Sermon for Lent 2: "Who Is Jesus?"

 + 2^nd Sunday in Lent – February 25^th, 2024 +

Series B: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Romans 5:1-11; Mark 8:27-38

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Back when late night television was comical and comedians could make jokes, Jay Leno had a segment called “the man on the street.” Someone from his show would interview random folks on the street: “Who was the first U.S. president? What are the three branches of government? What year was the Declaration of Independence written?” And so on. These bits were funny… more than a little frightening…yet revealing.

 

In Today’s gospel reading Jesus isn’t on the streets of New York, but in the villages of Caesarea Philippi. A place where the locals confessed Caesar as lord. A place where Pan was worshiped in a pagan temple. Jesus didn’t have a camera crew following him around, but his disciples are with him, and thanks to Mark’s gospel, so are we. We get to tune into prime-time and hear Jesus conducting his own “man on the street interview” with his disciples. “Who do people say that I am?”

 

For Jesus, however, this question isn’t a matter of mere information…it’s a matter of life and death…how you answer Jesus’ question is the difference between a crazy rabbi who says some wild stuff or he is who really says he is: the Son of God in human flesh to rescue you in his crucifixion and resurrection. 

 

Jesus didn’t ask this for entertainment value either…but to drive us to his cross where he reveals his answer for you and for the world: Who is Jesus? He is your crucified, suffering, bleeding, dying, sin-bearing, hanging on the cross in our place, and rising out of his tomb three days later Savior. Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God in human flesh who came to save you by his cross and resurrection. 

 

Jesus asks his disciples…Who do people say that I am?”  And they gave the typical answers of their day; they had a good pulse on who the masses expected the Messiah to be: “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”

 

What about today? Who do people in Milton, Puyallup, or Tacoma say Jesus is? Some say Jesus was a good, moral man or a mythical figure like the Easter bunny or Sasquatch. Some say he’s more like a cheerleader or a mascot. Some think of Jesus like a vending machine or a magic lamp. Still, others say, he’s a wise teacher or a guide.

 

You see the problem here, don’t you? All of those answers, and others like it, reveal more about the person answering the question than they reveal who Jesus is. But the problem goes deeper than that. Is that how Jesus reveals who he is? Is Jesus nothing more than a spiritual trainer telling us to work harder? Or a religious boy scout telling you to live better? Or a genie who will grant your wishes? Because if that’s all Jesus is we should all pack up our stuff and head home. That’s not good news. Not only that, if that’s all Jesus is, then we’re still in our sin. There’s still guilt and grief and shame to deal with. There’s still death. And none of those false Christs – none of our idols – are coming to rescue us. Unless you have Jesus the Son of God in human flesh come to save us undeserving sinners by his dying and rising again you have a fake, a phony, and a false Christ. 

 

Then Jesus gets personal. He turns to his disciples. Who do you (plural – yous guys) say that I am?

 

“You are the Christ.” Peter answered.

 

It’s a good answer. A true answer. Jesus is the Christ. He is the anointed, chosen, long-expected Messiah. He is the Son of God from all eternity and the Son of Mary born in time. He is the Promised Seed foretold to Adam and Eve, to Abraham in Genesis 17, and to Isaac and Jacob and the prophets.

Why then, we wonder, in the very next breath Jesus strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Because they don’t yet understand what it means that Jesus is the Christ. Peter takes Jesus aside and tries to shut him up. The student rebukes the teacher. This is all backwards. This is why Jesus calls Peter, Satan. To remove Christ from the cross is the work of the devil. A suffering, bleeding, dying, crucified God is not the Messiah the disciples had in mind.

Like the crowds that follow Jesus, his own disciples had all sorts of opinions about what the Messiah would be like: a mighty warrior who would conquer the romans and a king who would restore an earthly kingdom…make Israel great. 

No, says Jesus. Yes, the Christ is a King…but his kingdom is not of the world. He wears a crown of thorns. But will be enthroned on a Roman cross; where it is written, “cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree.” His royal robes will be given in jest, then stripped from him, and gambled away.

