More on the Gesima Sundays by the Rev. William Weedon

Preparing for the Journey: The Gesima Sundays

by The Rev. William Weedon

            If Lent is the journey to Easter and if Easter is the return to the new life given to us in our Baptism; then Gesimatide is the preparation for that journey of return to our Baptism. 

            For three weeks prior to Lent, the Church seeks to ready her children to begin the slow and sometimes painful pilgrimage back to the very fountain of their life in Christ:  back to Baptism and to the life in and from Christ Himself.

            Do we need a journey back?  What do you think?  The sad fact is that we constantly fall away from and betray the new life that God gave us when we were baptized.  How often we live our lives as though Christ had not been raised from the dead!  How often we live as though death had not been squashed beneath His feet and as though sin still had the right to put us in its shackles!  Lent shows what a lie we try to live from when we would still live that old way – we who have been baptized into Christ. Lent calls:  Time to come home, child!

            But the journey home calls for serious effort on our part (yes, Lutherans can speak of serious spiritual effort – for them all the credit goes to God) to return to living in the dignity of our status as beloved children of the heavenly Father.  Lent forces us to face the pain of our exile – it places us in the parable of the waiting Father and calls us for us to stop hungering for the pig slop and hit the dusty trail back to the Father (see Luke 15:11ff.)  

            In German there was no mistaking what Lent was about.  In German it is called “Fasten-zeit” – the time for the fast.  And the point of the fast is to discipline our bodies so that they learn, and we learn with them, that man does not live by bread alone; that we live from every word that proceeds from the mouth of our God.  "Return to me," we hear the Lord say on Ash Wednesday "with prayer and fasting." (Joel 2:12-19)

            Gesima-tide, then, or Pre-Lent, seeks to get us ready for Lent and for the return to the new life.  The first week's readings stress that it will be a struggle not only with our flesh (our bellies that want to be filled, our bodies that need to be disciplined, lest we be “disqualified”), but a struggle with the inner attitude of distrust in God that breaks forth into complaining.  There's a Lenten fast for you:  lose the griping and groaning, the moping and moaning about your life and unfair things are for you.  The second week’s readings remind us the power to change is not something found in us, but in the Word of God alone - and so the extra time for the Word built into Lent, time to gather midweek and hear God's Word.  The following week issues the invitation for us to join the formerly blind man in following Jesus up to the road to Jerusalem, to see Him offer Himself to the Father and so return humanity to God.  That's gesima-tide for you:  Septuagesima (70-some days to Easter!), Sexagesima (60-some days to Easter!), Quinquagesima (50-some days to Easter!).  It's the way the Church calls out "ready, set, and go!"  We're on the way home!

The Rev. William Weedon is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hamel, Illinois

The Gesima Sunday's

The "Gesmia" Sundays

The Sundays with the name ending in "Gesima" come after Transfiguration Sunday.  These Sundays signal the beginning of "Pre-Lent."  Below is a summary of Pre-Lent and Lent by the Rev. William Weedon:

A Summary 

by Rev. William Weedon

The "Gesima" days start on Septuagesima ~70 Days before Easter, Sunday, February 5 when no more joyful Alleluias are read, instead, the plaintive Tracts appear. 

Septuagesima (2/5/12) ~70 Days

Sexagesima (2/12/12) ~60 Days

Quinaqugesima, (2/19/12) ~50 Days

It deepens on Ash Wednesday (February 22); no more Gloria in Excelsis.

It deepens further on Judica (The Fifth Sunday of Lent): no more Gloria Patris.

The silence of the praise grows deeper and more profound in stages throughout the days of Pre-Lent, Lent, and Passiontide, until we are reduced to silence before the marvel of the Cross on Palmarum (Palm Sunday) and throughout Holy Week.  And having stood before the Supreme Sacrifice in silence on Good Friday, our praises burst forth with greater joy than can be imagined in uncounted alleluias and Glorias come in the great Paschal Feast. 

The Transfiguration of our Lord - January 29, 2012

The Church Season of Epiphany,
The Transfiguration of Our Lord,
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (January 29, 2012)

Readings:

Psalm 2
Exodus 34:29-35
2 Peter 1:16-21
Matthew 17:1-9

+INI+

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 17th chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verses.

Matthew 17:1-9 (NIV)

1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There [Jesus] was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 While [Peter] was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

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

    In the Gospel of Matthew God text tells us that Jesus, Peter, James, and John went up onto a high mountain.  And in verse two, we are told of Jesus’ Transfiguration, His face was shining like the sun, and His clothes became white as the light.  Even more interesting here in the beginning words of verse two in Greek, καὶ μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν, He, that is Jesus, underwent metamorphosis, and that word is the combination of two words literally meaning changing form.  Or in our English translation it says transfigured.  When most of us think of metamorphosis, we think back to the school days of our youth and all the examples that we were taught.  The transfiguration of Christ is much more than some school day experiment, it doesn’t happen over weeks or months, it is not hidden inside a little cocoon where one can see what’s going on.  No, this Transfiguration, happened right before the eyes of three witnesses while they gazed upon the glory of God shining from Christ’s face and clothing.  This is most certainly a miracle and it is indeed a glimpse of heaven.

