Sermon for Epiphany 4: "For You"

 + 4th Sunday after the Epiphany – February 2^nd, 2025 +

Series C: Jeremiah 1:4-10; 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13; Luke 4:31-44

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

With his powerful, creative word, the Lord said “Let there be light. And it was so.” With personal care he formed Adam from the dust of the earth and built Eve from Adam’s side. When our Lord speaks his word it is powerful, but also personal, and full of promise.

 

With his powerful, life-giving word, the Lord called the prophet Jeremiah, just has he calls all the prophets and apostles. With personal care and craftsmanship, he formed Jeremiah in the womb and appointed him to be a prophet of God’s promises. God’s word is powerful, yet personal, and full of promise.

 

It’s no different when the Lord, the eternal, powerful Word of God, takes on human flesh to dwell among us. Jesus is the Word through whom all things are made…he is powerful and so are the words he speaks. Yet he is also personal and full of promise. The Word became flesh and dwells among us. Where and how you might ask?

 

In his word. Always by his word. For when our Lord Jesus speaks his word to you, his word is powerful – it does what he says; and his word is personal - all of his promises are for you.

 

The same is true when Jesus shows up in Capernaum. Jesus is in the synagogue again. On the Sabbath. Teaching God’s word. His word. The crowds are astonished. Amazed. Jesus teaches with authority…from reading and hearing God’s word we know why. Jesus not only speaks the word of God…he is the Word of God made flesh. He not only possesses God’s authority, he is the authority. What he says happens. When he speaks it is done. God’s word never returns empty. It always accomplishes God’s purposes.

 

But not everyone in the synagogue is appreciative of Jesus’ preaching. There’s a party crasher. A demon – who knows what Jesus has come to do - starts heckling during his sermon. What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.

 

Jesus, however, doesn’t let the demon speak another word. He rebukes it. “Be silent. Come out of him.” Jesus’ word comes with power. Jesus’ Word comes to undo the brokenness of our fallen world. In the synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus cast out the demon with his Word. The same Word he uses to cast out the devil at your Baptism, and to destroy the devil by the great exorcism of the cross. 

 

When our Lord speaks his word it is powerful, but also personal, and full of promise. Jesus leaves the synagogue and goes to the home of Peter’s mother-in-law. She’s sick, suffering from a fever. Not as dramatic as a demonic disruption on the Sabbath day, but no less important to our Lord. 

 

What does Jesus do? He stands over the woman and rebukes her fever – same word in fact that he used to rebuke the demon. For Jesus there’s no clear cut separation of physical and spiritual – both matter to him, for both belong to him. For our Lord spiritual things are given in physical things – water, word, bread and wine. And physical healing that he brings Peter’s mother-in-law, is a sign of his spiritual authority…that his word is powerful, yet personal and full of promise. 

 

Here, we see another facet of God’s gracious reign in our midst. Jesus, who has just cast out a demon, heals Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. The one who controls the gates of Hell cares about the common cold. Here, we see the amazing extent of the compassion of Jesus. He is a God who cares about the smallest thing. He cares enough to enter your house and bring you recovery from a cold. With this small event of healing, God throws open His throne of grace for you. Regardless of how small your concern, you can bring it before Jesus. He sees and cares about the smallest moments of suffering in your life.

 

And with the same word that he created the heavens and the earth, and the same word he spoke to Jeremiah and the prophets, and the same word that he cast out demons and rebuked diseases…it is the same word that is powerful and personal and full of his promises for you. 

 

This is why Lutherans call what happens on Sunday morning, Divine Service. From the baptismal invocation to the closing benediction, God is serving you with his word. Take a look in your hymnal today or this week and you’ll notice every page of the Divine Service is full of God’s word. We hear God’s word. Pray God’s word. Sing God’s Word. Proclaim God’s word. Receive forgiveness by God’s word. Eat and drink Jesus’ body and blood by his word. 

 

When our Lord speaks his word it is powerful, but also personal, and full of promise. Here our Lord takes water and pours it over you and says this washing away of sins, and says…this is for you. 