Who is Jesus? Jesus tells his disciples, and us, exactly who he is. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.  And Jesus didn’t tell them all of this in a parable. Or a story. Or any number of metaphors in the Scripture. He said this plainly.

Who is Jesus? Jesus tells us plainly too: Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

Not only is this Jesus’ answer. This is how we answer this question when those around us ask as well. Christianity is not the story of a good, wise, moral teacher. It is the story of how a particular man, with a particular color eyes, a certain height and weight and hair color was put to death on a particular Roman cross one Friday afternoon…and he did it all for you. 

 

This is what it means when Jesus says “Take up your cross and follow me.” Your Christian life is not like the old story, The Little Engine that Could…”I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.” Cause we can’t and we won’t. But Christ will and does it all for you. Yes, even your life of love towards others. Christian life is the cross where Jesus died and rose for you. And where you die and rise with him.

 

There is no Christian life apart from the cross. The cross is what it means that Jesus is the Christ. And the cross is what it means for you to be in Christ. For in the cross, there’s your life. That’s why the ultimate self-denial is not what we say or do or give up. The ultimate self-denial is a confession that we have nothing whatsoever to do with our salvation. That all we bring to the foot of the cross is our sin and death. And yet there, Jesus does everything for you. Gives everything for you. 

Who is Jesus? Paul tells us in Romans 5: while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Who is Jesus? Jesus tells us today as he told his disciples: Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

Who is Jesus? Jesus’ answer…look to my cross, and nowhere else. That’s who I am for you. 

If you want to see God look to the one who suffered for you. To the one who was rejected for you. To the one who was killed for you. To the one who rose from the grave for you. 

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

 

 

Lent Midweek 1: "Hallowed be Thy Name"

 + 1st Lenten Midweek - February 21st, 2024 +

1st Petition of the Lord’s Prayer

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.

 

A name does many things.

A name tag identifies you. Hello, my name is… In earlier days of the Christian faith you would receive your name on the day you were baptized. The same day you were given the name of the Trinity in water and word and promise. 

A name communicates. 

A name is a gift. It is given. Placed upon you. In Holy Baptism God gives you his name. He places his name upon you. You are his. You belong to him.

A name has meaning. 

There’s power and authority in a name…when you sign a will, buy a car, or a house. Or even when you sign for an Amazon package. 

Your name can stand for something. Known for something. Your name is your reputation. As in the Lord’s name…The Lord, the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Names are called upon and there is a presence that comes with a name. Like when children call out “Dad” “Mom.” and they come running to help.

Your name guarantees you have the money when you sign a check. A name comes with a promise. 

 

All of this - and more of course - is happening with God’s name. And when we pray in God’s name in the Lord’s Prayer: “Hallowed be Thy Name.” 

 

If a name does many things, how much more is it true of God’s name. God’s name is a gift. God’s name identifies you: he claims you as his own and calls you by faith when he put his name upon you in your Baptism. God’s name has authority and power. That is why the Lord’s Prayer begins with God’s name… “Our Father…Hallowed be Thy Name”

 

Here in the 1st Petition God’s name is full of his promise for you. God’s name is his presence for you. And most of all…God’s name is a person. How do we know God’s name? Look at Jesus. You want to know God’s name and his promise, his presence, and his peace? Look to Christ. He is God’s name in the flesh for you. And through him, you are given God’s name.

 

It’s no accident that the Lord’s Prayer begins this way (and so do all good prayers) - by calling upon the Name of the Lord. We hear this all over the Psalms: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 124). Something similar happens every church service. God’s Triune name begins the service. God’s triune name blesses us as the service ends. And in between we sing, pray, praise, and give thanks in his name.

 

Your life before God begins the same way the Lord’s Prayer does. When we pray “Hallowed be Thy Name” we are remembering that the name we call upon in prayer, God’s holy name, is the same name that he gave you and placed His holy name upon you with tap water and his word of promise.