    On that day God used the light that reflected from Jesus’ garment to proclaim the Deity of Christ to the disciples.  The disciples had followed Jesus around the countryside listening to Jesus preach, teach, bring and encourage faith to the most common of people, the most unlikely people of the world. 

    So there stood Peter, James and John, before Christ whose clothes became impossibly white. And if that wasn’t enough, Elijah and Moses arrived to speak with Jesus.  And then, “a bright cloud enveloped them.”(v. 5)  And almost immediately the whole event was over, the dazzlingly white clothes were gone, Elijah and Moses gone too.  In a flash it was all over, it was but a glimpse, but their eyes were still burning with the blue spots from the bright light and the voice ringing in their ears, it was there and then it was over.  I’m sure James and John didn’t want that time to end, they didn’t say that, but Peter certainly did.  He wanted to capture that glimpse of glory and hold on to it.

    We all have moments like that where we are so caught up in the moment, so full of joy and  happiness that we wish the moment would never end.  It may have been a dance, a first kiss, a sports accomplishment.  Or maybe even it was a special service at church which you enjoyed, a wedding, a baptism, or even the Word of God proclaimed on some special day.  And if you were to close your eyes right now you could probably remember that moment, maybe not all the words, or the names of all the people who were there, maybe not even what year it was, but you can remember it.  Wouldn’t it be great if every day, every church service, every person could be as happy as you perceived you were on that one day.  Wouldn’t it be nice if you could feel that way every single day.  But you either open your eyes, or you receive an elbow to your rib, you awakened and are ushered back to reality.

    It would seem Peter, James, and John’s eyes were opened too.  What a sight, and to think of it, it was probably a scary sight too.  Like when you wake up and see the pastor staring right at you.  The apostles had been startled by an extraordinary light.  It was the light of Christ and a glimpse of the glory of God.  We can only wonder if they knew what it all meant.  The Light of Christ had shined in to their darkened world, who would ever want that moment to end.  What a vision of radiance.

    In the Old Testament Daniel had a vision of radiance, and he said, “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool;”(Dan. 7:9)  It was glimpse into the future for Daniel, though he would not see the Messiah in his earthly life, Daniel certainly did see the Messiah upon His seat of righteousness in heaven. 

    But where is that glimpse for you and me?  "The most common glimpse we refer to is that one in the past.  Man how good was it then, perfect job, perfect life, no troubles, no health problems, and then somehow we think life must have caught up with us somehow.  And in those thoughts we become like the apostles on that day of Transfiguration, we miss the big picture because we’re so wrapped up in ourselves, that our minds wander from the knowledge of Christ to that which attacks us in our lives." (Pepperkorn) We’re so wound up in our own daily wrestling with things, we forget to ask how the other person is doing.  We think that they certainly can’t have it as bad as me, why don’t they realize how bad I have it?  Why aren’t they listening to me?  And sometimes you hear somehow that they have it worse than you and you feel embarrassed that you never asked the question, “How are YOU doing.” You see, we all do have it bad.  We are all sinners and we are all attacked by the devil in different ways.  Some people get angry, some people lie or cheat, others steal, or lust, or some are driven to despair because of sickness, disease, or maybe the loss of a loved one.  In our sin in which we commit by what we have done, and the sin we commit by we have left undone, we bury ourselves in darkness, all hope is lost, abandon ship or rather how can I abandon this life. 

    Peter, James, and John saw the light of the world before them and was it beyond their imagination.  A glimpse of Christ in the radiance that would be fully seen in their future.  That glimpse of Jesus was not just for them, it is for you too.  Do not cast your eyes down in despair with what you have done or by what life has done to you. 

The love of Christ in His glory draws your eyes to Him, to the heavenly heights.  Jesus speaks to you and He touches you.  And whether or not you choose to look, Jesus is here for you.  He not only went up upon a mountain and revealed His glory to three apostles, He reveals His glory to you too.  Jesus takes your sin to the high mountain of Golgotha and there He dies for you.  In all that challenges you in your life, know that Christ has died for you.  Jesus points you to His body and His blood, and to your Baptism where you are transfigured from one who is dead in sin. Jesus gives you His shining white robe not just for a glimpse, but forever.  That is the promise that you are given in Christ.

    Jesus gave you that promise, it is all that you need.  And though good works do not gain your salvation, much is required of you.  Have mercy on your fellow man.  Ask them how they are doing, bring comfort to them, share with them.  When one is weak, the other may help.  If you never ask, you will never find out how they are doing.  If you never offer help, maybe help will be will not come so fast for you.  But do not do any act of mercy expecting a reward,  if you do acts of charity do them with the knowledge of what Jesus Christ has already done for you.

    When you have fallen down, when you can no longer bear to look at Christ, when you are afraid beyond measure, know that Jesus Christ cares for you His glory shines before your face. Today you will have a glimpse of that glory as Jesus Christ comes to you in the Holy Communion, in the wine and the bread, His true body and blood.  Today Jesus touches you when the bread touches your tongue.  Today Jesus cares for you as the wine touches your lips.  And when you approach your last days, whether in sickness or health, whether surrounded by family or friends, or even if you’re all alone and life seems like a glimpse in the past do not be scared or frightened.  Rather remember in faith, you are baptized, you are a child of God, you are transformed by Jesus Christ.  And at your last breath, Jesus comes and touches You and “He speaks, “Get up,” “Don’t be afraid.” And when You look up, you will see no one except Jesus.”  Jesus glorious radiance will be shining beyond human understanding, but it will not be just for a glimpse, but you will be comforted in seeing the glory of Christ in full for ever and ever.  Amen.

