Sermon for 1/29/23: Transfiguration of Our Lord

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No video recording this week. My apologies.

“We Shall Be Changed…”

Matthew 17:1-9

 

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

 

 

A lot of Christians are troubled people. In truth, all Christians are troubled people. In Church they hear about a wonderful life that God has promised them in the Gospel. But then they walk out the church doors and back into a life that is filled with the same problems they had when they arrived. It seems as if nothing has changed. And not a few of these dear Christians—maybe you are among them—are convinced that, if only Jesus was here today as He was in our Gospel, those problems would disappear.

The truth is, had we lived in those days, we probably would not have recognized Him. Many movies about Jesus attempt to depict Him as having an unearthly glow, with a melodious and yet compelling voice. But He wasn’t like that at all. He himself said that He was meek and lowly. Herod had to kill all the male babies in Bethlehem because there was no way to identify Jesus. When He walked through Galilee and Judea, He blended in with the crowd. If Judas had not kissed Him, the soldiers would have had no idea which man to arrest. In His death, He fit in with criminals, and His crucifixion was a common method of execution. His burial was really no different from that of anyone else who died that day. Many years prior, Isaiah prophesied that He would have no beauty that we should desire to know Him.

This Sunday in the Church year is about change. Even the shape of our worship will change, taking on the solemn tones of Lent. This is the Sunday of the Transfiguration, a word which means “changing the outward figure or appearance.” What the thing really is, however, does not change. Caterpillars become butterflies. Babies become adults. One thing becomes another, and yet it really is still the same thing. No matter how much our appearance may change, we remain the same person. In the same way, the Transfiguration of Jesus is not really a new development. Finally the disciples see Jesus the way He always was and the way He always will be. For one brief moment, the covering of His saving humility is pulled back, and we see things the way they really are. His face took on a different appearance; it “...shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light.”

What happened on the mountain may have been new and strange to the disciples, but not to Jesus. Even in the days of His deepest humiliation, who Jesus had always been was what the Transfiguration revealed. He is the Lord, glowing in the glory of God the Father. Hidden in appearance as an ordinary man was God Himself in all His eternal splendor. Even if His disciples had not heard the voice of the Father from heaven, they would have known from that moment that in this Man—who was also exactly like us in every possible way, except that he was without sin—in this Man resided everything that is God.

The Word that was with God eternally, as John says in his Gospel, had appeared in ordinary human flesh. But now, that same appearance, which had joined deity to humanity, was reversed! The disciples saw His glory, the glory of the only Son of God. God became man, and now they see this Man in the fullness of God’s glory. Here was the glory of everlasting life. Here, in the place of human rejection, was divine acceptance: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!”

For Peter, it was like the teacher had cancelled the final exam. Perhaps Jesus would not have to die after all. Just build three tents to capture and hold the glory of God right there. In one we can listen to Moses, the great Law giver; in a second we can listen to Elijah, the great prophet; and in the third, we can listen to Jesus. The Kingdom has come; let’s bottle up its glory in tents. Like us when we walk out of these church doors into a world that hates us for what we believe, Peter had to come down from the mountain. He was going to have to watch his Master die. But things are never quite as they appear. If the humility of Jesus is a covering for His glory, then hidden in the deep recesses of that glory is the suffering of Jesus: His arrest, His trial, His scourging, His carrying of the cross to Golgotha, the pounding of heavy nails into His hands and feet. Remember the words of the Father, “This is my beloved Son...” Well, here He is, beloved of His Father because He bore the burden of our sin. We see His glory as He is lifted up, exalted on the cross.

The Transfiguration is not a moment for fear and despair, for Jesus leads you through the gate of death into eternal life. He alone has the words of eternal life; the voice from heaven orders us still to listen to Him alone. We still hear that voice in the words of the Gospels. And Jesus is transfigured still. He who was instantly revealed in glory now is revealed in the bread and wine that is His body and blood in the Holy Supper.

