5th Sunday in Lent

Text: Romans 8:1-11

Fourth Sunday in Lent

Text: John 9

Second Sunday in Lent

Text: Genesis 12:1-9

Third Sunday in Lent

Test: Exodus 17:1-7

First Sunday in Lent

Text: Genesis 3:1-21

Transfiguration Sunday

The Commissioning of Deaconess Janet Nicol

Text: Matthew 17:1-9

What is God doing in my life? That is a question that Christians ask from time to time. A concern that Christians often have. It seems that we are more likely to ask that question when there is some significant event that has come up: a tragedy or an illness or a loss. What is God doing? Why is God doing it? Christians often want to know.

Christians want to know. Maybe… you want to know. What is God doing in your life? Why has God brought you to this place, with all those things you’ve got going on.

Well, if you want to know what God is doing today, it is always helpful to know those things that God has done in the past, those things that God has done in the lives of his people before. It is helpful to see that pattern that God has established in the past for intervention into the lives of his people. Knowing what God has done in the past, helps us to understand what God is doing today. If you want to know what God has done in the past, then… we have to study the Word of God, the Bible.

So what is God doing today? This is the question before us. Well, today God is changing the direction of the life of one of our own.  Janet Nicol’s life Is changing in a big way based on what is going to happen later on in the service. She is being commissioned. We are going to authorize her to serve us here as a deaconess. It’s kind of a big deal. And our authorization is not just our own – it’s not just St. Paul Chuckery authorization, it's Lutheran Church Missouri Synod authorization. All those congregations that we walk together with in our doctrine and practice are likewise giving their approval. Saying Janet is a worthwhile candidate for this service and they would be happy to have her serve any one of them. (That why we have certificates, that why we have distinguished and honored guests). This is kind of a big deal. So that’s one thing that God is doing today. And It is important, but it’s not the most important.

Today is also Transfiguration Sunday. Transfiguration is kind of a big deal. Why? Well, because it makes us ask that question – what is God doing? There is an event, a pretty significant event, a doesn’t-happen-every-day sort of an event and there are obviously some big things going on. It’s important to understand these things so that we know what it is that God is doing.

So what are those big things that are happening here in our text.

Well, to begin with, Jesus takes three of his disciples, the inner circle three and he goes up on a mountain. Right away we know that this is important, because in the Gospel of Matthew, mountains are important. Important things happen on mountains.  Jesus preaches a sermon on a mountain. Jesus battles the devil on a mountain.  The Gospel ends with the command to make disciples, baptizing and teaching. And this all happens on a mountain. Here, Jesus is transfigured on a mountain, so just by virtue of the location, we know that this event is one that is important.

But there’s more… There is more going on than just the mountain. There are important things that happen on this mountain. Things are signs… signals for us that this event is an important event. 

• Jesus’ face starts to glow. He starts to shine like the sun. He starts to shine with the glory of God.
• There are two distinguished guests that show up to talk to Jesus – Moses and Elijah, who represent the scriptures – the Law and the Prophets, are there and they are talking to Jesus.
• There is a cloud. More than just telling us that there was a weather system moving in, we area to understand this as the Glory Cloud, the physical manifestation of the Glory of God. This is the same cloud by the way that descended on Sinai in our Old Testament reading from Exodus 24.
• There is the voice of the Lord speaking from the cloud telling the disciples that they should listen to Jesus.

All of these things add up to one pretty important event that is taking place here in our text, here before the very eyes of Peter, James, and John. Here today before you.

But what does it all mean, and what is God doing?

Like we said, if you want to understand what God is doing today, you need to look back and see what God has done in the past. Was there a time before when there was a mountain, a shining face, a cloud, glory from heaven, and the voice of God? As it turns out, there was. There was a time when all of these things happened. And we read about it already today. Our Old Testament lesson from Exodus 24 tells us that there was a pretty significant event that occurred in which God did all of these same things before. God descended upon Mount Sinai in a cloud. Moses went up the mountain and saw God. He came down and had to put a veil over his face because it shone with the glory of God. And God’s people heard God’s voice speak from heaven as he shared with them the Ten Commandments.  A historically and theologically significant event in the lives of God’s people.

