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Jesus is our only true light in our journey through the wilderness

Posted on by nfuller

In our Introit we heard words from one of the favorite Psalms of God’s people Psalm 27.  The reason the words are so beloved is that they speak to the predicament we all face on this side of eternity, we walk through darkness and we are on a journey through the wilderness of a fallen world. And so the Psalm starts: “The LORD is my light and salvation, whom shall I fear”

We are on a journey through the wilderness.  On this journey we are challenged with temptations from many directions to follow our path of self deliverance- to find salvation within. Lutheran theologians have called this man’s worship- the attempt to understand the world and somehow control our future destiny through this understanding. Man’s worship always ends in death. 

God’s worship contains the truth. The truth is that God so loved us that he gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life.  In our time of wilderness we ask for Jesus to lead us by the light. This is what Psalm 27:4 asks:

“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD an inquire in his temple.”   For this season of Lent it is especially meaningful for us to pray that we may gaze upon the beauty of the LORD.   

Lent is a time to look to Jesus and see the beauty of the LORD. “Come let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of God. 

What is the beauty of the LORD? The beauty is in Jesus’ selfless love toward us.  The beauty is seen in the gory picture of the Son of God humbled to the point of death on the cross. It’s not that we are perverted and dark and twisted that we elevate images of blood and gore- but it is what Jesus’ suffering represents that allows us to see him lifted up and gaze on the beauty of the LORD.

In our Old Testament reading we see a vivid image of the dangers of life in the wilderness and the means of salvation. The people of Israel grew impatient along the journey to the promised land. They questioned of Moses why should they even be there. Did you bring us out into the wilderness only to die? They implied they were better off in slavery to Pharaoh.  They were ungrateful for the food that the LORD provided for them. Earlier in the book of Numbers we learn about the Manna that came from the sky in which they collected and ate.  “We loathe this worthless food.”

When it comes to following God’s Word, how you look at something makes all of the difference.  The people saw only their own complaints and did not see the deliverance that was right before them. In not seeing the promise of deliverance, in ignoring the promise of a Savior the people departed significantly from God’s favor. They were lost in their sin.

We see in our reading from Numbers that the punishment for their sin was quick and severe. The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and the bites were killing the people. This is a terrifying picture of the consequences of sin. The pain and the fear the people experienced was unbearable so that they asked Moses to pray to the LORD to take away the serpents.

There in the wilderness the people could no longer pretend they could save themselves. When they complained to Moses they thought they could make things better for themselves, but now they saw fully how perilous the journey is without the LORD’s help. 

The LORD was merciful to them and provided a unique means of deliverance. Moses was commanded to make an image of the very fiery serpent that was killing the people and put it on a pole, and simply looking at this bronze serpent the one who was bit would not die but instead live.

The image of the people’s sin would by God’s grace serve as the people’s deliverance. It was as if God was instructing Moses to make something that would help them to see things from God’s perspective, what looked like a graven image commemorating the destruction of the people was by God’s grace a symbol of their salvation. 

Jesus himself verified this meaning when he spoke of how just as Moses lifted up this bronze serpent it was necessary that he be lifted up on the cross for people to live and have eternal life.  Jesus on the cross was a visual representation of the price of the sin of the whole world.

And looking at Jesus’ death on the cross in faith we live. We live because of God’s free gift of grace. As our reading from Ephesians highlights, we were dead in our trespasses and sins- we had nothing to commend ourselves before God that we should be saved. We were like the people of Israel overcome with fiery serpents with no way to protect ourselves.

“But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Because Jesus was raised up on the cross, and because Jesus rose from the dead we are also lifted up high. We are raised from the depths of our sin to the heights of heavenly places.

How do we make it through the journey of this life? We can see life as a struggle in which we must fight our way through tooth and claw day after day, or we can see our life as depending entirely on God’s mercy.  We can see our life as safe and secure in God’s faithfulness.  We can look to Jesus and see the path of life.

Yes there are many things we can look upon with our eyes that cause us discouragement.  Whether it is neighborhoods in disrepair or the imperfections of our own lives that discourages us- what we see does not tell the whole story.

Although we see evidence of our fallen world all around us and evidence of the results of our sin- we also see clear evidence of God’s mercy and love toward us. We see that Jesus is for us as we sit in church and see the jeweled cross and see on the altar the elements of bread and wine through which we will see Jesus body and blood given to us.  

We see also that we are not alone on the journey. The inside of a church worship space has been called the Nave, which is a maritime name for the heart of the ship. We are traveling together in this ship of the church toward the glories of eternal life. And just like on a ship at sea during a storm, it is all hands on deck.  Everybody has a role to play in keeping the ship traveling the seas as well as it is designed.

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand.  Because of the great news that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, because we can look to the Savior and be saved, we are free to do our best workmanship. Instead of just trying to survive in life, as our perspective helps us see that we are already saved, we can relax and do the works God has made us to do. Works of kindness and patience, works of courage, works of creativity and hope, labors of love.

How do we live the journey?  How do we support one another, as His workmanship? We do it all by looking to Jesus and believing that He is our way, our truth and our life. Amen. 

Jesus allows us to be set apart for holiness

Posted on by nfuller

As we continue through the season of repentance that is Lent we hear in our gospel lesson an important reform that Jesus arranges in the temple as he drives out the money changers. When the temple was first built the presence of God was clear and the people of Israel followed as carefully as possible the instructions for how to operate in the temple.

Over time people were now using the temple itself as a place to sell animals for sacrifice. Human convenience had somehow become more important than treating the temple with the respect as the place where God choses to dwell and be there for his people.

Jesus does not hesitate in his actions. There is no use of “I” statements or assertive communications.  “It makes me feel uncomfortable when you trade in the temple here, could you please find a better place so that we can all worship God as a nation and enjoy the Lord’s favor and blessing toward us?”

Instead Jesus confronted this sin and idolatry with force and zeal. He used a whip of cords and he personally overturned each money table. Jesus was cleaning house and he did not hesitate.

Jesus alone was able to do something like this without sin. As God, his righteous anger against sin is justified and good. He fulfilled the words of Psalm 69 “For Zeal for your house has consumed me.” 

There is an American fiction novel written in the mid 20th century by a popular author by the name of JD Sallinger in which a teenage girl tells someone in her family how offended and disillusioned she was to read in the Bible about Jesus cleansing the temple.  This character had idealized Jesus as the one nice person in history, and what nice person would upset people like that and use violence to get his way as Jesus did in cleansing the temple?

It is a good thing for us to see the full picture of everything Jesus did in his earthly ministry, to see that Jesus did not come to make friends and accumulate admirers, but to win our salvation on the cross. It is important that we ourselves see and understand the Christian life of following Jesus is not defined above all else through being nice.

This view of Christian life as about being nice is a byproduct of our culture where we are pressured as Christians to think that being nice is how we will endear ourselves to the world. As if our niceness will prove that God is good and we are good because of God and you will be good too if you act like us.

This view of Christian life of not upsetting the waters, of killing people with kindness so to speak, prevents us from having the voice to speak about what is wrong and what is sin in the world. If we are caught up with being nice we will struggle to have a zeal for protecting the holiness of God’s church.  If we hold onto an identity of niceness we are so much more likely to make concessions in our faith so that we can get along in the world without conflict. Too easily we forget about the holiness of God’s presence among us.

The cleansing of the temple helps to highlight that we are not called to be pleasant and nice in the world’s view, but to be holy and set apart for God.  In our Old testament reading we see in the Ten Commandments instructions for how to be set apart for God. 