 

Here our Lord declares to you by his word – the same word that rebuked the demons and disease – that your sin and death are also rebuked and you are restored. His word of forgiveness is powerful yet personal. Jesus’ word of forgiveness is for you. 

 

Here our Lord places his promise and word in ordinary bread and wine – where the physical and spiritual are joined together, heaven comes to earth, and you receive a medicine of immortality. All by his word that says, take eat and take drink…this is for you.

 

And on days when you are at the bedside of a loved one. When you’re listening to your neighbor’s cares and concerns. When you’re alone at dining table that used to be full of people. When you’re standing over the graveside of a loved one. When you’re staring in the mirror at your own failures and sinful flesh. On those days, remember the word our Lord spoke to Jeremiah and the crowds in Capernaum. Remember that our Lord’s word comes not only with power – to do what he promises – but his word is personal. For you.

 

“Do not be afraid… for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.”

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon for Epiphany 3: "Good News to the Poor"

 + 3^rd Sunday after Epiphany – January 26^th, 2025 +

Series C: Nehemiah 8:1-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Luke 4:16-30

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

In the days of Ezra and Nehemiah God’s people returned from exile in Babylon. Rebuilt the temple. Rebuilt the walls. Resumed the holy feasts of Passover and the Feast of Booths. The people were gathered for worship – for Old Testament divine service around the holy things God gave to give his people his holiness. Why did all this happen? So the people of God could hear God’s word and have his promises delivered right into their earballs.

 

So Ezra the priest brought the Torah before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. ³ And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand.

 

In the early days of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus heads to his hometown of Nazareth. He goes to the synagogue. The people are gather. The scroll of Isaiah – the largest of the Old Testament scroll – is handed to Jesus. He stands to read it. He rolls the scroll to just the right place and reads. Why?

 

Same reason as in Ezra and Nehemiah’s day. So the people of God could hear God’s word and have his promises delivered right into their earballs. Only this time something new happens. Not only do God’s people hear God’s word from Isaiah, they also hear the word of God spoken by the Word made flesh who speaks his word into the earballs of the people gathered.

 

The same thing happens here. Sunday after Sunday. Week in and week out. You wake up. You get in your car. You come to the Lord’s house. Sit in your favorite pew – or perhaps second favorite spot if the first one’s taken. You could spend your morning doing many other things. You could sleep in. You could kick up your feet on the couch. So…why do we gather here? Every now and then it’s good to take a moment and ask yourself…why do you go to church? 

 

Ask a bunch of folks and you’ll probably get a bunch of answers. Fellowship. Friends. Food. A sense of community or maybe your parents made you. Maybe a friend invited you once and you’ve been coming since. These are not bad reasons…but they’re not the real reason. Not really. Why are we hear? The same reason Ezra and Nehemiah and the disciples were gathered together in the Scriptures…to hear the word of God proclaimed. As Jesus says when he quotes his prophet Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

 

Why are we here? So that we, the baptized people of God, can hear God’s word and have his promises delivered right into our earballs. We’re here because Jesus, the Word of God made flesh, promises to be here with us, for us, and delivers his promises to us. We’re here because faith comes not by sight, by what is appealing to our eyes and our sinful hearts and minds…but by the word of God. We’re here to hear the good news that you cannot get anywhere but the places where God promises to deliver his gifts: in his holy word, in holy baptism, in holy absolution, in holy communion. 

 

There’s an old proverbial story that makes the same point. Someone once asked a Greek orthodox priest why they should go to church since God was everywhere. His reply was a good one: “the same reason I go to a drinking fountain when I’m thirsty. Water is everywhere in the atmosphere, but if I want to take a drink…I go to the water-fountain.” 

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, what happens in this place, in our Lord’s house, is no different. 

At the baptismal font you are washed and absolved…and good news is proclaimed to you in water and word. At the lectern you hear God’s word of Law and Gospel in prophets, apostles, and gospel writers. At the pulpit, you God’s word of Law and Gospel proclaimed. At the altar you receive God’s word, Jesus’ body and blood and promise in the bread and wine.

 

Martin Luther put it this way in his Large Catechism: “Everything in the Christian Church is ordered toward this goal: we shall daily receive in the Church nothing but the forgiveness of sins through the Word and Signs (one of Luther’s words for the Sacraments), to comfort and encourage our consciences as long as we live here.”

