Sermon - Ash Wednesday - Psalm 130

This Lenten season, like every year, we are setting forth a theme for our midweek evening services.  We’ve called this series, “Luther’s Catechism Hymns”.  The idea is this.  We are all or should be familiar with Luther’s Small Catechism and its Six Chief Parts.  That little summary of the Bible forms the foundation of most of our formal instruction, for Confirmation in the Lutheran Church.  Many preachers over the years have even used the 6 Chief Parts as a structure for a Lenten series:  The 10 Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Holy Baptism, Confession and Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper.  We’re not re-inventing the wheel.

But we are perhaps adding another layer, or looking at the Small Catechism through a different lens.  Dr. Luther not only gave us the clarity and simplicity of the Small Catechism to teach us and our children the faith, but he also wrote many hymns for much the same purpose.  And it’s been pointed out, and maybe shouldn’t surprise us, that some of these hymns match up quite well with the Six Chief Parts.  That may have even been intentional in some cases.

And so, our approach will be, to examine these treasures of the church, these precious doctrines of Scripture -  through the lens of the Small Catechism, and that, through the lens of Luther’s catechism hymns.  And in so doing, to draw deeper and richer meaning from the Word of God that calls us to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

Since it is Ash Wednesday, however, we’re going to change up the order a bit.  As we begin our penitential season, and even wear the ashes of repentance on our brows, our thoughts would run the way of that Chief Part of the Catechism – “Confession and Absolution”.  If you turn to page 326 in your hymnal, you can read for yourself how the Catechism teaches us to confess and be forgiven:

“What is confession?”

Confession has two parts.  First that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.

It’s so simple, really.  Luther would say, “When I urge you to go to confession, I am simply urging you to be a Christian”.  The heart of our faith is this very thing – repentance and faith, confession and forgiveness, all for the sake of Christ.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season of penitence to prepare us for Holy Week and Easter, the highest celebration of the Church.  So for the Christian, preparation begins with sorrow for sin, contrition, a recognition of the depths of our problem.  Celebration comes only after sorrow – the joy of Easter only after the suffering of Calvary.

We hear these words every Ash Wednesday, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return”.  It’s a stark reminder of death.  For as our father Adam was formed from the dust, so will we all return to the earth when the grave reclaims our bodies.  But that only happens because of sin, which brings the wages of death.  The grave is a deep pit, indeed, while it may be just 6 feet down – it is inescapable apart from Christ.

It’s not just in the New Testament that God’s people recognized the depth of the problem, either.  Already David knew what death meant – he saw it all around him.  He even had a hand in the death of many, some justly, some not so.  And he knew that sin and death went together – it’s all over his writing.

Take Psalm 130, on which Luther based his hymn, “From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee”.  There David writes:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
²     O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

³ If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
    that you may be feared.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
    more than watchmen for the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord!
    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
    and with him is plentiful redemption.
⁸ And he will redeem Israel
    from all his iniquities.

Luther summarizes and paraphrases this Psalm in this hymn – written in a style easy for his people to sing.  He wrote, “From Depths of Woe” in 1523 while he was also engaged in re-working the Latin Mass into German.  He set a number of liturgical pieces to hymnody – and this one works well as a confession of sins.

Consider with the Psalmist, how bad off we’d be if God marked our sins – if he strictly and thoroughly held every little sin against us – as the law requires.  Consider how each of us brings a burden of sin so heavy, a record of sin so extensive, that we can’t even know how deep and sore it goes.  Only God can.  But the thought of his justice holding us to account is not pleasant, in fact, it’s terrifying.  No one could stand. 

But the psalmist quickly turns to God’s forgiveness.  “But with you there is forgiveness, therefore you are feared!”  Who would want to believe in a God who was extreme to mark our sins?  But a God who brings forgiveness?  That’s a God who inspires fear, love AND trust.  That’s the God that we know through Jesus.  Luther puts it this way in the hymn:

“Though great our sins, yet greater still Is God's abundant favor”

As this hymn expresses well humanity’s deepest sorrow, it has often been sung in times of mourning.  For example, it was sung in the castle church of Wittenberg, on May 9^th, 1525, at the funeral of Duke Frederick the Wise, Luther’s patron and protector.  Later, it would be sung at Luther’s own funeral in 1546.

But the hymn is not all about sorrow, any more than Confession itself for the Christian is only about sorrow.  Confession and absolution are two sides of the coin, just like the teachings of the law and the proclamation of the gospel.  Where sin is confessed, it is forgiven in Christ.  Where ashes mark you with the reminder of death, they are placed in a cross which reminds us that death lies defeated.  When you give voice to your sinfulness, God’s servants speak words of forgiveness, restoration and peace.  Confession and Absolution are watchwords for the Christian – a pattern for our lives.

The Psalmist speaks of his soul waiting for the Lord more than watchman for the morning.  Luther talks about our heart tarrying through the night, and awakening at dawn.  The picture is this.  We’re waiting for our shift to be over, our vigil of faith upon earth.  We wait, patiently, expectantly, for the salvation of God to appear.  Our hope is in the Lord.  Our eyes are on the horizon, looking for his steadfast love and plentiful redemption.  And our eyes and our hope and our patient waiting will not be disappointed, for the Lord comes to redeem us from our iniquities.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This Lenten season, let us once again repent.  Turn your hearts from sin, and toward faith in Christ.  Say of yourself what God has said of you – that you are conceived and born in sin, that you sin daily and sin much, but hear what God also says through Christ – that your sins are removed, washed away clean even as these ashes soon will be. 

And remember this - that even death itself is a temporary arrangement.  For though you are dust and to dust you shall return, that’s not the end of the story.  For your sins are great, greater still is God’s abundant favor.  Though you die, yet shall you live in Jesus Christ our Lord.  A blessed Ash Wednesday, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sermon - Transfiguration - Matthew 17:1-9

The Transfiguration of Our Lord
“Seeing the Glory.  Listening to the Son.”
Matthew 17:1-9

This Sunday, Transfiguration Sunday, is kind of the last hurrah of the Epiphany season.  What started out with a bright star leading the wise men to the baby Jesus not ends on a mountaintop with the brightness of God’s glory shining in Christ.  What began at the Jordan river, when Jesus was baptized and the voice from heaven declared “This is my Son”, now concludes with the same voice, the same words, and another little addition, “Listen to him”.  What started out with humble beginnings – a baby laid in a manger – now gives a glimpse of the true glory behind it all, a peek through the veil of humility, a brief peek at the glory of the Son of God.  Soon liturgical lights will dim into Lent.  The Alleluias will go on vacation.  We leave the mount and go to the plain, even the valley of the shadow of death.

We go toward the garden, the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus also prays.  We go to dark Gethsemane, for another retreat with Peter, James and John.  There, they will also be sleepy.  There, they will also not understand.  Jesus will be attended not by Moses and Elijah, but by the angels.  There, Jesus will also speak of his cross – not as an exodus, but as a cup that cannot pass from him.  There, in the garden, the brightness of glory is past, and the hour of the power of darkness will come.
But for now, it is good to be here.  The Transfiguration was a necessary event for the disciples to witness.  For them to both to see and also to hear.  For them to experience.  It must have made quite an impression.  For we are creatures of our senses.  Everything we know of the world passes through our eyes or ears, or is sensed by touch, smell or taste.  But mostly eyes and ears.  Here the disciples have a feast for both of these senses.

They see Jesus more clearly for who he is.  They see his glory shining through.  Surely not his full glory, for who could withstand such a sight?  But he gives them a view of himself that they hadn’t seen, and perhaps would never see again this side of death itself.  His face shone like the sun.  His garments, whiter than anyone could bleach.  White as light. 

Jesus didn’t really change.  He was still the same Jesus.  Only his appearance changed.  His figure got “trans-ed”.  They got a better view of the reality that was always there.  The Jesus they usually saw was the Jesus of the incarnation and humiliation, the savior that came lowly and meekly.  The one who had no particular beauty that we should regard him.  He wasn’t notably tall like Saul or strong like Samson.  He had no riches like a Herod.  He didn’t even have a place to lay his head.

