The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord

(Audio)

Matthew 17:1-9; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Exodus 34:29-35

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

“I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.” So, we learn to confess from the Small Catechism. What we confess is not only that God has given us our eyes and ears, our reason, and all our senses, but that He has designed them to perceive Him and His creation precisely the way He wants us to perceive them. God created us to perceive Him and to receive Him, and God created us in His image to reflect Him. But Adam and Eve used their God-created hearing to listen to a different voice and a different word than His. And they used their God-created eyes to see and to desire what God had forbidden them. And they used their God-created reason to second-guess the God who created them and who gave them the ability to reason, imagining themselves gods made in their own image. By all rights and righteousness God could have destroyed them. But He didn’t. Instead, He did the unthinkable; He set about a plan to redeem and to restore His rebellious, fallen creation by taking all their sinful uncleanness upon Himself and by subjecting Himself to the destruction they deserved by sending His Son to become the man Jesus who, though innocent, obedient, righteous, and holy, would suffer and die for the guilty and the damned.

Until the Christ came, however, God gave men His Law as a guardian through the prophet Moses. Moses came as close to God’s glory as a sinful man could get without being consumed. Still, Moses did not see God’s face, nor did he behold God’s full unveiled glory. Nevertheless, whenever Moses came before God’s presence his face would glow because of the encounter. Moses’ glowing face terrified the people who could not bear the truth that God was holy and righteous and that they were accountable to Him and could not hide their sin and guilt from Him. Therefore, after he had spoken the word of the LORD to the people, Moses would veil his face and cover the damning truth of God’s righteousness that made them so uncomfortable in their sin and guilt.

Then came the baptism of Jesus. The Son of God stood in Jordan’s waters as a man. God the Father spoke from heaven proclaiming the man Jesus to be His only begotten Son with whom He was well pleased. And the Holy Spirit of God descended upon Jesus and remained with Him. We cannot overstate the importance and the fullness of meaning that God the Father is fully pleased with His Son Jesus as a man. This was the first time since the creation of Adam that God could say that He was fully pleased with a man. And, in Jesus, our God and Creator is fully pleased with you and all humankind.

If Holy Baptism was the official beginning of Jesus’ ministry, then the Transfiguration of our Lord was the beginning of the end of it. This time it was Jesus who ascended the mountain, taking with Him three of His closest disciples, Peter, James, and John. On the mountaintop Jesus was transfigured, his appearance changed. Like Moses, Jesus’ face began to shine. However, unlike with Moses, the light of Jesus’ face was not borrowed or transferred from another, but this light came from within Jesus, and it was light as bright as the sun in the heavens. Indeed, the light that shone from Jesus’ face was the uncreated Light, the Light that shone in the darkness before God created the sun, moon, and stars. Jesus was and is and ever shall be the Light of the world, the Light no darkness can overcome, and the Light that is the Life of men. And His clothing also shone with the uncreated Light. Again, this light was not borrowed or transferred, but it was the Light of the Son of God Jesus Christ that was present always, though veiled, under the humanity of Jesus. And then Moses and Elijah appeared as witnesses to Jesus, representing the Law and the Prophets, the Old Testament scriptures for us, which all point to Jesus. While we are to listen to God’s word and obey it, Jesus is the Word of God incarnate and the fulfillment of all the Scripture. Peter, James, and John were granted this momentary glimpse of the glory of God in the person of Jesus before He made His descent to Jerusalem to lay down His life unto death for the forgiveness of men’s sin and guilt and for the life of the world. This revelation of God’s glory in Jesus was meant to strengthen them for what was to come that, even when it would appear that Jesus was humiliated, defeated, and dead they would not lose hope, remembering the glory that was hidden and veiled under Jesus’ human nature.

Their eyes were created by God to receive Him. Their ears were created to hear God’s Word. But sinful men do not see or hear rightly, their reason is clouded and corrupted, and we are easily deceived by lying words and enslaved desires. Peter manifested his fallenness in a selfish desire to preserve that glorious moment, offering to construct three tabernacles to enshrine the moment that they might stay on the mountain forever in glory. This was the same Peter, you will remember, who, after making the great confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” was rebuked by Jesus for attempting to prevent Him from fulfilling the mission of the Christ, to suffer and die in Jerusalem and to be raised again on the third day. Once again Peter is overcome by a theology of glory and rejects his own need of forgiveness through the suffering and death of Jesus the Christ. We are tempted the same still today when we desire glory in the wrong things and before, or in place of, the cross. The LORD cares little for the things that men count as glorious: large church buildings with gyms, cafes, and family life centers, large quantities of people regardless of the quality of their faith, overflowing offering plates and faith and trust in dollars and trust funds. Thus, while Peter was still babbling on about building tents and tabernacles, the glory of LORD tabernacled over the mountain and all who were on it in a great cloud and God the Father spoke once again concerning Jesus, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”

Like the Israelites before Moses’ glowing face, the disciples were terrified, and they fell on their faces. Like every man or woman visited by an angel of the LORD, the disciples were sore afraid. As the preacher to the Hebrews has said, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” But then, Jesus reached out and touched them and said, “Rise, and have no fear.” It was an absolution. Even for this sin, so like the sin of Adam and Eve, even at this late time, Jesus would descend the mountain of glory and make His way to Jerusalem that He might ascend the mountain of calvary to suffer and die. Upon Jesus’ absolution Peter, James, and John lifted up their heads and beheld no one but Jesus only. Moses and Elijah had vanished. The cloud of glory was no more to be seen. And Jesus was the same humble, approachable man they had seen and heard and touched and known the past three years. They beheld Jesus’ humanity and humility once again and His glory veiled once again until it will be revealed for all to see on the Last Day, the day of Jesus’ return in glory and power as King and Judge.

