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Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday - February 11, 2024

Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday

“The Glory of God in the Face of Jesus”      

Mark 9:2-9 and 2 Corinthians 4:5-7

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. (Psalm 19:14)

The text for our meditation this evening is the Gospel lesson, from Mark 9, along with a few thoughts from our Epistle lesson.

About a week before our text, the disciple Peter had made a great and true confession of faith, saying to Jesus, “You are the Christ,” the Messiah, the Anointed One sent from God to be the Savior (Mark 8:29). Soon after that, Jesus began to tell His disciples that He needed to suffer much and be killed and after three days rise again. He had indicated this before, but now Jesus said it plainly (Mark 8:31-32).

Right away, Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him, telling Him that He was wrong and shouldn’t be saying such things. Jesus then had to rebuke Peter, telling him that his mind was not on God’s will, but on his own will and desires, and that he was actually serving Satan, the devil, in this thinking (Mark 8:32-33). Clearly, Peter and the other disciples still had much to learn about Jesus and God’s saving plan. Peter, in particular, could be so strong and right one moment and so weak and confused the next.

Doesn’t that sound like us, too, at times? We can be so strong in faith, but when God’s will and ways don’t seem to fit with our wishes and desires, we can sometimes question and struggle, too. Jesus cared about these disciples, as He cares about us; and Mark, who wrote this Gospel, inspired by God, makes it very clear that Jesus purposely took Peter and James and John along for His Transfiguration so that their faith in Him might be strengthened.

We hear in our text that Jesus took these three leaders of the disciples and led them up a high mountain by themselves and then was transfigured before them. A little later, we hear that there appeared to them, to these disciples, Elijah and Moses, great prophets and leaders of the Old Testament, talking with Jesus. And a little later, a cloud overshadowed them, including the disciples - a cloud as in the Old Testament, when God Himself appeared to His people, and the voice of God the Father came from the cloud, telling the disciples, “This Jesus is My Beloved Son!” - the Son of God and God the Son.

That was indicated, too, by the way Jesus was transfigured. The Greek word here is “metamorphosis” - “a dramatic change in physical form, a striking alteration in appearance,” Webster’s Dictionary says. We think of the change from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly. In Jesus’ case, it was much more than that. Jesus was a real man, a human being, like us - and yet now the disciples had a glimpse of what He also was - God the Son Himself. They or any of us could only handle a glimpse, in this life, of that glory.

The clothes of Jesus were radiant, intensely white, whiter than bleach or Tide or Oxi-Clean or any humanly made product could make a robe or anything else, and Matthew’s Gospel says that Jesus’ face “shone like the sun” (Matthew 17:3). We all know how long we could stand to look at that brilliance.

Clearly, this amazing experience showed that Jesus was God the Son, and God the Father then literally said to the disciples, “Keep on listening to Him" - to Jesus - and following Him. Our text says that the disciples were terrified by all this, and Peter didn’t know what to say, except that he wanted to keep the glory and the miracle of all this going by following an Old Testament festival, where God’s people would build temporary booths and tent-like structures and remember the glory days of the past.

But that was not to be. Suddenly no one was with the disciples, but Jesus only, and He looked in His ordinary way. And they had to come down from the mountain to their ordinary lives, with joys but many challenges and troubles. Jesus particularly had to come down to just what He had predicted, and to what we will hear about in the Lenten season, starting this coming Wednesday, Ash Wednesday.

The Transfiguration event was also for His benefit - for Jesus was a real man, too, not always using His Godly powers. He was tempted as we are and yet did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). As we heard last week, Jesus kept praying to His Heavenly Father and leaning upon Him for His strength, as God’s Beloved Son. He kept listening to God’s Word, given through Moses and Elijah and the other Old Testament writers, and following it. In fact, Luke tells us in his Gospel that on the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus about His departure, His “exodus,” His “going out” from this world, at Jerusalem (Luke 9:30-31), and they surely were encouraging Him always to do His Father’s will. They knew that they had failed at that, even as great leaders. Moses had gone against God’s will and was not able to enter the promised land of Israel, but he was forgiven and entered into eternal life, by God’s grace. Elijah also had rough times. He once was so discouraged that he wanted to lay down and die. He too went to eternal life, by God’s grace.

Jesus, though, perfectly followed His Father’s will in the days following the Transfiguration. He suffered many things and was rejected by the religious authorities and many others, and was killed in a most horrible way, by crucifixion, and after three days, rose from the dead. Above all, He paid the penalty for the sins of His disciples and of the whole world, including you and me - the penalty we should have had to pay. He conquered sin and Satan and death for us all - and we receive forgiveness and new life and the promise of life everlasting, in return, through the gift of faith and trust in what He did for us, that God works in us. And one day, we also will stand with Moses and Elijah and with Jesus, in the glory of heaven.

