Sermon for Lenten Midweek 1: "Valued in God's Eyes"

 + 1^st Lenten Midweek Service – March 9^th, 2022 +

Isaiah 43:1-7

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Remember that old song, “I Only Have Eyes for You.” Since it was first written in 1934 by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, singers from Frank Sinatra to Art Garfunkel have covered it. It’s a song of personal devotion and love. 

 

The Lord has His own version, albeit a far greater version, of this golden oldie here in Isaiah 43. A song of God’s love and devotion…“you are valuable in My eyes.” 

 

The you in our text is singular, not plural. It’s you not you all. Singular you denotes a focus that is individual and intimate, particular and personal. The same specific concern for you comes in Isaiah 43:1 where God says, “I have called you by name, you are Mine.” His care is cosmic and universal, to be sure, but to emphasize the value God places on you, He uses the personal “you” singular you, twenty-five times in Isaiah 43:1–7. Over and over again it is you, you, you . . . you! “You are valuable in My eyes.”

 

When God’s people first received these words they were far away from home. They were in Babylon, and Babylon said, “You are nothing in my eyes.” Babylon was distant, aloof, cold, cruel, and calculating. The Judean exiles were nothing more than slaves and prisoners, cogs in their vast and ever-growing political machine.

 

Isaiah’s words to Israel leads us to ask an important question. Where do I find my value?

 

It is quite easy to search for and find our value in the world around us. Just turn on the TV, scroll through your social media or your favorite news source. There we see perfect people with perfect families and perfect marriages delighting in perfect jobs. And when these images summon us, what do we see? We see that we don’t measure up. You name it—we don’t have it. And we quickly become addicted to how the fallen world sees us or values us. But this is like looking at a circus funhouse mirror to see your reflection. Look into the mirrors of this fallen world long enough and we’ll soon begin to languish, lose heart, and feel worthless. As if we have no value.

 

And yet, in the face of all that, the Lord declares to you, as he did to Israel, You are valuable in My eyes.”

 

Your value comes from the Lord, who says, “You are valuable in My eyes.” It is the same you—singular, not plural. Specific, reserved, and exact. It is you! And you are incredibly valuable. The Hebrew word here, translated “valuable,” denotes significance, stature, and substance. You are prized, priceless, preferred, and precious.

 

So much of value, in this life, is based on ownership. Maybe you’ve heard that joke about the value you see your house at, what a buyer sees your home’s value, and the value the placed on it for tax purposes. 

 

But what does the Lord say in Isaiah 43. “Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth. All upon whom My name is called, and whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and whom I made.” God’s value of us, isn’t so much a matter of ownership, as it is a matter of handiwork, creation, and a unique relationship. God has created and claimed, fashioned and formed us. We are His sons and His daughters. We belong to him because he has formed us and redeemed us.

 

The other thing about value is the price someone is willing to pay for something. When we value something, say a family vacation or something special for a loved one, we are willing to pay the cost. 

 

In a similar, yet greater way, God says in Isaiah 43:4, “And I will give people in exchange for you, and nations in exchange for your life.” When Israel passed through the Red Sea, the Lord paid for it with the life of Egyptians. Now Israel is about to leave their captivity through the Persian King Cyrus and God will pay for it with the life of Babylonians. Our God is willing to lay down people’s lives for us.

 

Who is God that we would trust him? Isaiah 40:26 says that He calls every star by name. The Milky Way is 104,000 light-years across and contains over 100 billion stars. To count them one by one would take a person over 3,000 years. And yet, God calls each of them by name! This is the God who says in Isaiah 43:1, “I have redeemed you, I have called you by name,” and in verse 4, “You are valuable in My eyes.”

 

And when God declares this, you can take him at his word. For His Word is everlasting—Isaiah 40:8; His righteousness is everlasting—51:8; His love is everlasting—54:8; His covenant is everlasting—55:3. No wonder Isaiah 40:28 states, “He is the everlasting God.” This is the One who says, “You are valuable in My eyes.”

 

Who? You. Yes. You. You are valuable, cherished, of infinite worth, precious in the Lord’s sight. Where? Not in the eyes of Babylon. There we are nameless numbers and state-owned statistics. Where are we valuable? Not in our eyes. When our eyes are wide open, we see our duplicity, dishonesty, idolatry, and ongoing sin.

 

So where are we valuable? God says, “In My eyes!” To quote Luther, “Although in supreme trials you seem nothing in your own eyes and are condemned as one cast off by the world, in My eyes you are glorious. Therefore you may be vile in your own eyes, in the eyes of the world, and even in those of your brothers (as happened to us on the part of our Enthusiast brothers). Fear not. In My eyes I regard you as a precious jewel.”