And seeing is believing, isn’t it?  Well, sometimes.  Though our eyes may deceive us.  Though our eyes may tell us what is real and we still choose not to believe it.  Eye-witness testimony is considered the most reliable, but even that can be distorted, mis-remembered, or fail.  Sinners tend to either rely too much on our senses, or not enough.  We trust in our own devices and capacities to a fault, or we deny the reality that stares us in the face. 

So God doesn’t leave Peter James and John with only the vision bright.  He doesn’t just show them the glory of Christ without interpretation.  Nor does Christ bare his true glory for all to see, but rather cloaks himself in a veil of humility and shows his true nature in other ways – in word and action.
And since this vision of the transfiguration, by itself, is not enough - this is also why the voice of the Father thunders, and also adds these little words to his endorsement:  Listen to him.

Listening to Jesus is even more important than seeing him.  It’s far better to listen to Jesus than to see him in all his glory, or all his humility.  Martha, Martha, learned that listening to Jesus was far better than all her busy working and doing.  Listening to Jesus is what his sheep do – for they know his voice.

So what does he say?  Well, of course he preaches that the kingdom is at hand.  He calls us to repentance and faith.  He calls us to follow him.  He calls for obedience to the law – as we’ve heard in the last few weeks from the Sermon on the Mount.  He speaks many things, many words, in sermons and parables and sayings.  The voice of the Father says, “Listen to him”, and we do well to pay attention to all of it.

But what those disciples had a hard time hearing, most of all, and what sometimes, we, too, stumble at – is the gospel itself.  The very heart of Jesus’ teaching.  The very focus of his mission.  That the Son of Man would be betrayed, arrested, tried and convicted… that he would be made to suffer, crucified, and that he would be buried, and on the third day rise again.  He told them – he spoke about it plainly.  He repeated, again and again, but the balked, they were afraid to ask, or it simply went in one ear and out the other.  Peter tried to rebuke him, just 6 days before (that’s what is mentioned at the beginning of this reading), but Jesus rebuked him, “get behind me Satan”.  Harsh words, but Jesus will not be turned away from his cross.  He will not be distracted or diverted by any other mission, for any other way of salvation is a suggestion of Satan.  Don’t listen to the devil’s designs.  Listen to Jesus.

And then there’s Moses and Elijah.  Two Old Testament figures who knew a thing or two about not being listened to.  Moses the great law-giver, who led a stubborn and stiff-necked people.  Elijah the prophet spoke for God, preaching against wicked kings and queens and false prophets of Baal, but was ignored and opposed to the point where he thought he was the only one left.  And yet for those with ears to hear, both of these men, and the whole Old Testament with them, preach a word of witness even today – pointing us to Jesus.  They would agree with the voice of the Father.  Listen to Jesus.

And listen in on what they were talking about with Jesus – they weren’t telling him stories of their good old days.  They weren’t comparing notes with how hard it is to preach.  They weren’t even asking how in the world they managed to appear on this mountaintop hundreds of years after they had lived.  Luke’s account tells us the topic of their conversation:  “  They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:31) They were talking about the cross.  They, like Jesus, knew what the point of all of this really was.

And one more little phrase to listen to – when they lifted up their eyes, they saw “Jesus only”.  When the transfiguration conversation was over, the cloud disappeared, and Moses and Elijah went their way, they were left with Jesus only.  The saw no one but Jesus only. 

We, too, should see Jesus only and hear Jesus only.  Sure there’s Moses and Elijah, but even they point us to Jesus only.  There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved, but Jesus only.  There is no one who can give us perfect righteousness but Jesus only.  There is no one whose blood can cover our sins, but Jesus only.  And therefore no one worth trusting in, following, and listening to – but Jesus only.

The transfiguration of Jesus is a blessed event in which we see, through the eyes of these three apostles, a glimpse behind the veil.  We see, with them, a hint of the glory of the eternal Son of God that has hidden himself in this human flesh.  We see Jesus, a little bit clearer, for who he is.  But we see him not with our eyes, but with our ears.  We listen to the gospel accounts.  We give close ear to his teaching.  We read and hear and learn and mark and inwardly digest his word. 

As Epiphany ends, and as Lent begins, we too must come down the mountain.  The shine will wear off quickly, and the ashes of repentance appear again.  We go with Jesus, these 40 days, as he sets his face toward Jerusalem.  There’s plenty to hear, as we listen to him. Some of it hard, unpleasant, quite challenging.

But in it all Jesus prepares us for our own departure.  He is calling and forgiving us, comforting and strengthening us for that day when we, too, will stand with him in glory.  That day, beyond our own grave, when we receive a resurrection like his.  That day, when God’s declaration of Christ is also applied to us for eternity, “this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”.  And so the transfiguration also gives you a glimpse of your own future, in Christ.

Dear Christians, as always, look to Jesus.  Listen to Jesus.  And find the glory of salvation in Jesus, and in Jesus only. 

Sermon - 6th Sunday after Epiphany - Matthew 5:21-37

Matthew 5:21–37
“You Have Heard It Said”

I love neo-logisms.  Those little words and expressions that pop up here and there in modern life – many times to describe something that just needs a word of its own.  One of my favorites is “selective listening”.  A condition that seems most common among teenagers and husbands, but is really common to all sinners.  We all hear what we want to hear, and don’t hear what we don’t, even when it comes to God’s word.  And even if you hear it, does it go in one ear and out the other?  Do you practice selective listening?  Or maybe it’s selective obeying.

Jesus touches on four topics today – and with each he begins with the same phrase “You have heard it said” and then contrasts the statement with “But I say to you…”  He’s not just offering his opinion on these matters – something that we can take or leave.  He speaks with all the authority of the Son of God himself, the Word that has become flesh, the very living Word of God.  And so we must not practice selective hearing when it comes to Jesus.  We must note what we have heard, and also especially what he then says to us.

St. Paul used another word picture to speak about people who only want to hear what they want to hear – he said they have itching ears.  And they accumulate preachers to themselves who will scratch that itch – say what they want, what makes them feel good about themselves, or at least not make them feel bad.  Save us all from this kind of preaching, dear Jesus!

So what does Jesus preach about in this last of our readings from the Sermon on the mount?  As the Epiphany season winds down, we’ve already heard many answers to the question, “who is Jesus?”  Today, Jesus answers a closely related question, “so then who am I to be, as one of his people?”  There’s a lot of talk about Christian living, the sort of so-what-now of the faith.  And we will do our best this morning to listen to it.

But we will also give ear to the words of Christ which answer his words of law – and consider how the same Christ who speaks the law so that we hear it well, also speaks words of comfort and peace in his Gospel.  It’s not a word that comes screaming through in this particular section of the Gospels, and so we may have to make some connections, draw in some other words.  But remember the words of any scripture passage are always to be taken in context  - and that context is always the whole counsel of God.  We never ignore the chief teachings of Jesus, even as we give ear to other things he taught.

So enough introductory stuff.  Let’s get to the heart of it.  Today in our reading, Jesus teaches us, his people, about anger, lust, divorce, and frivolous oaths.  Each of these is forbidden in the Old Testament.  Pointing them out as such is nothing newsworthy.  Indeed, “You have heard it said”.  What’s astounding is that Jesus raises the bar on these laws, makes them even harder to attain or fulfill.  And if we recall what he said last week, that’s a bit of a problem, because anyone who breaks the least of these commandments will not enter the kingdom of heaven!

Take first of all anger.  Jesus quotes the fifth commandment, prohibiting murder, and applies it also to anger!  Anger is murder of the heart.  Insulting another – murder of the mouth – calling a brother a fool – even just being angry – makes one liable to judgment, and even the hell of fire!  But anger is a breeding ground of sin, and it breaks relationships between God’s beloved children.  Who are you to be angry at someone for whom Christ shed his precious blood?  Rather, consider God’s own anger at your sin – and rejoice that his wrath is placated by that same blood of Christ.  If God’s anger is turned away from you by Jesus, then the Christian can pray forgiveness for our own anger and strength to put such anger away.

