Epiphany 4 Sermon

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Set Free by Jesus”

Text: Mark 1:21-28; Deuteronomy 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Introit: Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7, 10

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

There was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. 

Mark says that so matter of factly. Like he was reporting that this man had a cold, or was having a bad day. But how much worse for this man, I’m sure. For with an unclean spirit, you can’t just go to bed and wake up the next day for a fresh start. You can’t just take two aspirin and feel better. This was the headache, the nightmare, that wouldn’t end.

Until Jesus came along . . . The great physician of body and soul.

The unclean spirit knew it. It knew who Jesus was and what Jesus could do. The people in the synagogue that day were amazed, but the unclean spirit was terrified at being in the presence of the Lord of hosts. The Almighty in human flesh and blood. The Lord of all creation, in a little synagogue, in a little city, in a little country, with people of little account. Not where you’d expect to find God.

Yet there He was. Teaching them. That’s like the President teaching a High School civics class. Or the head of NASA teaching you how to fold a paper airplane. Don’t they have more important things to do? Doesn’t Jesus have more important things to do? Well, no. This is exactly why He came. This is exactly what He came to do. To set people free. And not just people en masse - an anonymous horde. But each person, each individual, important.

Now, Mark doesn’t tell us what Jesus preached in the synagogue that day. But I’ll bet it was this very topic - that He has come to set us free. Because we read in Scripture that’s what Jesus so often preached. He would point to the words of the Old Testament prophets that spoke of captives being set free - the blind healed, the deaf given hearing, the lame walking - and then He would say: these words are being fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:21). 

But that day in Capernaum, those words were not just fulfilled in their hearing, but in their sight. They saw it happening. Jesus setting this poor man free from the unclean spirit, and taking captive the unclean spirit. And so being that promised prophet greater than Moses that we heard about today. Which was hard to imagine - a prophet greater than Moses? Moses had led the people out of their 400 years of slavery, captivity, and oppression in Egypt and into the freedom of the Promised Land! But Jesus would do more than that. Something greater than that. Leading us out of a slavery, captivity, and oppression that began at the beginning of time and into life as His children. His free children. In a Promised Land that would last forever.

And Jesus would do that by becoming the captive Himself. Allowing Himself to be taken and crucified. Trading places with us. Taking our sin, condemnation, and death upon Himself, so we could be cleansed and free. And you are free. For you are forgiven.

For still today, the Almighty, the Lord of hosts, the Lord of all creation, is not where you’d maybe expect Him to be - far away in heaven, taking care of the really big and important things in the world, like global warming and world peace. He’s in a little church, in a little city, with people of little account. Here. For you. To speak to you. To heal you. To set you free. Which should cause us - as it did the people in Capernaum that day - to be amazed.

Oh, we don’t hear unclean spirits crying out and convulsing people. But do not be deceived. The Word spoken here is no less powerful. For it is the same Word of the same God.

Perhaps the problem, then, is not that we doubt the greatness of God, but the greatness of our slavery, captivity, and oppression. The greatness of the sin in our lives. The man with the unclean spirit - surely, he knew! No one wants an unclean spirit. No one wants to be oppressed or possessed in this way. 

But what are the sins that oppress or possess you? The things you know are wrong, the things you know you shouldn’t do, and think, and say, and desire, and yet . . . 

We heard of one example today in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. There was a controversy in the church there, about whether it was proper for Christians to eat meat which had been sacrificed to idols. Some of the Christians thought No! Absolutely not! While some on the other side thought: Why not? They’re not real gods! That hasn’t done anything to the meat. And it’s good meat! 

But it wasn’t just that disagreement that was the problem, but the lack of love being exhibited. Like one of those Christians taking a nice, big, juicy, drumstick, going right up into the face of one of those horrified by this, and ripping off a nice big bite! Mmmm! So good! And see, I didn’t break out in leprosy! I didn’t die! Stupid!

Paul’s flabbergasted with them. (As he often was with the Corinthians!) He says, That’s not how you were taught. That’s not what your freedom is about. In fact, you’re acting like you’re still captive. That’s exactly what Christ has come to set you free from! This lack of love for others. This selfishness that causes you to act like that. This sin that is dividing you.

What is it for you? What is the uncleanness, the unclean spirit, in you? Maybe it is your lack of love and selfishness. So you disobey your parents. Your legendary temper. Lust. Greed. Pride. Gossip. Grabbing. Hoarding. Hatred. Ridiculing. Ignoring the needs of others. Or maybe it is your lack of trust in your heavenly Father. Believing the word of others over His Word. Loving other things more than Him, so He’s far down the list of your priorities. Thinking that you’re the master of your life, you’re in charge of your life, and no one else! What is it for you?

Truth be told, the Lord who was in that synagogue in Capernaum and who is with us today, didn’t just see and doesn’t just see one man with an unclean spirit, but a whole room filled with unclean people. People He didn’t come to destroy, but to save and set free. For that’s the way of it with God. He comes not to take you captive, but to set you free. Not to control, but to love. Not to dominate, but to serve.