When the people of Israel first heard these words they were given a gift in seeing how to live in relationship with God. However, these words given at Mt. Sinai were cause for trembling and fear- for who could live up to all of these commandments and not break them?  Israel was destined to fail to live lives set apart in holiness.

The very tablets of stone these commandments were written on were placed in the arc of the covenant and kept in the Tabernacle first and then eventually in the Temple. The Commandments were there in the temple, God’s presence, Holy and perfect.

As Jesus was asked for a sign there in the temple on that Passover, he spoke in such a way that helps us to see the connection that he is now the temple in which God dwells. “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”  He is the fulfillment of the Commandments, he is the gift of God’s perfect love dwelling with us.

The Jews in authority at the temple questioned Jesus because they did not believe He had the authority to make such changes on the temple grounds. They wanted a sign that would show the power of Jesus without threatening them too much either.

“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”  This sign Jesus gave would only be evident after his crucifixion and resurrection.   I the gospel of Matthew Jesus told those who questioned him that because of their hardness of hearts he would give no sign other than the sign of the prophet Jonah: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Jonah’s time in the belly of the great fish was not something that earned him distinction as the greatest and most regal of prophets. Jesus was highlighting the folly of the cross in the world’s eyes in this way.

As Jesus spoke about this sign of his destruction it was not what the disciples would expect. It is only the wisdom of God that could arrange that His death on the cross would be the way in which the commandments could be perfectly fulfilled and the way in which we could ourselves become holy before God.

In our Epistle reading we heard about the contrast between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. We would like to appeal to the world with eloquent words and lofty speech that will convince others of the cause for truth and justice in God’s kingdom. 

However, this approach is only another way of trying to be nice and fit in with the standards of the world. Instead, we are called to speak the word of the cross which is folly to the world. The word of the cross is that the most foolish of all signs, Jesus dying on the cross is the answer to any issue we may address in our relationship with unbelievers in the world.

No matter how much we try and find common ground with unbelievers, it is only through preaching that Jesus died on the cross that we can ever achieve true unity with others. Those who do not believe that Jesus’ death on the cross saves them- we do a disservice to agree to disagree and no longer pay attention to our differences as relates to our faith beliefs.

The elephant in the room is that without a living faith in Christ we see the life of the unbeliever as hollow and fragile and tragic. We struggle to talk about this elephant in the room, we often prefer to leave the money tables unturned and to allow the animals still in the temple because we feel sorry for the money changers because that this is how they make a living. 

It is also significant to note that when Jesus was put on trial false evidence was brought forward by twisting Jesus’ words. Instead of repeating how Jesus said, “if you destroy this temple, I will raise it up in three days”, they claimed he said he would destroy the temple. 

This sounds very similar to what happen in today’s world when quotes are taken out of context in order to take down your enemy. Human wisdom did not understand that Jesus was talking about his body as the true temple where God dwells that he would restore after three days once destroyed. 

Jesus has come to bring the holiness of God before us in a way where we can stand in God’s presence.  Christ has made us holy in a way that we could never achieve on our own before God.  Where we profaned the temple, He took on our sin and achieved by his resurrection a temple that cannot be destroyed ever again.  Christ has made us holy.  As the collect prayer celebrates it is God’s glory to always have mercy.  His mercy in making us as His holy people is His greatest glory- greater than even the splendor of creation.  God’s glory is that in Jesus we have access to God without fear. As Psalm 19 celebrates:

Psalm 19: 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.

May we have zeal for this presence of God among us through His Word. May we taste His Word, sweeter than honey. Amen.

“Earth has no pleasure I would share…”

Posted on by nfuller

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul. For what can a man give in return for his soul?”   Mark 8:36-37

Gaining the world and forfeiting your soul. This sounds like the kind of trade that Satan tries to make with us. The riches of the world now, for your soul later.  The theme of pursuing undisputed acceptance in the world, riches or power in exchange for your soul has been used countless times in movies and stories. It makes for a good plot to see what lengths people will go for power or control, even to the point of turning to evil.

Classic adventure movies like Star Wars, Aladdin, and Lion King all involve characters who are all consumed with a quest for power.  Watching these movies, we see clearly that the quest for power is not worth it- an action that destroys the soul.  However, you do not need to be a super villain in order to fall into the trap of trading your soul for worldly pursuits.

In reality it is not the whole world that Satan needs to offer, a tiny slice of the world is often enough to tempt us to depart from following God’s Word.  After all, the smaller the sin, the less significant it sounds.

Satan tempts us to believe that what we can seize for ourselves at the right opportunity is greater than what God can provide for us. Satan tempts us to believe that God is holding back good and desirable things from us. Satan wants us to think that following Jesus does not provide enough for us- that we need to provide for ourselves.

This is the same approach Satan used to tempt Eve: ‘isn’t there more for you for the taking?’  “Did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree of the garden?”  You will not surely die – ‘you will not forfeit your soul’ Satan argued.

Satan offered to Eve the promise that eating the fruit would open her eyes to be like God, knowing good and evil. This knowledge Satan offered would put Adam and Eve at the same level as God- as a law unto themselves. 

And it worked all to well-  we experience for ourselves on a daily basis that we want to be a law unto ourselves, we want to decide what is good and what is evil and we wish we no longer had to face reality of our limitations each day. We wish we could be like God so that we would not need to deal with suffering and loss.

Jesus has come to deliver us from this short sighted reach for worldly power. After Peter’s attempt to rebuke Jesus from the way of the cross, Jesus spoke about what it means to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him. The temptations of the world mean very little when our chief desire is to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

Peter saw a reward in knowing Jesus as the Christ, but he was not ready for the reality of why the Christ was there on earth with him- to die on the cross.  He rebuked Jesus about all this talk about suffering and rejection and dying and rising.  Peter had a better plan for how their lives together could go. Perhaps it had something to do with avoiding all those who opposed them and only spending time in an insulated community of believers.

 Jesus answered Peter as He addressed the disciples:  “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Often a central focus of our lives is to find safety and security, and freedom from danger. Following Jesus promises no such safety.  If you worry above all else about protecting your own life, saving yourself- you need not bother following Jesus. 

As we see more signs of persecution and outrage against God’s Word in our world today, we could try and play it safe by keeping a low profile.  Perhaps if we stay away from the controversial topics or scrub a few things from our doctrine, perhaps then we can avoid all of the persecution.

But if we care more about getting along in the world and not offending anyone than we care about the words of Jesus, if we are ashamed of the gospel- then we are forfeiting our soul for the sake of possessing favor in the world. 

Jesus describes the contrast of the choice we face- whether to be ashamed of the adulterous and sinful generation we live in or to be ashamed of His words.  When He comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels- of what worth is favor from the adulterous and sinful generation we find in our word today?

Our Hymn of the day Lord, Thee I love with All My Heart, captures this faithfulness Jesus calls us to in picking up our cross and following Him:

  “Earth has no pleasure I would share. Yea heaven itself were void and bare if Thou, Lord, wert not near me.”  We realize as followers of Jesus that all the good gifts we have in life are from Him, and these good things would mean nothing to us if we were to forsake Him to have more earthly treasures. 

Although Satan may tempt us to have more things apart from Him, we trust the promises of God’s Word.  The first stanza closes with the passionate prayer- “Forsake me not, I trust Thy Word.”