God created us to receive Him, and God created us in His image to reflect Him, yet we are continually tempted by other voices, desires, and pleasures. In the Transfiguration of our Lord, God the Father redirects our ears, eyes, and our attention to His Son Jesus with whom He is well and fully pleased. As we listen to His Word, the Holy Scriptures, so are we given to see and to hear, to believe, and to know that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh dwelling amongst us and the fullness of God’s glory, that we may approach Him, receive Him, trust in Him, and call upon Him for every need and in praise and thanksgiving to God. The LORD knows that we are scandalized by suffering, weakness, and lowliness, and that we are scandalized by the cross that Jesus had to bear and by the crosses that we must bear as well. Thus, the LORD provided the disciples a glimpse of His glory veiled in the humanity and the humility of Jesus before He entered His Passion in Jerusalem that they might be reminded and renewed and strengthened in faith. So, we remember and observe the Transfiguration of our Lord at the end of Epiphanytide before we begin our Lenten descent into penitential reflection on Ash Wednesday in preparation for our annual remembrance and reflection upon our Lord’s Passion during Holy Week and the resurrection glory of Easter Sunday. Therefore, today we begin the first step of our descent with Jesus down from the mountaintop of Transfiguration glory as the veil covers the Lord’s glory for a time longer and we say farewell to Alleluia, firmly trusting that the Lord is with us still, veiled in Word and Sacrament, as we make our way through the valley of the shadow of death with Him. “Alleluia cannot always / Be our song while here below; / Alleluia, our transgressions / Make us for a while forgo; / For the solemn time is coming / When our tears for sin must flow.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Third Sunday after Epiphany (Epiphany 3)

(Audio)

Matthew 8:1-13; Romans 12:1621; 1 Kings 5:1-15a

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

We talk a lot about faith in the Church, that’s true. But, do you truly understand what faith is? Do you know what faith looks like? Do you recognize faith when you see it, or hear it? I suspect, probably not as much as you think. Interestingly, Jesus didn’t talk about faith all that much. Most of the faith-talk in the New Testament comes from St. Paul. In fact, Jesus only used the word faith twelve times in Matthew’s Gospel, five times in Mark’s, and twelve times in Luke’s. He didn’t use the word at all in John’s Gospel! And of the average 7.25 times Jesus used the word faith in the Gospels, over half of those times He was remarking about how little, how small, or how weak the faith of His disciples was. Sometimes the Gospels say that Jesus “saw their faith” and responded by granting what they had asked. Sometimes Jesus said that a believer’s “faith has made them well.” And, a few times Jesus even said to someone “Great is your faith.”But, what is faith? What does faith look like? It is clear from Jesus’ teaching alone that faith is something that you have, or that you do not have, that it can be weak or strong, and that it can encourage and strengthen you and even heal you if you have it. And yet, there is much confusion within the Church about the nature of faith. But still, we Christians talk a lot about faith. Therefore, you should pay special attention to Jesus’ words to you today, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”

Jesus spoke these words concerning the faith exhibited by a Roman centurion. The Gentile military commander of eighty to one hundred men sought out Jesus to ask him to heal his servant who was lying at home paralyzed and suffering terribly. Jesus at once replied that He would come to the centurion’s home and heal the servant immediately. But then, in great and unexpected humility, the centurion responded, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.” It was then that Jesus said, not to the centurion, but to His disciples and the crowds that had followed Him from the Mount of the Beatitudes, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.”

What prompted this response from Jesus? What was it about the centurion’s words that exhibited great faith to Jesus? I think that we are too quick to say that it was the centurion’s humility before Jesus. For, indeed, it was quite unexpected that a powerful and respected Roman military commander would request anything of a Jew, even a rabbi like Jesus, let alone declare his unworthiness that a Jew should enter his own home. And, if it were the centurion’s humility that impressed Jesus, then surely He would have said “with no one in Israel have I found such humility.” But, Jesus didn’t say humility, He said faith. The centurion was humble, to be sure, but humility is not faith, but it is a fruit of faith. So, what then was the faith of the centurion that Jesus so extolled? The centurion believed and trusted in Jesus’ goodness and the power of His Word so that it was not necessary that Jesus should even come to his home, but Jesus’ need only speak His Word and the centurion believed and trusted that his servant would be healed. The faith that caused the centurion to believe that Jesus could heal his servant by the power of His Word without actually being present was the same faith that caused the centurion to be humble enough to approach a Jewish rabbi with a request in the first place. Further, the centurion’s faith bore evident fruit in that he was selfless and self-unassuming, concerned not with his own honor and reputation, but only with Jesus’ honor and with his servant’s need. And, further still, the centurion confessed that, as he himself was a man under authority – namely, Caesar’s authority – who had command over other men under him, so his faith informed him that Jesus was a man under authority – God’s authority – and that He had command over all creation, and that whatever He commanded would most certainly be done.