How important all this was for Jesus’ disciples. They didn’t do so well in the days following the Transfiguration. They still didn’t understand Jesus’ words about suffering and dying and rising. When He was arrested, they all ran away. Even Peter, in fear, denied three times that he ever knew Jesus - though he’d seen that glorious mountaintop event. The disciples huddled in fear after Jesus died until He appeared to them as the Risen Lord and forgave them and strengthened them for 40 more days, through  God’s Word, and then He and God the Father sent them His Holy Spirit.

And the Spirit inspired Biblical writers and preachers to put down in a perfect way the New Testament, as well as the Old, so that to this day, we can still keep listening to Christ Jesus and hearing of all He did and continues to do for us, as our Savior, just as God the Father asked us to listen, on the Mount of Transfiguration. We have the Word, through which the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Triune God, works. And we have the Word, connected with water in the gift of Holy Baptism, and the Word connected with bread and wine and the very Body and Blood of Christ, given and shed for us, in the Lord’s Supper.

Even with all that, the early church was not perfect, except as counted that way in the eyes of God, through Christ and His forgiveness, earned for them and for us.

• Peter and Paul had some difficulties with each other.
• Paul and John Mark, who wrote the Gospel we’re hearing today, had a falling out with each other at one point.
• The churches we hear about were not perfect.
• And we are certainly not sitting here tonight as a perfect church and perfect people.

But we know where our hope always is. Paul put it so well in our Epistle lesson for today. He said, “What we proclaim is not ourselves (or our church, or the great things we are doing). But we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves simply as servants, for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, “Let Light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.   

In fact, in the very next verse, after this Epistle, Paul says, “We have this great treasure” - the Good News of the Gospel of Christ and what he has done for us, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit - we have this great treasure “in jars of clay.” We are the jars of clay, with all our chips and cracks and imperfections, and yet we are also the children of God, through the love and forgiveness of Jesus.

And, Paul says, “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). And our great Triune God is enough, all we need, for this life and for eternal life to come.

Please rise for prayer. Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds safe (only where they are safe) in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Preparing for Worship - February 11, 2024

The Old Testament lesson most likely to be used for this coming Sunday is from 2 Kings 2:1-12. It was time for the prophet Elijah’s ministry to end and for him to be called to heaven. Elisha had been very close to Elijah and didn’t want to leave him, though Elijah kept asking him to stay behind when he traveled. Elisha wouldn’t do that and asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. It was up to the Lord and His Holy Spirit, though, as to how Elisha would be blessed. Finally, Elijah is taken directly to heaven by a whirlwind, accompanied by chariots and horses of fire. Elisha shows his great sorrow at Elijah being gone, but in verses that follow he does receive the Lord’s Spirit for his own prophetic ministry.

The alternate Old Testament lesson is from Exodus 34:29-35. Moses was also a great prophet of God and received the 10 Commandments and much more from the Lord so that he could write the first five books of the Old Testament. When he was with God, his face shone with a bit of the glory of God. But this glory was a fading glory for him when he was away from the Lord.

The Psalm is Psalm 50:1-6. This psalm also pictures the glory of “the Mighty One, God the Lord” “shining forth” like the sun. When He comes, there can be “tempest” and “fire,” especially when he calls His people to assemble to be judged by Him. (After this text, God does find fault with His people. Martin Luther puts it this way: “They value their own sacrifices and worship highly, as if God must surely be thankful and indebted to them. God, however, reverses this. He intends for His goodness and help to be so highly esteemed that we will be thankful and indebted to Him… that we praise God, that we trust in Him, call on Him, praise and thank Him as our only God, and the like” (Reading the Psalms with Luther, p.121-122, CPH, 2007).

These readings all point forward to the great Glory of Jesus, the Son of God, shown in our Gospel lesson, Mark 9:2-9. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain by themselves, and Jesus was “transfigured” before them. His clothes were radiant, whiter than anyone on earth could make them, and another Gospel says that Jesus’ face shone like the sun in brightness. Moses and Elijah, great prophets and leaders of the Old Testament, appeared with Jesus. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and God the Father said of Jesus, “This is My Beloved Son; keep on listening to Him.” Clearly, Jesus was the Son of God, but suddenly, only Jesus was there with these disciples. They needed to go down the mountain, for soon Jesus would suffer and die to pay the penalty for the sins of the world (as we begin to hear on Ash Wednesday, February 14, this year), and then Jesus would rise from the dead, showing again His power and glory.

