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Sermon from February 26, 2025

“God Sent Me”

Sermon based on Genesis 45:1-15

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 Old Testament text that we have before us is probably one that many of us remember from Sunday School days when we were young. There was Abraham, and then Isaac, and then Jacob, who had 12 sons. Unfortunately, Jacob had a favorite son, Joseph, and he showed his favoritism by giving Joseph a special robe of many colors, which made the other sons jealous. Joseph also had dreams and predicted that his brothers and even his parents would one day bow down to him. His brothers hated him for these and other things more and more until they planned to kill him.

They took his beautiful robe and threw him into a pit, and when Midianite traders came by, they decided to sell him as a slave for some money for themselves. They then killed a goat and put the blood on the robe and convinced Jacob, their father, that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

Joseph became a slave in Egypt and, after being betrayed by someone, ended up in prison unjustly. The Lord was with him, though, with His steadfast love, even in prison, and gave him the gift of interpreting more dreams. Joseph was able to predict that the Pharaoh’s cupbearer, in prison himself, would be released and restored to his old job.

Two years later, the Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. The cupbearer remembered Joseph, still in prison, and he was brought to the Pharaoh and was able to interpret the dream. Joseph made it clear that the interpretation came not from him but from God Himself. There would be seven years of very plentiful harvests in Egypt but then seven years of bad harvests and famine. The Egyptians needed to store up much grain and other food during the very good years so that they could survive the bad years. Pharaoh then appointed Joseph to lead this food program and made him second-
in-command in the whole land, subject only to Pharaoh himself. With God’s blessings, the program worked, and when the years of famine came, the Egyptians had plenty of food for themselves and to sell to others.

Other peoples did not have this abundance, and it was during this time that Joseph sent 10 of his sons from Canaan to Egypt to buy food. It had been about 20 years since Joseph had been sold as a slave, and they did not recognize him, but he realized who they were. He questioned them carefully and found out that his father and his closest brother, Benjamin, were still alive. Joseph gave them food and took no money for it, but told them that there would be no more food for them in the future unless they also brought their brother, Benjamin, with them.

The famine went on and on, and their food ran out again. Jacob was still playing favorites, with Benjamin now his favorite. He did not want to let Benjamin go along, but finally allowed him to go so that they would not all starve to death. Joseph again meets with them and speaks with them through an interpreter, as he had done before. He gives them a hard time and even threatens to give them food only if he could keep Benjamin as his slave, as if Benjamin had done something wrong by stealing.

This is when Joseph knew that his brothers had changed. They now cared about their father and didn’t want him to lose another special son, Benjamin, as he thought he had lost his son, Joseph. One of his sons, Judah, pleads with Joseph and volunteers to be Joseph’s slave if only Benjamin is set free. (It is here that our text begins, in Genesis 45. You can read this whole story in more detail in Genesis 37-44 on your own. I am using the ESV translation for most of the quotations.)

Joseph asks everyone to leave the place where he was interviewing the brothers, except for them. Then we hear that he wept very loudly - most likely with joy that he could be reunited and reconciled with his brothers, at last, with love and forgiveness for them. He says, “Now your eyes see and the eyes of my brother, Benjamin, see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.” No longer was Joseph speaking to them through an interpreter, but as their brother, in their own language, directly to them.

And he says, “I am Joseph,” very clearly, and asks about his father, though he already knows that Jacob is still living. The brothers say nothing because they were dismayed - or more literally, in the Hebrew, trembling with fear, because they thought they were in for punishment or even death because they had sold their brother off as a slave. As a powerful leader now in Egypt, Joseph could do whatever he wanted to do with them.

Instead, he asks them to come near him and says again, “I am your brother.” (This is also reflected at the end of this text. He was accepting them again as his own dear brothers, his family, when we hear that he and Benjamin hugged and wept with each other, and he kissed his brothers and wept with them all, and they talked with each other, as friends and brothers again.)

And then, with very forgiving words, Joseph says, “Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” And Joseph says it again and again. “God sent me”… “It was not you who sent me here, but God.” Joseph could now actually see and believe the promise that was given in other Scriptures and especially much later, in the New Testament, in Romans 8:28: “We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good.” It didn’t seem that way for Joseph for a long time - in the pit, sold as a slave, ending up in prison for doing the right thing and being confined there for years.

But God was working for good, providing a dream for Pharaoh and giving Joseph its interpretation, and raising him up to be like a father to Pharaoh and a lord and a ruler in all Egypt, and preserving life by his directing the storage of enough food for Egypt and for other peoples, including Jacob and his family.

There are many good lessons we can learn from this story - the importance of family and being caring and forgiving to one another, the danger of playing favorites with children, the call to be patient and trust the Lord, the value of caring for others and providing for their needs in daily life, etc. But there was something even more significant happening. God was also at work, carrying on His plan for salvation for the world through the coming of Jesus as Savior. That was the most important news in the world. Joseph also said to his brothers, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive many survivors.”

When God called Abraham to be the beginning of a new nation, the Jewish nation, He promised, “In your Seed, in your descendant, all families on earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3). And He always kept that promise for a remnant of His people to exist, at least, for the Savior was coming through that group of people. Abraham did not have to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Jacob and his family did not die of starvation in the great famine. In fact, Joseph fulfilled another Biblical prophecy (Genesis 15:13-14) in inviting Jacob and family to come and live in Egypt, where they would be safe and prosper for a while. Eventually, they would all become slaves themselves until rescued by the Lord again, through Moses, and brought to the Promised Land - those twelve tribes, descendants from those twelve sons of Jacob.

The whole Old Testament is the history of the ups and downs of these people, but always with a remnant of them surviving and carrying on until the time was right for the coming of the Savior. A passage in 2 Kings 19:30-31 has this promise: “The surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion, a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord will do this.”

And from this band of survivors finally came Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4-7). Joseph could love and forgive his brothers, but only for a time, but we read of Jesus in the New Testament, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” - which we all are - “those who were to believe for eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

Joseph could preserve life for people for a time, but Jesus provides eternal life “through the faith and love that are in Him, in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14). “For there is one God, and there is one Mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all” (I Timothy 2:5-6). “For Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit,” by His mighty resurrection from the dead (1 Peter 3:18). Joseph was reunited with his brothers, even after the evil they had done to him, through God’s forgiving love. Hebrews 2:10-11 tells us that “Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers,” either, through the “salvation” and “sanctification” He has provided for us, though we have not deserved His mercy and love. John put it this way: “See what kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are… Beloved, we are God’s children now…” (1 John 3:1-2).

Joseph was able to provide important food for this life, but Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35) for eternal life for us, enabling us through His Word and Forgiveness and Baptism and the Lord’s Supper we will soon receive in this service to keep us trusting His saving work for us, too. That is our confidence in Him, now and forever. Amen.        

We pray: Now may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep our hearts and minds safe, only where they are safe, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)

Preparing for Worship - February 23, 2025

The Scriptures this week give us what God wants most of all to reveal to us in this Epiphany season - love and forgiveness. It is foremost the love and forgiveness of God for us sinners, though we do not deserve it at all, shown especially to us in His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord but also our Savior.