So when Jesus calls us to repent, it is to set us free from the guilt of our sins. When He speaks His commandments to us, it is to set us free from the control of our sins. 

Sometimes we maybe see these things as taking away our life, not giving us life. For it’s hard to repent! It hurts. It’s humbling and humiliating. And sometimes maybe it seems as if God’s just being bossy, telling us we can’t do what we want to do.

But the truth is just the opposite. Freedom isn’t easy. Go back to Moses and the people of Israel. After God set them free and they were out of Egypt, and they ran up against problems and difficulties, what did they often say? We want to go back! We wish we were still in Egypt! Really? Back in slavery? Back in captivity? And then sometimes they’d also say that God just brought them out into the wilderness to kill them. That’s really what they thought of God? But that’s what freedom feels like to our old selves; our old sinful selves. And yes, God is killing that old sinful person in you! So that you don’t live in that captivity, that slavery to sin, anymore. But live a new and better life. 

So it’s not going to be easy. Good? Yes. Easy? No. But as we sang in the Introit earlier, Blessèd is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. And you are so blessed. For that Word of Absolution spoken to you earlier is just as powerful and authoritative as the Word Jesus spoke in the synagogue that day, as if He said to your sin, Be silent, and come out of him! And just like that unclean spirit, the guilt of your sin departs. Baptism is the same. When we baptize a person, part of that liturgy says: Depart unclean spirit and make way for the Holy Spirit. And it is so, not because I said it, but because those words were uttered in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And you are set free.

That’s all good. But it’s not easy. Satan hates this. Satan hates you. And so his lies, his deceit, his temptations, his flattery, are just going to increase against you. To try to lure you away. To try to make you wish you were back in Egypt again. So the battle will go on in you. But Jesus will always be here for you, and with you, in it. You won’t be alone. Again, from the Introit: Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

Which, really, should cause us to be amazed. The Almighty, the Lord of hosts, the Lord of all creation, with you, surrounding you, little you? Caring about you, who, really, in the grand scheme of things, really are of no account? YES. Just as He was there for that poor man in Capernaum that day.

So if you have a cold, take two aspirin and feel better. If you’re having a bad day, go to bed and start again tomorrow. But if you are unclean, struggling with sin, oppressed with your guilt, feeling unworthy, come eat and drink the Body and Blood of your Saviour. Here is the medicine you need, from the Great Physician of body and soul. And then go and live. You are cleansed. You are free.

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

Epiphany 3 / Commemoration of St. Timothy Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“For a Home and Care For All”

Text: Matthew 24:42-47; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Acts 16:1-5

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

Stay awake! Jesus told His disciples. 

It’s hard to stay awake alone. Coffee makes it easier. So does knowing how long you have to stay awake. Like on New Year’s Eve, you know once midnight hits and the ball drops you can go to bed.

But the disciples had neither of those things. There is no such thing as spiritual caffeine. Satan is always singing sweet lullabys into our ears - that all is well, there’s plenty of time, your sins aren’t so bad, no need to worry - to put our faith to sleep and make it easier to break into our spiritual houses. And we do not know when our Lord is returning, when that clock is going to strike midnight.

So our Lord sets servants over His households, His Churches, to feed them, care for them, and watch. And one of those servants was Timothy. He was of the second generation of Christians, after the apostles, but the first generation of pastors who would care for the church after them. We could have put the red paraments out today instead of the white, for sources say that Timothy was martyred in the year 97. But we’re not commemorating Timothy the martyr today, but Timothy, the Pastor and Confessor.

And Timothy, as all pastors and confessors, is to be about one thing: the Word of God. Which is the Word of Christ. Which is the Word that proclaims Christ. The proclamation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. That is, our Saviour. On this rock, on this confession, Jesus said, I will build My Church (Matthew 16:16-18). So the Church isn’t built by our efforts. The Church isn’t built on a person, on a Peter, a Luther, a Pope, or anyone else. The Church is built on this confession. And the Church is torn down when this confession is lost.

So our Lord sets servants, like Timothy, over His households, to care for them with the Word of God. That he, and they, stay awake and be always ready for when our Lord comes again. To be, as we heard at the end of the Church Year, one of the five wise virgins who were ready, not one of the five foolish ones who were not (Matthew 25:1-13).

The apostle Paul was Timothy’s pastoral mentor. We heard that in the reading from Acts today. Timothy watched and listened and learned from Paul. But later, when Timothy was serving as a pastor, he also received letters from Paul, to encourage and exhort him. And we heard from one of them today as well. And in those verses we heard today, there were four imperatives Paul told Timothy to do, in order to be a good and faithful pastor: Flee, pursue, fight, and take hold. Now, these are things that every Christian should do, for yourself and for your household. So as we think of them regarding Timothy and his household, his church, know they are true for you as well.

