Freedom to do whatever.

The Text: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should.
You might recognise this type of phrase if you have one of those pedantic parents who like to use every opportunity to educate you on the technicalities of the English language, such as when you asked such a question like: “Can I have a Tim Tam?”
Your mother may have answered: Yes, you can, but you may not.”

When you look at her with frustration she may have then gone on to say something like: “’Can I?’ is a question which asks about ability, where the question ‘May I?’ asks permission. So, yes, you can have a Tim Tam biscuit because you’re quite capable of going and getting it, holding it in your own fingers, and feeding yourself. However, you may not be permitted to have a Tim Tam right now because it’ll spoil your appetite for dinner.”

So yes, there are many things you can do, but that doesn’t mean you should.

St Paul uses a similar argument in regard to our freedom as Christians.

An example Paul cites is one about food offered to idols (which at first glance doesn’t seem like it would apply to us today).

The context for this question is this:

In Corinth there were many temples and shrines to various idols and false gods, which used animal sacrifices as part of their offerings so their idols and gods might favour or bless them. These sacrificial meats would either be a) left at the altar to these false gods, b) eaten by the people who worshipped there for their special celebrations with family and friends, or c) later taken to the marketplace and sold.

The question raised was: are Christians allowed to eat any of these meats, even though they’ve been sacrificed to false gods? And, even if they could normally avoid buying some of these meats, what happens if they’re invited to a friend’s house who are serving up meats originally offered to idols? Do they refuse and risk offending their hosts? Or, do they eat these meats without a care in the world, but risk alienating some of their own fellowship who would be offended by the fact they’re eating these meats?

In response, it’s quite likely some Christians were saying: “But we know those are false gods. We know the idols are just wood or gold or stone. We know there’s just one true God. We know this food isn’t going to get us any closer to Jesus or push us further away. It’s just plain food because those idols don’t really exist anyway. So therefore, why don’t we just go ahead and eat these temple meals!”

On the other hand, some might be also saying: “But we’ve left those types of practices in our past because we now have faith in Jesus as our Lord and God. He’s the only one we should worship. He’s the only one we should call upon to bless our food and families and service. Plus, if we live like everyone else, then how will anyone know we’re Christian? Look, I believe it’s so serious that, if any of you eat these meats, then I’m not sure your faith is genuine anymore and I’m scared you may be in danger of falling away from faith in Jesus and going back to your old ways of idolatry!”

So, what’s Paul’s advice to this divided congregation who couldn’t agree on a solution, especially where there’s no clear instruction from God about what’s commanded or forbidden?

His solution is both a ‘yes’ and a ‘no’, but he also explains why, which will also help us when faced with similar dilemmas.

Firstly: “Yes, you can eat this meat, at least in the privacy of your home, since you know the idol is false and misleading, and you don’t at all mean to worship it.”

But later on, in chapter 10 (where he talks about eating this meat in public), he says: “No, you can’t be a part of those temple meals in public, even if it’s just a social gathering. In that public meal at the temple you’re participating with any demons who may be present there. To eat that meal in public would also give the wrong witness to those who are struggling to stay faithful to Jesus.”

But you may wonder, what does it matter if they were to eat these meats privately or publicly?

Well, because it’s not all about you.

The exercising of any rights by individuals in a Christian congregation should always be less important than the common rights of a Christian community and for the sake of its unity, especially if there are some within its midst who are weaker in conscience.

In this case, because it might offend your brothers or sisters in Christ, you can eat these meats (at least in private), but you may not (especially in public) for the sake of their faith.

You see, love (and especially Christian love which always considers everyone else as more important than you) always builds up. Your love for your fellow Christians is always more important than your own individual freedom or rights.

This argument can then be used for almost every other situation in the church.

For example, imagine a congregation which is considering relocating the church’s bible from the altar to the lectern. While many like to have the bible on the altar to show its centrality to our worship, it also makes sense to put it where we’ll actually use it. The bible readings are read from the lectern instead of the altar, so that would be a more practical and liturgical place to put it there.