When we start to feel ungrateful and covet what we do not have, God’s Word reminds us of the riches that we have received. Stanza 2 begins: “Yea Lord ‘twas Thy rich bounty gave, My body soul and all I have in this poor life of labor.” Instead of coveting what we do not have faith moves us to gratefulness, and to a life of praise: “Lord grant that I in every place May glorify Thy lavish grace And help and serve my neighbor.”

Foundational to resisting the attacks of Satan is that we are not led astray by false teaching “The have your cake and eat it too” approach to interpreting God’s Word that comes from Satan. False doctrine always provides shortcuts to the teaching of God’s Word where people have more choice and power to save themselves, where the teaching of who is Christ is changed to make the gospel sound more appealing or easy to swallow to this adulterous and sinful generation.  Accordingly the hymn continues:

“Let no false doctrine me beguile, Let Satan not my soul defile, give strength and patience unto me to bear my cross  and follow thee.”   

All three of the stanzas of the hymn close with a passionate ‘I trust in thee above all else’  plea to our Lord Jesus. Stanza 2 closes with a trust in Jesus unto death “Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord, In death Thy comfort still afford.”

Stanza 3 celebrates the hope we have in Christ as we approach death: Lord, let at last Thine angels come, to Abraham’s bosom bear me home, that I may die unfearing.” This stanza reminds us of reward and blessing that God has established with us, going back to the promise to Abraham that a multitude should have this blessing of salvation.

At the hour of death the riches of the world mean nothing and we rest in faith in Jesus that we have not forfeited our soul but have trusted in Him. “And in its narrow chamber keep my body safe in peaceful sleep until Thy reappearing.”

This is the teaching that after death our bodies await the resurrection on the last day and the judgement of the living and the dead. Modern Christian praise songs have some value in our world today, but you won’t find a praise song on the radio that reminds us of death and a coffin, the narrow chamber that keeps our body safe until Jesus returns.

If there was ever a time to have a large choir at hand for a hymn to blow the roof off so to speak, it would be for this final part of stanza 3  “And then from death awaken me, that these mine eyes with joy may see, O Son of God, Thy glorious face, My Savior and my fount of grace. Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend, And I will praise Thee without end.”

We are included in the promise made to Abraham: Ephesians chapter 1 celebrates, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

Just like Abraham did not earn this great honor to be the father of all nations, we did not earn the title of holy and blameless before God.  This has been a gift given to us by our gracious and gift giving God. This gift is what we remember in times of temptation, this gift is our hope in the hour of death. Amen.

Christ walked the road of temptation for us

Posted on by nfuller

Why me?  We have probably all said those words to ourselves at one point or another.  When a difficult trial or unbearable trial comes along in life, we often wonder why this should be happening to us now.  Why a car problem of this of all days?  Why this extra assignment at work, why this Algebra quiz on a Monday morning? With the weather the way it is now, just about all of us want to ask, why this deep cold for yet another day? 

In our Old Testament reading for today Abraham would have been without doubt justified in asking God, “Why me?”  The Lord had asked him to give up his only son by means of a three day journey and sacrificing him on Mount Moriah.  Never before had God asked anyone to sacrifice a child. A dove, no problem.  A calf, no problem, a lamb, no problem. But a child?

God tested Abraham, and it is not the first Bible story we would pick in teaching children the faith.  How do you explain that Abraham was asked to do something that had nothing to do with God’s love and faithfulness? People are not sacrificed, especially not children. Child sacrifice was present in some false idol worship over history- but never from the God who created the world.

How strange this command must have also sounded to Abraham!  After all the years of waiting God had promised Abram that he would bear a son. How could this same promised heir now receive the fate of sacrifice on the mountain?  Why me indeed.

Isaac was a walking testimony to the miracle of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah in their old age.  Isaac illustrated the gift and promise of God and carried with him the future promise as Abraham’s heir who would continue God’s covenant promise to Abraham.

We can only imagine how much Abraham loved Isaac with all of these promises of God wrapped up in Isaac’s existence.  And that is not to mention on top of all of that is the love a parent has for a child from the start.  The love that grows with everything from those first steps, and first words to discovering those favorite activities and rituals that a parent and child can do together. Certainly Abraham had a right to ask God, “why me?”

Abraham met God’s requests with faith and obedience all the way until God intervened to save Isaac.   Abraham obeyed despite the great love he had for his son.  He even obeyed through the three day journey to Mt. Moriah in which he had the chance to change his mind.  But Abraham’s obedience to God’s command is not the most important thing about this account of scripture. 

What is most important is that God provided for Abraham in the midst of this exceedingly difficult and painful situation. When Abraham thought why me, God said “I will provide.”  Whenever we want to ask “Why me” we have an example in scripture of how God is at work in the midst of life’s trials. 

The testing of Abraham preached a sermon about Jesus to God’s people. It was a message about God providing the sacrifice in our place which was fulfilled some 2,000 years later. This testing was not about seeing whether God could trip up Abraham, but instead this served as a means of strengthening Abraham’s faith. His son Isaac said it himself, the fire , the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice. God will provide for himself the lamb for an offering.

While Abraham would have been justified in asking “why me”, God was answering “I will” provide the lamb.  God provided the lamb for Abraham, just as Abraham spoke in faith to Isaac, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son.”  God provided the lamb in the form of his own son, not on the mountain of Moriah but on the hill of Calvary.  The ram caught in the thicket served to illustrate that God always will provide through Jesus.

God sent the angel to stop Abraham from taking the knife to his son. Abraham was not permitted to make this sacrifice because God would do so instead in sacrificing his Son on the cross.  For as painful as it is to think of what it would be like for Abraham to take his son’s life, God provided his son Jesus to die on the cross as the sacrifice for us. 

This “I will” of God is a demonstration of His love for all sinners.  It gives us a picture of how God’s determination and love goes beyond what we could ever offer ourselves.  We look at the prospect of personal sacrifice and loss from the perspective of the “why me” personal cost. 

In contrast Jesus did not look to his own interests and carefully calculate the cost of helping others.  He willingly embraced the ultimate “why me” situation of dying on the cross for our sake.  Instead of asking the question why does this have to happen to me?, Jesus remained focused on what his sacrifice would accomplish for you and I, and the whole world.

Just as God provided for Abraham, He works in the midst of our “Why Me’s” to provide this great “I will” in our lives.  No matter the challenge we face Jesus provides for us with his “I will”.  His sacrifice for us has provided us with a forgiveness and grace that brings a lasting hope and renewal to our lives no matter the adversity or trial.

Jesus provides His “I Will” for us in the sense that He is faithful even when we struggle and fail to be faithful in trusting God through the trial of the moment.  We may chronically worry about how something in the near future will turn out, where we struggle to have faith and trust that God is in control and has our best interest in mind.  Yet Jesus remains just as faithful to us.  In response to this undeserved Grace, we can say “why me” as in, why am I so richly blessed with God’s love!

It certainly is important for us to see that the salvation Jesus brings to us transcends any trial or tribulation in which we doubt.  Yet God’s Word also offers encouragement that the very trials we experience can refine our faith.

1Peter even instructs us to rejoice in God’s working through these circumstances:

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

We all receive the cross of hardships in life and difficult circumstances. We have a choice whether we let these crosses overwhelm us and discourage us, or whether we allow them to refine us and lead us to depend on Jesus more fully.

When we as Christians undergo trials and persevere in faith, we serve as invaluable examples to our brothers and sisters in Christ.  When we undergo difficulties of life with patience, trust and faith, we demonstrate and model to others what it means to live in faith in our Savior through the perils of this fallen world.    

