In Memoriam: Funeral Sermon for Steve Pelissier: "The Servant"

 + In Memoriam – Steve Pelissier +

Psalm 46; Lamentations 3:22-33; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-17

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes…Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

 

If Paul had written this today he might say it like this: God gives us each a variety of hats to wear, but they are all made and given to us by the same gracious Hatter, our Lord Jesus.

 

And by God’s grace, Steve was a man who wore many hats in his life. A Sailor. Air traffic controller. Husband. Father. Friend. Family man. Coach. Mentor. Traveler. Storyteller. Just to name a few.

 

So what do you call a man who wore many hats of this kind? These are not the hats of a collector, but of a servant. The common word that I’ve heard used to describe Steve these past few weeks is that great biblical word of servant.

 

By God’s grace Steve served his country in the U.S. Navy. He served and helped protect the skies as an air traffic controller. He served in the home as husband, father, and faithful neighbor. Always looking for other ways to be of assistance, he served as a coach and mentor at Concordia. As he wore all these hats, as he served in all these ways, it was the same Lord Jesus who made, shaped, and called him to such varieties of service.

 

Now, some might see this as an opportunity to boast. To pat themselves on the back and take a bow. But I think I know Steve well enough to know that is the exact opposite of what he would say or do. Why? Because Steve knew what Paul declares in Ephesians 2:

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

Steve’s faith in Christ was a gift. Unearned. Undeserved. Unmerited. And yet by God’s grace, full of Christ’s unconditional love. Same is true for the gift of faith he gives you and calls you to believe. For Steve knew what and would want you to know what John declares so famously: that God loved the world in this way, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

And all those acts of service and love for others that Steve was so well known for. Well, those too are gifts given by God. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 

Steve knew that all the areas of life where he served others were all prepared for him to walk in, not by his own hands, but by the hands of the greatest servant of all, our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” As a ransom for Steve. As a ransom for you.

 

That’s why even in the suddenness of death, or in the unexpected twists and turns of life, the Lord of hosts is with us and the God of Jacob and the God of Steve is with us. He serves us with steadfast love. With an everlasting love. With his crucified and risen from the dead love.

 

This is what makes Christ the greatest servant of all. Our acts of love and service – much like our lives – come to an end, and sometimes suddenly and without warning. In those days and moments when our sins, fears, and failures are all we see…when our mortality glares back at us in the mirror – we find comfort not in our love and service, but in the love and mercy of Jesus the Servant of all who gave his life for all. In Jesus whose steadfast love Lord never ceases and whose mercies never come to an end. In Jesus, whose faithfulness is greater than our greatest fears, and greater than even the grave itself.

 

Yes, we grieve, but not as others do, who have no hope. For in Christ, there is hope…for Steve and for you and for us all…not in what our hands have done, but in the hands of Jesus our Servant and Savior. Our hope is in Jesus who served Steve and you by carrying our cross we deserved, dying the death we had coming, bearing our sin to his final breath. Our hope is in Jesus whose glorified, nail-scarred hands revealed to his disciples – and to us all - that he is risen from the dead for Steve and for you. Our hope is in Jesus who died and rose again that all who have fallen asleep – Steve, and the saints who have gone before us, and one day each of us too – will also rise from the dead. 

 

You see, our Lord is never done serving us in his grace and goodness. He has mercy and grace enough to last a lifetime, and more…an eternity. Our Lord is not done serving Steve or you with his promise…a promise that there will come a day where Jesus returns to bring us an endless day of his mercy. There will come a day when Christ the Servant of all returns as a glorious Savior. There will come a day when Jesus the crucified and risen servant will stand next to Steve’s grave and yours…and the angel will blow the trumpet. And Steve and you and all those who have fallen asleep in Christ will rise. In the body. A real. Physical. Glorified body that will continue to serve Christ in praise and thanksgiving in the new creation. 

 

There will come a day when our Lord Jesus takes all the hats we wear in this life, and he will exchange them for the crown of life and glory that he has prepared for you in eternal life. There will come a day when Steve’s faith, and our faith, will becomes sight. When the dead are raised. When Christ returns. And when our Lord Jesus who gave his life as a ransom to save Steve and you and us all, will continue to give and serve us with his gifts of eternal life.