The Psalm is Psalm 103:1-13. David blesses and praises the Lord and does not want to forget the “benefits,” the blessings that come from Him, especially His forgiveness, redemption, and renewal that come through His steadfast love and mercy. The Lord works righteousness for us who are too often unrighteous sinners. (He does this, especially through His own Son, Jesus, who lived a perfect life for us in our place while being a true man on this earth.) The Lord does not deal with us on the basis of our sins but removes our transgressions from us (again through His Son, Jesus). He treats us in this way as our compassionate, forgiving Heavenly Father. He then calls us, in gratefulness to Him, to seek to fear, love, and trust Him in return and gives us the strength to do so through His Holy Spirit, working through His Word, the New Testament tells us.

In the Old Testament lesson, Genesis 45:3-15, Joseph has seen God’s mercy for him in Egypt, even though he had been sold into slavery by his own brothers. God worked the situation out for good by allowing him to rise to a very high position in the Egyptian government and to be able to predict by God’s power a seven-year famine coming in time for him to prepare his country by having plenty of food available to get through the famine and help others, too. Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to buy food that was available there. Joseph recognizes them, and they are terrified that he will take vengeance on them. Instead, he forgives them and promises them a safe place to live in Egypt, where he will make sure their needs are taken care of. They are reconciled and promise to bring their father also to safety in Egypt. God’s mercy and help for Joseph had affected him so much that he was led by God to be merciful to many and forgiving even to his brothers who had betrayed him. (We will hear more of this story in a late May Scripture reading.)

The Gospel reading continues the story from last week of Jesus teaching His disciples in Luke 6:27-38. He had been warning them that they would face much opposition and bad treatment simply because they were following Jesus, the “Son of Man.” Now Jesus teaches them to seek to love, forgive, and do good even to those who hate them and curse and abuse them. He tells his disciples to do for others what they wish others would do to them. Loving others who love them isn’t as hard. But they are to love even their enemies, even the ungrateful and evil, as children of the Most High God, for the Father’s Son, Jesus, would give His life even for them, in mercy for them. (And frankly, we all have sin and evil in us for which we need forgiveness, and for us, also, Christ had to die.)  His disciples are then not to spend their time judging and condemning others, but, above all, to seek to forgive and give mercy and good gifts to others, as Jesus has first done for them.

The Epistle lesson continues the reading from 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul clearly affirms that Jesus not only died for us, paying for our sins, as our substitute. He also rose from the dead as the “first fruits," conquering death and guaranteeing the resurrection of our bodies on the last day when he returns. (He already takes our souls to be with Him in eternal peace in heaven when we die, by His grace and the gift of faith in Him.) On the last day, when He returns in glory, our bodies, too, will be raised and changed and glorified, immortal and imperishable. In the meantime, in this life, we seek to keep the good company of our Lord and fellow believers and try to battle sin. We face many dangers, and it may look, at times,  as if evil is winning, but we know that Jesus has won the victory, and all enemies will finally be subdued, and we trust that our Lord will care for us and will be with us always and provide us the mercy and strength we need to keep the faith and be brought through death to eternal life.

Preparing for Worship - February 16, 2025

All of the Scriptures this week have something to do with blessings and curses and how one is headed for one or the other. The psalm, Psalm 1, says that the one who delights in the Law of the Lord and meditates continually on it is the one who is blessed. He is spiritually nourished by the whole Word of God, like a tree that has plenty of water near and produces good fruit, and its leaves do not wither. This person prospers in what he does, is known by the Lord, and sits in the congregation of the righteous (ultimately by his connection to Christ Jesus, the truly Righteous One and the Savior). In contrast are the wicked sinners who scoff against the Lord and His Word and will. They may seem to prosper in this life but will not stand on the day of judgment and will perish like useless chaff that the wind blows away. They do not have the Lord as their Life and Strength.

In the Old Testament lesson, Jeremiah 17:5-8, the Lord gives Jeremiah words very similar to what is in Psalm 1, only in the opposite order. Cursed are those “who trust in man,” who trust in themselves and others and human strength, so that their hearts turn away from the Lord. They are like shrubs in the desert, without what is truly good, and are parched, living in a wilderness of uninhabited salt land. In contrast is a person who trusts in the Lord (repeated twice!). That person is like the tree with plenty of water (the Lord’s resources) and still bears fruit and does not fear or have anxiety in times of heat and drought but continues to trust the Lord.

The Gospel lesson is from Luke 6:17-26. Many people were coming from throughout Israel and even from non-Jewish areas like Tyre and Sidon to hear Jesus and to be healed of diseases and trouble they had with evil spirits. Even touching Jesus brought power and healing from Him. Then Jesus looked upon and spoke to His disciples, telling them of blessings that are theirs through being brought to faith in Him. (Some think that this is a summary of some of what was said by Jesus in the “Sermon on the Mount” - see Matthew, Chapters 5-7 - or these might be similar words spoken on another occasion. The Matthew passage certainly helps us understand what Jesus is saying, though.) God’s people are spiritually blessed when they know they are spiritually poor by themselves, sorrow over their sins, and hunger for God’s mercy and forgiveness and help for them. They trust in Christ Jesus, the “Son of Man,” and are blessed, even when hated and excluded and reviled and spurned by those opposed to the Lord in this life. Joy will come to them, for they are in the kingdom of God and have the promises of heaven. They are led in the steps of the prophets of old, like Jeremiah, who trusted the Lord and His Word, no matter what. In contrast, again, Jesus speaks of woes and sorrows and mourning coming for those who find their riches and fullness and laughter only in approval and consolation from other human beings and their thoughts and standards. They will be cursed like the Old Testament false prophets and those who followed them in false ways, apart from the Lord.

In the Epistle lesson, 1 Corinthians 15:(1-11) 12-20, Paul points us all, not to human ideas, but to Christ Jesus and His Word and His saving work for us, culminating in His death for us on the cross, in payment for our sins, and his mighty resurrection from the dead, in accordance with God’s promises in the Scriptures. Paul also reminds us of the many people to whom Christ Jesus appeared after His resurrection, including many who were still alive at the time Paul wrote this letter. You could talk with any of them, Paul says, for they were eyewitnesses to the Risen Lord, too. Then Paul says that Jesus appeared to him, also, after His Resurrection and brought him to faith in Him, though he was totally unworthy to receive this blessing because he had helped persecute and kill Christians. (See Acts 7:58-8:3.) Paul goes on to assure people of the certainty of the resurrection and that without it, there would be no hope for them. “If Christ was not raised, your faith is in vain, and you are still in your sins.” Christians should then be pitied for living an illusion. “But in fact,” Paul proclaims, “Christ has been raised from the dead!” He knew it was true because he had seen the risen Lord Jesus alive after His resurrection. The blessings of life now and eternally for Christians depend upon this truth, and the Holy Spirit has brought Paul and us to this trust in Him by faith in His Word and our baptism. Paul was willing to die and did die for this truth in Christ because he knew that our Savior had died for our sins and was raised from the dead and would bless him, too, with eternal blessings in heaven. Our future is also secure in Christ - with these blessings, and not with sorrow and curses that come for those who trust only in human thoughts and ideas.