In the midst of significant trials in life our first instinct certainly is to speak those words, “Why me”  But through faith we know that God is at work in the midst of those trials.  So perhaps a more appropriate response to the trials of life is to say, “Lord, what do you wish to accomplish in me and through me in this situation?”  Listen to the Epistle reading from James: 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Only good things come from God.  God brings us through trials so that we would play the role of first fruits- examples of God’s blessings to others. Christ has undergone testing and trials to restore paradise, he has overcome the devil for us. Jesus overcame the temptations of Satan in order to fulfill what we could not do, in order to obey God where Adam and Eve failed.

Because Jesus overcame the temptations of Satan we find in him the strength to resist those temptations that we would otherwise not be able to resist. This season of Lent as we look to God’s Word we find the strength to overcome those temptations that would weigh us down. 

May the Lord continue to bless us with a living faith in which He works strength and growth through us by the power of his Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Transfiguration: Christ’s glory for us the church

Posted on by nfuller

We are finishing the Epiphany season today. In a difficult time for the church, this Epiphany has been a timely season as we have looked at the ways in which Jesus makes himself known to us and reveals Himself to us in the church today. His baptism in the Jordan River, His calling of first disciples and teaching God’s people about life in the kingdom. 

The Transfiguration is a great close to the season with its exciting mountaintop earth shaking revelation of the full glory of Jesus as the Son of God.  The vision of Jesus shining as bright as the sun transcends the worries of yesterday and today and tells us something about ourselves- that we are destined for a share in His glory.  

We sang a few moments ago: “O Father with the eternal Son and Holy Spirit ever one, We pray Thee bring us by Thy grace to see Thy glory face to face.” 

The glory of the transfiguration of Jesus is for us the church to share. He showed His glory to us so that we could know that our God is here for us, He has not left us alone, as the Epistle reading describes, with the coming of Jesus into the world, the veil that covered the face of Moses and concealed the glory of God has been uncovered. 

In Christ we now can see the glory of God completely uncovered, shining as bright as the sun.  2Corinthians 3:18 celebrates this change: “and we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”  

What does it mean to say that we have unveiled faces? The most common example of the veil is the wedding veil a bride can use where her full beauty is concealed until she walks down the aisle and when she is standing face to face with her future husband the veil is removed, the barrier no longer present, her beauty is there for all to see.

But in what way are we as Christians unveiled to shine?  Sin is the covering that keeps us from seeing Jesus.  On account of the fallen nature of humanity the flesh cannot see the glory of God. It is only through the Spirit that we can behold this glory.  We are unveiled as we look on the glory of Jesus without barrier- as we look at Jesus and see the full extent of His glory, just like the three saw him on the mount of Transfiguration. 

Sadly, a veil remains for many in this world on account of their sin.  Many people in the church in recent years have asked me how can people persist in unbelief with the countless ways that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the scripture and countless ways in which God’s Word has proven to be true?

 How could people hold onto a stubborn belief in evolution despite all of the evidence for an intelligent design in creation and none of Darwin’s theories fitting the facts of what we can observe by scientific means? And how can people not see the fruits of Darwin’s teaching leading to the awful genocide and wars of the 20th century?   In 1 Corinthians 2:14 we have an answer to these questions:

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

The things of the Spirit of God are folly to the unbeliever. Each and every one of us came into this world turned from God, and even an enemy of God.  This is why the gospel of John says : “He came to his own , and his own people did not receive him.”  But God in His infinite love and mercy called us as his own through the waters of Holy Baptism.  

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

The waters of baptism washed away the covering of sin so that we could actually see the glory of God.  Often people who have struggled with addiction and learned how to obtain sobriety will talk about how difficult it was to think or do anything with clarity while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Our church has hosted a weekly AA meeting for many years and the group has been most respectful of our church. Society may look down on those who have struggled with addiction, but we as the church can learn from their experiences of how thick and dark the veil of sin can be on our vision.

Even when Peter James and John first saw Jesus transfigured before them, the covering of sin shaped their reaction.  Just prior to the events of the Transfiguration Jesus begins to tell the disciples about the cross.  Peter tries to rebuke Jesus in regards to this fate. “Far be it from you Lord! This shall never happen to you.”

What Peter saw and wanted for Jesus was different than what was his purpose.  Peter needed a realignment of focus.  Jesus told him “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind son the things of God, but on the things of man.”  

And as they made their way up a high mountain six days earlier Jesus was transfigured before them.  They recognized Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus.  Instead of simply marveling at how amazing it was to be able to recognize Moses and Elijah without ever seeing a painting or sculpture of either prophet, instead of marveling at the meaning of these great prophets of the past now talking with Jesus- Peter interrupts this magnificent meeting with his own agenda. He was reacting from the covering of sin. “Rabbi it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. For he did not know what to say , for they were terrified.

Under the veil of sin we are terrified before the presence of God. And at that moment the veil was lifted away by the message of the Son’s identity from the Father: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”

In listening to the Son, the Lord Jesus- there is no need for fear.  As the scripture teaches in 1John  “Perfect love casts out all fear.”  In listening to Jesus there is no uncertainty in our life of who we are in this world and what is our purpose.  Contrary to what secular religion scholars want us to believe, there is no mystery as to what Jesus was teaching the disciples. 

Secular historians often want to teach that the church embellished and added to its teaching over time about who Jesus is and over a few centuries time started to see him as God.  As we study the scripture we see it is all there already, the glory of the Son was as clear as day.

Through the power of the Spirit we know as clear as day that the Transfiguration was a real event, that the Son of God shined as bright as the sun right in the midst of the three disciples.          2 Peter chapter 1 records:

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye witnesses of His majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was born to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.”  

There was no doubt for the disciples what all of this meant, that the veil that was the law was fading away.  Moses and Elijah as great as they were, they were only meant to point to Jesus. They faded away on the mountain and there was only Jesus. The majesty of Jesus, confirmed by the voice of the Father was something they could put their hope and faith in, something that they knew with complete certainty.

And we have this same certainty because we have God’s Word which shows us the glory of Jesus.  In the Old testament times people only had the law playing a role as a teacher and a guardian until Jesus came. Yes, they were shown the glory of God in Old Testament times, but it was always a reflected glory. 

When Moses came down from Sinai, “The Israelites could not gaze at Moses face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end.”  Now as the church we see the full picture of the glory of God in our Lord Jesus Christ.

As the prologue to the gospel of John records: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth.”  This glory of Jesus- grace, truth, and perfect love.

After the disciples heard and saw all they did on this mountain the scripture records: 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

This revelation was only for their eyes and ears until after the crucifixion and resurrection. They were given a glimpse of the glory for a few moments to prepare them for the trials to come in the days leading up to their master’s betrayal and crucifixion. 

We know from church history that all of the disciples faced persecution in one way or another after Jesus ascended into heaven.  The Transfiguration gave them a foretaste of the eternal joys of heaven that awaited them. As we are gathered hear this morning may we also feel joy at the clear revelation that the Son of God has revealed his glory to us, he has forever lifted the veil of sin.  No matter the difficulties we face in the coming days- Lord help us to look to the glory of the Son.  Amen.

Why do you say “My way is hidden from the Lord”

Posted on by nfuller

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”  What beautiful words from the prophet Isaiah chapter 40 verse 28 and following! The verse sums up so much about the difference between our short sighted life experiences and the Lord’s eternal outlook.  

Less familiar to our ears is the verse immediately preceding these words which provides the attitude of doubt God’s people had which brought about the majestic pronouncement of verse 28, Verse 27 reads: “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right hand is disregarded by my God?”