Or secondly, lust – Jesus begins with what they’ve already heard – you’ve heard it said – do not commit adultery.  But he raises the bar – he sharpens the point of the law – so that this sin extends to the eye and the heart.  Like every other sin of thought, word, and deed, we are accountable to God.  And the cure is extreme amputation – if your eye or hand causes you to sin – cut it out or off!  Better to go into life without them, than with them into hell.  Of course the problem is far worse, since all of our members, and even our heart itself contribute to our sin.  So how about cutting everything out and off?  Does that mean the only cure for us sinners is really death itself?  Yes – death, and life.  Being buried with Christ in baptism, so also to be raised with him.  Dying to sin and rising to new life in Jesus.  Living each day by repentance and faith, under the cross of Christ.

And let’s not pass over so quickly the threat of hell!  An eternity of punishment that is the just sentence on all who rebel against Holy God.  But neither let us forget this is Jesus talking – he who conquered hell.  He suffered its pangs on the cross, and trampled its powers under foot, descending there to proclaim victory – for himself, and all who are in him. 

His third topic is divorce – here, to, Jesus hammers the law.  Even though, already in his day, the standards of divorce had been loosened, Jesus points us back to the law.  He equates it with adultery.  Breaking a marriage is breaking a marriage.  An official document can’t paper over the 6th commandment.  If we live and act like divorce isn’t sinful, and if it’s just something that happens like one day it rains and one day it’s sunny – if we relax the law for ourselves or others – we put ourselves at odds with Jesus. 

But the Gospel of Jesus is the opposite of adultery – it’s about faithfulness.  He is faithful to you.  He is faithful to his promises.  He keeps them – even until death, and even beyond.  One day we’ll see the fruition of all his promises at the marriage feast of the lamb in his kingdom, which has no end.  There, and then – all that is broken and adulterated by sin will be forever restored. 

And finally oath-taking.  Maybe not a sin we consider much in our modern context.  It seems in days when oaths were commonly offered, there also many swore falsely.  But Jesus says to avoid all that fuss anyway – and just let your yes be yes and your no be no.  You ought not swear by heaven or earth or Jerusalem, or on your own head.  None of these are yours to swear by anyway.  Don’t make grand promises on things you can’t control.  Rather, simple honesty, straightforward words of yes and no are the hallmark of the Christian.

Let God take care of the oaths.  Let him make the everlasting covenant.  The promises that cannot be broken.  The words that can never be revoked.  God swore by himself to Abraham – that he would keep his covenant.  He would bless all nations through Abraham and his offspring.  He, God, would make children of Abraham where there were none – he’d make them out of stones if he had to – for his word cannot fail, his promise cannot be broken, his guarantee of Messiah must come true.
And of course it did.  The Jesus who was born to fulfill prophecy, who was baptized to fulfill all righteousness, who preached and healed and cast out demons, who came not to abolish but to fulfill the law and the prophets – is the Jesus who died on a cross.

You have heard his Gospel, too.  You have heard it said, from faithful pastors and teachers and parents and grandparents.  You have heard it said, when you were baptized into the name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit.  You have heard it said, when your sins were forgiven by a servant of the Word.  You have heard it said, when Jesus’ own words are spoken over bread and wine that is his body and blood – you have heard it – that this is for the forgiveness of your sins.

So no selective hearing for the Christian, but hear everything God speaks to you.  You have heard the law – you’ve heard it from Moses, more strongly from Jesus, and even have it written on your heart.  That law speaks only condemnation.  It speaks justly. It condemns us all.

But thanks be to God for that other word.  You have heard the gospel – the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.  You have heard how he fulfilled the law for you.  And you have heard that he shed his blood and died for you.  You have heard his many comforting promises.  Hear that same Gospel again today.  Receive the same grace, again, today.  And even as you come to his table for the feast – hear those words anew and for you – given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of your sins.

Sermon - 5th Sunday after Epiphany - Matthew 5:13-20

There’s really two main thoughts in today’s Gospel reading.  In the first section, Jesus encourages Christians to be who they are – the salt and light of the world. 

In the second, he shows his relation to the Law and the Prophets – that he came not to abolish but fulfill them.

This is all part of his famous Sermon on the Mount.  He speaks here, first of all, to his followers, those who give ear to his teaching, and by extension, to us Christians.

Let’s take the first section first – salt and light.  Two earthly things with which everyone is familiar.  Two very different parts of creation – but both with something in common – they have a purpose, a function.  They do something. 

Salt, sprinkled through the food, both preserves and gives flavor.  And light, well, it lets you see.  It shows things.  Jesus says Christians are both salt and light.  But notice first how he speaks about it – he doesn’t say, “Be salt and light”  but “you are”.  That is, you already are these things, you are this way.  Salt can’t help but to be salty, and light can’t help but to shine.  So already in the grammar of Jesus there is a promise. 

Christians will do good works.  They are as natural for the new Adam within us as breathing.  Good works are like the breath of faith – exhaling in the direction of our neighbor.  Or another way of putting it is God does good works through us, or uses us to do the good works he has prepared for us to do.  His light shines through us.  In any case, however, we never crow about our good works or boast in them.  As Jesus says, they are done to give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

But the Christian is not only New Creation.  He is also Old Adam.  He is a saint, but he is also a sinner.  He isn’t always as salty or shiny as he wants to be.  And so we also need the law.  If all we ever did was believe and trust, we’d not need the law’s direction, curbing and guidance.  But because we are also still plagued by this sinful flesh, this body of death, we also need the threats and condemnations of the law.

So, Jesus also says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.  I have come to fulfill them”.  Jesus seems to mean here both the Holy Scriptures, and also the law – as in that category of teaching – like law and gospel.

There is a tendency in some Christian circles to abolish the law.  Whether purposely or unknowingly, some Christians would disregard or dismiss the Old Testament.  “We are a New Testament Church” some would say.  But this seems based on a false idea that the Old Testament is irrelevant to Christians. 

There is also a tendency in some circles to disregard or dismiss the law – as in the commands, the statues, the rules that God has set forth.  The 10 commandments, which have been degraded into suggestions, if that.  The old and antiquated and not so important to know and to live by.  In a way, any time we sin we turn our back on the law, we “abolish the law”, or at least we act as if it doesn’t apply to us. 

But rather than relaxing the law, Jesus raises the bar.  Rather than diminish its demands, he amplifies the law.  He emphasizes it all the more.  He says not an iota or a dot – the smallest of markings – will pass from it until all is accomplished.  If you break even the least of these commandments you will be least in his kingdom.  And he draws attention the most righteous men around, at least in earthly terms or in most people’s minds, and he says even their righteousness isn’t enough.  You need to follow the law, more closely, more righteous-ly.  Yes, even down to the last little mark of it.

Why so extreme, Jesus?  Would some call him a legalist?  Who can live up to such a standard?  It’s unreasonable.  How can Jesus make these demands that we can never live up to?  Shouldn’t we relax the law a little bit and make it more attainable?  How about instead of following the commandments perfectly, I just follow them for the most part?  Let’s make the law like horseshoes and hand grenades, where close enough is good enough.  Wouldn’t that be better, Jesus?

But no.  There is no slacking on the law, with Jesus, or his Father.  There is no loosening of standards or winking at sins, grading on a spiritual curve.  He says be holy as I am holy.  Unless your righteousness exceeds the Pharisees you will never – never – enter the kingdom of heaven!

That never would be for you and for me and for all people – if this was his only word on the matter.  If Jesus’ teaching on the law was all he taught, he would be a terrible savior, a peddler of despair, a prophet of doom and gloom.  But Jesus speaks another word. 

He says, “I have come to fulfill the law”.  He has come to fulfill the Old Testament.  And he has come to fulfill the commandments.  And this is very good news indeed.
He has come to fulfill all the Old Testament promises and pictures, for these are the scriptures that testify of him. 

He’s the seed of the woman that crushes the serpent – that’s Jesus. 

He’s the bronze serpent raised up by Moses that we might look to him and live. 

The Son of David that would reign over his house forever – that’s Jesus. 

The Suffering Servant in Isaiah – Jesus.

He is the one forsaken by God (Psalm 22), encircled by dogs, hands and feet pierced, crying out in thirst.   

