St. Athanasius Lutheran Church

The Congregation at Prayer

2012-01-29T15:20:00.000-05:00

For the Week Epiphany 4 (January 30 - February 4, 2012)

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

Speak the Apostles’ Creed.

Verse: Isaiah 40:31 – “They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Hymn of the Week: Lutheran Service Book #398 “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed”

Hymns for next Sunday: 409, 398, 620, 551, 729, 819

Readings for the Week: [The Scriptures for Thursday-Saturday are the readings for this coming Sunday.]

Monday: Psalm 147:1-11

How is God’s rule a gracious and loving rule?

Tuesday: Genesis 18:20-33

Why does God listen to Abraham? What does this account teach us about God?

Wednesday: Colossians 3:12-17

How does Paul describe the Christian life? How is all this possible?

Thursday: Isaiah 40:21-31

Is a God who is powerful and controls all things like this to be feared? Loved? Why?

Friday: 1 Corinthians 9:16-27

How does Paul show - in his life and in his preaching - that he is focused on Christ? How does this guide him?

Saturday: Mark 1:29-39

What did Jesus come to do? Why was that the most important thing?

The Catechism: The Lord’s Prayer, The Sixth Petition: And lead us not into temptation. What does this mean? God tempts no one. We prat in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.

The Prayers: Please pray for . . .

+ yourself and for all in need (remembering especially those on our prayer list).

+ our campus ministries at George Mason and Patrick Henry, for God’s guidance and blessing.

+ God’s blessing, wisdom, and guidance for our congregation’s Board of Evangelism.

+ the Lutheran Church in Korea, for God’s blessing, guidance, and provision.

+ God’s blessing, wisdom, and guidance for the Concordia Theological Foundation.

Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer and Luther’s Morning or Evening Prayer from the Catechism.

Now joyfully go about your day (or to bed) in good cheer, child of God!

Epiphany 4 Sermon

2012-01-29T15:10:00.001-05:00

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Clean and Free”

Text: Mark 1:21-28

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

Jesus was in Capernaum on the Sabbath and went to church. Nothing unusual about that. And He was teaching. Again, nothing unusual about that. What was unusual was that He was teaching as one who had authority - not like the usual teachers of that day, the Scribes. For the Scribes taught as ones under the authority of another, and rightly so, for so they are. But Jesus taught as if He was under the authority of no one; in fact, as if He was the authority! And so the people, we heard, were astonished, awe-struck. No one had ever done this before. What did it mean? Who was this Jesus?

Well, if the people didn’t know what to make of it, there was one in that group who did. For in response - in immediate response, Mark tells us - to Jesus’ authority, a man with an unclean spirit cries out: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God.”

Now, several things strike me about this account so far. First, it seems as if no one knew there was a man with an unclean spirit among them. They all went to church that Sabbath, like normal. They all sat in their regular pews, in their regular places, like normal, like good Lutherans! They saw their friends and neighbors, and everything seemed to be fine. So maybe people with unclean spirits, people possessed by demons, don’t always look like raving lunatics. Sometimes, you know, they look normal, just like you and me.

Just like you and me . . .

Sometimes I get questions about unclean spirits and demon possession and why it seems that happened so much in Jesus’ day and not so much today. Well, maybe it is happening today. Maybe those folks just look normal and regular, like that day in Capernaum. We know that satan isn’t going to rest. He does not grow tired as we do. And, in fact, as the end grows closer with each day that goes by, he is, if anything, increasing his efforts to keep people away from, and separate them from, Jesus. So don’t be fooled.

And isn’t it the case today that we are often surprised at those who are “possessed” (in a sense) by unclean spirits? When people who are looked up to, who are in positions of power, who are leaders, suddenly become the subject of scandal? When secret addictions and possessions suddenly - or immediately, as Mark would say - become known. Those who are possessed by lust or sexuality or drugs usually make the headlines. But that’s not all. People become possessed with all kinds of unclean spirits - of anger, bitterness, and revenge; of false beliefs and destructive philosophies; of greed, despair, pride, and how many more? Possessing our minds, possessing our bodies, possessing our hearts, enslaving us to sins of all kinds. . . . And how about you? Who would be surprised at the unclean spirits that torment you? The sins that so entice you and seek to enslave you? You all look so normal, so together, so good. But is it true?