 

Or, as Jesus says it in Luke 4: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

 

And what is this good news? That we who are dead in our trespasses and sins are justified freely by Christ. That we who are caught dead-to-rights by the Law are forgiven of all offenses. That we who are guilty are declared righteous. That we who deserve judgment are set free because Jesus was judged in our place. That we who were captive to sin and selfishness are liberated by the blood of Jesus. That we who are blinded by sin and overwhelmed by sorrow, shame, and sadness are given faith in the promises – our eyes are opened by the word God delivers into our earballs – and his word, those promises – he creates faith, sustains faith. That we who are oppressed by shame and guilt, who are weighed down by worries and cares and concerns big and small and everything in between, that you are given liberty and favor. And all of this happens in and through God’s word that you hear, sing, pray, and meditate upon. 

 

Admittedly, this is not always easy is it? We probably all have Sundays – yes, pastor’s included – where we’d rather stay in bed and not leave the house. The Christian life is one of constant struggle between our old sinful flesh and our new nature baptized into Christ. That’s why some days it’s a struggle to get to church. A struggle to pay attention. A struggle to open your Bible and read. A struggle to pray. A struggle to love your neighbor, especially when they’re not always lovable. A struggle against boredom and complacency. It means repentance from all the ways our old sinful nature despises preaching and God’s Word, refuses the gifts of Christ, treats Jesus as something optional or secondary, even wants to toss Him over a cliff and be done with Him.

 

This is why Jesus was born. Why he went to the synagogue in his hometown on the Sabbath day. Why he opened the scroll of Isaiah. To fulfill Scripture, yes. But also to save sinners…like the ones in Nazareth. Like all of us here. 

 

This is why Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church and Preschool exist: by God’s Word and for God’s Word. That’s our calling, our vocation. We are to be hearers Word, receivers of the Word, and then speakers of God’s Word. We’re sent to our homes and neighborhoods, our family gatherings, parks, practice, and parties. Jesus’ Word is our life as a congregation too.

 

This is why our life of Christian stewardship is important. It’s about more than money; it’s about supporting the work of God’s Word.

 

This is why our work of evangelism is important, for God’s Word is meant to be proclaimed and delivered to those who have not heard.

 

This is why we show mercy to others in their physical and spiritual needs, because God has shown mercy to us; and by showing mercy to others we reveal that we have heard his word. 

 

This is why we sing, rejoice, give thanks, and praise as we gather around God’s Word together.

 

This is why we have Sunday School, Bible class, and preschool: to give, proclaim, and teach God’s Word of life to our children.

 

This is why God brings you here Sunday after Sunday. To proclaim the good news to you. To deliver his word of promise and life – you are forgiven and justified and beloved by God in the blood of Jesus. 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon for Epiphany 2: "From Cana to the Cross"

  

+ 2^nd Sunday after Epiphany – January 19^th, 2025 +

Series C: Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; John 2:1-11

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Holy Scripture begins and ends with a wedding. It begins with the marriage of Adam and Eve in Genesis and ends with the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation. In the beginning, God takes Adam whom he formed out of clay, and Eve whom he formed out of man, and brings them together, declaring that, “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

 

In the prophets – like Hosea – God is the husband and Israel is his faithless, adulterous, yet redeemed and rescued bride. And in Isaiah, as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

 

And at the end of Scripture, in John’s vision of Revelation, there’s a wedding feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb in his kingdom which has no end. 

 

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
⁸ it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”

 

So it’s no accident - no coincidence - that when God incarnate becomes one flesh with us in our humanity, the very first miracle he does occurs at a wedding, where he changes water into wine. In the Scriptures, wine is joy. Gladness. A blessing from God. And flowing wine is a sign that the messianic age, and the Messiah himself has arrived at last.

 

When Jesus changes water into wine at the wedding at Cana he not only saves the bride and groom great embarrassment, he shows that he is thew true Bridegroom come to save. 

 

When Jesus comes to the wedding at Cana, and goes to the cross…he comes as the Bridegroom to sacrifice himself to save you and call you his beloved bride. He is the long expected Messiah come to rescue his you, his bride, by his faithfulness unto death. 

