In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

As much as our human reason doesn’t want to believe it, the truth is that we’re all sinful from the very moment of conception. As Scripture says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps 51:5). And anyone who’s spent any time with a toddler knows the truth of this. Their defiance, hitting, and coveting with screams of displeasure, for example, are prevalent long before they have any rational understanding of right and wrong, that is, a rational understanding of their own sinfulness. And, as God has also revealed to us in His Holy Word, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23).

Most, if not all of you, have heard this, but I bring it up because all of our Scripture readings for today are talking about those who’ve already been called by the Gospel to be the people of God along with the benefits that go with that, namely, the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation. So, if this is the first time you’ve heard this, then know that “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved…” (Mk 16:16). If – by the grace of God – the Holy Spirit has worked faith in your heart that clings to these promises of God, then you too are among the people of God that are spoken about in today’s readings.

Now, St. Paul explains that the Israelites we heard about in our first reading were “all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea … “, prefiguring our own entrance into God’s kingdom through our baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection: that “we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4). And in that same Epistle, St. Paul refers to Christians as those who run the race: that they might receive the imperishable wreath of eternal life. And in the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, the “master of the house” – that is, God – goes out and hires “laborers for his vineyard”: a parable of God calling people by the Gospel into the “kingdom of heaven”.

So, now that we know that the Scriptures appointed for today are talking about the people of God, what do we take away from these passages?
“the people quarreled with Moses … And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”
or … “When those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.
And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us …”.
This is a perfect example of the truth that even as God’s people, we remain both just and sinner in this life.

The truth of the matter is, that even we who’ve been baptized into Christ and declared righteous by grace, through faith, on account of Christ’s saving work continue to struggle with being sinful, grumblers. We’re often no different than that defiant and covetous toddler who lashes out in unloving greed and selfishness, and who doesn’t want to sit still and listen to God’s Word. We all do this. We just can’t seem to be content with God’s provision. We complain about our homes, our jobs, our spouses, our children, and the food that’s provided to us. We grumble about our brothers and sisters in Christ and having to sit in church when we’d rather be off worshipping our other idols. We even sometimes despair of God’s grace and mercy. So, perhaps we should our lives “Massah and Meribah” because of our own quarreling and testing of the Lord.

We should remember and take to heart what we learned in the Catechism about how to examine ourselves when we slip into such grumbling: “Consider your place in life according to the Ten Commandments: Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, or worker? Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy? Have you been hot-tempered, rude, or quarrelsome? Have you hurt someone by your words or deeds? Have you stolen, been negligent, wasted anything, or done any harm?” Whichever of these apply to us, let us pray that we would be led by God’s Word and Spirit to contrition and repentance: that we might return to our baptism and daily receive the forgiveness of sins that we desperately need as those who are at the same time just and sinner.
The Christians in Corinth were no different than us, so St. Paul’s exhortation is equally applicable:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
That’s why he also exhorts us (by example of himself) to discipline our own bodies by fleeing from sin so that we don’t end up disqualified, that is, so we don’t lose the imperishable wreath of the kingdom of heaven.

A little further on, St. Paul also gives a very understated example of the dangers of not repenting of our sinfulness:
“Our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food,
and all drank the same spiritual drink. … Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”

They were baptized. They heard the Word of God proclaimed by His called servant. Yet to say that most of them were nonetheless overthrown is about as understated as you can get. Of the more than 600,000 men above twenty years of age who experienced the Exodus [cf. Numbers 1] only two ended up entering into the Promised Land: Joshua and Caleb. Paul’s point is that just as this vast multitude of baptized Israelites were disqualified from entering the Promised Land because of their idolatry and faithlessness, so to do we Christians run the risk of being disqualified from God’s heavenly kingdom.

But that’s what happens if we resist the work of the Holy Spirit in Word and Sacrament: turning away from God’s grace and mercy, and embracing lives of sin and unrepentance instead. God forbid that should be any of us!

Now, while we should certainly strive by God’s grace and Spirit to run our race with self-control (putting down the desires of our flesh), it’s also true that the weakness of our fallen nature will stumble (more often than we’d care to admit). But at such time, we can take comfort in the fact that, for all their sinfulness, God graciously provided the Israelites with the Rock which was struck, and from which the they drank: and that Rock was Christ. And, in our own wilderness of sin, Almighty God, by His grace, sent that same Rock, His only-begotten Son, to be struck with nail and spear: shedding His life-giving blood to blot out our transgressions, dying the death that we deserved to die, and rising again as the Firstborn of we who are baptized into His death and resurrection. There’s our comfort as we struggle to discipline our bodies and run the race that is the Christian life: God’s grace. And that is just what’s pictured for us in the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard.

This parable is all about God’s grace. The landowner (who is God) hired laborers (that’s us) at various times throughout the day. When the workday was over, he paid them all the same wage no matter how long they had worked. Jesus told this parable to teach us that the kingdom of heaven is not about what we deserve. It’s about the grace of God, and not about any merit or worthiness in us. Jesus has promised that by His suffering and death, He’s won for us the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. We are called to be God’s people by His abundant grace and mercy.

Christ redeemed us by the shedding of His own blood, and He richly and daily provides for all our needs. He is truly our rock and our fortress and our deliverer, For He has saved humble and lowly sinners like us.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Pr. Jon Holst

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Transfiguration of our Lord is a glorious culmination of the Epiphany season. Throughout the season of Epiphany, we’ve heard the inspired and inerrant Word of God proclaim to us all kinds of glorious epiphanies, or manifestations of our Lord Jesus Christ: The Baptism of our Lord, His first recorded miracle of changing of water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana, His authoritative and powerful Word that commands even the winds and waves, as well as miraculous, performative acts of forgiving sins and healing infirmities.

Now, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John behold the revealed glory of Christ as “his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. But I would suggest, that even this magnificent event, this glorious Epiphany of Christ’s divinity, is outshone by what Jesus reveals later on in the text.

Before we consider that thought, though, let us stand on the mountain with Peter, James and John so that we might learn just what it is that God would teach us with respect to Christ’s Transfiguration. St. Matthew’s account of this event indicates that it took place after six days.
That’s an important contextual marker that prompts us to ask what happened six days earlier and why it’s important. In this case, the event that occurred six days before was Peter’s confession of faith, in which he publicly declared that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It’s also at this time that Peter’s sinful human nature – a nature that we share – manifested itself again. The exchange went like this:
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem to offer Himself up as the sacrificial Lamb of God, to atone for the sins of the world, and rise to life again on the third day: all for the salvation of this fallen, sinful world. Peter’s God-given faith drove him to confess that Jesus was the Messiah. But that text also serves as a warning to us, and to all who confess the Christian faith.

In spite of his confession, Peter immediately denied Christ’s saving work by forbidding Him to go to Jerusalem to accomplish it. And again, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter’s confession falters. “Lord, it is good that we are here. If You wish, I will make three tents here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Willing spirit, yet weak flesh. Believing soul, yet senseless words.

Peter’s situation should resonate with all of us. We might believe and confess, but our thoughts, words, deeds and very nature are soiled with sin. Speaking from that fallen nature, we, at times, make false confessions and deny Christ and His saving work. We are curved in on ourselves and want to cling to the Law, represented in our text by Moses. We tend to think that we can fulfill the Law and that it somehow will make us righteous before God.

We hold before us the promises proclaimed by the Prophets, represented in our text by Elijah, and fail to behold the reality that when Peter, James, and John looked up, “they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.” In spite of what we here behold on the Mount of Transfiguration, we, like Peter, want to hold onto the Law and the Prophets as if we could somehow be saved by keeping them.

God’s Law, as the hymn goes, “is good and wise”. We need the Law so that we know what God demands of us and how we should live as Christians, but it also shows us how imperfect we really are and how much we need a Savior. This is even true for the Prophets of God who prophesied of the coming Messiah that would fulfill God’s Holy Law and establish a new and everlasting covenant in His blood.

But for Peter, James, John, and us, the Messiah has come. Christ has come. The fulfillment is at hand as Our Lord declares here, on the Mount of Transfiguration, that He is going to Jerusalem and to His saving work on the cross.

The Law and the Prophets, Moses and Elijah, the temple sacrifices: all that is proclaimed in the Old Testament is a veiled shadow of the everlasting glory of Christ, the Light of the World. Peter, James, and John looked up and “saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.”