What the centurion had faith in was the authority of God located in the person of Jesus and in His Word and in God’s good will toward men enfleshed in Jesus. And, when your faith is in the God who created the heavens and the earth and all things in them by the creative power of His Word, who has penetrated His creation to make all things new again, then all other things, all fleshly things and all worldly things in which you might place your fear, your love, and your trust must necessarily fall away. That is the kind of faith that the centurion represents for us, a faith that had become exceedingly rare amongst the chosen people of Israel. For, particularly in Jesus’ day, the teachers of Israel despised the Gentiles and considered them unclean, beneath them, and unworthy. So, likewise, did they consider Samaritans, lepers, and countless others to be outcasts and unclean. There was little humility and repentance to be found amongst the religious leaders of Israel, and so there was little mercy, charity, kindness, or pity to be found either.

It’s no coincidence that St. Matthew couples and precedes the account of the faithful centurion with the account of a faithful Jewish leper. For, the leper too exhibits great faith in Jesus and particularly in the good will of Jesus and in His power. Kneeling before Jesus, the leper pleaded, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.”  And Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. In many ways, the leper is the complete opposite of the faithful centurion. The leprous man was a Jew, while the centurion was a Gentile. The leprous man was an outcast, cut off from society, cut off from the temple and the synagogue, while the centurion was a respected and honored man who was the benefactor and builder of the synagogue and who likely attended synagogue and listened to the preaching and teaching of Rabbi Jesus. Like the centurion, however, the leper exhibited great faith in approaching Jesus, for a leper was expected to remain at a distance from other people and to cry out “Unclean! Unclean!” whenever someone drew near, and yet, this leper came directly up to Jesus and knelt down before him. Though he was bold to come before Jesus, he was not filled with pride, but with great humility, for, he was all but dead, cut off from family, community, and temple – he literally had nothing to lose. The leper’s appeal to Jesus was based upon His faith in Jesus’ good will and in His power to heal in accordance with His good will. Thus, he pleaded, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus did the unexpected, He reached out and touched the leprous, unclean man, and He said to Him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.Like the centurion, the leper exhibited great faith in the authority of God located in the person of Jesus and in His Word and in God’s good will toward men enfleshed in Jesus. Perhaps the reason that the centurion received Jesus’ acclamation was because, while the Jewish leper sought healing for himself from Jesus, the Gentile centurion sought the healing of his servant. Though both men had great faith, it was the centurion who, though he was great, made himself nothing for the sake of one who, in comparison, was nothing, his servant, – it was the centurion who best reflected the love, mercy, grace, and compassion of Jesus to others.

In contrast to both the Jewish leper and the Gentile centurion stands Naaman in our Old Testament Lesson today. Naaman was a Gentile military commander with great authority, honor, and prestige like the Roman centurion, but he was also a leper like the man who approached Jesus. However, Naaman was anything but humble, and he was neither a Jew nor a God-fearing Gentile. When Naaman heard that there was a prophet in Israel who could cure his leprosy, Naaman set off with a letter from the king of Syria in hand, a trunk load of gold and silver, and an escort of horses and chariots to find this prophet and to acquire his services by either money or force. When Elisha the prophet gave Naaman specific instruction in what he must do to be healed, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean,” Naaman was offended and angered that Elisha would not come to him himself and that he was expected to wash in the lowly waters of Israel which he believed to be beneath him.

How often does your reason and wisdom, your desires and expectations, interfere with your faith and keep you from receiving all that Jesus died for you to have? Do you come before Jesus with conditions for trusting Him or with demands about what He must do for you to believe? Are you offended and scandalized by the ways in which your heavenly Father chooses to heal you? Will you not believe God when He says to you that the water of Holy Baptism now saves you? Will you not believe Jesus when He says to you that those sins which His pastors forgive are indeed forgiven? Will you not believe Jesus when He says to you that this bread is His body and that this wine is His blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins? Will you not believe Jesus when He promises you that through these means He will be with you always, until the very end of the age?

Naaman refused to believe. He refused to humble himself and to trust in the Word of God spoken by His prophet. Only when his servants appealed to him that it was a “great Word” that the prophet had spoken to him did he finally, still in unbelief, submit to being washed in the Jordan River. Naaman didn’t believe. He refused to believe. But, nevertheless, when he submitted to being washed in the Jordan according to the Word of God, he was cleansed of his leprosy and was healed so that his flesh was like that of a newborn child, for the Word of God delivers what it says, always, because the LORD is good and He is willing to heal your sin-sickness unto death. Naaman didn’t believe, but still he received – forgiveness, healing, and faith in the LORD, the God of Israel. So too in Holy Baptism, by the power and the promise of God’s Word alone, were you cleansed of all sin, forgiven, reborn and restored in faith in God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, in His most Holy Spirit.