 

You are valued in the Lord’s eyes when in a baptismal flood, God claimed you as His own; and on a hill called Calvary, He paid for you with His Son, Jesus. This means God has more than just eyes for you. He has hands and feet for you, nailed to a cross. He has a head for you, crowned with thorns. He has a side for you, thrust through by a spear.

 

You are valued so much so that our Lord Jesus took on your flesh, became one with you in your humanity, lived for you, went to the cross for you, suffered for you, was crucified for you, considered of no value by the world for you, laid in the grave for you, and rose again on the third day for you.

 

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.

 

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

Sermon for Lent 1: "Lent in a Time of War"

 + 1^st Sunday in Lent – March 6^th, 2022 +

Series C: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, there is a war raging. Not the war in we’ve been hearing about in the headlines, between Russia and Ukraine. Though we pray for our Lutheran missionaries and our brothers and sisters in Christ suffering the horrors of war. 

 

There is another war, one that lays siege to your heart, soul, body, and mind; a war that surrounds you on all fronts every day, every minute, every hour, every moment. A war for your body and soul, reason and emotions, your life, family and friends, and all that is good, true, and beautiful. It is a cosmic war, and yet a daily, personal struggle. “The line of good and evil,” writes Alexander Solzhenitsyn, “runs through us all.” 

 

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 

This war has been raging since Genesis 3 when the Satan rebelled against God, and tempted Adam and Eve to join his unrighteous mutiny, bringing sin, death, chaos, and evil into God’s good creation. And when we’re honest with ourselves we must admit that we are constantly losing this battle. 

 

No strength of ours can match his might, we just sang. But for us fights the Valiant One. Jesus Christ enters the fray. Steps into the breach. Joins us in the trenches and takes up the battle for us.

 

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. 

 

This season of Lent is known as a season of preparation and repentance, and it is. Lent is a journey to Holy Week, to Jesus’ cross and empty tomb. On this first Sunday in Lent, St. Luke reminds us that Lent is also a journey into battle. A journey into Christ’s victory in his crucifixion and resurrection.

 

That’s what’s going on in today’s gospel reading from Luke 4. Jesus, the Lord of the heavenly armies, the Captain of our salvation steps onto the battlefield of the Judean wilderness to take the fight to Satan; to win where Adam lost. To bring victory to you who were lost in sin and death.

 

So we must avoid the temptation to turn Jesus’ temptation into some kind of three-step program to follow and defeat the devil. This story isn’t about you or me, not at first anyhow. It’s about the Son of God’s faithfulness to God the Father. How Jesus relies upon and lives solely by God’s Word. How Jesus hungers like we do, is tempted like we are, yet without sin. How Jesus overcame Satan and temptation for us who are so often overcome by temptation. 

 

But unlike watching our favorite sports contests, say the Stanley Cup or the World Series, where we don’t know who will win or lose, you know who wins this battle. Not sin. Not death. Not Satan. Satan cannot win. Not in the wilderness. Not on the cross. And not over you. Jesus always wins. Jesus always conquers. Jesus is always victorious. For you. 

 

This is why Jesus goes into the wilderness. And notice when Satan decides to strike. When Jesus has been in the wilderness for 40 days. Tired. Weak. Weary. Hungry. Exhausted. Jesus faces the full force and power of Satan’s temptations.

 

Satan tempts Jesus to fill his belly now, to worship him and receive all the kingdoms of the earth now, to throw himself down from the temple so that all will see now you are the Son of God. Satan’s strategy in the wilderness is to tempt Jesus to bypass the cross, grab the glory without the suffering. Keep Jesus from the cross at all costs. 

 

Satan uses the same tactics on you as well. To keep you from the cross at all costs. To distract and deceive you. To lead you into doubt and despair. He attacks you in your weakness. Ever looked in your bank account or cupboard and wondered if God would provide; if you’re the Son of God turn these stones to bread? Ever looked at your body and illness, or your loved ones suffering and wondered, if you’re the Son of God why won’t you heal me? Ever thought about all the times you’ve given into the desires of your sinful flesh and thought, how could God possibly forgive and rescue me? 

 

This is how Satan works. Sowing doubt and despair and deception. As he did in Eden, so he tempts us, on the one hand to dismiss and doubt what God has commanded and promised. Surely you won’t die. It’s not that big of a deal. Did God really say he would save you? And then, on the other hand, to tempt you to despair. To think you are unforgiveable, unsavable, unlovable. Defeated.  

 

No matter the temptation, his strategy is always the same. Keep you from the cross.

 

It’s a good thing for you, then, that nothing, and no one will keep Jesus from going to the cross for you. It’s a good thing that for all his attacks and assaults, Satan is, and always will be a loser. Satan is defeated. Jesus wins the victory, here in the wilderness, and on the cross for you. It’s a good thing that Jesus is in the wilderness, fighting for you. 