Likewise, it is Christ alone who must be the one-and-only desire of faithful Christian hearts. Three tents are simply unacceptable. Faith in the prophets is not acceptable to God. Our feeble attempts to keep the Law are not sufficient before God. The disciples looked up and “saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.”

Here on the mount, Peter is so wrong in his understanding that God simply has to interject before Peter can even finish his thought:
“He was still speaking, when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.’ Listen to Jesus: rise, and have no fear…tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

Jesus goes to Jerusalem to “suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” It’s because of this that the disciples … and all of us … are able to “rise, and have no fear.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God had to go to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise again. It’s the whole reason He took on human flesh. And that truth is revealed here in the blinding glory of the Transfiguration. Jesus had to continue His journey to Jerusalem and the cross in order to fulfill all the Law and the Prophets.

At the cross, Jesus saved His fallen creation from the condemnation of God’s Holy Law by fulfilling it, not abolishing it, but fulfilling it.
He did this in all the perfection and completeness that the Law demands and that we ourselves are woefully unable to fulfill. And in this way, by saving us, Jesus is glorified.

Because of His atoning sacrifice, Jesus declares us to be righteous before the Father on account of His own righteousness … on account of the blood He shed to redeem us from sin and death. In this way, the Father is glorified.

This is sure and certain because that’s what God’s revealed Word tells us. The inspired Evangelist John writes:
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. … “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” (Jn 12:23-24, 27-28).

God revealed the summary of His good and perfect Law through His servant Moses. God revealed His promises of deliverance from bondage to sin through His Holy Prophets like Elijah. God revealed His glory in Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration.

But Our Lord’s greatest glory is found on the cross where He shed His blood to transfigure us lost and condemned creatures by reconciling us to God.

In a little over three weeks, we we’ll begin the Holy season of Lent when we will focus a great deal of our attention on the cross.
This is fitting since it’s at the cross that the love of God accomplished the forgiveness of sins and truly shines forth without shadow or veil.

At the cross, we see “no one except Jesus Himself alone.” At the cross, we behold the greatest Epiphany of God’s love for His fallen creation. Jesus received the wrath that we deserved, died the death we deserved to die, and does it all for our salvation.

It’s true that when we look at Jesus on the cross, we see an historical event. It’s also true that we see the divine, self-sacrificial act that paid the redemption price for our sins. But it’s not just history nor just a pivotal, divine event isolated in time.

Christ the Lord brings to you His fulfillment right here … right now. Along with Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John, you behold your Savior.

Jesus speaks into your ear His Word of forgiveness and places into your mouth His body once given and His blood once shed for the forgiveness of all your sins.

So, rise … have no fear. The Son of Man has been glorified. Your sins have been forgiven on account of His atoning work. And as Christians who have faith in Christ’s saving work on our behalf, we have God’s promise that on the Last Day “the Lord Jesus … will transform our lowly bod[ies] to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Phil 3:20-21).

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Pr. Jon Holst

January 30, 2022

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Until recent times, Christians never considered the art, architecture, and music that we use in the worship of Almighty God to be an indifferent thing.

Byzantine and Medieval Church art was intentionally, but respectfully, stylized to reflect the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the heavenly realities of the angelic host, and the Church triumphant: all of which defy our ability to fully comprehend with our limited and sin-corrupted human reason.

Renaissance and Baroque art, with equal reverence, depicts biblical themes with detailed realism in homage to the Incarnation of our Lord: God taking on real human flesh and blood in the person of Jesus to experience the same hunger, sorrow, fatigue, and temptation that we experience (although without sin in His case). And to bear all the sins of His fallen creation: atoning for our sins by the outpouring of His life-giving blood on the cross and the giving of His true body into death.

Reverent music developed organically in the Church as an outgrowth of Psalm singing in the Temple, as an intentionally subservient, yet beautiful, vehicle for the proclamation of God’s Holy Word, and as distinct from secular musical forms that elicited feelings of worldly passions and desires.

This same principle of reverently expressing the truths and texts of Holy Scripture found their way into Christian architecture: simply, of course, in the early house churches like those described by Justin Martyr before his execution in 168 AD, then, more elaborately as Christianity was increasingly tolerated and finally legalized by the Edict of Milan in 313 AD.

One of the early Christian symbols that was eventually incorporated into church architecture was the boat. In church architecture, the area where Christians gather together to hear the Word of God proclaimed – where all of you are sitting right now by the grace of God – is called the ‘nave’: from the Latin word navis, meaning ‘boat.’

In fact, many churches were designed with a large ridge beam running down the center of the roof above the nave to bring to mind the keel of an upturned boat. And this symbolism isn’t surprising when we consider the first verse of the Holy Gospel appointed for today: “When [Jesus] got into the boat, his disciples followed him.”

The disciples had been listening to Jesus for some time now. They’d been called by the Gospel. They’d been given the gift of faith by the living and active Word of Christ (the same Word that healed the leper and the centurion’s servant in last week’s Gospel reading).

Of course, they wanted to be where Jesus was. As St. Peter would say to Jesus on another occasion: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” So, they got into the boat.

But things didn’t go as they expected. “There arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves.” Indeed, they feared for their lives.

There’s a parallel in this for us. We are Christ’s 21st century disciples. We’ve been called by the Gospel to faith in Christ as Scripture says: “buried with [Christ] in baptism … you also were raised with Him through faith,” … and also … “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

By virtue of Holy Baptism and faith, and continually hearing the read and preached Word of God, we are in the boat with Jesus. But that doesn’t mean life is always going to be smooth sailing! Holy Scripture has some things to say about the rough waters ahead for Christians. For example:
– “It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.” (Phil 1:29)
– Or perhaps, “Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (1 Pet 4:12)

Some of the rough waters that afflict us come from the godless world we live in. Like Nineveh, our societies are fraught with evil – evil that, either directly or indirectly, causes trials or suffering for Christians.

There are those places in the world where it’s still illegal to be a Christian and for which imprisonment or death is not uncommon.

And there’s the increasing intolerance for Christians in our own society: governmental attempts to limit or prevent Christians from gathering together to receive the forgiveness of sins in Word and Sacrament, harsh ridicule for valuing the lives of unborn children as gifts from God, accusations of hate crimes for opposing the worlds wickedly deceptive views on gender, and the assault on absolute truth and godly morality that public schools preach to our children to encourage them to embrace all of this godlessness in their own lives.

But some of the great storms in life are the result of our own sinfulness. St. Paul, as we heard in today’s Epistle reading, reminded the church in Rome of God’s moral law:
“The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”

As orthodox Lutherans, we can’t be antinomians who don’t see a place for God’s Law in our lives as Christians. We always need the Law as a curb to keep us in check, as a mirror to show us our sinfulness and desperate need for the forgiveness of sins and salvation in Christ, and as a guide to daily teach us how to love God and neighbor.

It’s dangerous for us to thumb our nose at God’s Holy Law because, whether we like it or not, Scripture is clear that we can turn away from Christ’s gifts of forgiveness life and salvation. The inspired writer of Hebrews, for example, preaching to Jewish Christians whose faith was teetering, exhorted them, saying: “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (Heb 3:12).

Reflecting, then, on God’s reminder through St. Paul, we should examine ourselves and confess our sins of lust, hatred, theft, covetousness, and general lack of love for our neighbors: first and foremost so that, in contrition and repentance, we might hear the absolving voice of our Savior say to us, “Your sins are forgiven … go in peace” (Lk 7:28-50); but also because we know just how much our sinfulness contributes to the stormy seas and rough waters of life for both ourselves and others. For, as St. Paul continues, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor.”

So what are we to do when we’re engulfed in the torrents brought on by the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh? In their own fear of looming death, the disciples:
“went and woke [Jesus], saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”

And in the case of the pagan mariners who were likewise faced with certain death and had just flung Jonah into the sea, God used the peril of their situation to bring them to faith so that “the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.”

In both cases, “they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.” And the culmination of that deliverance for this sinful world, and for us sinful people, is the sign of the Prophet Jonah. Jesus said:
“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matt 12:39-40).

Jesus, the Son of Man, died for our sins, was buried in the ‘heart of the earth’, and rose again on the third day in triumph over sin and death: for us, and for our salvation.

