does. Not that their life was all peaches and cream - they still had to dodge Herod on their way out of Bethlehem. Joy doesn’t mean the groaning and the struggles go away. But it does help. It gives us something greater than them. For we have someone greater than them. 

For that pint-sized Jesus who took our king-sized sins and died with them, rose from the dead. And so there is someone greater than all those things that cause you to groan and struggle. That’s why the disciples and the women had the same great joy the wise men had - they saw their Jesus, they saw their King, they saw their God, they saw their Saviour, alive. So even though the disciples had a tough road ahead of them, and even though Paul was in prison for his preaching, they all had this joy, and along with it boldness and confidence and peace. No matter what happened next.

And now it’s yours. That’s why Jesus has directed and guided and pulled you here. To give you Himself. To give you His forgiveness. To give you this joy. And for you, it’s not in seeing pint-sized Jesus or even crucified Jesus, but bread and wine Jesus. You may think that’s harder to see and believe, that God is in this bread and wine, but is it? Harder than for the wise men to believe that baby is God in the flesh? Harder to believe than that bloody and dying man on the cross is God in the flesh? All our wisdom couldn’t get us to believe any of that. Only Jesus can. The Jesus who had the prophet Micah write about Bethlehem, and the Jesus who had His apostles write about His Body and Blood here for you. Where He gives you His forgiveness, His life, and His joy. That you be wise men, wise women, and wise children. By His Word. 

So now you too bring your gifts to Him. How could you not? Great joy breeds great gifts. And the great gifts we have received help us to see the things of this world rightly - that they’re really not worth holding onto. And great joy breeds great speech - the gift of praise. That’s the other thing the wise men gave, according to Isaiah. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord. That’s why we can’t seem to get enough Christmas songs and hymns. Not the inocuous ones about snow and trees and lights - we get tired of them pretty quickly. But the ones that speak of what really happened and what it means for us.

The Gradual for this season actually sums all that up pretty well: Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! Why? For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Therefore: Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; [Speak! And] bring an offering, - a gift! - and come into his courts!

Come into His courts, you shepherds, into the stable where He was born. Come into his courts, you wise men, into the house where you were led. And come into His courts you, and all people, to where your Saviour is for you today. Where He has pulled you to see Him and receive Him. That seeing and receiving Him today, you praise Him forever. When you join the angels and archangels, the shepherds and the wise men, and all the company of heaven, in a scene that is anything but ordinary - around not a manger or a cross, but the Lamb upon His throne. When His Epiphany, His revealing, is finally and fully complete. 

Until then, we give and we praise, we struggle and we groan, we hear and eat and drink, and we rejoice. For the Lord has sought you out and brought you here. To see Him. To receive Him. To be His. Wise men, wise women, wise children, indeed.

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