+SDG+

The Third Sunday after Epiphany - Life Sunday - January 23, 2012

The Third Sunday after Epiphany
Life Sunday
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (January 22, 2012)

Readings:

Psalm 110:1-4
2 Kings 5:1-15
Romans 1:8-17
Matthew 8:1-13

+INI+

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be to you from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

(Overwhelmingly the text of Rev. Paul Sajban from the “Lutherans for Life”
website: http://www.lutheransforlife.org/store-life-sunday-2012/  )

The text for today is as recorded in the Holy Scriptures in; Deuteronomy 30:19b, Ephesians 1:3-14, John 15:12-20, Matthew, 18:10 Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1 & 32, Luke 1, Genesis 25, Galatians 1, Hebrews 2, Proverbs 6, Exodus 20, Revelation 20 & 21, and 2 Kings 17

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

We live in a land where we have the freedom to make many choices.  We may not always be able to make all the choices our country gives us, but they’re available to us as part of  the American Dream.  Some choices are fairly easy to make.  Other choices, however, cause us to rack our hearts and our souls and our minds to make them.  We can think of a family gathered in a hospital room faced with choosing whether to disconnect machines which keep their mother or father or loved one alive.  That is not an easy choice.  Through prayer and consultation of God’s Word in the Holy Scriptures and with the help of a pastor such a difficult choice will be made.  Not all though would use these good resources to make a choice between life and death.  Sometimes it comes down to human reason, without consulting God’s wisdom to make these most difficult decisions regarding life.  We do know that man’s reason and intellect fail, but God’s wisdom and His Holy Word never fail us.  So the Christian looks not unto their own standard of wisdom, but submits to the wisdom which flows from God.

That said, not all Christians will consult the Lord either, because no Christian is perfect.  We live and breath and walk in a fallen world.  Truth be told, Christians and non-christians alike fail to even consider consulting God and His Holy Word, when it comes to such things like choosing a career, a spouse, a church home, or making very serious life-changing decisions.  Sometimes we resort to consulting our fickle feelings or even consult the world’s wisdom to make our choices. 

This is not new, it has been an ongoing problem for all God’s people.  God spoke through Moses and said, “…choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (Dt. 13:19b). Those words are just as valid for the people of God today as it was in Moses’ time.  God’s timeless Word speaks to us today. And our choices will affect not only us, but will also affect our children and grandchildren as well.  Our children learn from their parents, and sometimes they learn more than we wish they would.  How many times have you heard, “Do what I say, not what I do”?  For children not only see and learn from the good we intend to do, but also learn from the bad, the evil, and the sin that we do.  We pass on to our children things like impatience, quick tempers, bad language, disrespect for our nation’s leaders, unforgiving vengeful hearts, and everyday we disrespect God’s commands and His laws. And if we don’t show much concern for learning and knowing God’s Word, then how in the world are our children going to understand the importance of God’s Holy Word?  And then have the audacity to condemn and cajole our children for not coming to church, or not reading their Bible.   And though we say it in our hearts, “This should not be,” we find ourselves choosing sin rather than God’s way much too often.

Today, we ponder what God in His Holy Word says about human life.  We want to pass on to our children a Godly respect not only for their own life, but also for the life of the unborn baby, the elderly, the sick and the dying, and a respect for the life of a person who doesn’t think their life is worth all that much.  Unless parents inculcate a reverence for Godly wisdom into their children, then the only wisdom they’ll have to learn from is that from a broken and sinful world.  A world which seeks self-centered halve-zees who want to proclaim their own wisdom over God’s and make everyone who disagrees with them feel like they are halve-not idiots.  To choose from man’s wisdom and opinion is to choose from the broken and death affirming foolishness of this world.  To choose from man’s wisdom is to argue “it’s my choice” without ever quoting one single verse of Holy Scripture.  The proud statements of, “I demand my rights”, “It’s my choice” and “I don’t know what the Bible says but I believe” all stand hand in hand as the poster children of the foolishness of sinful man.  For they all place the ideals of foolish men, above God and His righteous and Holy ways. 

We have to teach our children to see and hold their lives and the lives of others as precious, because God does.  That our children would know that they are loved and kept in loving care by a most gracious God.  How obnoxious are we that we would teach them that it is important to choose clothes, and shoes, and food, how to brush their teeth, and how to study hard, yet we fail to teach them of God’s good gift of life?  And that is exactly where we teach our children that God’s Word doesn’t matter. 

And we have the audacity to ask, “Who is this God who wants to force His choices on us anyway?”  What’s behind God’s choice for you?  His Holy Word; “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.  It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery…” (Dt 7:6-8).

You will hear many arguments for the right to choose death.  And if that person who would support the pro death agenda is a Christian, then one may only ask, where does it say that in Holy Scriptures?