By the power of His Word that even rebukes wind and sea and which He’s also connected to His Holy Sacraments, Jesus forgives our sins, strengthens our faith, and keeps us safely in the boat of His Church. We cannot stand upright in our frailty, but the grace and mercy of our crucified and risen Lord will strengthen and protect us though all the dangers and temptations of this life until He finally navigates us into the safe harbors of His heavenly kingdom.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Pr. Jon Holst

Readings:
Jonah 1:1–17 the word of the LORD came to Jonah
Psalm 96 Oh worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!
Rom. 8:18–23 the whole creation groans and labors
  or Rom. 13:8–10 he who loves another has fulfilled the law
Matt. 8:23–27 even the winds and the sea obey Him

In the name of Jesus.

In the Holy Gospel for this 3rd Sunday after Epiphany, Jesus performs two healing miracles. He heals a man with leprosy, and He heals the servant of a centurion whose disease has caused paralysis. In both miracles, Christ is revealing the glory of His divinity (which is a principal theme of the Gospel readings during the Epiphany season).

But in addition to His divine glory, Christ’s will is also revealed to us (the attribute of His divine goodness), as is His authority (the attribute of His divine omnipotence). In the first of today’s accounts, the leper comes to Christ and says: “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” This is a confession of true faith.

He calls Jesus ‘Lord’ and confesses that Jesus has the power to heal him, but he also says: “if you will.” In great faith, the leper is submitting himself to the will of Christ.

He trusts that Jesus can heal him, and he also trusts that Jesus will heal him: but only if such healing is the best thing for him just like when we pray “Thy will be done” in the Our Father. And of course, whatever Jesus wills happens.

The leper didn’t know what Christ’s will for him was because our Lord hadn’t revealed it yet. But when Jesus does reveal His will, the leper believed the promise, received the gift, and was healed. Jesus put His hand on the man and said: “I will; be clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

So, whatever the will of Christ may be, it’s also true that He has the authority and the power to make it happen.

The authoritative power of Christ is seen even more clearly in the second healing. A Roman centurion came to Jesus to beg His help for an afflicted servant. Jesus told him that He’d come to his house and heal the man, and the centurion also made a faithful confession: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed” (and I have to mention as an aside, that that is what Christians have historically prayed before receiving Holy Communion – something you might pray yourself today: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and [your] servant will be healed”).

The centurion acknowledged his own sinful unworthiness, and also understood the divine authority and power of Jesus so well that he’s confident in the power of Christ’s Word to accomplish His will even from afar.

The centurion understood that Jesus has the authoritative power to simply say His Word, and what He wills will come to pass.

Like the leper, the centurion recognizes Christ’s divinity, and trusts His power and authority; he trusts Christ to work however He chooses, even if He chooses only to speak a word.

Now, each of us has our own leprosy and paralyses: the leprosy of our sinful nature that we’re conceived and born with, and the paralyses of our actual sins for which we are rightly judged and condemned by God. Those sins might be failing in the God-given responsibilities of our vocations – not being faithful fathers, mothers, children, workers, and such; for some it might be giving in to the sexual sins that our godless world promotes and entices us with at every opportunity; or it could be the 3rd Commandment sins of being ashamed of the Gospel: not just being cavalier about missing church, but hiding your Christian faith from those who might ridicule you. Let us, by God’s grace, repent of all such spiritually paralyzing sinfulness.

But, how can sinful people like you and me know the Lord’s will toward us? And how can we know how He’ll accomplish His will?

First, consider how the leper learned of Christ’s will for him. In short, the leper asked Him. That doesn’t mean that if you pray to God He’ll mystically reveal His will to you. Our Lord doesn’t need to do that because His holy will is already revealed to us in Holy Scripture. It’s in Scripture where we’re to inquire of Jesus because the Scriptures are His Word – to us, and for us – and they express His will clearly.

Certainly, not every question we may have is answered there, but the most important ones – the ones that Christ wants us to know the answer to – are definitely there. We may not find out if God is willing to heal us of an infirmity in this life, for example; but we will discover Christ’s will to heal us of the far greater illness of our sins.

In Holy Scripture we discover the promise that, having been cured of the leprosy of our sin, we’ll one day also be relieved of all physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual illnesses when we enter Christ’s heavenly kingdom.

That’s what Jesus’ miraculous healings on earth were intended to show us. They were a foreshadowing of His good will toward us all, as well as His desire to restore us to wholeness of body, and soul – all of which comes ultimately from what? – from the forgiveness of sins, which Christ wills to impart to each and every one of us.

Secondly, consider just how Christ’s will toward us is carried out. Since Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, we can’t walk up to Him as the leper did, and receive His healing touch directly from His hand. So, we take our example from the centurion: trusting that Jesus has authority to heal us without standing right beside us. As true God, Christ’s authority is such that He can simply speak the Word. His Word bears His authority; and by His Word His will is done.

And when we want to know what Word Jesus has spoken to us – what He, in His divine authority, has established so that we can know and trust that His power is at work in it – we look again to Holy Scripture where we find that there are several Words to which Jesus has attached His authority and power, such as:
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

Our Lord commanded that His apostolic ministry should baptize people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

And through His apostles He’s explained that this baptism, by the power of His Word, will forgive our sins, restore us from spiritual death to spiritual life, and make us heirs of His kingdom. Also,
“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.'” (Jn 20:21-23)

Our Lord promises that when a called and ordained servant of the Word absolves you of your sins, it’s an authoritative statement that’s binding on earth and in heaven. It’s a declaration that bears the authority of Christ Himself and that gives you exactly what His Word says: the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus said:
“this is My body, which is given for you … this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins”

Christ tells us to eat His body and drink His blood where He gives us His forgiveness. And where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation (as the saying goes): the continuing renewal and strengthening of our faith.

But, people doubt. You might be one of them. Some either don’t believe that Christ could forgive the sins of someone as sinful as them, or they don’t believe that Christ could impart forgiveness and salvation through such humble means as Word, and water, and bread, and wine.

Such doubt and unbelief is seen in today’s Old Testament reading with the account of Naaman and Elisha. But being an historical account of the mighty works of God – out of His good will for sinful men – the account should also bring you comfort and eliminate your own doubts.

Naaman was “commander of the army of the king of Syria … a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria.” Even though Naaman was an enemy of God’s people, God used him to accomplish His purposes.

Naaman carried out raids on the Israelites. Some Israelites were, undoubtedly killed, and others were carried off into slavery like the girl that Naaman put into the service of his wife.

But in spite of all his violent sins toward God’s people, God used His Word – proclaimed by the prophet Elisha – to call him to faith and cleanse him. And if God was willing to heal a murdering slaver like Naaman, then we should never doubt that it’s also God’s will to be merciful to us and forgive the sins that burden our own consciences.

Look at how God healed Naaman: He had the prophet Elisha tell him that he’d be healed if he went and washed in the Jordan seven times. Not surprisingly, Naaman’s human reason was offended and outraged by this. His response was:
“Behold, I thought that [this prophet Elisha fellow] would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?”

Unlike St. Paul, Naaman was ashamed of the Gospel. It defied his human reason, so he hardened himself against it.

But here’s the thing: God hadn’t attached His Word of promise to any of the rivers of Damascus in this case. He had specifically chosen the waters of the Jordan to accomplish His will. And when Naaman’s servant encouraged him not to harden his heart to this great Word that God’s prophet had spoken, Naaman was humbled, he washed in the Jordan seven times, and was completely healed of his leprosy. It was the Word of God – connected to the humble means that God had appointed – that healed Naaman.

That’s just how God works for us in Holy Baptism – by His Word and promise connected to simple water – which is foreshadowed here in the healing of Naaman.

God works in the same way through His Word of absolution proclaimed by simple men. And through simple bread and wine in the Holy Supper of Christ’s body and blood.

God works in this way because He’s promised to do so, and that promise is irrevocably sealed to us by the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins. Christ willingly went to the cross to pay for our sins. He suffered for us, died for us, and rose again from the dead for us: to give all who believe in Him the sure and certain hope of eternal life. That’s His promise to us.

In the end, having been humbled by the Word of God and the tangible effects of sin, Naaman received God’s grace through the means God had appointed, confessing: “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel …”

In the same way, you, and I, and all who are baptized, all who’ve been humbled by the Word of God to confess our many sins and have been absolved, all who’ve eaten at Christ’s own table in repentant faith, can say with complete confidence that there is no God in all the earth apart from our Lord Jesus Christ who is found in the New Israel –
His Holy Church – where He’s actively healing us of our diseases of sin and death, and opening to us the kingdom of Heaven.

Like Naaman, the unnamed leper, and the centurion: our trust is in Christ alone. So let us all say with St. Paul, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Pr. Holst

Sermon 1/15/2022
Pr. Daniel Holm

“Do whatever He tells you.”