So first, Paul said, flee and pursue. Flee these things and pursue these: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 

So first: Flee these things. What things? In the verses right before the ones we just heard, Paul had talked about three things that are, perhaps, particularly tempting for pastors and Christians: (1.) conceit, or pride; (2.) love of money and the lust for it; and (3.) the craving for controversy. Flee these things, Paul says, for all three of these things lead us away from Christ.

First, conceit, or pride, leads us away from Christ and makes it all about me. Pride exalts me. Pride is self-serving. But the Church is to be all about Christ and His forgiveness. About Christ serving us. And so a Christian’s proper place is not in pride, but in humility, in repentance, in Lord, have mercy. So pride eats away at faith. And a prideful pastor, who puts the focus on himself, hurts his Church. Flee pride.

Flee also the love of money and the lust for it. You could probably all name examples of Churches and ministries - and pastors - that fell because they became all about the money. Christians, too, can become too busy and too preoccupied with money and so lose Christ. Because if you’re all about the money, you lose the true riches Christ has for you. Riches bought not with gold or silver, but with the holy, precious blood of Christ and with His innocent suffering and death (1 Peter 1:18-19). Flee the love of money.

And third, flee the craving for controversy. In Paul’s day, there were philosophers who loved to argue about things, just as there are people today who love to argue. We want to be right. We want to win. But to defeat another person is not the same as to win them for Christ. Instead, we are to proclaim Christ. Confess Him and His truth. And when we do, when we confess the Word of God, the Spirit is the one who works through that Word and works in the hearts of those who hear. So don’t try to win - that’s the Spirit’s job! Flee the craving for controversy. Speak Christ. Live in Him.

So flee those things and pursue these: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 

Righteousness: the rightness that comes with humility and repentance, by the forgiveness received by grace through faith in Jesus.

Godliness: that righteousness not just received, but lived. That forgiveness changing us and having an impact on our lives.

Faith and love: these are where our focus as Christians is to be. Faith toward God, to receive all good from Him, and love toward our neighbor, to give all good to her. These are the opposite of self-serving, navel-gazing pride.

Steadfastness: confidence, certainty, immoveability; which comes with being anchored in Christ.

And Gentleness: this could also be translated as kindness or meekness. It is the opposite of craving controversy. This is caring for others. Being concerned not with winning, but concerned for them. Treating them as better than yourself. 

Pursue these things. . . . But how often is it true that we pursue what we should flee, and flee what we should pursue? In our lives as Christians, and even as our life together as a Church? Which is like running a race on a track in the wrong direction. Which doesn’t make any sense. But satan knows our weaknesses. He is an expert at temptation - at turning us around. The Christian life will always be a fight - not against others, but against our old, sinful selves.

Which is why the third imperative of Paul is just that: fight! Fight the good fight of the faith. Some fights are good fights, but not all are. The good fight is the fight of the faith. The fight against our old, sinful selves. The fight against falsehood. The fight to confess Christ alone as Saviour, and to fear, love, and trust in Him alone. And the word for fight there is the word agonizo - agonize. Struggle in the right direction . . .

To take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. That’s the fourth imperative: take hold. Grab. Not the things of this world and life, but eternal life. That is, take hold of Christ. Just as you confessed. Timothy did, and you did. Most of you did when you stood here and confessed Christ and said that you would remain steadfast, anchored in Christ, pursuing righteousness and godliness, and living in faith and love, even unto death. That is, even if it cost you your life. You said: I will, by the grace of God. By the grace of God, because you knew you couldn’t do it yourself, on your own.

But if I asked each of you today how you’re doing with that - and if you asked me - I know what our answers would be. The lullabys of satan work on us. He turns us around. We’d rather take it easy than agonize.

Which is why our Lord gave us His Church and Timothys. That there be a place for us to be fed and forgiven. That no matter how we did this week, no matter how many laps run in the wrong direction, how sleepy we were, or how easy we took it, here we are forgiven; put right again. The Word of forgiveness is proclaimed and it does what it says. 

For here is not only where our Lord is for us, but where He takes hold of us. He who agonized for us on the cross, the immortal who became mortal for us, the one who dwells in unapproachable light who came into this world of darkness and sin and hung on a cross in darkness and with our sin, the King of kings and Lord of lords who became one of us and took hold of us to save us. To pull us out of our sin and into His life. For He is the one who gives life to all things. Life comes only from Him. Our physical life and our spiritual life. And just as we need a home to care for our physical lives, so we need a home to care for our spiritual lives.

There are few sights sadder than an orphan, or a homeless person, or a refugee - people who have no home. And few sights sadder to our Father in heaven than those who have no spiritual home, when there is a home here for them. Where Jesus says: mi casa, su casa - my home is your home. Here is His love. Here is His forgiveness. Here is His Word. Here is His feeding. For you. That you always have a place. And a family.