The Epistle lesson, 2 Corinthians 3:12-13 (14-18) 4:1-6, speaks of Moses wearing a veil when a bit of the Lord’s glory shone on him, as we heard in the alternate OT lesson from Exodus 34. It was a fading glory, but the glory of Jesus is forever, now that He humbled himself and completed His saving work on the cross and rose from the dead. Therefore, Paul and other New Testament leaders like Peter and James and John did not proclaim themselves. They were only servants of Jesus, who as true man was perfectly “the image of God;” and through the truth of the Word of God and what they had seen, they could only proclaim “the Gospel” of “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” as Lord and Savior.

Bible Study - Psalm 12

I read Psalm 12 recently and thought that it sounded very much like what many people say about the cultural and spiritual situation in our own day. See what you think. (I will use some helpful notes from Dr. Walter Roehrs in the old Concordia Self-Study Commentary by CPH.)

In v.1, David cries out to the Lord, Help! “Save, O Lord,” because there seem to be very few “godly” and “faithful” people left. This is a feeling that people often have when there are times of great trouble and persecution. When Elijah was being pursued by evil Queen Jezebel, who was trying to kill him, he thought that he was the only one left faithful to God’s covenant in all Israel. God comforts him and tells him that there are still 7,000 who had not gone over to false gods like Baal (1 Kings 19:10, 18). Isaiah said, “The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands” (Isaiah 57:1). Hosea wrote: “There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed” (Hosea 4:1-2). And Micah wrote: “The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net” (Micah 7:2). Things look so bad at various times, even though David says, “But I know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself; the Lord hears when I call Him” (Psalm 4:3).

In Psalm 12:2-4, David says that “everyone lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart, they speak.” And “tongues make great boasts” and people say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us, who is master over us?” We have many similar terms today. People speak with a “forked tongue; they talk out of “both sides of their mouth;” they are “two-faced.” James called a “double-hearted” person a “double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8). James also warned about the dangers of a tongue, which can be a “restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:5-10).

Aren’t there many today who change the meaning of words into whatever they want for themselves and demand that others must accept their point of view? To some, there are no longer two genders, male and female, as the Bible and science say, but many “genders” - whatever people choose to say they are. Men can call themselves women if they think they are, though God and their genes and their bodies still say they are men. People become “a law unto themselves” and reject prophets of God like Jeremiah, saying, “Come, let us strike him with our tongues, and let us not pay attention to any of his words,” though they are the very Word of God (Jeremiah 18:18).

It may not always seem like it, but God knows and sees what is going on, David says in Psalm 12:3,5. “He cuts off flattering lips,” and He cares about people who are spiritually “poor and needy” and “groan” because they are being hurt and “plundered” by these false and hurtful words and ideas. The Lord says, “I will arise… I will place My faithful people in safety for which they long.” The Lord can and will help us through very difficult days when there seem to be fewer faithful believers in the Lord. Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted… Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:3-6).

David also calls the Words of the Lord “pure Words.” They are like “well-refined silver” (Psalm 12:6) when we read and listen to them, instead of the false and misleading and self-centered words heard so much today. We can test what we hear by the Word of God, too. “For God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105). And “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” in what is truly right and good (2 Timothy 3:16).

Above all, the Scriptures keep pointing us to Christ Jesus our Savior and salvation through faith in Him (2 Timothy 3:15). Jesus lived in this world, and He knows our struggles and temptations and yet overcame them all for us, in His saving work in our place. He forgives us, too, when we realize that we have listened too much to the ways of this world and admit to our own failings. He restores us and helps us to follow Him.

There will always be some in every period of time who are a “crooked and twisted generation” (Deuteronomy 32:5, Philippians 2:15). Jesus Himself said twice, when He was here on earth, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah” - the death and three days in the grave and the resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 16:4. 12:39-40). David also wrote, in Psalm 12:8, “On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.” We cannot escape evil being around us, no matter when we live. But David also says, in Psalm 12:7, “You, O Lord, will keep Your believing people; You will guard us always from an evil generation around us.” That is God’s promise and our great hope, as we stay close to Christ and His Word (and Sacraments). “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, He will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Preparing for Worship - February 4, 2024

In the Gospel lesson for this week, Mark 1:29-39, we see Jesus continuing His ministry. He does not bask in His spreading fame (Mark 1:28), but He goes to the home of Simon (Peter) and Andrew. He hears that Simon’s mother-in-law is ill and quickly heals her. When the Sabbath was over, at sundown, many people who were sick and demon-possessed were brought to Him. He healed many and cast out many demons, not allowing them to speak. The whole city came to see all this, and by the next morning, “everyone was looking for Him,” but Jesus went away very early the next day to pray and then went on to preach in many other towns in Galilee. He had come “to preach” the Good News of His Kingdom and to battle Satan and his demons.