Until that day, in all the ways our Lord has called you to serve, rest in the grace and mercy and hope of Jesus our Servant and Savior ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that …Steve, and each of you… might be saved through him.

The Peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Memoriam: Funeral Sermon for Irene Feller: "Knit Together"

 

+ In Memoriam – Irene Feller +

Psalm 139:1-14; Job 19:23-27; Revelation 22:1-5; John 20:11-18

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

When I look at a skein of yarn and some crocheting hooks or knitting needles, all I see is a few sticks and ball of yarn just waiting to get tied up into something worse than a Gordian knot. But not Irene. She looked at those knitting supplies with the eyes of a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother; with the eyes of faith in Jesus and love for others. “I could cover the world with knitted blankets,” Irene once told me. And she did her best to make that a reality, one blanket, one act of love at a time.

 

When she pulled a new skein of yarn out of the bag and reached for those old familiar crocheting hooks, she saw a hat or a scarf for a friend out in the cold. She saw a blanket for an elderly brother or sister in Christ stuck at home or in the hospital; she saw a way to wrap her newborn granddaughter or great grandson in warmth and to let them know they are loved. Irene saw, what St. Paul saw when he talks about the church in Colossians. That in God’s tapestry of the church, we are knitted together by the love of Christ.

 

Irene’s famous blankets, pot holders, and Christmas ornaments are works of art to be sure – especially knowing that the ones she made in recent years she did without really being able to see what she was doing. Years of muscle memory and even more years of love guided those hands stitch after stitch and row after row. 

 

But those knitted creations are more than works of art; they’re works of love made by one who is knit together into God’s family in the love of Jesus. After all, we may not know how to crochet, but we do know that blankets and scarves don’t knit themselves. Behind every blanket are the loving hands of a knitter. And behind (and above and below and surrounding) every saint – like Irene – there are the loving hands of our Lord who… like a chain of stitches, hooks us together in Christ, just as he did for Irene, knitting her whole life together in his love and grace. 

 

Our love for others, just like Irene’s love for you all and for all who got to know her, didn’t come from her own private stash. It came from the love of Jesus who laid down his life for her and for you and for all. It comes from the hands of our Savior who was pierced, not with knitting needles, but with Roman nails on the cross that he would wrap you in his grace and love. 

 

It was this same grace and love of God that gave Irene – as he gives us all – the gift of life. We are formed and fashioned by God who is a loving, creative, and gracious Craftsman. Only, God doesn’t follow a pattern when creating you and giving you life. Each of us, like Irene, is unique and precious and lovingly made by our Heavenly Father. Who, as the Psalmist says…

“You formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^[a]
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.”

 

As Irene’s life continued, our Lord’s work of love continued as well. Our Lord continued to stitch Irene’s life together, adding more rows of his goodness and mercy to her life. She was knit together into God’s family not with yarn or thread, but with water and word by the Holy Spirit. In holy Baptism, Irene was wrapped and robed in the righteousness of Christ that covers all her sin. Irene was made, as all who are baptized are made, a child of God, blanketed by his blessing and grace and saving love. Irene was given faith, which the Holy Spirit continued to weave and thread throughout her life in so many ways.

 

Back when this congregation was being knit together by God’s word and work, Irene was one of the original members – or first threads you might say – here at Beautiful Savior.

 

As she raised a family and was blessed with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, all the while our Lord was busy stitching more rows of his lovingkindness in her heart and mind and out into her hands and life. Whether she was at home caring for her family, or with her church family, Irene was knitted together in the love of Jesus.

 

For Irene knew that the cross of Christ was the key stitch in her life and ours. The one that held everything and everyone in her life and our lives together. Without Jesus crucified and risen, Irene knew that the whole blanket comes undone. Apart from Christ life comes apart at the seams.

 

Grief can feel that way too. Like God has left us alone, dangling like loose threads, frayed and knotted and tangled in a mess. 

