1 Corinthians 1:18-31
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being [2] might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him [3] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Epistle lesson that was just read, especially these words. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ. Has someone ever told you something that you knew was completely and totally foolish, something that was just impossible to believe? I myself can remember times growing up when my parents would ask me a question about my homework, or about what we did in school that day. And often times, I know that after I had given my answer, “there wasn’t homework today,” “we didn’t do anything exciting today,” that they knew the answer was foolish. I just didn’t make sense. How could there never be any homework at school? How could you never do anything exciting in school? The answer was impossible to believe it was foolish.
Friends, you and I don’t want to believe foolish things. We don’t want to be duped or to be misled into believing something that is just plain crazy. To believe in something, we have to have proof. We have to be able to explain it logically, with facts that cannot be denied. We look to the wisdom of those whom we believe are smarter than we are. But in our text today, St. Paul tells us that God used the most foolish of things to bring about the fullness of his own wisdom and the fullness of his own grace.
GOD USES THE FOOLISH THINGS OF THE WORLD TO SAVE YOU AND ME
When St. Paul writes the words of our Epistle lesson, he has been out preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people living in the Roman Empire for quite some time. It was written while Paul was staying in the city of Ephesus, some 25 years after Jesus had been crucified and risen again. Paul wrote this letter to the church that was in Corinth, an important town at that time in the Roman Empire. The city of Corinth had been destroyed 100 years earlier by the Romans, and then rebuilt by Julius Caesar as an imperial city, complete with pagan temples and shrines.
The church in Corinth had a huge struggle and fight. They did not live in a Christian world. The majority of people who lived in Corinth were still pagan. They still trusted in the false gods of Jupiter and Mars to take care of them. And so when they heard the “ridiculous” (in their opinion) claims of Christians that Jesus had risen from the dead, they laughed. When they heard that Jesus gave out forgiveness of sins, life and salvation through a little bit of water in baptism, they said “Foolishness!” When they heard that Christians believed that they ate the very living resurrected body and blood of Jesus every week in the Lord’s Supper, they may have called Christians morons for believing such things. I mean after all, isn’t that cannibalism?
The philosophers of that time surely in public said that Christians were simpleminded. That Christians had no clue how the world actually worked. The pagan scribes wrote and distributed writings that have survived to this day about how the world was created by the Titans, the parents of the Olympic Gods who currently ruled the heavens. Any other belief was foolishness, moronic, and idiotic.
I don’t know about you, friends, but to me, 2000 years ago in Corinth sounds a lot like our own day and age, and like every day and age. The wise people of the world are constantly telling Christians that they are fools. The wise people of the world are constantly coming up with different ideas of where the world came from, and how it works and what will happen to you upon your death. Today, scientists have taken facts, things like the existence of atoms and the diversity of creatures, and concluded that our own faith and belief is ridiculous, and replaced it with stories of billions of years. And if you don’t agree, you are considered a fool.
On T.V. there are shows that completely disregard Christianity. There are books that speak of Christians being idiots. There are Youtube videos that try to explain how moronic Christians are for believing what they do. The same things that were challenged in Paul’s day in Corinth are the same things that are challenged today among us. “How can pouring water on the head of a baby do anything? They aren’t even smart enough to count to three, let alone be capable of faith. How can that water really create faith? How can the real body and blood of Jesus be present in, with, and under the bread and wine? It doesn’t make sense. And most importantly, how can you really believe that Jesus has risen from the dead? HA! You fools! You morons! Don’t you get it?”
And this is the center of their attacks on us Christians. The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. If they can convince themselves and even you that that is false, the rest of the faith crumbles. And so we see on TV shows falsely claiming to have found the tomb of Jesus. Shows that claim Jesus died, but never rose from the dead. We hear of Jesus just being a good teacher and that is all. But St. Paul writes to the Corinthians and to you, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Yes, according to the wisdom of this world, the wisdom of science, and the wisdom of some of the smartest people alive on this planet, we are foolish for believing that God could become man, suffer, die and rise again for your forgiveness. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak to shame the strong. God chose Jesus to bring to you the God’s healing power. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
How could the infinite God dwell in human flesh? It is foolish. But it happened. How could that man’s death count for the death that all of us in our weakness deserve? It is foolish, but it is true. How could a man killed on a cross, and rise from the dead, after lying for 3 days festering and bloating in a tomb? It is foolish, but in that so called foolishness the fullness of the wisdom of God is seen. For God knew that we on our own could not save ourselves. Our sin was too great. So he sent his Son, low and poor, to be despised by the world, and even killed by the wise in our place. In the death of Jesus, you have been given all the promises of the kingdom.
For to us, it seems foolish that God would want to rescue us, but he does. It seems foolish that God would come and willingly go to the cross, and suffer and die for you. That he would allow himself to be beaten and stabbed for you. Jesus, to rescue you from the wisdom of this world, gives up his own life. He will be nailed to a roman instrument of torture and execution, for you. And because Christ went to the cross, you now have the promise of eternal life. You now have the promise that no matter what you have done wrong, or done with worldly wisdom, or more, that you now have forgiveness in the blood of Jesus Christ. You are a redeemed child of God.
This promise of rescue and eternal life, the promise earned as Jesus dies for you now comes to you in ways that seem foolish to us, but even so, they deliver the forgiveness of Jesus. Here today, we have had the promises of God delivered to us in the word of God read and preached. It may seem silly, but in these words, the Holy Spirit is guiding and directing your faith as you receive Jesus. And today, (at Immanuel) we see the foolishness of baptism, where a tiny infant receives faith from God, and is washed in the blood of Jesus and made a part of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It may even seem foolish that such a tiny baby can actually have faith. But it is true. These things that seem so quaint to this world, that seem so impossible are actually delivering the forgiveness that Jesus earned by his death.
Dear friends, what I say up here every Sunday may sound at times like foolishness. It may sound like it can’t really be true. You may even have people tell you that “I don’t buy all that ‘religious’ stuff.” But the fact of the matter is this. What in our eyes seems foolish is God’s wisdom in saving you from your sins and from this world of sin. The tomb is empty. As the text says. The word of the cross is foolishness to this world, but to you who are being saved, it is the wisdom of God. Amen.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Epiphany 3 - 2011 - Jesus brings healing to hurting sinners in a world of darkness
12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled.
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson just read.