Let’s say this congregation discusses the pros and cons and puts it to the vote. The result is nearly unanimous that they should move the bible to the lectern. Then one member might stand up and say: “If that bible moves off the altar, I won’t attend worship here!”

Now, no matter what you think of such ultimatums, this congregation, out of love for this one person, might in the end agree they could move the bible, but choose not to. They might exercise both their Christian freedom and their love for their fellow member. They might choose to build up the body of Christ in love instead of dividing it over rights and entitlements and democratic votes.

Of course, this doesn’t always happen.

How many times have families and churches become divided because one person (or a number of people), choose to exercise their own rights or privileges over against their love for their brothers and sisters in Christ? How many times has the unity of the church been held to ransom by an individual or a minority group? How many times have people stopped coming to worship because of what they saw and heard fellow Christians saying or doing what they shouldn’t have?

The basic problem is our selfish desire to serve ourselves, which often puts us on a slippery slope of confrontation and division within communities.

For example:

Let’s say I want something. It may even be a good thing to want or expect. But then I have an unmet expectation because I’m not getting what I want. I still think I’m right (or at least I believe I have a right to my expectation or desire), and so I get frustrated because I’m not getting what I want. Because I’m frustrated, it doesn’t take long before I start demanding to be satisfied. When my demands aren’t met, I’m then likely to judge you’re getting in the way of what I want, and so I’ll punish you!

How quickly we often go from having a desire to becoming judge, jury, and executioner!

But an unintended result of our own desires or demands or expectations is (no matter how noble they are); when weaker Christians see or experience our lack of love for each other, they can quickly despair of their faith and fall through the gaps of a fractured community.

Too many times love and unity have taken a back seat (or been locked away in the boot), when love and unity should have been driving all our thoughts, words, and actions.

So, when St Paul talks about food sacrificed to idols (which at first doesn’t seem to apply to us today), we unintentionally become the self-made idols or gods who expect everyone else to sacrifice themselves to our whims and desires.

We make it sound like they must all bow to our desires. They must pay the price when they don’t do what we want.

The common theme running through most of the New Testament letters (and especially from those written by St Paul), is for Christians to practice love and unity. If anyone is to sacrifice themselves and their own desires or intentions, it is the stronger Christians who will always give up their rights and privileges for the sake of others.

Now, this doesn’t mean we should reduce our teachings or our practices to the lowest common denominator, because there are certain things which are clearly commanded or forbidden by God. We don’t compromise on what God teaches in his word. But it’s often in those matters which are neither commanded nor forbidden that we often make into the most divisive ultimatums and fodder for our fights.

Paul is saying here that Christian love will always seek to build those weaker in conscience. Christian love will always seek to build up the church and sacrifice itself for unity in the body of Christ. Christian love will always concern itself with the conscience of those weaker in conscience. Christian love will always model itself on the person and loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

You see, Jesus didn’t come to demand or punish or condemn; saying that we should be sacrificed for his sake. He was sacrificed for our sake.

He came to satisfy his Father’s demand for someone to pay for all the times we’re selfish. He came to be punished for all the times we try to get our own way (as if we’re the idol or god who should be obeyed). He was the one condemned and sacrificed for self-serving people like you and me.

Thankfully, no matter how much we’ve hurt or offended others because of our own desires or demands, we’re reminded that, where the blood of Cain once cried out for justice, Jesus’ blood instead now cries out for our forgiveness and mercy, and through faith we’re now innocent and washed clean by this undeserving grace and sacrificial love.

Of course, there’ll still be many more questions the church will be faced with. Some of them will threaten to divide us or trouble the consciences of those weaker in conscience. In each case, God’s word (which includes the divinely inspired letters from Paul and other New Testament writers), is our guiding light to decide on all matters of faith, doctrine and life.

But we also learn today that, whenever we come across a question of “Can I?” or “Can we?” in matters which are neither commanded or forbidden, we’re to instead ask: “May we?”