And a Timothy, a pastor and confessor. One put here to serve you. Put here to speak and give on behalf of Christ. To call you to repentance when you’re running the wrong way or falling asleep. But even more, to proclaim to you and give to you the gifts and the love and the care you need. The forgiveness and life that cast out satan and drive him away. To agonize for you and with you. If he becomes all about himself, then he needs to be called to repentance. Because this place is not about him, it’s all about Christ. The Blessed one who blesses us. The one who is immortal to make our lives immortal. The one who is Light that we might dwell in that light.

That one took hold of you in Baptism, absolves you with His Word, and feeds You with His Body and Blood. That you might be His own and live under Him in His kingdom (Small Catechism). That’s what the apostles proclaimed, what Timothy confessed, and what we confess today. In our lives, in our homes, in our churches. That when our Lord, Jesus, our Bridegroom returns, we be awake and ready. To welcome Him with joy. Or as we sang earlier: To arise and shine in splendor . . . and be a part of that people withour number, who rejoice to see the Morning Star (LSB #396).

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

Epiphany 2 / Sanctity of Life Sunday Sermon

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“What Is the Good Life?”

Text: John 1:43-51

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

We have many challenges facing us today. As a world, as a country, as Christians. From conquering Covid, to our fractured political system, to rogue nations, to the challenges in your own lives and families. And each is important. But I would say there is one challenge that is above all others, that really drives all the others, and that is to know what is good. If we disagree about that, there is little else we can and will agree on.

Last week, we heard of something good - creation. We heard the first five verses of Holy Scripture, which said that God created the heavens and the earth, and it was good.

But this is something we do not agree on today. The godless philosophy of our world says this world is neither created nor good. It just is. It just happened. It is accident. It is chance. It is evolution. It is mutation. And one day it will not be, it is said, because either we will destroy it - by global warming, nuclear annihilation, or some other man-made catastrophe - or it will mutate itself out of existence. So let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

This week, we heard that word good again, but in a very different way, a more modern way. Philip came up to his friend Nathanael and told him, We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote! Or in other words, we have found the Messiah! Imagine how excited Nathanael must have felt at that moment, hearing those words. How fast his heart must have begun to beat. But it didn’t last long, for then Philip said who they found: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. To which Nathanael, deflated and disappointed, replied, Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

It wasn’t really a question. The answer, already in Nathanael’s mind, was a decided NO.

Many people today are asking Nathanael’s question. Can anything good come out of what is happening in our world? Can anything good come out of my situation, my struggle? Can anything good come out of my suffering? Sometimes those are real questions, but often times they’re not. They are spoken like Nathanael did. The judgment already made. The answer: NO.

But how do we know that? How do we know what is good?

Is it what I think is good? But what if what I think is good is not good for someone else? How then do we decide on good? Is it which person is more important? Or more powerful, to insist on his or her good over the other? 

What is good? Is it what feels good to me? But what if what feels good to me is not good for someone else? Or does not feel good for someone else? How, again, do we then decide on good?

Is good what society says is good? That good is whatever our collective, or at least, majority thought thinks is good? But that’s pretty slippery. That kind of good changes. What was good before is not good now, and what was not good before is good now. Why? What changed? Who changed? And will it change again?

What about science? That’s bandied about a lot today. Will science tell us what is good? No, science isn’t supposed to make judgments like that, only report the facts, right?

Now think about all the life issues in our world today. Do they not all stem from this question: what is good? One person exercising his or her good over another; their own good more important than the good of the other. People doing what feels good to them, even if that good hurts another. The definition of good by majority vote, and then that good forced onto others, even if they think it not good. Some claiming science tells us what is good. And from this confusion has arisen casual sex, abortion, pornography, and homosexuality. From this inability to know what is good has come single parent homes, adultery, and divorce. From this has come so-called mercy killing, assisted suicide, and genocide. From this has arisen human trafficking, sexual slavery, and gender dysphoria. And in all these ways, life is being taken. Life is being disfigured. Life is being abused and misused. And, ironically, all in the name of life! 

And we are not exempt. Oh, we may agree about these life issues, that they are not good, and that they are important and serious issues. Or maybe we don’t. But how do you live? How do you decide what to do, what to think, what is good? Is it simply what is good for you, even if it may not be good for another? Or what feels good for you? What our world now says is good, or not? 

How do we know what is good? Is there any objective good at all?

Philip gave a good answer. He didn’t try to argue with Nathanael about good and where good comes from. He simply said come and see.

And Nathanael did. But what he saw was far more than just that brief encounter with Jesus, who saw him sitting under the fig tree. As Jesus said, He saw greater things than that. For in Jesus, he would see the embodiment of good. For as he confessed, Jesus is the Son of God in human flesh.

And so what Nathanael came and saw was a creation marred and disfigured by sin being made good by Jesus again. He saw the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and lepers cleansed. He saw the poor taken care of and the outcast welcomed. He saw sinners being forgiven and the dead being raised to life again. He saw good in action.

Though, like today, some disagreed. Those who measure good by what was good for them thought all this all not good, and so they had Jesus crucified. And the one who had been convinced that good could indeed come out of Nazareth, on seeing that, perhaps now wondered: Where is good now? Can any good come out of this?