We often times think of first impressions go along ways in determining what you think about another, so can you remember the first time you ever met your future spouse? Can you remember the first words that you said to one another? Can you remember the first thing you did together? And most importantly can you remember you very first thoughts about your future spouse? Did you think they were flirty? Or strange? Ladies, was he a show off, trying to get your attention? Guys was she beautiful, so that you couldn’t take your eyes off of her? I would bet that first impression went a long ways in how your relationship went.
First impressions are important Even if you aren’t married, or dating, or anything like that you have met people, and as you met them, you developed a first impression either good or bad. And at times that first impressions give you major insights in to who a person is and what they will do.
In our text today, Jesus is making his first impressions, his debut. He has lived his life so far quietly, working with his father in the carpentry shop. He hasn’t done anything too exciting or too fancy. He hasn’t brought attention to himself. But in our text today, he begins preaching to people. In our text today, he begins calling his disciples, and begins ministering to the people of Israel. The people, disciples included, are learning for the first time what Jesus is all about, and why he has come. And the first impression that Jesus makes to us, shows us that
HE HAS COME TO GIVE LIFE, HOPE AND DELIVERANCE TO SINFUL HURTING PEOPLE.
And that is exactly what we need to hear, that is exactly what we need to know, because we ourselves are truly sinful hurting people, we truly have weaknesses and struggles that at times are bigger than we can handle.
Its true isn’t it? Every one of us has little secret struggles that we try to keep to ourselves, and out of the wandering eye of our fellow human beings. Each one of us has pains and predicaments that we must deal with. It is not by coincidence that Isaiah in our Old Testament lesson says we are a people walking in darkness. For we hide ourselves in the darkness, hoping that people won’t see what we really struggle with on a daily basis.
Within our own community and yes, even within our own congregation, we have people who struggle with addictions. People whose desire for alcohol, or drugs, or sex or more are so strong, that they cannot help themselves. And they try to hide it. They don’t want their friends, or their family, or their neighbors, or even themselves to admit that they have a problem. So they hide it in the darkness. They hide, and avoid looking at it, and avoid dealing with it. And so they are left in the darkness of their sins.
We have people within our church whose families are falling apart. People whose relationship with their husband or wife has degenerated into a fighting match every day. People whose children have become quiet and reclusive, people whose children won’t even talk to one another. Families that are gifts from God to each one of us, become so twisted and mangled by fighting and shouting and words that should not be spoken to loved ones, that they can’t even function. People are hurt even there. But still, the desire and the need is to hide behind closed doors, and to put a good face on outwardly. We would rather leave our pain and hurt hidden, than to show the world.
And there is illness, illnesses that destroy and weaken our bodies more and more until finally death is longed for. It is happening to each one of us. As we age, and our bodies begin to fall apart, so that our knees no longer work. So that our midsection gets bigger and bigger. We no longer can do the things we once did. And there is more. There is cancer, there is heart disease, there is Alzheimer’s and mental illnesses and more. All of these things point to our inevitable end, the wage of our sin, death.
But we don’t want to think about that, we don’t want think about the fact that one day our body will finally stop, our heart won’t beat, our lungs won’t bring in fresh air. We don’t want to think about our own dying. So we look away. We hide that fact from ourselves putting in the dark corner of our mind where we never look. The place where we hide our sins and our shortcomings and all other things we want to avoid in this sinful life. We put them in the dark. As Isaiah says in our Old Testament, and as St. Matthew himself quotes in the Gospel, We are the people walking in darkness.
But the text doesn’t stop there, the text tells us that the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. A light that will shine in the darkness, and that the darkness cannot overcome. We are in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany which means shine, reveal, alight. And that is what Jesus has come to do. Jesus has come for sinners. Jesus has come to people like you and like me, Jesus has come to shine light into their lives.
In our text we see this. Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, and James and John. When Jesus comes to them, they are not any different that you or me. They are not the holy people we so often make them out to be. They too had dark sins that they hid. They too had weakness, and sickness, and hurting, and pain. They too cried themselves to sleep at night wondering where to turn and what to do. And Jesus comes to them and says, “Follow me.” It wasn’t a request, with Jesus saying, “Please follow me” meekly. It was a command, “COME!! COME AFTER ME!!!” I have what you need.
Jesus calls to you too, not in meager little requests, “please accept me, please decide to follow me”. No! But in the water of Baptism, Jesus says, You are mine, follow me. I have what you need, and I give it to you freely apart from your own doing and apart from you own desire. Come. As Jesus says later in Matthew, Come to me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
And in our text, as Jesus goes about calling people, and the light shines on their sin and on their pain and into the very depths of their souls, he does exactly that. He gives them rest. He gives them healing. He gives them exactly what they need. The Greek text says, “He Therapueo ed them. He gave them therapy. Not only an earthly therapy where he listened to their struggles and their sins. But a heavenly therapy. A healing earned by blood and sacrifice. A healing earned by Jesus’ own death on Good Friday on a hill named Golgotha.
For on the cross, the addictions of this world are destroyed, and replaced with the promise of eternal life in heaven. On the cross, those whose families are destroyed by the sin and suffering of this world are promised a new family. With a heavenly Father giving a place for you to live for eternity, with a brother whose blood flows out upon you for forgiveness life and salvation. A family which is gathered right here right now in this place, one to support you in the struggles of this life and world because they themselves know of the healing of Jesus. Finally, we have the promise that in the faith that Jesus has given us, we shall never die. Yes it might look like we do. Our heart and lungs may stop. But we will always have life in heaven for eternity, life that cannot be taken away by sin and sickness.
Jesus has come, and Jesus has revealed to us why he has come. He has come for hurting and lost sinners, to bring them healing and forgiveness. He has come for you, to bring you home. The first impression that Jesus leaves us in our text today is one that shines out, that sets itself apart from all other things on earth. It is one in which we can now rejoice. For Jesus has come to save us. Amen.
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson just read.
We often times think of first impressions go along ways in determining what you think about another, so can you remember the first time you ever met your future spouse? Can you remember the first words that you said to one another? Can you remember the first thing you did together? And most importantly can you remember you very first thoughts about your future spouse? Did you think they were flirty? Or strange? Ladies, was he a show off, trying to get your attention? Guys was she beautiful, so that you couldn’t take your eyes off of her? I would bet that first impression went a long ways in how your relationship went.
First impressions are important Even if you aren’t married, or dating, or anything like that you have met people, and as you met them, you developed a first impression either good or bad. And at times that first impressions give you major insights in to who a person is and what they will do.