I think maybe these kinds of unclean spirits are even more dangerous. At least when you see a raving lunatic you know he’s a raving lunatic! And you can see the danger. But these others are so insidious. They seem so harmless, maybe even fun and pleasureable and good. And worst of all, maybe even manageable. But don’t be fooled. The powerful lure leads to a powerful trap and slavery to sin. Don’t be fooled when things look “normal,” when everything seems all right and going well. Maybe that’s the time to be most awake and alert.

But here’s the second thing that struck me: if the people don’t know what to make of Jesus and His authoritative teaching and are not sure who He is - that unclean spirit knew! That unclean spirit may not, at first, have known who this Jesus of Nazareth who came into church that day was, but immediately, when it heard those words and authority, it knew! It knew that word and authority well. That word and authority that created the heavens and the earth, that word and authority that commands the heavenly host of angels, that word and authority that had cast satan and his followers (including this unclean spirit) out of heaven, was now on earth and speaking with that same authoritative word! And so immediately - because it could not endure those words for even a moment! - immediately the unclean spirit cries out in agony and fear. But not only agony and fear, but in subjection and humiliation. For they know the voice of God when they hear it.

Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.

There’s another immediately, although Mark doesn’t use the word again. But it’s clear. The unclean spirit is compelled. It is no longer in control. It is forced to submit and come out. And here’s the good news of this story for you and me. That whatever sins or uncleanness or unclean spirits seek to possess you, haunt you, enslave you, or entice you, they can no longer rule you. For Jesus has come. He has come to expel them and set you free.

For while expelling an unclean spirit in a little church in Capernaum might seem like small potatoes, its significance lies in the fact that it is the opening skirmish in a war that will lead to the cross, where the true power of God will be seen. For if it was in Capernaum that the unclean spirits heard what Jesus had to say to them, it is from the cross where we hear what Jesus has to say to us: Father, forgive them. For with the blood that flowed from the Lamb of God that day, the blood of the perfect and innocent One sacrificed for the sin of the world, the blood of the New Testament, our forgiveness, our cleansing, is won. We are not expelled - we are forgiven! We are cleansed.

That is the new teaching of Jesus the people heard that day in Capernaum - the Gospel. That in Him, God was reconciling the world to Himself. That in Him, the Old Testament was being fulfilled. That in Him, the unclean are clean again. Jesus wasn’t preaching a new Law, but the forgiveness of sins and the cleansing He came to bring. And then Jesus showed it and did it. In effect, trading places with the man possessed. Jesus would take His uncleanness and captivity to death, to set this man free. That was the new, wonderful teaching the people heard - and saw - in Capernaum that day.

And that is the wonderful teaching we not hear and see today. For that Jesus, that authority, that wonderful cleansing and freedom is still the Gospel showing up in churches all over the world. For this authority Jesus has now given to His church on earth - to proclaim and give this wonderful forgiveness to all nations in His Name. For He took the uncleanness and captivity of all nations upon Himself on the cross. He really and truly traded places with us all, that we be set free. The unclean made clean again.

And so when you are baptized, that is Jesus speaking today: “Come out of him!” Depart unclean spirit and make way for the Holy Spirit. You may rule in this one, my child, no longer. And so you are set free from your uncleanness and your bondage to sin and death. For baptism is not just water, but the full power and authority of the cross applied to you.

And when you hear the words of absolution, that is Jesus speaking today: “Be silent!” To silence the accusations of satan against you, to silence your guilty heart and conscience, to silence the doubts and fears within you, for you are forgiven all your sins. And so you are clean, clean, for absolution is not just words, but the full power and authority of the cross applied to you.

And so you are set free. Free not to return to your uncleanness and death, but to live as a child of God. To rule over the sin in you, not be ruled by it. Like that day in Capernaum, the voice of God has spoken and it is true! The unclean spirits know it. So believe this Word spoken to you, of forgiveness, of freedom, of adoption! Maybe it is hard to believe because you still feel the temptations, the pull and lure of sin; your flesh is still a traitor and the sin you really do not want to do, you do. The lashing out, the impulsive words and actions, the falling back in weakness, the questions and doubts. And satan right there to take advantage of it all, trying to convince you that you are no child of God, that you are not clean but unclean, that it’s all wishful thinking. You left your baptism long ago; those words of forgiveness are meant for others, not you.