 

Already here at Cana, his saving death is already on Jesus’ mind. When Mary, his mother, comes to him and declares, “They have no wine.” He replies. Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

 

Don’t hear these words with modern ears. This is no insult to Mary. It’s not a pejorative, but Jesus’ polite way of speaking with his mother. A title of respect. Want to guess where the other – and only – time Jesus says these words to his mother Mary in the gospels? As he’s hanging on the cross giving his life for the world. And giving his mother into the care of John his beloved disciple. He says to Mary, “Woman, behold your son.”

 

From Cana to the Cross, Jesus is the Bridegroom who sacrifices himself to save you and make you his bride. This is why he has come, he tells Mary. For “his hour.” It’s one of the ways Jesus refers to his coming death on the cross. His hour. His glory. Cana is a miraculous sign. A wonderful, joyous miracle. And it’s meant to lead you to Jesus’ cross. 

 

Think of it like a wedding invitation to “save the date”. Jesus’ hour hasn’t come yet at Cana. But it will. Jesus is the Bridegroom. He is faithful. He has made a vow- a solemn oath - and will keep it unto death. Jesus the Bridegroom will keep the Father’s word and will and ways for us, his faithless, wayward bride. Everything he does. Everything he says. Everywhere he goes. He does and says and goes for you.

 

Greater love has no husband than this. Greater love has no bridegroom like Jesus. Who lays down his life for sinners. He takes all that is ours and makes it his. He takes all of our infidelity. All our iniquity. All our idolatry. And he make it his own. And in exchange he gives you all that is his. Jesus’ faithfulness – yours. Jesus’s forgiveness and life – yours. Jesus’ the Bridegroom with all his blessings – all yours. 

 

This is what Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 when he writes about marriage and man and woman and Christ and the Church. 

 

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.^[

 

Did you hear the key words? As Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her. For you.

 

Not only does Scripture begin and end with a wedding…the whole thing is a love story between God and his people. Not one of those sappy, predictable Rom-Com movies. But the unpredictable and unexpected gracious love story of the Bridegroom is so madly and deeply in love with sinners that he who knew no sin becomes sin for you. That he formed woman out of man, also became man born of woman - bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh - to call you his beloved. That he would be the friend and husband of sinners and for sinners and love you with an everlasting love. 

 

And this is the Bridegroom’s solemn pledge to you. To take you, his wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward – and forevermore. For better, and especially for worse. For richer, and poorer. In sickness and in health. To love and to cherish…so that not even death can part you from him.

 

At Cana, Jesus the heavenly Bridegroom changed water into wine. Today he does one better for you, his bride the church. He takes ordinary bread and wine and declares to you a solemn pledge and promise: Take, eat. This is my body given for you. Take, drink. This is my blood of the new testament which is given for you for the forgiveness of sins. 

 

Come. The table is set. All is ready. The marriage supper of the Lamb awaits. Jesus, our bridegroom and host serves the finest of wine and food in his body and blood. Given and shed for you.

 

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

 

 

Sermon for The Baptism of Our Lord: "Destruction and Deliverance"

 + The Baptism of Our Lord – January 12^th, 2025 +

Series C: Isaiah 43:1-7; Romans 6:1-11; Luke 3:15-22

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

You can pour a glass of water or soak in a relaxing hot tub, but every now and then you get a reminder that water is a wild, untamed element.

 

Water can bring you a relaxing float down the river. But that same river can flood when the rains come or when Mt. St. Helens blew its top and sent lahars down the Toutle River.

Water can bring gnarly waves for surfers. But that same ocean can crash into homes and cities in a tsunami.

Water is the great ingredient for life but it but also a great cause of death. Water can bring great destruction and great deliverance. 

 

You see this in the story of the Scriptures as well. The waters of the flood in Genesis brought great destruction - For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. And yet the waters also delivered Noah and his family, eight souls in all.

 

Later on, in Egypt, the waters of the Nile River brought death and destruction to countless Hebrew babies and their families, but those same waters delivered infant Moses in a basket to Pharaoh’s daughter so he would grow up to be God’s deliverer of his people.