In our text today, Jesus is making his first impressions, his debut. He has lived his life so far quietly, working with his father in the carpentry shop. He hasn’t done anything too exciting or too fancy. He hasn’t brought attention to himself. But in our text today, he begins preaching to people. In our text today, he begins calling his disciples, and begins ministering to the people of Israel. The people, disciples included, are learning for the first time what Jesus is all about, and why he has come. And the first impression that Jesus makes to us, shows us that
HE HAS COME TO GIVE LIFE, HOPE AND DELIVERANCE TO SINFUL HURTING PEOPLE.
And that is exactly what we need to hear, that is exactly what we need to know, because we ourselves are truly sinful hurting people, we truly have weaknesses and struggles that at times are bigger than we can handle.
Its true isn’t it? Every one of us has little secret struggles that we try to keep to ourselves, and out of the wandering eye of our fellow human beings. Each one of us has pains and predicaments that we must deal with. It is not by coincidence that Isaiah in our Old Testament lesson says we are a people walking in darkness. For we hide ourselves in the darkness, hoping that people won’t see what we really struggle with on a daily basis.
Within our own community and yes, even within our own congregation, we have people who struggle with addictions. People whose desire for alcohol, or drugs, or sex or more are so strong, that they cannot help themselves. And they try to hide it. They don’t want their friends, or their family, or their neighbors, or even themselves to admit that they have a problem. So they hide it in the darkness. They hide, and avoid looking at it, and avoid dealing with it. And so they are left in the darkness of their sins.
We have people within our church whose families are falling apart. People whose relationship with their husband or wife has degenerated into a fighting match every day. People whose children have become quiet and reclusive, people whose children won’t even talk to one another. Families that are gifts from God to each one of us, become so twisted and mangled by fighting and shouting and words that should not be spoken to loved ones, that they can’t even function. People are hurt even there. But still, the desire and the need is to hide behind closed doors, and to put a good face on outwardly. We would rather leave our pain and hurt hidden, than to show the world.
And there is illness, illnesses that destroy and weaken our bodies more and more until finally death is longed for. It is happening to each one of us. As we age, and our bodies begin to fall apart, so that our knees no longer work. So that our midsection gets bigger and bigger. We no longer can do the things we once did. And there is more. There is cancer, there is heart disease, there is Alzheimer’s and mental illnesses and more. All of these things point to our inevitable end, the wage of our sin, death.
But we don’t want to think about that, we don’t want think about the fact that one day our body will finally stop, our heart won’t beat, our lungs won’t bring in fresh air. We don’t want to think about our own dying. So we look away. We hide that fact from ourselves putting in the dark corner of our mind where we never look. The place where we hide our sins and our shortcomings and all other things we want to avoid in this sinful life. We put them in the dark. As Isaiah says in our Old Testament, and as St. Matthew himself quotes in the Gospel, We are the people walking in darkness.
But the text doesn’t stop there, the text tells us that the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. A light that will shine in the darkness, and that the darkness cannot overcome. We are in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany which means shine, reveal, alight. And that is what Jesus has come to do. Jesus has come for sinners. Jesus has come to people like you and like me, Jesus has come to shine light into their lives.
In our text we see this. Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, and James and John. When Jesus comes to them, they are not any different that you or me. They are not the holy people we so often make them out to be. They too had dark sins that they hid. They too had weakness, and sickness, and hurting, and pain. They too cried themselves to sleep at night wondering where to turn and what to do. And Jesus comes to them and says, “Follow me.” It wasn’t a request, with Jesus saying, “Please follow me” meekly. It was a command, “COME!! COME AFTER ME!!!” I have what you need.
Jesus calls to you too, not in meager little requests, “please accept me, please decide to follow me”. No! But in the water of Baptism, Jesus says, You are mine, follow me. I have what you need, and I give it to you freely apart from your own doing and apart from you own desire. Come. As Jesus says later in Matthew, Come to me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
And in our text, as Jesus goes about calling people, and the light shines on their sin and on their pain and into the very depths of their souls, he does exactly that. He gives them rest. He gives them healing. He gives them exactly what they need. The Greek text says, “He Therapueo ed them. He gave them therapy. Not only an earthly therapy where he listened to their struggles and their sins. But a heavenly therapy. A healing earned by blood and sacrifice. A healing earned by Jesus’ own death on Good Friday on a hill named Golgotha.
For on the cross, the addictions of this world are destroyed, and replaced with the promise of eternal life in heaven. On the cross, those whose families are destroyed by the sin and suffering of this world are promised a new family. With a heavenly Father giving a place for you to live for eternity, with a brother whose blood flows out upon you for forgiveness life and salvation. A family which is gathered right here right now in this place, one to support you in the struggles of this life and world because they themselves know of the healing of Jesus. Finally, we have the promise that in the faith that Jesus has given us, we shall never die. Yes it might look like we do. Our heart and lungs may stop. But we will always have life in heaven for eternity, life that cannot be taken away by sin and sickness.
Jesus has come, and Jesus has revealed to us why he has come. He has come for hurting and lost sinners, to bring them healing and forgiveness. He has come for you, to bring you home. The first impression that Jesus leaves us in our text today is one that shines out, that sets itself apart from all other things on earth. It is one in which we can now rejoice. For Jesus has come to save us. Amen.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Epiphany 2 - 2011 - "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. [1] 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus [2] was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus.
Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson, especially this verse, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ, Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow. This nursery rhyme is often what we think of first when we think of lambs and sheep. It offers us such a cute little picture, of a rather unintelligent sheep being taken to school by a young girl, and running amuck there. In it we see lambs being small loving creatures, following their master around. The words to this nursery rhyme were actually based on an actual occurrence, where in 1830, a little girl named Mary brought a lamb to school, much to the chagrin of her teacher. And now, almost 200 years later, that event shapes our understanding of what a lamb is, and what a lamb does.
But 2000 years ago, people had a different understanding of what lambs were. Even in our text, St. John has a different understanding of what a lamb is and does as he proclaims for all to hear, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John doesn’t see a small simpleminded creature following little girls to school. Instead John sees
A BLOODY SACRIFICE TO GOD, FOR THE PURPOSE OF ATONING FOR YOUR SIN.
Dear friends, to understand what John is saying with his words, we must look at what sheep and lambs meant to people 2000, in ancient Israel. The life of an ancient Israelite centered around the temple built in Jerusalem first by King Solomon, and then rebuilt by Herod the Great. The temple at the time of John was a massive building, one of the largest built at that time. It was 150 feet tall and 150 feet wide. The temple was built to be the place where God lived among his people, his very presence. And in order for sinful people like you and me to be in the presence of God, blood had to flow.