This is great faith on the part of Mary. Mary was kind of like the wedding coordinator. She was helping this couple during the celebration. Instead of turning to friends or others that were familiar with where to get wine Mary turned to Jesus and stated “They have no wine.” Christ responds with “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” Mary in hearing these words knows that Christ’s time is soon to come. She has faith in this man. The same man that just three days before called disciples only using His Word. She trusted in Him in rectifying the situation instead of trusting in her resourcefulness. She turns to the other helpers of the wedding and says “Do whatever He tells you.” She is basically saying even if it sounds ridiculous or outrageous listen to Him for only good can come from it.

If Mary said those words to you. “Do whatever He tells you.” Can you do it? In the epistle reading it says

The Word of God is calling you to love, honor, be zealous, fervent, patient, constant in prayer and to serve the Lord. I cannot do this even on a good day.

Moreover, He calls you to be perfect. In Matthew on the sermon on the mount Jesus says You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Be perfect. Do what He tells you to do. Look at yourself and ask yourself does this seem like an outrageous and ridiculous task. I know for me when I look to myself the old Adam that clings to me I see this as an impossible task. Be perfect. Are you in the same boat as me? Are you the married couple who could not even have enough wine for one day when traditionally wedding feasts would go for almost a whole week? Does Christ need to intervene for you that are lacking? Is your sin too heavy, are the problems in your life too big of a burden for you to carry? Perfection is too big a task for you, but He tell you to do it.

Christ’s time has come. He tells the servants “Fill the jars with water.” The total of these jars was anywhere from 60 gallons to 110 gallons. The servants who heard the word went and filled the jars to the brim. Very conservatively, this approximately 320 bottles of wine today. Remember this is on top of wine that they already had been drinking. Jesus then commands the servants to draw some and give it to the master of the feast and there the master of the feast is in awe. For I am betting this is the best wine he has ever tasted. Jesus saves this couple from shame, from entering their marriage on a sour note. Christ provides this couple with an overabundance of wine and only the highest quality. The only people that know what has happened are Mary, the servants and the disciples.

It is very interesting to see that Christ starts off His miracles with changing water into wine and ends with the Lord’s Supper promising forgiveness in wine now made His blood. Both are served at a feast. Both to save from shame. The first at this wedding in Cana he used the jars of washing and in the Lord’s Supper the blood washes you clean of your sin. Both of these made true by His Word, both of these to show His disciples that He is God. Both show the compassion He has for mankind. To show that union is of utmost importance. For this miracle is the precursor to the marriage feast that you will partake at here at this table. Here you receive wine that is priceless, wine that is the most delicious, and satisfying. In this wine, at this table, you receive the very blood of your Savior, the blood that washes you of your sin. The blood that grants you perfection by covering you.

Christ’s service to this newly married couple should remind you of what He came to do for you. You get a glimpse of both sacraments. The cleansing jars a reference to baptism and the good wine to the Lord’s Supper. The beginning of this gospel also reminds you that Christ was raised on the third day. He the bridegroom came as a man to this world so that He could unite Himself and on that third day take His bride, the Church to the Wedding feast that has no end, that is celebrated for eternity. This Wedding Feast, He serves you the wine/blood from Himself.

What does Christ tell you to do. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

He tells you to believe in Him. Believe that He has done everything for you. He has accomplished everything for you. He remained perfect in the face of temptation. He loved the Lord genuinely, He loved mankind genuinely, He abhorred evil, and He held fast to what is good. He loves you even now with brotherly affection. He shows you honor by giving you credit for the deeds that you are only able to accomplish through the help of the Holy Spirit. He always was zealous for the Lord and for your salvation. He is fervent in Spirit and He always serves the Father. He rejoices when sinners repent and is patient with those that stray.

Believe in the Christ that saved this wedding by turning water into wine, Believe in the Christ that saves you through His death and resurrection on the cross. It is because of Him that you can leave here today knowing that you are His child, that you are forgiven by the sacrifice He made. It is through Christ that you can have joy and peace because you have been washed by the blood of the Lamb. He pours out His blessings upon you just like He did that newly married couple. He only gives you the best and He will give you an overabundance of it.

He has accomplished the impossible, He and He alone brought man back from desolation. It Christ who accomplishes what it says in Amos. Christ coming into this world raises up the booth of David that has fallen, and through Him He repairs it’s breaches and raises up it’s ruins and rebuilds it as the days of old in His death and resurrection. It is through that same fact that all nations are called by His name because His name has been placed on everyone that has been baptized in His name. He makes the mountains drip sweet wine, and because of Him the hills flow with it for the Lord’s Supper is everywhere His church is. He restores the fortunes of His people Israel because He has given us citizenship of heaven, he has made us more than conquerors. He will make sure you bear fruit and are never uprooted.

Blessed are you who have not seen and yet have believed.

SDG

Readings:
Amos 9:11–15 no longer shall they be pulled up from the land
Rom. 12:6–16 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them
John 2:1–11 a wedding in Cana of Galilee

Sermon for the First Sunday after the Epiphany: January 9, 2022 jj
Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝

Christian Baptism often is an event that, for most of us, is remembered only as some point in the distant past. And so, I’m afraid, it can also be too easily forgotten . The Word of God and the Holy Supper – on the other hand – they are continually being placed before us. Through these events we’re reminded constantly of the many blessings that God showers down upon us. But our Baptisms have to be brought to light over and over again. We have to set our minds on remembering them. That’s why – in Luther’s Small Catechism – it’s suggested that, as a Christian, you begin each day by making the sign of the cross over yourself as a remembrance of the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the name that was placed on you at Baptism. You would not want to lose sight of the importance of what happened on that day when God first called you to be His own.

And what are you supposed to remember about your Baptism? Is it the faithfulness of your parents, who – in obedience to God’s Word – brought you as an infant to receive this Water of Life? Or, if you weren’t Baptized as an infant, how about that moment when, as a believing adult, God placed the desire in you to be Baptized? More to the point, God wants you to remember that real water was applied, that His Holy Word was invoked, and that – in that very moment – the Holy Spirit worked an amazing transformation by transferring you from this kingdom of darkness and death into the kingdom of His beloved Son. For this is precisely how your heavenly Father gave you life where before there was nothing in your life but death – it’s how He granted you faith where before there was nothing but unbelief. And most especially, it’s how, when all is said and done, your conversion is a miracle wrought straight from the hand of God Himself.

It’s important to remember these things because we live in a world where many people – even Christians – still deny that God’s Holy Spirit does anything through Baptism to grant faith. They are downright adamant about this, much more than you or I ever get excited over the truth, I’m afraid, and so they are constantly winning people over to their way of thinking. What do they teach? Instead of Baptism being God’s gift to man, that in the system of decision-theology, it’s the other way around – nothing more than a public act of the Christian’s obedience and promise to God. Wouldn’t that mean that all Jesus did for you wasn’t enough? How easy it is then to forget or deny what God has truly done in and through Baptism. Perhaps it’s because Baptism defies the cardinal rule that for something to make sense it first has to check out according to human reason and empirical measurement. For the reality is that – to the eye, at least – Baptism doesn’t appear to be much of anything – even though Scripture teaches the contrary. Hear what Dr. Luther had to say regarding Baptism when he wrote: “What God institutes and commands cannot be in vain, but must be a most precious thing – even if in appearance it seems to be of less value than common straw or stubble.”

You would receive the most comfort and gain the most understanding of your own Baptism if you would look at it through the Baptism of Jesus. Even though you were brought to God with nothing – through simple water and His Word God imparted to you everything needful, namely, His forgiveness, His Spirit, and His good pleasure toward you. Now, we heard in the Gospel today that John tried to prevent Jesus, saying, “I need to be Baptized by You, and You’re coming to me?” John perhaps was utterly amazed that Jesus – this sinless Son of God – this One who knew no sin – should through repentance, seek Baptism and forgiveness from his hand! And yet, it’s precisely in the fact that Jesus came seeking John’s dispensing of forgiveness, that God now holds out an incredible comfort for you. Jesus said, “It is necessary for us to fulfill all righteousness.” That means that there’s no sin you’ve ever committed – or ever will commit – that He hasn’t already soaked up in His own body. Jesus came to John as the one and only “Sinner” in the world because Baptism is for sinners. And so, just as John once poured the cleansing water of Holy Baptism upon the Son of God our Savior, so also in the very same way – when those blessed waters were first poured out over you at your Baptism – a cleansing took place as the merit of Jesus, all he lived and died and rose from the dead for – these precious gifts were miraculously and fully imparted to you. We are now in the Epiphany season, and we should recall that Epiphany marks the opening of God’s Christmas gift for the whole world. This week, the Baptism of Jesus fits very neatly with that theme because at your Baptism, that’s when the Lord’s precious Christmas gift of eternal life was opened specifically for you. It wasn’t when you made any kind of commitment to Him.