 

And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

 

That opportune time came. Jesus took the hill of Mt. Calvary. And there, hanging on the cross, suffering, bleeding, dying, nailed to the tree, Jesus waged war against Satan, sin, and death. Jesus took all your temptations, all your failings, and fallings, and giving into temptation, all our doubt and despair, sin and death, and he fought to the death for you. 

 

Here in the wilderness of Luke 4, the enfleshed Word of God defeats every temptation of Satan with the Word of God. Jesus cannot lose. Jesus wins. 

 

Same is true for you as we live in this Lenten time of war. No matter what your daily struggles are, or battles you are fighting. The Word of God defeats Satan. The Word of God in your baptism extinguishes all the fiery arrows Satan hurls at you. The Word of God in the forgiveness of sins defeats all Satan’s accusations against you. The Word of God in the Supper strengthens and nourishes you. The Word of God in the Scriptures is your sword, shield, and armor. 

 

Yes, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, there is a war raging. Do not be afraid. For us fights the Valiant One. The Crucified and Risen One. Sin, death, and Satan are vanquished. Defeated. In the wilderness, on the cross, and each and every day until he returns again, Jesus fights for you. Jesus is victorious for you. Jesus won the battle for you.

 

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

 

Sermon for Ash Wednesday: "Ash Wednesday and Worms"

 + Ash Wednesday – March 2^nd 2022 +

Isaiah 41:14-16

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

 

 

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

If you could become any animal in the world, which one would you choose? Maybe, like Isaiah, you’d soar on wings like an eagle. Or, like Amos, the mighty king of the jungle, the lion. 

Chances are, though, whatever animal comes to mind, I’m guessing none of you thought of a worm. Who would want to be a worm? Worms have no arms, no legs, and no eyes! They’re small and squishy and creepy crawly, not to mention dirty. The prophets Isaiah and Jonah even equate a worm with the being cursed by God. (e.g., Isaiah 66:24; Jonah 4:7)

It’s fair to say that most of us don’t go to the zoo to look at the cute little worms, or have a worm as your school mascot.

And yet, that’s exactly what happens in Isaiah 41:14. The prophet Isaiah calls God’s people a worm. “Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob.” Why does God call the people of Israel in exile in Babylon a worm? Sounds rather harsh to our ears. 

But when you look at the Old Testament history, Isaiah’s name for Israel makes a lot of sense. Buried under the boot of Babylon, in Isaiah 40–55 the exiles are also called weak and weary, bruised reeds and smoldering wicks, deaf and blind, childless, widowed, divorced, and a stubborn rebel from birth. God has a word for that here in Isaiah 41: worm.

Isaiah also parallels the words “O worm Jacob” with “those who are dead.” In other words, Isaiah is using biblical, prophetic poetry to compare people dead in sin with a worm. Dead people are buried—so are worms. Dead people are stepped on—so are worms. Dead people are surrounded by dirt—so are worms. Dead people are ignored and soon forgotten—and so are the worms.

God’s people in exile saw terror on every side. God’s promises to the patriarchs and David appeared to be null and void. The captives were caught in a culture where their most treasured narratives and liturgies were mocked, trivialized, or dismissed as being simply irrelevant. Everything had been swallowed up by the beast of Babylon. Sounds an awful lot like our lives in exile in the fallen world. 

Perhaps you’ve found yourself praying the lament of God’s people in exile, Psalm 22: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And then in verse 6 David says, “I am a worm and not a man.”

Again, it sounds harsh at first. But Psalm 22 reveals the truth about our sinful nature. We are captive to sin. We have not “acted justly and love mercy and walk humbly with my God” (Micah 6:8). We daily bury ourselves deeper and deeper in the dirt and filth of our sin. 

God has a word for that: worm.

And so we cry out with the prophet Isaiah, “I am a man of unclean lips”; and with Job, “Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes”; and with Paul, “O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death!” 

This is part of what Lent is all about. Acknowledging who we are in God’s sight—sinful and unclean in thought, word, and deed. In Lent, we confess our sins, grieve over them, and repent before God. You see, only people who are dead and buried and surrounded by dirt cry out for life and resurrection!

And yet, Lent is also about hearing and rejoicing in the life-giving Word of God, yes even for worms like you and me. “Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O dead ones of Israel, for I myself will help you, declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”

The Lord will not look down upon you, nor trample upon you, nor leave you buried in the soil of your iniquity. Christ is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”

Isaiah uses that word “redeemer” here in Isaiah 40–55 for the first time and will use it 18 more times in these chapters. A redeemer is your next-of-kin-relative who buys back your inheritance, frees you from slavery, and pays off your debt. Whatever has gone bad, your redeemer will make good (Job 19:25; 42:10).

Joined with Redeemer is the phrase “the Holy One of Israel.”. He is, as the seraphim cry out, “holy, holy, holy!” It means the Lord is completely set apart and different from everyone and everything else.