Preparing for Worship - February 9, 2025

The psalm for this week is another of David’s psalms, Psalm 138. David gives thanks and praise to God “before the gods.” This does not mean that he or other Biblical writers believe in the reality of these so-called gods. In Psalm 135, we hear that “our Lord is above all gods… The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They cannot speak or see or hear and have no breath in them.” They are not real, and there is no reason to “trust in them.” In contrast, David rejoices in “the Name” and “the Word of the Lord.” He gives thanks for the “steadfast love” and “faithfulness” of the One True God, who “strengthens his soul” and helps him when he “walks in the midst of trouble.” The Lord has a purpose for David’s life and will fulfill it. (See David’s description of the Lord’s “fulfilling His purpose for him” and protecting him, even when he was in great danger from King Saul, in Psalm 57:1-3.) The Lord has a purpose for our lives, too, as he has called us to faith in Christ. See Philippians 1:6 and Ephesians 1:5 and 2:9-10. We are “the work of His hands,” and he will not forsake us. (See Psalm 90:17 and Psalm 100:3.) See how “the steadfast love of God enduring forever” is repeated again and again in Psalm 136. See the musicians and others “expressly named” in 1 Chronicles 16:41, who were to thank the Lord “for His steadfast loves endures forever.” We enjoy that “love” now and forever in Christ.

In the Old Testament lesson, Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord upon His throne in glory, filling the temple and calling Isaiah to be His prophet. Seraphim, angels, were singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord,” prefiguring the clearer revelation of the One True Triune God in the New Testament. (Three times, the Lord is called “holy” in the same way in Psalm 99.) Isaiah thinks he is lost and would die as “a man of unclean lips,” who has seen the Holy God and represents a people of unclean lips, as we all are, as sinners. An angel comes to him, though, and touches his lips with a burning coal and takes away his guilt and sin. His sin was atoned for, paid for, by the work of the Lord (and ultimately by the work of His Son, Jesus Christ). The Lord then asks, “Who will go for us?” (Again, the mystery of the three Persons of the One True God is alluded to, with the word “us,” as in Genesis 1:26 and 3:22, while Deuteronomy 6:4 says that the Lord is One.) Having been cleansed and realizing his calling, Isaiah volunteers to be sent by the Lord to speak to his people. The message will be a difficult one, though. A time of judgment is coming because many people will be blind to the Lord’s truth and lack understanding of it. As a result, Isaiah must predict cities destroyed and houses without people and a desolate land, with people carried away into captivity, as happened with both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel. Isaiah asks, “How long, O Lord?” How long will this go on? There is still hope, the Lord reveals. Though Israel will be like “a stump” of a tree, with only a remnant left, “a holy seed” will come from it, with a whole new life from the Lord  - predicting the coming of God’s Servant, our Lord Jesus Christ, and His message and work of salvation for all people, not just the Jews. See Isaiah 11:1-5 as an example of this picture image being developed more - someone, Jesus, coming from the line of Jesse and David, filled with the Holy Spirit and the Lord’s righteousness and faithfulness. Jesus Himself quotes from this passage in His own time, as he faced the spiritual blindness and dullness of His own people, as He preached Law and Gospel, and many refused to listen. (See Matthew 13:13-17 as an example.) Other New Testament writers quote from this passage, too, especially in sharing how the Gospel moved on from Jews to Gentiles, non-Jews, as welI. (See Romans 11:7-10, for example. (I don’t have time here to go into detail about this, but will try to expand on this at another time and study.) The point is that Isaiah would be preaching both Law and Gospel himself, preparing the way for Jesus and His message and the message of hope in Christ in the New Testament.

We see Jesus bringing that message of hope in Him and a new calling to Simon Peter and others in the Gospel lesson, Luke 5:1-11. People were, at first, eager to hear “the Word of God” Jesus brought. Jesus had to borrow a boat and preach from it because of the press of the crowds around Him. (He was surely preaching “the good news of the kingdom of God” to as many people as possible, as He said He needed to do, in John 4:42-43. He “was sent for this purpose.”) When Jesus had finished speaking, He asked Simon Peter, who owned the boat, to put out his nets for a catch of fish. Peter had fished all night and caught nothing and knew that this was not a good time to fish, but said, “At Your Word, I will let down the nets.” He was beginning to realize the power of Jesus and His Word. Quickly, a large number of fish was caught, with nets breaking and the boats sinking. Peter was astonished and had both awe and fear of Jesus and His power. He fell down at the knees of Jesus. He had called Jesus “Master.” Now he calls Him “Lord” and wants to get away from Him, knowing he was a sinful man, unworthy to be in His presence. Jesus tells him not to be afraid (just as the Lord had assured Isaiah in the Old Testament lesson), for he would now be in the process of continually seeking to “catch alive” people (for Christ and His good news of salvation, which included the forgiveness of sin). The Greek words indicate this ongoing process. Simon Peter and the other fishermen with him then leave their boats and follow Jesus as His disciples. This was, of course, a growing process of learning and growth in faith and service for Peter and the others. (After His resurrection, Jesus kept teaching Peter and the others, even on another fishing expedition, to keep following Him and taking care of other people, His sheep, in love. See John 21:1-19.) That is still the calling - that we are fishermen for Christ and His Good News and love to be shared with as many as possible.

Paul reinforces this message in the Epistle lesson in 1 Corinthians 14:12b-20. For several weeks, we have heard him writing about spiritual gifts that God has given to His people in the church through the Holy Spirit. It is easy to be attracted to what some would call more spectacular gifts that seem impressive and make us feel good for ourselves, like “speaking in tongues” in other languages. Paul reminds us to excel in what “builds up the church,” our fellow believers. Speaking in other languages may look impressive, but it does no good if people do not understand what we are saying and are not built up in the faith. We are called to be mature Christians in our thinking and use our minds and our gifts to instruct one another in faith, in Christ Jesus and His Word. The Holy Spirit works through that clear and true Word of God to nourish the minds and hearts of others. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:14-17). We are concerned about fellow believers but also about “outsiders” who are not yet in the faith. We want others to know and have the Good News of hope and joy and eternal life we have been blessed with in Christ.

Sermon from January 29, 2025

“The Lord of the Harvest”

Luke 10:1-9

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)

Just before our text, in Luke 9:51, we hear that when “the days drew near for Him (Jesus) to be taken up” (to suffer and die and rise again for our salvation). Jesus “set His face to go to Jerusalem.” This is where His final saving work would take place, and He knew it. He and His 12 disciples had spent much of their time in the Northern part of Israel. Now, He wanted to go South again to Judea and the area around Jerusalem to share the Good News of peace and salvation with the people there, too, as His time of public ministry was getting shorter.

As our text begins, in Luke 10, Jesus “appointed 72 others” who had become believers in Him and “sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to go.” This was only a temporary mission trip, getting people ready for the coming of Jesus Himself, as John the Baptist had done before. Notice that these 72 were to take few provisions with them and to trust that the Lord would care for them and that the people they spoke with would help and support them. They were to take “no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals,” etc.

They were simply to proclaim God’s peace and hope to people and that “the Kingdom of God was coming near to them.” These disciples were not the important ones. They were only preparing the way for Jesus Christ, who would bring the Kingdom of God to people through Himself and His saving work.

Jesus also warned these disciples that it would not be easy work for them. He said in v.3, “I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” They would be vulnerable while doing this work. Some would hear of the peace of God coming and, by the grace of God, would come to faith in Jesus. Others, however, would not receive these disciples or their message and would reject Jesus and the Kingdom of God drawing near, and would resist coming to Him as Savior, and even treat the disciples badly and persecute some.

Jesus Himself had already been rejected by people in His own town of Nazareth, who tried to throw Him off a cliff. And the religious leaders and many others were opposed to Him. And John the Baptist had predicted that he would be, we say in our Communion liturgy, the ultimate “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

We have heard, in the last few weeks, of our former President of the United States and our new President pardoning lots of people for wrongs they had been convicted of and even of wrongs they might be convicted of in the future. They were pardoned, but no one actually paid the full penalty for wrongs that were actually done.