The Jonah that comes back after three days in the belly of death – Jesus. 

The one born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, the Savior of the Nations, the Glory of Israel – Jesus. 

He is the Joshua that conquers our enemies. 

He is the Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

He is Yahweh of the burning bush. 

The Lamb of the Passover who saves by his blood. 

He is the Lord of Hosts and Ancient of Days.

He’s the faithful husband that Hosea patterns himself after.

He is the very Word of Creation now made flesh. 

He fulfills the Law and the Prophets by his incarnation, as true God and true man, by his words and his works.  He does it all, every detail, and does it well – even perfectly.

He also fulfills the Law and Prophets in the sense of perfect righteousness.  He fulfills the commandments – and he does it for us.  He loves God perfectly, with all his heart, soul, strength and mind.  He loves his fellow man with a love greater than all – a love that would even lay down his life for friends and enemies alike.  He had no other gods.  He honored God’s name.  He remembered the Sabbath and kept it holy.  He honored father and mother.  He never murdered, committed adultery, stole or lied.  He was content with whatever God gave him, including even his cup of suffering.  Jesus never broke the law, but always fulfilled the law with perfect love for God and man.

But he did this not as an example for us – or at least not primarily so.  If that’s all he was but a super-model of morality, that would only make it worse for us.  We’d look even worse in comparison.  But he fulfills the law for us.  He is perfectly righteous for us.  Yes, he died for us – but he also lived for us – to earn for us the credit of all his good works.

So while your righteousness doesn’t exceed the Pharisees, or qualify you for the kingdom – Jesus’ righteousness does.  And the good news is that he gives you his righteousness.  He takes your sin to the cross, and he gives his perfect, spotless record of righteousness to you.  And with the righteousness of Christ – the kingdom of heaven is yours.

So be the salt that you are and the light in the world.  Let the light of your faith shine in the good works God sets before, to give him glory and in love for your neighbor.  Rest secure in the righteousness of Christ, which far exceeds any other righteousness, and is yours by grace through faith in him.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sermon - The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Our Lord

Luke 2:21-24

Today we have a bit of an unusual churchly observance – one that many of us may not even know much about – (and I’m not talking about Lutheran Schools Week).  It is the feast of the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of our Lord.  It’s an occasion that falls, on the church calendar, always, 40 days after Christmas, on February 2nd.  Christians have been observing it as far back as the 4th century AD.

Some churches also call it “Candlemas” and bless their candles for the year on this Sunday.  And some churches also see it as the traditional time to take down the Christmas decorations (although as you can see we’ve already done that here).  And another tradition in some places is to eat pancakes or crepes on this day.  Yum.

But what’s the application?  But what does this all mean for us, today?  Let’s get to the bottom of it this morning.

To understand what sets the stage for this festival, we have to understand some Old Testament background. 

In the Old Testament – things existed in various categories – Holy and Common, and Clean and Unclean. This was all part of the sacrificial system that God established for the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. 

Something could move from one category to another at various times, for various reasons.  And sometimes that re-classification meant a special rite or ceremony was involved. 

First, let’s consider the holy versus the common.  Most things in life were considered common.  Things were made holy (or set apart) when they are dedicated to the service of God, or set aside for a special purpose from God.  Sometimes individuals were made this way, like Samuel in our Old Testament reading.  The people of Israel were, in a sense, a holy nation (as the church is, today).  We are set apart.  The Levites, as a tribe, were set apart as the priests. And then you also had various things, like the furnishings of the tabernacle that were holy – set apart – for the service of Yahweh.

We have a sense of the holy, also, today.  Though people seem to have less of it.  We still speak of holy places, like churches, holy men.  We have Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, and Holy Absolution.  Some people even still continue to recognize “holy matrimony” is special and set aside.  We wish more would see it that way.

When it comes to the presentation of our Lord, this first part of today’s observance, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple because he was the firstborn.  And God had declared that every firstborn male in Israel was holy.  So what’s that all about?

It began with the last of the 10 plagues in Egypt which brought about the Exodus.  That plague was the slaughter of the all the firstborn in Egypt.  God sent the destroyer that night, and the firstborn of the Israelites would also have been killed if not for the blood of the paschal lamb on the doorposts.  God then declared, that in remembrance of this mercy, all the firstborn males from Israel going forward were holy to him – set apart. 

The Lord said to Moses,“Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.” (Exodus 13:1-2)

And though set aside, or made holy to the Lord, God also provided a means to redeem the first-borns, much like he did during the Passover – and that would, of course, require a sacrifice….

“When the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, give the LORD every firstborn, also every firstborn of your animals; if they are males, they belong to the LORD. Redeem every firstborn donkey with an animal from the flock, and if you don’t redeem it, break its neck. And redeem every firstborn of your children. In the future when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ tell him, ‘With a mighty arm the LORD took us out of Egypt, where we were slaves. When Pharaoh was too stubborn to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn among men and animals in Egypt. This is why I’m sacrificing to the LORD every firstborn male and redeeming every firstborn of my children.’ Make this a sign on your arm and a mark on your forehead, because the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty arm” (Ex 13:11-16).

This is why Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple that day – to present him as holy to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of redemption according to the Law of Moses.

And so Jesus who is our redeemer, is thus redeemed.  And they make a sacrifice for him who is the one true sacrifice.  And soon, when he is a grown man, the Holy One of God from eternity, the firstborn of all creation, and also the firstborn of Mary, would redeem all who are under death’s shadow by his sacrifice on the cross, and his blood shed there for us.

We, now, in Christ, are “presented” as holy.  We see a picture of this in Revelation 21, as the bride (the church) is presented to the bridegroom (Jesus).  Paul describes it in Ephesians 5:

 “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25b-27)

And so we see that everything Jesus does, even as a baby, he does for us.  And it all points forward to his saving work on the cross, his victory over death, and our final reward with him in perfection of eternity.

And then there is the other half of this observance, the Purification of Mary.

We’ve already talked about the categories of holy and common, but now we need to consider the distinction between clean and unclean.  Most things in everyday life were common and clean – but a thing could become unclean in a number of ways – especially by contact with death, disease, or blood.  For instance, lepers were unclean, and had to even cry out “Unclean! Unclean!” as people approached them.  Touching a dead body made one ritually unclean.  And of course, childbirth also made a woman ceremonially unclean – mostly because of the discharge of blood involved.

And so the presentation of Jesus in the temple was also done in conjunction with the ritual for purification for Mary following childbirth—and to give a sacrifice according to what has been said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.  Leviticus 12 specifies a period of 40 days following the birth of a boy as a time of cleansing for a mother (for girls, it was extended to 80 days).  And so here we are, February 2nd, and count 40 days back and you’d be at Christmas.

And so Mary was cleansed, like every Jewish mother, by the blood of a sacrifice.  Luke makes a special point that Mary and Joseph used the option that was provided for poor families who couldn’t afford a lamb – they offered two small birds instead.  But soon all those sacrifices would stop.  They would stop because the temple would be destroyed and the Jewish people scattered.  But more importantly they would stop because the Old Covenant is fulfilled in Christ, because the blood of Christ becomes the cleansing for all – and not just the ceremonially unclean, but for all of us who are soiled and stained in sin.

Jesus cleanses us.  It’s an easy concept to grasp, even for a child.  Children are taught very early on to wash their hands before dinner, to take a bath, and not get too dirty playing outside.  It’s just good hygiene.  But all the more in spiritual terms, where we are by nature polluted in the filth of sin.  Though your sins were as scarlet, they are whiter than snow – in Christ.  Though your robes were soiled – they are washed clean in the blood of the lamb. 

And so the blood of Christ makes us clean, not of dirt, but of sin.  So also Christ, who is holy, makes us holy.  He both washes away all sin, and makes us fit to stand in God’s presence, even for eternity.  The Christian is therefore not simply forgiven, but made an heir of future glory, and a citizen of heaven.  All by the precious blood of Christ – the once and for all sacrifice for sin.