But it’s not Jesus’ words that are hollow and untrue, it is satan’s words that are hollow and untrue. You are a child of God. You are forgiven and clean. And that you may be renewed and strengthen in this reality, the powerful and authoritative voice of Jesus speaks again, saying to you: Take eat, this is My Body given for you. Take and drink, this is My blood of the New Testament, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Those words, too, mean what they say. They are not hollow and untrue. Jesus feeds you with His very Body and Blood, for you are His, you are clean, you are free, so depart in peace.

Like that man in Capernaum that day. He entered tormented, he departed in peace. Jesus made all the difference. And so for you. However you entered this place today, whatever sins tormenting you, whatever worries consuming you, whatever burdens weighing you down, Jesus sets you free. That unclean spirit in Capernaum was almost right when it said that Jesus is the Holy One of God. No, He is your Holy One, your Saviour, your forgiveness, your peace and rest. That will finally and fully be revealed on the Last Day, when His resurrection becomes our resurrection. But it no less true now. You are His and He is yours. You are clean. Depart in peace.

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

Epiphany 3 Sermon

2012-01-23T09:12:00.001-05:00

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Follow Me”

Text: Mark 1:14-20; Jonah 3:1-5, 10

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

“Follow me,” Jesus said. That call in itself was not so unusual. Lots of Rabbis had followers. People who would literally follow them around and learn of their teachings, of their philosophies, of their way of life. The students would emulate their teachers and carry on for them when they died. But that’s the thing - they always died.

And so when Jesus said to Simon and Andrew, James and John that day, “follow me,” that call in itself was not so unusual. What was unusual was where Jesus was going, and where He was calling them to follow Him to - the cross. To be sure, they would hear lots of teaching on the way. They would see amazing things - Jesus healing the sick, cleansing lepers, casting out demons, and raising the dead. They would see Him challenged, and see Him challenging the philosophies and lives of others. But none of that was what Jesus was really all about. Jesus was about the cross, where He would lay down His life for the life of the world.

And so Jesus’ call was not primarily about a new teaching, a new philosophy, or a new way of life. In fact, Jesus was teaching what was old, what had already been given in the Old Testament. What He wanted them to see was that He was fulfilling it. And Jesus’ call was not primarily about His disciples emulating Him - of seeing Him as an example and doing what He did. For what Jesus came to do He came to do for us, in our place, as our substitute.

And so while Jesus’ call was, in itself, not so unusual, it was different. What Jesus wanted His followers to see and learn was that “the kingdom of God is at hand,” for in Jesus, God had come to earth to establish His kingdom. A kingdom not just of rules or teachings or philosophies to follow, but a kingdom of life. Eternal life. And so their message would be “repent and believe in the Gospel.” Their task would not be to imitate Jesus in life or in death, but to point to Him as the One who did for us what we could not do for ourselves; as the One who did what no other teaching or philosophy or way of life could do - conquer death.

For this is why He came. Other Rabbis lived and then died; Jesus came to die and then live. The twelve would be sent out to preach that very fact - that in Jesus there is life. And so repent, turn from following teachings and philosophies and ways of life that lead to death, and believe in the Gospel - that in Jesus there is life, for in Jesus there is the forgiveness of sins.

You see, that’s the thing we sometimes forget - that death is sin made visible. Death is horrible, death is grizzly, death is sad, death is separation because sin is all those things. We die because sin robs us of life. We were not created to die. Sin and death are intrusions into life. And so if death is to be defeated, then sin must be defeated. That’s why science will never be able to defeat death. It can prolong and extend life, but only the One who defeats sin can defeat death. And that is what Jesus has come to do.

And so Jesus is not just another teaching or philosophy or way of life. It’s not just a matter of you have your rabbi and I have have mine - which so many today think, that Jesus is just one of many. If it were just a matter of following an example, that would be true. But following Jesus is following Him to the cross. It is to see there your sin and death on the innocent one who deserves no death. It is to see there your substitute. It is to see there the great love of God for you, and that that’s how the kingdom of God is at hand; that’s how God is establishing His kingdom on earth - through the forgiveness of sins. For there is no other way out of death to life.

And so Simon and Andrew, James and John, follow Jesus. They had no idea what they were in for. They would see the unimaginable, hear a teaching with an authority not of this earth, and become convinced that Jesus of Nazareth is God in the flesh . . . and then see God die for His creation. The sin of the world all counted against Him on the cross and its price paid, and so death be dealt with once and for all. That no longer would death end life, but life end death. And when Jesus rose from death, that’s exactly what we see - a life that ends death.