And there is yet a transfiguration to come, when God will take our bodies and change them to be like the body of our Lord Jesus. For, as Paul said, “...in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” we shall be changed. The final chapter of the Transfiguration has not yet been written. When it is, you will be a part of it: a final and lasting transformation, a final and never-ending resurrection. And with Peter, James, and John, with Moses and Elijah, and with all the saints, you will see His glory! In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.  

Sermon for 1/22/23: Third Sunday After Epiphany

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Hope for the Battle

Romans 1:8-17

 

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

 

 

The Epistle to the Romans is the most complete presentation of the Christian faith in the Bible. In these introductory words of Paul, we are given a window into his heart and mind; we learn what he was about and what moved him. He wrote this letter to Christians who lived in Rome in the First Century. Those Christians faced great pressures and temptations to compromise their faith; so do we. They were influenced by their culture to live in ways contrary to their faith; so are we. At times they were required to sacrifice and even suffer for the sake of their faith; so are we. They lived at a time when society and culture were hostile to Christians; things are moving in that direction for us.

Paul had not yet been to Rome, but he had clearly heard much about the Church there. He said that their faith was known to all around! And what Paul referred to here was not just the faith of individuals, but also the corporate faith of those Christians in Rome: the confession they shared and the life they lived out together. They were grateful that Jesus Christ and His salvation had been made known to them, and that gratitude was expressed by their willingness to share that faith, with all its joys and blessings, with others. They trusted that the words and promises of God were made sure by our Lord’s cross and resurrection. And that confidence gave them the freedom to make the choices they made, to live the lifestyle they lived, and to take the actions they took, even when it meant ridicule or suffering or sacrifice. They, like Paul, were not ashamed of the Gospel.

And so, Paul was anxious to visit them. He said: “I long to see you, that I may impart some spiritual gift to strengthen you...” He wanted to come and build up their faith. He knew the pressures they often faced to compromise that faith. Later in this same Epistle, Paul spoke very personally, even intimately, about his own inner struggle between the old sinful nature and the new life of faith. He knew how much easier it was to just let that old sinful nature have its way. He knew how hard it was to fight the good fight of faith, a fight that does not end until life here ends.

But then Paul adds something that is very important. He says, “...that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” That is the way it should be, isn’t it? Mutual encouragement: your faithfulness encourages me to remain faithful, mine encourages you, and we encourage each other. What we learn here is that the life of faith is never meant to be lived alone. The Christian faith is never merely individual faith; it is always corporate faith, faith that is lived out together in the Church. God’s Word bids us to love one another, to forgive one another, to support one another, to admonish one another when necessary, and to pray for one another. And that might be something to consider the next time you are thinking about missing this weekly gathering of the saints. Just as our faithfulness encourages others, our faithlessness can discourage others. You are not the only one affected by the choices you make.

So, just what was this spiritual gift Paul desired to bring them? “I am eager to preach the Gospel to you also who are in Rome.” Paul wrote to remind them that—despite the battle that goes on within us between good and evil, right and wrong, life and death—the battle has already been won: not by our strength or power or goodness, but by Jesus Christ. The battles that go on within us are only the aftershocks of the war He has already won. A new day has dawned. Forgiveness of sins, a life of faith now, eternal life and heavenly glory: these are the spoils of His victory which He gives to all who put their trust in Him.

This is the Gospel! This, Paul tells us, “...is the power of God for salvation...” God’s power to save resides in that good news that, by His cross, Jesus Christ has paid in blood for all the sins of all the world. By His resurrection from the dead, He has for all time destroyed the power of the grave to hold you. And by His glorious ascension, He has gone to prepare a place for you in the company of angels and archangels and all the saints who have gone on before. So fear nothing that is ahead! Do not fear even death itself, for your future will unfold under the promise of God, a promise sealed with the blood of Christ. This is God doing what He does best: bringing salvation to the lives of those whom He loves and wants with Him for all eternity.