We hear all of the time in worship how great and mighty is our God.  In our Old Testament reading from Isaiah chapter 40 we hear how God is the one who sits above the circle of the earth, and it’s inhabitants are like grasshoppers.  In the Psalm of the day we heard how God determines the number of the stars, ‘Great is our Lord, and abundant in power, his understanding is beyond all measure.’

In the midst of this greatness of the LORD we may feel small in comparison. Could it be that such a mighty God could ever notice us? How could my insignificant life make a difference to God?  Does the LORD almighty really care for me?  The people of Israel apparently felt this way, doubting whether the LORD really cares for them or is able to help them, as if their very way is somehow hidden from the LORD.  Their question of doubt was: “LORD can you really save us?”

In response to this lack of faith the LORD does not punish the people, but instead points them to the truth of how dedicated their God is in caring for them.

 Our God does not grow weary so that the humble and insignificant in this world are not forgotten. In our gospel lesson Jesus demonstrated this remembrance of the insignificant and the downtrodden as he healed many who were sick and cast out many demons.

Jesus who is the everlasting God, the creator of the world, He does not grow weary in his dedication in caring for us.  Jesus gives power to the faint and to him who has no might he increases strength.    

Jesus showed this ability to strengthen the weak as he healed all of the sick and cast out demons from those who were oppressed. It appears that maybe Jesus has limits as he goes to a quiet place to rest and pray and recharge. 

However, this recharge is for a greater purpose than simply the practical need to rest.  Jesus is putting up a boundary where he will continue to preach to other towns as well, after the periods of prayer and solitude.

After Jesus went to a quiet place to pray early in the morning, Simon and others were searching for him.  “Everyone is looking for you.” They wanted to bring Jesus back to the people who were so grateful to be healed and no doubt had more needs.    

In John Chapter 6 we hear of another instance where Jesus gave attention to the needs of the multitudes of needy people as he fed the 5,000. After he fed them the scripture says “Perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” Still the people pursued Jesus, even getting into boats to cross the sea of Galilee to find him. When they finally made it to Jesus he told them “Truly, truly I say to you, you are seeking me not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”

Jesus made it clear that he has come not just to heal a few, but all.  Not to stay and be king in Capernaum but to go through all Galilee.  “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”  That is why I came out.  Jesus came out to preach to all, to heal all.  He came for even the most insignificant among us.

Like those in our Old testament lesson who felt “My way is hidden from the LORD” , We may feel like our needs are insignificant to the creator of this world. We may feel that nobody truly cares about our needs when our back is against the wall.   This conclusion could not be farther from the truth.

The Father saw our great need ever since the Fall into sin and promised to send us the Savior. He does not faint or grow weary:  His understanding is unsearchable.  Our needs have never been too much for our God to handle. 

Even today in worship, as we confessed our sins and heard the words of absolution, Jesus was present with us.  He cares for us through the amazing authority to take all of the sins we have committed in the past week and count them all as forgiven because of his sacrifice on the cross.  Instead of seeing our sin the Father sees the Righteousness of Christ covering us.

How often do we look at problems in our life and see them as insurmountable? When I was younger I used to think some people just have things easy. Now, especially doing counseling through a difficult past year- I see that adversity comes to our brother and sister in Christ, likely just as much as we feel ourselves.

We know our own limitations and we see with clarity that we do not have what it takes to meet the challenges before us. But we are not meant to take on the challenges of our lives on our own.  ‘Even young men grow faint and weary.’  It is with the help of the LORD that we can run and not be weary and walk and not be faint. 

Through Holy Baptism God’s people are called to a walk of life where each and every day we commit ourselves that we belong to the Lord and we desire to walk in a manner worthy of this calling as His people. 

I often hear people talk in terms of feeling like they do not do enough in their faith to please God- as if it is our role to impress God with how well we can live our lives.

But it is not the accomplishments we obtain that pleases the Lord, but our reliance and trust in Him.   As we heard in the Psalm of the day: “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.”

We often wish challenges in our life would come together and resolve themselves over night. Certainly, we would like to see our congregation’s  financial challenges and volunteer number manpower challenges of our church go away overnight.

Yet it is in waiting for the Lord to answer prayer that we receive spiritual strength from the LORD.  If things come along easy we would easily boast in our own strength. When progress in life takes time and patience our faith grows as we wait to see how His kingdom comes among us.

Waiting on the LORD requires that we see that there are no other options- we cannot push through things to completion on our own.  It may not be easy for us, but we need to accept there are no other options for our lives to move forward in health and wholeness apart from waiting on the LORD.

Part of waiting on the LORD is that we must refuse to engage in the type of frantic worry that suggests we think Jesus may not come through for us, or that we cannot afford to let our guard down as we wait.

Instead, we wait on the LORD through a confidence that YHWH will come through for us exactly as he promises in his own time.

As we wait on the LORD we have strength.  The eagle uses the wind for its strength, this is part of the illustration God’s Word uses when it says ‘they who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength.’ 

Eagles soar after positioning themselves high on a rock and waiting for the wind to come and lift them. As we wait on the LORD through difficulties and hardships in life and wait in faith, we will with the LORD’s care for us in due time soar.

It is said that Eagles are the most committed of birds in protecting their young.  Deuteronomy 32:11 reads: “Like an Eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions.” 

This is a picture of the commitment Jesus has for us, that he will not allow one of us to perish and will cover us with His wings of protection.  May this care be known to you richly as you hear his word and receive his forgiveness and wholeness. Amen.

Jesus has authority to deliver us from all dangers

Posted on by nfuller

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue through the season of Epiphany, we ask what aspect of Jesus revealing Himself to us is our focus today? Looking at our collect prayer, we see how God’s Word for our worship this morning is summarized:

Almighty God, You know we live in the midst of so many dangers that in our frailty we cannot stand upright. Grant strength and protection to support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations;

In our worship today we are celebrating that Jesus has the power and the authority to rescue us from countless dangers and perils, and He is the only one who can give us strength to carry us through the many temptations of this fallen world. Jesus reveals Himself to us as the one who has authority over this world and its many dangers.

Most of us get a sense of the importance of authority through family life and other aspects of the fourth commandment such as teachers, police, or government. 

It is in the home where authority can be communicated through the simple phrase: “Because I said so.”  But the real reason children are to listen and follow instruction is not because their parents are so great and mighty, but because of the office parents are given from God to care for their children.  Children can recognize that parents are given to them as a gift from God. 

I have heard a many stories about how common it was in previous generations for a pastor or a policeman to have quite an influence on children because of the respect associated with the position or office. It was not uncommon in the past for parents to use police officers to scare teenagers straight, even to the point of pretending to arrest that teenager who is pushing more and more boundaries as of late.

A congregation member once shared with me a time when she was working at a veterinary clinic while still living with her parents. A friend of her parents saw her getting out of a police car in front of the clinic and called her parents to report this information. This person in calling neglected, however, to share the details that the police car was in front of the clinic and she was in her work uniform getting a stray dog out of the police car that was brought to the clinic. 

The phone call must have been particularly impressionable to her mother at this time as she confronted her daughter with a very hostile tone when she got home from her work shift: “Is there anything you want to tell me?”  Are you sure there is nothing you need to tell me? Nothing to say at all? Did you have any interactions with the police today?”

Parental authority has its limitations, including making mistakes and failing to recognize when children are becoming independent and responsible on their own.  Any human authority is always going to be imperfect.  We cannot rely on human authority to guide and direct us through our life.  We need to have the authority Jesus brings.