So this seemingly obscure and offbeat church observance really isn’t that out there after all.  For it reminds us Christians what we already know – that cleansing and redeeming and holiness all come from Christ alone.  Thanks be to God that Jesus does all of this for us. 

Sermon - 3rd Sunday after Epiphany - Mathew 4:12-25

Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, the saying goes, but teach a man to fish and he eats for his whole life.

Teach a man who is a fisherman, we might say, and if you’re Jesus, you make fishermen into fishers of men.

Disciples, apostles, crowds, healing, exorcisms and especially preaching – the beginning of Jesus ministry as described in Matthew’s Gospel is what is set before us today.  It’s a natural Sunday to talk about the doctrine of vocation. There’s plenty to talk about, and we will. 

But before we consider the beginning of Christ’s ministry, we can say a few words about the conclusion of service for a beloved worker here at Messiah.  Vicki Main has served as director of music here for 18 years and retires today.  Most of you know her, though some not as well because she’s quite busy on Sunday mornings.  We have appreciated all Vicki’s kindness and dedication, her quiet and humble service.  If you are in one of the choirs and got to know her even better, you can see her faith shine through.  She’s a sinner, don’t get me wrong, like all of us, and like all of us baptized and redeemed, called to be a disciple of Christ and serve in various vocations.  But sometimes, for various reasons, those vocations end and new vocations begin.  As Vicki reaches retirement and moves on to new things, we want to both thank her and wish her God’s richest blessings.  Well done, good and faithful servant.  And we know the Lord who provides workers for his kingdom has been doing so from the beginning and will continue to do so as he sees fit.  And so also we say, thanks be to God. 

And now to our Gospel reading, where Jesus’ public ministry begins.  He has been baptized by John and anointed by the Spirit.  He has done his time in the wilderness and defeated the satanic temptations.  John is then arrested by Herod, and Jesus comes forth and begins preaching in the northern region of Israel – near his home in Galilee and around the city of Capernaum. 

He preaches there, partly to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies about the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, but also it seems because his course would build and reach its final destination in the south, at Jerusalem, where he would die.

The content of Jesus’s message was simple, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”.  In a way he’s carrying on the message of John, but he is also bringing that message to fulfillment.  The kingdom – the reign of God – the gracious kingly activity of the true king – it’s here, it’s at hand, it has arrived in the very person of Jesus Christ himself.  When Jesus preaches the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, he is preaching himself.  He is drawing people to God’s reign through himself.  He has come to be their king.  And of course, his kingdom is not of this world.

All the signs – the healing and casting out of demons, they are signs of the Messiah – and they also draw great crowds.  But you get the impression that the crowds aren’t all in it for repentance and faith, but maybe to get something else out of Jesus.  Maybe they’ve got a different agenda themselves.

So it is today.  Many come to the Christian church with their own agenda, looking for a church that already preaches everything they want to hear and doesn’t challenge them with anything difficult or uncomfortable.  As Paul says, they accumulate teachers who will scratch their itching ears.  Or maybe people aren’t even looking for what the church teaches, as long as the people there seem nice, or they have good music, or a nice facility or whatever. 

And while it’s important to be friendly and take care of the building, and we certainly appreciate and support good church music – none of that matters if we don’t preach the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  All of that serves the central thing, of hearing and believing the word, of sharing and confessing the word, giving answer to the hope that is within us.

This is why we gather as a congregation, around Jesus Christ and his gifts – because his Spirit calls us.  So the first and greatest vocation, or calling, is to faith.  It is the call to repent for the kingdom is at hand.  It is the call to believe in Jesus Christ and live.  It is the calling and vocation of all Christian people.  Repent and believe!

But having been called to faith, Christ also calls us to serve.  Faith must exercise itself; it must bear its fruits.  And so these secondary vocations are avenues to serve God by serving our neighbor.  They are callings in which we don’t earn salvation but in which we can do good works that God has already prepared for us to walk in.

To those Galilean fishermen, Jesus would issue the call to follow – and he would make them into apostles, a special office of foundational authority as he built his church.  They would be eyewitnesses of all he said and did, and they would be sent even to the ends of the earth to bear the message of repentance and faith in Christ.  John prepared the way before Jesus, and the apostles would proclaim Jesus the way, the truth and the life.

And so the Lord who has called us to faith in our baptism and by his word also calls each of us to serve in various ways, particular vocations which do change throughout life.  We may hold many at the same time.  You may be a husband or wife, father or mother.  All of us are a son or a daughter.  You may be an employee or employer.  A citizen.  A judge or a juror or a soldier.  Some of us are pastors, but all of us are hearers of the Word.  Some of us are teachers and assist the ministry of the church in various other callings.

It’s interesting that this passage comes not only on the day of a church worker retiring, but also on the Sunday in which we elect and re-elect leaders to fill various positions in the congregation.  We continue to pray that God would raise up workers for our common good, that he would provide us with the talents and skills we need to do his work in this place.

And if you are tapped on the shoulder and asked to serve here or there, please strongly consider it – for God often works through others to call us to serve, even as Jesus called his disciples who then went and appointed pastors in various places, and also deacons to help in other functions. It’s nice, and even necessary to give from your pocket to support your congregation – but the work we’ve been given to do also requires hands at the plow, serving at tables, even on the mop bucket here and there.

 

All our vocations – in whatever sphere of life we may look – family, church, the public square, the office – all our callings and roles and tasks find meaning in the Christ who fulfilled his blessed vocation.  For from eternity the Father called the Son to be the Lamb of God that bears the sins of the world.  From the Garden at the fall into sin, God already promised the seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent.  And even in his mother’s womb, now made flesh, Jesus was called by that name – because his vocation is to save his people from their sins.

His calling as savior was also a cup of suffering.  To stand before mighty men of the world who held the power of life or death – but only because it was given from above.  To stand silent before accusers, making no defense, because really there is no defense for sin – and he was there to bear that sin to its rightful place.  He was called to die.  And so he did.

And then God called him forth from the grave, not leaving his Holy One to decay.  He called him as the firstborn of the dead, in whom many others will also rise.  The final vocation, the final calling, will be when he calls his people from the dust of death to a resurrection like his.  And when he calls us into our eternal rest, to the heavenly courts, and to the light of his presence. 

And so Christ, who perfectly fulfills his calling, now calls you, again, by his Spirit, to repent and believe for in him the kingdom is at hand.  And he calls you also to service – for faith shows itself in actions.  Caught in his net of grace, let us all follow him with zeal and fulfill our vocations in love.

Sermon - Epiphany 2/Life Sunday - Isaiah 49:1-7

Isaiah 49:1-7
“From the Womb”

Today we really have two threads to weave together.  On the one hand, it is the season of Epiphany.  The readings for the Epiphany season draw us to consider the identity of Jesus as he is revealed to the nations.  He is the Son of God, as declared at his Baptism.  He is the Bridegroom manifested at the wedding of Cana.  He is the Lamb of God declared by John the Baptist.  He is the one born to be King – worshiped by the wise men.  And of course there is much more we could say about him, who he is, and what he does.

The other thread today is our annual Life Sunday emphasis.  As a traditional congregation, we are not too keen on overshadowing the church calendar with various special interest Sundays – in fact, we could easily lose the historic church year if we emphasized every pet ministry and cause – all of which may be good things to support in and of themselves.  But each in its place.

We make one clear exception to that with the emphasis on life.  I’d have to go back and look but I suspect from very early on, Messiah has observed a “Life Sunday” emphasis in January.  Many churches do.  It roughly coincides with the historic and tragic court case Roe v. Wade, the sad anniversary marked on January 22nd, 1973 – now 47 years ago.  That turning point in our nation’s history wasn’t the beginning of abortion, but it put an institutional stamp of approval on the killing of the unborn, an injustice which Christians and many other people of conscience have been protesting and fighting ever since.  We shy away from politics in the pulpit, and for good reason, but here is something far bigger than politics – a moral issue of life and death for the most helpless of little ones. And so let it be said with boldness that this church, that all faithful Christian churches must agree with Holy Scripture that life is precious, that we are created in God’s image, and that all human life has value and should be protected, especially the weakest and most defenseless.