 

On days we feel that way – perhaps like today, or tomorrow or any day – it’s good to know what Irene knew and believed and confessed. That this life, our love for others, and all we say and do, isn’t really in our hands. Irene’s hands were held by someone whose hands are far greater. Hands who knitted us together in love as they were outstretched on the cross, stitching us together as he was nailed to the cross. The hands of him who formed and shaped us in our mother’s womb, who baptized us in the font, are the same hands who were hooked on the cross to redeem and rescue Irene and you. The hands that were open in love and mercy for you and Irene, so that you and Irene will never be cast off or left alone. Not in life. And not in death.

 

Towards the end of her life, I remember Irene telling me, “I figure God will call me home when the yarn is out.” In this life, yarn may run out. Stitches may come undone. Threads may come loose. Loved ones, like Irene, fall ill and die. 

 

And yet, our Lord still has another row to add for Irene’s life and yours. The body he knit together in the womb, the little girl who was baptized into God’s family, the mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister in Christ who we love and who now rests with Jesus, will one day stand like Job says, in the flesh, with eyes wide open, standing face to face with Jesus her savior and ours.

 

God’s final row on the life of his baptized believers – Irene, you, and me – is yet to be stitched, but it is as good as done. We await that day of the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting knowing what our Lord promises will be completed. We look forward with Irene and all the saints, for the day when our Lord calls us out of the grave, takes our flesh and bones from the dust of the earth and once again knits us together in the flesh, only this time with a risen, glorified, and holy body. 

 

And what a sight that will be. And until that day, we live and die, as Irene lived and died and lives forever…knitted together in the love of Jesus our Savior.

 

And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.

Sermon for Advent 3: "Advent Longing"

 + 3^rd Sunday of Advent – December 15^th, 2024 +

Series C: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 7:18-28

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA 

 

 

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

 

I have climbed the highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you.

I have run, I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you.

But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for.

 

Bono of the band U2 probably didn’t have the season of Advent in mind when he wrote that song. But it’s a very Advent song all the same. If Advent is a season of waiting and expectation that also means is a season of searching, seeking, and longing…and with that longing a restlessness.

 

Think about how much time we spend (in and out of this season) searching. Looking for that perfect gift on Amazon. Scrolling through your social media for the 10^th time in an hour just in case something. Checking the news headlines you just looked at five minutes ago. Tapping our phones to see if anyone has sent a text or left a voicemail. 

 

One way or another, we live Advent lives spent searching, seeking, longing, yearning. 

 

We have that in common with John the Baptist. Here in Luke 7, John is doing a little searching of his own. Looking for answers and explanations. Wondering what this all means. Being locked in prison can do that to a guy, even the fiery wilderness preacher still needs a preacher.

 

So John calls two of disciples and says. I’m stuck here in prison. I’ve a mission for you guys. Go ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ²⁰ And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’”

 

Put yourself in John’s camel hair clothing for a moment and imagine how his mind is spinning as he sits in prison. “I just don’t get it. I mean, the Anointed One is supposed to come with a winnowing fork in his hand, not carpenter’s tools. He’s supposed to mighty, not meek. He’s supposed to deal with the oppressors and save the lame and outcast. And the Romans are still in charge, there’s still plenty of poverty, and the Lord sent me out into the wilderness to preach and baptize and for what? Here I am in prison. Maybe this isn’t the Messiah I was looking for after all.”  

 

“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 

 

John may have sat alone in Herod’s dungeon, but he’s not alone in his searching. We’re right there with him. So, what is it you’re looking so hard to find? What are you searching and longing and yearning for this Advent? 

 

Meaning or purpose? Belonging or connection? Comfort and hope? Wisdom, peace, or joy? We grow restless searching answers from the doctors. We grow restless seeking reconciliation with those who’ve hurt us, or those we’ve hurt. We grow restless in our search for employment. We grow restless as we pray for God to heal that cancer…to take away the pain of losing a child...to do what he has promised: to heal the lame, gather the outcast, and take away our shame. 

 

If there’s one thing our restless searching reveals it’s that there is within each of us a hunger that we cannot quite satisfy. A thirst we cannot slake. A problem we can’t solve. An illness we cannot cure. A longing that we can’t quite grasp. St. Augustine captured this reality centuries ago in a prayer: “ Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.”