Our gospel reading early still in the 1st chapter of Mark introduces us to the authority which Jesus carries to us through his birth among us.  A central pillar of this authority is in teaching the truth of God’s kingdom.

Immediately after Jesus called his first disciples Jesus was teaching in the synagogue. He was amazing them with His teaching, because of his authority. Jesus revealed himself as someone who has authority in teaching God’s Word- as if God Himself were speaking to them. 

Moses taught with authority because God spoke to him and gave him the law.  In our Old Testament reading Moses speaks about a prophet from among the people who will come after him, who God will put His words in His mouth.  Moses also warned about the dangers of a prophet who presumes to speak in the Lord’s name but actually does not.

‘But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’

We face dangers because we live in a world where countless people presume to speak in the Lord’s name, but they are not speaking God’s Word, they are speaking man’s word.

As Jesus was visiting the synagogue the scripture reveals that immediately a man with an unclean spirit cried out at Jesus.  Even in a synagogue, in God’s house and evil spirit dares to approach Jesus.

Even though the unclean spirit confesses Jesus is the holy one of God, Jesus rebukes him with the authority he has from the Father. “Be silent and come out of him!”  Jesus is that prophet from among the brothers Moses promised, who speaks with authority.

Jesus has the authority to cast aside whatever evil comes into our lives just the same.  When we confess our sins at the start of worship, Jesus gives the pastor the authority to release those sins, to free us from the bondage our sins hold us in. 

We may never have the experience of an unclean or an evil spirit taking us over- yet we certainly walk in spiritual danger every day of our lives.  We carry in our fallen nature the potential to reject the authority Jesus has in our lives, if we should let our own sinful nature rule our hearts. 

When people go astray in their faith and depart from their relationship with God, it is rarely an instantaneous or impulsive decision. Instead, it often comes through those thoughts such as:

“Well maybe if I just this once take this shortcut, tell this small lie to myself, allow for this indulgence.”  In time then the conscience is hardened and what we once would not consider doing we now do without much thought.

Yet even when our sinful nature has begun to rule our hearts, the Holy Spirit works in us and invites us to feel sorrow and regret for our sins and leads us through God’s Word on the road of repentance.  At Mt. Sinai the people did not have the ability to hear from God without trembling.  The people saw they could not be in the presence of God, lighting and earthquakes convinced them of the danger of unholy people trying to stand before a holy God.

That is why God became man as a prophet like us from one of our brothers.  In Christ we are able to hear from God directly in a way that we can survive. And Jesus speaks to us in a gentle way where we can hear.  The words Jesus gives to us have the power to strengthen us in our fight against temptation. 

In our Epistle lesson we hear about how Christians should handle an issue like food sacrificed to idols. Imagine what the thought process would be if we lived in a time when meat sacrificed to false gods was regularly served in homes or dinning spots. If we lived in that time we could say that we know there are no other gods besides our God.

We know that that if someone thinks they are sacrificing an animal to a god of their choosing that they are really just imagining a god is receiving their sacrifice. If they cook this food we can see that it is just food that has been cooked. We would be in no spiritual danger from such food.

Yet part of our faith is that we are sensitive to how our actions look to those who do not have faith or do not have a strong faith. What if eating this food sacrificed to an idol makes one of our neighbors think we as Christians believe in such a false idol and as a result someone thinks less of our faith?  We do not want to be a stumbling block for others in how we live our life.  We do not want to give people the impression that other things in this world have authority besides Jesus.    

And more importantly, we need to remind ourselves that nothing else in our life can compete with the authority Jesus has.  As you read the news or read from any number of media outlets, you will come across view points that have a different perspective about the meaning of the authority of God’s Word in our culture today. One emerging difference that is particularly significant in our culture today are views of the meaning of marriage and even the meaning of male and female. 

And we may expect to hear more pressure now than we ever have before- to make exceptions about what we believe to be true in God’s Word in order that we please the sensibilities of our time about the meaning of marriage and family. 

And even though we can expect to face scorn and cause offense to others for affirming traditional values about marriage as found in God’s Word- we must remember that the views of the world have no authority on what we as the church believe.

Nor do values in the world that say we should get prenuptial agreements before marriage, or that our financial security is more important than our faith. Or values of the world that say you should pursue what you desire to do- even if it is at the expense of other people in your family- that your self fulfillment or identity growth is what matters more than your faith and love toward one another.  These values of the world do not have authority over us.

And yet we live in this world.  We are not secured away in a secluded religious community where we can avoid all contact with the views and beliefs of unbelievers. We are so immersed in our modern world that we cannot help but see our faith challenged in everything we do.  

We need to look to Jesus and seek his authority over the challenges of this sinful world that seek to pull us away from the truth of God’s Word just as much as the unclean spirits did long ago in that synagogue in Capernaum.

Indeed, without Jesus we cannot stand upright.  Without Jesus we are at the mercy of our fallen nature.  As we sang in our hymn of the day:  “Come O Christ and reign among us, King of Love and Prince of Peace; hush the storm of strife and passion, Bid its cruel discords cease. By Your patient years of toiling, By Your silent hours of pain, quench our fevered thirst of pleasure, stem our selfish greed of gain.”

We pray for Jesus to reign among us, our source of life and truth and grace.  We pray for contentment to only want His authority in our life and not those types of authority born out of imperfection and sin.

He lifts us up from the ash heap

Posted on by nfuller

In the gospel of Mark the reader is immediately brought to important milestones in the  ministry of Jesus which signal the coming of God’s kingdom.  First there was the message of repentance John the Baptist gave, preparing the way of the Lord, next the baptism of Jesus when the Father’s voice was heard from heaven, and then the temptation of Jesus by Satan. 

None of these important events in Mark’s gospel allow us the opportunity to hear Jesus himself speak.  Our gospel lesson for today records those first words in the gospel of Mark Jesus speaks: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

These first words we hear from Jesus are words that have already been said by prophets before him. ‘Now is the time to repent, the kingdom is here, believe in the gospel.’  John the Baptist taught these things, and even a prophet with a small book of the Bible such as Jonah, preaching the same message of repentance.

The message of repentance is for all people. We heard in the Introit, “He raises the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, princes of his people.”  The message of repentance Jesus brings unites us all together, rich and poor alike- and the gospel brings us to positions of glory and honor in God’s kingdom.   

Although the Lord is high above all nations and His glory above the heavens, he sees us and has regard for us, even as low as we are.

In this world we live in, there are many people we might struggle to think that they deserve God’s mercy. Those who are just too low, the criminals, the pedophiles, the drug dealers and those who scoff at God. 

Jonah struggled in this way. He was not afraid for his safety that he first resisted following God’s command to go to Nineveh and preach the message the Lord gave to him.  Instead, he ran from this calling, he ran as far as he could West toward Spain- the other side of the known world from Nineveh.  He wanted nothing to do with delivering a message of mercy to a people who were known in the ancient world for their cruelty. 

Jonah knew that if he were to go to Nineveh, that God’s Word is so powerful that the people would very likely change their ways.  It sounds like a strange thing to worry about, ‘what if people repent and change their ways.’  What if the worst of our enemies become our brothers and sisters in the kingdom? 

What if everything we knew and expected about how the church should be was suddenly changed?  Those we expected to be the good influences in our life perhaps going their own way, and those who we saw as bad should become as brothers and sisters?

The worry Jonah has is probably unique in the scripture, but even in the immaturity and selfishness of Jonah not wanting to see Nineveh saved, there is still with Jonah a strong faith and belief in the power of God’s Word.