Blood flowed from countless animals, as they were slaughtered as sacrifices for sin. Gallons of blood poured out, everywhere, upon the people, and upon the priests. The temple was a place where blood flowed for the forgiveness of the sins of the people. Much of the blood that flowed at the temple for sacrifices, came from meek little lambs. Little lambs and sheep had their throats cut and their blood collected and poured upon the altar. Lambs blood was put upon the ear lobe of the one who was guilty, to forgive them their sins. Little lambs were slaughtered over and over again.
It is quite the gory picture isn’t it? Why was this blood shed? Why did so many cute and fluffy lambs have to die at the Temple? Scripture is clear. As we read in the book of Hebrews, “the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Blood must flow. Lambs must be slain. It is the only way. And Jesus is the Lamb of God, meaning he is the one that God will slay whose blood will heal all sins, whose blood will take away all sin in all the world.
But we don’t see Jesus that way, do we. We love singing hymns about What a friend we have in Jesus. I have even seen T-shirts that read, “Jesus is my homeboy”. And yes, Jesus is our friend, the best friend that one could have. Jesus is always there caring for us, Jesus is always providing for us. We can talk to him at any time. But Jesus is more than just a friend, and he himself says so, “No greater love is there than this, That one give up his life for his friends.” IN a sense, that one shed his blood for his friends. Listen to John calling, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
We hear in our world that Jesus is a good moral teacher. That Jesus teaches us how to be a good person, what is right and wrong. And it is true, Jesus does tell us what is right and wrong. He does tell us we need to love our neighbor, and pray for those who persecute you. But the fact of that matter is that if we look at the morals that Jesus teaches, and our own life, we fall short. We don’t really love all our neighbors. In fact, quite often we fight with them. We struggle to even love all our own family members. And we don’t always do what we know to be good. Sometimes it is easier to do evil, sometimes it is easier to what we know is wrong. And as we fall short, we hear John’s call for blood, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
Or maybe we Jesus as a snob, and a hypocrite, who is always looking down on what we do, always pointing out our weaknesses and our shortcomings. Maybe you have heard, “You Christians, you always think you are so much better than everyone else.” The fact of the matter is that Jesus only shows us our sin, so that we might realize what saving us cost. So that we might realize why his blood must be shed. Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, even yours.
You see, despite all the different things that we hear that Jesus is, none of it matters, unless we see Jesus flogged by Roman Soldiers, and his blood beginning to flow. We must see Jesus with his forehead ripped open by a crown of thorns, and his hands and feet pierced by nails as they are affixed to a wooden cross. We must see blood and water pouring from his sides as a spear pierces his heart, assuring us that he is dead. We must see Jesus first and foremost as a sacrifice for our doubt, for our disobedience, and for our sin. “Behold, on the cross, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The Lamb dies. The Lamb sheds his blood, and your sin is atoned for. That means that your sin is gone. It is no longer yours to worry about. It is no longer yours to be ashamed of. Your sin has been washed away in blood, and now you are whiter than snow. Scripture says it over and over again. In Isaiah, “"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” In Revelation “These are they who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” That is you. Your sin is gone. The sins you know, the sins you don’t know, here and now are gone in the blood of Jesus.
And now in their place, you have peace. Now in their place you have assurance. You are forgiven. Lamb of God Jesus has died for you. You have received one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. All your lives are lived in the Lamb of God’s forgiveness that he earned for you on a dirty old rugged cross.
In our text today, John the Baptist cries out, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away your sins, and the sins of the whole world.” You are forgiven. Blood has been shed for you. Amen.
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. [1] 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus [2] was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus.
Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson, especially this verse, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ, Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow. This nursery rhyme is often what we think of first when we think of lambs and sheep. It offers us such a cute little picture, of a rather unintelligent sheep being taken to school by a young girl, and running amuck there. In it we see lambs being small loving creatures, following their master around. The words to this nursery rhyme were actually based on an actual occurrence, where in 1830, a little girl named Mary brought a lamb to school, much to the chagrin of her teacher. And now, almost 200 years later, that event shapes our understanding of what a lamb is, and what a lamb does.
But 2000 years ago, people had a different understanding of what lambs were. Even in our text, St. John has a different understanding of what a lamb is and does as he proclaims for all to hear, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John doesn’t see a small simpleminded creature following little girls to school. Instead John sees
A BLOODY SACRIFICE TO GOD, FOR THE PURPOSE OF ATONING FOR YOUR SIN.
Dear friends, to understand what John is saying with his words, we must look at what sheep and lambs meant to people 2000, in ancient Israel. The life of an ancient Israelite centered around the temple built in Jerusalem first by King Solomon, and then rebuilt by Herod the Great. The temple at the time of John was a massive building, one of the largest built at that time. It was 150 feet tall and 150 feet wide. The temple was built to be the place where God lived among his people, his very presence. And in order for sinful people like you and me to be in the presence of God, blood had to flow.
Blood flowed from countless animals, as they were slaughtered as sacrifices for sin. Gallons of blood poured out, everywhere, upon the people, and upon the priests. The temple was a place where blood flowed for the forgiveness of the sins of the people. Much of the blood that flowed at the temple for sacrifices, came from meek little lambs. Little lambs and sheep had their throats cut and their blood collected and poured upon the altar. Lambs blood was put upon the ear lobe of the one who was guilty, to forgive them their sins. Little lambs were slaughtered over and over again.
It is quite the gory picture isn’t it? Why was this blood shed? Why did so many cute and fluffy lambs have to die at the Temple? Scripture is clear. As we read in the book of Hebrews, “the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Blood must flow. Lambs must be slain. It is the only way. And Jesus is the Lamb of God, meaning he is the one that God will slay whose blood will heal all sins, whose blood will take away all sin in all the world.
But we don’t see Jesus that way, do we. We love singing hymns about What a friend we have in Jesus. I have even seen T-shirts that read, “Jesus is my homeboy”. And yes, Jesus is our friend, the best friend that one could have. Jesus is always there caring for us, Jesus is always providing for us. We can talk to him at any time. But Jesus is more than just a friend, and he himself says so, “No greater love is there than this, That one give up his life for his friends.” IN a sense, that one shed his blood for his friends. Listen to John calling, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
We hear in our world that Jesus is a good moral teacher. That Jesus teaches us how to be a good person, what is right and wrong. And it is true, Jesus does tell us what is right and wrong. He does tell us we need to love our neighbor, and pray for those who persecute you. But the fact of that matter is that if we look at the morals that Jesus teaches, and our own life, we fall short. We don’t really love all our neighbors. In fact, quite often we fight with them. We struggle to even love all our own family members. And we don’t always do what we know to be good. Sometimes it is easier to do evil, sometimes it is easier to what we know is wrong. And as we fall short, we hear John’s call for blood, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
Or maybe we Jesus as a snob, and a hypocrite, who is always looking down on what we do, always pointing out our weaknesses and our shortcomings. Maybe you have heard, “You Christians, you always think you are so much better than everyone else.” The fact of the matter is that Jesus only shows us our sin, so that we might realize what saving us cost. So that we might realize why his blood must be shed. Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, even yours.