“Follow me,” Jesus says, and see this. Follow me and hear that I forgive you all your sins; all your grizzly, horrible, unthinkable sins. I know them all for I took them all upon myself on the cross. I was declared guilty for you so that you would be declared not guilty because of me. And so follow me and no longer die a death that ends your life, but receive a life that will end your death.

That is the message this Life Sunday. It is, in fact, the same message we preach every Sunday - that in Jesus there is life, for in Jesus there is the forgiveness of sins. The forgiveness that we need.

You see, that’s the danger of separating out a special Sanctity of Life Sunday - if the Gospel of forgiveness is the same as that preached and given here every Sunday, then what is different about this Sunday becomes the Law, and so we either become prideful that we’re better followers of Christ than those others who don’t regard life as sacred, or this Sunday becomes a guilt trip to stir you up to be a better follower of Christ and to do more. Should we be doing more? Yes. Absolutely. Always. But if that’s all this Sunday is about, it would be better to skip it altogether. For the Law is good . . . if it leads us to Christ and His life. And so today is not a day for pride or to heap guilt, but a day to repent and believe in the Gospel. The Gospel of Life.

For to be sure, abortion is a problem. 54 million in the United States alone these past 39 years, and the number is still growing. And the problem is moving from the clinic to the pharmacy, where abortions may soon be as easy to get as buying and taking aspirin. But it’s not just abortion, but also mercy killing, suicide, withholding treatment from those who need it, making decision about how to spend health care dollars not based on need but who will provide the greatest return on investment. The problem is how many are seduced into seeing death as the answer and solution to their problems, to their suffering, to their sin? Even Christians. Even you and I. For the same fears, the same greed, the same lusts, the same selfishness all live in our hearts too. Christians have abortions. Christians commit suicide. Christians lash out and kill in thought, word, deed, and desire.

And so to you and to all, the message this Life Sunday is . . . welcome. Welcome here with the rest of us sinners, with the rest of us who have followed the wrong path. Welcome and receive the washing of Jesus’ forgiveness for your sins, for all your sins, whatever and how many they may be. There is no sin and no sinner too big. If there were, then you can be sure God would not have sent Jonah to Nineveh! Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and the Assyrians were some of the meanest, vilest, orneriest, stubbornest, evilest people ever. That’s why Jonah didn’t want to go. But God would not let him not go. For even for them Jesus died. For their sin, that they may live.

And so for you. For every life is valuable to God, whether you live in a house or in a womb; whether you’re up and walking around or confined to a wheelchair; whether you are out making a name for yourself or no longer able to remember anyone’s name; whether you’re from Israel or Nineveh or the United States. You are valuable to God. You may not be valuable to anyone else, but you are to God. You are worth the life of His Son, who died that you may live.

Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him and see that - to follow Him to the cross and see Him die for the sin of the world, and rise for the life of the world. And then to proclaim that message to the world. That all people may see and know and receive that life. A life that starts even now as Jesus and His life live in you. As you receive His Word of forgiveness and His Body and Blood as your nourishment and strength. As you not only follow Him but live in Him and He in you. As so you now bring His life and love to others - speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, defending the defenseless, proclaiming life. And proclaiming His message of victory over death, His hope in the midst of despair, His love for the vulnerable, His strength for the weak, and His good coming from suffering. God will give you the opportunities. He will work through you. Follow me, He simply says, and He will do the rest.

And He has! And that’s the bottom line, this Life Sunday. He has. Repent and believe in Him.

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

Baptism of our Lord Sermon

2012-01-15T16:13:00.004-05:00

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“The New Creation”

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

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

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. When God began creating, the first thing we are told is this. There is a certain chaos. Primal, swirling, deep waters. There is no form yet, no shape, no light. The Spirit of God is hovering over the waters, but they are void, empty. There is no life yet. Everything is disordered.

But when the Word of God is spoken to the disorder, there is order. The chaos is formed and shaped at God’s Word into His good and orderly creation. Spirit, water, and Word combine to bring forth life. God says “Let there be,” and there is. And so first God orders the light and the darkness, as we heard. But then there follows the sea and the sky, the sea and the dry land, the plants and trees, the day and night and heavenly bodies, the swarms of creatures that live in sky and sea, the beasts that live on the earth, and finally man. And it is good. All very good.