These words of St. Paul, written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are just as powerful, just as important, for us. With many of these same things in mind, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews wrote: “We have here no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” That was the eternal hope of those Christians in Rome. That is our hope, as well: a hope fed and nourished by the power of the Gospel. God grant the fulfillment of that hope to us, even as He most certainly did for them. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

Sermon for 1/15/23: Second Sunday After Trinity

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Christ and His Bride

Ephesians 5:22-33

 

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

 

 

St. John calls the miracle Jesus performed at the Wedding at Cana the “first” of His miracles. But it’s important to know that the Greek word translated “first” or “beginning,” the word “arche,” means far more than just the first in a series. While this was, indeed, the first of our Lord’s miracles, this word also carries with it the sense of something that is “first in importance.” In other words, it contained within it the origin and source of any number of Biblical truths. No doubt there is something important to the Sacrament of the Altar in this miracle. Perhaps there is also something about the puzzling way Jesus dealt with His mother. But clearly the significance of marriage is evident here as Jesus grants His blessing to marriage not only by His presence but also by His willingness to accommodate it with a miracle.

In our Epistle, St. Paul speaks of the union of husband and wife as a mystery that puts into human terms the relationship between Christ and His Bride, the Church. But we must also consider what Biblical mysteries are. They are not things that we are to figure out. What the Bible calls mysteries are things to be believed for what they are, whether or not they can ever be fully understood, because they have been revealed by God.

Marriage itself is a gift from God, given even before the fall into sin. It is the first and most important of all human relationships. But that fact hasn’t kept it from being abused. You know without me saying so that marriage according to God’s institution is under attack from all sides. There are many who think they know better than the Creator of marriage, who believe they have better ideas than God about what is right and proper in such relationships. But can we who claim to honor God’s gift of marriage escape the mirror of God’s Law in how we have treated this gift? And that is especially the case when we consider the order God has established within marriage.

Ever since conflict and selfishness entered into the very first marriage, husbands and wives have been vying for control and rebelling against how God has made us. I am referring to St. Paul’s instructions to husbands and wives and how they are to relate to each other. “Wives, submit to your own husbands as to the Lord.” “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.” We don’t want to hear such things. Which is harder: for the wife to willingly submit to her husband’s headship? Or for the husband to love his wife wholly and willingly lay down his life for her? The answer is that both are equally unappealing to our sinful nature; both are impossible to do apart from Christ.

But notice that Paul is writing here to Christians, and he puts these individual roles into the context of their connection to Christ: “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church.” And that is what makes these instructions for marriage doable: our connection to Christ and the new spirit we have as His people. Does the Church submit to Christ? Yes, gladly and willingly. We know that our Lord will never abuse us or mistreat us. In the same way, Christian wives are called to submit to their husbands—not as slaves, but viewing husbands as their loving, God-ordained head. Did Christ love the Church and give Himself up for her? Yes, and there was nothing lacking in our Lord’s love for us. In the same way, Christian husbands are to love and give themselves up for their wives. When both are doing what they are called to do, then marriage is what it is meant to be: a most beautiful gift of God and a picture—in our own homes!—of the relationship between Christ and the Church.

Why do we resist this? Why do we think we know better than the God who created us? Thank God, for this same God is the One who saved us from all our foolishness and selfishness and self-chosen ways. “Christ is the Head of the Church, His body, and is Himself its Savior.” He saves us from our sins. He makes us His body, spotless in the waters of Holy Baptism, to keep us intimately connected to Him. His love for us was so great that He willingly laid down His life for us, going to the cross to pay the price that sets us free. All our disregard for God’s good order, all our disobedience and disorder, Christ took on Himself and bore in deep humility when He suffered and died for you. Here is your salvation! Here is your Savior! He has cleansed you “by the washing of water with the Word” in Holy Baptism, washing over you with His Word and His name. Whenever your sins accuse you, return to your Baptism and find there full and free forgiveness.