Another thing you need to note about Jesus’ Baptism is how He received the gift of the Holy Spirit – how, as He came up out of the water; the heavens were opened and “He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest upon Him.” Does it strike you as strange that the very Son of God would have to receive the Holy Spirit? Certainly Jesus hadn’t come into this world without the Holy Spirit. And yet here in Christ’s Baptism we see God granting Him this Spirit in a very special way. But that’s how it was with your Baptism, too. Heaven was also similarly parted, and God reached down to touch you as His child – as He bestowed on you His Holy Spirit in a hidden way and put in your heart a saving faith that looks to the cross alone for salvation and life. Yet sadly, because we can’t see these things happening, we’re tempted to believe there’s nothing to them at all – even though God’s Word teaches very clearly that they are very, very real, indeed. You see, in Baptism God adopted you as His child – He made you to be a new creation who abhors sin – and He brought you from this world of death into His world of eternal life.

The final thing I want you to notice about Jesus’ Baptism is how – when the Spirit had descended on Him – the Father pronounced His great pleasure, saying directly to Jesus, “You are My beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” Of course, Jesus had never done anything to displease the Father. Even as He wrestled in the Garden with having to drink from the cup of suffering for us, Jesus remained constantly obedient to His Father’s will. His entire life was a life of perfection – and in that, the Father was well pleased with Him. And this is where you really get to test your understanding of this Gospel and the blessings you’ve received in and through Baptism.

The test comes by way of a question. And that question – a “yes” or “no” question – is this: “Is God pleased with you?” Now, I suspect that when you hear such a question, the first thing that happens is the Law immediately kicks in and you begin to think, “Well, I should do this – but I don’t. And I shouldn’t do that – but I do! So really, how could God be pleased with me? It’s impossible to know!” It’s then that you need to hear the Gospel – this one of Jesus’ Baptism – of the Father’s words spoken at that Baptism – and of the fact that everything Jesus did here in this life He did in your place. And because of that fact, you are compelled by the Gospel to acknowledge that God is also therefore pleased with you. The truth of the matter is this – if God is pleased with His Son, He’s also pleased with those who’ve been Baptized into the name of His Son.

What great and glorious news that is! As members of Christ’s body, the Church, you are all together considered to be God’s beloved Son, and He declares that He is well-pleased! There’s no treasure on earth worth more than knowing that your heavenly Father is pleased with you. His pleasure isn’t something injected into you and you have to make your Christian life grow before He says that He’s pleased—that’s the Law again—rather, you have it in full as God’s gift, but of course along with that sure forgiveness your holy life will simply continue and grow by His grace for the rest of your life. Therefore, so that you might always be reminded of that fact and live in the realization of it – perhaps you might consider starting in your own life the ancient practice of making the sign of the cross over yourself – as the Catechism teaches – so that you would be daily reminded of your Baptism when you pray, and remember the blessings God freely imparted to you – that you might be reminded whose child you are – and of His good pleasure guaranteed to you in Christ.

A story is told about how – when paying a visit on one of his dear friends – Luther found him in a very depressed state of mind. When asked the reason for his sorrow, Luther’s friend responded that he hadn’t been able to determine what it was that had made him so sad. So Luther said these simple words to him. He said: “Don’t you know you’ve been Baptized?” By those words, his friend would later say, he was comforted more than if he’d heard an entire sermon. Well, that is a fitting summary for you to take home with you today: “Don’t you know you’ve been Baptized?” What appears on the surface to be of less value than straw or stubble has been intended by God to be for you a great source of comfort – even though it’s a treasure you cannot even see. Give thanks to God that in Baptism He has cleansed you from all your sin – He’s given you His Holy Spirit – He’s made you a new creation in Christ – and that He has shined His face upon you in the assurance that He is, indeed, as pleased with you as He is with His own dear Son.

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

Sermon for the Second Sunday after Christmas: January 2, 2022 jj
Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝

We have had a joyous, happy holiday.  Since last weekend we have been celebrating the “good news of great joy,” that to us is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  With the angels who give glory to God in the highest, with the shepherds who return glorifying and praising God, with the wise men who rejoice exceedingly with great joy, we too join in the joy of Christmas. We cannot totally get rid of all the negative, unpleasant things that go on in our lives, but at least for a few days, can’t we just block them out?

Just as last week, the death of the Martyr Saint Stephen gave a striking contrast, so also now, on the Second Sunday after Christmas, the Church Year calendar gives us the account of what’s called “The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents.”  Now if there is any other event in the Bible that could be more of an antithesis to an upbeat, cheerful holiday mood, I don’t know what it is.  Herod’s murder of defenseless children of Bethlehem is a singularly horrifying and tragic story.  Yet it comes hard on the heels of Christmas, and is right there in Matthew chapter 2.  What saves the story for us, though, is what can really be called “The One That Got Away.”

King Herod heard of a newly born king of the Jews from the wise men, the Magi who suddenly had paid him a visit. This is not the news that a desperate despot wants to hear.  “Another king of the Jews?  What about me?  Where would that leave me?  I’m the only king around here.  I’m not going to have some little upstart challenging me for my throne.” But Herod is a sly fellow.  He’s not going to come right out and tell the wise men all this.  That would scare them off.  No, Herod wants the wise men to lead him right to the little king.  His advisors find out from the prophecies that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, but he wants to know the exact location and the exact child.  So he sends them to Bethlehem on the pretense that he wants them to report back to him so he too can go and worship.

Of course it’s a lie.  Herod doesn’t want to worship the newborn king, he wants to wipe him out!  But the wise men are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod.  So Herod gets stood up by the wise men; they don’t come back.  He still doesn’t know which of the baby boys in Bethlehem is the one to eliminate.  So just to make sure he gets the right one, Herod orders the death of all of them–all the baby boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity, up to two years old.

Herod the Great was a brutal, murderous ruler, insanely jealous and protective of his power, suspicious to the point of paranoia.  Ancient history records other occasions when he had potential rivals to his throne, whether real or imagined, ruthlessly killed.  He even murdered members of his own family when he thought it served his own interests.  So for Herod to order the deaths of maybe up to 20 baby boys in a small town–if he thought that doing so would be a sure way to get rid of a new “king of the Jews”–this was nothing out of character for him.

The soldiers are dispatched.  The dirty deed is done. This is a crime so unspeakable and heinous, the details are hard to contemplate, much less to describe. What kind of a monster could do such a thing?  What is as senseless and tragic as the violent death of innocent children?  What grief as profound as that of parents mourning the death of their little ones?  Try to imagine the sorrow of those mothers in Bethlehem:  “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Is there any comfort for these mothers of Bethlehem? There is, and it’s all because of “the One that got away,” the one baby Boy who escaped the slaughter of the innocents.  Joseph is warned in a dream to take Mary and baby Jesus and flee the country.  The little, innocent Messiah is safely on his way to Egypt.  God the Father is not going to have the infant Savior cut down before he can get started.

You know, God had done this sort of thing once before, saving an infant savior.  Many centuries earlier there was another evil ruler who wanted to kill a bunch of Israelite baby boys.  But the Lord had a little baby deliverer that he wanted to keep alive.  Moses was his name.  So that time the one that got away was baby Moses.  This time it’s Jesus.  That time the baby was already living in Egypt.  This time the baby goes to Egypt, in order to escape.  Moses had a great mission in front of him:  to lead the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt.  Jesus had an even greater mission in front of him:  to lead people of all nations out of bondage to sin and death and the power of the devil. That’s why baby Jesus needed to flee from Herod and escape to Egypt.

It was necessary for baby Jesus to live, in order for him to grow up and fulfill his saving mission.  Jesus had to live so he could later die, at the right time and in the right place.  Some thirty years later, Jesus would stand before another Herod–Herod the Great’s son, Herod Antipas–and before a governor named Pontius Pilate, and at that time and in that place, Jesus would suffer and he would die.  His death at the hands of evil men would redeem us from the power of death and deliver us from all evil.  So the Christ of Christmas had to live, in order that the Christ of Calvary could die, for your sake and mine.