Today we as the church struggle to see this power of the Word.  We look at the culture around us and think- people do not want anything to do with the church, and that is just the way it is.  It does not even cross our minds to worry about what if the most rough around the edges people we can think of should hear God’s Word and believe. 

We don’t give much thought to the possibility that the people who lead demonstrations with billboards and signs against our church, may one day be our brothers and sisters in Christ.   

After Jonah learned the hard way how foolish it was to run away from his calling as a prophet to Nineveh, after he was cast into the sea and rescued by a great fish which spit him upon dry land, Jonah heard the Word of the Lord a second time that he was to give the message to the great city that was told to him.  The message given to Jonah to speak was very simple, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

How could this one sentence message make such a difference?  This one sentence contained the information that Nineveh faced God’s destruction, that their evil was no longer to be tolerated, and that the God of Israel cares enough about them to give the warning and time for repentance- 40 days.  This message contained law and gospel, God’s condemnation of sin and God’s mercy to all.

The power of the message was so great that the people of Nineveh believed God.  They all took the position of the needy on the ash heap, fasting and wearing sackcloth. Even the great king, when word reached him of Nineveh’s pending destruction, even he covered himself in sackcloth and ashes. 

The king made a decree for repentance throughout the land and said: “Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who know? God may turn and relent from this fierce anger so that we may not perish.” Even though they were not Jews, they repented and believed the Lord’s prophet Jonah, and they were saved from destruction.

The message Jesus gave was just as simple as the message Jonah was given to speak: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  Jesus was saying right now is the time to repent, because he is here among them- God’s kingdom is at hand in Him.

Nineveh was given 40 days before destruction. And the time is short for us as well.  St. Paul remarks in our Epistle reading, the present form of this world is passing away.  Jesus may return on any day.  We cannot afford to put all of our importance in the things of this world, whether it is in having a wife or family, or a job, we cannot afford to let the things of this world prevent us from receiving the kingdom of God.

Jesus called Simon and Andrew, James and John to leave their fishing nets and follow Him.  The time was at hand for them to leave the things of this world, repent and follow Jesus.  They may still have fished for a living after they were called by Jesus, but no longer would the responsibilities of this world distract them or get in the way of their seeing the coming of the kingdom in Jesus.  One word from the Lord was enough to change the course of their lives.

The people of Nineveh would still go on with the same business of raising cattle, growing crops and all that occupies a city of great size.  But now they had the opportunity to turn from and abandon their evil ways, as they saw the LORD’s great mercy to them.

The people of Corinth who St. Paul wrote would continue to live in marriages and all those other activities that daily life brings. But instead of only concerning themselves with worldly things about how to provide a living for their spouses, the people may now live with the sense of urgency in their faith that the time is now at hand.

We hear the same message today that Nineveh heard, and the people of Galilee heard- the time is fulfilled, we are called to repent and believe in the gospel.

As we follow Him we will continue to manage the affairs of our daily life. But instead of putting all of our focus on how to please an employer or spouse, we can see in Jesus that the greatest need is to continue to grow and abound in God’s kingdom. 

Whether we are well organized in the affairs of our life or just scrapping by, the situation is the same for all of us, we come before Jesus with the full weight of our sin and we give it to Him.  And He promises that He will lift us out of the ash heap and exalt us to follow Him.

Jesus is the ladder who bridges Heaven and Earth

Posted on by nfuller

In recent weeks I have heard more than a few people tell me how boring life can be with it being winter and many Covid restrictions limiting which activities are still going on. 

And not just boring, but also discouraging.  Political events in recent weeks that have been nothing to feel good or hopeful about.  Alcohol and drug use, Crime rates and domestic abuse rates are all skyrocketing since the time that so much has changed in our world over a virus. The consequences of sin in the world have not made for the best of times in recent weeks.  It just seems like there is nothing good to be hopeful about in our world as of late.

Yet still many of us continue to look at the news, hoping to see something different.  Would we even know what it looks like if there was actually good news to report? What is good news?  Can we even recognize good things when they are present in our lives? I am not sure what I would even be watching for.

In our gospel lesson from John chapter 1, the account of Jesus calling of Phillip and Nathanael, Jesus tells them exactly what to watch for.  By extension Jesus is also telling us that, we are to watch for the coming of God’s kingdom in our midst.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” That is what we are to watch for.  This Sunday in particular our worship contains themes of the mysteries of God’s kingdom revealed. 

Sometimes the body language and facial expressions seen in church by people of various ages can give the impression that worship, like our everyday life, is at times boring.  But how could it possibly be boring if we see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man? Perhaps we are not always seeing the full picture!

Our church does not have a special effects department- sound, lighting and video. External bells and whistles, entertainment- that is not what is needed to make sure worship is not boring.   We rely on God’s Word and the gift of faith to show this amazing thing that Jesus promises to Nathanael- heaven opened as Jesus himself is Jacob’s ladder.

Genesis chapter 28, Jacob is on a journey from Beersheeba to Haran, sent by his family to find a wife for himself of their people. That night as he is dreaming the LORD appeared to him with a vision of a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven.  Jacob saw a ladder bridging the gap between heaven and earth.

How amazing that there could be something like a ladder that could bridge the divide that which was broken since the Fall into sin!  This is such a different picture than the cherubim and flaming sword set up to bar Adam and Eve from returning to the garden of Eden.

The scripture in Genesis chapter 28 records: “And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!”   This ladder was bringing the messengers of God’s kingdom, the angels up and down. What a change was present in this dream in relation to our standing before God. What could this ladder possibly represent? Some magic item that makes everything better? 

But no it was not a thing that the ladder represented, but a person. A God and a man, Jesus the Christ.  The ladder had to do with the promise made to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, a promise that the LORD would be with them and their descendants and would make them great, the fathers of a holy people set apart for the LORD. 

“Behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I promised.”

That promise sounds familiar, Jesus told the disciples, “All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  

Nathanael was impressed that Jesus knew his name and saw him under the tree.  But Jesus was only just beginning, any prophet can see extra things and know extra things as revealed by the LORD. But to die on the cross for the sin of the world, to rise again as the first fruits of our resurrection, to hold all authority on heaven and earth and to give it to His people to make disciples of all nations- that is the ladder that connects us on earth to heaven! 

And Jesus is the only ladder that connects us to the Father.  Many in the world want to believe that their own efforts and diligent life disciplines connect them to God.  People believe in countless gods of their own making and believe that these gods will give them all things desirable.

Yet the scripture is clear that Jesus alone is the Way the Truth and the life and that no one comes to know the Father except through Him.  Jesus is, as 1 Timothy declares, the only ladder that connects us to the Father:  “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.”

Like Nathanael we do not always see the full meaning of who Jesus is for us, of what it means to us that through the cross the gates of heaven are opened to us.  We would like to see heaven opened in the form of a company of radiant angels surrounded by a big flourish of colors and sounds that would amaze us and bring us joy.

But instead we see the gates of heaven opened through the ordinary activities of hearing God’s Word and receiving His gifts to us in worship, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and the preaching of forgiveness in Christ. Just ordinary church activities many of us have seen since we were children.

But they are not ordinary at all.  These things we encounter in worship have the power to change our lives.  Every time we hear God’s Word we are participating in the putting away of our old sinful nature and the welcoming of new life in Christ. 