It was different with Jesus. As the sacrificial Lamb of God, Jesus suffered not only the physical pain of beatings and crucifixion on the cross. He also suffered the penalties we and the whole world deserved for our many sins.

The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, predicted that “the Lord would lay on Him,” the coming Savior (Jesus), “the iniquity"(the sin) “of us all… He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement (the punishment) that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5-6).

The Scriptures say, “The wages of sin” (what we have earned and deserved of our sins) “is death,” physical and eternal (Romans 6:23). But Paul writes of what is of “first importance” - that “Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

The writer to the Hebrews puts it this way, “Because of His suffering of death, by the grace of God, Jesus tasted death for everyone….” “Through death He destroyed the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” and “He made the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:9,14,17).

And in the Book of Revelation, John sees a vision of the saints, all believers in Christ, and angels, singing praises to the Risen Lord Jesus, saying, “Worthy are You, the Lamb Who was slain, for You were slain, and by Your blood, You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and You have made them a Kingdom” (Revelation 3:9-12).

All this is the best news in the world. “The wages of sin is death.” We know that and see that and feel that in our sinful, troubled world. “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). It’s not like a presidential pardon where wrongs are written off, almost like a bad debt forgotten.

Jesus actually paid the penalty for all sins. He took care of them all, in our place, for us. That’s why He set His face to go to Jerusalem, to suffer and die and pay for every sin. That is why He sent the 72 disciples out to tell people of the Kingdom of God that He was bringing.

Jesus was bringing the best news in the whole world to people. But He reminds also in the text that this Good News needs continually to be shared with more and more people so that they could receive the benefit of His saving work by faith and trust in Him. Jesus describes this as a great harvest field. The harvest field is plentiful. In fact, the Scriptures say that Christ died for all, and God wants all to be saved. The Lord Himself is the Lord of the Harvest. He brings people to faith through Christ and the Holy Spirit, working through the Word of God and the gift of Baptism. But He works through people to bring and share His gifts with others. Jesus asked the 72 disciples also to pray earnestly for more workers to be sent out into the harvest field, and he gave patterns for future work through what he told these workers.

Jesus sent these workers out, not alone, but two by two, so that they could encourage one another and make sure they were doing the right things together and were sharing the faith as they should. And as we read on in the Book of Acts, we see Peter taking a few others with Him the first time He visited a non-Jewish home. And we hear of other teams of two going out - Barnabas and Saul (later known as Paul), Judas (not the Judas who betrayed Jesus) and Silas, Barnabas and Mark, Paul and Silas, Paul and Timothy, Timothy and Erastus, Paul and Titus, about whom there was a focus in worship this past Sunday, and we could go on and on.

These teams often started at Jewish synagogues, but when they faced rejection and persecution, as they often did, they moved on to homes where the Peace of God was accepted by the grace of God and built churches from there, just as the 72 disciples visited homes and reached out from them. We hear again, in Acts, of the homes of Simon, a tanner; Lydia, whose heart was opened by the Lord to listen to the Word of God; Jason; Aquila and Priscilla; and on and on.

Six times we hear in the Book of Acts summary statements like, “The Word of God continued to increase” (as it was spread to more and more people), “and the number of disciples multiplied greatly,” and the Good News of Jesus Christ was shared “by witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8,
6:7, etc.).

And how wonderful that the Good News of Christ has come to our own country and this community and to this congregation, now for 175 years, and that we can know that the Words and promises of Christ are true for each one of us, too, for we have heard and believed these Words and been baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, by the grace of God. When we hear the Words of absolution, we know that Christ has already paid for every sin, and we really are forgiven, in spite of our problems and struggles at times. The same is true of Christ’s Real Presence in the Lord’s Supper when He actually comes to us, and we do receive His forgiveness and strength. We know the sure and certain promises of Christ that He will be with us always and that "the free gift of God of eternal life is already ours, in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And may we do as Jesus asks us to do in our text and pray earnestly for more laborers to work in the harvest field, more pastors and teachers and other church workers, so that more can hear the truly Good News in Christ, and may we see ways that we can be in ministry, too, in more temporary ways, as needs arise in our church and community, just as the 72 disciples did.

Let us pray: “Now may the peace of God, which passes all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds safe,” only where they can be safe, “in Christ Jesus our  Lord.” And may we reach out to others, too, that more and more may be safe in Christ, as well. Amen.

Preparing for Worship - February 2, 2025

We have again this week the possibility of two different sets of readings being heard in our churches this weekend. I will begin with the readings for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. There is much emphasis in these readings on the power of God through His Word.

The Old Testament lesson from Jeremiah 1:4-10 tells of the calling of Jeremiah to be a prophet of God. God comes to him, but it is described as God coming to him through His Word. God spoke and told Jeremiah that he had been chosen to be a prophet even before he was born, and he was to be a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah has excuses for not doing what God wants. He is too young, and he is not a good talker to others. The Lord spoke again and commanded Jeremiah to speak whatever the Lord told him to speak. He was not to be afraid, for the Lord would deliver him, even if others opposed him and what he said. The Lord then appeared in a visible way and touched Jeremiah’s mouth and put into His mouth the very Words he was to speak and write. This emphasized the verbal inspiration of the prophet and his Scriptures. They were the very Words of God Himself. Jeremiah would speak to and about nations and kingdoms and their rising and falling according to God’s will and plans for people, including God’s own people of Judah. He was to speak whatever God said, even though many would fight against him and the Words of God he brought. (Jeremiah was also privileged to prophesy of the Savior and the New Covenant He would bring for all people because the Old Covenant had been broken and would pass away.)

The psalm is Psalm 71:1-6 (7-11). The writer is not identified, but some think it might have been Jeremiah because of the challenges he faced for the Words from God he was called to bring against people who were wicked, unjust, and cruel and who rejected the Lord. This author takes refuge in the Lord and calls upon the Lord to rescue and deliver and save him. He knows that the Lord had been with him even before he was born and would not forsake him, even in old age and when his strength was fading. His mouth was filled with praise and glory for God, his Rock and Fortress, the Holy One of Israel (v.22).

In the Gospel lesson, Luke 4:31-44, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum in Galilee, and people were astonished that His Word possessed authority. It was more than just His opinion. That authority became even clearer when an evil spirit in a man there cried out against Jesus and said he knew who Jesus was - “the Holy One of God.” Jesus rebuked the evil spirit and said, “Be silent and come out of him.” The demon came out without harming the man. Again, the people were amazed and said to each other, “What is this Word by which He speaks, with power and authority even over unclean spirits?” The power of Jesus’ Word was shown again as He healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law (Peter was married!) of a high fever, and she immediately was well enough to be able to serve them. That evening, after sundown on the Sabbath, many sick people were brought to Jesus, and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them, including casting out some more demons. The demons knew that Jesus is the Holy One, the Son of God, but their witness is not a good witness, and it was too early in His ministry to be identified that way, for the opposition to Him would grow stronger from those who would not believe Him, and it was not yet time for Him to die. So, Jesus silences the evil spirits. Jesus, as a true man, then went out to a desolate place to pray and receive strength from His Heavenly Father. People find Him and beg Him to stay with them, but He reminded them of His primary purpose - to preach the Word of God, the Good News of God’s Kingdom He was bringing, to as many people as possible so that more might believe in Him.