 

And that’s another thing our searching reveals. When it comes to our seeking, longing, and yearning what we’re looking for isn’t found in us. Just as what John was looking for wasn’t found in him. On our own we still haven’t found what we’re looking for.

 

So it’s a good thing for John and for you, that there’s One who has found what he’s looking for. It’s a good thing for John and for you that the One John proclaimed in the wilderness is in fact the long-expected Messiah foretold by prophets and the One who is fulfilling their very words in his birth for you, his life lived for you, his dying on the cross for you, and his rising again for you. It’s a good thing for John and for you that Jesus is the One who came to seek and to save the lost. John. The crowds. The disciples. And yes, you.

 

“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.

 

The poor have good news preached to them. That’s John. That’s you. That’s me. We’re the poor and weak and lame and blind and broken and lost whom Jesus has come to seek and to save. God seeks you out. God finds you. God rescues you. And he gives you what you long for but what only he can give: the wisdom of his word and the fruits of the Spirit. Peace in his pardon. Joy because of his suffering for you. Belonging and connection in the communion of saints here in his church. A holy rest in his body and blood which heals and forgives our restlessness. Comfort and hope in his promise never to leave nor forsake you no matter how dark it gets or what kind of prison you find yourself locked in. Jesus is always the one who seeks and saves the lost…and that’s good news for you. And for your neighbor.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd Midweek Advent Sermon: "Mighty God"

  + Advent Midweek 2 – December 11^h, 2024 +

His Name Shall Be Called: “Mighty God”

Psalm 24; antiphon: v. 7

Isaiah 9:1–2, 6–7; Titus 2:11–14; John 5:16–18; 8:48–59

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given . . . and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

 

When you hear Mighty God you might think of Thor wielding Mjolnir or Zeus zapping lightning bolts or God thundering on Sinai. 

 

And while Mighty God is certainly a title for Jesus that we would expect, God always has a way of turning our expectations, and our world, upside down. 

 

Mighty God is a title for Jesus that we would expect. But God in the flesh – as he always does - quickly turns our expectations upside down. When we think of God we think of power, prestige, and potency. And God certainly has those attributes, but he chooses to reveal his power in weakness, his prestige in lowliness, his potency in sacrifice.

 

It doesn’t take long in the story of the Scriptures to find out that God’s ways are not our ways. And that’s a good thing. He is mighty…and yet…

 

He is the eternal Word of God. As John writes… In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made… 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. 

 

The Word became flesh. The Mighty God is born in meekness and lowliness. And made man for us. 

He is all powerful; he is the almighty, and yet for us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven. Infinite cosmic power takes up the itty bitty living space of the Virgin Mary’s womb. The Mighty God reveals his power in weakness and humility – in lowering himself to save us – not with Herculean strength, but with incarnate love and mercy. Not by great fetes of heroism, but by his humble feet that trod in dust and mud and blood, that tromped over hill and valley and into the grave for you. 

 

If you want to see God’s might, don’t look for his bulging muscles. Look down in the manger at his infant fingers grabbing the Virgin’s hands and wiggling in Joseph’s arms. Look up at the cross and see his wounded hands and pierced side and bloody, beaten, bruised face on the cross. There’s our Mighty God.

 

The author of Hebrews puts it this way:

 

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. (1:1–3)

 

This is the mystery and joy and wonder of Christ’s incarnation. You find, not a contradiction, but a confession. Jesus, the Son of God, upholds the universe by his word and power, and yet, he also is the Son of Mary who places himself under human authority. Jesus is at the same time the one who spoke God’s word, his word, to the prophets, and now is God’s word in human flesh. Jesus is the Mighty God of Isaiah and our Merciful redeemer. Jesus is the one who declared Abraham righteous by faith, and is also the one whom Abraham believed in and saw his day long before Jesus was born. 

Before Abraham was, I am, Jesus says. There is mystery and might, but also mercy, in those words. For the great I AM of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses, has taken on humanity to be the Great and Mighty God who is “For You”.