God’s choice proceeds from His perfect love for every single sinner, whether they be affluent or poor, educated or illiterate, or whether they be of the least or greatest of all people.  How can we not put unborn babies in this category, God loves them?  How can we not put grandma with Alzheimer’s who no longer recognizes her children or grandchildren into this category, God loves her?  How Can we put the woman who sinned by having an abortion or the father of an unborn child who insisted on it to his pregnant girlfriend in this category?  Sin is always unacceptable in God’s eyes, yet God in His compassion, offers forgiveness for all our sins. 

The worth of God’s people is not determined by the measure of their failures in their own eyes.  But rather the Lord reaches out to those who may bring themselves to the precipice of death, or be tempted by the devil, this world and our sinful flesh and God says to them, “You are worth the greatest and best gift in the cosmos, the death of My Son in exchange for your life.  You are not a failure, My greatest gift is for you is the sacrifice of my only begotten Son. The Apostle Paul said, “Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Tim 1:15).   No one in this room is without sin.  These words fit each and every sinner including you and me.  We are the least, but in our heavenly Father’s eyes we are the greatest. 

We have been saved from eternal death and then we turn around and have the audacity to say, yep I’ve been given the gift of eternal life, but this or that life just doesn’t count. 

We too often fail to acknowledge and respect the life God which has given each of us and we fail to show Godly mercy toward the lives of our neighbor.  It happens when we sit by idly while hearing or endorsing abortions, euthanasia, and suicide while they are all going on all around us and we make no witness against it.  God’s Holy Word tells us, “You shall not murder.” Yet we tear down our neighbors, through bitter words, gossip, unfriendly actions, and lack of an active caring responses and acts of mercy when see our neighbors in need. It means that we should care for those children who have not been aborted, for mother’s and fathers who fly in the face of worldly wisdom and do not choose an abortion.  We should be there for them, to help and support them in every physical need.

This is Life Sunday, but everyday is Life Day.  The small “g” god of the world says, “Choose death,” when that god speaks to a scared and pregnant woman and offers her the option of abortion.  The true God of Life says, “Choose life.  I will be with you,  I have redeemed you and your little unborn child for life.”  The god of this world says, “Choose death.” to a teen who has faces broken relationships, an unloving home, who is scammed by the devil and this world believes they bear the burdens of life.  The true God and Savior of Life says, “Choose life.  I will be with you.  I will never leave you nor will I forsake you.  I gave My life for you.”  The small “g” god of this world says to the aging parent who feels that they are a burden to her children, “Choose death.  It’ll be better for everyone if you did.”  The God the Father and Author of Life says, “Choose Life.  Your worth is not determined by what you can no longer do, or what others think you can no longer do, but rather by how much you are worth in My sight for to you I have sent My Son for your salvation.”  The worth of human life to the god of this world is non-existent. There is a term coined in the 1930’s called “Leben Sunwertes leben”, meaning “Life unworthy of life”, which begs the question, who gets to choose which life is worthy of life.  Are the young  unborn unworthy of life, or just inconvenient?  Are the elderly unworthy of life, or just inconvenient?  There is no satisfactory answer possible through human eyes, reason, or wisdom. The worth of life is through the revealed wisdom of the One true God of Life, who sees our life won for us  on the cross and in an empty tomb. 

Hear the voice of Jesus Christ the Savior calling to you, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go bear fruit and that your fruit should abide…”  (John 15:16).  Our fruit of life abides as we abide in Christ Jesus our Savior.  Jesus speaks against the wisdom of this world who choose death because it is the easy way out, life brings complications, an unwanted pregnancy, the inconvenience of the lives of those who are allowed to be born or of the lives of those who we think are allowed to live too long.  The wisdom of God mocks inconvenience, every life is sacred no matter the status.  The wisdom of God goes beyond inconvenience for He gives you His Son unto death.  And for that great gift you should not feel inconvenienced to help those who have the strength to go against conventional wisdom and bravely uphold the wisdom of God and choose life.  Much has been give to you and much is required of you, offer help, offer time, offer money, and if you can do no other offer prays.

Comfort comes to you in the body and blood of the crucified and risen Christ brings you life through the forgiveness of your sins.  Jesus laid down His life for you, that you may lay down your life for your neighbor including your brothers and sisters in the faith, for those who have not yet heard Jesus’ Word of Life, for your family, your friends and the stranger who may cross your path.  Therefore, do not hesitate to choose life, that you and your offspring may live in Christ day by day here in time.  Jesus Christ did not hesitate to give you abundant life, and for your life He gave His life as the perfect sacrifice that you may live for an eternal life in His Name.  Amen.

+SDG+

The 2nd Sunday after Epiphany - January 15, 2012

The Church Season of Epiphany,
2nd Sunday after Epiphany,
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (January 15, 2012)

Readings:   
    Exodus 33:12-23
    Ephesians 5:22-33   
    John 2:1-11

+INI+

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 2nd chapter of St. John, especially the following verses...