 

When the high priest in the Old Testament went into God’s presence in the holy of holies in the tabernacle, he wore a head piece which said: holy to the Lord. 

When we pray “Hallowed be Thy Name” …Those words take us back to the place where the Holy Trinity placed his saving name upon you. On your forehead. With water. With word. With his presence. His promise. When God spoke his word, washed you, and placed his name upon you, he made you a priest, and put a mark on your head that says: holy to the Lord. 

 

God also leads you in His name. The Psalms speak this way: “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” (Psalm 23)

 

When we pray Hallowed be Thy Name, we are praying that God’s name would be kept holy among us also. Our words. Our words with each other. Our words with our neighbors. Our teaching of God’s words. That our life as his baptized holy people, especially in his church, in what we say and do, would be like the priests, clothed in garments as they entered the tabernacle:  holy to the Lord. 

 

“How is God’s name kept holy? God’s name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven!”

 

When we pray “Hallowed be Thy Name” we are also praying against ourselves and our sinful flesh. This prayer is the opposite of what our sinful flesh loves to do. We love to make a name for ourselves. We love when our name is the center of attention. The problem is, unlike God’s name, our name isn’t holy in itself. And neither are our lives. A quick run through of the commandments reveals that we live contrary to God’s word and name all the time. We don’t fear, love, and trust in him above all things. We fail to call upon his name. We look for comfort rest anywhere else but God’s word and gifts. We don’t honor others in authority over us. We’re often angry and murder our brother in our hearts and minds and words. We are full of sinful lusts and selfish desires. We’re greedy. Liars. And never content. If we’re honest, we’d much rather pray this part of the Lord’s Prayer this way: “hallowed be my name.” 

 

This is why the Lord’s Prayer begins with these words… “Hallowed be Thy Name” Because it is not our name that saves us. It is not our lives that make us holy to the Lord. 

 

You are saved in the name of Jesus. Jesus’ word gives you life. Jesus' life makes you holy to the Lord. 

 

For all the times we’ve lived contrary to the name and word of God, Jesus lived a holy life for you. For all the times we have profaned the name of the Lord in thought, word, and deed…Jesus pardons you. Remember the name given by the angel to Joseph. You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Mt. 1:21). Savior – That’s Jesus’ name. And that’s what he does for you.

In Jesus' holy resurrection, in Jesus’ holy word, water, body and blood you are holy to the Lord. 

 

The 1st Petition of the Lord’s Prayer is God’s promise to you. You are holy in Christ. Hallowed by the holy blood of Jesus. Sanctified in the saving death of the Son of God. Pure and spotless in the Lamb who was slain for you. You are marked with the name of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

 

And that’s the name that’s given to you. You are baptized in God’s holy name. You are saved in God’s holy name. You are given faith by God’s holy name. You are rescued and redeemed for the sake of God’s name. You are holied in God’s name. You pray in God’s name. And you live in God’s name.

 

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

Sermon for Ash Wednesday: "Forgive Us"

 + Ash Wednesday – February 14^th, 2024 +

Joel 2:12-19; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10; Matthew 6:1-21

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

When you looked at the calendar today or in recent weeks, you probably did a double take. Wait…did I see that right? It’s February 14^th. Valentine’s Day. But it’s also Ash Wednesday. 

 

Now, at first these two days might seem like complete, polar opposites, an odd couple. A day of romance meets a season of repentance? What could a day of flowers, candy hearts, and love possibly have in common with ashes, Lent, and the passion of Christ? 

 

In a word…forgiveness. Where there is love – not the Hallmark brand of love – but true, real, sacrificial love; where there is steadfast love, there is forgiveness. Where there is Ash Wednesday, there’s forgiveness. Like all of God’s gifts, these gifts – love and forgiveness – come to us through the cross of Christ. How do you know God loves you? Let me count the ways…three nails, a wooden cross, a crown of thorns, a pierced side, an empty tomb, a resurrected Jesus. How do you know God forgives you? Look to the cross and listen to his promise: Paul repeats it for us. Call it a Corinthian valentine card: For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

Forgiveness is the gift we pray for in the 5^th petition of the Lord’s Prayer. That’s our catechism focus for today. We’ll spend the rest of the midweek Lenten services looking at the other petitions, or parts, of the Lord’s Prayer in the usual order in which we pray them. But today, on Ash Wednesday, we begin with the 5^th petition…with forgiveness. It’s the perfect place to begin set out on our Lenten journey – a journey to Holy Week, a journey of repentance, and a journey of forgiveness.