Isaiah reveals your Redeemer—the completely immanent One—with the Holy One of Israel—the completely transcendent One. In this way, he announces that the Lord alone is able to marshal every power in the universe for a single, loving, gracious, relentless goal—to bring us love and life, forgiveness and salvation!

How does He do it? In the fullness of time, God became your next-of-kin-relative. And then He took another step. He became dirty, despised, and dismissed. But then He took another, almost incomprehensible step. 

Remember how Jesus cried out the words of Psalm 22 on the cross. “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And then verse 6, “I am a worm and not a man.” Here is Jesus, nailed to the tree, His body bent and twisted. Here is Jesus, a bloody horrific mess. Here is Jesus, mocked, ridiculed, and abandoned. God has a word for that: worm.

This is what Lent is about. Jesus transforms and reverses everything. He makes all things new by his cross and resurrection.  “See, I am making you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff.”

In Isaiah’s way of thinking, worms are mountain movers, transformed from lowliness to glory all by God’s grace. For in Christ crucified and risen, the lowly and despised are loved and lifted up. Our Lenten sackcloth and ashes are not the last word. On Easter they will be exchanged for baptismal robes washed white in the blood of Jesus. “The blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor” (Matthew 11:5). God has a word for that too. Grace. 

 

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

Sermon for The Transfiguration of Our Lord: "Messianic Mountains"

 + Transfiguration of Our Lord – February 27^th, 2022 +

Series C: Deuteronomy 34; Hebrews 3:1-6; Luke 9:28-36

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

Here in the Pacific Northwest, mountains are a significant part of our way of life. Recreation. Navigation. Watersheds. The names alone speak significance Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, Mt. Olympus, each takes on significance all its own. Maybe you’ve seen the mural in downtown Sumner that beckons us to “Live like the mountain is out” or the welcome sign in Orting, “Small town – Big View.” Whether you like hiking around them, or just admiring their beauty, mountains are where big things happen.

 

The same is true in Scripture. Throughout God’s Word, mountains take on a holy significance. A lot of big things in Scripture happen on mountains. 

·      Mt. Moriah, where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice Isaac yet God provided the sacrifice of a ram instead. A substitute. Later on that same mountain, David built an altar to the Lord and Solomon built the temple of the Lord. 

·      Mt. Sinai, where Moses saw the burning bush, received YHWH’s covenant, he and Israel saw a theophany (divine revealing) of God, Elijah too. 

·      Mt. Zion, where God promised to dwell with his people again in Jerusalem, the chosen city that was to point forward to God’s holy people and his chosen city of the holy Christian Church.

 

These sacred summits are places of divine epiphany, of revelation. A place of theophany: God revealing himself in a visible way for the benefit of his people. Whenever mountains come into view in Scripture, God is doing something big for his people. 

 

It’s no accident, then, that on this last day of the season of Epiphany, when we celebrate Jesus’ transfiguration, it occurs, of all places, on a mountain. The mountains of Scripture surround, and lead to the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration. 

 

Luke starts off his account of Jesus’ transfiguration with a significant biblical number. 8. 8 days for circumcision of infant boys. 8 people in the ark. 8 becomes the number of new creation. Peter, James, and John are there on the mountain, too, serving as the Old Testament’s requirement for 2 or 3 witnesses. Testifying to what Jesus reveals on this mountain in his transfiguration. 

 

As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.

 

Dazzling white clothing. Like the kind the angels are clothed in at Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. It’s the same word in fact! Luke’s point is simple, yet profound. If Jesus’ birth reveals that God has become man to save us, then at Jesus’ transfiguration, it is revealed once again that Jesus, who is true man is also true God. Jesus was, is, and always shall be true God. And by his incarnation, he is and always shall be true God and man. True Man full of humility and true God radiant with divine glory. 

 

Notice, though, that Jesus is not alone on this mountain of his transfiguration. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory.

 

Why these guys? Both Moses and Elijah saw theophanies of God and spoke with God at Mt. Sinai. Both men embody the whole Old Testament. Moses, the Torah. Elijah, the prophets. Their presence on this mountain at Jesus’ transfiguration is a signal that all the mountains, indeed all the promises of the Old Testament, finally crest, and find their fulfillment in Jesus. 

 

Not only are these two men important. So is their message. Only Luke records this little, meaningful detail. Moses and Elijah, “spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”

 

What’s his “departure” you ask? The Greek word here is far richer and deeper, it’s the word “exodus.” Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus about his exodus, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. 

 

Wait, the exodus? The one where God rescued and redeemed his people from bondage to slavery in Egypt? Yes. The very same one. When Moses and Elijah converse with Jesus on this mountain top meeting, they’re discussing Jesus’ exodus he is about to accomplish in Jerusalem. And so the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration leads us to the mountain of his crucifixion. 