But soon we hear another word. A word that does not create, but brings chaos and disorder again. A word that does not water but dries up. A word that brings darkness, not light. A word of doubt and unbelief, as satan says to Eve, “Did God really say?” Is God’s Word really good? Is this order good? And when Eve bites - both literally and figuratively! - there is chaos and disorder again. The chaos and disorder of sin and death.

And so it is. The water doesn’t stay in its place anymore, does it? There are floods and tsunamis. The land isn’t so solid anymore, is it? There are earthquakes and volcanoes. The sky produces violent winds. And then there is man and the disorder and chaos we cause, with our lies, murders, thefts, adulteries, deceits, betrayal, slander, envy, greed, rebellion, anger, hatred, idolatries, and blasphemies. All these things that make your life less than what God intended it to be. These chaotic things that come crashing down upon you, and erupting up from you. These things that disorder your life, your home, your marriage, your friendships, your soul. And it is not good. Not good at all.

Why didn’t God just wipe it all out and start over? Why didn’t He just “nip it in the bud” instead of letting it grow to what we see in the world today? Because He loves you. Because He loved Adam and Eve. To wipe out the world and start over would mean to wipe out His children, made in His image, who were now disordered by sin. This He would not do. No, God would wipe out the chaos and disorder and death of sin another way . . .

Fast forward now to the Holy Gospel, to St. Mark. It is interesting how Mark begins his Gospel. He makes no mention of Jesus’ conception or birth. No angels, shepherds, or wise men. No Bethlehem and no Jesus in the Temple as a youth. He lets Matthew and Luke fill in all those details. Mark does it differently.

He starts with John the Baptist in the chaos of the wilderness and his baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And then Jesus comes to be baptized. And when the Word of God made flesh enters the water, and the Spirit of God comes down you have exactly the scene as it was in the beginning of creation - water and Word and Spirit all together. And this, Mark says with the first words he writes - chapter one, verse one - this is the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The beginning of the Good News that in Jesus Christ, the Son of God has come in the flesh to begin a NEW creation. He has come and begun to wipe out the chaos and disorder and death of sin. And so the Father is well pleased. This is good.

So what is Jesus doing here? How is He beginning the new creation? He is taking the place of sinners. For it was sinners coming out to be baptized by John. The people were coming from all over, confessing their sins, and being baptized. But when Jesus comes, He does not confess, for He has nothing to confess. But He is baptized. He is immersed in the putrid water of our sin. Like a sponge, He takes it all into Himself, all our sin, to be the sinner for us; to be sin for us (5 Corinthians 5:21). And so Jesus is baptized into His death. For that is what it means for Him to take our sin and its chaos and disorder into Himself - that He will be wiped out in our place. He will be sacrificed for the sin of the world; for your sin and mine.

And that you may understand that, Mark connects Jesus’ baptism with His death on the cross when he says that at Jesus’ baptism, the heavens were torn open. They were schismed; schizoed, in Greek. Mark is the only Gospel writer to use that word with Jesus’ baptism, and then Mark uses it again in only one other place in his Gospel - at the end, when Jesus died on the cross. Then Mark tells us that the curtain in the Temple, which isolated the most holy place, the place of God, from the rest of the Temple, was schizoed; torn in two from top to bottom (Mark 15:38). And with that Mark wants you to know: because of these events - the baptism of Jesus, His perfect life, and His death on the cross - the division between God and man is over. The disorder and chaos caused by sin is over. Jesus’ death on the cross means the wiping out of sin and new life for the world. A new creation. And it starts with Jesus’ baptism.

And with your baptism. Baptism is the beginning of the new creation personally applied to you. That’s what the apostle Paul is teaching us today in Romans. Just as Jesus joined Himself to us and our sin in His baptism, so now you are joined to Jesus and His righteousness in your baptism. For in baptism, Paul says, you are joined to Jesus in His death and resurrection so that not you, but the chaos, disorder, and death of sin be wiped out in you, and you live a new life. Through baptism, you are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Baptism is the beginning of the Gospel for you.

This is the greater baptism of which John spoke. The baptism where water, Word, and Spirit create new life, where sins are wiped out, heaven is opened, and children of men are made children of God, to whom the Father now says: You are my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.