And here is hope for your future, as well. Christ is going to present His Church to Himself in splendor on the Last Day. Like a radiant, beautiful bride, so the Church will be—so will we be as we enter, body and soul, into the joys of everlasting life. We will be with our Savior in joy forever, like a wedding feast that never ends. All of this, Paul says, is a profound mystery. And so we ask for God’s help, which we know He will give us, in preserving, defending, and living the mystery of marriage. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen. 

Sermon for 1/8/23: The Epiphany of Our Lord

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“Arise and Shine!”
Isaiah 60:1-6

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

 

We have in this text one of the glorious visions of the great prophet, Isaiah. In spirit, Isaiah stands on a hill outside Jerusalem. Dark night covers the world. Suddenly, he sees a bright light appear over Zion, all the brighter by contrast with the pervasive darkness. And he exclaims, “Arise! Shine! For your light has come!” And then he sees a mysterious commotion among the peoples of the earth, a movement toward the light, and he cries out, “Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.” The crowds become multitudes; from Midian and Ephah and Sheba they come. Some come by way of the sea, others by camel across the desert. What a glorious, heart-cheering sight: all these coming to the Light which is, of course, none other than Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.

“Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples...” What a striking description of the human race in its sinful condition. The time when Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled at the coming of Christ was one of the bright periods of classical civilization. It was the age of Augustus, the “golden age” of the great poet Virgil. It was an age which produced great philosophers and orators like Cicero; it was an age when the arts and sciences flourished. But even with all this worldly civilization and learning, mankind could not by its own reason or strength produce spiritual light nor gain true knowledge of God and salvation. Roman society, for all of its many advances, was spiritually bankrupt; atheism and cynicism were prevalent. Remember Pilate’s question to Jesus: “What is truth?” The darkness of spiritual ignorance and sin reigned everywhere. The Greco-Roman culture eventually destroyed itself from within. And the age in which we are presently living is more like those days than any other period of history.

Against this background of great darkness, in the “fullness of time,” God Himself caused the brightness of His glory to rise over Bethlehem. His Son took on human flesh, and in Him the greatest glory of God appeared: the glory of His love and grace. St. John told us, “We beheld his glory.” And Jesus Himself declared, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” All the light of Old Testament prophecy was but a faint dawn that preceded the coming of the true Light. And all that the Church of the New Testament can do now is bring the Light of the world to shine into the dark hearts and souls of men by faithfully preaching the Gospel.

But is that light still effective? There are those who say that the vision of Isaiah is, indeed, a grand thing, but the fulfillment just doesn’t measure up. The Church is weak and despised. It seems but a little flock, its efforts feeble and nearly useless. It does send missionaries, to be sure; it does seek to do that work of extending the kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel. But what are these few among so many who obviously despise the Gospel? Where is the abundance of the sea, as Isaiah put it? Where are the forces of the Gentiles, the masses flocking to Christ? There are those who indulge in dreams of a day when Christ will visibly reign over the earth from Jerusalem, when the kings of the earth shall pay homage to Him there. If it is true, we might as well close our churches and our Bibles, and just sit back and wait for Isaiah’s prophecy to be fulfilled.

But, of course, we cannot and must not wait! Salvation has come! It has come in Jesus Christ, at whose birth the angels sang: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” The Gentiles have come, and they continue to come to the light; we ourselves are proof. The Good Shepherd brings both Jews and Gentiles together into one flock. Gentiles, in the persons of the Magi, were led specifically to this light. And since that time there has been a continual coming to the light.