That’s the crucial connection between the joy of Christmas and the somber tragedy of the Holy Innocents.  Any celebration of Christmas that can function only on a surface level of sweet, syrupy sentimentality, a Christmas that cannot come to grips with the harsh reality of death and suffering and evil in the world–that kind of a Christmas is not worthy of the name.  But the true Christmas, the real Christian Christmas, does speak a word of lasting comfort to those who are suffering, to those who are struggling with the unanswered, and unanswerable, questions of life—and death.  Maybe you are one of those today who can benefit from this comfort found hidden in the story.

Is there any comfort for people suffering from tragedy and loss?  Is there any comfort for young mothers who lose their children?  Is there comfort for you, when you lose a loved one or are losing one to advancing age or debilitation?  For you, when you come face to face with your own mortality? When a Herod of one form or another threatens to take you out?  Yes, there is comfort for them and for you!  It is all because of the One, the Savior that got away!  Christ Jesus, by winning forgiveness for all our sins has taken the sting out of death. It still is going to hurt, you will continue to miss that person or still endure physical suffering yourself. But the big hurt, the big death–death under the wrath of God–that has been accomplished.  Jesus took that death for us and so took the sting out of death.

Christ’s absolutely “holy, precious blood” and his totally “innocent suffering and death” mean that now we who are connected to Christ are accepted by God as true “holy innocents,” holy before God and innocent of all the guilt that the Law says we had deserved.  Those who belong to Christ will “live under him in his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.”  So the question then becomes:  How do we get connected to Christ?  The baby boys of Bethlehem–they were connected, for they were sons of the house of Israel. They had received in their bodies the sign of the covenant which God had given to Israel, namely, circumcision.  And so they shared in the hope of Israel, the promised Messiah, who would deliver God’s people from sin and death.

How about us?  How do we get connected to Christ?  We are connected to him in Holy Baptism.  In baptism, we participate in the death of Christ.  Paul says in Romans 6 that “all of us who are baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into his death.”  So the big death for each of us has already occurred.  The death we deserve for our sins, Christ has already suffered.  And we participate in that death by way of baptism.  Now the only death left for us is the one that leads to life–everlasting life with our Lord and Savior, where there will be no more pain, no more suffering or sorrow, no more tears and weeping.

There is the source of comfort–and even joy–for all who are surrounded and set upon by the sorrows of this life, this vale of tears.  There is the comfort for the mothers of Bethlehem and the mourners worshiping on Avenue E.  All who are connected to Christ have already died and now are joined to the life of Jesus.  His is life that is truly holy and innocent, life with God, life forever. Now that life is yours. Here in this place.

And so the season of Christmas, which is still going, by the way, is not a time for artificially trying to block out unpleasant thoughts and put on a fake, happy face.  No, Christmas is to be celebrated especially in view of all the tragedy and suffering we experience in life.  Because Christmas is when Christ came into the world, and that makes all the difference.  For the Christ of Christmas is also the Christ of Calvary. That’s why Jesus had to be “the One that got away”—so that he could go to the cross for you.  And connected to him, we have a comfort and a hope and a joy that all the Herods we face in this world cannot destroy.

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

Sermon for the Festival of St. Stephen, Martyr: December 26, 2021 jj
Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝

A lot can happen in a day! It looks like today, the day after Christmas, the Church is jolted out of a joyous celebration of the Savior’s birth into a morbid exhibition of death and the sad story of Stephen, the first follower of Jesus to be a martyr, that is, one who dies for the Christian faith. What is the Church thinking, to put this day in its calendar right after Christmas? Aren’t we already let down enough with trashed houses, gift returns and tight waistbands? Christmas goes on for twelve days, ending with the day before Epiphany—and then there will be reason for more celebration! Couldn’t the joy of Christmas last at least a little longer?

In fact, there are three days that talk of death, and they follow one right after another. Today (Sunday) marks the martyrdom of Stephen, tomorrow is (Monday was) set aside to remember the death of St. John the Apostle, who was exiled instead of killed, and (Tuesday the 28th commemorates/ yesterday commemorated) the slaughter of the Holy Innocents, that is, those baby boys under 2 years old in Bethlehem who were killed by the command of King Herod while he was searching to kill Jesus. There’s nothing very cheerful about these Christmas stories! Right away our attention is turned about-face from the manger, cattle, shepherds and angels proclaiming peace and life—to the cross, angry mobs, bitter opposition and suffering to the point of death.

Thus, our Church calendar reminds us in no uncertain terms—this baby in the manger came to die on the cross. Remember the three gifts the Wise Men brought? The last one was myrrh, an ointment used to preserve a dead body for burial. No one, when they sing the song “We Three Kings,” you wonder why they never include the verse on the gift of myrrh. Here it is:
  “Myrrh is mine: its bitter perfume
  breathes a life of gathering gloom:
  sorrowing sighing, bleeding dying,
  sealed in a stone-cold tomb.”
Oh, I guess I can tell why you never hear it. You can count on the fact that the best-selling baby shower present these days is not going to be embalming fluid! But as we well know, this is no ordinary baby, for Christ is true God, even in the flesh of a little child, a child who is destined to die.

Take note how Christ is portrayed today at the end of the Scripture reading from Acts. He is not this time a poor baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Instead, He is arrayed in the full glory of God standing at the right hand of the Father—standing ready to come to the aid of His devoted servant and receive Stephen into eternal life.

The opening of the heavens even had an effect on Stephen’s appearance. As he confessed the faith and God’s work through Israel’s history before the enemies of the Church, Stephen’s face reflected the glory of the Lord, which his eyes were allowed to see. As the Jewish leaders were looking at him, they saw that Stephen’s face looked like the face of an angel.

What a blessing it was for Stephen to behold this vision of heaven! Imagine the throne room of heaven appearing before your very eyes and your Savior standing there just for you! That would be the wish of any Christian who is faced with adversity. But wouldn’t it be even better if those enemies could also see the Lord in all His mighty glory? Maybe that would strike fear in their hearts and send them away running. Perhaps those rotten sinners would simply vaporize in the sight of the Most Holy God—wouldn’t that be great? Jesus will show those bad guys who’s the boss.

But it didn’t happen that way for Stephen. Instead of running away from him, the members of the Jewish council ran at him, covering their ears at what they called blasphemy that they heard coming from Stephen’s lips. He was then dragged out and pelted with stones. The face that looked so angelic just moments ago was probably bloodied beyond recognition.

Yet what is interesting is the way in which Luke, the author of Acts, describes the death of Saint Stephen. While the stones were already flying, Stephen prayed to the Lord Jesus whom he saw standing in glory. His words reflected the very prayer Jesus Himself prayed as He was nailed to the cross. He prayed in the words of Psalm 31: Into your hands I commit my spirit.

Then, falling to his knees, in the posture of humble worship, Stephen forgave those who trespassed against him, pleading for them to be spared from the wrath of God that burns against all sin. Finally, and perhaps the most puzzling of all, Stephen simply fell asleep! The lynch mob didn’t get the last word in the matter. True, by the outward appearance, Stephen’s death was quite violent. But really, this young man entered eternal life peacefully, ready to stand with his Lord in heavenly glory.

And so, Saint Stephen is the picture of true Christmas joy. For the joy of the Christian is surprisingly found in death. But what joy could there be in such a thing? It seems absolutely crazy, how could you even suggest any correlation between the two. From our experience, death brings only sorrow, pain, and the terrible reminder that we are poor, miserable sinners getting what we deserve. We know there are others who hate and insult us, we try to ignore it like it doesn’t have an effect on us, but we just cannot shake it. Nobody’s fooled, and our anger against all that hurt against us just sits there waiting its opportune time.

Yet one Man’s death reversed all that. The Child destined to die went to the cross, and there destroyed the sting of death forever. He suffered the death our sins placed on Him, and so those sins are no longer held against us. The hurt we suffered has been removed so that it hurt Jesus instead. As strange as it may sound to those who hear it for the first time, the death of Jesus Christ is for us a death that gives life: a life that was proclaimed in all its splendor on the third day, when Jesus rose from the dead.

On account of this life-giving death, heaven is opened to us just like it was for Stephen. This happened first at baptism, when we were washed with water connected with the promise found in the Lord’s Word. That promise is: whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, and that promise is sealed by the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity into which we are baptized.

