The Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity - 10/12/08

The Church Season of Trinity
The Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
LWML Sunday
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 12, 2008)

“Miraculous Signs”

Readings:
Psalm 8
Genesis 1:1 – 2:3
Ephesians 6:10-17
John 4:46-54

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 4th chapter of St. John, especially the following verse:

John 4:46-54
46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. 48 “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” 49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.” 53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his household believed. 54 This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Jesus had traveled many steps, He had spoken to many people, He had comforted and healed many. And now Jesus once more visits Cana in Galilee. Cana was the site of His first miracle This is where He had attended a wedding and changed the water into wine. He had come along way. And upon His return to Cana a man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee and so this royal official sought speak to Jesus. The official’s son was sick and he must have known that Jesus had healed and helped many people. In a manner of speaking the royal official would travel a long way too. Because this royal official would become a true believer in Jesus because of what Jesus would say to him and the crowd. When this official came to Jesus, Jesus severely criticized his attitude. But the next day when he arrived at his own house we are told that he believed the Word of Jesus. He was changed from merely seeking signs to faith in Jesus' Word. Time after time we see that the miracles of Jesus Christ always did one of two things: Either they helped people to believe that Jesus was the Messiah or it hardened them in their unbelief.

It is very true that Jesus’ miracle pointed to the salvation which He won. And God in Christ Jesus graciously gives us the faith to see these miracles and believe in Him. But we also know that from all of Christ’s gifts we are called to share the miracle of Jesus Christ with those who are around us. It is very important to share the Gospel with all who are around us. If you have listened to me speak or heard my prayers, I strive to first point to Christ and then to reinforce the importance of ongoing giving and sharing here in our church, here in our town of Midland, here in Michigan, here in the United States, and throughout the whole world. Today you will notice that we are celebrating LWML Sunday. LWML stands for Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. The group was founded for the purpose of “serving the Lord with gladness” by supporting Gospel outreach from local churches to the farthest corners of the earth. This certainly follows a biblical model as we hear Christ say, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mk 16:15) and in His words known as the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”(Mt. 28:19) Untold numbers of people have been given the gift of faith in Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit who guides the mission work supported by the tiny little mite boxes distributed by the women of the LWML. I’m sure that most of you know what a mite box is, but just in case you don’t this is what it looks like. From the spare change that is placed in these boxes and then returned to the LWML, many people have benefited from their numerous acts of charity.

Moments ago I mentioned the model for giving, here in this place, city, state, country and world. The LWML meets this model in every way. Our own LWML Ladies Guild has been working on quilts which will be given away. The Michigan LWML has given $25,000 dollars to our two seminaries, over $15,000 to the Food and Clothing Co-op at the Fort Wayne Seminary. And as a personal note, with a family of five at the Seminary living on one income that generosity by the LWML is certainly one which my family and I appreciated very much. In your bulletins you will find a tri-fold handout which show how this outreach is spread throughout this country and world by giving generously to Lutheran World Relief. So you can see the support to fellow Christians and those in need both locally, nationally and internationally and next year they have set forth a mission grant goal in Michigan of $230,000 dollars and $1.7 million nationally. All these efforts are the result of the miracles of Christ and these miracles are being shared with others. And even more important is that these efforts point not to this group, rather they point to the incarnate Word Jesus Christ and His work of salvation.

It has been written that, "Although the Lord performed miracles and signs to make Himself known and to lead people to faith in Him, the underlying purpose was to focus their attention on the Word rather than on the signs which served merely to attest the truth of His testimony. Faith must rest on the Word of God."(Martin Luther)

In our Gospel lesson a man pleaded with Christ and Jesus told him, “You may go. Your son will live.”(v. 50) This Word of Jesus was not only a prophecy. It had the power to heal the sick boy. And this Word took the nobleman's worries away. But although Christ’s Word always had authority, people did not always believe Him. When Jesus cleansed the Temple the Jews asked Him: "What sign do you perform to prove that You have the right to do this?" He said: "Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up."(Jn. 2:14-17) They thought He was speaking about the physical Temple in Jerusalem. But He was speaking about His own body, His death and resurrection. Later in scripture (John 2:22) we are told, "When therefore He (Jesus) was raised from the dead His disciples remembered that He had said this and so they believed the Scriptures and this Word which Jesus had spoken." Here we are told Jesus spoke of a sign which led His disciples to His Word.

Scripture also tells us: "Jews seek signs and Greeks seek wisdom but we preach Christ crucified, an offense to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks but for those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Cor. 1:22) Even to this very day the Jews say: "Prove that Jesus is true God." They want only signs. And we know that the Greeks, who were the great Philosophers said and still say: "Give us human wisdom, philosophy."

But what is it which we as Christians preach? We preach Christ crucified for the sins of all men because that is what the Word of God says.

It is in these very times that we should not look to the works of our hands, rather we look to the hands of Jesus Christ which bear the marks of the nails driven there to hold Him on the cross. Christ indeed accomplished the greatest work of any man, because came to us and He allowed Himself to be hung upon that cross for us. And His work goes on, even here today. For in the Holy Supper of our Lord, Christ offers His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins for all who would believe in Him. He wants us to believe that He is the Christ, the Son of God, Who came into the world to die for our sins and to prepare heaven for us. The royal official in our lesson said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” and Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.”

And even greater still than this one miracle, Jesus came down from heaven to offer us eternal salvation. He has come to us because the things of this world offer no signs of eternal comfort to us before we die. But, for you and all who would believe in Him, Jesus says, “You may go. YOU will live.” And that is miraculous sign which points you to your heavenly home. Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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