 

All the mountains of Scripture lead you to Mt. Calvary. To the great exile of the cross where Jesus will be forsaken by the Father for you. Where the greater Isaac will be sacrificed as a substitute for you. Where all the punishments of Law that we have broken will come down on Jesus like an avalanche. Where all the curses that we deserved from Mt. Sinai will cascade down upon him and crush him under the mountainous dung heap of our sin. 

 

Once again, on a mountain top, Jesus does big things – the biggest off all – he saves sinners by becoming sin for you. Already at the mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration, the mountain of his crucifixion is on the horizon. On that mountain where Jesus is crucified, he embarks upon the greatest exile of history, his exile to the cross, and down under the mountain and into the grave. But not just his grave. Yours and mine and the whole world’s. God does big things on this mountain. 

 

God also does big things under this mountain. Three days later, Jesus returns from his exodus under the earth, in your grave, and rises again. And when Jesus walks out from the grave he does so like one of those mountain rescuers, carrying you and all humanity upon his shoulders. 

 

What the prophets long foretold, Jesus accomplishes. A worldwide exile in which the lost, fallen children of Adam and Eve, will finally return home. What Jesus does on this mountain of transfiguration, and at his crucifixion, he does for you, and for all. Jesus dies, you die. Jesus rises, you rise. Jesus lives, you live. Jesus is glorified, you are glorified in Jesus. 

 

Did Peter, James, and John understand all of this as they sat on that mountain top witnessing Jesus’ transfiguration? Of course not. But, by God’s grace, they would. And by God’s grace you do as well. 

 

And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”  And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.

 

What’s true for the disciples is true for you as well. Listen to Jesus. His voice. His Word. His word resounds and rings, down from all the mountains of Holy Scripture, to you, here on Mt. Zion, the church. On this mountain, God continues to do big things for you in his life giving words and healing waters and nourishing, forgiving, sustaining body and blood. In Jesus’ transfiguration we see the glory of his coming death and resurrection for you, where Jesus brings us through the great exodus of his cross and empty tomb to give us freedom, life, and redemption. 

 

A blessed day of the Transfiguration of Our Lord to each of you…

 

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

Sermon for Epiphany 7: "Living in Christ's Mercy"

 + 7^th Sunday after the Epiphany – February 20^th, 2022 +

Series C: Genesis 45:3-15; 1 Corinthians 15:21-26, 30-42; Luke 6:27-38

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

There’s a familiar idea I’ve often encountered when conversations take a spiritual turn; maybe you’ve heard something similar. “I don’t like the Old Testament very much; it’s so hard to read and understand. I like the New Testament much better; it’s so much easier.”

 

My usual reply, “You need to read the New Testament more closely; it can be just as difficult.”

 

Take Jesus’ words Luke 6 for example… Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. ³¹ And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise…love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return…become merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

 

You’re probably all thinking what I’ve been thinking all week, “What does this mean?” 

 

Let’s start with some context. Our gospel reading from Luke 6 picks up where we left off last week. Last week the beatitudes. This week, the second part of Jesus’ sermon on the plain. Last week, 

Jesus declared our identity. Who you are. In Christ you are blessed, beloved, redeemed, and rescued. This week Jesus moves from being to doing. From who you are in Christ, to how you live in Christ. 

 

In this second part of his sermon, Jesus uses 16 imperatives: love your enemies; do good, bless, pray, and so on. To underscore the significance of all of this, Jesus summarizes these 16 imperatives three times in verses 31, 36, and 38. Love your enemies. Become merciful. Give.

 

Now, there are plenty of wrong ways to understand Jesus’ words here in Luke 6. One way is to treat Jesus’ words like a check list that we must complete in order to be a perfect Christian…do these things and God will bless you. Problem is, that’s not good news. That’s not the gospel. It’s also not what Jesus is saying. We don’t do these things Jesus says in order to be blessed. We live this way because we are blessed in Jesus’ dying and rising. 

 

Another way we misunderstand Jesus’ words is to think, “Well, that’s impossible. Nope. Too hard. I give up.” And so we never actually try to live how Jesus teaches us to live.

 

Think for a moment, though; why are these words so difficult to hear and do? Is it because we don’t like what Jesus says? Probably. Is it because it’s hard to love our enemies, become merciful, and give selflessly? No doubt about that. Is it because Jesus’ words reveal our failure to live as those who are blessed and redeemed in Christ? Yes, that too. Probably all these and more.

 

The truth is deeper though. We find these words so challenging because they reveal the truth that we do not always live as God’s people. That we do not love our enemies; we do not do good; we are not merciful, we do not give selflessly. The reason Jesus’ words are so hard is because they reveal our idolatry. We don’t love our enemies because deep down we love ourselves more. We’re not always merciful because we don’t think others are worthy or deserving of God’s mercy. We don’t give selflessly because we are self-centered. 