 

Scripture gives us this beautiful, mysterious, joyful, wonderous, and gracious confession. Jesus is true man, with real knees that pop as he walks and feet that ache after a long day and hair that got tangled in the sea of Galilee breeze – he identifies with us in all ways, he weeps, suffers, bleeds, and dies - and yet has no sin to call his own…so that he can take your sin upon himself and make it his own. And He is also true God with all the might and power and authority that entails…so that he would deliver and save and rescue you

 

Scripture is full of this story, this good news. That Jesus, the Mighty God of Isaiah is also the infant boy held in the arms of the Virgin Mary. Jesus, the Mighty God, is also the One who hung on the cross for all your sins. Jesus is the Mighty God who forgives you—and when the Mighty God forgives you, the devil has no claim on you.

 

Jesus is Mighty God, who claims you as His own in Baptism where He put His name on you and washed you from the guilt of your sin by the power of His divine blood.

 

Jesus is Mighty God, who nurtures your faith in Him as He teaches you with His Word.

 

Jesus is Mighty God, who still comes in meekness and lowliness, giving you His own body and blood in Holy to forgive and heal and to assure you that your sins are forgiven and that your Mighty God is with you!

 

Jesus is Mighty God, who is also your Immanuel – God with us – as we live as His children in this world.

 

Jesus is Mighty God, who will give you eternal life in His love when He returns in power and glory.

 

Jesus is Mighty God, who gives his grace us not as we expect, nor as we deserve, but according to his mercy. And that’s far more than we could have ever expected.

 

 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.

Sermon for Advent 2: "Advent Messages"

 

+ 2^nd Sunday of Advent – December 8^th, 2024 +

Series C: Malachi 3:1-7; Philippians 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-14

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

One way or another, this time of the year is full of messages. Text messages flying around between families and friends. Messages that your Amazon package is on its way. Messages on the radio and streaming on your TV and devices. Messages sent out to loved ones in the form of a letter or family photo or a simple Christmas greeting. Whether you go big or keep it simple, Advent is a season full of messages.

 

When we open up God’s word this Advent season we find the same thing, only far better of course – that Advent is a season full of messages in God’s house as well. Only you won’t find God using text messages, TikTok videos, emojis, tweets, or spam messages. God’s preferred messengers happen to be people. Because where there’s a message there’s a messenger. And a messenger must have a message to deliver.

 

Today’s Scripture readings are a great reminder that God always has a message to deliver and he sends his messengers to declare, deliver, proclaim, and announce his message of good news, deliverance, rescue, and redemption. 

 

As you open Scripture, you realize that no matter what page you turn to, you are opening the message God is sending you.

Messengers like the evangelists who wrote the Gospels that tell us the story of Jesus’ life and ministry and rescue from sin and death. Apostles – like Paul – whom God sent with the message of the Gospel out on mission to deliver that message of God’s justifying, righteous love to all nations. so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

But of course, Paul would be the first to admit that he was standing on the shoulders of those messengers God had called before him. 

 

Long before God sent Paul, he sent the prophets – like Malachi – to proclaim his Advent message centuries before his arrival and birth in Bethlehem. And centuries before he sends another wilderness messenger, John the Baptist. “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.”

 

Even though it was a few more centuries (four hundred years or so, to be exact), between Malachi and John the Baptist, God still made good on his promise. He sent his messenger. What Malachi foretold, John the baptizer fulfilled. What God promised by the prophets, came to happen in the last prophet of the Old Testament and the first witness of the dawn of the New Testament. The message of Christ’s advent is delivered and proclaimed by John the wilderness preacher.

 

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

 

All these names and places may sounds strange to us. But this is Luke’s way of telling us this messenger and his message are the real deal. This isn’t some fake news report. This message and the messenger are real. Historical. Reliable. Trustworthy. And yet, it’s always good to follow the simple rule of trust, but verify. What’s this messenger saying? What’s the content of John’s preaching? 

 

This, by the way is a good way to listen to Christian sermons no matter where you hear them. Who is the preacher talking about? More about himself or Jesus? Is Jesus mentioned? And if so, how often? Is he the main part of the sermon or is he sitting on the sidelines sipping some fine Cana wine? And when Jesus shows up in the sermon, what’s he doing? Is he running the verbs? Is he the one doing the work of showing sin, saving, forgiving, rescuing, loving, and working in you to give you his holiness, or is it all up to you? 