You see, despite all the different things that we hear that Jesus is, none of it matters, unless we see Jesus flogged by Roman Soldiers, and his blood beginning to flow. We must see Jesus with his forehead ripped open by a crown of thorns, and his hands and feet pierced by nails as they are affixed to a wooden cross. We must see blood and water pouring from his sides as a spear pierces his heart, assuring us that he is dead. We must see Jesus first and foremost as a sacrifice for our doubt, for our disobedience, and for our sin. “Behold, on the cross, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
The Lamb dies. The Lamb sheds his blood, and your sin is atoned for. That means that your sin is gone. It is no longer yours to worry about. It is no longer yours to be ashamed of. Your sin has been washed away in blood, and now you are whiter than snow. Scripture says it over and over again. In Isaiah, “"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” In Revelation “These are they who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” That is you. Your sin is gone. The sins you know, the sins you don’t know, here and now are gone in the blood of Jesus.
And now in their place, you have peace. Now in their place you have assurance. You are forgiven. Lamb of God Jesus has died for you. You have received one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. All your lives are lived in the Lamb of God’s forgiveness that he earned for you on a dirty old rugged cross.
In our text today, John the Baptist cries out, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away your sins, and the sins of the whole world.” You are forgiven. Blood has been shed for you. Amen.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Baptism of our Lord - 2011 - G - Those who are dirty need to be washed.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, [2] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, [3] with whom I am well pleased.”
Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is from the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Dear friends in Christ, those of you who have had children, or maybe even those of you who have ever known children, know that they can be quite the messier eaters. You can give them carrots, and they will put the carrots in their hair, and on their faces. You give them banana and rather than putting it in their mouth, they squish it between their fingers, only to wipe it on every square inch of baby not covered with a bib. And what’s the worst? That first piece of birthday cake that usually covers the entire baby, and possibly even covers some of the surrounding people. Babies eat messily, and when they are done, there is only one solution. When they have finished, there is only one thing you can do, plop them down in the bath, and scrub them until they are clean.
WHEN YOU ARE DIRTY, YOU MUST BE WASHED.
The same thing is true for you and for I regarding baptism. Those who are dirty with sin, those who are dirty with unfaithfulness and unrighteousness, enter into the waters of baptism. They are washed, and every day for the rest of their lives, their filth is washed away. In baptism, the ugly sinner, is made a holy, precious, clean child of God.
So why is Jesus being baptized in our text today? Why is Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, The one born of a virgin a few short weeks ago. The one who for whom the angels shouted, Glory to God in the highest, the only man who will ever lead a sin free life, desires to be baptized. Doesn’t he get it? Doesn’t he know that he doesn’t need baptism, since he has no sin? Jesus, what are you doing?
Even John the Baptist wonders what is going on. Look at our text, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’” John says, “Jesus, I need to be washed by you, not the other way around. I need you to cleanse me, I need you to make me whole. John knew who needed to be washed. John knew who needed cleaning. He had been baptizing people in the Jordan river, while preaching a message of repentance. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
John was calling people to turn away from their sins, and then was baptizing them. John knew the people were dirty, and that they needed to be washed. John could see their sin and unrighteousness. These people who were coming to John, were not any different from you and from me. These people had broken families. They had loved ones who would no longer speak to them. They had committed adultery; they had committed murder, hating their brothers and sisters. They had divorced and remarried. The list goes on and on and on. These people were dirty, and they came to John to be washed, they came to John, to be baptized.
You and I have come to be baptized as well. We have come for the same reasons. We are guilty. We are grimy with sin. We stink with the smell of death and the devil. And so we have come to be washed. We have come to have that sin washed off us, and taken away. Just as John was washing away sins with the message of repentance, so too have many of you been brought to this font, and been washed.
Can you imagine how filthy that water was? Can you imagine how disgusting that water was? You have all seen bath water after someone very dirty has been washed. The once clear water, is now a filthy muddy color. The once clear water is thick and brown. There is some speculation that is where the idea behind the phrase, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” comes from. The water in baptism has taken away your sin. It has washed it away. And daily, we drown our sins, washing them again in the baptismal waters.
So the water is dirty. The water is mucky. In it floats our sin and sickness. And that dear friends is why Jesus comes to be baptized. Jesus comes to John, asking to be baptized, “Because it is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus comes, and he gets into the dirty water, the water polluted by your sins, and like a sponge, he sucks up all your sin upon himself. Jesus the spotless lamb of God, enters the water of baptism already clean, and leaves it bearing the sins of the whole world. “Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”
Friends, as Jesus comes out of the waters, having been baptized by John, he is the greatest sinner that has ever been. Not because he himself has done anything wrong, not because he himself has actually committed a sin. But rather because he carries upon himself the sin of all. To understand the scope of the sin Jesus is carrying, look at your own life. Any time, EVER, that you have broken one of the ten commandments, Jesus is carrying that sin for you through baptism. Any time, EVER, you have thought a bad thought, sworn, cursed, skipped church, committed adultery, hated, fought, shouted, anything, Jesus is carrying that sin for you through baptism. Jesus has sucked up the dirt and the grime of our sin, the dirt and the grime that made us unclean, and now he bears it.
As Jesus comes out of the water, the heavens are open, and we see a picture of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit descends as a dove upon the Son of God, who is bearing the sins of the world, and the Voice of the Father says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” God is pleased with his Son, because his son now carries your sin and mine. All sin is upon Jesus, and Jesus now will suffer the punishment for sin for you. Jesus carries that sin throughout his entire ministry, until finally, he puts that sin to death, and suffers the punishment that sinners deserve. Jesus will suffer and die. He will be nailed to the cross, thus suffering for you the wages of sin, death. So God is well pleased, because Jesus rescues you from your sin. Where you have sinned, Jesus has suffered. Where you fell short, Jesus has suffered. Jesus takes your sin away from you, and suffers in your place.