The Epistle reading is from 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:13 and continues readings from 1 Corinthians. This chapter is sometimes called “the love chapter” of these Scriptures, with emphasis upon the importance of God’s love in the Scriptures. The primary focus is on the fact that God so loved the world that He sent His Son to be our Savior. We are then called to love as He first loved us. Even if we could speak and act in supernatural or other seemingly helpful ways, as Jesus did, it would do no good without doing so in love for God and in genuine love for others, just as Jesus spoke and acted. Paul speaks of what love is and what it is not and that love never ends. Faith in Christ and hope in Him are vitally important for us now, in the perfect work of Christ for us, and we want them for all people. But we see things only partially, dimly at times. When the perfect future in Christ comes, though, in everlasting life in heaven, we will see fully all that God has in store for us. In the meantime, we try to love our spouse and family and others, as Christ loved us, with His forgiveness and patience and kindness for us. Even though we do it imperfectly, we try to do it as God’s Word directs, in love and care for fellow imperfect people, through Christ.

The second set of readings is being used by some churches in remembering the Purification of Mary (in which Joseph participated, in a sense) and the Presentation of Jesus, which happened about 40 days after His birth, according to Jewish Old Testament law. You can read about these laws in passages like Exodus 13:1-3a,11-15, Numbers 3:21-28, and 12:15-16. We read and talked about this same Gospel reading and heard a sermon about it on the “First Sunday after Christmas.” You can find more details about all this on the podcast from December 29.

The psalm is  Psalm 84, emphasizing the importance of God’s house (in the Old Testament, the temple in Jerusalem), where we can hear God’s Word and worship and praise Him and especially receive His good gifts of strength and joy and renewed trust in Him. We are also reminded of the Lord as our Shield and to look upon His Anointed One. In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed, but this passage is prophetic of Jesus Christ, the One anointed to be our Savior and to bring us the fullness of God’s Word and work. We still hear the Word, centered in Christ, in our churches and worship and Bible study today, and we can receive the gifts of baptism and the Lord’s Supper and forgiveness, as well.

The Old Testament lesson is from I Samuel 1:21-28. A woman, Hannah, was unable to have children but prayed and asked the Lord for the gift of a child. The priest, Eli, said that she would give birth to a child, and in time, she did, as the Lord answered her prayer. A firstborn child belonged to the Lord but could be “redeemed” and stay with family, but Hannah chose to lend her child to the Lord to serve the priest, Eli, at a young age. Samuel served and helped Eli but eventually was called by the Lord Himself to be one of the great prophets of the Old Testament.

The Gospel lesson, Luke 2:22-32 (33-40), tells of the ceremonial Purification of Mary 40 days after the birth of Jesus. Old Testament law said that women were unclean from bleeding and needed to be purified. Mary needed to be purified from the bleeding and other discharges from the birth of a child. This passage speaks of “their” purification because Joseph was involved and needed to pay the price required - for poor people, the cost of two turtledoves or pigeons to be sacrificed. (See Leviticus 12: 1-8.) Jesus was sinless and needed no purification. Joseph and Mary did need to present Jesus to the Lord at this time, though, too. As the firstborn Son, He needed to be "redeemed,” bought back from the Lord, and given again to His family, with the same price required for the purification of Mary. Jesus would be different, though. He was willing to be the true Redeemer and pay the price for us to forgive all our sins and buy us back from sin and Satan and death by His sacrificial death on the cross in our place so that we might have new and eternal life in and through Him. A man, Simeon, was led by the Holy Spirit to be in the temple at this time and recognized Jesus as the Lord’s Christ, His Anointed Savior. Simeon picked up Jesus and sang the song we still sing in our Communion liturgy, the Nunc Dimittis. Simeon could now die in peace because He had seen Jesus, the Light of the world, who would provide salvation available for all people, Jews and non-Jews, the Gentiles. (As mentioned before, you can find more comments on this passage in my podcast for Sunday, December 29.) The key to the eternal future for all people would be whether their hearts would be brought to trust in Jesus as Savior by the grace of God or if they would resist and reject Him.

The Epistle lesson, Hebrews 2:14-18, reminds us that since human beings have flesh and blood, Jesus also had to be one of us, with flesh and blood (as well as being the Son of God) in order that He might be able to die in our place, for us, on the cross, in service to us and His Heavenly Father’s plan. In this way, he would be both the High Priest and the sacrificial Lamb in making propitiation for us (a sacrifice that would make payment for and forgive all our sins). He did this for the offspring of Abraham, which now includes, as Simeon predicted, every human being who was brought to faith in him, Jews and non-Jews. (See how this is described in Galatians 3:10-14 and 26-29.) Jesus takes care of our eternal future, and because He was a real human being when here on earth, He can also help us in daily times of trouble and temptation, here and now, since he has lived here and been tempted as we are and knows and understands our human struggles. How vitally important He is for us!

Preparing for Worship - January 26, 2025

There is the possibility of two different sets of readings being used in churches this week. I will begin with the regular readings for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany and then comment on the readings that recall the ministry of Paul’s co-worker, Titus. I will try to keep this shorter, as we have eight different readings to consider.

The Old Testament reading for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany is Nehemiah 3:1-3, 5-6, 8-10. Nehemiah was the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes when he heard that the Jews who had returned to Judah after the Babylonian exile were in great trouble and shame. The walls and gates of Jerusalem were still in ruins, and little had been done on repairs and restoration. Nehemiah went to Judah but found strong opposition from the non-Jews of the area to any help for the people of Israel. His own fellow Jews were doing little to help rebuild anything other than their own homes. Nehemiah encouraged his people and prayed to the Lord for them, and the Lord strengthened their hands for this good work. Different groups of Jews worked on each of the gates into the city of Jerusalem, and others worked on the walls in spite of continued threats. As they worked together, the Lord blessed them, the city walls were repaired, and a temple area was built.

The Psalm is Psalm 19:(1-6) 7-14. David speaks in a poetic way of how the amazing universe God created declares the glory of God and His handiwork. There is no speech, but there is a natural knowledge of God that all people recognize in the created world. This marvelous and intricate universe could not have just happened on its own. There had to be a Creator, a Supreme Being, or Beings behind all this, but people developed all sorts of ideas about such beings or gods. The One True God, the God of Israel, revealed the Truth through His Word, through the prophets and their writings, the Scriptures. The laws and testimonies and precepts and commands and all the Word of God show us the truth about the Lord. His Word shows our sins and errors and our need for Him, but it also rejoices our hearts with good news sweeter than honey, showing that the Lord is our Rock and our Redeemer, who rescues us from our troubled world.

In the Gospel lesson, Luke 4:16-30, there is another Epiphany, as Jesus goes to the synagogue, the worship center in His hometown of Nazareth, and reveals Himself as the promised Redeemer. He quotes from Isaiah 61:1-2a, a prophecy of the Christ, the Anointed One of God (that’s what the word “Christ” means), coming to proclaim Good News (Gospel) to poor and captive and blind people (that’s what we all are, spiritually, on our own, because of our sins) and to proclaim the Lord’s favor, His grace and love still given to us. Then Jesus said that this prophecy was being fulfilled that day in Him, as he had come to be that Redeemer and Rock of salvation. So, sadly, Jesus is quickly rejected by people from His hometown, who try to kill Him. But, as we heard last week, His “hour” had not yet come to suffer and die to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross and then to rise in victory. Jesus is thus able to escape at this point, but what was coming for Him was predicted - the rejection of Him by many of His own people, and rejection of this Good News going beyond Israel, as it did in the time of Elijah and Elisha, the prophets, and finally came even to us today.