No, you are not worthy that the Lord should enter under your roof. But, He is willing. In Jesus, God has entered under your roof, for He has entered into your flesh and has made His dwelling amongst you. And still today, even now, He is present with you to enter into your mouth and to dwell and abide in and with you, to strengthen and preserve you in faith, and to forgive you anew in His holy, precious, and innocent shed blood. Come, let it be done for you as you have believed.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany (Epiphany 2)

(Audio)

John 2:1-11; Romans 12:6-16; Exodus 33:12-23

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

I hate to say it, but we are not in a very good position to appreciate and to understand the Gospel Lesson appointed for the Second Sunday after the Epiphany. The reason is that, from our modern and western perspective, we have a very different understanding of marriage and wedding celebrations and their meanings, both symbolic and practical, than did the people of middle eastern culture in first century Israel. Perhaps that explains why so many of us enjoy movies like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Fiddler on the Roof, and even The Godfather, for such movies depict weddings that are richly steeped in cultural, ethnic, and religious traditions. Such weddings are huge, elaborate events, often lasting for days, and the marriages in these movies are clearly much more than mere contractual agreement between two consenting adults, but they are the unions of families, the joining of cultures, customs, and traditions, even the forming of villages and communities. There are many stakeholders in marriage beyond the bride and the groom. Marriage is never merely a personal and private affair.

Our contemporary understanding of marriage stands in stark contrast to this. Today marriage is extremely individualistic. If you choose to get married at all, it is understood that who you marry is your choice, and your choice alone, and that the approval or disapproval of others, family, community, congregation, is irrelevant and should be of no concern at all. Westerners look at the tradition of arranged marriages in other nations and cultures with contempt and disdain, thinking that such traditions are no different than abuse or slavery. Today marriage can be defined however you choose irrespective of how it has ever been defined before by tradition, religion, or even law. Two men or two women can marry, and there is absolutely nothing in that logic that should prevent multiple men, women, animals, or even inanimate objects from being married; for, when marriage can mean anything, it effectively means nothing. This confusion is the result of supreme selfishness – which itself is the fruit of sin and the very opposite of the love God has called us to and commands – that stands in extreme contrast to the familial, social, and communal understanding of marriage from its beginning in God.

Today it is culturally accepted, and even expected, that a couple will live together before, or instead of, being married. It is considered foolishness if a couple doesn’t give marriage a “test run,” so to speak, to see if they are truly compatible and can live together. This makes perfect sense if you are buying a car, but a spouse is not a commodity, but a commitment, even a covenant. The marriage covenant is a promise you make “to have and to hold… for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part.” Love doesn’t view the other person as a commodity to dispense with when he or she no longer satisfies, but love loves all the more, and submits and sacrifices the self for the sake of the other and for the one flesh union the LORD has blessed them to be in holy marriage. And yet, legal no-fault divorce has been generally embraced by Christians today as necessary and good, certainly not a sin. As for cohabitation before marriage, technically, it’s not the living-in-the-same house part that is wrong, but it is premarital sex that God forbids. Hypothetically, a couple could insist that they share a domicile for economic reasons, for convenience, or for other reasons but that they do not sleep together. However, the couple should understand two things. First, they are going to give everyone the impression that they are sexually intimate because that is typically the case for couples who live together, thus giving the appearance of sinning. Second, living together in such close proximity will be a continual temptation inspiring lust in the heart if not physical sexual activity. Again, today people will say that it doesn’t matter what other people think, but that is a sinful, selfish lie, and cohabitation before marriage is a bad confession for a Christian couple to present before others, and it does not honor God’s name or marriage as He instituted it.

So, for us to truly understand the Gospel account of the Wedding at Cana, it is necessary for us to embrace the rich cultural meaning of marriage and the wedding celebration in Jesus’ day. Weddings in Jesus’ day were massive feasts for the entire village. A wedding party could last an entire week, put everything else in the town on hold, and be the most important local event of the entire year. Somewhat parallel to our modern customs, there were many folkways and mores attached to the ancient village wedding: A contract between families, cut by mutual agreement over a sip of wine; A betrothal period of about one year in length when the bride prepared the home for the couple; And then the arrival of the groom, the procession to the wedding hall, and a grand feast. To neglect the invitation was to send a message that you did not want to be a part of the village. To accept the invitation was a show of friendship and loyalty. In some eastern cultures it was expected, and still is today, that the entire town or village would be invited and that each guest would be given a gift! This understanding is necessary for us to comprehend the magnitude of the disaster that almost befell the Wedding in Cana because they had run out of wine.

All this to-do about wine? Unfortunately, our American culture, largely shaped by puritanical pietism in its prudish restrictiveness and in its rebellious indulgence, has demonized the drinking of wine and of all beverages containing alcohol. Therefore, we miss out on the importance of wine in ancient world and of the goodness, joy, and blessing that it symbolized for people. Wine was understood as a good gift of God. It was a symbol of joy and happiness and of God’s blessing. Throughout the Bible, both in the Old and the New Testaments, wine was used and extolled in this manner, its use even being commanded by Jesus in the Last Supper. The bride’s family was responsible for providing the wine for the wedding. As much as a year before the wedding they would have been preparing the wine for the feast, from tending the grapes to their pressing, and then, they would have hired a wine steward to manage the wine to last throughout the entire wedding celebration, serving the good wine first, while the guest’s palettes were sharp, and then the less expensive wine when their tastes were less discerning. However you slice it, the chief job of the wine steward was to make certain that they didn’t run out of wine and cause a social disaster for the families of the bride and the groom. But in the story, that’s exactly what happened.