Dear friends, those who are dirty must be washed. And so you and I have entered the waters of baptism, for forgiveness life and salvation. And as we entered those waters, we were washed in the blood of the lamb. The book of Revelation gives a great picture of baptism, saying, “These are they who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.” IT is almost like one of those commercials for laundry detergent isn’t it? “This soap can get out even the toughest grass stain.” The difference being that you are what is stained, and the detergent is the blood of Jesus. In baptism your dirty grime sinful self is washed, and made clean, whiter than snow.
Jesus has been baptized to fulfill all righteousness, not just for himself, but also for you and for me. Jesus has been baptized, so that as you are baptized, you receive God’s holy precious gifts of eternal life. Jesus is baptized, and now your baptism also has meaning. In Jesus, you are, and always will be clean. Amen.
Grace Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is from the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Dear friends in Christ, those of you who have had children, or maybe even those of you who have ever known children, know that they can be quite the messier eaters. You can give them carrots, and they will put the carrots in their hair, and on their faces. You give them banana and rather than putting it in their mouth, they squish it between their fingers, only to wipe it on every square inch of baby not covered with a bib. And what’s the worst? That first piece of birthday cake that usually covers the entire baby, and possibly even covers some of the surrounding people. Babies eat messily, and when they are done, there is only one solution. When they have finished, there is only one thing you can do, plop them down in the bath, and scrub them until they are clean.
WHEN YOU ARE DIRTY, YOU MUST BE WASHED.
The same thing is true for you and for I regarding baptism. Those who are dirty with sin, those who are dirty with unfaithfulness and unrighteousness, enter into the waters of baptism. They are washed, and every day for the rest of their lives, their filth is washed away. In baptism, the ugly sinner, is made a holy, precious, clean child of God.
So why is Jesus being baptized in our text today? Why is Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, The one born of a virgin a few short weeks ago. The one who for whom the angels shouted, Glory to God in the highest, the only man who will ever lead a sin free life, desires to be baptized. Doesn’t he get it? Doesn’t he know that he doesn’t need baptism, since he has no sin? Jesus, what are you doing?
Even John the Baptist wonders what is going on. Look at our text, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’” John says, “Jesus, I need to be washed by you, not the other way around. I need you to cleanse me, I need you to make me whole. John knew who needed to be washed. John knew who needed cleaning. He had been baptizing people in the Jordan river, while preaching a message of repentance. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
John was calling people to turn away from their sins, and then was baptizing them. John knew the people were dirty, and that they needed to be washed. John could see their sin and unrighteousness. These people who were coming to John, were not any different from you and from me. These people had broken families. They had loved ones who would no longer speak to them. They had committed adultery; they had committed murder, hating their brothers and sisters. They had divorced and remarried. The list goes on and on and on. These people were dirty, and they came to John to be washed, they came to John, to be baptized.
You and I have come to be baptized as well. We have come for the same reasons. We are guilty. We are grimy with sin. We stink with the smell of death and the devil. And so we have come to be washed. We have come to have that sin washed off us, and taken away. Just as John was washing away sins with the message of repentance, so too have many of you been brought to this font, and been washed.
Can you imagine how filthy that water was? Can you imagine how disgusting that water was? You have all seen bath water after someone very dirty has been washed. The once clear water, is now a filthy muddy color. The once clear water is thick and brown. There is some speculation that is where the idea behind the phrase, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” comes from. The water in baptism has taken away your sin. It has washed it away. And daily, we drown our sins, washing them again in the baptismal waters.
So the water is dirty. The water is mucky. In it floats our sin and sickness. And that dear friends is why Jesus comes to be baptized. Jesus comes to John, asking to be baptized, “Because it is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus comes, and he gets into the dirty water, the water polluted by your sins, and like a sponge, he sucks up all your sin upon himself. Jesus the spotless lamb of God, enters the water of baptism already clean, and leaves it bearing the sins of the whole world. “Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”
Friends, as Jesus comes out of the waters, having been baptized by John, he is the greatest sinner that has ever been. Not because he himself has done anything wrong, not because he himself has actually committed a sin. But rather because he carries upon himself the sin of all. To understand the scope of the sin Jesus is carrying, look at your own life. Any time, EVER, that you have broken one of the ten commandments, Jesus is carrying that sin for you through baptism. Any time, EVER, you have thought a bad thought, sworn, cursed, skipped church, committed adultery, hated, fought, shouted, anything, Jesus is carrying that sin for you through baptism. Jesus has sucked up the dirt and the grime of our sin, the dirt and the grime that made us unclean, and now he bears it.
As Jesus comes out of the water, the heavens are open, and we see a picture of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit descends as a dove upon the Son of God, who is bearing the sins of the world, and the Voice of the Father says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” God is pleased with his Son, because his son now carries your sin and mine. All sin is upon Jesus, and Jesus now will suffer the punishment for sin for you. Jesus carries that sin throughout his entire ministry, until finally, he puts that sin to death, and suffers the punishment that sinners deserve. Jesus will suffer and die. He will be nailed to the cross, thus suffering for you the wages of sin, death. So God is well pleased, because Jesus rescues you from your sin. Where you have sinned, Jesus has suffered. Where you fell short, Jesus has suffered. Jesus takes your sin away from you, and suffers in your place.
Dear friends, those who are dirty must be washed. And so you and I have entered the waters of baptism, for forgiveness life and salvation. And as we entered those waters, we were washed in the blood of the lamb. The book of Revelation gives a great picture of baptism, saying, “These are they who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.” IT is almost like one of those commercials for laundry detergent isn’t it? “This soap can get out even the toughest grass stain.” The difference being that you are what is stained, and the detergent is the blood of Jesus. In baptism your dirty grime sinful self is washed, and made clean, whiter than snow.
Jesus has been baptized to fulfill all righteousness, not just for himself, but also for you and for me. Jesus has been baptized, so that as you are baptized, you receive God’s holy precious gifts of eternal life. Jesus is baptized, and now your baptism also has meaning. In Jesus, you are, and always will be clean. Amen.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2011 Christmas 2 - Jesus comes searching for you
Luke 2:40-52
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents [1] saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” [2] 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature [3] and in favor with God and man.
Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson, especially these verses: “His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.” Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ. Have you ever lost something, and had to search and search and search to find it? I can’t tell you the number of times I didn’t know where my car keys were, and I searched and searched, looking and looking for them, until finally figuring out that they were still in my coat pocket. Or maybe you have been shopping at a busy store before Christmas, and just for a few minutes, one of your children stopped to look at a toy without your noticing, and you have had to search and search to find them. Or finally, after the last few snowy days you can relate to searching and searching with a shovel to finally find your sidewalk that has been missing.