After all, just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we should, especially if it affects the body of Christ or those weaker in conscience. Amen.

When we consider these questions, we’re to remember the guiding principle of the love of Christ which always seeks to build up the Christian community and preserve it in loving unity. That loving unity is more important than getting our own way, no matter how noble our desires are. Amen.

‘Jesus’ first disciples’

Sermon for 3 Epiphany
John 1:35-51
St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Port Macquarie

With today’s text we come to the end of the first chapter of John’s gospel. We have seen the revelation of who Jesus really is, the Word made flesh. We have been introduced to John the Baptist, whose preaching prepared the way for Jesus’ ministry. We saw John announce that Jesus was the Lamb of God, and that he was the one people must now look to. And now, we find two brief accounts of the calling of Jesus’ first disciples.

Some of you may have seen some of the episodes of the series The Chosen. It is well worth the effort if you are not familiar with it. The focus of the series is on the disciples of Jesus, including the many women like Mary of Magdala who followed Jesus during his earthly ministry. They are portrayed as interesting and diverse people, with very real fears and hopes. The series has helped raise interest in Jesus’ disciples. And through following the experiences of the disciples, the viewers are led to think more about Jesus himself.

In first-century Palestine it was a big deal to become the student or disciple of a rabbi, especially a prominent one. Most rabbis would have one or two disciples at most. Enough to replace them. Some, who were more famous, had more. John the Baptist, though not technically a rabbi, had a similar authority. He seems to have had a number of disciples. The disciples of a rabbi were meant not only to assist the rabbi, but also to learn the rabbi’s craft by watching him and then doing the things themselves that their rabbi did. That was the ultimate goal of the disciple.

Normally a rabbi’s disciples would seek out the role of disciple, much like one today might apply for an apprenticeship. They were young men who had done well in their religious instruction classes and often brought a strong reference or endorsement from their home rabbi. Jesus departs from this practice in two key ways. First, the disciples he calls, for the most part, are men who would never have sought such a role. And if they had, they would not have been considered remotely qualified to become a religious disciple, a rabbi in training. Second, Jesus appears to have sought out his disciples, often from unlikely places, and accepted them with no interview, references or trial period. Anyone familiar with the practice of discipleship from the period would realise from these very early stories of the calling of Jesus’ disciples that Jesus was no ordinary rabbi.

In the first of the two stories of the calling of Jesus’ first disciples an important point is made about the transition of attention and authority from the forerunner, John the Baptist, to Jesus. This is beautifully done with John’s proclamation, on two successive days, that Jesus is the Lamb of God (1:29 and 36). The second time John says this two of his own disciples take notice and turn to follow Jesus. John’s repetition of the exclamation: ‘Look! The Lamb of God’ ties the first calling story to the scene of John and Jesus at the river Jordan when John witnesses the Spirit of God descending upon Jesus.

When Jesus sees these two young men following him he asks them what they are looking for. It was not uncommon for a rabbi to ask a potential student what their motivation is for wanting to learn from him. Even in the modern world famous teachers, gurus and elite groups often ask those who desire join them what their motivation is. Sometimes the potential disciple or student is given some time, even days, to consider their answer. Many times a teacher would reject the initial answer, forcing the student to think more deeply. A thoughtful, even profound response, was a promising sign. But if we are expecting the answer of Jesus first two disciples to be something exceptionally profound, we are disappointed. What we get seems almost mundane. ‘Where are you staying?’ They might as well as asked what Jesus had had for lunch, or what the harvest had been like last year in Galilee. It strikes us as small talk.

But what is exceptional is Jesus’ response. He does not ask them to think again about what they are looking for. He does not ask them any questions about their motivation or background. He does not ask John the Baptist whether these are his best students, or simply a couple of left-overs. Instead, he simply says; ‘Come and see.’ Remember these words. Along with ‘Look, the Lamb of God,’ ‘come and see’ is one of the key phrases used to connect these three small sections together.