John 2:1-11 (ESV)

1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

So Far the Text

Jesus Christ attends a wedding in Cana, and there He blesses the wedding party with His first recorded miracle, changing water into wine.  You’ve heard this miracle repeated at quite a few weddings.  Jesus, His apostles and His mother all in attendance and all who are present are blessed.  But how and why did we come to find ourselves in a reading about a wedding in Cana? The book of John begins with the words, “In the beginning.”  And in the beginning of the book of John, or as it is written in Greek, According to John, meaning The Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John.  But, how do we get to the wedding feast on time?  Jesus brings us there by manifesting Himself into this world and into our lives.  John the author of this book speaks of Jesus Christ who is the Light coming into the world.  And after the Light comes into the world and then John records that Jesus is baptized in water by John the Baptist.  The next few verses of the book of John cover the few days in which the disciples were chosen and then three days later, that is the sixth day, we are in Cana. 

It is the account of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in six days culminating with Jesus “[manifesting] His glory”(v. 11) at this wedding. And on the sixth day, “God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”(Gen 1:28) In the beginning God created the world in six days, and on the sixth day He blessed man and woman.  In the account of the six days of Jesus’ life John brings us to the wedding in Cana, where Jesus Christ both God and man blesses a man and a woman who are to be wed. 

But we still seem to be left with a question.  For John does not expound upon the conversation between Jesus and His mother, wherein Mary states to Jesus, “They have no wine.”(v. 3)  Had Mary forgotten to whom she was speaking?  Did she not remember all the angels, the incarnate birth, the boy Jesus in the Temple teaching and speaking with the elders of the church?  And why does Jesus address His mother as “woman.”  Today that term is derogatory, but in that time it would be an answer of respect, sort of like Ma’am.  But this response along with the next creates a new question, Why does Jesus say, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”(v. 4)

Like Mary Jesus’ mother, we may wish to command, rather demand that Jesus to help us.  And sometimes His response to us creates new questions for us.  When He say to us, "My hour is not yet come."  Or right now might not be the right time for Him to step in and transform our lives into something new.  We don’t understand, we ask more questions.  Why, why Jesus did you not answer my prayers today?  In this life we live, everyday is not always a time of joy.  Sometimes, it would seem that the Lord hides His face from us, and we are in sorrow.  Sometimes, we think Jesus acts as though He forgets us, and for us there is tribulation.  Sometimes, the wine of joy is hidden from our lives.  At the wedding feast in Cana running out of wine would be a great disgrace.  We do not have the power to do what Christ has done for us and in our sin are left with shameful disgrace and loss.

We do not want to believe that this is what we deserve.  But, truthfully we neither deserve the blessing of the abundant wine, and for that matter not even a cup of stale water to slake our thirst.  All our deeds, our planning, and our effort always fall short of the glory of God.  And although we attempt to make a good appearance before others, put on a happy face, the Old Adam still dwells within us, our sinful nature ruins every good work. 

In the times when you are overtaken by sorrow, challenged by failing health, driven to tiresome despair, when the world has challenged you beyond what you may bear, it is not Christ who has abandoned you.  Instead, you are always pointed to true joy and is Christ’s miracle gift for you.  You will not always to be happy in this life, but Jesus is always standing nearby, ready to help. We do not pray to Mary, but we do pray like Mary, we pray that Christ would remember us.

So we deserve no wine and we deserve no miracle. But even in spite of ourselves, Christ desires to give us the abundant wine of His joy, undeserved as it is.  We are the pleasure and delight of His loving heart.  Jesus does not want to give us what we deserve, rather He gives us what we do not deserve and that is eternal life.

At the wedding in Cana Jesus Christ did perform His first miracle changing water into wine.  And the master of the feast told the bridegroom, “you have kept the good wine until now”(v. 10)  The bridegroom and the bride shared the blessing of the wine together. 

And so it was and so it shall be.  In this life you have the presence of Christ, you hear the His Word comfort in His Word proclaimed.  You are baptized with the Water combined with His Word.  You are chosen, the Holy Spirit give you the miracle of faith and grace without cost or effort by you.  But all this was won for you at great cost this miracle for you.  For Christ’s time did come.  Jesus stood before the rulers of this world, and did not perform a miracle to save His own life.  Rather He went to the cross and performed a miracle to save the lives of all the lost, including you and me. 

Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom, the church is His bride.  He brought you to the waters of your Baptism.  He changed the water into wine, and “on the night when He was betrayed, in the same way He took the cup after supper and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them saying: Drink of it all of you; this cup IS my blood of the New Testament which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Focus not on what you think or what you want, or want you want for, in this life, rather focus on all that you have been given in the miracle of eternal life.

Jesus Christ is the bridegroom and you and all believers throughout the world are the church His bride.  Jesus Christ’s time had not come at the time of the wedding of Cana, but His time did, has, and will forever come for you.  The bridegroom and the bride share the abundant blessing of the wine together here in time there in eternity, forever and ever.  Amen.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

 

+SDG+

The 1st Sunday after Epiphany - January 8, 2012

The Church Season of Epiphany
1st Sunday after Epiphany
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (January 8, 2012)

Readings:  
    Psalm 50:1-15
    1 Kings 8:6-13
    Romans 12:1-5   
    Luke 2:41-52

+INI+

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 2nd chapter of Luke, especially the following verses...

Luke 2:41-52 (ESV)

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 [Jesus] 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 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?” 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 and in favor with God and man.