In our text today, Mary and Joseph are searching and searching for Jesus. They have travelled with a 12 year old Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. This was a big trip for the Holy Family, as they left their small town of Nazareth, about 1500 people, and headed off to the big city of Jerusalem, a densely populated metropolis of more than 100,000 people, busy with pilgrims for the feast. Mary, Joseph and Jesus went with a large group of family from Nazareth to Jerusalem. And having completed the feast they begin the trek back to Nazareth. But on the way back, they realize they can’t find Jesus. They realize that he isn’t where they thought he was.
Imagine you are Mary or Joseph. Imagine that moment of sheer horror when you realize you can’t find your child. Mary and Joseph run around, asking all their friends and relatives where Jesus is, and no one knows. They begin panicking, and they head back to Jerusalem. They search and search for Jesus, retracing their steps. Asking people they met. Their oldest child is gone, and they can’t find him. The one that God had spoken to them about, the one God had entrusted to them is gone.
Mary and Joseph search Jerusalem for three days. Finally they turn to their last resort. Finally they travel to the temple mount, a huge 40 acre area bustling with people, with all sorts of nooks and crannies to search, and there they find Jesus, sitting with the scribes and teachers. Jesus is doing what he will do for the rest of his life, teaching them, asking them questions and giving them answers so that they might realize the truth. That God would rescue his people by a bloody gruesome sacrifice.
You can imagine the relief of Mary and Joseph as they found their Son. You can imagine them shouting for joy and giving Jesus a huge hug, before finally, as we see in our text, the frustration hits. “Where were you” Mary asks, “Your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”” In fact the text says that it wasn’t only worry that Mary and Joseph felt. It was terror. The greeks says “We were in terror searching for you!” They were terrified because they had lost the child God gave to them with the promise of forgiveness of sin. But Jesus responds, “Did you know that I would be in my father’s house?” or some translations, “that I would be doing my Father’s things?”
Mary and Joseph were searching everywhere for Jesus, but Jesus was there in the Holy Temple going about the work of God the Father. God made flesh, Immanuel is doing the things that He was sent to do. While Mary and Joseph were frantically searching, Jesus was doing his Father’s work.
Dear friends in Christ, this text has so much to say to us. This text is such a beautiful reflection of our own lives, for we often spend so much time of our lives searching and searching. No, I don’t mean searching for keys, or searching for a child at the store, or searching even for your sidewalk under feet of snow. But you and I spend a lot of time of our lives searching for answers, searching for meaning, searching for God. We spend huge amounts of our lives searching for something to fulfill our life. And the whole time we are searching, Jesus is going about his business – the business of saving us from our sins.
We search to fulfill our life, and we find all sorts of things to cling to. Maybe it is sexual addiction – an addiction to fulfill our own carnal desires. Maybe we seek to fulfill our lives with drugs or alcohol, using them to numb our existence. Or maybe we look to family friends or work, making them number one in our lives, making them the most important thing. Or perhaps we have moved around, valuing each of these things and then moving on to another as we discover these things can’t really bring us happiness.
Friends, many people even search as far as churches go. We see people who search and search in faith matters. They go to this church or that church, until finally for some reason or another, they switch to another. Perhaps you have even heard people that say things like this, “I am not really sure what I believe, I am searching for answers, I am uncertain.” This searching may even lead to silly things like saying, “I am religious, I just don’t go to church, I don’t need all of that stuff, but good for you for going.”
And what exactly are people searching for? An assurance, an assurance that this life isn’t all meaningless. An assurance that there isn’t an end, an assurance that I am a valuable person, and that someone or something actually cares about little old me. We just want to belong and feel loved. We want something more, and so we search and search, but in this world, nothing we look at, nothing we can find in our sin will actually assure us. It might numb the pain for a while. It might give us a false sense of hope for a time. But in the end, we will still are empty and alone. And as we search, we just like Mary and Joseph are in terror. We wonder what awaits us, we wonder what happens if we don’t fulfill our lives. We live in terror of what tomorrow holds for us.
Just like Mary and Joseph, we are looking and looking, but we aren’t finding on our own what we need and what will actually be beneficial for us. We seek, but we don’t look in the right places. In our sin, we can’t, for in our sin we can’t actually come to fulfillment at all, not on our own.
But while we are seeking, while we are looking, Jesus is doing exactly what he is supposed to be. While we search and search, Jesus is going about his Father’s Business, he is doing what his Father demands. And as I said earlier, Jesus’ job is to come to sinners like you and me, sinners who are searching. And when he comes to us, Jesus creates faith in our hearts, and carries us into eternal life.
WHILE WE SEARCH, JESUS FINDS US AND RESCUES US FROM THIS WORLD.
Jesus comes to us in Baptism, and tells us, “you don’t need to search, I am here with you, and will never forsake you. You already belong to me, for I have found you, found you and washed you in my blood.” And in our baptism, we have assurance of our salvation. We don’t need to look any further than the gift that Jesus has given, for scripture says, “He who believes and is baptized WILL be saved.” There isn’t doubt, Friend if Jesus has washed you, you can be sure that you are his.
And Jesus comes to you also with his own body and blood for forgiveness life and salvation. As you search, he comes to you and says, “Here I am, this is my body, this is my blood, and I give it to you for the forgiveness of sins.” And Jesus furthermore says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” Friends, you don’t need to search for faith or assurance, you don’t need to search for Jesus, for he tells you right where he is. Here at this altar, and here in this font. SEARCH NO MORE! HERE IS JESUS! And he has come for you.
Friends, Jesus is going about his Father’s business. Jesus is going about what God desires for him. We know this, because some 20 years after Jesus came to Jerusalem in our text, he came for another Passover feast. Only this time, he was not lost for three days, but instead laid three days in a tomb because he had been murdered on a cross. He had given up his life so that you might live. And after laying dead for three days, he rose from the dead, and announced to the world, Search no more, for I have found you and I have rescued you.
Friends, you might have to search for your keys. You might have to search for a kid at the store, or even these last few days for things lost in the snow. But friends, something you will never need search for is Jesus. Because Jesus tells you where he is, and because Jesus comes searching for you. And we know that he has found you in baptism, and fed you in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus has found you, and brought you into his heavenly kingdom. Amen.
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents [1] saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?” [2] 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature [3] and in favor with God and man.
Grace mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Gospel lesson, especially these verses: “His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.” Thus far our text.