Come and see Nathanael! For His tomb is empty. From the horror and death of the cross, in fact, came the greatest good of all - the resurrection. Which is the defeat of death and life for the world.

Life now given to you. And not just when you are born, but the life you are baptized into, the life that is fed to you here, the life that is breathed into you with the forgiveness of sins. Ever since the day you were born, your days were numbered. But with these gifts, your days are now eternal. You have new life. So that even though you die, you will live. 

So what do you think: should we measure good by this life, which is passing away, or by our new life, which is eternal? Like with Nathanael, that’s not really a question. The answer is pretty clear.

Jesus showed us what a good life, flowing from a new and eternal life, looks like. It is a life that has been given and so gives. A life that is loved and so loves. A life that is forgiven and so forgives. And so good is not what I think is good, or what is good for me, or what feels good, or what the world says is good, or from science treading where it does not belong. All those things may or may not be good. Good is the life that Jesus gives, and the life that Jesus lives in you.

Sometimes, it is true, even as Christians, we look for life in all the wrong places. We measure good by this life, not our new and eternal life. And we pursue that good, even hurting others as we do. Sometimes grievously. And of that we must repent. The sins we condemn we sometimes do, which doesn’t make us wrong and those sins alright, just sinful human beings in need of forgiveness as much as the next guy. Just as much in need of new life as the next gal. Just as much in need of “gooding” as our world.

The good news we have to proclaim is that that gooding is here! And for all people. In Jesus. Yes, even for those who have taken life, disfigured life, or abused or misused life. The forgiveness of Jesus and the power of His resurrection is greater than all that. To give and restore not just life, but your life.

And that’s really why we have a Sanctity of Life Sunday every year. Not just to speak against abortion, though we do. The number of children taken in this way is staggering, and ongoing. We must speak against it. As well as speaking against taking the life of the suffering, or encouraging them to take their own life. A number that is also quickly rising. As well as to speak against the many other ways life is being taken and disfigured these days, and people being deceived and so robbed of the life given them by their Creator.

But we must not only speak against these things, but speak of a better way. Of the good. Of what good is. That as we confess in the Creed, there is a Lord and giver of life. Who is not far away but has come to us and is here for us. Who is here with good and life, here with His forgiveness. To raise us up with Him to new life even now. That we look at all life as He looks at all life - as worthy of His own life, which He laid down for us. And so can we now do the same for others. Not living just what I think is good for me, but living what is truly good. The new life received in Jesus.

And if the world crucifies us for that, well, we’re in good company. The church has always had her martyrs. But still we will speak. Because the church always has confessors. And her Saviour. Or better, the Saviour always has His church. And the good we live and speak isn’t for this life only, but because we have eternal life, which the world cannot take away. 

And who knows? The God who opened the eyes of Nathanael and who opened the eyes of the blind is still opening eyes today, to see Him as Saviour, and to know Him as good. So come and see, Philip said. Come and see, we will say. For yes, good can come from Nazareth, and from the cross, and to whoever and wherever you are today.

For Jesus has come. Embodying good. And is here. With life. For you.

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

Sermon for the Baptism of Our Lord

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Nothing Changed, but Everything Changed”

Text: Mark 1:4-11; Genesis 1:1-5; Romans 6:1-11

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

There is a deadly disease afoot. It is highly contagious. People with it are quarantined, separated. There is misery. And people are dying from it.

There is political unrest. Uprisings. Violence. People wanting change, wanting to throw off the oppression. The military keeping the peace.

The rich are getting richer, and the poor, well, seem to stay poor. The gap between rich and poor seems to be getting wider, and the difference between these two groups is striking. Hard to believe they both live in the same world.

There is racial prejudice. Hatred. Division. 

There is confusion. Lots of different teachings floating around. Lots of different gods. Some say this, some say that. Who to believe?

And always uncertainty about the future. Will things change? And what will happen to me when they do? Will I get swept up and swept away? Will life as I know it continue? What if . . .

That is the situation when Jesus steps into the Jordan.

And when He came up out of the water, there was still a deadly disease afoot, and people still dying of leprosy.

There was still the unwelcomed rule of Caesar and Rome, and its taxation and occupation and military.

There was still injustice and unfairness; prejudice and hatred between Jews and Gentiles and Samaritans; division and financial inequality.

There were still lots of gods and different teachings floating around.

And there was still uncertainty about the future. 

So it seemed that when Jesus stepped into and then out of the Jordan that day, not much changed. It didn’t really make much difference. Oh, it was cool! The heavens opening, a dove descending on Him - don’t see that every day! - and then a voice from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” 

But for Joe the plumber, Simeon the shepherd, Miriam the mother, when the heavens closed back up, the dove flew away, and the voice stopped echoing, it was back to the same ol’, same ol’.

And yet at that moment, everything changed. 