So Far the Text

   

Last Thursday was the twelfth day of Christmas, Friday was was the day of Epiphany.  Epiphany means manifestation, and so a continuation of the Gospel of Immanuel, God With Us.  But as we hear in the Gospel lesson, the boy Jesus is not where his earthly parents thought He should be.  The Gospel tells us that they were in “great distress”(v. 48) and wouldn’t you be too if you hadn’t a clue where your twelve year-old was after searching for Him for more than several days?  All who have children or who have been asked to watch over children can relate to the sinking feeling of a child who is not where everyone thinks they should be.  If it is true that absence causes the heart to grow fonder, then most certainly the corollary to that saying for children would be that the absence of a child makes the heart more fainter.  Where is Jesus? 

One day of travel toward home and the child comes up missing, then three days of searching.  Where is Jesus?  Frantically asking the people in the group, and everyone who knew Him, where is Jesus?  And His parents did find Him in the Jerusalem Temple, and when they did find Him they were “astonished.” That reaction is predictable, astonishment, relief, then once the good news sinks in a bit, the grief is relieved, the hammer comes down, “Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”(v. 48) Astonishment and then distress.  It’s easy for us to relate to that kind of feeling.  Relief and angst.  Many of us have uttered similar words to our own children, “Thank God you’re okay”, followed shortly thereafter by “What in the world were you thinking?” 

But, why was the boy Jesus missing in the first place?  How in the world was Jesus not accounted for in that large caravan of people as they set out homewards?  Why did Mary and Joseph even need to turn around and seek Jesus?  Today Children Support Services would be called or we would strive to find the root cause of this event then begin retracing steps.  These words give a clue, “His parents…supposing Him to be in the group.”(v. 44)  It’s apparent that they had not “Fixed their eyes on Jesus.”(Heb 12:2)  And so they had to seek after Him.  Where is Jesus?

Martin Luther said of the Christ child, "If we want to seek and find this child, we must believe the Word, stick to it, and not allow ourselves to be diverted from it. If we disregard the Word, the offense has already occurred. For this child is so humble and wretched to look at that it is impossible for one to approach by one's reason, apart from the Word." (Luther)

Maybe you’ve been seeking to find Jesus.  Maybe you think He is absent from your life.  Maybe you, in your distress to find Jesus, have become more and more frantic.  Maybe you are attacked by thoughts of things you have done.  Sins you have intentionally committed, sins which you have committed by by not doing that which you should have done.  Maybe to you the world seems to be closing in on you because your health is not what it once was. Maybe you’ve come to the conclusion that you can’t make it any longer on your own reason and strength. So you beg, you plead, and you are astonished.   Where have my friends gone?  Where is my respite in this life?  How can I endure? I can’t take it anymore. Where is Jesus?

“[Jesus] said to [His parents], “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”(v. 49)  But His parents didn’t understand the words spoken from the very Word of God.  Maybe it’s because we don’t understand the Words of Jesus so we ask the question, Where is Jesus?  Maybe it is because we neither want to understand His words nor do we want to obey the Words which He gives to us in the Holy Scriptures.  Sin causes us to lose perspective.  To trust in ourselves, to trust our own words, our own thoughts, and our own reason.  We walk away from the One source of comfort which we are given, the Gospel, the Good News, the very Word of God.  Luther said, "The greatest and foremost skill - no matter who the person is - is to cling firmly to the Word and conceive of the things of God in no other way than as the Word tells us. For this reason we should accustom ourselves to know nothing about God and Christ apart from the Word of God.”  Yet we still ask, “Where is Jesus?” “Where is Jesus when I need Him?”  “Why isn’t He here for me now?”  Jesus speaks to you, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (Mt. 8:26) and “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”(v. 49) 

Repent.  For it is not Jesus who has moved farther away from you.  He has not left you, nor will He ever forsake you.  In obedience to His heavenly Father, Jesus is in His Father’s house.  He has never, ever, lost track of you along your winding way of life.  In fact He is always with you even to the end of the age.  In your baptism you were sealed with His Name, and in the water combined with God’s Word, you are saved.  In the Holy Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ, He is not lost, He is here in the bread and wind, the body and the blood, for you, for the forgiveness of sins.  Do not be afraid of the things of this world which cause you become lost, tired, afraid, weary, downtrodden, weak hearted, or in distress.  Jesus could say, “What in the world are you thinking?”  But He does not, rather He lies down on the cross, He dies for you, He lives for you, He gives you eternal life.  Where is Jesus?  His is in the Word, for you.  He is in your baptism, for you.  He is in the Holy Supper, for you.  Didn’t you know? Jesus Christ, the child in the crib, the boy in the temple, the man on the cross, Son of God and Son of Man, was obedient to His Father even unto death.  Where is Jesus?  In His Father’s house, that is where Jesus is, and by His promise there in the Father’s house you too shall also be, forever and ever.  Amen.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

+SDG+

The First Sunday after Christmas - January 1, 2012

The Church Season of Christmas
1st Sunday after Christmas
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (January 1, 2012)

Readings:  
    Genesis 46:1-7
    1 Peter 4:12-19      
    Matthew 2:13-23

+INI+

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 1st Peter verses 12-13

1 Peter 4:12-19 (NIV)

12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

It’s a New Year, time for new ideas, new commitments, new visions, and new dreams.  That is all part and parcel of what is known as the American dream.  We dreamed, as a nation, of the freedom of religion, where you could be any religion you wanted and practice any faith freely, and no one could or would do anything about it.  You are free!