Now, I know that it’s hard for us to get our brains around this today, but running out of wine at a first century middle eastern wedding was about the worst thing that could possibly happen. It would have meant humiliating shame for the entire family in the presence of the entire town or village. It would have meant the loss of respectability and even livelihood. This was the situation that Jesus was in midst of and was called upon by His mother to remedy. Mary said to Him, “They have no wine.” She might as well have said the bride is dead, as this was a seemingly hopeless situation that no man had the ability to resolve. But Jesus’ response to her seems out of place, almost disrespectful. Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

Well, to understand Jesus’ words, it is necessary that we remember that this account was recorded by the Apostle John, who was present at the wedding and was an eyewitness. John uses the words “my hour” in his Gospel as code words for the Passion of Jesus: His crucifixion, suffering, and death. Thus, what Jesus was communicating to His mother was that it wasn’t yet time for Him to be manifested as the fullness of God’s glory by laying down His life in sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. Nevertheless, Jesus did respond to His mother’s concern that they had no wine. They had no wine; they had no joy; and they were helpless to restore joy to this otherwise festive occasion. The family was going to be humiliated. The marriage had a black mark on it before it even began. Though it was not yet the hour of Jesus’ Passion, nevertheless, Jesus did have compassion upon the people beloved by His Father in heaven and He acted to restore their joy and their relationships and their honor, and He acted to glorify His Father in this first of His signs recorded for us in the Holy Scriptures.

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. The jars represented the Law of God. They represented His holiness and man’s uncleanness, for it was necessary for the guests to be ceremonially purified before they could partake of the wedding feast. Jesus commanded that these jars be refilled with water, to the very brim. This was to indicate that when Jesus would fully manifest Himself and glorify His Father by laying down His life unto death, His death would be for every sin ever committed and for every man, woman, and child who would ever live and die. When He commanded that the wine be taken to the master of the feast and he tasted it, He had to confess that the water in the jars was not water at all, but that it was the finest of wines. For, not only would Jesus fulfill the Law for us completely in the hour of His Passion, but He now offers us rich and abundant grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness freely through faith in Him.

This is why in one prominent cathedral in Manhattan the inscription around the baptismal font reads “This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory; and his disciples believed in Him.” As the wedding at Cana was the first of Jesus’ signs, so Holy Baptism is His first sign among us. Baptism is a sacramental miracle, an even greater sign than turning water into wine. The words inscribed near that font remind us that Jesus is still manifesting Himself to us every time we gather around font, pulpit, and altar.

The master of the feast was stunned, and he remarked, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Indeed, when Jesus makes everything new, the new is even better than the old, even before the old became corrupted! Likewise, when Moses asked to see the Father’s glory, he was permitted to see only His backside, for no man can see the face of God and live. And yet, in the resurrection on the Last Day, we will all behold Him face to face. And so, even now, Jesus is present with us, though He remains veiled in Word and water, bread, and wine, but then, then we shall see Him face to face.

Thus, today we remember how Jesus restored to joy to a community of people and how the wine they enjoyed then was even better than what they began with. And by remembering this first of Jesus’ signs He performed through which He manifested His glory, we are brought to remember the many other ways Jesus manifested His glory amongst us, demonstrating that He was Emmanuel, God with us, then, now, and unto all eternity.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Christian Funeral for Gordon Lee Quentin

(Audio)

John 14:1-6; 1 John 3:1-2; Job 19:21-27

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Gordon was born at the tail end of the Great Depression in Detroit. The Depression taught those who lived through it an important lesson: The truly valuable things in life are faith, family, and hard work. Gordon learned that lesson well. Gordon attended Immanuel Lutheran Church in Dearborn with his family where he was both baptized and confirmed. After high school Gordon entered the Air Force where he served six years before being honorably discharged, a portion of that time he spent in Japan. When he returned home Gordon when to work on farms near Elkader, at City Laundering in Oelwein, and finally with John Deere for twenty-four years before he retired. On September 25, 1966, Gordon married the love of his life Jolantha right here at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Readlyn and a few years later they purchased an acreage here and built their home in which they raised their family. They worshipped here at St. Paul. They raised their sons Tom and Steve here. And Gordon worked hard and long to support his family. That was what was important to Gordon: Faith, family, and hard work.

Gordon did have hobbies. He enjoyed woodworking, especially working with the scroll saw. Gordon had a great imagination and was skillful at crafting intricate, detailed woodwork, particularly crosses. He also enjoyed collecting die-cast tractors and farm implements, and he enjoyed the comradery of other tractor enthusiasts in the Two Cylinder Club. Gordon and Jolantha tended a large garden together, and the occasional road trip to Wisconsin or Detroit sufficed for a vacation. Gordon had a good sense of humor and was a bit of a tease. He liked to give people a hard time, particularly the nurses who cared for him the past few years. It was all in good fun.

2020 was a memorable year for all of us, and not in a good way, but that year Gordon suffered a stroke that affected the entire left side of his body. Nonetheless, Gordon kept a stiff upper lip and a positive attitude throughout it all, and he fought his way back. But then a blood clot cost him his leg last year, and the same thing cost him his other leg just a few weeks ago which culminated with the loss of his life last Thursday. Now, it would be easy to imagine that Gordon would be depressed or bitter, angry, and resentful given his situation, but that was not the case at all. Gordon continued to trust in the Lord, stay positive, and he even continued to give the nurses a hard time.