 

And arguably, one of God’s most famous and climactic aquatic rescues for his people is the Exodus through the waters of the Red Sea. “Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left…Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.”

 

It’s all there in the water: death to Pharaoh, and life for God’s people. This is the story the water tells you in the Scriptures: When God stirs the waters he brings great destruction and great deliverance.

But this is not only true in the Old Testament. It’s true when we open up the New Testament as well. Listen to Paul’s words again in Romans 6: ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 

There it is again. That familiar pattern of Scripture. Water – the water of your baptism – brings you the same thing it brought Noah and Moses and Israel: destruction and deliverance. Wait, baptism is destructive? It is, at least it is to your sin, death, and the devil. Through water your old Adam is drowned. By water your sin is killed and washed away. By water you are joined to Jesus’ death and burial. By water you die to sin. Water is death and destruction…but it’s also deliverance.

 

⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

The water that brings your sin to ruin also brings you rescue from sin. The water that drowns your old Adam also gives you life in Christ your second Adam. The water that floods you as it did the whole word, also saves you like Noah and his family. 

The water that destroyed the Pharaoh of hell and all his chariots, also delivers you safely through water. The water that closes the lid of your coffin also opens the gates of heaven to you. In the water of your baptism God does what he does in his word: he kills and makes alive. He buries you with Jesus and raises you up. He brings great destruction and great deliverance. 

 

When God stirs the waters he brings great destruction and great deliverance. The same is true when God himself steps foot into the waters of the Jordan River. 

 

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;^[c]with you I am well pleased.”

 

Now at first, this may not sound like an act of destruction and deliverance. But it is. When Jesus steps into the Jordan River he steps into a sinner’s baptism. He joins sinners, makes himself one with sinners, publicly announces that he is for sinners. From Jordan’s River to Jerusalem’s cross, Jesus takes on our destruction and in doing so, is also our deliverance. 

 

Martin Luther once said it this way: “Why does Jesus come to be baptized, seeing that He is without any sin or impurity for Baptism to take away? What a blessed Baptism that must be! Here John gets a sinner who has no sin so far as His own person is concerned, and yet He is the greatest sinner, who has and bears the sin of the world. …For here He steps into my person and yours and stands in the place of all of us who are sinners. God found this remedy: He took the sins of all human beings and hung them all around the neck of Him who alone was without sin. He thus becomes a great sinner—indeed, the greatest sinner of all and the only sinner on earth…For our sake, Jesus is baptized…He plunges our sin into His Baptism and washes them away from Himself (that is, He washes them from us, since He has stepped into our person) so that they must be drowned and die in His Baptism. . . .”

 

Once again it’s all there in the water: destruction and deliverance. The same thing happens on the cross as well. Utter destruction. Darkness. Death. Jesus is crucified. Your sin…destroyed. Your death…destroyed. All the lies and deceits of the devil…destroyed. All your guilt, shame, sorrow, and eternal despair…destroyed. For this is also your great deliverance. 

 

And once again there is water. Not in the Jordan River. Not in the Red Sea. Not in a cataclysmic flood. But a stream that makes glad the city of God, flowing out of Jesus’ pierced side. A river of life-giving, living water that wells up for you into eternal life. This is the water that flows downstream from his cross to the water of baptism to you. In this water your sin is destroyed sin and you are delivered. In this water God has called you by name, you are his. In this water, you must consider yourself dead to sin and alive in Christ Jesus. In this water, the heavens are opened, the Spirit descends, and the Father says to you: “You are my beloved son;^[c]with you I am well pleased.”

 

 

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

 

Sermon for Second Sunday after Christmas: "Jesus is the Temple"

 + Second Sunday after Christmas - January 5th, 2025 +

Series C: 1 Kings 3:4-15; Ephesians 1:3-14; Luke 2:40-52

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

In the beginning…in Genesis, God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the Garden he created for them. Adam and Eve did not have to wonder where God was or wander to find him. But Genesis 3 changed all of that. Along with the curse of sin and death spread over creation, there was also a separation between God and man, Creator and creature. And ever since Genesis 3, fallen humanity has been trying to reclaim what was lost…to find God or rather, to become our own gods. So it was in the wicked generations that preceded the flood. So it was with the tower of Babel. 