That is a great dream, freedom of religion without persecution.  Yet Jesus promised that if we faithfully followed Him, the world would hate us and we would be persecuted.  World history has demonstrated the accuracy of that prophecy.  Sadly, Christians in every age, and in every corner of the world have been hated and persecuted for their faith. Even here, in America, it is considered narrow-minded and rude, not to mention hopelessly backward, to stand firmly on one's faith and not go along with the socially approved ecumenical spirit of our times.  Anything in our culture is okay, except, of course, standing firm on the faith once delivered to the saints.  If you stand firm in the true Christian faith you are ridiculed, mocked, verbally assaulted.  And in other places in the world, people are dying for simply calling themselves "Christian". 

St. Peter speaks to us by saying; “do not be surprised!” He was talking about "the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing."   It is hard to stand firm in your faith, and confess Christ.  Family members will tell you to get off your high horse.  Friends will tell you to keep you religion to yourself - and will distance themselves from you if you don't.  Employers may tell you that your faith - and it symbols - are not welcome around the work-place.  People will find things to criticize and nit-pick on you because you are supposed to be something special, better, without any flaws, real or imagined.  Perhaps bigger things will happen among us as persecution in time - we cannot tell.  One thing we do know, our faith is not welcome out in the world, and not really even among others who style themselves as "Christian."

At this time of year when an old year has ended and a new year has begun, we often look back on our lives.  I'm sure many of us will recall when a time of trouble or suffering strengthened our faith in God.  A seeming setback turned out to be an opportunity for better or happier employment.  A chance meeting brought you to your husband or wife.  In fact it was not chance at all, rather God's gracious working in your lives.

Sometimes the events that happen around us don’t always go the way we want, and maybe we would like to be like Joseph, Mary and that tiny Christ child and flee persecution by going to another place and another country.  But, in those times when we can't make sense of things, when there seems to be no valid purpose or meaning to what's going on in our lives (and that happens to us all at one time or another), know that Christ has made you His own.  

There is nothing in all of creation that can separate you from Him and His love.  In fact, the Lord comes so near to you with His love that He actually gives Himself into you in the Sacrament of the Altar.  He imparts to you His very own life with His body and blood.  If the almighty Lord would go so far as to take on your vulnerable human flesh, to die in the flesh and shed His blood, and then give you His resurrected flesh and blood for the forgiveness of your sins, then certainly you can trust Him even in those times when there seems to be no reasonable answers to your questions.

So, when your faith and your confession brings ridicule or any other pain on you from the world around you, do not be surprised.  It is likely to happen, and Jesus predicted it.  It is our call to strive to avoid bringing this persecution upon ourselves.  It will find you of its own accord.  Remember that this is part of the plan of God, and remember that those would thwart the Word of God will ultimately bear the fruits of their evil, unless they repent.  Remembering the pain of ridicule and persecution, we should be eager to spare our attackers the pains they are bringing on themselves by bringing them the good news of Christ and forgiveness.  There is hope that a New Year will bring us peace and prosperity.  Certainly this congregation has been blessed beyond measure throughout its time.  We look ahead with faith and joy to see what we can do this year guided by the Holy Spirit to speak God’s Word.  And we pray that when persecution or trouble or pain does come our way, our faith will not fail, we will pray, and entrust our souls to God.  We pray that a New Year will bring us great things, at the same time our prayers have been answered before we pray them.  For God has given us His Son Jesus Christ, who brings us a new life, and to eternity with Him.  Amen.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

+SDG+

The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord - December 25, 2011

The Church Season of Christmas
Christmas Day
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (December 25, 2011)
One Year Series

Readings:  
    Micah 5:2-5    
    Titus 3:4-7                   
    Luke 2:1-20           

+INI+

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 2nd chapter of Luke, especially the following verses:

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

It is always exciting when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, we celebrate the birth of Christ on the traditional day of His birth.  How glorious is that?  Regardless of the calendar date, we celebrate Christ’s birth as the shepherds did that first night.  It is indeed glorious.  Glory to God in the highest are is the words the angels spoke. Glory is a common word occurring over 400 times in the Old Testament. It is a description of God's awesome splendor and holiness. He is the God or King of Glory. Sinful man could not behold this glorious God. Moses feared when God appeared in glory. In the New Testament "glory" is used in to describe God's visible revelation of Himself to man. When the glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds they were afraid. But he said: "Fear not for I bring you good news." The revelation of God’s makes men unafraid. By faith we look forward to the glorious appearance of the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself in our stead. When God became man, man believed in his glory although he could not yet see it. As scripture notes, "We beheld His glory," "We were eye-witnesses of His glory." The Apostles saw Him transfigured, revealing the glory of God. We see God's glory in Jesus' miracles. Jesus and the Father glorified each other when Jesus died and rose for us. "Glory to God in the Highest" means that Jesus is your Savior. Now His is the glory. When we die we shall be glorified. Romans.