In this event God had come down to be with his people. He had come down to establish a covenant with them: that he would be their God and they would be his people. And to ensure that this would happen, God gave to them the divine service. After this event, God gave to Moses the instructions for building the tabernacle and the procedures for how to conduct the divine service. All of this would ensure that God would dwell in the midst of the people, quite literally in a tent in the middle of the people. And through this divine service, God would lead them and guide them, God would bless them, God would protect them. They would his people and he would be their God.

So today, Transfiguration Sunday, Jesus is on the mountain with Moses, doing the Moses thing all over again. Only he isn’t the old Moses – restoring or repristinating the old divine service, he is a new Moses establishing a new divine service – with his own body to be the sacrifice and the food.

So Moses is there, but so is Elijah. Elijah is sort of the prophet’s prophet. A prophet who stands out among the rest of the Old Testament prophets, and so he is important for that. But more than that, Elijah is important because of the work that he was called to do. Elijah was called to be prophet during a time when the Israelite monarchy had become corrupted and defiled. It was the job of the kings to make sure that the Divine Service was conducted at the temple according to God’s command. Only Ahab the king had abandoned God’s temple and was instead promoting the service of false gods. Elijah was called by God to confront the wickedness of the kings and move them back to their proper role of overseeing and promoting the worship of the true God.

So Moses was there on that mount of Transfiguration because there was a new divine service, with a new temple and a new sacrifice. And Elijah was there because there was new King. Not like the old kings and a new kingdom. A new reign of heaven. And they were both there because this new priest and this new king was the one who was standing there before them with a shining face. And as they stood there talking to Jesus, the Lord came and spoke into the ears of the disciples and they heard God say, this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.  Looking back and seeing what God did in the past, in the Old Testament, with the Old Covenant, has helped us to see and understand what God was doing here on this new mountain of transfiguration.

So what is God doing today? Well, like we said earlier, today is Janet’s commissioning. In some ways, or at least on the surface, noting will have changed. Janet has been serving here at St. Paul for forever – with the choir, with the youth, on boards and committees, doing all kinds of things. The fact that Janet is serving is not new. But the fact that Janet will be authorized, with the full backing of our own congregation to serve on our behalf, but also with the authorization of the larger church. This will be new. And Janet’s authority, well Janet, it isn’t really a “bossing people around” sort of authority. It’s a ministry authority.

When God the Father wanted his disciples to know what they were supposed to do when they walked down the mountain he pretty much just came right out and said it – Listen to Jesus. That goes for you too. Listen to Jesus. Hear his Word and his command and don’t say anything that he hasn’t said. Don’t do anything that he hasn’t given you to do. It’s kind of like that 500^th Anniversary Reformation Theme from the Synod – “It’s still all about Jesus”. Listen to Jesus. IT’s still all about Jesus. So what God is doing today is He is giving to us a servant who will help to point us to Jesus through the things that she says and the things that she does as she serves with mercy’s hands and the gospels voice. This is one thing that God is doing here today.

But what about you? We started off this whole conversation with an assumption and a question. You have come here today carrying with you things that are going on in your life. We have talked about the way that Christians want to know how to interpret and understand those things that God is doing in their lives. We have talked about how we need to look back through the scriptures to understand what God was doing then, and then use that to inform us about what God is doing now.  So what did God do then? God sent Jesus. And Jesus went up on this mountain and he was transformed so that his face shone brightly with the glory of the Lord. The mediators of the Old Covenant – Moses (the divine service giver) and Elijah (the king preacher) were there talking to Jesus about the new divine service and the new reign of heaven that he was going to establish when he went to Jerusalem to die on a cross.

Jesus went. He died. He gave a new sacrifice. He gave a new meal. He gave forgiveness/absolution to be spoken by a new office. He gave baptizing and teaching to be done to make disciples even out of all the nation. He did all of this so that he could be your God and you could be his people. He has given you his name. He has washed away your sin. He has given to you his body and blood to eat and to drink. He lives with you and walks with you through each and every day of your life. He has given to you a family of faith here at St Paul to walk beside you in faith and share your walk with you. He has done all of this for you. Whatever it is that you are experiencing, see it through this lense and in this context. See it through all of those things that Jesus Christ has given and that Jesus Christ was you to have.

And know this: when Peter and James and John were up on that mountain witnessing that remarkable event, seeing the shining face of Jesus, the conversation with Moses and Elijah, the cloud, the voice of God, the command to listen to Jesus who is God’s beloved son… the whole thing was over rather abruptly. Suddenly it all disappeared. And the text tells us that they were terrified by the whole thing. Jesus came. He touched them. He spoke to them. The father says Listen. Jesus says, “Rise and have no fear.” And they lifted up their eyes and so no one but Jesus only.