In the Epistle lesson, 1 Corinthians 9:16-27, like Jesus, Paul knows that it was necessary for him “to preach the Gospel” to as many people as possible. He tried to be “all things to all people,” in their varying backgrounds and situations, sharing “the blessings of the Gospel” so that some might be saved through the preaching of the good news of Christ Jesus and His “imperishable” gifts. Paul therefore sought to use “self-discipline” in the “race” God set before him, and in his preaching, “to present the Gospel free of charge.” Woe to me,” he said, “if I do not preach the Gospel!”

Paul received strength and guidance from Scriptures like the Old Testament and Psalm readings for this week, too. In Psalm 147, we sing and praise the Lord (Hallelujah) because He “gathers outcasts” and “heals the broken-hearted” and “lifts up the humble” and is “abundant in power” and “takes pleasure in those who fear Him” and “hope in His steadfast love.” Paul also knew that the Lord was the Creator, with “understanding above all measure, and that he served Him, above all.

Jesus knew even better the truth of this psalm and the Old Testament lesson, Isaiah 40:21-31. As God the Son, He was there at creation, and “without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). He helped “number” the stars and “call them by name.” He knew His Father’s plan “from the beginning” and graciously carried it out in becoming true man, also, for us and our salvation; but as a true man, He also needed to lean upon His Heavenly Father, as he was doing in prayer early in the morning, in the Gospel lesson. He grew tired, too, but “renewed His strength as he waited upon the Lord, and could “run” and “walk and not faint,” in His preaching ministry and all He did.

Bible Study - Psalm 147:1-11

Psalm 147 is the psalm assigned for this coming Sunday in our churches. Some think that it was written when some of God’s people had returned from the many years of captivity and exile in Babylon and by God’s grace had been able to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. There was a great celebration of joy described in Nehemiah 12:27-47, around 445-432 BC. Verse 46 of Nehemiah 12 remembers that “long ago in the days of David and Asaph there were directors of the singers, and there were songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.”

Psalm 147 begins and ends with the words “Praise the Lord,” which in the Hebrew language is: “Hallelujah!” It is “good” and “pleasant” and “fitting” to do so (v.1) because the Lord Himself had gathered “these outcasts of Israel” and brought them back to their land and “built up” the walls of Jerusalem again, through blessing and protecting them (v.2). After many years of sorrow and trouble for the Israelites, the Lord was “healing their broken hearts and binding up their wounds,” both physical and spiritual (v.3).

How can our Lord God do this? He is the Creator and Preserver of all things. He even created the stars and knows them all (v.4). This reminds us of the fact that He also has said to us, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1). Jesus, as our Redeemer and Savior, also says that He knows us by name and leads us, as His sheep (John 10:3-4), as we listen to His voice, in His Word. The Lord is also “great” and “abundant in power” and “lifts up” those who “humbly” trust in Him (Psalm 147:5-6). It may not always seem that way, especially when we feel heartbroken and wounded by the troubles of this life and are struggling, but God’s ways and “understanding” are “beyond measure” (v.5) and beyond the limitations of our human minds.

God knows what is best and cares for the world and all its creatures, including us (v. 8-9). He also deals with wickedness, which creates so many problems for us and our world, but He does it in His own time and way, as He finally rescued Israelites from slavery and evil in Babylon (v.6). We are called then to sing praises to the Lord in a thankful way and make melody to Him with musical instruments, when appropriate, as the people did in the time of Nehemiah 12: 27 (Psalm 147:7).

Above all, we are to “fear and trust” our Lord and “find hope in His steadfast love” for us (v.11). Our ultimate trust is not in the things we often focus upon. Ancient people often trusted in “strong horses” and the strong “legs” of powerful warriors. (v.10) We might trust too much in money and powerful people and fascination with famous people and great sports teams (with the Super Bowl and the NCAA tourney coming - as good as all that is).

Our ultimate hope is in the Lord Himself and His Word and His saving work in Jesus. He helps us through all of this life and its joys and disappointments and brings us eventually to eternal life and peace. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Preparing for Worship - January 28, 2024

The last two weeks we have seen Jesus calling disciples to follow Him and learn from Him and eventually to be “sent-out” ones, apostles, sharing the Good News of Jesus with everyone they could. This Sunday our focus is on the ministry of Jesus Himself. In the Gospel lesson, Mark 1:21-28, Jesus amazes people with both His Words and His actions. He taught “with authority,” unlike their scribes, who spoke very tentatively, quoting this rabbi or that one, without certainty. Jesus also acts with authority, casting out an evil spirit, who must do what He says and even admits who He is, “the Holy One of God.” News about Him spread quickly, as a result.