Faith, family, and hard work. That’s what Gordon believed in, just like Job. Let me refresh your memory on the patriarch Job. Job was a hard-working, successful farmer. He loved his family, and he trusted in the LORD. Faith, family, and hard work. God had blessed Job and counted his faith as righteousness. Nevertheless, the LORD permitted Satan to afflict Job in order to test him, because the LORD believed in Job, that he would remain faithful even if his blessings were stripped away. So, Job lost his livestock and his wealth, and then he lost his family, and finally he lost his own health. Still, Job would not curse God, but he continued to believe that the LORD was good and to trust in Him. Though he was a hair’s breadth from death, Job confessed his faith in a Redeemer whom he believed already lived and who would raise his flesh and blood body from death to new and everlasting life. “I know that my Redeemer lives,” Job confessed, “and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” What’s even more amazing is that Job made that confession of his Redeemer something like two thousand years before the birth of Jesus. Similarly, when Gordon’s health was failing and the temptation was surely there to despair, bitterness, anger, and resentment, like Job, Gordon remained faithful and continued to trust in His LORD and Redeemer. Faith.

On February 16, 1936, Gordon was baptized and was born again a child of God. In addition to his parents and siblings, Gordon received a new family of faith as innumerable as the stars in the heavens. Throughout his long life, Gordon was a child of God and an heir with Jesus of everlasting life, having a home in God’s kingdom, and all the blessings of being a child of God. Still, though he was God’s child already through baptism and faith, Gordon looked forward to what he will be, to what we will all be, when Christ returns in glory on the Last Day. As St. John has put it, “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” Family.

Steve once asked his father why he worked so hard. Gordon simply replied, “To support the family.” Truly, what else is there to work for that truly matters? All material, earthly things – wealth and possessions – even life itself, inevitably withers and fades. We came into this world with nothing, and in the same way we leave it. There is no U-Haul behind the hearse. Nevertheless, you do have possessions that will last forever, kept for you in heaven. Our Lord Jesus was sent by His Father from heaven to become a man. We just celebrated that historical moment on December 25 at Christmas. Having fulfilled all His Father required of Him under the Law, Jesus suffered and died for Gordon, for you, and for all humankind, the wages we earned and merited for our sin, and He gave us in exchange His holiness, righteousness, and life that cannot die. And then He returned to His Father in heaven to prepare a place in His Father’s house for Gordon, for you, and for all who will believe on Him. "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” It was Jesus’ work, his vocation, to fulfill His Father’s Law and suffer and die for Gordon, for you, and for all humankind, and He did it willingly out of love for His Father and for you whom His Father loves so dearly. Hard work for the sake of His family.

Dear Jolantha, Tom and Steve, family and friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, do not let your hearts be troubled. Our Lord Jesus prepared a place in His Father’s house for Gordon, and he is there now with Him. Though we grieve, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Our Redeemer Jesus lives, and those who trust in Him live also, now, and forever. Take heart dear Christians, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Blessed are those who die in the Lord. Trust in Him and follow in His way. Jesus is the way, the truth, and life; no one comes to the Father except through Him. And all who believe on Him are already His children, and what we will be has not been revealed, but we will be like Him when He comes again in glory.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord

(Audio)

Matthew 3:13-17; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Isaiah 42:1-7

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

“Behold my Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.” These words the LORD spoke through His prophet Isaiah, but they describe His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is not only God’s Son, but He is also God’ Servant. This is not a matter of inequality. Jesus is not inferior to His Father in any way, but He is fully God, “the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.” Jesus is God. Yet, Jesus is God’s servant. There is no shame in being a servant. Rather, being a servant is something that is characteristic of our God Himself. God upholds His servant. He has chosen Him, and His soul delights in Him.

When the Son of God became flesh, in the Incarnation, which we just celebrated at Christmas, the Son of God became the Servant.  “Though He was in the form of God, [He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Jesus was obedient to His parents and to His governing authorities. Jesus was obedient to His God and Father. And Jesus was obedient to His Father’s will and Law. Though He was righteous and holy, having no sin of His own, but was perfect and pure in every way, Jesus humbled and submitted Himself to be circumcised in obedience to the Law. And, just before He began His ministry, which would culminate in His Passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus humbled Himself once again and He submitted Himself to be baptized by John in the Jordan. He was baptized, not for His sins and unrighteousness, for He had none, but for your sins, and for my sins, and for the sins of the entire world.

John knew this very well. He resisted Jesus, insisting that it was necessary rather that Jesus should baptize him. Jesus did not disagree, but He answered John saying, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” It was fitting, it was necessary, that our righteous Lord step into that river like a common sinner and be washed with its filthy water, for it was fitting, it was necessary, for righteousness to be fulfilled for you, that Jesus become a sinner for you. Yes, all the crowds of repentant sinners came to John at the Jordan to be baptized and to have their sins washed away by water and the promise of God’s Word. However, when Jesus entered those waters, He had no sins to be washed away, but instead, He took upon Himself all sins, all uncleanness, all unrighteousness, and He became the One Sinner for all humanity. “For our sake [God] made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” O blessed exchange! Or holy cure!