Dear friend, Look to Jesus. Have no fear. Look to Jesus.

In the name of Jesus.

Amen.

7^th Sunday after the Epiphany

Text: Matthew 5:38-48

Grace mercy and peace be to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Our text is the Gospel from Matthew 5.

Being married to a preschool teacher means two things. The first thing it means is that I am very good with a pair scissors. Julie is far and away the brains in her own operation, but on a pretty regular basis she needs someone to trace and cut out all those things that wind up on bulletin boards or in backpacks on their way home to be shared with mom and dad. I can cut valentines hearts and winter snowmen and Easter butterflies with the best of them.

The second thing it means is that I am able to consider myself a sort of “poor man’s expert” on all things preschool. That doesn’t mean I can teach preschool mind you. It takes a special person to be able to do that. But I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what goes on in the preschool classroom. Numbers, letters, shapes, and colors are all the purview of your typical day in preschool. Learning to identify and classify and divide into groups is what you want the kids to learn. EG. This symbol that you just drew on the page is a letter and not a number and it makes the sound va. And the color of the crayon you just used to draw that letter V is purple.

So preschool is all about identifying and classifying. Our gospel text is also about identifying and classifying. Only instead of numbers and letters shapes and colors the thing we are identifying and the thing we are classifying are those who are sons of God, (those who are sons of the heavenly father) and those who are not.

Consider the words of our text:

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48

Those verses are all about identifying and classifying those who are sons of the Father who is in heaven (we might call them “Christians” or “disciples” or “believers”) as compared to those who are not disciples and believers in Jesus. Or, as Jesus puts it here “tax collectors” and “Gentiles”. The former can be identified by the fact that they love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. The latter are identified because they simply love those who love them. If you would be a resident of the Kingdom of Heaven, a son of the Heavenly Father, Jesus would have you know that it is your duty to love your enemy.

Now, I suppose it’s true that there is one other thing that I can claim as husband of a preschool teacher. In addition to being really good with a pair scissors and knowing a thing or two about sorting stuff into different categories I also have some experience with children’s books. Of course, I have children of my own. I have spent many an occasion sitting on the couch, Dr. Seuss in hand with a child on my left a child on my right and a child in my lap. So I have that experience. But also, Julie makes frequent trips to the library where she comes home with stacks and stacks of books. Children’s books are fun to read. They are fun to look at. There are phrases that are just fun to say. “You sank our toy ship, sank it deep in our cake” is a phrase from Dr Seuss that comes to mind from his book The Cat in the Hat.

Beyond just being fun, children’s books are also great for teaching moral lessons.  The Cat in the Hat for example ends with a question. After the shenanigans from the day are straightened up and the Cat as well as Thing 1 and Thing 2 are out the door and mother is back home and has asked what sort of things when on that day, the question is asked “What would you do if your mother ask you? “ A great question about honesty and truthfulness.

Children’s books also deal with the topic of what to do when someone is your enemy. And there’s a morality that is built in to these children books. The Berenstein Bears is a great example of teaching kids how to handle a situation where someone is unkind or for someone doesn’t want to share. These are situations that are kids face when they are playing with other kids. These are situations that adults face when dealing with other adults. Maybe we should all spend a little bit more time with the Berenstein Bears.

But the tricky thing about children’s books is that they all tend to have a happy ending. There is a conflict and a challenging situation but that conflict seems to resolve. The reaching out, the being a friend, the sharing your toys with the unsharing child, finds resolution in a change of heart. The unfriendly becomes friendly.  The un sharing learns to share. What do you do when there isn’t a happy ending? Or if the other child doesn’t change, there is comfort and solace found in the understanding arms of mom and dad.

But what do you do about that selfish and angry and unkind kid who doesn’t change? What goes on in your heart when that person’s name comes to mind? The radical thing about the teaching of Jesus is that the response of the other person ultimately doesn’t matter. Regardless of whether or not that mean person stops being mean your job is to love them. Regardless of whether or not that person changes their behavior (and change they should!), your job is still to love them, and you demonstrate that love by praying for them.