Jesus was showing that He was in the line of the prophets of God, beginning with Moses, as described in the Old Testament lesson, Deuteronomy 18:15-20. Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament and predicted that more prophets would come. God would put His Word in their mouths, and they would speak all that God commanded them. Everyone was to listen to the words of these prophets, or they would be in trouble with God Himself. There would also be false prophets, who would speak their own ideas or in the name of other gods, and they would be in big trouble and deserve death. Moses is finally pointing to the greatest Prophet, our Lord Jesus Christ, who would always speak the truth and act on it and whose Word would always come true.

As Jesus was powerful in deed, as well as in Word, so the Psalmist, in Psalm 111, thanks and praises God for His many “wondrous works.” The Lord remembers His “covenant” promises and fulfills them by being “gracious and merciful” and “sending redemption to His people” (especially in sending His only Son, Jesus, to be the Redeemer of the world). What the Lord says is “trustworthy,” and we will “praise Him forever.”

In the Epistle lesson, Paul deals with a practical problem in his time. Non-Christians would often offer sacrifices to false gods in pagan temples, and then leftover food from these sacrifices would be sold in markets. Could Christians buy and eat such food, that had been sacrificed to idols? Paul reminds people that “there is no God but One,” the Triune God, the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ (and the Holy Spirit, about whom Paul had spoken earlier in this letter). All other gods and idols have “no real existence,” and cannot affect or pollute any food. It is OK to eat or not eat such food. However, not everyone has this “knowledge,” and so Paul asks Christian believers not to use their freedom in Christ in a way that hurts the conscience of people who truly think it is wrong to eat such food. Paul says he would be willing to limit his own freedoms, at times, if that would help others not to stumble in faith.

Bible Study - Criticizing other Denominations and Groups?

Bible Study: Should We Criticize Other Denominations and Groups?

In a recent Bible study, I read a question that I had received from a student in an email in 2006 when I was a campus pastor. He wrote: “I am doing a paper on the Christian faith and its denominations. One main point in my paper is that we all share the same basic beliefs, and therefore, should not criticize each other, as is commonly seen and heard. I was wondering if I could get a brief overview of your outlook on this situation.”

We talked about this question a little, in our study, and I thought it might be helpful to give more of a response, in what I wrote back to the student and with some additional comments for all of us.

Dear           , I would agree that there is one holy Christian and apostolic Church, as we say in the Nicene Creed, which includes all true believers in the one true Triune God and in the saving work of Jesus, by God’s grace alone. There are essential Christian beliefs, and there are people who hold to these beliefs, from numerous Christian denominations and groups, who are already or will be in heaven, when they die.

At the same time, we read in the Bible that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful” (2 Timothy 3:16), and we are to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), and to “Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the doctrine you have been taught” (Romans 16:17).

A problem with too many denominations and especially with non-denominational churches and parachurch groups is that they want to take Christianity to the lowest common denominator and ignore much of Scripture or say it doesn’t really matter what you believe about many issues.

Those who call themselves Christian do not all believe all the same things. Some would say on moral issues, for example, that homosexual behavior and LGBTQ activity and actions or abortion are acceptable, while others, including our conservative Lutheran churches, would condemn such activity, on the basis of Scripture, and others would just avoid taking a stand on such issues.

On issues of doctrine, some would say, for example, that baptizing infants and children, as well as adults, is Scriptural and important, as our conservative Lutheran church does. Others would say that baptism is only for adult believers, and some would say it doesn’t matter what one believes about this. Closely related to this would be questions about whether an infant or child is sinful or has a sinful nature or is not accountable for sins until a certain age - and what age?

Take also the issue of Communion (or the Lord’s Supper). Some use an open communion policy, welcome to all, and it doesn’t matter what you believe about Communion, while Scripture says that one could actually sin taking Communion the wrong way (1 Corinthians 11:27).

Closely related, are Baptism and Communion called Sacraments (Means or Channels of God’s grace, with the Lord bringing forgiveness and grace and blessings to us, as conservative Lutherans say) or are these just ordinances, simply some things we do to show our faith and obey God’s laws?