The Epistle lesson continues a reading from last week from 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. In the One Holy Spirit, we were all baptized into one Body, the Holy Christian Church, no matter what our background, when we were brought to faith in Jesus and were baptized. As our human bodies have many parts all working together, Christ’s body, the church, has many people with different abilities, ideally working together. We need each other, even as Nehemiah had to get lots of people working on different projects to get all the walls and gates of Jerusalem rebuilt. Ideally, we care about each other in the church in times of suffering and in times of joy. (Obviously, only Jesus ever had this perfect love and care for us all as our Savior. But we are called to grow in such faith, hope, and love through Christ and His Holy Spirit, as we will hear next week in 1 Corinthians 13.

Churches that focus on the ministry of Titus this Sunday will use the following readings.

The Psalm is Psalm 17:1-14. The psalmist knows that there are many wicked, unjust, and cruel people in this world who oppose the Lord and His followers and accuse and attack them. The psalmist trusts that the Lord is his Rock of Refuge to whom he can continually come. The Lord is his Savior and Fortress. The Lord has been with him before he was born, in his mother’s womb, and will not cast him off in the time of old age or forsake him when his strength is spent and he’s not sure if he can go on. The Lord has been his hope and trust since His youth. He prays, “O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me.” He will seek to hope in the Lord continually and praise Him more and more, no matter what his circumstances are at the moment.

This is the hope that the Lord is seeking to instill in His leaders and, through them, in all His people. In the Gospel lesson, Luke 10:1-9, Jesus sends out 72 disciples, two by two, to the towns and places where He would soon be going to prepare the way for Him. He warns them that they are going out as “lambs in the midst of wolves.” He would be taking care of them, though, through the people they would reach out to. They should expect opposition but keep reaching out to those who will listen and make it clear that “the Kingdom of God has come near to you.” (It would come fully, of course, in Jesus and His Word and  ministry and His saving work for the world.) The disciples were also to pray earnestly for more laborers to tell of Christ, for He was the Lord of the Harvest and would be the One to bring people to faith through His Word and work and the work of the Holy Spirit.

There is no Old Testament reading but a reading from Acts 20:28-35, the history of the early Christian Church, as we also have in the Easter season. Paul was heading to Jerusalem, where he knew there would be trouble for him. He calls together the elders, the church leaders from Ephesus, and prepares them for what is ahead, as Jesus had prepared His disciples. Paul also warns, as Jesus did, of fierce wolves who would want to destroy the flock, the church of God. Some would even come from within, teaching twisted things, seeking to draw people away from the truth to their false ideas. Paul commends these true leaders to the Lord God and His Word. His grace would build them up and keep them in Christ and His eternal inheritance He had earned for them. This meant hard work, caring for the weak, struggling, and remembering that, as Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Jesus, of course, is the One who gave up everything for us, even His life, to be our Savior, sent from God the Father, and as the Risen Lord is the One who truly helps people through His saving work and through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Triune God saves, not us or any of our leaders.)

With the Epistle lesson, Titus 1:1-9, we finally hear of Titus, though he would have been hearing the same Word of God brought through the psalmist and Jesus and Paul. Here is what the Lutheran Bible Companion, Vol.2, CPH, p.979, says about Titus in a summary way. “A Gentile convert to Christianity who became Paul’s friend and helper. Titus went with Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem at the time of the council. Since Titus was born of Gentile parents, he was uncircumcised (Galatians 2:3-5). This offended the Judaizers at the council; however, the Church refused to make Titus submit to circumcision, siding with Paul, who maintained the freedom of Gentiles from the Mosaic Law (Galatians 2:1, 3-5). Titus was sent to Corinth to solve the problems there and then rejoined Paul in Macedonia (2 Corinthians 2:13, 7:6, 13-14, 8:6, 16, 12:18). Later, Titus was left behind in Crete to organize the churches there. Paul wrote his letter to Titus while Titus was in Crete (Titus 1:4-5). The last mention of Titus indicates that he went to Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10). According to tradition, Titus was the Bishop of Crete.”

In Titus 1:1-9, Paul calls Titus His true child in a common faith, which brings the hope of eternal life that God had promised and now shown in the coming of Jesus Christ our Savior and manifested in His Word. Paul had left Titus in Crete to help organize the churches and appoint elders (overseers equivalent to our pastors) in every town as leaders. The personal qualities of the leaders are described. (Though no pastor is perfect and lives by God’s grace and forgiveness, as we all do, these are qualities that Paul must have seen in Titus, too, with this responsibility.) Most importantly, a pastor should “hold firm to the trustworthy Word of God and be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also able to rebuke those who contradict it.” That’s a crucial responsibility- trying to keep people in God’s true and faithful Word.

You will likely hear only one of these sets of readings. You can still read and study the other set, too, if you have time, as there is much of importance in both.

Preparing for Worship - January 19, 2025

This is the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, and most of the readings revolve around the Gospel reading, where Jesus did His first miracle (John calls it His first “sign”) and “manifested His glory” at a wedding at Cana in Galilee. This is what the word “epiphany” means - a “manifestation” or “showing forth” of Jesus as the promised Savior.

The psalm is Psalm 128, which speaks of the blessings for those who fear the Lord and walk in His way. These are pictured as enjoying the fruit of our labor, our work, having a family and children, seeing our grandchildren, and enjoying the prosperity of God’s people, centered in Jerusalem. This is an ideal picture for many and is matched by Psalm 127, where the Lord builds a house and a city and gives His beloved people rest and sleep from anxious toil and blesses them with children, as a heritage from Him. Obviously, this is not what always happens in a very fallen, sinful world. There is so much sorrow and trouble, even among God’s people. Think of Job and his wife, who lost all their children, and his wife wanted him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Think of the many people who have lost their homes in California and in hurricanes and in famine and murder in Sudan and many other places because of warfare and other evils. Think of those who want children and cannot have them and those who wanted a spouse but never found the right one. And on and on.

The Lord still cares about people, though, in all their difficulties, and promised in our Old Testament lesson, Isaiah 62:1-5, a Savior who would come forth like a burning torch, with righteousness and hope for all nations to see. His name was, of course, Christ Jesus, and those who follow Him will have a new name, Christians, as part of the Holy Christian Church. They will no longer be “forsaken” or “desolate” but will be connected to Christ and with Him, the whole Triune God. It will be like a spiritual marriage, with the Lord delighting in His “bride," the Church, and rejoicing over her. That means us, too, as we trust in Jesus, with joy in Him, with a joy like that of a newly married young man and young woman, though we will not all have the exact same gifts. We will have eternal life always, with Christ.

The Gospel lesson, then, is John 2:1-11. Jesus was invited to a marriage in Cana in Galilee with some of the disciples he had gathered. His mother was there and told Him that they had run out of wine for the wedding celebration. Jesus delayed because His hour had not yet come, but He had six large stone jars filled with water used for Jewish purification ceremonies and then turned all that water into wine. The master of the feast was amazed that this, the best wine, was now being served after all the inferior wine had been served.

What does all this mean? One of the Old Testament images of the coming of the Savior was His providing a great feast or banquet, with wine in great abundance, in eternal life. (See, for example, Isaiah 25:6-9. Note also Amos 9:13 and Joel 3:18. These are images about Israel, but are really pointing forward to the New Israel, the Church, and the abundance of God’s blessings, described as overwhelming amounts of wine available. Finally, if you have a Lutheran Study Bible, p. 1689, you can see a whole article showing how Jesus used the image of a heavenly banquet in a number of His parables and other sayings, showing that He was the bringer of eternal life and salvation.)