And the two young men begin here to act like disciples. The rabbi says come and see, and they ‘came and saw.’ More than that, they stayed with Jesus the rest of that day until it was four in the afternoon.

For the modern reader, this might seem an odd detail. For those familiar with first-century Judaism, the significance of this detail is immediately clear. It was most likely the day before the Sabbath. Because on no other day was the time of 4 p.m. significant. But on the eve the Sabbath, at 4 p.m., a traveller was required to stay in the place or home they were at to keep the Sabbath. So the act of Jesus allowing the two to remain until 4 p.m., and their remaining this long, is a signal that both parties were willing to spend the Sabbath together. It is a sign that the relationship was to be a significant and lasting one.

Now what do we know about these first two disciples? First, we know that they had been disciples of John. So they are the only of the twelve disciples Jesus eventually calls who have any real discipleship experience. Their transfer of allegiance to Jesus, and John’s apparent endorsement of this, is a sign to all who were observing these events that there was a transfer of authority and ministry taking place. John is passing the baton to the one whose coming he was preparing.

We know also that one of these disciples was named Andrew. The other is not named. This is odd, as by the end of the next section there will be five disciples, and the other four are all named. The most likely explanation is that that the second of the first two disciples was John the Evangelist, the writer of this account. It was customary for writers not to name themselves directly. Hence John’s reference to himself in the later parts of the Gospel simply as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ It would also explain how John knew a detail of this early encounter as specific as the fact that the first two disciples stayed with Jesus until 4 p.m. He knew this because he was there. Our writer, as a former disciple of John the Baptist, appears to be giving us an eyewitness account of the life and ministry of Jesus from the time Jesus appears at the banks of the Jordan to meet John the Baptist.

We also know that these first two disciples were convinced that John the Baptist had pointed them to the long-awaited Messiah. For Andrew goes to find his brother Simon, and tells him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’ There is no doubt or question in these words. He does not say, ‘We have found a great teacher’ or, ‘We have found a man who might just be the messiah’ but, ‘We have found the Messiah.’ And so here we find another key element of discipleship: A true disciple cannot help but bring others to their teacher and his teaching. So now the disciples number three. And Andrew’s brother Simon, also without any apparent interview, is welcomed by Jesus and named Cephas, or Peter.

The next few verses tell us the story of the next two disciples. This account stands out from the first in that Jesus finds these two on his own. He does not simply pick up more of John’s disciples. Jesus is not taking over John’s ministry. He is beginning his own unique ministry.

This second disciple calling story begins, like the previous two sections, with the words, ‘the next day.’ As we pointed out last week, this language is a literary device meant to show the speed and pace at which things were now happening. Bethany on the Jordan, about 9 kms north of the Dead Sea, would have been well over a 100 km walk to Galilee. Jesus and his disciples were certainly very fit, but not that fit! It would be a big effort for a modern distance runner on a flat trail with running shoes and no pack to make. But walking over hilly terrain in sandals and with a bag for a change of clothes, along with food and water … well, it isn’t going to happen. And the readers would see this straight away and recognise that the writer was not trying to tell them that they all literally showed up the next day in Bethsaida in Galilee.

And it is Bethsaida where they seem to end up. This is where Andrew and Simon Peter are from, so it makes sense they would make a stop there. They likely will want to explain to their families what has happened to them. And Philip is from the same town, so this likely where Jesus meets him. Perhaps Simon Peter introduced him to Jesus, having himself been introduced to Jesus by his brother Andrew. However it happened, the Evangelist tells us that Jesus finds Philip. The point is that it is the rabbi who finds and choses his disciples.

Importantly, we find two key repetitions, in this section. First, Just like Andrew found his brother Simon and told him about Jesus, now Philip goes and finds his friend Nathanael and tells him about Jesus. And the second repletion from the previous section is of the words ‘come and see.’ But this time they are spoken by Philip when he invites the skeptical Nathanael to come and see Jesus for himself. The disciples are already acting like disciples. They are telling others about Jesus, and they are doing what their rabbi does. Jesus invited the first two disciples to come and see. Now it is one of his own new disciples giving this invitation.

