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.