The culmination of our Gospel lesson, John 2:11, says that by His great miracle of turning water into abundant wine, Jesus was manifesting His glory as that promised Savior and brought His disciples to believe in Him. That is always His goal, to bring us to trust in Him and keep us in that faith. Look at one more important part of this Gospel. When Jesus said, “My hour has not yet come,” He went on to use words like this six more times, as recorded by John since He knew that His most important “hour” was when he would suffer and die to forgive all our sins and then rise in victory from the dead to give us eternal life. See John 7:30, 8:20, 12:23,27, 13:1, and 17:1. Only in this way could He rescue us entirely, and he did what He needed to do. In John 17:1, He “lifted His eyes toward heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come.’” He then went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He was betrayed and arrested, and His death and resurrection followed, and His saving work for us was completed. We can only thank and glorify and trust Him, by God’s grace, in return.

The Epistle lesson is from 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. Paul reminds us of what our Lord has done for us to bring us to faith and to keep us in faith. He tells us that none of us could say “Jesus is Lord” and mean it except in connection with and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit also gives us spiritual gifts by which to stay in faith and serve our Lord and help one another. “To each of us is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” We need each other because none of us has everything we need on our own. The one Holy Spirit gives gifts individually to each one of us, as He wills and empowers us to use those gifts for ourselves and others. Together, we have what we need through God’s Word and His gifts.

We don’t have time to look closely at all these gifts, but I will make a few comments on some. Spiritual knowledge comes from God’s Word, the Scriptures. That’s why we need to keep listening to and studying them. It also takes wisdom, though, to know how to apply what God says when and where and in the way we should, as He wishes. Scripture guides us, interpreting other Scriptures. Every Christian has the gift of saving faith in Jesus as Savior, but some may be more courageous and confident in living out and sharing that faith. We hear of miraculous healings through some of the apostles. There were also people like Luke who wrote Scriptures through the Holy Spirit but was also a beloved physician, and we know there were medicines used like the oil that the Good Samaritan used for healing purposes (Colossians 4:14, Luke 10:34). Certainly, those in the medical professions can now also bring healing and help to us, and God wants us to pray for healing for ourselves and others. Many of us know people who weren’t supposed to get better, and some of them do, by God’s grace and His plans.

On Pentecost, disciples of Jesus were able to speak in tongues (Acts 2:4ff.), speaking in languages they had never learned, to communicate the mighty works of God in Christ to others (Acts 2:11). Today, we have Lutheran Bible Translators and other groups and people who have a gift of learning languages, who can translate and share the Gospel with people in their native languages. Some supernatural gifts will pass away (1 Corinthians 13:8). God, for example, will not give new spiritual knowledge through new Scriptures beyond the Old and New Testaments (Revelation 22:18-19). He is not limited, though, in giving spiritual gifts as He chooses through His Holy Spirit. Above all, He wants more people to know and believe that “Jesus is Lord” through the Spirit, working through the Word and Baptism (1 Peter 1:23-25, 4:21, Romans 6:1-11, John 3:5-6, Acts 10:44-48, etc.). And we praise God for giving us such faith in Jesus, too - the greatest gift we can receive, no matter who we are.

Preparing for Worship - January 12, 2025

This Sunday is the First Sunday in the Epiphany season and remembers The Baptism of our Lord, a clear showing forth or manifestation of Jesus, who He is, and what he has come to do for us.

The Psalm is Psalm 29,  a psalm of David. David calls upon the heavenly beings, the angels, and all people to give the LORD the glory due His Name for His holiness and strength. This psalm is sometimes called the psalm of “thunder,” with the picture image of God’s power being like a thunderstorm coming from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. His voice in the thunder is majestic and powerful. His thunderous voice in a storm can shake and break the mighty cedars of Lebanon and strip leaves bare and disturb animals, with lightning and winds. (See similar passages like Isaiah 2:12ff. and Job 37:1-5 and Jeremiah 10:12-13.) The Lord is enthroned as King forever. He can bring judgment, as with the worldwide flood in Genesis. David prays that the Lord, in His might, will now also give strength to His people and bless them with peace. Martin Luther saw this psalm as a prophecy of the coming of the Gospel, in Christ as Savior, with the flood, the water of His Word and baptism, doing good, spreading not just to Jews but all over the world to bring people peace in forgiveness and new life in Jesus. See John 14:25-27 as an example of the peace that Christ came to give, different from the world’s peace.

The Old Testament lesson, Isaiah 43:1-7, also speaks of the Lord’s great care for His Old Testament people, but also for all people from the ends of the earth, drawn to Him through the coming Savior, our Lord Jesus. The Lord had formed His people and redeemed them and called them by name. They should not fear, though they pass through waters and fires. The Lord would be with them, and they would not be consumed, though they would be threatened by many, including the Babylonians, during a time of captivity. The Lord would be their Savior and ransom them, and other peoples would be attacked instead of them, including Egyptians, people of Cush and Seba, and Chaldeans of Babylon. (More details of this are revealed in later passages in Isaiah, as Cyrus and the Persians rise to power and conquer other peoples and allow God’s people to return to their homeland. See Isaiah 43:14, 44:28-45:6,14, etc.) God still loved His people. They were precious in His eyes, and eventually, through an Offspring of God’s people, our Lord Jesus would gather followers from east and west and north and south, from the ends of the earth, who would be called by the name of Christ to believe in Him. (The waters mentioned in v.2 could refer to the gift of baptism in the New Testament, where the Lord is with people in a saving way, even though there would be times of trial and testing. See the reference in the Gospel lesson, Luke 3:16-17, to Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire, through the cleansing and purifying waters of Baptism and judgment for those apart from the Lord.)

In that Gospel lesson, Luke 3:15-22, we hear of John the Baptist, preparing the way for the coming of Jesus. He was not the Christ and was not worthy, he said, even to untie His sandals, but had the great privilege of baptizing Jesus. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came upon Him, and the voice of God the Father came from heaven saying of Jesus, “You are My beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.” This could be said of no one else on earth because of the reality of everyone being a sinner other than Jesus. (See Psalm 14:2-3 and Romans 3:23 and Hebrews 4:15.) Jesus had no sin to be forgiven but was baptized for us to fulfill all righteousness for us (Matthew 3:15 and 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus lived a perfect life in our place and then paid the penalty for all of our sins by His suffering and death on the cross. That is how He could be our Savior, and that is what He did for us and for the world.

The Epistle lesson for this week, Romans 6:1-11, reminds us that we received personally the benefit of what Christ Jesus did for us, in our own baptism, as a gift from God through the Holy Spirit. We were connected to Christ and died to our old, sinful life, and were raised to newness of life and have the promise of eternal life and resurrection, even though we die. We no longer are enslaved to sin and its absolute dominion over us. As we remember our baptism, we remember that we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. That is the way that God now looks at us. We still struggle with sin and temptation because of our sinful nature,  but we are under grace, with the Triune God to help us with our battles and forgive us when we fail. We no longer are eager to want to continue in sin, and we ask the Lord to help us, day by day, with His mercy and strength. (See Romans 7:15-25, for example.) Our victory is through Jesus Christ our Lord, and we keep listening to His Word, which shows us our sins, but above all, our Savior (Romans 3:19-24).