 

So it is in our day. Our fallen world has not grown less religious…but more. Man’s search for God is endless…and in all the wrong places. Some look for God in their morals and behavior. Some look for God in the mystical experiences of emotion. Some look for God in their minds. Some look for God in the material alone.

 

But the Scriptures declare something marvelous and gracious and unexpected. What we cannot do, God does. We, who are unable to find God on our own, God becomes findable and knowable in searching you out…in seeking and saving the lost. The Scriptures tell us time and again of the story of God’s search for man. And when God comes looking for you this is good news. 

 

In truth, God is not hard to find if you know where to look. Look where he promises to be. And in Scripture, there’s one place you can always count on finding the God who has come to find you. In his temple.

 

In Eden, God created a garden temple for Adam and Eve to live in, worship in, and dwell with God on earth. And even though sin destroyed this and Adam and Eve were exiled out of Eden, God’s desire was always to dwell with his people and be where he could be found. 

 

So, years later, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush - a preview of the tabernacle and temple - holy ground, holy fire and God’s holy presence. Later on, God gave Moses and Israel the Tabernacle - a place where God could be found. Where he dwelled with his people and for them - in the blood and fire and smoke and sacrifice. An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 

 

In the days of the tabernacle, if you wanted to find God, it was easy. Moses didn’t offer you a self-help book or a guru or some strange tasting kool-aid. No. You go to where he finds his people and dwells with them. Where God promises to be. In the Tabernacle. 

 

Centuries later, King David desired to build a house for the Lord in Jerusalem, but that was not given to him to do. That task was left for another son of David, Solomon. And build it he did. Yet even Solomon wondered…as he prayed at the temple’s dedication…will God indeed dwell on the earth?

 

It would take several more centuries and exile and prophets, but God eventually answered Solomon’s question. God sent yet another son of David…the Son of David…who is also the Son of God in human flesh. And where is he found when he comes? Surprise. Surprise! In his temple. 

 

First the temple of Mary’s womb. Then the temple at 40 days old. And now in Luke 2 at the age of 12, God is once again findable and knowable. Once again God is in his temple. 

 

When Mary and Joseph go looking for the pre-teen Prince of Peace, where do they find him? Where God has always promised to be with his people and to be where they can find the God who has come to find them.

 

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents[g] saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”

 

What about us? Where do we go to look for God’s promise and presence? Do we search our feelings? Do we grope about in the darkness? Do we look for God in what we think, say, or do? Do we seek God in our happiness, but think he’s abandoned us in our sadness? Do we look for God in our savings accounts and screens and shiny things? 

 

We go where God promises to be found. We go where we can find the God who comes to find you. And it’s right where he said he would be…in his Father’s house. In the holy ark of the church. In the tent of meeting where he meets you in his word. In his peace and presence in holy baptism where you are made a temple of the Holy Spirit. In the holy tabernacle of bread and wine where Jesus’ body and blood dwells for you. 

 

Jesus teaching in the temple at age 12 is not only a remarkable story of his wisdom and obedience to the Father’s will. Jesus could have taught people anywhere…and he did. But he chose to teach in the temple because not only is God found in his temple…now in Jesus, God incarnate, he is the temple. No longer is the temple made of cedar and wood and gold. Now God’s temple is made with flesh and blood and bone.

 

This is why Jesus will say later on in his ministry: “destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up again.” His incarnate, crucified, and risen body is now your temple. AFter three days Mary and Joseph found him in the temple in Jerusalem. And after three days, his disciples find him, the temple in human flesh, alive again and risen from the dead. Just as he promised. 

 

If you want to know where to find God, it’s not hard. He is right where he promises to be. Jesus is in his Father’s house finding you and bringing you all of the Father’s gifts of wisdom, grace, and steadfast love.

 

This holy house and these holy gifts of water, word, bread and wine…are a gracious foretaste of the feast to come in the new creation. Where once again, and forever, Jesus is your temple.

 

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

 

A blessed 12th day of Christmas to each of you…

 

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