I could go on and on about genuine differences among various groups and denominations. Some would say, though, “Just believe in Jesus” and nothing else matters. But how does belief itself come? Is faith a gift from God, worked by the Holy Spirit through His gifts of the Word and Baptism? Or do we come to faith by our own choice and decision, as an act of our own will, before we can be acceptable to God?

All these and more are important issues, in our view, and it is therefore important to take Scripture seriously and stand up for what it says, even though that means criticizing some ideas and positions of others. There are many warnings in Scripture about false teachers and wrong ideas (1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, and 4:1-5, 1 John 4:1-6, etc.). We are to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:14-15) and “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15, 2 Timothy 2:24-26), but we are to speak the truth - as one finds Jesus and Paul and Peter others doing, in Scripture (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

May we all seek “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27 - and look at v.28-32) and stay close to Christ our Savior and His Word, which is truth (John 8:31-23, 17:17). One last thought. We want to speak the truth to others with whom we disagree and who are drifting from God’s Word, as we understand it. But realize that every time we hear or study God’s Word, we are also subjecting ourselves to criticism, for we are hearing both Law and Gospel. The Law criticizes us and shows us our own sins since we are far from perfect. As Jesus says in Matthew 7:3-5, we need to be open to that criticism of ourselves and our churches, too, and the call for us also to repent, where we are falling short. Thank the Lord for also providing us the Gospel and the sure forgiveness through Christ of our own sins, as we confess our sins and ask the Lord to forgive us, too.

Sermon for the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany - January 21, 2024

“God Alone”

Sermon for the Third Sunday after Epiphany

(This sermon has comments on all four readings for this Day, in this order:)

The Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

The Old Testament Lesson: Jonah 3:1-5, 10

The Epistle: 1 Corinthians 7: 29-35

The Psalm: Psalm 62

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

In our Gospel lesson for today, we heard Jesus, early in His public ministry, saying to Simon Peter and Andrew, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). They were fishermen for fish, but now they were to become fishermen for people. And the Greek word for “men” doesn’t just mean “men” (males), but all human beings - men, women, children, Jews and non-Jews, all people.

And fishing for people means trying to share the Good News of Jesus with people so that they might be caught for the Kingdom of God by faith in Jesus. Last week, we heard of one of the simplest ways of doing so, as Philip was “found” by Jesus and then invited his friend, Nathaniel, to “come and see” about Jesus, too. For us, that might mean inviting someone to worship or Bible study or Sunday School or to consider St. James School for their children to attend or just giving someone a Portals of Prayer devotion book or something else to read that points to Jesus.

Even that is not easy for us to do, though, is it, especially in a culture where the two things we are not to talk about, if we want to keep peace with others, are politics or religion? What would we say if someone responded as Nathaniel did at first - “What good can come of that” (John 1:46)? What would we say? And what would people think of us - that we were a religious fanatic, or a “pushy” person? And so, we often don’t say or do much of anything and don’t invite others.

This being fishermen for others is not even easy, at times, for people like Peter and Andrew, who were called to full-time witness for Christ. Think about Jonah, a prophet of God, in our Old Testament lesson for today. Before this reading, Jonah had been called by God to go to the great city of Nineveh and call the people to repentance for the great evils they were doing. Instead, Jonah went in the opposite direction, away from Nineveh. If you remember the story, it took being swallowed by a great fish and spending three days and three nights in its belly and then being vomited out onto dry land to stop Jonah from running away. Then, as our Old Testament lesson begins, Jonah was given a second chance, and this time went and preached judgment for the Ninevites unless they repented of their sins. God’s Word, preached by Jonah, worked. God’s Word has power, brought by God Himself, and the people, including the king, were turned from their evil ways and did not perish, at least for a while.

When you read on in Jonah, Chapter 4, Jonah was not happy, but very angry, because he hated the Ninevites and the evil they had done to God’s people and others, and did not think they deserved to be forgiven. Obviously, Jonah still needed lots of learning and growing to be the prophet and fisherman God wanted him to be. And don’t we all have the same sort of struggles at times, in forgiving and forgetting, and maybe even in forgiving ourselves for our failures in the past?

Look now at the Epistle lesson for today. This is a hard passage and can easily be misunderstood because we don’t have the whole context. In verse 25 of 1 Corinthians 7, Paul had said, “I have no command of God, but I give my judgment” on what follows. This is very rare in the Scriptures - but Paul is honest in saying that what he writes in this little section is his best judgment, but not a Scriptural command.