Now when you were baptized, there probably wasn’t a sudden vision of heaven and the glory of the Triune God didn’t visibly fill the building. More likely than not, nobody there beheld the angels that proclaimed this new birth of water and the Spirit just as joyfully as they hailed the birth of Jesus to those shepherds. Though it was concealed in plain water and words, to be seen only in true faith, heaven really was opened for you that day as the gates of hell were closed. Our Lord Jesus stood to receive you on the day you were born again at the baptismal font. But even then, a death occurred. It was the death of your sinful nature; it was nailed to the cross along with Jesus so that you may arise as a new creation. How joyful is that death for you!

What’s even better is that this doesn’t happen just once. The risen Savior sitting at the right hand of God the Father stands ready to greet you His baptized children whenever you gather in His name. Though you don’t see it, heaven is opened even here in this humble place. Though it is not audible in your ears, the angels do sing, because forgiven sinners are allowed to come before the presence of the Almighty God, saying Lord, have mercy! Because of your baptism, you are privileged to join this heavenly worship, lifting up your hearts and voices in joyful and reverent praise to our God.

For the heaven that Stephen saw with his eyes, is the very same heaven you hear each week with your ears. Christ is here among you today, and you worship Him who was laid in the manger at birth, hung on the cross to die, and raised from the tomb to live forever—all in order to forgive your sins. He is here now in His glory, not to make your problems flee away and disappear, but to give you strength and wisdom through the Holy Spirit to stand up under any temptation.

A real change takes place right here. When Stephen beheld the face of God as he was confessing the true faith, his own face changed appearance. And so, your appearance before God and the world changes as well. As you look away from your own self and fix your eyes on Jesus, He automatically makes you more like Him. As He speaks His words of life to you and proclaims the shedding of His blood for your sins, He plants within you a new nature, replacing the sinful nature of death that is daily drowned in remembrance of your baptism. Your faces, once bloodied and disfigured with sin, now shine radiantly as you confess the name of your risen Savior.

Though heaven comes to us in the Word of God and in the holy Sacraments, we don’t have to look far to see that we are still in a sinful world. Our lives might not be taken from us as is happening to Christians in many countries even today. Still, in every place and every age the Gospel will have its enemies. Our enemies may be different from those Stephen faced, but by virtue of our new life in the death of Christ, our prayer for them is just the same as his: Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

We can be confident as we stand in the throne room of the Almighty God, because for us, heaven is open. The world may reject us and even throw stones of one sort or another, but they cannot stand up against Christ the wisdom of God and the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Take joy these twelve days of Christmas from the presence of your Savior Jesus, who is standing here today, ready to open heaven for you. Thanks to His life-giving death for us, our own death will be like falling asleep, for when we wake, we will see heaven open with our own eyes, and take part in the true Christmas joy that has no end.

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

Sermon for Christmas Day: December 25, 2021 jj
Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝

On this holy day, the celebration of our Savior’s birth, we rejoice that the Word of God was not hidden from us forever, but was revealed for our benefit, instead of our condemnation. It was our heavenly Father’s will not to leave us lost, in our sins and errors pining. He wanted us instead to break forth together with singing, taking part in the comfort that He brought to us as Isaiah foretold, with His bared, holy arm. His Word was never meant to be a dead, cold letter left frozen on a lifeless page in a book closed to the world. Rather, His Word would be a living Word, a Gospel of peace, published for all to hear it and be saved. Not merely would He announce that salvation and good things would soon return to you if you buckle down and do this or that first. No, that’s not Good News. That’s just a con game, a bunch of empty promises that the world knows all too well, and even in all of the festive veneer of a Christmas shopping season (which you can tell is ending today, instead of the real Christmas season that is just beginning), the worldly happiness just doesn’t last.

Christmas tells us that the Good News is Jesus. He is the glad tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. He is the one who spoke to His people of old by the prophets. He is the Word who was with God because He was, and always has been, and always will be, God. Yet this timeless Word did not stay away from us and send down this or that set of directions like Mohammed and other seemingly enlightened men have said. In a total reversal of what the world would expect, the Son of God Himself came down from heaven and became incarnate—that is, He put on human flesh. God’s Word all of a sudden was not a mysterious voice with booming, thunderous sound that rattled a mountain and burned a bush. Now, thanks be to God, all of a sudden His Word had a human heartbeat, ten little fingers and toes, and most importantly, a human voice to speak peace and human blood to give in sacrifice for all.

What could ever keep such a joyous message from being heard? Why doesn’t everyone realize that beautiful feet come from a beautiful Gospel message meant for the ears of all? As the Evangelist John tells us in the Gospel, He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden and their eyes were opened to their now shame-filled nakedness, it was actually what they heard that suddenly urged them to flee and hide. They had to have taken some time in order to sew the fig leaves together and cover what they didn’t want each other to see. You get the impression, there doesn’t seem to be a need to panic yet. Our first parents were still at that time laboring under the delusion that they could fix their own problems with their own cleverness. So stitch by careful stitch, the first green, all-natural clothing made its debut to the fashion world. Perhaps they were proud of their handiwork. This being like God idea, possessing more wisdom from that forbidden fruit, may work out after all.

Yet that fateful day, it was the sound that was worse than the sight. The heat was tapering off, so the day was coming to an end, perhaps around sunset, when a gentle breeze would start to kick up. The sound that Adam and Eve heard came from the Lord God, who was Christ before He put on human flesh, and He was walking in the garden He created. The one sound that should make all of creation rejoice in praise of its Creator, was the one sound that made Adam perk up like prey that just became aware of its hunter, and hide in the trees in vain escape. Something about the sound made it much more terrifying than the sight.

It was because the sound they heard had made these first members of the human race face the consequences that they knew were coming. They had already heard from the Lord, If you eat of that tree, you shall surely die. The Lord’s sound meant certain judgment, even when their sight may have been deceiving them. Even the innocuous, almost playful question, “Where are you?” was the last thing Adam wanted to hear. He was not comforted at the presence of God. He was painfully aware of his nakedness; even with the fig-leaf garments on, it was not going to take the shame of sin away. And so upon hearing the Lord, Adam hid from his own Creator and life-giver. Because he heard the voice of the Deceiver, as did Eve, they both had to hear the bad news about how sin and death would infect their lives, their children, and their world from that moment on.

That curse is the bad news that you and I and the rest of this world know only too well. But we are not mere passive victims of all of it. We have contributed our own part to the sin that runs rampant all around us. We may feel like innocent casualties, especially when others trespass against us, but each of us has chosen to hear and obey our own voice of deception rather than God’s pure voice of His will as we read of it in the Ten Commandments. You and I have not rejoiced at the sound of our gracious God and His forgiveness among us, but we have instead taken His Word for granted, as a liability to be avoided, as an aspect of our lives that we would want to remain hidden and private. Sure, we can say we get too busy, or our work takes us away too much as it is, or the people can be hard to deal with, but it all comes back to that voice. We don’t want to hear it. It bares the shameful nakedness of our sinful hearts, and we can do nothing to cover it up, so we hide from our Lord God, as if we thought that were possible.

But then we come to Christmas, to the time when our Lord God began His walk among us once again. This time, the sound of His voice came from human lungs and lips. His beautiful feet that brings good news would fit into sandals whose straps John said he wasn’t worthy to stoop down and untie. The Almighty Word entered our world not in a lush garden paradise, but wrapped in strips of cloth out of utter poverty and lying in a lowly manger located in a crowded city of people registering for taxes they could hardly afford. The news of His birth startled King Herod and all of Jerusalem, so that they trembled with fear by the time the Magi arrived. But most of all, our infant Lord’s arrival sent the devil reeling, because the battle was engaged. This battle would be decided at Easter, but the outcome was guaranteed to be in our favor already at Christmas.

As you hear the news of your Savior’s holy birth in Bethlehem of long ago, you do not any more need to cover yourself or run and hide as Adam did. Because Jesus completed His mission of salvation that we confess in the creed, suffered, crucified, died, was buried, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, the sound of our Lord is no longer a sound of judgment but of peace, heavenly happiness, good things restored to their originally created Goodness, the reign of God established among His faithful in Zion, which is the Church. Isaiah 52 is so joyful and waxes eloquent about beautiful feet because the next chapter, chapter 53, describes in detail how it all would happen: He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, stricken, smitten and afflicted, wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, cut off out of the land of the living, making intercession for us, the transgressors.

