In Memoriam: Funeral Sermon for Joyce Marfiak

+ In Memoriam – Joyce Marfiak +

September 10, 1929 – January 19, 2020

Psalm 63:1-8; Job 19:21-27; Revelation 21:1-7; Matthew 11:25-30

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

  

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

In the midst of his suffering, Job saw Jesus, his Redeemer from afar and confessed these famous words of hope in the resurrection of the body.

I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

In his exile on the island of Patmos, St. John saw Jesus, the Lamb at the center of the heavenly temple and gave us these words of comfort in God’s promise to make all things new.

I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

In her last days, Joyce, a beloved mother, neighbor, friend, and sister in Christ looked through her suffering, like Job and John, and saw her Redeemer, Jesus, who was with her. Even from her hospital bed, she confessed, “I just want what God wants; I want to see the Lord.”

In the Scriptures, it’s a bold thing to want to see the Lord – for unholy people to see his holiness face to face without a mediator. But, of course, anyone who knew Joyce knew that she was a woman of great boldness. Bold in her love for others. Bold in her faith and hope in Christ. 

Bold, but not boastful. There’s a difference. And Joyce knew that difference well. She knew that when it comes to ourselves, we’ve nothing to boast about. She knew that our boldness and confidence is never grounded or anchored in our reason, strength, or anything belongs to us, but is solely and always God’s gift to us. Our boldness is in Jesus. Like Moses, tucked in the cleft of the rock as God’s glory passed by him, we are safe in the wounds of Jesus. Jesus wraps himself in our humanity, robes himself in humility, and humbles himself to be born of the Virgin Mary, to be crucified, died, buried, and rises again – so that one day we, along with Joyce will do exactly what she confessed, “I want to see the Lord.” And we will. All because of Jesus, our mediator, redeemer, savior.

Later on in chapter 21 of John’s Revelation, he goes on to describe what he saw…

I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 

The Lamb, Jesus is at the center. That’s who John saw. That’s who Job saw. That’s who Joyce saw. For throughout her life, our Lord Christ, the Lamb, saw Joyce and baptized her in his holy name. He saw Joyce love others as he had loved her. He saw her receive his body and blood in forgiveness and saw her reading his Word with delight, seeing in those simple things of word, water, body and blood, the face of God turned towards us in love.

When Joyce confessed “I want to see the Lord”, she was confessing with great boldness and confidence that comes from knowing what Jesus won on the cross for her, and for you,. In Jesus, we see God’s love shown to us and for us: a baby born in a manger for you. A perfect man who lives, prays, teaches, and keeps the Law for you. One who is like you in every respect yet without sin, for this man is also the very face of God in human flesh. Jesus lives, suffers, dies, rises, ascends, and lives and reigns forever, for Joyce and for you, so we too might see him face to face.

In Jesus, God has a face that looks on us in love and mercy. In Jesus, God has eyes that are full of compassion, focused on us and our need. He also hands that are pierced for us, a body that lives, suffers, dies, and rises for us; words and promises that he speaks to us. In Jesus, God sees you as he saw Joyce, as his beloved child, purchased, won, and bought by the blood of the Lamb; baptized in his holy name. In Jesus, we see the face of God and live forever.

This is how Joyce, and we, and all God’s saints approach God, confident, not in our merit, but in his mercy. We’re bold and we boast in Jesus crucified. Our sure and certain hope is in his resurrection, an unshakeable, unwavering, unmoving promise, that one day, along with Job and Joyce and all the faithful departed, we too will see our Lord Christ face to face, with our own eyes in the resurrection. 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep you in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

Sermon for Epiphany 3: "The Locatable God"

+ 3^rd Sunday after the Epiphany – January 26^th, 2020 +

Series A: Isaiah 9:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-25

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

  

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

There’s an old saying, or a short parable of sorts, that goes like this. A man asked a priest, “If God is everywhere, why do I have to go to church?” Maybe you’ve asked or been asked this question before. The priest simply, and wittingly replied, “The whole atmosphere is filled with water; but when you want to have a drink you have to go to a fountain or a well.”