And you are! For as in the beginning, when water and Spirit and the Word of God come together, great things happen. Life happens. Creation happens. Still today.

Because of this, Luther would constantly say: remember who you are! You are no longer that chaotic, disordered mess, dying in sin - you are a new creation. Dying and rising with Christ has set you free from your slavery to sin and death to live a new life. A Christ life, a child of God life. Don’t you know this? St. Paul asked. . . . Well, maybe we forget it sometimes, and we don’t live like it sometimes. We get caught up in the chaos and disorder, and the sinful flesh that we still live in goes right along.

But at such times, do not despair, but remember that you are baptized. Not that you were baptized - but that you are baptized. This is who you are. You are who God says you are. And so each day, because your sinful flesh does sinful things, return to your baptism. Not to be baptized again - once is enough. But to return to its blessings, to its grace, to the promises of Christ made to you there. To not embrace your sin, but repent and die to your sin. To drown that old sinful man in you again, and rise in the forgiveness of Christ to a new life. That each day, by grace through faith, you be raised again - dead to sin, and alive in Christ Jesus.

And alive in Christ Jesus, alive with His Spirit, you now sponge up the sins of those who sin against you with your forgiveness and love. Do not repay evil with evil, anger with anger, or sin with sin of any sort. No, you have been set free from sin and all of that. To repay like that would be like going back to living in the chaos and disorder of the wilderness and eating locusts and wild honey! No, you’ve been given much better. Christ and His Spirit of holiness live in you. Your food and drink is now the Body and Blood of Jesus, given and shed for you for the remission of your sins. You are sojourning here to your home in heaven. A new creation in the old, but no longer of the old. A child of your heavenly Father.

A child still learning, to be sure; still growing; messing up and being forgiven, secure in the life and love of your heavenly Father. And that’s how He wants it. Not purposely sinning so that grace may abound, but knowing that grace does abound for you. His grace, which is greater than your sin. His grace, which makes you new.

That as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good (Genesis 1:31). Again.

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

Epiphany Midweek Sermon

2012-01-12T04:59:00.004-05:00

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“The Jesus Way”

Text: John 1:43-51 (1 Samuel 3:1-20; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20)

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

That’s a pretty bold claim, Philip is making there, saying, with those words, that the Messiah had come. Others had made that claim before and all were proven to be frauds, impostors. Had Philip now been duped? Or was there something to his words?

What clinched it for Nathanael, what didn’t make sense in his mind and so made him the skeptic, was one little detail in Philip’s claim: Nazareth. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip scoffed. In his mind, surely, that is not how God works. Surely, if the Messiah had come, it would have been grander and greater, surely not from that dinky, little, out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere town. That is not fitting for God. That is not how a good God does good things.

You know Nathanael, or at least, you know people like him. To tell the truth, we are often like him. We think we know how God ought to work, how He ought to do things. A good God should work good things for us in good ways. And when things happen that we think are not good, that don’t make sense to our minds, that aren’t grander and greater, we become the skeptic. So, for example, take suffering. Can anything good come out of suffering? That’s not how a good God ought to do good things for me. Or what about trials, or the crosses God lays upon us in this life? Can anything good come out of them?

But neither Nazareth nor suffering nor trials nor crosses nor anything else in all creation is a barrier for God working good for you. What needs to be done is to put to death our wrong way of thinking, to repent of our arrogance in thinking that we know more than God and know how God ought to act. That’s not easy. That wrong way of thinking has roots that go all the way back to Eve. But we are dealing with the living God here. The God who created the heavens and the earth out of nothing. The God who has become man for us, yes, in Nazareth. He does not do things quite as we expect, or even as we want, but this is His way - the stable way, the Nazareth way, the cross way.

That’s what we heard in the Old Testament reading tonight, with Eli and Samuel. The Word of the Lord was rare in those days, we were told, so when God broke His silence, would it really be to a boy who didn’t even really know Him yet? It took Eli a while to get it, but in the end, after hearing what the Lord said to Samuel, he says, “It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him.” For what the Lord deems good is good.

So, come and see, Philip says. So what did Nathanael see? Well, a man from Nazareth. No halo, no glow, a man that looked like every other man from Nazareth. But when Jesus spoke, then Nathanael started to see what he was unable to see before. Jesus knows that this is not how men think God ought to be or act, and so He reveals Himself to Nathanael. As the God who knows all things and so knows Nathanael. As the God who see all things, and so saw Nathanael before Nathanael saw Him. Then Nathanael is epiphanied. He believes and confesses, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” And now Nathanael is the one saying the big words.