 

So, how does John our Advent preacher fair? It turns out he fairs well because he doesn’t spend any time at all talking about himself – so much so, that the crowds get a little flummoxed by John. But that’s ok by John. He’s not out in the wilderness to build an empire or appear on Judea’s morning talk shows and fly a jet up and down the Jordan River collecting money for his ministry. No, John’s a simple man. simple clothing. Simple diet. And a clear message. Repentance and forgiveness of sins. 

 

That’s it. No gimmicks. No lights and fog machines. No frills. John shows up in the wilderness to show us our sin and show us our Savior. John preaches not himself, but the coming Christ who came into the world to save sinners. John warns sinners to flee from the wrath to come, but also points sinners to Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And where does John get his preaching material? He reaches back and takes a page out of the Old Testament playbook; he does a little remix of Isaiah’s messages from of old.

 

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,^[a]
    make his paths straight.
⁵ Every valley shall be filled,
    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
    and the rough places shall become level ways,
⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

 

There are a lot of messages we hear this time of the year. Messages to buy, consume, have it all – not that it’s bad to give and receive gifts. It’s not. But if that’s all it is, we haven’t heard John’s message. Our world is full of messages and messengers, but some of the most constant come from between our ears, and in our sinful hearts. Messages of guilt and shame of what we’ve done or left undone. Reminders of past and present sins. Whispers of our worries and fears and failures. A constant dialogue of doubt, despair, and darkness.

 

This is why Jesus sent John. To be our messenger. To proclaim a simple, yet saving message. A message of comfort in Jesus’ dying and rising for you. A message of hope in the fulfillment of God’s promises. A message of pardon for all our offenses. A message of light and life in Jesus that casts out the darkness. A message that all our sin has been swallowed up by the Savior. A message that our hearts are turned back to God by his redeeming, gracious love. A message that is outside of us, and sure and certain, so that no matter what we hear from the devil, the world, or our sinful flesh, you can count on this: this message of good news and deliverance in Jesus is for you. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 

 

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

 

1st Advent Midweek Sermon: "Wonderful Counselor"

+ Advent Midweek 1 – December 4th, 2024 +

His Name Shall Be Called: “Wonderful Counselor”

Psalm 119:129–136; antiphon: v. 129

Isaiah 9:1–2, 6–7; Romans 11:32–36; Matthew 7:24–29

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Because of his famous song and famous clothing, Johnny Cash became known as “The Man in Black”. Because he went almost everywhere with his dog, named the Duke, John Wayne’s title “the Duke” quickly stuck with him. Because of his acting career, Ronald Reagan was known as “The Gipper”. And because of his stone-like muscles, famous wrestler and actor, Dwayne Johnson, became known as “the Rock”.

 

Names and titles – even nicknames – can tell you a lot about the person. Who they are. What they do. No doubt you have some or know someone who does. 

 

The Scriptures are no different. God’s word is full of names, titles, and even nicknames of sorts. So, when the angel came to Joseph as he was about to break off his marriage plans with Mary (who had been found with child), it’s no surprise that the angel dropped a few important names and titles in his message. Jesus’ names and titles of tell us a lot about who he is. What he came to do…not just for Joseph and Mary. But for you.

 

 “She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

 

The name Jesus is a Hebrew name and it means “God saves”—a fitting name for the Son of God who took on human flesh so that He could save us from our sin by dying on the cross in our place of punishment.

 

But Matthew’s Gospel isn’t done dropping names and titles on us.  “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name “Immanuel” (which means, God with us)’” (1:22–23).

 

Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah – who lived about 800 years before Jesus was born – and who also gives us a whole list of names and titles for Jesus, the Messiah. He’s the Suffering Servant. He’s the child born of the Virgin. Jesus is Immanuel foretold by Isaiah and born of Mary. 