You see, God makes himself locatable, knowable. In Jesus God becomes touchable, tangible, seeable, hearable. God doesn’t just dwell up there or out there somewhere, but in a specific place, for specific people, in specific ways. He’s born in Bethlehem of Judea. He lived in Nazareth. He moves to Capernaum un Galilee. He’s crucified outside Jerusalem. This is how God operates. In Jesus, God dwells with us that we might dwell with him forever.

Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.¹³ And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali

Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry by giving us a bit of a divine geography lesson. Jesus leaves his hometown of Nazareth and sets up shop in Capernaum, a little fishing village on the NW corner of the Sea of Galilee. Galilee of the Gentiles, says Matthew, quoting Isaiah. The northern tribal lands of Zebulun and Naphtali that were always the first to get hit by invaders. Babylonians. Assyrians. And now the Romans. 

In the midst of all that darkness, God locates himself and makes himself present with us and for us, just as he has always done throughout the Scriptures. Here in Matthew 4 it’s in Capernaum. Not exactly the place we would expect Jesus’ Messianic campaign to begin. But that’s the way the Kingdom of God works. God flips everything upside down compared to the kingdoms of this world. The last are first. The lowly are exalted. Those in darkness receive God’s light. It’s a good reminder that God works by mercy not merit, and that Jesus’ mission is not simply to the salvageably religious of Israel, but the entire world, to Jew and Gentile, circumcised and uncircumcised. And so Galilee is ground zero, and Capernaum, a little fishing village, becomes Jesus’ headquarters.

This is what God has always done, dwelled with his people and for his people. Now in Jesus God becomes one of his people, one in our humanity, one in our weakness to bear our sin. Jesus joins us in the darkness. Jesus joins us in our humanity to save humanity. Jesus dwells with us in the darkness to overcome the darkness.

In the darkness of Israel’s exodus from slavery in Egypt, the Lord led his people by a pillar of fire. In the darkness of the time of the judges, the Lord led Gideon and 300 unarmed men to victory with the trumpets and lamps burning in the night. In the darkness of war and exile, the Lord promised Israel – and all nations – that God would dwell with them and be their light in the darkness. God did this, of course, yet another one of his unexpected moves. God became man. Immanuel. God with us. 

Isaiah foretold it this way: But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

And even though we’re not in exile, at least not in the same way ancient Israel was, we are like Israel in this. In one way or another, we all live the darkness. 

Just take a look at the world we live in. The darkness is everywhere. Every time a child is murdered in abortion. Every time we hear about a shooting or stabbing on the news. Every time there is violence in our homes, communities, and churches. Every time someone is martyred for the Christian faith. We see the darkness of the world we live in. We’re surrounded by the shadow of death.

But truth be told, the darkness isn’t just out there. It’s in here too. Every time we are envious, discontented, or covet our neighbor. Every time lust in our hearts, quarrel, or are greedy. Every time we slander our neighbor in thoughts or words. Every time we It’s all sin and darkness and death. 

And yet, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

After decades in exile, the Lord brought his people out of darkness and back home, a preview of the greater rescue from exile that Jesus accomplishes for us in his dying and rising. Once again, God locates himself. Only this time it’s not in a burning bush or a pillar of fire and smoke, but in an infant boy, in a teenager, in a man who is God in human flesh for you. God dwells with us that we might dwell with him forever, not in darkness, but in the never-ending Light of Christ. Jesus locates himself in real places – like Capernaum in Galilee – for real people like you and me. Jesus takes the very real darkness and death of our sins, our envy, lust, pride, greed, hate, murder, idolatry, and he takes it all onto himself. God locates his love for us in specific places – a manger, on the cross, in his word and promise.

Our Lord continues to do the same for us today as he did in Capernaum. He dwells with us, is present for us, he locates his love and mercy and grace and forgiveness and life in tangible, hearable, touchable, tasteable ways: simple, ordinary water where Father, Son, and Holy Spirit come and dwell with you by God’s promise. Simple, ordinary bread and wine where Jesus dwells with us and for us in his body and blood. Simple, ordinary words that declare and give God’s forgiveness and life to us, that proclaim that in Jesus, God dwells with us to save us that we might dwell with him forever.

In Jesus, we who dwell in darkness have seen a great light, and for us dwelling in the region and shadow of death,on us the light has dawned.