But does Nathanael really know Jesus? He may confess who Jesus is, the God-man, but it must still be revealed to him what Jesus will do. “You will see greater things than these,” Jesus says to him. Though they at first will not seem greater. The Jesus who knows all things seems great. The Jesus who sees all things seems great. But the Jesus who is despised and rejected and mocked and scorned and hung up on a cross to die? Can anything good come out of the cross?

We now know the answer to that is yes, though we are not always convinced that good can come out of the crosses God lays on us. But this is the great work of God for you. Jesus won’t be another kind of God just to fit our desires. He won’t be what our dinky, little minds think He should be. To make us happy for a moment or two or even a lifetime isn’t enough - but an eternity, that’s what Jesus has in mind. An eternity in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness with Him. Sins forgiven. Heaven opened. Glory. Angels.

And so our sin of trying to make Jesus into another kind of God is put to death on the cross, along with all our other sins. That’s what the Son of God has come to do for us. So that, as St. Paul said, we not be enslaved by anything in this world anymore. For you were bought with a price - the life and blood of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the King of Israel. And now from this good and glorious sacrifice flows sins forgiven, heaven opened, glory, angels. Great things. For you.

And with that comes the answer to the question we perhaps should have been asking all along. Not: can anything good come out of Nazareth? but: can anything good come out of me? Jesus says yes! For you He sees and knows. For you He died and rose. And He has raised you to new life in Him and put His name upon you and His Spirit in you in Holy Baptism. And as He lives in you and you in Him, what comes out of you is Jesus. Jesus’ name, Jesus’ life, Jesus’ love, Jesus’ forgiveness.

That’s a pretty bold claim, coming from sinners. But that’s the Nazareth way, the cross way, the Jesus way.

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

Epiphany Sermon

2012-01-08T16:34:00.002-05:00

LISTEN

Jesu Juva

“Look!”

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

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

This past week, we’ve had a lot of birds come to the birdfeeder in our backyard. In addition to our regular visitors, we had some bluebirds (which we’ve never had before) and the woodpeckers seem to be coming a bit more frequently than usual, too. And we get excited when we see these new and special visitors. Look! my daughter was calling out the other day - there he is again.

Look! Something special. Something unusual. Something you want to see.

That’s the word Matthew uses when talking about the visit of the wise men. Our English translation used the word “behold,” which is a good word, but somewhat lacking the excitement Matthew meant. It would really be better translated as Look! Wise men! From the East! Like my daughter, Matthew is telling us with this word that there is something special here, something unusual, something you want to see, something you don’t see everyday.

Perhaps we’ve lost that sense of specialness, because we hear this story every year. The Wise Men have become regular visitors, not special ones. But what Isaiah and Paul and Matthew are screaming at us today is that God is doing something special here. Not only is God born in our flesh and blood, but He wants all people to see Him this way. From Jewish shepherds, to Gentile wise men, to you and me today. The call goes out again: Look! Look at what God is doing! He is here and drawing all people to Himself.

Now, to be sure, there’s a good amount of mystery to this story. We don’t know how many wise men, or Magi, there were. Three is assumed, that each brought one gift. But there could have been more. We’re not even sure what a magos was. People have thought they were astronomers, or astrologers, because they followed a star; or maybe magicians. We don’t know exactly where they came from - maybe Babylon, where they would have heard of the King of the Jews from Daniel perhaps. But others think Persia, or Arabia. And we don’t know whether they came together (as we often think) or separately, or even how long after Jesus was born that they arrived. . . . But for all that we don’t know, this we do know, beyond a shadow of a doubt: God wanted them there, to see His Son, to see their Saviour, and receive this gift from Him.

For that was the true gift given that day. Had there been no gold, no frankincense, and no myrrh, that gift would have been enough. For God does not need our gifts, but we need His. And the highest worship of God is to receive His gift. The highest worship of God is not to give something to Him or do something for Him, as people often think - but to receive from Him; to receive what He has come to give you. That’s what the wise men did. They fell down and worshipped Him. That’s first. Gift received. Then they gave to Him - their response. Gifts that paled in comparison to the gift that had been given to them.