One more important related comment. Some churches and groups emphasize that it is our repentance and decision for Christ that really saves us, and then God acts with His blessings for us. They point to Acts 2:38, where Peter says, “Repent and be baptized.” Being baptized is then just our expression of our faith to God and others. It does nothing special for us. The context of this passage says the opposite. Peter had already preached the Word of God about Jesus to the crowds at Pentecost and shown them their sins in rejecting Jesus and calling for His crucifixion. They were “cut to the heart” and knew that they had done wrong but did not know what to do about that. They already were feeling repentant through the Holy Spirit, working through the Word. Peter then calls them to the gift of baptism and forgiveness, also through the Holy Spirit. Peter calls this the promise of God for them and their children and all whom the Lord calls. It is a promise for all since God wants all to be saved (Matthew 28:18-20 and 1 Timothy 2:3-4).

In Acts 2:40, some translations have Peter saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” This contradicts other Scriptures, which say that we cannot save ourselves. (Ephesians 2:8-9 says, for example, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”) In Greek, the word in Acts 2:40 is also in passive form, better translated, “Be saved from this crooked generation.” And Acts 2:41 simply says, “Those who received the Word brought by Peter were baptized, and about three thousand souls were added to the believers.” Acts 2:47 says that the Lord added more and more to their number, those who were being saved by Him. It is His doing, not ours that we are saved. When we read on, in Acts 5:31, when Peter and the other apostles were witnessing to fellow Jews, Peter said, “God exalted Jesus at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

We don’t produce repentance first on our own. God gives repentance, also, as His gift. Later on, when Peter was witnessing to non-Jews, Gentiles, and some believed and were baptized, through the Word and baptism, those Jews already believers glorified God and said, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted (given) repentance that leads to life.” Even repentance is enabled in people as God’s gift. He does the saving work from beginning to end. Our confidence is in Him and His fulfilled promises, in Christ, and through the Holy Spirit.

We could look at more examples from Acts 16, also. In Acts 16:14-15, “The Lord opened Lydia’s heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul, and she and her household were soon baptized, by the grace of God. She did not open her own heart. Later in Acts 16, Paul and Silas are arrested and thrown in prison, unjustly, and were praying and singing hymns, when a great earthquake came. The prison doors were opened, and the bonds on all the prisoners were unfastened. The jailer assumed that all the prisoners had escaped and was about to kill himself rather than be tortured for letting them escape. Paul cried out, “Don’t harm yourself. We are all here.” The jailer must have been listening to Paul and Silas himself, and seeing that they had saved him from taking his own life, he asked what he had to do to be saved, to have what they had. Paul simply said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” The jailer was already prepared by the Lord through the witness of Paul and Silas. Paul then taught him and his family the Word of God, and they, too, were baptized. The whole family then rejoiced that they had believed in the one true God. Again, it was what God had done, working through the Word of God and songs and baptism to bring this family to faith.

And that is still how God works to this very day. How important the Word of God and Baptism are as the means by which God’s Holy Spirit still works to bring the gifts of repentance and faith to others, as He has done for us. Keep rejoicing in these great gifts and remembering who and what you now are through Jesus and your Baptism.

Preparing for Worship - January 5, 2025

This is the Second Sunday after Christmas, with January 6 as the Epiphany, remembering the coming of the Wise Men, the Magi, led by the star to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem. The Christmas season then ends, and next week, we begin the Sundays after Epiphany, looking at the ministry of Jesus beginning with His baptism.

The Old Testament lesson tells us of Solomon, King David’s son, who sought to follow the Lord as king and did not ask for personal riches and benefits but for wisdom in governing God’s people and in telling good from evil. God gave him a wise and discerning mind and other blessings but called him to walk in His, the Lord’s, ways. Solomon then made offerings to the Lord before the ark of the covenant in the Tabernacle in Jerusalem. (Sadly, the seeds were already there for Solomon’s drift away from the Lord over time. Already he had married Pharaoh’s daughter for political reasons (1 Kings 3:1) and later married many other women who worshiped false gods and helped turn his heart away from the one true God. He sometimes offered sacrifices at high places of false gods, too. See 1 Kings 11ff. When Solomon died, his kingdom split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah. There was never again one united earthly kingdom. Our Lord Jesus finally came, of course, from the line of King David, but His kingdom would not be of this world, but in the hearts of those who were brought to listen to His voice and believe in Him as Savior. See John 18:33-37.)

The Psalm is Psalm 119:97-104. The psalmist loves and meditates on God’s Word, including its laws and precepts and testimonies. God’s Words are sweet and give wisdom and understanding. They give more understanding than many teachers and aged people and help us avoid evil and false ways. (The psalmist has to admit also, though, in the last verse of this psalm, Psalm 119:176, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant.” Like all of us, he had not always followed God’s Word and needed His forgiveness and mercy and “longed for His salvation,” which would eventually come in Jesus (Psalm 119:174).)

The Epistle lesson is Ephesians 1:3-14 and is one of the most complete and beautiful descriptions of the Triune God’s saving plan for us and our fallen world. In the Greek, it is one long, complicated sentence describing God’s work for us, for which we bless and praise Him. Before the creation of the world, God knew that we would sin, and yet, in love for us, had a plan for our redemption, choosing us. God the Father, in His glorious grace, sent His “beloved” Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us through His blood for the forgiveness of our trespasses in the fullness of time. This forgiveness comes to us personally, through the Gospel of our salvation, through the Promised Holy Spirit, as we are brought to faith, to believe in Christ, through God’s Word of Truth and our Baptism. We do not understand how all this can be, but we trust the Triune God’s “purpose, the mystery of His will” and “counsel” and “plan,” centered in Christ. Though heaven and earth will pass away as we know it (Matthew 24:35), our eternal inheritance is guaranteed in Christ and through the Holy Spirit. We can only sing praise to God’s glory!

The Gospel lesson, Luke 2:40-52, takes us now to Jesus going to Jerusalem with His parents, Joseph and Mary, for the Passover Feast. They lost track of Him when the festival was over, and it took a few days to find Him in the temple sitting with the teachers, listening and asking questions. All were amazed at Jesus’ understanding and answers as a twelve-year-old. His parents were astonished, too, and Mary asked why He had treated them this way, giving them “great distress.” (The same word is used to describe the rich man’s “anguish” in hell in Luke 16:24.) Jesus was surprised that they did not realize that He must be in His Father’s house, hearing and discussing God’s Word. They certainly did not understand what He meant by “His Father” and “His Father’s house.” Jesus then willingly went home with Mary and Joseph and was “submissive” to them, as the fourth Commandment requires. We don’t know how much Jesus Himself knew as true man at this point. He was true God and yet also a real human young man, increasing in wisdom and stature and strength, as Luke 2:40 and 52 tell us. He had God’s favor and was doing God’s will in a perfect way, as other Scriptures tell us. (It is hard for us to imagine what a sinless child would be like!) We are also simply told that Mary treasured (kept and considered carefully) these things in her heart. We know little about the years following. Jesus learned Joseph’s trade of being a carpenter. We hear nothing more of Joseph, so many think he then died at an early age, and Jesus took over leadership and support of His family as a carpenter until his public ministry began at about the age of 30. We read that when Jesus came home to Nazareth in Mark 6:1-6, people said, “Where did this man get these things?… Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” (These would be the children of Joseph and Mary, born the usual way after the virgin birth of Jesus. See Matthew 1:24-25. Some groups, like the Mormons, say that Jesus traveled to other places, even America, but there is no Biblical basis for that at all. We hear next of Jesus at His baptism by John the Baptist.)