 

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

 

In Matthew’s gospel we hear these words in Jesus’ sermon on the mount. There he teaches us to pray. Jesus gives us the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer – like all prayers, really – begins outside of us. In the Lord’s words. He speaks and we listen. He gives us the words. And we pray. 

 

Without Jesus’ words our prayers are just a bad cover version of the Pharisees who pray to be seen and heard and noticed and patted on the back. Or else, they sound like pagan prayers. A big, steaming pile of empty phrases. 

 

This is why Jesus must teach us, as he taught his disciples, to pray. This is why he must give us the words to pray. This is why we pray the 5^th petition. Dear Father in heaven, forgive us our trespasses. 

 

Forgive us when we grow weak and weary. Forgive us when we stumble daily. Forgive us when fail and fall. Forgive us when we are selfish, self-centered, sinners. Forgive us when we give into temptation. Forgive us for all the times we have failed to forgive others. Forgive us for our lack of trust, for our trust in ourselves, for our desires and devices.

 

The truth is, “if God does not forgive us without stopping, we are lost.” 

 

And yet, we are not lost, because God forgives you without stopping. 

 

The green trimmings fade; the Valentine roses withers. Cards get tossed away. But God’s steadfast love for you in Christ never ceases. God’s forgiveness to you in Jesus never ends. His mercies, and his forgiveness, are new every morning. 

 

In that way, the season of Lent is a little bit like Baptism. God did something for you on the day of your baptism – he washed you; cleansed you; forgave you; adopted you; clothed you in Christ. But God still works in your baptism. He daily drowns your sin and daily raises you up. You die and rise in him. That’s what Lent does…it leads to Easter. Repentance leads to forgiveness. Death to life. 

 

Now don’t try and sneak in there and take credit for any of this. Repentance, just like forgiveness, is God’s work. God’s gift. God’s doing. God repents you. Turns you from your sin, to his forgiveness. That’s what the prophet Joel called Israel to do, and us too. To live in the Lord’s repentance and steadfast love. 

 

Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Joel 2:13

 

How does God relent over disaster? How does he show us his steadfast love? He releases us from bondage. He sets us free from prison. He cancels our debt. He pays our ransom. He takes on our sin. He forgives. That is the kind of God you have in Jesus. A merciful. Gracious. Slow to anger. Abounding in steadfast love. Forgiving God. You may think you are a great sinner, and we all are, but Christ’s forgiveness is always greater. Always deeper and wider and higher.

 

That is who God is. He forgives. He is the forgiver. 

 

And in Jesus, that’s who you are too. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

 

It’s that second part of the petition that we often find troubling isn’t it? Forgiving others. As C.S. Lewis once said, “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”

 

That’s why we pray this petition. That’s why forgiveness – like all the other parts of the Lord’s Prayer – is God’s work. God’s gift. God’s doing in your life. Christ’s gift of forgiveness flows downstream. From his hands, feet, and side…into your baptism, into the cup and the bread…into your life…and then, to others around you. 

 

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

 

So when we pray the 5^th petition we’re praying for our forgiveness. But we’re also praying, Father, help me forgive others. Help me forgive that grudge I’ve been holding on to. Help me forgive that hurt, that pain, that insult, that which seems unforgiveable in my eyes. 

 

And you know what our Lord says about all of that?

 

Father, forgive them. 

 

Though your sins were as scarlet, you shall be white as snow. 

 

Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven. 