It is probably worth saying that there are times that we find ourselves in the company of people who hurt us. Sometimes it’s with the things that they say sometimes it’s with the things that they do. Jesus isn’t saying that you should stick around for the abuse. You can love your enemy but love him or love her from a distance. You can protect your body and your peace of mind with a cushion of space between you and that person. What Jesus is getting at is what goes on in your heart after that space and that distance has been secured. When someone is mean to me there is this internal reaction that says I should be mean back. Or, even if I control that meanness in my reaction, there is still this tendency to write them off, treat them like they are dead to you. That is conventional wisdom. That is our default setting. Love the one who loves you but hate the one who is mean to you.

That idea had even been ensconced in behavioral rules for people in Jesus’s day. “You have heard that it was said,” implies that people were saying it. “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,” is what people were saying.

And this is where Jesus gets into the sorting. This is where Jesus employees that skill that we hope to teach our preschoolers:

• this is this and that is that.  
• This goes in this pile that goes in that pile.
• These are the ones who are sons of the heavenly father.
• Those are the ones who are sons of the devil.

Jesus says that, “The heavenly father causes the sun to shine on the evil and the good. The heavenly father sends rain on the just and the unjust.” In other words, he shows kindness and mercy and generosity and love even toward those who are completely unlovable. Jesus has in mind that you do the same. If you wish to be a Son of the Heavenly Father, you must do as the Heavenly Father does. And you must do it perfectly. You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

So what is a hopeful disciple to do? What is a follower of Jesus, a would-be child of the Father who is in heaven… what are we to do? God expects us to love our enemies. We have a hard time even loving our friends. How are we going to pull that off?

Consider Jesus. When Jesus stood trial before Pontius Pilot and was accused by his enemies, consider his reaction and consider his response. We are told that he stood silent. When he was reviled he did not revile. When he was accused, he did not accuse. When he was received hatred he did not respond with hatred. Jesus suffered his good name to be dragged through the mud by the false accusations of his accusers. He gave his back to be beaten and his beard to be pulled. He gave his hands and feet to be nailed to the wooden boards of his cross. He gave his forehead and his brow to bleed from the crown of thorns. And he did this, all of this… for you.

Jesus did this for you, not because he wants you to likewise suffer abuse. It is not his desire that you submit yourself to the abuses of those who have in mind to harm you. But it is his desire that you love them. It is his desire that you pray for them.

You see the temptation is for us to see that person (that one who has said and done that mean and unkind thing) the temptation is to see that person as your enemy. But the Bible very clearly tells us that we are not fighting against flesh and blood.[1] No. We are fighting against the devil. We are fighting against the rulers, authorities, and Lords of this dark world and against the evil spirits in the heavenly places. Your enemy is not that person. Rather, that person and you have a common enemy. Your enemy is the devil. That person you are tempted to hate is someone for whom Jesus died. Jesus shed his blood for him just as much is he shed his blood for you. Jesus wants that person to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.[2] Therefore when that person is unkind and even despicable, that person has come into your path so that you can unleash against them the greatest spiritual power in the universe. The power that overcomes a multitude of sins.[3] And that power is the love of God in Christ Jesus. You can direct that power against your opponents by showering them with prayer. You can pray that God release them from the imprisonment of the devil so that they in their heart can show love to you even as you show love to them.

“Father forgive them,” said Jesus, “for they do not know what they are doing.”[4]  He was looking down onto his accusers as he hung suspended on the cross. They were spewing out hatred and he was lifting them up in love. He was praying for them and blessing them.

Likewise, Saint Stephen in the book of Acts as he was being stoned to death by an angry mob of his own accusers prayed that the Heavenly Father forgive them.[5]

And so you, when you experience the hatred and evil that this world has to offer are able to counter that hatred are able to counter that evil with the love of God in Christ Jesus. And the Lord will hear your prayer. He will send his Holy Spirit and his holy angels to attend to you. He will comfort you in your suffering as you cling to the promises of his Word. And who knows, maybe he will even rescue that one… that one who presents himself or who presents herself as your enemy.  This will be glorious. Because you will have one more brother or sister in faith for all eternity.  This will be a testimony to the power and the glory of God.

In preschool we are all about sorting and identifying. This is this and that is that. So what is it that sorts you into the discipleship group? Dear friends it is the blood of Jesus that covers over your sin and changes your heart so that it is filled with a love that loves even in the face of hate.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1Jo 4:7-11)

In the name of Jesus.

Amen. And now may the peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.