For now there would be, could be, life after leprosy. Life after Covid.

Now there is a kingdom open to you, for you to be a citizen, that will not rise and fall like earthly ones, but last forever. One not oppressive or subject to the whims and sins of people or politicians.

Now there are riches beyond anything in this world.

Now all races, nationalities, languages, and cultures will become one in Him; one holy, Christian Church.

Now certainty, clarity, and confidence. For now an epiphany. Of a God come for us, not to demand from us, but to serve us, to help us, to save us. So that we will not be swept up and swept away by sin and death, but that those would be swept up by Him and destroyed. So that we could be swept up by Him and saved.

All because Jesus stepped into the Jordan that day. 

The holy and sinless Son of God standing with sinners and taking our place. The Son of God who didn’t need to be baptized, but wanted to be. For you. To be your substitute. To take your place in sin and death, that you have His place in His kingdom, and have forgiveness and life.

For here, standing in the water that once marked the border of the Promised Land, is God Himself, in human flesh. Come to give us a new Promised Land. Come to restore a fallen creation.

For creation was not always like this, of course. Not always like the situation in Jesus’ day, not always like it is today. In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, it was good. Everything was good, and its working together very good. There was no sin, no death, no division, no poverty, no confusion, no fear, no pain, no hatred or prejudice or oppression. Only joy and perfection.

Until we decided we could “improve” it. Adam and Eve doing what God told them not to do. Not doing what God told them to do. And eating what God told them not to eat. But things didn’t get better. They got worse. A whole lot worse. A world of pain and death.

But then Jesus stepped into the Jordan that day. To do, as we just sang, His Father’s pleasure (LSB #407 v.1). To do everything we didn’t do, couldn’t do, wouldn’t do. Perfect obedience. From A to Z, from beginning to end. Nothing omitted. And then to lay down that perfect life for us. To be our substitute both in life and in death. To restore creation. Fix what sin had broken. And to redeem us. Set free all of us taken captive by sin and death. 

That began when Jesus stepped into the Jordan that day, and it was finished when He stepped out of the tomb on the third day. So in Him, now, a new creation. New life. New hope.

New life and hope that become yours when you are baptized. 

But how can water do such great things? Luther asked in his catechism. Well, it can’t. Not just water. Not even Jordan water. But when the Word of God is in the water, then things change. 

Paul put it this way, as we heard today. That when the Word became flesh and was baptized, He joined Himself to us in our sin and death. He takes our sin, dies with us, and is buried with us. To defeat it all. To overcome it. And He did. So that now when we are baptized, that baptism joins us to Him. Paul says we die with Him, we rise with Him, we have new life with Him.

And so everything changes.

Yes, there’s still Covid. There’s still political division and unrest. There’s still prejudice and hatred. There’s still inequality and unfairness. There’s still sin and death. And it doesn’t seem to be getting better, but worse.

And yet . . . even in the midst of all this, you have hope. And confidence. And certainty. For all these things and this old world are passing away. They will not last. But you have what does - the Word and promises of God, and you are citizens of the kingdom of God. So sin and death no longer have dominion over you. 

That’s worth repeating: sin and death no longer have dominion over you! Because in baptism you are joined to the One who overcame them and defeated them. Yes, they will still effect you. You will sin, but your sin does not rule you. You will die, but your death will not hold you. You will rise and live.

And that’s not just what will happen to you on the Last Day, but even now, according to Paul. That’s baptism’s power. That the reality of the Last Day is brought back in time to you here and now. Dying to sin now - repenting, and rising to a new life now - in forgiveness. 

So you’re not the same. This world is the same before and after your baptism, but you’re not. You’re in Christ Jesus. You have His victory.

So are you going to live the same old way as before, in the same old sins, or maybe even trying some new ones, as if, in baptism, nothing changed? By no means! Paul said. That’s not who you are anymore. You’re a new creation. 

But maybe you don’t feel like a new creation. For there’s too much old in your life. Too much sin still clinging to you. You know that - good! John didn’t think He was worthy either, to stand in the Jordan with Jesus and baptize Him. But what you think doesn’t matter. What God says is what matters. And what God said at Jesus’ baptism is what He now says in your baptism - and everytime you remember your baptism and repent of your sins and receive His forgiveness: You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased. 

And you really are. And He really is. It is true. Not because of what you have done, but because of what Jesus has done for you, and given to you.

You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased. 

Let those words sink in a bit. Others may not be well-pleased with you, and you may not be with them, in this world of sin. There are still a lot of problems in this world, and they don’t seem to be going away any time soon. 

But your baptism transcends all that. Like Jesus, you are in this world but citizens of another. You are children of men but really children of God. You are dying, but really going from life to life. God calls a thing what it is, and so should we. In the beginning, it was day and night. At the Jordan, it was Jesus as His beloved Son. And here, in these waters, it is you as His beloved child. And so you are. 