This is what changes the sound of the Lord in your hearing today. Instead of condemnation and guilt over your rebellion against God, you hear a message of reconciliation, of peace on earth and mercy mild. Justice and fairness have come to their ultimate fulfillment, and you have been pardoned by grace. Your death, which you know is there and with all the difficulties around you can feel it’s coming, but that death has been transformed into a passageway to eternal life, thanks to your baptism into Christ. Your merciful Father assures you that you do not need to rely on yourself as if you had no God—He will take care of you, for He has called you by name and gathered you by the Holy Spirit with your fellow Christians in the one true faith that you confess together at this altar.

And as you feast this holy day on the human Body and Blood that is mysteriously here because of Jesus’ promise and His spoken Word, you may break forth into singing. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling also in you. The waste places of your heart have been restored to the pleasant planting of the Lord, a new garden in which Christ is pleased to walk and speak His Word of constant comfort to your soul, the Word of forgiveness and absolution that is yours for the strengthening of your faith. You are the Jerusalem that He has redeemed, a Bethlehem in which there is room for Jesus. Your hands come together to make a manger bed for the Bread of His Body to lie in as you bring Him up to your mouth to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Soon, you will be back home or with your loved ones. Some of us will soon get in touch with family that is far away from us. Your rejoicing and celebrating will come to an end and you’ll be tempted to put it all away just like you did those lights and ornaments last year. But the Word made flesh remains true to you, faithful as ever no matter how far you may roam from His smooth, reassuring voice. He constantly calls out to all who would hear His voice and be forgiven of all their sins in Jesus Christ. With a renewed heart that is yours thanks to the Holy Spirit, the Gospel of peace will bring you Christmas joy all year every time you hear the precious Word of God, the promise that you will be with your Lord in the Paradise to come.

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

Sermon for the Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Eve: December 24, 2021 jj
Rev’d Mark B. Stirdivant, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Yucaipa, California
✝ sdg ✝

What a fine son of David we have here! Joseph of Nazareth may not have given his ancient ancestor a second thought, were it not for the surprise tax letter that was sent to him via the decree of Caesar Augustus; it was the decree that ordered him to make an unplanned pilgrimage journey to David’s little town of Bethlehem. But at about the same time the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and that was the title he called Joseph specifically- Son of David. It will be the dream that would change his life forever. We never know how long he lived after Jesus’ boyhood years, but what calls for our attention right now, tonight on this Christmas Eve, is why Joseph was called “son of David.”

To start with, David was a mighty king. About a thousand years before Joseph, that red-headed youngest son of Jesse was anointed by the prophet Samuel in preference over his big brothers and later famously marched into battle with only his slingshot and shepherd’s staff against Goliath. He grew to be a noble man, refusing to snatch the kingdom from Saul by force or by murder. He cherished a faithful friend in Saul’s son, Jonathan. When he fell to the temptation to take Bathsheba and murder her husband, the king repented when he was finally shown his sin to his face.

There was also a time when David wanted to do, and just about did, the wrong thing for the right reasons. His desire was to build a house for the Lord; a permanent temple building to replace the temporary tent. Instead, as a way of showing that human thinking is not the same as God’s thinking, the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to foretell a Son from the royal line of David who would build a truly permanent house, a house that would last forever; a house that you and I know today as the Holy Christian Church. The promise that gave hope to Adam, that was first expressed to Abraham, and confirmed to David was what the Evangelist Matthew recorded as what looks to most people like just a list of names that appears at the beginning of Matthew chapter 1.

But that list of names brings us down, much like when you see a Google map picture of the globe widening out bigger and bigger as we narrow down closer and closer until we finally get to a single location on that map—and for Matthew that single point is Joseph, the son of David. The title doesn’t seem to fit him, though. He lives in Nazareth, not at all like the kingly palaces of Jerusalem. He has no power over anyone else, much less an entire kingdom like his ancient father David. He’s just a carpenter, as we find out later in the story, even though he’s part of a kingly, royal family line. Joseph doesn’t look like a son of David.

The man who occupied the throne at the time, the murderous King Herod, along with his family was nothing like David. He despised the kingdom that he ruled. He wouldn’t stop short of killing anyone who got in the way of his absolute power. His son despised holy marriage and relished unrepentantly in an adulterous relationship with his other son’s wife. When Herod heard the Word of God, he did not rejoice and obey, but rather he trembled with fear, as the Epiphany story tells us, for it is true—those who are bent on evil tremble when God’s goodness comes to them; just ask Adam about his fig-leaf clothes- they treat it as though it were a big threat.

Joseph, on the other hand, is a fine son of David. Even though he himself is not a king, he still emulates his royal ancestor very well. He treasures God’s Word, believes it with all his heart, trusts in its forgiveness that it offers free, thanks to grace. He is very careful to follow God’s laws, and we find this in Joseph when he discovers the news that Mary his fiancée is pregnant. Their engagement was not yet finalized to the last step in the process, and Joseph highly respects God’s institution of marriage. Though many in our day, and maybe a few in Joseph’s, wouldn’t have been disturbed at all about this- King Herod being one of them, for sure, Joseph at least knew God would not be pleased if he would marry someone who, he presumed at the time, had disobeyed an important law of the Lord.

Yet there’s something else about Joseph that makes him a fine son of David. He shows utmost compassion for someone, even while he’s assuming that she had committed adultery against him! Matthew said right up front that this miracle happened by the Holy Spirit’s work. That’s so we’re guaranteed that it did not happen in a blasphemous or physical way as Muslims and others wrongly ridicule the story. But Joseph would not hear that important fact until God’s angel speaks to him in a dream. Actually, that’s another similarity to David, in that Joseph was making it up in his mind to do the wrong thing for the right reasons, too! In his case, he would not expose Mary to public disgrace, or possibly worse, for her out-of-wedlock pregnancy, but instead divorce her in a private way. He was ready to suffer an unjust charge on her behalf in order to show her the love he thought she didn’t deserve.

God’s Word changed all that, completely! The angel of the Lord gave an announcement to Joseph in a dream; a dream that would remove his fears, which was the complete opposite of what would happen to King Herod. “Joseph Son of David!” That voice sounded out like a warm spotlight shining on Joseph as he was sitting in his dark, cold dungeon of fear. “Do not fear,” was the divine message to him, “do not fear to take your wife Mary home.” That is, go ahead and bless to the fullest this union that you’ve already begun—for the Lord has blessed you! This child that you will claim into your family at His birth will be the One to save everyone in the world from their sins. His name is Jesus, for He will be both the Savior and the Lord over everything! All authority in heaven and on earth will be given to Him, so that by that same authority the Church will go and make disciples of all nations.

And forth in the Lord’s name goes Joseph, son of David. After this event, he won’t ever be in the Bible’s spotlight again, at least not as a main character in the story. He will faithfully fulfill his role as guardian of our Lord and for that we give God all thanks and praise this Christmas. He honorably and nobly continued in abstinence from his wife out of respect for the divine miracle that occurred in her womb- the fleshly temple filled with the presence of the Lord as a tiny baby. He had no union with her until she gave birth to her firstborn Son.

He would prove to be the greatest Son of David ever—He’s not only worthy to sit on Jerusalem’s throne, or claim every earthly power that was or ever will be—but this Son of David will be nailed to the throne of the cross. His bloody death would pay the price of your sins and mine, and His resurrection secures our everlasting salvation. He is a true Joshua, a Jesus, a Lord-Savior; the One who would suffer unjustly for the sake of those who really didn’t deserve His love, but He gave it to you and me anyway, abundantly.

May the life and noble actions of Joseph, son of David, guide you this Christmas season as you repent honestly like David did, and worship Jesus Christ, Son of Man, born of the Virgin Mary. Thanks in part to Joseph’s faithfulness, Jesus is also the fulfillment of the great, ancient promise made to Abraham and to David. May the Good News of great joy shine on you in your sinful darkness and remove all your fears, as the announcement in Joseph’s dream did for him. Praise God that He led Joseph to honor marriage, so that whenever we see it dishonored in our time, we can be strengthened with forgiving grace to stand firm against a sinful world, and be lovingly bold enough not look the other way when it happens in our own families.

What a fine Son of David is our King Jesus! Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! God’s thinking and our human thinking are not at all the same, and boy, what a good thing that is! Joseph had to wait until a dream occurred in order for him to be comforted in his vocation. You, on the other hand, have that divine comfort proclaimed directly from the Bible through the mouth of God’s called and ordained servant; it’s what has changed your life forever. This Christmas, rejoice in the Word that you hear, the grace and forgiveness that you receive, the hope of eternal life that you have and that will never fade away.

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