He also speaks in verse 26 of “the present distress” - which seems to refer to increasing trouble and persecution for Christians and increasing opposition from many groups and from the Roman government. He also speaks of ”the appointed time growing short” and "the present form of this world passing away” and may have thought in his own judgment that the end of all things and the return of Christ might be very soon. He therefore wanted people to be ready, with proper “devotion to the Lord,” and not being anxious about many things that might pull them away from the Lord. So, when Paul says, “Let those who have wives live as though they have none,” we know we can’t do that and wouldn’t want to, as we love our spouse and family.

Here, Scripture interprets Scripture and helps us. It was God who instituted marriage and brought the first man and woman, whom He had created, together, with all the joys and blessings, and then the challenges of marriage and family when sin later came in (Genesis 2:21-24 and Matthew 19:4-6). Paul wrote on another occasion, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). Our care for spouse and family is obviously very important as part of our service to God and others.

We hear so much about life/work balance these days and know it is so hard to keep the right balance in marriage and family and all we do. We fall short all too often and forget what Paul is really most concerned about, keeping the Lord and His will foremost in this balance. And God in His Word gives us the guidance and help we really need, reminding us in the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before Me,” the Lord Himself (Deuteronomy 5:7 and 6:13-14).

That brings me to one more Scripture, assigned for this day, that we haven’t even looked at - the Psalm for this day, Psalm 62. There’s not a place where psalms neatly fit in a Communion service, so they are often omitted. But Psalm 62 is very important to hear. You can just listen, as I read from this psalm, or you can turn to this psalm in the front of your hymnal, before the regular worship services begin, and follow along.

We speak as Lutherans of three great “solas” or “alones” - that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, as revealed by Scripture alone. But as David says in this psalm, all this can only come through one more “alone,” God alone. And we know from the Scriptures as a whole, that David is referring to the one true Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Most think that David wrote this psalm at a very difficult time in his life, probably when his own son, Absalom, had overthrown him and become king, and many were now trying to kill David. David knew that his hope was only in God, as he says again and again in this psalm.

In verses 1-2, David says, “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my Rock and my Salvation, my Fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.” In verse 3 he says he feels like a leaning wall or a tottering fence, battered by others. Yet he repeats, in verse 5, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation.”

And in verses 9-10, Davis says that whether people are high and mighty or lowly, they are only like a breath of air compared with God and His power. David knows he cannot set his heart on them or on riches either, which can come and go so quickly. So, in verses 11-12, he admits that power belongs only to God and His steadfast love.

The psalm ends with the words: “For You will render to a man, according to his work.”But that is really the work of God alone. When people asked Jesus, “What must we do to be doing the work of God?” Jesus answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom God has sent” (John 6:27-29). Jesus Himself, of course, is the “Son of Man,” sent from God to be our Savior, in whom we should believe and trust.

Or as Paul said in Romans 3-4, “We hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (Romans 3:28). And he said, “To the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:5). Of course, we try to do good works, but not to try to earn our salvation, but to thank our Lord for His saving work and to help others. Paul also says that even faith is “the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:29, 31). Our trust is in the saving work of Jesus, who gave His life for us. He alone is our Savior and has already accomplished for us what we really need.

So again, as Psalm 62:1, 6 says, “God alone is our Rock and our Salvation.” And David says to us in v. 8, “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him.” Listen to His Word and talk with Him in prayer. “Cast all your cares upon Him, for He truly cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7), whether single or married, young or old.

And remember His “steadfast love” for you and me in Christ. He can help us become better fishermen, with the courage to invite others to “come and see” about Jesus. And He can help us reflect God’s love and forgiveness in a better way with friends and our spouse and family. And God is a “refuge” and strength for us (Psalm 62:8) in whatever we face in the days ahead.

Let us rise for prayer: “Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” our Savior. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

Preparing for Worship - January 21, 2024

The Gospel lesson for this week is from Mark 1:14-20. (John 1:35-40 seems to indicate that Jesus already had some contact with Andrew and Peter, who had been disciples of John the Baptist and then had met Jesus and talked with Him.) Now, after John the Baptist had been arrested, Jesus went to the Sea of Galilee and was proclaiming the Gospel: “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” He then calls Simon Peter and Andrew to follow Him and He will make them become “fishers of men.” He calls James and John, too, and all four, who are fishermen, quickly follow Him.

Becoming a fisherman for other people is a challenge, though, as we hear from the other readings this week. In the Old Testament, we hear the story of Jonah, who when he was told to go to Nineveh and call the people there to repent, went in the opposite direction. He had to be swallowed by a great fish and vomited back onto land to stop him. In the Old Testament lesson, Jonah 3:1-5,10, for a second time the Lord asks Jonah to go to Nineveh. This time he goes and warns of coming judgment, as God wished, and the people actually believed God and repented of their evil ways, including the king, and God did not bring disaster upon the city. The preaching of Jonah worked, by God’s blessing, but after our text, in Chapter 4, Jonah was very angry. He hated the people of Nineveh and did not think they deserved to be forgiven. God had much more teaching to bring to Jonah himself and needed to call him to repentance, too.