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

Sermon for Epiphany 2: "Behold, the Lamb of God"

+ 2^nd Sunday after the Epiphany – January 19^th, 2020 +

Series A: Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

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

In May 1971, the Five Man Electrical Band released their hit song “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign”

Life is full of signs, isn’t it. Construction signs as you drive by the Tacoma Dome. Signs directing you where to go at a hospital or airport. Signs of winter weather in the forecast. Signs are everywhere. Signs also point you to something. “Next rest stop, 23 miles. Food, gas, and coffee, next exit. Road closed.” And so on.

John’s Gospel is full of signs as well. In fact, that’s John’s favorite word for miracles in the Gospel. AT the wedding at Cana, when Jesus changed water into wine, John calls it the first of Jesus’ signs. In today’s Gospel reading, the sign, however, isn’t something that Jesus said or did, but something that John the Baptist says about him. 

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John the Baptist stands by the Jordan River as God’s divinely appointed sign, pointing his hearers then, and today, to Jesus the Lamb of God. That’s John’s calling, to be a human sign, a mouth piece of Gods promises. A witness who testifies to the truth of God come in human flesh. Like all good signs he draws our attention just long enough to get the message and then he gets out of the way. A sign, after all, doesn’t exist for itself, but for the thing it points to. “I must decrease, Jesus must increase,” John declares. So, like the prophets before him, John is constantly speaking and pointing to Jesus, the Messiah, Savior, Redeemer, God in human flesh as the one who has come to deliver God’s promises to you and for you.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Admittedly, this is a bit of a strange sign if you think about it. What kind of sign is a Lamb? We might expect John to call God in human flesh something a bit more dramatic and impressive, a towering grizzly bear or a ferocious tiger perhaps. But a Lamb? That sounds kind of weak. Lowly. Humble. Ordinary. Maybe foolish even. 

And that’s exactly the point. For that is exactly how God works all the time. St. Paul reminds us that God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

This is how God works in sending Jesus; he’s born in humility, to live in humility, and die in humility for you. His disciples are no different. Fishermen. Tax collectors. Zealots. Quite the motley, yet lowly crew. Jesus comes as one who is lowly, for us who are lowly. He comes in weakness to save us who are weak. He becomes sin to save us from our sin. 

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Out of all God’s creatures John could’ve picked, it’s no accident that John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God. 

When God told Abraham to go to Mt. Moriah and sacrifice his only son, Isaac, he promised to provide the sacrifice. And he did. A ram or a lamb (depending on your translation) that points forward to the Lamb of God that stood before John in the Jordan River. Here is God’s Son, his only Son, whom he loves, and whom he sends to save you because he loves you. 

When the people of Israel were set free from slavery in Egypt, God provided the Passover lamb; they ate its flesh in a holy meal of rescue, and its blood covered their doorposts and death passed over them. John points to Jesus and tells Israel and all of us, behold the Passover Lamb of God. He gives his flesh for a holy meal for you. He sheds his blood that death might pass over you and onto him instead. Your slavery from sin has ended. You are no longer bound or imprisoned by sin and death. You are free. Innocent. Holy. Righteous. Pure and without any spot or blemish – just as the Lamb of God has made you to be in him.

When the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming Messiah, the Suffering Servant who would save Israel and all nations, he declares these comforting words of promise: 

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

And if you look at the picture you received with your bulletin this morning, you’ll see one artist’s depiction of John’s words. There, at the center, is the Lamb of God John is pointing to. We know it’s a picture of Jesus because he is the Light no darkness can overcome. He is not just a lamb, but the Lamb of God. He is pierced for our transgressions. He dives headlong into the darkness of sin and death for you. Notice also how Jesus is depicted as the brilliant, radiant white, spotless Lamb, as the swirling, billowing, encompassing darkness surrounds him on our behalf. Jesus, the Lamb of God, is entirely white and shining forth, except for one spot, a crimson sign post of his blood shed for you, his suffering for you, his bearing sin for you. God provides his greater Isaac on the cross for you. The Passover Lamb is sacrificed for you. The Suffering Servant has borne your griefs and carried your sorrows.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Not only does Jesus take away our sin. But he gives us something far greater in its place. He gives us his holiness. His purity. His righteousness. His blessing. His new creation. Jesus baptizes us into his very death and resurrection, making us children of God. Jesus, the Lamb feeds us his own flesh and blood, leads us to streams of living water in the font, and shepherds us by his Word. 