Through the prophet Isaiah, God had promised of His Servant, “I have put my Spirit upon Him.” And, what happened when Jesus came up from the water of His baptism, but the heavens were opened, the Father spoke, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus and remained with Him, fulfilling this Word and Promise of God. This was the moment that Jesus became in the flesh what God’s holy angels had declared Him to be at His birth: The Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ. Jesus was christened with the full approval and blessing of the Father, and God’s Holy Spirit came upon Him and remained with Him as a flesh and blood man. He with whom, as the Son of God, the Father was already pleased, secured the Father’s favor for your flesh and blood bodies as well. God was well pleased with Jesus as a human man; thus, His Spirit was pleased to dwell with Him. And, because of Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God is pleased to dwell in your flesh and blood bodies as well.

That is why Jesus was baptized. He was baptized for you. Jesus was baptized so that He could suffer and die for you, and for the sins of the entire world, upon the cross, and that would actually mean something, would actually count for something, would actually do something. For, if just any man were to die, it would mean nothing at all. All men are sinners, and the wages of sin is only and always death. If just any man were to die, he would only be receiving what he had earned, what he deserved. But, if the sinless Son of God dies as a man, in the flesh, then the curse is broken. Both flesh and spirit are redeemed. Jesus did this for you. Everything was for you.

And, because of His baptism in the Jordan by John, Jesus has provided for you a sign and a seal in Holy Baptism marking you, preserving you, and bestowing upon you the benefits of His righteousness, obedience, and holiness in His death and resurrection. By stepping into the waters of the Jordan River, Jesus “sanctified and instituted all waters to be a blessed flood and a lavish washing away of sin.” Therefore, it doesn’t matter if you are sprinkled, washed, or dunked, but what matters is the Word and Command of Jesus and the application of water – period. Your baptism is a sign of God’s promise kept and fulfilled for you in Jesus, but it is not merely a sign. Your baptism gives to you everything that God promises in His Word: “It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the Words and Promises of God declare.”

You have been baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus’ death is your death, and Jesus’ resurrection is your resurrection. “For if [you] have been united with Him in a death like His, [you] shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like His.” Everything that belongs to Jesus He shares with you who are baptized into Him. Your baptism makes you a Christian because you are baptized into Christ. Your baptism weds you to your Bridegroom, for you are joined with Him in a one-flesh union. “Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” Only you can end this marriage. Divorce is not of God.

Jesus was baptized for you. Jesus was baptized so that you could be received into Him: “God became man so that man might become God.” The LORD demands that you be holy as He is holy. You couldn’t make yourself to be holy, so He has made you holy Himself. Your baptism bestowed this upon you. Because of your baptism, you need never fear that God’s forgiveness is not for you. It doesn’t matter how you feel. It doesn’t matter what you experience. It doesn’t matter how many works you perform. It doesn’t matter if you still sometimes fall and sin. All that matters is that you believe, and by believing, I mean that you fear, love, and trust in God and all that He has done for you in Jesus Christ His Son.

Remember your baptism. That’s good advice. That’s what it means to be a Christian. My family has been blessed to spend a few different summer vacations at an old home on Kelly’s Island in Lake Eerie of the coast of Sandusky, Ohio. A Lutheran pastor and his wife owned the house, and they used it as a retreat for members of their congregation and for other pastors and their families. It was called St. Timothy House. One of the quaint things I remember about my visits to St. Timothy house is that the pastor had placed little encouraging spiritual signs in various places around the house. Wherever there was a source of water – a faucet, shower, spicket, etc. – there was a little sign that read, “Remember your baptism.” Remember your baptism when you are feeling down and depressed. Remember your baptism when you are afflicted by illness, depression, or doubt. Remember your baptism when you realize that you have fallen into sin. Remember your baptism when you don’t feel very fruitful. Remember your baptism when some pietistic Evangelical Christian brother or sister tells you that you do not believe enough, pray enough, read the Bible enough, do enough good works, repent enough, go to church enough, evangelize enough, or whatever enough, etc. You are not justified by your works, by your feelings, by Bible reading or prayers, or by ANYTHING that you do, but you are justified by Holy Baptism, because Holy Baptism puts upon you Jesus’ righteousness, obedience, and holiness. That’s why St. Peter writes, “Baptism now saves you.”

For, consider your callings, brothers and sisters: not many of you are wise according to worldly standards, not many of you are powerful, not many of you are of noble birth. But God consistently chooses what is foolish in this world to shame the wise; God chooses what is weak in this world to shame the strong; God chooses what is low and despised in this world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human beings might boast. And, because of Him, you are in Christ Jesus. Even now, God has chosen these foolish things, sinful flesh and faltering speech, ordinary water, tasteless bread, and inexpensive wine to which He has attached His Word of Promise that you may be forgiven anew, strengthened in faith, and equipped for every good work. Remember your baptism. Remember that you are clothed with Christ’s righteousness that covers all your sins. Remember that all this comes to you as a free and perfect gift, from outside of you, bearing not the corruption of your sin. Therefore, you can receive it, you can trust it, and you can have peace with God, and you can have peace with man, just as the angels proclaimed at Jesus’ birth.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord (observed)

(Audio)

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

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth and everything in them, and it was good. Then He made man, male and female, and He blessed them that they would be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over it, and it was very good. And then, the tempter came, then the woman sinned, and then the man sinned, and together they plunged all of God’s very good creation into sin and death. And so, God destroyed His creation and started over? No, wait! That’s not what He did at all! God didn’t do what you and I would do. Rather, He did the unthinkable, the unimaginable; He began to recreate His fallen, broken, rebellious, and sinful creation. God made a promise that very day, the day of man’s rebellion and fall. God made a promise, not to the man or to the woman, but God made a promise to Satan saying: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” That promise was extremely broad, embracing all people of all times and all places, even all of creation. However, from that point forward, God proceeded to narrow down the promise from all of creation, to one people, to one nation, to one family, to one man, Jesus, only then, at Jesus’ birth, to reveal that, in that one man Jesus, all the families, peoples, and nations, even all of creation, have been redeemed, recreated, renewed, and restored.