The Epistle lesson, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (32-35) is a hard one. Paul knows that difficult times are coming for Christians, with persecution ahead for their faith. He feels that people would be better off single, as he is, without the added concerns of marriage and family, in these hard times. He very clearly says he is giving his judgment, though, in v. 25-26, and not a command of God. Plenty of other Scriptures speak also of the joys and blessings of marriage and family, and the importance of carrying out family responsibilities, too. The challenge, again, is balancing all those responsibilities, and still remembering the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:37 not to love others more than the Lord and His will.

David speaks of the same challenge in the psalm for this week, Psalm 62. Four times he says that God alone is his Rock and Fortress and Salvation and that all should trust in the Lord’s power and steadfast love, instead of riches and evil activity and others high or low, who are false in their ways. David knew his own struggles in following his Lord and says to us, in this psalm: “Trust in the Lord at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him; God is a Refuge for us.” “Our hope is from Him, and in Him we shall not be greatly shaken.”

Bible Study - Thoughts on "Fishers of Men"

In Mark 1:14-20, we hear of Jesus going into the region of Galilee, in Northern Israel. He passes alongside the Sea of Galilee and sees Simon (Peter) and Andrew, casting a net into the sea. He calls them to discipleship saying, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (v.17-18). This picture image makes sense, because these were fishermen, by occupation, and Jesus was now calling them “to proclaim the gospel of God,” as he was already doing (v.14-15), and calling people to “repent” of their sins and “believe in the Gospel,” thus capturing them for the “Kingdom of God,” in Christ.

This was an unusual picture image, though, because in the Old Testament “fishing for people with a hook or a net” was used for capturing enemies of God’s people and getting rid of them. See for example Jeremiah 16:16-18. The Lord says He will “send many fishers” and “hunters” after people because of their “iniquity” and “repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted My land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled My inheritance with their abominations.” In Amos 4:2, the Lord God warns people in Israel, who were doing evil and worshiping false gods, that “the days are coming upon you when they will take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks,” into captivity. See also Ezekiel 29:1-5, Habakkuk 1:14-17, and Ecclesiastes 9:12 and an “evil net.”

Jesus came, though, to bring life and hope to people through what He would do as their Savior, paying the penalty for and forgiving their sins, by His death on the cross and resurrection. We hear in John 3:17: “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned.” Paul also says in Romans 10:14-17 that everyone needs to hear this Good News of Christ. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes through the Word of Christ” (v.17). That’s why Jesus began to call “fishers of men” to share that Good News! (You can hear this same story in Matthew 4:18-22.)

Jesus reinforced this message again in Luke 5:1-11, when He was preaching and borrowed Simon Peter’s boat as a place from which to speak. Then He told Peter to let down the nets for a catch. Peter objected. He was a trained fisherman and he and others had fished all night, the best time for fishing, and caught nothing. But, Peter said, “At Your Word, Jesus, I will let down the nets.” They caught so many fish that they needed a second boat and both boats were about to sink. Peter knew, as a fisherman, what a miracle this was and “fell down at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’” He knew he was not adequate to be what Jesus wanted. Jesus simply said, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Jesus used a word that meant Peter and the others would be “catching men alive” for the eternal Kingdom of God. The word Jesus used for “men,” here and in the other passages, meant not just males but all human beings - men, women, children, Jews, and non-Jews.

Remember that Jesus had also said, in Mark 1:17, “I will make you become fishers of men.” The disciples did not immediately know what to do. Jesus taught them during His three years of public ministry with them, and then even after His resurrection and then through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Even then, they were not perfect in what they did as disciples.

Ultimately, the Scriptures teach that they were instruments through whom God shared His Good News in Christ, but that the Lord Himself and Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit actually “caught people alive” and brought them to faith through His Word and through water and Word, connected in Baptism, and strengthened through the Lord’s Supper. Using another image, that of sowing the seed of God’s Word, Paul wrote, in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7: “What then is Apollos (another called preacher)? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who gives the growth.” To God alone is the glory if anyone comes to faith in Jesus. (Hear more about this in a sermon I will preach Saturday evening, the Lord willing, and will put up on the podcast, sometime next week.) We still need “fishers of men” today. These Scriptures give great encouragement to pastors and teachers and other church workers, and to all of us as witnesses for our Lord in everyday life. The Lord’s continued blessings.