But since this subject is also a sensitive one for many, may we never speak our condemnations of this sin without also a bold proclamation of Gospel – that Jesus Christ died even for the sin of abortion.  If the blood of Christ is good for anything, it is to cover sin.  And so if this sin has touched your life in any way, if you bear that guilt and dread this Sunday every year, please, please hear it well from this pulpit – Your sins are forgiven in Jesus Christ.  God remembers them no more. You are absolved, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Now, the task of tying these two threads together, and for that we turn to Isaiah.  This is one of those chapters from Isaiah that sets forth the “Servant of the Lord”.  And while in some ways this speech refers to the people of Israel as God’s servant, and perhaps in other ways to the prophet himself who is writing and speaking – the Servant of the Lord is always, most properly speaking, Jesus Christ himself.  Later on Isaiah gives some of the clearest messianic prophecy when he speaks of the Suffering Servant – stricken, smitten and afflicted, the man of sorrows.

Just look at how this Servant of the Lord passage foretells of Jesus:  The Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One.  The one before whom princes bow.  The one to whom the coastlands listen, and a light to the nations.  A sharp sword and polished arrow.  The one in whom God is glorified.  And here’s our connection to Life Sunday – the one who was formed in the womb by God, called from the womb, named from the womb, and already in the womb made to be God’s servant.

The Christmas readings from the Holy Gospels confirm all of this.  Jesus is no ordinary child – he is born of a virgin.  Conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.  He is named, by God, already from the womb.  He is appointed as the one to “save his people from their sins”, already, in the womb.  John recognizes Jesus while he himself is also in the womb – the baby Baptist leaped for joy.  And so the angels sang at his birth, the shepherds wondered, the wise men worshiped, and Herod raged.

If Christmas celebrates Jesus’ birth, then through Isaiah we can even take a step before that to mark and learn that Jesus was conceived in a human womb as the first step in his work of redemption.  And this, perhaps more than anything, teaches us when human life begins.

It's true, Scripture doesn’t ever say so clearly, “thou shalt not permit abortion” any more than Scripture says, “thou shalt not fly planes into buildings”.  And even if it did, that wouldn’t stop people who also transgress the commands of Scripture that ARE crystal clear.

However, the fact that Jesus was incarnate, made flesh, and not just as an adult or even a child, but even as an unborn child, even from conception – this teaches us.  It shows us who he came to redeem.  For his entire incarnation is an act of substitution – a fulfilling of righteousness on our behalf.  He runs his human course from start to finish in order to redeem our lives from start to finish – and so his life began where our life begins, even in the womb.

If, as Isaiah says, God appointed Christ from the womb for the task set before him, then surely God knew us also, even from the beginning.  Jeremiah also confesses that God knew him from before his birth.  David mentions that he, himself, was conceived in sin.  So it’s not just Jesus whose earthly life begins in the womb.  Life begins, for all of us, at conception, and the fifth commandment therefore applies to all of us, from conception.  Life is a gift from God – to be given and taken only by him.
Now of course, it doesn’t always work out that way.  We live in a chaotic soup of sin and death that offers no hiding place from corruption.  We are quick to point fingers at the slop on the walls and the mud on other sinners, but our hands are just as filthy.  We have not respected and upheld, protected and cherished the gift of life.

We need redemption just like Israel of old.  We need to be gathered back to God.  We need the salvation of the Savior.  We need life, not death. And that is just what Jesus brings.

Any Christian Life Sunday or Life emphasis is nothing without the Life of the World, Jesus.  He who gave his life as a ransom for many.  He who is the resurrection and the life.  He came that we may have life, and have it abundantly.  Inasmuch as we preach Jesus Christ every Sunday, every Sunday is Life Sunday because every Sunday is Jesus Sunday. 

And while this life we live, and this world in which we live it, is corrupted by sin, Jesus has come to make all things new.  While this body of flesh is dying, infected with the terminal corruption of sin, yes even from the womb… yet awaits for us in Christ a life that death cannot touch.  Death has no hold on Jesus, and so neither will the grave keep us forever.  Whoever lives and believes in him, even though he dies, yet shall he live.  And he who lives and believes in Christ will never (truly) die.

But the hope of a future life doesn’t mean that this temporal life doesn’t matter.  In fact, it matters all the more.  For this life, also, we have been redeemed.  Now, already, we are heirs of eternity.  And we, like God, will that all would be saved and come to knowledge of the truth.  That disciples would be made of all nations.  That the ranks of the church would grow and expand by the power of the Spirit through the proclamation of the Gospel.

Life, this precious gift from God, matters.  It matters even as corrupted as it is.  It is in this earthly life that we are baptized, redeemed, and the good work is begun in us that is brought to completion at the last day. 

And so we protect and defend life, we honor and cherish life,  – even from the womb – even as we proclaim the new life in Christ – even to the tomb.  We let the little children come to Jesus, we share the Gospel with young and old.  We remain, ourselves, rooted in Christ, and in his word, even until we finally close our eyes.  For we know where life is found.  We know who made us, and who has redeemed us. The Servant of the Lord, the Word made flesh, the one who died and lives and will die no more, whose word is life.  Even Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Sermon - The Baptism of Our Lord - Romans 6:1-11

Romans 6:1-11
“Baptism:  Death and Life”

There are many things that we share in common with other Christians.  Depending on the denominations – most recognize the Trinity.  Most believe the Bible is, at least in some sense, God’s word.  Most still believe in heaven, some still believe in hell.  And many would share our beliefs about creation, Jesus’ birth to a virgin, and his resurrection.

But one of the doctrines of Scripture that seems to be a real dividing line for many Christians, a real watershed, if you’ll pardon the pun, is Holy Baptism.  Just what is it, and what does it do?  What does it mean?

For starters, we deny the idea that baptism is merely symbolic.  That it is an empty and outward act which simply recognizes or signifies some spiritual change within us.  Scripture never speaks of it this way, but rather, always talks of baptism as actually DOING something.  You just have to look at the verbs.  Moreover, close attention to the language shows us that baptism is not something that we do, a human act or work – but rather, it is something that we receive – a gift from God.  Look at the passive language about “being baptized” not, “baptizing yourself”.  And if baptism is a gift from God, that means that babies, too, can receive it. 

On this day in which we honor and recall the Baptism of our Lord, we also have one of the most important Epistle passages about Baptism from St. Paul – in Romans 6.  Let’s focus on Paul’s explanation of Baptism today as sort of a sideways treatment of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan.
Anytime you have a statement like, “therefore”, or “in light of this” or “what shall we say, then?”  You should ask what the author was talking about right before this passage – the near context.  And to answer, in the first 5 chapters, Paul has been discussing first our predicament of sin, and then the righteousness of God that comes through faith, apart from the law.  He shows how we are freed from the law, or by trying to be righteous according to the law.  It’s the very Gospel itself – salvation is by grace through faith in Christ, and not in any works of our own.

But such a pure and free no-strings-attached gospel has led many to the question, “well, then can I just go on sinning?  If salvation is free, if I don’t have to DO anything to get to heaven or be in God’s good graces, then I can do what I want, right?  I can sin and not worry about it!”  And so some have even accused us Lutherans of teaching.  But Paul makes it clear that the Christian response to the gospel is not to go on sinning that grace may abound.  And he proves his point with baptism.
You have died to sin.  You’ve been baptized into Christ Jesus, and that means that you are baptized into his death.  You are not the same as you once were.  Something is different about you, Christian, something big.

One of the most important details about someone is whether they are alive or not.  We just had another New Year’s observance, and one of the lists you often see about this time is all the famous people that have died in the last year.  It’s one thing with celebrities, but quite another with people in your life, your loved ones.  Their life and death matters much more to us.  Nothing changes your life quite as much as when a child is born into the family, or when a loved one dies and is no longer with you.  Birth and death are firm markers, bright lines in the course of time, turning points beyond which nothing is quite the same.

So too with baptism.  It’s a life and death matter.  Dead to sin, but very much alive in Christ. 
Of course, it is only seen spiritually, for now.  You can’t tell, outwardly, if a person is baptized.  You can’t see it like a mark on their forehead or a tattoo on their arm.  But the name of God is upon you.  The seal of God is upon your brow.  You are marked and redeemed by Christ the crucified.  You know it, and more importantly, God knows it.