 

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

Sermon for Lent 1: "With the Wild Animals"

 + Lent 1 – February 18^th, 2024 +

Series B: Genesis 22:1-18; James 1:12-28; Mark 1:9-15

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Imagine you’re at a painting class about to illustrate a famous Bible story. With brush in hand and colors on your palette, your instructor gives you a few details of the story to include: paint a place with a man, a place of wild animals, a place of temptation, and a place where that man is thrown out into the wilderness. After some Bob Ross painting magic – some happy little trees, some happy little animals – and your illustration is done. What Bible story have you painted?

 

Your first sketch in mind is probably Genesis, the Garden of Eden, Adam , animals, and Satan as the serpent. And that certainly fits the details. Eden was the place of Adam (for a while, anyhow), a place of animals brought to Adam to be named, a place of temptation by Satan in the form of a serpent, and a place where Adam was thrown out into the wilderness. 

 

But there is another Biblical story you could paint with those same details. It’s the story Mark paints for us in this morning’s Gospel reading. There’s a certain man in a certain place, a place of wild animals, a place of temptation, and a place where the man is thrown out into the wilderness.

 

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

 

Compared to Matthew and Luke, Mark’s account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is short. Just two verses. And while Mark doesn’t have the detail the other gospels have, he does have a couple curious details Matthew and Luke don’t have. 

 

Here in Mark, the Spirit doesn’t lead Jesus into the wilderness. He throws him out. He casts him out (think a fishing rod and line). The Spirit chucks Jesus out. Like the fish at Pike’s Place market, the Spirit yeets Jesus out into the wilderness. 

 

And there in the wilderness Jesus is tempted for 40 days by Satan. 40 days takes us back to Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. Back to the wilderness testing. In that wilderness, Israel failed, fell into temptation, and was faithless. In this wilderness in Mark 1, Jesus succeeds where Israel failed. Jesus overcomes where Israel was overcome by temptation. Jesus is faithful where Israel was faithless.

 

But Mark goes further back than Israel in the wilderness. Mark goes all the way back to Genesis. And he was with the wild animals.

 

This is Mark’s way of telling us that the Creator is here in the flesh. The healing of all creation has come at last in Jesus the redeemer. There is a new creation beginning already in Jesus – as he overcomes temptation, as he makes all things new by his death, and as he rises again from the dead. The redemption that creation, and we along with it, have been waiting for, has arrived already in Jesus. Heaven and earth are together again in peace in Jesus. Jesus goes where the wild things are: to tame a fallen creation by rescuing, redeeming, and restoring you, and creation as well.

 

This is not the first time we hear about the work of Jesus, the Messiah, surrounded by animals. We hear this at Christmas too. Isaiah foretells the ministry of the Messiah this way:

 

⁶ The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
    and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
    and a little child shall lead them.
⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
⁹ They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain

 

When Mark says that Jesus was with the wild animals…after his baptism…after his temptation. Jesus goes into the wilderness as a second Adam to undo everything that the first Adam, and we, have done

 

Jesus in the wilderness is a cover song of Genesis 2-3. Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is a reboot of the temptation in the Garden. Jesus is Adam 2.0. He is the man in the wilderness. a place of temptation. A place of where the animals are. A place where he is thrown out. Only this time it’s different. 

 

Adam was cast out of the Garden of Eden because he fell into temptation, gave into sin. Jesus is cast out into the wilderness to stand firm against temptation and overcome sin – and Satan. Adam was overcome by Satan’s lies in the garden. Jesus overcomes Satan’s lies in the wilderness. Adam was thrown out of Eden and the world – and we along with it – are thrown into a world of pain, sorrow, despair, guilt, shame, chaos, disorder, death. Jesus is thrown out into the wilderness…not cuddle with the woodland creatures like Snow White. Jesus goes into the wilderness as a second Adam to undo everything that the first Adam, and we, have done and fallen into. He goes into the wilderness to triumph over Satan (whose name and actions mean the adversary), for all the times sin, death, and Satan have triumphed over us. 

 

Where sin, death, and the devil brought disorder and death and despair, Jesus brings order, a new creation, rescue, redemption, and restoration. 