 

Immanuel is a Hebrew name, and it means God with us. And that name tells us a lot about the kind of Savior Jesus is and what he came to do. He is God with us…in this fallen world. God with us…in our humanity. God with us…in our weakness. God with us…in our loneliness. God with us…bearing our sin. God with us…in his word and water and body and blood.

 

And that’s just one name and title that Isaiah gives us for Jesus. And like God’s grace, Isaiah’s titles or names for Jesus have a way of abounding and giving more. 

 

In Isaiah 9 we hear… “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.” Isaiah is here pointing us ahead to the time when Jesus would be born and eventually begin His ministry in Galilee, among other places. And then come those famous verses that have been sung in hope and joy ever since they were first spoken and written. 

 

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given . . . and His name shall be called . . .Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” 

 

Not only is Jesus “Immanuel” – God with us. But his titles and names – just like his love and mercy – abound. But admittedly, the title “Wonderful Counselor” sounds a little strange for a child. What kind of wisdom and counsel could an infant have to give? 

 

It didn’t take long for Mary and Joseph – and the rabbis in the temple one day – to realize that God’s wisdom can come wrapped in small packages, even in a 12 year old boy. Later in Luke 2 we’re told that Jesus was in Jerusalem with his family, but stayed behind. And when he was found he was teaching the temple teachers. And Luke also tells us that everyone who heard Jesus was amazed as his understanding and his answers. 

 

Years later, when Jesus began His public ministry, people were once again amazed at His counsel. After Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, Matthew records that “The crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28–29).

 

So is that it? Jesus is a wonderful counselor simply by sharing some words of wisdom and some sage advice? To be sure, Jesus brings wisdom. Speaks wisdom. He counsels in God’s word as he teaches. After all, he is God’s wisdom incarnate. And yet, Jesus’ words and wisdom are deeper than a well of wisdom, and his words are 

 

He not only speaks God’s word. He is God’s word in the flesh come to save us. Someone greater than all of Solomon’s wisdom is here – the one who gave Solomon such wisdom in the first place. And now he has come not only to teach and counsel and give a deeper understanding of God’s word. He speaks God’s word and is God’s word, for he is the word made flesh. And he brings more than wisdom. His word heals. His word gives life. His word forgives you. His word comforts you. His word consoles you and brings you peace. His word counsels you in the way of true and wonderful comfort…in his cross and resurrection. 

 

Jesus brings the wonderful counsel we need in his word, and he is the Wonderful Counselor for us. For we are sinners and, as such, are often led astray by the cunning counsel of the evil one and the seemingly good advice of our old Adam, who only thinks about the titles and names of “Me, Myself, and I”. 

 

This is why God sent Isaiah to his people. To lead them back from their wandering away. “Those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up” (v. 16).

 

This is why Jesus has so many names and titles. They all tell us something about who he is and what he came to do to rescue us from our foolishness and sin and death. 

 

“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” (v. 2).

 

The words and wisdom of God in saving us, the Wonderful Counselor himself, is already at work in the words of Isaiah. Later in his book, in chapter 53, we hear another name and title of Jesus, the Suffering Servant.

 

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. . . . Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. Out of the anguish of His soul He shall see and be satisfied; by His knowledge shall the righteous one, My servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (vv. 4–6, 10–12)

 

This is the wonderful counsel of the Wonderful Counselor – his cross to save you. His power made perfect in weakness. His humility to give you his holiness. His life laid down to raise you from the dead. There’s nothing more wonderful than this counsel of good news in Jesus, our Immanuel. God with us on the cross, bearing our sin. God with us in the grave dying our death. God with us in the resurrection, giving us a foretaste of the feast to come.

 

Jesus is the wonderful counselor who loves you so much that he is born in what looks to the world like utter folly – born of a Virgin, in a feeding trough in the country village of Bethlehem. And yet, it’s wonderful!

 

Jesus is the wonderful counselor who died a shameful death in humility and darkness for you. And yet, it’s wonderful. Jesus is the wonderful counselor who was buried in the tomb and rested for three days. And this too, is wonderful. A wonderful salvation. A wonderful rescue from death. A wonderful resurrection. In Jesus you have a Savior, Redeemer, and a Wonderful Counselor. 

 

 

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.