And so, according to the spirit, you have already died and been made alive in Christ.  You’ve been drowned and resurrected.  But since this is a spiritual reality, it didn’t only happen then, it happens every day.  Our catechism puts it this way:

What does such baptizing with water indicate?

It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

Where is this written?

Saint Paul writes in Romans chapter six: “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”  Romans 6:4

The other aspect of baptism that Paul highlights here, is our being united with Christ.  Here’s is how Christ’s baptism and our own are sort of two sides of a coin.

In our baptism, we are united with Christ.  We get what Christ gets.  We get his death, but also his life.  Our Old Adam is drowned, and our New Adam arises – and that New Adam is the one who is united with Christ, the Second Adam.  Just as Jesus is without sin, we are cleansed of sin.  Just as he is righteous, so we are made righteous.  What God says of Jesus, he now says of you, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”.

We are so united with Christ that elsewhere Paul speaks of baptism as being “clothed” with Christ.  And so also where Jesus goes, we go, not just to death, but to life.  Therefore even the grave has no hold over us, for it didn’t over Jesus.  He rose on the third day, and we will rise, bodily, on the last day.  In so many ways baptism unites us with Christ, identifies us with him, as one of his people, even the very body of Christ, the church.

But in Jesus’ baptism we see the other side of the coin.  In Jesus’ baptism he is united with us.  He identifies with us.  John was right, in a way, to balk when Jesus came to be baptized.  He said, “wait a minute, Jesus, I’m the one who needs to be baptized by you!  You don’t need any cleansing.  You don’t need any washing away of your sins – you don’t have any!  You’re the Lamb of God, spotless and blameless.  You take away the sins of the world.  What are you doing here, asking to be baptized?  This is all backwards”

And in a way, Jesus acknowledges this, by saying, “let it be so, now…”  As if to say, “Normally, John, you’d be exactly right, but now, just this one time, let it be so – for there is a special purpose here – to fulfill all righteousness”.  You see, by submitting to baptism, Jesus was uniting himself with us sinners, in order to save us sinners.  He was initiating the great exchange – giving us what he has – his righteousness – and taking what we had – our sin, our guilt, and eventually, our death.  “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

Of course Jesus would complete this process at the cross.  There he would, in his body, put to death all sin.  There, he would, by his death, literally take our place.  And then, by his resurrection, burst open the grave not just for himself, but for all of us who have been united with him, he, with us, in his baptism, we, with him, in ours.

And so Paul winds up by exhorting us:  “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus”.  Just as we can’t see our baptism, but trust in its power and promise, so also we must consider what we can’t see to be true:  we are dead to sin.  Sin has no power over us.  We are slaves no more.  We have, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the ability to fight temptation, to flee from wickedness, and begin to live a life worthy of our calling.  The paradoxical mystery is that we will fall and fail, but the comfort of the cross of Christ is always at hand to restore us.  For even as we consider and regard ourselves as dead to sin, we must also trust that we are, even now, alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

The Christian life is different.  It is as different as life and death.  It is a life lived in the daily flood of baptismal blessings that flow from Christ and his cross.  It is for young and old, rich and poor, slave and free, and for sinners of all nations.  All who are subject to death and the tyranny of the Old Adam.

And when this body of sin is finally placed in the ground, when our flesh and breath give up the ghost, then we will see the full measure of our baptism’s power, when Christ returns to raise the dead and bring his people to eternal glory.  Then, and there, death will finally and fully be undone.  There and then, we will know only life, united with Christ forever. 

Baptism is death – and life – Thanks be to God.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sermon - 2nd Sunday after Christmas - Luke 2:40-52

“The Things of My Father”

Not two weeks from Christmas and we already see Jesus as a boy of 12 years old.  It is a precious passage which gives the only real glimpse into his childhood.  Luke’s account of the boy Jesus in the Temple is fascinating, instructive, and engaging.

We may identify with Mary and Joseph, and the anxiety of a parent who’s every temporarily lost a child.  We may wonder about the reaction of the Jewish teachers, and imagine the kinds of questions and answers Jesus shared with them.  We mind find ourselves in awe as we “sit at the feet of Jesus” and as he teaches us, even today, from his word.  We may even see in Jesus himself, the example of learning and growing in our faith.  Let’s take each of these in turn as we pay attention, with Jesus, to the “Things of the Father”.

One of the moves Martin Luther made with this passage was the idea that Mary and Joseph had “lost” Jesus.  Imagine if we would ever “lose” Jesus.  Luther says, “This is a striking, poignant Gospel lesson for us to consider… Just think what it would mean if we lost the child Jesus from our hearts!”  Of course, we know it is possible for the believer to deny the faith, shipwreck one’s faith, fall away from salvation.  We don’t believe “once saved always saved”.  There’s too many passages which warn us from falling, that we know it’s possible.  But on the flip side we have numerous promises that God will never leave or forsake us, and that no one can snatch us out of his hand.  You can’t “lose Jesus” like you misplace your car keys.  You can’t “lose Jesus” like you can lose a loved one, or be abandoned by a spouse.

But what is the best way for us to make sure that we don’t ever become so weak and feeble of faith that we would ever fall away from him?  Simply, be in the Father’s house.  Be rooted firmly in the gifts of God – the Word and the Sacraments.  Receive them regularly.  Follow the pious example of Mary and Joseph who made their usual pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  Only you don’t have to go so far.  Don’t be a stranger to God’s house, but rather be about it, be here, make and keep it your habit.  And you will be strengthened in faith and held close in Christ.

Just look at these learned men with whom Jesus converses for three days.  Luke tells us “And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”  These were men who, in their day, were teachers and experts in theology, the things of God.  They were the teachers of Israel, all over 30 – the customary minimum age for a public teacher.  And with a generation’s head start on Jesus, still they found amazement with his understanding and answers.  For while he was listening and asking them questions, as he was a humble and avid student of the word, so too they also must have learned from him, for he surely mastered that word like no 12 year old ever before or since. 

Doesn’t Jesus also teach us here, by example, of the value of catechesis?  A simple question and answer method of teaching and learning God’s word.  Luther picked up this idea and gave us a wonderful tool for doing just that – with all of its good questions, “What does this mean?” and it’s sure answers  - “This is most certainly true”.  Therefore let us not only teach our children but remain rooted in these catechism truths all our days, being constantly amazed as we encounter Jesus through his word.

Maybe you remember hearing this passage, even many years ago, from the King James Version.  There, Jesus’ words are translated, “How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?”  But most modern translations take the Greek to mean, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”  The problem is that the way the Greek is written, the object of the sentence is a bit ambiguous.  It’s more like, “it is necessary that in the things of my Father, I must be”  The “things” really has to be supplied.  So here we have it translated as either “business” or “house”.

You can see how either makes sense.  Jesus is about the Father’s business, always.  He is taking care of business, you might say.  And so tending to the Word of God, asking, answering, learning, teaching it – this is always proper business for the Son of Man who is the Son of God.  And where, but the temple, does this business most properly take place?  Where, but with the teachers of the law and the learned men of God?  Surely Jesus was taught by his parents and other teachers back in Nazareth.  But he also valued that place that was set apart – the holy place of God – where the word was central.  We too can both read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Word in our personal devotions and home reading and study, but let us not neglect doing so with other Christians in the place where God has given us to gather – now, the congregation.  Shouldn’t you, also, Christian, be about the Father’s business, and in the Father’s house? 

Of course, also at the temple would many other items of business been on the agenda. Of course you would have had the priests there, busily saying prayers on behalf of the people.  Jesus, the Great High Priest, certainly knew a thing or two about that.  He prayed then, even as he prays now, the one ultimate intercessor between God and man, between the Father and the children.

Then you would have also had the sacrifices of the temple.  All the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain.  The sights and sounds and smells of the temple must have been quite something.  And all the more on high festivals, like the one that was just ending as Jesus’ family headed home.  But this business of the temple would soon cease, as the once-and-for-all sacrifice would be made.  The Lamb of God was in the house, his Father’s house, his own house.  And he is the one who would soon take away the sins of the world.  The one to whom all sacrifices pointed forward, and in whom all sacrifices are fulfilled.