 

For all the times we have been like Israel and Adam…faithless, fallen, failures…Jesus succeeds where we don’t. For all the times you feel alone in your sin, alone battling temptation, alone in despair or hopelessness, without strength, comfort, or lost…for you Jesus went into the wilderness. Jesus went into the wilderness for you. To find you in your lostness, your despair, at the bottom of your rope. He went out into the wilderness to join you in all the suffering that you go through. To be your strength when you are weak. Your hope when you despair. Your comfort when you grieve. Your innocence when you are guilty. Your honor when shame weighs you down. Your forgiveness when you fall into temptation.

 

But the wilderness isn’t the only place Jesus goes for you, nor is it the last place he fights and defeats Satan. After three years of teaching and preaching, healing and casting out demons…he finds his way once again to a garden. Not Eden. Gethsemane. He prays. Salty, sweaty drops of blood drip from his forehead. And then he goes out into the wilderness again. Cast outside the city. Up a hill. To the hang on a tree for you. To bear the curse for you. To overcome Satan and death for you. To crush the serpent. To defeat our ancient foe, the dragon. To take a twisted, mangled bunch of thorns from Adam’s scorched earth upon his head to crown you with glory. To bring a new creation and overcome Satan by his death on a tree so that he who by a tree had overcome Adam and all of us, would finally be crushed underfoot.  

 

The church fathers were on to something when they said that the cross of Christ is the key to paradise. Jesus was surrounded by wild animals at the cross: yelling out crucify him. Tempting him to come down. But he stayed there for you. All our failures…all the times we’ve fallen…all our faithlessness…it’s all undone. 

 

And from the tree of his cross, feeds you. He sets a table for you in the presence of your enemies. He gives you food of the new creation in the wilderness. He forgives you all the times you’ve fallen into temptation here at his table. Here is Manna from heaven. The Bread of life. His body. His flesh. His blood. Shed for you. Poured out into the cup for you. For the forgiveness of sins. Adam ate the fruit of the tree and died. Here, you eat the fruit of Jesus’ tree and live. 

 

And here, once again, on this table made of wood from a tree, the gifts of Jesus from his tree are taken and eaten. And death is undone. 

 

The healing of all creation has come at last in Jesus the redeemer. In his body given for you. In his blood shed for you. Here you are delivered from evil and temptation. Here all things are made new for you died and rose again

 

 

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

 

 

 

Sermon for Transfiguration of our Lord: "The Transfiguration Declaration"

 + Transfiguration of our Lord – February 11^th, 2024 +

Series B: 2 Kings 2:1-12; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6; Mark 9:2-9

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

There are certain moments in life where words are said that change you. Words that transform you. 

 

“I do.”             “It’s a girl.”    “It’s a boy.”                “I forgive you.”          

 

Think for a moment of a time when someone’s words changed, or transformed you. Where you were transformed by what someone said. Think about what was said. About how those words changed or transformed you. And keep that idea in mind as we hear St. Mark’s account of Jesus’ transfiguration.

 

When we think about Jesus’ transfiguration the first thing that comes to mind is the changing, the transfiguring, of Jesus’ appearance. And that’s an important part of the story. But there’s more. Not so much what is seen but what is heard. The most important thing at the transfiguration isn’t the eyes – though there’s plenty to see – but the ears. You could call the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration the mountain of the Father’s declaration. God speaks. And when he speaks, he makes a promise and a declaration and good news: This is my beloved Son; listen to him.

 

Jesus’ transfiguration is a day of declaration of God’s promises to you in his Son Jesus. So that’s what we do. We find our Sabbath rest in Jesus’ word. We listen to Jesus. And in hearing Jesus word, we hear his promises and we are forgiven by his grace. We are changed as well… From guilt to pardon. From captivity to sin to freedom in Christ. From condemned to justified It’s all given to you by the Father’s declaration, in the beloved Son who is transfigured here on this mountain and will soon be crucified on another mountain.