Thus, the angels proclaimed to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Indeed, this is what we celebrate at Epiphany. The Son of God was born as one of us that He might fulfill the Law of God for all people and take away the punishment for our sin, restoring us to a right relationship with our Creator and God. The narrowing down to one people, one nation, one family, and ultimately to one man, Jesus, had not been to exclude the nations, but it was to reveal clearly and plainly that Jesus was the promised Seed of the woman, the promised heir of Abraham, the promised Son of David, the Messiah and Christ, the Redeemer and Savior of all. Christ was born, not only for the House of David, not only for the nation of Israel, not only for the Jewish people, but Christ was born for all people.

And so, Magi from the east came to find the newborn King of the Jews. They were astronomers and astrologers; they studied the heavens for astrological signs, not so much to predict the future like a horoscope or a palm reading, but in the sense in which our Lord Jesus speaks: “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars.” And, they were Gentiles, most likely from Arabia, nations like Midian, and Ephah, and Sheba prophesied of by Isaiah. And, the LORD gave them a sign, a brilliant star, to lead them to where the fulfillment of His prophetic Word lay, to lead them to Jesus.

The Magi, however, were not so very unlike us, they were distracted by their fleshly and worldly wisdom. They traveled first to Jerusalem, to the palace of the King, King Herod. After all, the child they were seeking was to be the King of the Jews. Kings are found in palaces, in royal cities, right? And, when they came to Herod and told him that they were seeking the newborn King of the Jews, Herod was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. For, Herod thought to himself, there is only one King of the Jews around here, and I am he! Therefore, Herod consulted with the chief priests and the scribes to ascertain where the child was to be born. And they consulted the Scriptures with all the passion and expectation of a first-year confirmation class. “Uh, yeah, He’s to be born in Bethlehem, I guess?” And so, that snake Herod instructed the Magi to go and find the child and to send him report so that he could come and worship Him too. However, when they departed Jerusalem, the star appeared once again and guided them, not to Bethlehem, but to “the place where the child was.” You see, it had been nearly two years since Jesus was born before the Magi arrived. The Holy Family was no longer in Bethlehem but had returned home to Nazareth. How do we know this? Because Herod calculated the time of the star’s appearing to the arrival of the Magi. That is why Herod murdered all the male infants in Bethlehem and the surrounding area that were two years old or younger. Herod was bound and determined to murder the newborn King of the Jews, so he furiously and indiscriminately murdered any and all that were a candidate simply because of the time of their birth.

And, when the Magi arrived at the home of Joseph, they went “into the house and saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Strange gifts for a newborn child, but fitting gifts for a Prophet, a Priest, and a King. Gold, because Jesus is the King of heaven and earth. Frankincense, because Jesus is our Great High Priest. And, myrrh, because Jesus is the Great Prophet and Word of God in human flesh who was born to lay down His innocent life as an atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. Indeed, these Gentile astrologers from the east were wiser than the priests and the scribes in Herod’s palace, for they believed in the Word of the LORD and followed the sign He provided them. The Wise Men represent a longing for God that exists in all people. There is wisdom in seeking Him. That is why the Magi studied the stars. That is why we study the Holy Scriptures.

And, as the star guided the Magi to the Christ Child, so is the Word of the LORD a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. First the LORD guided the Magi to where Jesus was, and then He guided them away from wicked Herod. Likewise, for you, the Word of the LORD is both a guiding Word and a protecting Word. Still, the overarching theme of Epiphany is that Jesus was born for all people of all times and of all places. The LORD had narrowed down His covenant promise from all of creation, to one people, to one nation, to one family, to one man, Jesus, so that all men, all families, all nations, all people, and all of creation might receive Him in faith as God’s Christmas gift of grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. It is for this reason that, in some Christian traditions, the Feast of the Epiphany is known as “little Christmas” or “Christmas of the Gentiles.” For, Christ was born of a virgin mother in Bethlehem in Judea in fulfillment of messianic prophecy given to the Jews. However, the LORD provided Gentiles from the east, the Magi, a star for a sign, that they might seek and find and worship the same gift of Jesus who is the Good News for all people. As St. Paul has put it, “this mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”

After their encounter with the Christ Child, the Magi were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they departed to their own country by another way. So, likewise, after you encounter the Christ Child, you are no longer the same, and you must not return the same way that you came, but you must return home by another way. That other way is the way of humility and repentance. That other way is the Way, the Truth, and the Life that is Jesus Himself. Indeed, Jesus is the bright shining Morning Star and the Word of God who guides your feet into the way of Truth and Life. Therefore, as the popular billboards and bumper stickers say, “Wise men still seek Him,” let us still seek Him in the place where He is found, wrapped in bread and wine, and lying upon the altar, that His people may receive Him and live. And let us offer Him our gifts, the gift of our lives and of our hearts laid down in service of others to the glory of His Name.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.