And until that day, the God who calls a thing what it is calls this bread and wine the Body and Blood of His Son - and so it is. And it is for you. For the forgiveness you need and the life you need. That in this world of disease, political unrest, division, inequality, prejudice, confusion, fear, and death, you have what is most sure and true, and all that you need. For Jesus is here. The Son of God who stepped into the flesh, who stepped into the Jordan, who stepped up to the cross, who stepped forth from the grave, now steps down to you here in this water, in these words, and in this bread and wine. 

And when he does, nothing is the same. Everything changes. That’s our epiphany today. That in this world where it seems like nothing ever changes, everything has changed. Because Jesus is in the water, and in the water, you are in Him.

So you now have what the world needs. Just as Jesus stepped into this world for you, so you now step into the world for others. With the truth of God’s Word. With the love that overcomes hatred and prejudice. With the life that overcomes death. With clarity in the midst of confusion. With confidence in a world of fear. With forgiveness for those in the snares of sin. For you are baptized. You are [God’s] beloved Son; with you [He is] well pleased. Your future is secure. Everything has changed for you.

Remember that. Every day. Every time you hear bad news. Every time sin rears its ugly head. Every time you wonder what will come next? You may not know what is coming next, but you know WHO is coming, that you have His Spirit, and that heaven is open to you. 

So don’t leave that all here! Like nothing has changed for you. By no means! Take that life, that confidence, with you as you step out of this place. And live as the baptized child of God you are.

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

Sermon for the Epiphany of Our Lord

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“What Makes Wise Men Wise”

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

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

There is a saying that is used quite a bit these days . . . What did he know and when did he know it? You’ve heard that in the media and especially with regard to politics and investigations.

Well I’d like to kinda, sorta, apply that to the Wise Men, as we think about them a bit today. To help us think about how the Lord epiphanied, or made Himself known, to them. 

You know the story well, of the visit of the Wise Men. We hear it read here every year in church, and we sing of it in our favorite Christmas carols. The Wise Men are there in our Nativity scenes, and are such a precious part of the story. But let’s think a little deeper . . . that we might not only know of them but learn from them today. So what did they know and when did they know it? What kind of king did they expect when they saw the star and then followed it?

Well, the Scriptures don’t give us all those details, but we can know a few things. For if a star announces a birth, and then leads you to the place, you would think this child more than a mere man. There is something otherworldly, something divine going on here. And so the Wise Men come not just to see a child, but to worship Him. And who you worship is God, or a god.

But still, what kind of a god is this? A god of beauty, certainly, like the beauty of the stars that announced His birth. And a god of order, who sets in order the stars and the constellations. Powerful, certainly, if He a god who can do this. But what kind of power? And how does he wield it? Like a despot, or in mercy? Is he a god to fear or a god to embrace? Would their gifts be in thanksgiving or to appease?

So many questions the Wise Men must have had as they started on their journey.

They are the same questions we must have of God, if all we can know of Him is from what we can see. That’s what theology calls the natural knowledge of God. We see the majesty of the mountains, the vastness of space, the beauty of another person, the stillness of the night, the variety of the animals - and we know God is powerful, creative, intelligent - but still there is a mystery about Him. For yes He is all these things, but what is He for me? Do I matter anything to Him? Does He do anything for me? Or expect me to do for Him? Should I cower in fear before Him, or welcome Him as a friend? All this nature cannot tell us. When we see beauty and stillness, we see a friendly God. When we see power and destruction, we see a fearsome God. Which of these is the true God? Who is He?

Nature cannot tell us that. It takes an epiphany to tell us that. For God to reveal Himself. To show us who He is for us. That we know Him as He is.

So the Wise Men received a first epiphany, of the star. But then they received more. For when they arrived in Jerusalem, the logical place for a king, it was revealed to them in the Word of God that not in Jerusalem, but in Bethlehem, is where this king would be. That’s revealing in it’s own way. That this God doesn’t do things how we expect, or where we expect. He is quite different than us. Yet He has come to us. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?

Isaiah said that too - that God has come to us. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. The glory of the Lord is not far away, but has come to us. But still, it came on Mt. Sinai, too. And that was terrifying! So much so that the people of Israel begged Moses to go talk to God so they could stay far away from the glory and the voice of God. It was too much for them.

But Isaiah says still more: that God and His glory have come to lighten the darkness. That’s a good thing. Darkness can be frightening. Just ask a child. But darkness can also be your friend, if you’re trying to hide. Like Adam and Eve after they sinned. Like we try to hide our sins. There are some things we don’t want to come to light. Our shameful deeds, sordid thoughts, awful words, sinful desires. We don’t want them to be exposed. 

But, Isaiah says more. Children are coming to this light. Sons and daughters who cannot even walk yet, who must be carried on the hip. He is not here as fearsome, but welcoming even children. That hearts thrill and exult.

This is the second epiphany of the Lord, how God revealed Himself before His coming. In His Word. Telling us who He is for us. Telling us what we could never otherwise know. Not only through the prophet Isaiah, but many others. That you do matter to Him. That He is a promising God. A loving God. A giving God. A God fighting for us against sin, death, and evil. A caring God. 