The Church is still busy with her task, bringing the light of the Gospel to men and so kindling faith in their hearts for Christ, the Light of the world. When we gather, as we do this morning, we gather not just for our sake, but for the sake of those who do not yet know Jesus Christ. We preach and we listen, we sing and we pray, as much for their sake as we do for ours. And this manifests itself when we leave this place of worship. In whatever corner of the world is uniquely ours, we shine on others the light of Christ that has been given us, both by the words we speak and by the example we give. That is the grand purpose of the Kingdom of God: to bring all those whom Christ would “call out of darkness into His marvelous light,” that eternal light may shine on them forever in the Father’s house. That will be the final and the perfect fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. And so, as Isaiah calls to you: arise and shine! In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

Sermon for 1/1/23: The Sunday After Christmas

 CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

No sermon video this week. My apologies.

A Righteous Shoot

Isaiah 11:1-5

 

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

 

 

Our text from Isaiah uses the historical setting of God’s deliverance of Judah from the Assyrians as a means of talking about the promise of Israel’s deliverance yet to come through the promised Savior. Jesus was the Savior God’s people were awaiting, and God’s Son would be the Savior from sin and death the whole world has waited for: the Savior who comes with humble roots and heavenly qualities and holy judgment.

God rescued Judah from Assyria; they were not cut down by their enemies…at least, not yet. Because of the nation’s continued sin and rebellion, however, God would eventually send another enemy that would succeed where Assyria failed. The great nation that once had flourished under David and Solomon would be reduced to a stump. But from that seemingly lifeless stump, God promised to send a Deliverer. “There shall come forth a Shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” Jesse was the father of David, the great King from Israel’s past. The Savior God promised would come from those humble roots and David’s family.

During the season of Advent we heard John the Baptist’s call to repentance. God’s people had waited for the Savior to come for many hundreds of years. And when He came, it was in great humility. Our Lord’s mother and foster-father, Mary and Joseph, were never in the latest edition of People magazine, never highlighted by TMZ. Yes, they were from the line of King David, but that was about it. And yet, the coming of Jesus in such humility was essential to His saving work. Jesus set aside His divine power, hiding it behind His humanity, humbling Himself from cradle to cross, where He endured the ultimate humility: the punishment of God against our sin. Those humble roots and that humble life were key ingredients that made Jesus the Savior God’s people waited for.

Isaiah continues His description of the Savior when he says that the Spirit of the Lord would come to rest upon Him. But the coming Savior would have yet another heavenly quality that deserves mention. Isaiah said: “Righteousness shall be the belt of His waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.” In ancient times, a belt might be worn around the waist when a man engaged in a wrestling match; the object of the competition was to wrestle the opponent’s belt away from him. Isaiah used this common ancient practice as a picture to describe the Savior’s readiness to go into battle for us. His belt was that of righteousness and faithfulness, which meant that only Jesus could be holy under God’s Law; only Jesus could faithfully fulfill every command of God. Jesus knew the will of God perfectly. His Father had sent Him to make that journey from cradle to cross where He would suffer and die for our sins. And in this way, His righteousness would become ours and now counts for us who trust Him as our Savior. These heavenly, Spirit-given qualities make Him the Savior you have waited for.

The Savior you have waited for is coming again, this time with a holy judgment. “He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.” The all-perceiving, heart-piercing Christ is coming to judge all mankind and to seek justice against sin. And there is no way you can doctor the data when God, who sees and knows all, comes to judge all. The verdict we deserve is guilty; the punishment we deserve is hell! But when Jesus returns, His verdict will not be what we deserve. He endured what we deserve on the cross. He gives us what He earned through faith in His saving work. And so, His final judgment is nothing to fear; instead, it is our gracious entrance into His kingdom forever.

The frenzy of this Christmas season, which now begins to subside, so easily distracts us not only from the miracle of Bethlehem but also from what will most certainly take place when our Lord Jesus returns again. He came to save us. He comes in His Word to call us to repentance and faith, and He will come again to bring to us the gifts of heaven He has already secured for us. Jesus is not just some sort of holiday ambiance. He is the Savior: the Savior you have waited for! In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.