 

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

 

After six days. It might sound random. But this is not the first time God has done something after the sixth day. God spoke creation into being in 6 days, and on the 7^th day rested – day of rest in his word. After six days Moses ascended Mt. Sinai where God spoke and delivered his word. On the 6^th day of Holy Week, Good Friday, Jesus speaks a word of salvation and fulfilment from the cross: “it is finished.” When Mark begins the transfiguration account with “after six days”, it’s a signal that God is about to do something with his word.

 

What came first, however, was a sight to behold. Jesus was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one^[a] on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

 

When Matthew, Luke, and here, Mark, record Jesus’ transfiguration, they all describe it a little different. It makes sense. How do you describe something like Jesus’ transfiguration? 

 

Peter recognizes the glory of the moment: “Rabbi, it is good that we are here.” He was right. It was good. It was glorious. And yet, the Father wanted us all to know that his glory comes not so much by what is seen, but by what is heard. Bright shining Jesus was not yet the climax of the story. God had something greater for his disciples. Remember, Jesus’ transfiguration isn’t only about what’s seen…it’s about what will be heard. It’s not a day for the eyes, but the ears.

 

That’s the way Peter puts it later on in his epistle (2 Peter) when he recalls Jesus’ transfiguration he points us not only to what he and James and John saw that day…but to what they heard. To God’s word. In 2 Peter 1, he writes, “We were eyewitness of his majesty…we heard the voice from heaven…but you have something more sure: the prophetic word.

 

But before Peter turned into Bob the Builder there on Mt. Tabor, a cloud overshadowed the mountain. 

The disciples attention – and ours – is drawn away from what is seen to what is heard. 

 

This is my beloved Son; listen to him. 

 

We’ve heard these words before. The Father said something similar at Jesus’ baptism. You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased. And we’ll hear something like this again at Jesus’ crucifixion, from a Roman centurion of all people: Truly this man was the Son of God. Jesus’ baptism. Transfiguration. And his crucifixion…all tied together with the word of promise. This is my beloved Son whose word is life, the transfigured, crucified, and risen one…His word is life for you. 

 

Martin Luther once commented that if you want to see God take your eyes and put them in your ears. Faith comes by hear and hearing by the word of Christ, Paul says. Jesus has been telling his disciples all along… the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

 

This is the word of God, the good news, the words of eternal life that Jesus speaks and accomplishes for you. Jesus transfiguration shows a change, but not for the disciples, not for us yet… that comes when Jesus is on the cross and walks out of the grave. And yet it is the same Lord and same word at work in both places. God’s word spoken at Jesus’ transfiguration calls us forward to the words Jesus speaks as he dies on the cross and rises again from the dead. And it is this word – the word of the cross that changes and transforms us…from sinners to saints, from fearful like the disciples to the gift of faith in Jesus, from dead in trespasses to justified in Jesus.

 

The words spoken by God on the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration point us to Jesus’ words spoken on the mountain of Calvary. There, Jesus hung on the cross. It was midday. The sun should’ve been shining. But it wasn’t. Darkness and cloud covered the mountain. Creation lost its light. Christ’s once gleaming clothes were gambled away with a roll of the dice. Jesus is naked, His body bruised and bloody, a piece of sport to the mockers who pass by. And once again, God speaks. He declares a word for you: It is finished.Your sin, your doubt, your death, your guilt, your shame – it’s all finished. Jesus gets the last word. It is the word of forgiveness. 

 

Back on the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration, the Father said to Jesus, “This is my beloved Son.” And in Jesus, this word belongs to you as well. You are beloved. By word, water, and his promise, the Father says to you, “You are my beloved son and daughter.”

 

He says this not on the basis of who we are, or what we’ve done…but because of who he is and what he has done for you in Jesus. It’s a change unlike any other and it’s all free and all for the sake of Christ who declares to you: I have rescued you. Redeemed you. Delivered you. And Justified you freely. I have forgiven you all your sins. 

 

A blessed Transfiguration Sunday to each of you…

 

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