And the angels spoke of peace on earth, and we often heard the saying, “peace, peace but there was no peace” When man fell into sin there was no peace between man and God and no peace among men. Sinful man is dead in his sins but he is worse than dead because he is at war with God and man. Man causes wars and rumors of wars. But Jesus says: "Do not be shaken, for these things must be, but the end is not yet." Awful things will happen. But the Angels proclaim: "Fear not. There is peace on earth." Peace is not a state or a condition. God wills peace for the whole creation. But when you have the peace of God you will have strife with yourself, friends, co-workers, or relatives. But even then you have peace with God. For Jesus says: "My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled nor let it be afraid." And, "I have said these things to you so that in Me you have peace. In this world you have tribulation.

Luther oft repeated this peace of scripture for the comfort of others, “But be cheerful, I[Jesus] have overcome the world." Though we were dead in sins, the Chris child makes us alive, forgiving us all our sins. He wiped out the handwriting against us. He nailed our sins to the cross. Christ Jesus is our peace. He is the king of peace. His gospel is the gospel of peace. The peace of God, Christ's gift, protects us. Justified by faith, we now have peace with God through Christ.

And let us not also forget, good will toward men.  Have you ever thought about all the talk of the magic of Christmas as revealed in the eyes of a child?  And as we grow older we lament the loss of that kind of feeling for Christmas.  But, God's good will, who is His Son is also hidden to the wise but revealed to the babes. The arrogant world does not know the Son. Yet the repentant sinner does know the Son. Why did you become a Christian? Because of a decision? No, no. But only because of the good will of God's saving will in Christ Jesus. Because of His good saving will God will’s you in Christ Jesus to save you eternally.

We set aside holidays and special days to reflect upon the Glory of God.  In Christ His glory is here for you, each and every day.  We needn’t do a thing to receive it.  In Christ there is peace on earth.  Not because sinful men lay down their arms, but because Christ laid down His arms on the cross.  There Jesus gives us the promise of eternal peace.  In freely giving us His Son Jesus Christ God shows us His good will toward men.  Glory, Peace, and Good Will.  Brought to you this day not by the efforts of men, but by one baby boy born this day who is the very Son of God.  Look as you may for this gift under a tree or in the machinations of man and you will not find it.  This baby boy is a different gift, it is THE gift of God, the One who finds you.  This baby Jesus finds you and brings you to Glory, gives you everlasting peace, and delivers you to rest with Him in the presence of His good will for time everlasting.  Amen.

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

+SDG+

Eve of the Nativity of Jesus Christ - December 24, 2011

The Church Season of Christmas
Eve of the Nativity of Jesus Christ
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (December 24, 2011)

Readings:    Matthew 1:18-21   

+INI+

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 1st chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verses.

Matthew 1:18-21 (NIV)
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

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

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.”(v.18) On this evening of blessed expectation these words recorded by St. Matthew give answer to countless questions which mankind has asked for centuries. “How could [One who is]infinite reside in a womb? How could He that contains all, be carried as yet unborn, by a woman?"(Chrysostom) It is unfathomable to our minds, that the Virgin Mary held in her womb what the whole world, the whole universe, could not contain. Yet so many years ago on this very night the unimaginable became reality, the Father sent His Son, the infinite had became incarnate, and now the timeless was born into human time.

Jesus, “was appropriately born contrary to the law of human nature because He was beyond nature.”(p. 13 Ancient Christian Commentary Vol. I-a, Mt. 1:18) Christ was with the Father and the Holy Spirit from infinity and so He was with the Father when all of King David’s Fathers were begotten. Now Joseph the Son of David hears news of the Son who had begotten him.

But Christ came not to be the son of these Father’s. Rather Christ the son, the child of Bethlehem chose to adopt the people of His family.  Not only Joseph and Mary, not only the Jews but the Gentiles, Christ who came once for all people.  He was the one of whom Isaiah spoke who would be called Immanuel, “God with us.”(v.23) The Christ child was born to save His fathers and us His sons and daughters.

Is that enough for you for this night to recall the Christ child or is it that you want your Christmas back?  The one from your childhood, the one you can’t seem to find anymore? The one lost as you lose the race for a spot at the mall.  The Christmas that slips away as you become busier than ever, but satisfied less and less each year.  Where has that Christmas of old gone?  It is still here and it comes for you in a form most unobtrusive, small, and weak.

On this night as we recall the holiest of holy nights, cast your eyes upon a manger.  Cast your eyes on the glow of a child who brings wonder and joy to you.  Stop and look at the lights, smell the aroma of the Christmas celebration.  The child in the manger is Jesus, Immanuel.  The glow of the child is from the dimly lit manger.  The aroma of Christmas is that of Frankincense and myrrh. 

You are His people. He is God with us.  The Christmas of your past is not lost, it never was, it never will be. This Christ child, is Immanuel, “God with us.”  Mary this day gives birth to Jesus Christ and He gives us new birth in His Name.  Though our memories of the joy of Christmas past may fade away.  We know that there was joy there in family, friends, and tradition.  But even more so, the Christ child brings you into His eternal family, God With Us, God will never leave nor forsake us, Jesus who will be with us to the end of the age. Oh holy Child of Bethlehem, cast out our sin and enter in, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel.  Amen.

+SDG+