 

But even though this is all true, there is a deeper truth in Jesus’ sermon on the plain. We’ve yet to arrive at the center of Jesus’ sermon on the plain. The heart and center of Jesus’ words isn’t who we are or even how we live. But who Jesus is and how he lives for you.

 

The heart and center of Jesus’ sermon on the plain is the abundant mercy of a merciful God revealed in the merciful life, death, and resurrection of Jesus for you. 

 

For while we were still enemies of God, while we were still sinners, Christ Jesus died in love for you. When we hated Him by thought, word, and deed, He did good for us by bearing all of our sin. When we cursed Him for daring to say we had sinned, He blessed us with forgiveness, paid for by His blood. When we abused Him and His whole creation for our selfish desires, He prayed for us, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” When we struck Him, He offered more of Himself to be stricken by being nailed to a cross. When we took His cloak and divided it, He offered His tunic for which we cast lots. When we begged for Him to be crucified, He gave His life, not holding it back. Jesus did for us, what we should have done for Him. And by it, has saved us all. Each and every one of these imperatives in His sermon, Jesus fulfilled completely on the cross for you. 

 

That’s what it means to be a Christian. To live in Christ’s mercy. In Christ, you are his baptized, beloved disciple. And in Christ, every day, every moment, every good thing do or say is done because you live Christ’s mercy. You live in Christ’s mercy. It’s true for our salvation and it’s true of our life of good works as well

 

Remember the beatitudes. That is who you are. You are blessed in Christ. You are alive in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. You live in his mercy. Mercy in the forgiveness of sins. Mercy in his Word which you read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. Mercy in your baptism into his holy Name. Mercy in his body and blood. You are alive in Christ’s mercy. That is who you are. It’s also how you live.

 

You live, each day, in all your vocations, in all you say and do, in Christ’s mercy. You are a good tree which produces good fruit. Our Christian life (of sanctification of good works) described here by Jesus, is like an oversized t shirt. The Greek there in vs. 36 is so much clearer. Become merciful. Not be. Become. We’re constantly becoming, growing into the disciple Jesus declares you are. 

 

This is how you live as Christ to your neighbor. So, when you do good works that Jesus gives you to do, praise the Lord that he has given us such fruit of faith that love and serve others. And when we fail to live up to Jesus’ words here in Luke 6, praise the Lord that he is merciful and has done kept all these words for you. Whether it’s your salvation or good works, the answer is the same; you’re living in Christ’s mercy.

 

Yes, Jesus’ words are often difficult. These are hard things to do: to love our enemies. To do good. To pray for them. To become merciful. To give selflessly. Forgive. Do good, expecting nothing in return. 

 

You can only do these things in Christ. You can only do these things, if your identity is in Christ. And it is. You can only do these things Jesus teaches when you live in his mercy.

 

So, whenever you come across these hard words of Jesus, or any other hard words of Scripture, remember that God’s mercy in Christ is at the center of it all; God’s mercy covers all. For you live under the mercy of Christ. 

 

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

Sermon for Epiphany 6: "Your Identity is in Christ"

 + 6^th Sunday after the Epiphany – February 13^th, 2022 +

Series C: Jeremiah 17:5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-20; Luke 6:17-26

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

 

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

 

The word “identity” is one of the buzzwords of our day and age. There’s identity theft. Identity politics. Gender identity. Self-identification as this or that or whatever. Identity is humanity’s version of a dictionary, it’s how we look for what defines us. People constantly define themselves by how they vote, how they dress, how they live, and so on. 

 

Identity is humanity searching for an answer to the age-old question. Who are you? 

 

Jesus answers these questions of identity - who am I? Who are you?  - as he begins his famous sermon on the plain in Luke 6. Jesus proclaims four beatitudes. Four blessings. Four declarations.

 

Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. 
Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.
Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. 

 

It’s easy to start looking at each of these beatitudes from our perspective. As declarations of blessings that God is giving to us. And they certainly are. Each and every one of Jesus’ beatitudes here is a promise, blessing, and declaration of who you are in him. Though before we see how these beatitudes define who we are in Christ, we must see how Jesus’ words identify and define who he is for you. The beatitudes are first and foremost a description of who Jesus is for you.

 

Jesus embodies and incarnates each and every one of these beatitudes. Jesus is the one who was poor for you. Jesus is the one who hungered in the wilderness and thirsted on the cross for you. Jesus is the one who wept for you. Jesus is the one who bore all the hate and exclusion and wickedness man could muster, and who was cast out called evil even as he hung on the cursed tree of the cross for you. 

 

This is who Jesus is for you. All of the beatitudes are descriptions of him, identifying who he is to save you. And in Jesus, all of his beatitudes, his blessings, come to you as well. 