Dear friends in Christ. Have you ever lost something, and had to search and search and search to find it? I can’t tell you the number of times I didn’t know where my car keys were, and I searched and searched, looking and looking for them, until finally figuring out that they were still in my coat pocket. Or maybe you have been shopping at a busy store before Christmas, and just for a few minutes, one of your children stopped to look at a toy without your noticing, and you have had to search and search to find them. Or finally, after the last few snowy days you can relate to searching and searching with a shovel to finally find your sidewalk that has been missing.
In our text today, Mary and Joseph are searching and searching for Jesus. They have travelled with a 12 year old Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. This was a big trip for the Holy Family, as they left their small town of Nazareth, about 1500 people, and headed off to the big city of Jerusalem, a densely populated metropolis of more than 100,000 people, busy with pilgrims for the feast. Mary, Joseph and Jesus went with a large group of family from Nazareth to Jerusalem. And having completed the feast they begin the trek back to Nazareth. But on the way back, they realize they can’t find Jesus. They realize that he isn’t where they thought he was.
Imagine you are Mary or Joseph. Imagine that moment of sheer horror when you realize you can’t find your child. Mary and Joseph run around, asking all their friends and relatives where Jesus is, and no one knows. They begin panicking, and they head back to Jerusalem. They search and search for Jesus, retracing their steps. Asking people they met. Their oldest child is gone, and they can’t find him. The one that God had spoken to them about, the one God had entrusted to them is gone.
Mary and Joseph search Jerusalem for three days. Finally they turn to their last resort. Finally they travel to the temple mount, a huge 40 acre area bustling with people, with all sorts of nooks and crannies to search, and there they find Jesus, sitting with the scribes and teachers. Jesus is doing what he will do for the rest of his life, teaching them, asking them questions and giving them answers so that they might realize the truth. That God would rescue his people by a bloody gruesome sacrifice.
You can imagine the relief of Mary and Joseph as they found their Son. You can imagine them shouting for joy and giving Jesus a huge hug, before finally, as we see in our text, the frustration hits. “Where were you” Mary asks, “Your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”” In fact the text says that it wasn’t only worry that Mary and Joseph felt. It was terror. The greeks says “We were in terror searching for you!” They were terrified because they had lost the child God gave to them with the promise of forgiveness of sin. But Jesus responds, “Did you know that I would be in my father’s house?” or some translations, “that I would be doing my Father’s things?”
Mary and Joseph were searching everywhere for Jesus, but Jesus was there in the Holy Temple going about the work of God the Father. God made flesh, Immanuel is doing the things that He was sent to do. While Mary and Joseph were frantically searching, Jesus was doing his Father’s work.
Dear friends in Christ, this text has so much to say to us. This text is such a beautiful reflection of our own lives, for we often spend so much time of our lives searching and searching. No, I don’t mean searching for keys, or searching for a child at the store, or searching even for your sidewalk under feet of snow. But you and I spend a lot of time of our lives searching for answers, searching for meaning, searching for God. We spend huge amounts of our lives searching for something to fulfill our life. And the whole time we are searching, Jesus is going about his business – the business of saving us from our sins.
We search to fulfill our life, and we find all sorts of things to cling to. Maybe it is sexual addiction – an addiction to fulfill our own carnal desires. Maybe we seek to fulfill our lives with drugs or alcohol, using them to numb our existence. Or maybe we look to family friends or work, making them number one in our lives, making them the most important thing. Or perhaps we have moved around, valuing each of these things and then moving on to another as we discover these things can’t really bring us happiness.
Friends, many people even search as far as churches go. We see people who search and search in faith matters. They go to this church or that church, until finally for some reason or another, they switch to another. Perhaps you have even heard people that say things like this, “I am not really sure what I believe, I am searching for answers, I am uncertain.” This searching may even lead to silly things like saying, “I am religious, I just don’t go to church, I don’t need all of that stuff, but good for you for going.”
And what exactly are people searching for? An assurance, an assurance that this life isn’t all meaningless. An assurance that there isn’t an end, an assurance that I am a valuable person, and that someone or something actually cares about little old me. We just want to belong and feel loved. We want something more, and so we search and search, but in this world, nothing we look at, nothing we can find in our sin will actually assure us. It might numb the pain for a while. It might give us a false sense of hope for a time. But in the end, we will still are empty and alone. And as we search, we just like Mary and Joseph are in terror. We wonder what awaits us, we wonder what happens if we don’t fulfill our lives. We live in terror of what tomorrow holds for us.
Just like Mary and Joseph, we are looking and looking, but we aren’t finding on our own what we need and what will actually be beneficial for us. We seek, but we don’t look in the right places. In our sin, we can’t, for in our sin we can’t actually come to fulfillment at all, not on our own.
But while we are seeking, while we are looking, Jesus is doing exactly what he is supposed to be. While we search and search, Jesus is going about his Father’s Business, he is doing what his Father demands. And as I said earlier, Jesus’ job is to come to sinners like you and me, sinners who are searching. And when he comes to us, Jesus creates faith in our hearts, and carries us into eternal life.
WHILE WE SEARCH, JESUS FINDS US AND RESCUES US FROM THIS WORLD.
Jesus comes to us in Baptism, and tells us, “you don’t need to search, I am here with you, and will never forsake you. You already belong to me, for I have found you, found you and washed you in my blood.” And in our baptism, we have assurance of our salvation. We don’t need to look any further than the gift that Jesus has given, for scripture says, “He who believes and is baptized WILL be saved.” There isn’t doubt, Friend if Jesus has washed you, you can be sure that you are his.
And Jesus comes to you also with his own body and blood for forgiveness life and salvation. As you search, he comes to you and says, “Here I am, this is my body, this is my blood, and I give it to you for the forgiveness of sins.” And Jesus furthermore says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” Friends, you don’t need to search for faith or assurance, you don’t need to search for Jesus, for he tells you right where he is. Here at this altar, and here in this font. SEARCH NO MORE! HERE IS JESUS! And he has come for you.
Friends, Jesus is going about his Father’s business. Jesus is going about what God desires for him. We know this, because some 20 years after Jesus came to Jerusalem in our text, he came for another Passover feast. Only this time, he was not lost for three days, but instead laid three days in a tomb because he had been murdered on a cross. He had given up his life so that you might live. And after laying dead for three days, he rose from the dead, and announced to the world, Search no more, for I have found you and I have rescued you.
Friends, you might have to search for your keys. You might have to search for a kid at the store, or even these last few days for things lost in the snow. But friends, something you will never need search for is Jesus. Because Jesus tells you where he is, and because Jesus comes searching for you. And we know that he has found you in baptism, and fed you in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus has found you, and brought you into his heavenly kingdom. Amen.
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