The Wise Men received both epiphanies. First, the star, the natural epiphany. Then the second, the Word, after they arrived in Jerusalem and asked about this king. But the greatest epiphany was yet to come . . . When they get to Bethlehem and see this king . . . God revealing Himself to them like this!

He is a small child. Can He even walk? Can He talk? He is poor. In a house, not a palace. No matter. They fall down and worship Him, and give Him gifts - not in fear but in joy. Gifts worth many times more than all they can see there. Not your typical king, to say the least!

But maybe this is exactly what made the Wise Men wise. That they didn’t let their own thoughts and expectations get in the way. That when they arrived at the house and saw a mere child - and a poor one at that! - they didn’t burst out laughing and turn around and either begin looking for a real king or just go home. They fell down and worshiped Him. They didn’t limit God to their own minds and thoughts, to their own little box, to their own perceptions. They believe the epiphany, as strange as it must have seemed to them.

And perhaps for this they received ridicule and were laughed at by others. Such foolish men who think themselves wise! First you leave your homes, not even knowing how long you will be gone or where you are going, and go off on this wild goose chase, following a star. Then you grown and supposedly wise men fall down before a child, when everyone knows it should be the other way around! And then you give Him gifts that obviously are too great for this poor family. What are you thinking?

And so people laugh today, at the church, at you. For thinking of God this way. 

That you get up on Sunday mornings when you could be sleeping in or using that time to relax, and you not only get up, but travel - some of you a great distance, and sometimes through cold and rain and snow. 

And you give your hard-earned treasure to the church. Not just what you can spare, but more than that. Not just what happens to be in your pocket, but much more. And you do without what many others have because you give your money away!

And you believe such old fashioned stuff! We know so much more now. You gotta change with the times, you know!

And then maybe most absurd of all, you think God is here, like this. In the water of Baptism, in words spoken, in the bread and wine of the Supper. You bow before this? What are you thinking? Not much of a God if that’s what He’s like, if that’s where He is! You are fools. You should be wise like us, the world would say, and think differently of God. 

But perhaps like the Wise Men, this is exactly what makes us wise. The wisdom of God and the wisdom of man are never going to be the same, never going to agree. He is perfect, we are sinful. He is all-knowing, we are limited. The power we seek is weakness to God, and in His weakness is true power. Paul said that the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world (1 Corinthians 1:20-25), and maybe that is never so evident as here. Our own images of God, of what we think He must be like, what we think He must do, what we want to be true, get in the way of faith. But God has epiphanied Himself to us like this, so what will we believe? What we think, or what God has said?

Sadly, many reject the epiphany of God in His Word, and cling to what they think instead. It is common in our world today, to reject the Word of God in favor of the so-called wisdom of men, and it is a temptation for us, too. And the pressure to bend to the thinking of the world is no small thing. And at times, we do. If not by our actual words then by our silence. If not by our actions then by our inaction. When we are embarrassed by the truth and hide our faith because we want to be liked or esteemed; because we want to be strong, not weak. 

Better is to follow the example of the Wise Men - to fall down and worship Him. To bend the knees of our hearts and minds before Him. And in so doing, receive from Him a gift far greater than anything this world can give us - the gift of God Himself. A gift that, as Paul said today, is for all people. The world picks and chooses. Some in, some out. Some to admire, some to villify. And that list constantly changes. Not so God. His gifts are for all people. Not just for good people, not just for a chosen few. But for Jew and Gentile alike. For all races, all nationalities, all languages. For big sinners and little sinners, young and old. Wise Men and fishermen.

And when God gives you Himself, you get this too: His forgiveness, His life, and His salvation. So His light arises upon you to expose your sin, but not just that! But to then take that sin and shame away. His light arises upon you who are dead in your trespasses and sins to give you new life and the hope of life to come - a life without end. His light arises upon you to save you from the darkness of the grave, the darkness of evil which so wants to envelope you and shroud you. The darkness which is frightening indeed. And so the light of Christ shines there too, that even looking into the grave - whether it is your own grave looming, or the grave of a loved one that you’re standing next to - you have hope and even joy. That this is not the end. Jesus’ empty grave epiphanies that for you.Gifts the world can never give.

All that in this poor child? We could never have claimed that if God had not epiphanied it to us. But this is exactly what God has said in His Word, and what this child then grew up to do. This child, this Son of God, who came for shepherds, Wise Men, and you. No matter who you are or what you have done. Repent, actually, of who you are and what you have done, and receive Him and what He has done. Open your mouth not to explain or excuse, but to eat and drink and feed on Him and His forgiveness. For that is what Wise Men do. 

And then, just as the Wise Men went home a different way, you go home different, too. Enriched with His gifts. Forgiven. Strengthened. Enlightened. Enabled to live this new life you have been given. And rejoicing in the epiphany of the Lord for you.

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