 

For, try as you might, you do not define yourself. You cannot. It is not we who define ourselves, but God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who defines who you are. And yet, ever since Genesis 3 and the fall of sin, you and me, and the whole sinful world has been wrestling with a giant identity crisis of body and soul. We’re tempted, as Adam and Eve were, to define ourselves for ourselves. You define who you are. I define who I am. We’re tempted to look to ourselves for our own good, for our own definition of who we are, to look at our thoughts, words, and deeds and define ourselves by them. But that is the very definition, not of identity, but of idolatry. In the biblical view of things, this is who I am. Who you are. As we confess the truth…I, a poor miserable sinner.

 

And yet, this is not the whole truth. All of your self-righteousness, self-serving, and sin does not define who you are. Because Jesus was born and lived for you, because he declared these beatitudes in his sermon on the plain, because he went to Jerusalem to be rejected, crucified, died, and was buried, because he rose again from the dead on the third day…your sin no longer defines you.

 

Who are you? We’ll each answer that question differently at first. Who are you? I am a husband, father, pastor, son, brother, uncle, and so on. And those things are true. But they are not the whole truth. 

 

Who or what defines you? Not your politics, your hobbies, your vocations in life – as good as all of these things can be. No, your identity in Christ is defined not by anything you do, say, or are on your own, but by who Christ is, by what he says, and by what he does.

 

Your identity is in Christ crucified and risen. 

 

Blessed are you who are poor in body and soul – who receive all good things in our earthly life as well as our eternal life as gift from God in Christ Jesus. Yours is the kingdom of God. Right here, right now. Today. The kingdom of God comes to you in Jesus’ gifts of word, water, his body and blood.

 

Blessed are you who are hungry now. Blessed are you who see that all our needs of body and soul – from our kitchen table to the Lord’s table - are given to you out of God’s fatherly divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness of your own. You are and ever shall be satisfied in Jesus the Bread of Life.

 

Blessed are you who weep. Sounds strange that Jesus blesses our weeping. But he does. He who wept for us and with us has promised that in His dying and rising, one day he will wipe away every tear from our eyes and make all things new. And you shall have the last laugh over sin and death forever.

 

Blessed are you when you are hated, excluded, cast out, reviled, and spurned as evil on account of Christ. For in him though you are hated by the world, you are loved eternally. Blessed in Him who bore all the hatred and evil in his body on the cross.

 

Who are you? You are blessed in Jesus. You are blesses because you are united to Christ in the waters of your baptism where God the Father declares and identifies you as his beloved, baptized child. 

 

You are blessed because you are his handiwork, created in his image. You are redeemed and restored from sin in the image of the Son of God who was crucified for you and rose from the dead for you. You are a dwelling of the Holy Spirit. Baptized. Blessed because of your communion with Jesus in his body and blood. Blessed because of his word of life and forgiveness declared to you. 

 

All of these beatitudes…they’re all yours. For you belong to Christ. And because of all that He is and has done for you, all that belongs to Him belongs to you as well. 

 

Who are you? You are baptized and blessed in Christ Jesus. You are citizens of his kingdom now and forever. You are, as the prophet Jeremiah says, “a tree planted by the water,” rooted and alive and growing in Christ.

 

Yes, in this life, you may hunger. Thirst. Weep. You may even be persecuted or reviled because of who you are in Christ. 

 

But nothing in this fallen world defines you. You are united with Christ. Blessed in Christ. Redeemed. Rescued. Forgiven. In Christ. 

 

Your identity is in Christ. And that is who you are.

 

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

Sermon for Epiphany 5: "The Christ-Centered Word"

 + 5^th Sunday after the Epiphany – February 6^th, 2022 +

Series C: Isaiah 6:1-13; 1 Corinthians 14:12-20; Luke 5:1-11

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Milton, WA

 

 

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

 

In the 1500’s, Nicolaus Copernicus proposed the theory that the sun was the center of the solar system, and everything else revolved in orbit around it. “In the middle of everything, is the sun.” 

 

Now, what does Copernicus and the theory of heliocentricity have to do with our Gospel reading from Luke 5? The same thing as an axle and wheel, or a fixed pivot and a teeter totter…Once you know what the center is, everything else comes together. 

 

If Luke 5 was a solar system, there are a lot of planets in orbit. The crowds gather and press in on Jesus. Jesus teaches and preaches. Jesus performs a fisherman’s dream of a miracle, filling the boats and nets with fish. Jesus calls his Peter, James, and John as his disciples, to be fishers of men.

 

And at the center of it all…Jesus, the Son of God, the enfleshed, incarnate Word of God who speaks and delivers His divine and saving Word. Jesus and his word the center and circumference, the sun and gravitational pull in today’s reading. Everything in Luke 5, and the rest of Scripture, orbits around its center: Christ Jesus. Scripture is Christocentric and logo-centric. Christ the word-centered.