And this, perhaps even more than anything, is the “Father’s business”.  The cross was Jesus’ mission impossible, issued from his Father from eternity, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world.  The cross is why the Babe of Bethlehem was born.  The cross is where this 12 year old boy was headed.  The cross is where the great teacher, the man Jesus, would die.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly what Jesus was talking about as he discussed the Scriptures with those learned men?  Since we don’t have the conversation recorded, we would have to speculate.  But a reasonable assumption is this:  that Jesus was directing them to think on the subject of the promised Messiah.  After all, later on, Jesus would make the claim that the Scriptures these kinds of men searched for salvation are the same Scriptures that testified of him (John 5:39).  And so the Living Word, the Incarnate Word himself would have shown them in the written Word, what it was all about.  And perhaps even the heart of it, as he would one day teach Nicodemus:  “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14)

And so Jesus shows us, by this one brief glimpse into his childhood growing years, the only one recorded in all of Scripture, that he is both human and divine.  His divinity peeks through to the amazement of the Jews who were astounded by his understanding of Scripture.  And his humanity also shows in his obedience to his parents, and in Luke’s comments about him increasing in wisdom and stature.  He grew and learned, just as we do – he was a human.  But he did so without sin, for he was not only a human, but also the Son of God. 

And at the end, Jesus returns and is submissive to his parents.  So in his state of humility, he continues to fulfill the law for us – including the 4th commandment, honoring father and mother.  He does what we can’t and don’t, and fulfills all righteousness for us.  But he’s also preparing for the day when the temple will be destroyed and rebuilt in 3 days.  He will return to Jerusalem, not to learn in humility, but to die in humility, and rise in victory.  Here, as a boy, we see one more step along the way.

Thanks be to God that Jesus was about his Father’s business for us all.  And thanks be to God for the privilege and joy, even today, that we have, to be in the Father’s house, to learn from his word, and to treasure up all these things like Mary – pondering in our hearts – the mystery and blessing of the Word made flesh, the Son of Man and Son of God, even Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sermon - New Year's Eve - Luke 12:35-40

Sermon – New Year’s Eve – Luke 12:35-40
"The Master Knows the Times"

You can spend time, you can waste time or you can even kill time.  We say “time is money”, “time waits for no one” and “a stitch in time saves nine” (whatever that means!).
It is only natural that at this time of the year, the very end of the year, people’s thoughts turn to time itself.  All the more at the closing of a decade, as the 2020’s are about to begin.  We look back, and we look forward – in fact the Roman god “Janus”, from which we get “January” had two faces – one looking forward, one looking back.

We Christians are not immune to thoughts of time.  We live in the world, even though in some ways we are not of it.  We have a set number of days, a limited amount of time in this world.  We mark the days, the seasons, the years of our life with various calendars and systems.  And yet time is still somewhat of a mystery to us.  We can’t control it, stop it or reverse it.  It comes and goes and is gone.  But like all things, our Triune God is its master.  He created time after all.

Creation itself occurred in time.  God spent 6 days, morning and evening, making everything that is – and then set aside an entire day of rest – not because he was tired, but really for us!  He set the sun, moon and stars in the sky to serve as signs for the times and seasons.  And he set all of it in perfect motion, so that it literally runs like clockwork.  All of this is a gift to us, even before the fall into sin.  Time itself is part of the order of his creation.

But of course, we sin.  We misuse the time he gives us.  We spend it doing things that are not helpful, kind or loving.  We don’t occupy our time in love for God and neighbor.  We use it selfishly.  We’ve even coined the term, “me – time”.  That’s the way the sinner views everything, in terms of “me”.  It’s my life, leave me alone.

But the God who created time also redeems it, along with all things.  He sends his Son, born of a woman, born in time, to live a human life just like ours yet without sin.  That means he, the Lord of time, placed himself under it.  The eternal, immortal God becomes subject to the tick tock of minutes, days, and years.  He learned and grew, just like us.  He worked and rested, just like us.  He observed the festivals and celebrations of the people of his day, just like us.

And when the time was right, he went to the cross.  Jesus knew the plan.  He even said things like, “This is the hour of the power of darkness”.  And so he would suffer and die.  But he also knew his time in the grave was limited, and that on the third day the Son of Man would rise from the dead.  And so he did.  Right on time.  Death held his body not a second longer than he allowed it to.
After 40 days of appearing to many witnesses, alive, the time was fulfilled and he resumed his rightful throne in heaven.  And he reigns and rules all things there, with the earth itself as his footstool, until that day, that hour, that time appointed, when he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Our Gospel reading today is just one of those times in which Jesus warns and promises about that appointed time.  He uses to parables, really, to illustrate his point.

First, a comparison to a group of servants waiting for their master to come home from a wedding feast.  They know he’s coming home, but they don’t know when.  And so they could goof off or lollygag, become complacent and fall asleep.  But who would want to miss the return of this master?  He sounds like quite a guy.  Not a cruel taskmaster, a mean old slave owner, but kind and humble.  A blessing to his servants!  Yes, he even dresses himself for service, and serves THEM!

What a fitting picture of the servant-king Jesus!  The master who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  But his character doesn’t change.  When he comes again in glory, it will also be for the good of his people – to bring us to the victory celebration.  To serve us in a new way, ushering in the feast in his kingdom which will have no end.

The second parable begins, “But know this…”.  Here Jesus shifts to another perspective – now you are the “master”.  The master of a house who is perhaps caught unawares when the thief comes.  This fits with Jesus’ other teaching about his return being sudden – at a time when no one expects.  But here, also, the implication is that one who is not ready will see that arrival as a curse, not a blessing.  So be awake! Be ready!  He may come at any time!

And while we are not given to know the day or the hour of Christ’s return, or the day or the hour of our own departure via the passage of death – the Master knows the times!  Our Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns over all things, is in complete charge of history on the grand scale, and of the number of your days on the smallest scale.  And this ought to comfort us.

For instance, in Romans 8 St. Paul lists a long series of possible forces or situations we might face – death, life, angels, rulers, height, depth, etc.  But among those things we need not fear he mentions:  things present nor things to come.

One of the most anxiety-laden thoughts for many people is fear of the future.  What will tomorrow bring?  What will I have to face in the new year?  What problems and challenges, what sickness and sorrow is just waiting for me around the corner?  Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword? 

Or even if it’s nothing in particular, just a general fear of the future – a sense of malaise with no specific target – maybe just a sense that things are never quite as good as you hope, that bad things happen, that moth and rust destroy and chaos ultimately wins the day.  Such could well be the despair we arrive at, the nihilism that has embraced so many today.  In a way, it’s indicative of an eyes-open view of this fallen and corrupt word in which we live.  “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:19.

But this world, this life, this present time and all things to come within it – are but a breath.  This life is short.  This world is coming to an end.  There is an appointed hour at which the clocks will stop, and eternity will begin.  And this, for the Christian, is good news!

This means the return of our Master!  This means the coming of the king.  It means the raising of the dead into bodies built for eternity, glorified like Christ’s own glorified flesh.  When he comes he will judge the living and the dead, and those who are alive in him by faith will live forevermore!  We will see him face to face.  We will reunite with those we love who have died in the faith.  We will join in the feast of victory for our God, for the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign.  And God himself will wipe every tear from our eyes.

That’s your future, Christian.  That’s your hope.  Beyond the bounds of this time of decay – into the ages of ages in his eternal courts of joy! 

So come have a foretaste of it all today.  Come, while we wait for the master to return, for even now he prepares us a feast.  Even now he comes under bread and wine, though one day he will come riding the clouds.  Even now he comes with forgiveness of sins, though one day sin will be no more.
So spend your days and hours wisely, servants of the master.  And look forward to the future with hope and expectation.  For our master holds all things, even time itself, in his care.  And he rules all things for your good.  And one day he will come to bring even history to a close.  Thanks be to God that the Master knows the times, and holds them all, and us, in his loving hands.