So look! Matthew is calling to you today. Look! God is giving, and wants to give, His gift to everyone. To Jew and Gentile, simple and wise, high and low. No one is excluded.

Which is the promise God had made all the way back in the time of Abraham, when he promised Abraham that one of his descendants would be the Saviour, the one through whom all families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). And at that time, he told Abraham something else too. He said that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). Did you notice: the stars in the sky! So when that one descendant unlike all other descendants appears, so too a star unlike all other stars appears in the sky. Look! the promise has come. Look! the promise has been fulfilled.

Or as Isaiah said: Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

But the star wasn’t enough. They needed the Word of God to teach them, to work in their hearts. For this gift wasn’t wrapped like a king. It wasn’t going to look as they thought. It wasn’t going to be in Jerusalem, in a palace or a temple. It was in little, ordinary Bethlehem, in an ordinary house, with ordinary parents. Had the Word not told them, perhaps they would have overlooked this ordinary-looking child, or even despised this pauper-king. Instead, they received this extraordinary gift. They fell down and worshipped Him.

Look! Look at that! Matthew is calling to you today. The glory of God on earth, hidden in this child.

And so it will continue to be. People will want Him to be glorious and strong, but the glory of God will be rejected, will flee for His life, will be hungry and thirsty, will be challenged and mocked, and then will be hung in humiliation on a cross. The glory of God will not look very glorious at all. But isn’t that the point? That the One who has all glory, all power, all majesty, and who is over all things in heaven and on earth, comes as a child, in weakness and poverty, puts Himself under the Law, and serves. He comes in compassion, touching the untouchables, eating with the outcasts, loving the unloved, befriending the friendless, taking the sin of the world upon Himself and dying for the dead, that we who are dead in our trespasses and sins might be raised with Him to a new life.

That is His glory. Not to come and be glorious and all kingly and demand our worship - but to come and as our Saviour give Himself and His glory for us and to us. That we too might be glorious.

You see, that’s why we need Matthew’s Look! That we not overlook or despise the appearance, but see here something special, something unusual, something you want to see. That your God has come for you. Jesus is here. Immanuel, God with us.

And that’s why we need John the Baptist’s Look! Look! the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

And that’s why we need the Look! of God’s Word today, that we see the glory of God coming for us today. Look at Him in flesh and blood, in manger and on cross, in water and Word, in bread and wine. This is His glory, for He is here in this house, giving Himself to you.

And the highest worship you can give, like the wise men, is to receive these gifts from Him. The Lord wants you here. Just as much as He wanted the wise men there, He wants you here. How has He worked to do so? To bring you here, to receive His gifts? Maybe not by a star, but what persons has He used, what events, what difficulties or tragedies, what good and joyous things?

But as with the wise men, all these things would not be enough without the Word and the Spirit of God working through that Word. That you not despise the appearance of what is seen here in this house, but know that the glory of the Lord is here for you. His glory hidden that you not be afraid to come before the Lord of all creation and repent of your sins against Him and receive His forgiveness, His Word, His washing, His Body and Blood. He is here humbly because He is here to forgive, to sanctify, to glorify. When He comes in glory it will be to judge. Now is not that time. Now is the time of His gifts. Now is the time to draw all people to Himself. To receive His life. To fall down and worship Him.

Look! Something special, something unusual, something you want to receive.

Now for sure, after that, we give Him our gifts. Not just the offerings we give here - our gold, frankincense, and myrrh - but the gift of a life lived in faith and love. A life lived confident of our Father’s love and our Saviour’s forgiveness, and so unafraid to love and forgive and serve others, in whatever callings you have. Those things often seem risky to us, even frightening. That’s why we are, at times, hesitant to do them. It’s easier keeping to yourself, minding your own business, live at let live.

But Matthew’s call today is Look! Look! at what your Lord has done for you! He did not keep to Himself when you fell into sin. He did not mind His own business when you were afraid and in need. He did not live and let live when you were in darkness. Look! He came for you, and He is still coming for you. Just as He gave Himself for you into death, so now He gives Himself to you in His life.

Look! and be filled with wonder!

Look! and be filled with joy!

Look! and do not be afraid.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

And His name is Jesus.

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

Sermon Archive

2010-02-23T06:55:00.004-05:00

Just a reminder, if you are looking for more sermons (we only keep the few most recent here), the complete archive can be found here on our church web site.