 

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

 

Why do the crowds come? Are they looking for Jesus to perform some miracles or healings like an attraction at the Puyallup fair? No. The crowds pressed in on Jesus to hear the Word of God. Here in Luke 5, The sea of Gennesaret becomes Jesus’ sanctuary. The crowds are his congregation. Peter’s boat becomes Jesus’ pulpit. And Jesus does what rabbis do. He sat down and taught them the Word of God. His Word. His sacred word which shines with his divine light and life.

 

Our surroundings may look different this morning, but what happens in Luke 5 is what happens here each and every Lord’s day. Like the crowds on the seashore, we press in to hear the Word of God. From the first word of the Invocation to the last word in the Benediction, everything we hear, say, sing, and pray is from God’s Word, centered on Jesus life giving, life-saving word. That’s why we call this divine service. That’s why we say and do the things that are done in the Lord’s house. Jesus’ word is at the center. Everything we do – from the potlucks to planning meetings, from board meetings to bible studies, and everything in between – it all orbits around and is centered upon Jesus’ word of life in his cross and empty tomb. 

 

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

 

You have to appreciate the comedy of this moment. Peter and his fellow fishermen have been fishing all night with nothing to show for – sounds like fishing, huh? He’s exhausted. Takes all the energy he has left just to clean the nets. The last thing Peter wants to do is get back in the boat, go out on the water again, at the wrong time of the day for fishing and dirty up the nets he’s just finished cleaning…and for what? Nothing but net? No way, Jesus.

 

“Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; but at Your word I will let down the net.” 

 

Before Jesus fills the nets, Jesus works his miracle of faith in Peter. Simon trusts Jesus’ word, even as Jesus is teaching Simon to trust His Word. That’s the point of this miracle. Trust the Word of Jesus. “At your word I will let down the nets.” Simon trusts the Word of Jesus over and against his own experience as a fishermen. He has no good reason to let out the nets in the daylight in deep water except for Jesus’ Word.  Jesus’ word is at the center of it all.

 

But what happens whenever we place something other than God’s word at the center of our lives – whether it’s our thoughts, emotions, or good works or whatever? The same thing that happens when you remove your axle from your car wheel, or the center pivot of your teeter totter. Everything comes crashing down. Contrary to the ways of the world, the lies of the devil, and our selfish, sinful flesh, we are not the center of the universe. And nothing, save Jesus’ word, will hold our lives together.

 

How different, and unexpectedly gracious Jesus’ Word is. Before long, the nets Peter was cleaning, were soon bursting with so many fish, Peter had to call for help. And that’s the way it is with Jesus’ word. More than we expect or deserve.

 

Peter gets it instantly. Simon Peter looks at the flopping fish in the boat; he looks at Jesus, and this big tough fisherman falls to his knees in humility, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

 

That is faith talking – recognizing that we stand in the presence of a holy God, recognizing that in Jesus this holy God has become one of us and stands in our midst, that He is the Lord of creation whom the wind and waves and even the fish obey. Simon knew his sinfulness. It wasn’t just a matter of sins, the coarse word here, the fights with his brother, the bickering with his wife, his greed for gain, his discouragement over a fruitless night of labor, or whatever. He doesn’t simply say “I have sinned,” but “I am a sinner.” That’s what he is. That’s what you and I are as well.

Peter’s right. He’s a sinner. And so are we. So what does Jesus do? Toss us back in the drink? No. Do not be afraid, Jesus says to Simon Peter. And to you. For Jesus performs the same miracle for us as he did for Peter.

 

Faith and trust in his Word. Despite what we may think or feel or see around us or know. Jesus’ Word is trustworthy. In fact it’s the only trustworthy word. And he gives you his Word freely. Graciously. Abundantly. You thought that net full of fish was good…just wait till you see his crucifixion where he catches all your sins, throws him onto his body and buries them in the deep water of his tomb. You thought the miracle of a boat load of fish was good, just wait till you see his empty tomb and his risen body come forth from the grave for you. 

 

At the center of this story, of the disciples’ story, of your story is the same Lord Jesus and his same, divine, saving, life-giving word. Yes, Jesus’ word is authoritative. Powerful. Creative. But don’t forget that Jesus’ word is also gracious beyond what we expect or deserve. Do not be afraid, Jesus declares to you as well. Jesus speaks his word of life to you. Jesus washes away your sin with water and his word. Jesus feeds you his body and blood in bread and wine by his word. 

 

In his church, in your daily life, Jesus is the Sun, and we live as his people in the gracious gravitational pull of his death and resurrection. Jesus puts himself at the center for you. And once the center is known, everything else comes together.

 

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