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

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

Epiphany of Our Lord: "A Holy Mystery"

+ The Epiphany of Our Lord (observed) – January 5^th, 2020 +

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

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

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

There’s something intriguing, suspenseful, and enjoyable about a good mystery story. Whether it’s tracking the crook with Scooby Doo, Shaggy and the gang, reading Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Father Brown, or Sherlock Holmes, Law and Order, or CSI; maybe even playing Clue with family and friends…we love a good mystery. We want to know, whodunit!? Was it Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick or Miss Scarlett in the kitchen with a lead pipe?

According to Paul in Ephesians 3, there’s an Epiphany mystery afoot. He even uses the Greek word mysterium (mystery) four times.

The prophet Isaiah joins in and gives us a few clues. 

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee… And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Even St. Matthew plays the part of a good mystery writer and casts the wise men as the inquisitive detectives:

In the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

There’s even a villain in this Christmas caper. Herod will stop at nothing to keep his self-appointed title of “king of the Jews”. He sends the Magi to try and do his dirty work for him and later on orders the murder all males under 2 years old in Bethlehem as the Holy Family escapes to Egypt.

In the Scripture’s way of speaking, a mystery isn’t so much a problem to be solved, but a hidden word and promise revealed by God. So, when St. Paul speaks of a mystery he’s speaking of a revelation, not of information but of the appearance person. Not a case to be closed, but more like a gift to be opened, revealed and received.

The Good News that was hidden before in the prophets has now been revealed in Jesus. As St. Paul declares…

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.

According to Paul, in our Lord’s Epiphany, Jesus is Savior who is revealed for all people. Jesus is the Savior revealed to you and for you. 

That’s what that little word “Epiphany” means; to reveal, appear, make known. The star revealed the birth of a king to the wise men. The prophet Micah revealed to Herod and the wise men that the Messiah (the Christ) was to be born, not in Jerusalem, but in Bethlehem. The magi’s gifts and worship reveal their faith in Jesus: Gold confesses Jesus to be a king; Frankincense confesses him to be God in human flesh; and myrrh confesses his death, for he came to be a sacrifice for you. And God’s dream sent to warn the wise men, reveals Herod’s true wickedness.

For just like the wise men, we are blind without God’s Word. As Isaiah reveals for us, the darkness of sin covers the earth. Thick darkness of death, doubt, despair, and wickedness shroud our hearts. Apart from God’s Word, not only are we blind in sin we are blind to the true depth of our sin. There’s a treacherous, wicked king Herod within our own sinful hearts. 

So, if we want to join the wise men in finding Christ, we must close our eyes to all that glitters in the world and find in this humble child our true and only treasure. Put away all selfish desires. Look to the concern of others and count our neighbor as more important than ourselves. 

And rejoice with the wise men in the revelation of the Epiphany mystery. To find in this holy Child the One who finds you and rescues you. In our Lord’s Epiphany, Jesus the Savior is revealed for all people. Jesus the Savior is revealed to you and for you.

And like any good mystery story, our salvation happens in the most unexpected of ways with a most unexpected Savior. 

God becomes man and is born, not only as the King of the Jews, but the Gentiles as well. Jesus is born to lowly, unknown, humble people. The Almighty God and Lord of all is born of a Virgin and laid in a manger for all. Jesus’ birth reveals the kind of Savior he is: Jesus is born for the outsider, the foreigner, the outcast, lowly, losers, and sinners. Jesus is born for you.

To demonstrate his mercy Jesus takes on all our misery. To reveal his grace Jesus bears our guilt. To make known his salvation Jesus becomes our sin. To manifest his deep love for you Jesus dies in your place. And not just for little sins and little sinners, but for the chief of sinners: the likes of Paul and you and me. 

We who were not God’s people are now his children. We who were dead in our trespasses and sin are made alive in Christ Jesus. We who were lost in sin, death and darkness have been found by the Divine Detective himself, Jesus Christ who is the Light of the world. 

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.

In our Lord’s Epiphany, Jesus the Savior is revealed for all people. Jesus the Savior is revealed to you and for you.

A blessed Epiphany to each of you…

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