The results are that we are always in the position of overcoming the expectations others have of us in the world.  The world expects us to often be self centered and easily jump to conclusions of despair when things are not going well. The world expects us to be hypocrites who make decisions in our lives as if we do not believe God’s Word.

We may even put limitations on our own expectations of how well we can handle a situation in life that is challenging. We know what habits we often fall back on when we are distressed.  Often, we do not need the world to expect us to fail, when we have seen ourselves fail so often in the past and when we doubt how we can overcome challenges before us.

Whether it is the expectations of the world or our own expectations, God’s Word changes the script for us. Jesus changes the script. Where we have fallen he brings forgiveness and in that forgiveness we are freed from the temptations that have such a tight snare over us. 

Jesus knows us inside and out and sees far more potential in our lives than we ourselves can.  “O LORD you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.  You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold O LORD you know it all together.”  That is the psalm appointed for today. A psalm that helps us to see that our own bodies have been fearfully and wonderfully made.   Our own bodies are made for the Lord. 

And as our Epistle reading from 1 Corinthians emphasizes our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit.  Whether it is issues of sexual purity or other ways we need to be careful in respecting our bodies- the message is the same, our bodies belong to the Lord, and it is through our bodies that we serve in God’s kingdom.

Often people in our culture today talk about spiritual matters in a way in which our bodies are inconvenient vessels to our soul that get in the way of our enjoying a certain communion with God.  If we do not value our bodies we are losing sight of the fact that Jesus is not only the Son of God, but also true man.  Jesus connects heaven and earth because he is both man and God. 

Jesus connects us with heaven through Water and the Word.  The ordinary activities for our bodies of hearing God’s Word and eating and drinking the Lord’s Supper, is actually the way that we see heaven opened to us. In seeing our Savior crucified for us and risen from the dead, we know we are beholding something more amazing than any of the disciples first saw in Jesus. 

The events and circumstances of our lives may be difficult and unlike previous times, yet God’s Word is the same. Jesus is the same yesterday today and tomorrow.  In Jesus we see day by day through the course of our everyday walk of faith that the gates of heaven are opened to us.

And as the gates are open, we are united with a God who transcends all of the difficulties of today and tomorrow.  A God who will one day return to us in glory so that all things in heaven and earth will be united forever in the joys of eternal life. Amen.

The Baptism of our Lord: His gift to us!

Posted on by nfuller

The Old Testament Lesson for This Sunday,January 10, 2021:The Baptism of our LordGenesis1:1–5The Creation of the World1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

The Psalm for This Sunday:The Baptism of our Lord Ascribe to the Lord Glory; A Psalm of David.29:1Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,[ a ]ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.2Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.[ b ]3The voice of the Lord is over the waters;the God of glory thunders,the Lord, over many waters.4The voice of the Lord is powerful;the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.6He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,and Sirion like a young wild ox.7The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.8The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth[ c ]and strips the forests bare,and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.11May the Lord give strength to his people!May the Lord bless[ d ] his people with peace!

The Epistle Lesson Romans6:1–11, for This Sunday:The Baptism of our Lord Dead to Sin, Alive to God6 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self[ a ] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free[ b ] from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Sermon delivered by: Rev. Channing Kearney at Christ Lutheran Church LCMS, Indianapolis In the Name of Jesus +The Gospel Lesson Mark 1:4-11 for This Sunday:The Baptism of our Lord Theme: The Baptism of Our Lord…His Gift to us!!!Mark 1:4–114John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;[a] with you I am well pleased.”

Who is John the Baptist? Is John call the Baptist because he believes the teachings of the Baptist. No. He is called the Baptist because he came not just prophesying and proclaiming God’s Word, but used water to wash people clean of their unrighteousness. To really know this John, we turn to Luke 1:39-45and see that he is the cousin of Jesus. His mother being Elizabeth,was able to recognize the savior even before he was born. Johns father was High Priest at the time and he was unable to speak until John was born. See Luke 1:63-64.So,Mary, Jesus’ mother went to visit her sister Elizabeth. Luke 1:39-45: “39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”Back to the Gospel lesson for today vs 4: “4John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”Prophet Isaiah prophesied about John in Isaiah 40:3-5 around 700 B.C.He writes about John as follows: “3 A voice cries:“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;make straight in the desert a highway for our God.4 Every valley shall be lifted up,and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level,and the rough places a plain.5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,and all flesh shall see it together,for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”Prophet Malachi also wrote about John in Malachi 3:1. Prophesied about John around 430 B.C. twice. The first: “3:1“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.”Again,Malachi prophecies about John in Malachi 4:5: “5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.”

So,John fulfills the Word of God by being born before Jesus, starting his ministry just like Elijah and as you can see in the Gospel text vs. 5: “5And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.”It would take you ten hours to walk from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to the Jordan river. Thus 2 days total time just to see a wild crazing looking man as described in vs 6: “6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.”Typical clothing and look for a prophet.Completely opposite of those who were the “teachers and priest of the temple”who were well dressed and well adorned.However, unlike the prophets years before him, his preaching wasn’t the prophecy of the destruction of Israel but the proclamation of theirs and our Savior. Vs 7 is his proclamation, note the word “preached:”“7And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.”Historically, prophets were sent by God to proclaim to His people their need to repent before some great calamity would occur, and when the people did repent the destruction would stop. Like Jonah to Nineveh, when the Ninevites repented, Nineveh was spared. John continues with his “preaching”with vs 8: “8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”Today Christ speaks through faithful pastors who “preaches”His word to strengthen and preserve His people. They are preserved not because of wisdom of the world but through His Word, through Jesus who is the Word God which became flesh at the time of John the Baptist.The Baptism of Jesus, our Lord…His gift to us.“9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”As Jesus is in His human body as true man,receives from the Father upon receiving the water of Baptism from His cousin John, Elijah returned, the Holy Spirit;so do we receive From God the Father the Holy Spirit when we receive the water of Holy Baptism under and with the Word of God our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We to become the Children of God through Jesus with the water and His Words.Then later upon our confession of faith, we receive His forgiveness in and through the Body and Blood of our Savior,Jesus the Christ,as the propitiation of our sins.

The Baptism of Our Lord…His Gift to us.All our readings today point to one main theme. The Word of God, and its proclamation through the preaching of the Word of God.The Old Testament lesson Genesis 1:1-5 is the beginning of creation with the first day,establishing for us, all matter and time. Psalms 29 points to the power of God Word as David proclaims the voice of the Lord is powerful and majestic. Paul’s words point to our dying and rising with Christ, with the assurance of eternal life through Jesus the Word of God.Mark gives us John the Baptist, the second Elijah who is the forerunner of Christ who declares for us through his preaching that He, Jesus the True Man is the One. And now we hear God the Father finally Preaching to us that Jesus is His son “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”None of this would have any meaning for us if God did not have has Word preached to us and finally,provide us with the written Words of God. Mark shows that John the Baptist preached God’s Word stated in vs7: “7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”The preaching of the word is very important for it is by preach that we receive faith through the hearing of God’s word which is Jesus the Christ. Stated for us by St. Paul in Romans10:14-15. When John Baptized Jesus,who is the Word made flesh, and the Father Sent the Holy Spirit, Jesus established through His body the Means of Grace through our baptism by water in, with, and under the Word of God. We receive the Holy Spirit and as Paul stated clearly,we are dead in sin with Christ’s death and raised with Him to eternal life.Can you just imagine the experience what John and others who were watching heard and saw when the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descending like a dove upon Jesus?Wow, what an awesome sight.We will experience that and more because of our Baptism with Him, in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.+ in His Name, Amen!!!