Now there is an important point about famous teachers. Their students or disciples hung off their every word. In this first chapter of John’s gospel Jesus is a man of very few words. So the reader who wants to be a follower of Jesus will be listening very closely to every word Jesus says. Especially the first words that are recorded. And while brief, Jesus first four recorded sayings are profound. But they are profound. Take a look at today’s reading. Have you spotted them? ‘What are you looking for?’, ‘Come and see,’ you will be called Peter, the rock,’ and ‘follow me.’

In these first four saying we find a summary of what it means to be a disciple, especially a disciple of Jesus.

First, Jesus asks the disciple to consider what is they are seeking. ‘What are you looking for? We considered the significance of this question last week, picking up as it does on the multiple repetition of the various forms of the verb ‘to see’ in this text. The first question for any of us who seek to follow Jesus is an introspective one. What are we looking for? What is it we seek? What is it that we need.

Second, continuing the theme of ‘seeing’ Jesus invites the disciple ‘come and see’ for themselves. He doesn’t ask the disciples to sign on to the program blindly without asking any questions. He invites them instead to come and see what he does and who he is.

Third, Jesus transforms completely those who follow him. Such a transformation is symbolised by giving someone an entirely new name, you will be called Peter, Jesus says to Simon, just like God gave Abram and Jacob new names. When we follow Jesus, we will be transformed.

Fourth and finally, Jesus invites the disciple to follow him. This invitation, this challenge, comes only at the end of the series, not the beginning. Here Jesus invited the disciples to act on what they have thought about, what they have seen, the change they have experienced through Jesus’ teaching. So, too, we are challenged today, after experiencing the transformation of Jesus in our lives, to take up the call to follow him, to be a disciple of Jesus, inviting others to come and see Jesus, and act like Jesus, doing and saying the things we have learned from him.

It is only after these four short discipleship saying that Jesus begins to teach, and to tell the disciples they will indeed see much more than expected. They will see heaven opened. They will see the Son of Man. And Jesus does not cease teaching the disciples throughout the remainder the rest of John’s Gospel.

By telling us the story of these first five disciples, by telling us his own story, John invites us into the story of discipleship. We are challenged to look to the Lamb of God who takes away our sins, to come and see Jesus, to follow Jesus, and to tell others about Jesus. This is what every disciple is called to do. It is what Jesus calls each of us to do.

Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

Good news from God

Mark 1:15

You may have noticed how journalists carefully followed Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, when Catherine was pregnant. The journalists analysed every sentence spoken, the slight movement of Catherine’s hand across the ‘baby bump’, and even what the Duchess wore in order to glean a bit more information about the yet-to-be-born royal baby. A magazine journal thought it had a scoop when it published an article saying that twins were about to be added to the royal family. A TV presenter announced that the royal baby would be a princess because the Duchess wore a pink coat. Really! Are we supposed to believe such trashy news?

Today we hear from the gospel writer, Mark. He records the first words from Jesus after his baptism. Mark says this is “Good News from God”. We wait with expectation. What will Jesus say? Will he say something eloquent, wise, deep and meaningful? Will everyone gasp and swoon as he speaks this glad announcement from God? To paraphrase, he says, “The time has come, and the kingdom of God is within reach, so turn your life around and get on board”. Is that all? I checked Matthew and Luke and they don’t even have this much. Not really a grand entrance. The heavens didn’t open to reveal the Messiah as prophesied. No “Tada, here I am after centuries of waiting; the messiah you’ve been waiting for”. No three cheers from the crowd.

In fact, Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, but he never stops to define what he means.

So let’s talk about kingdoms in general for a minute. If I asked around the room what images come to mind when one thinks of the word ‘kingdom’, I believe we would get quite a few different responses. Some might think of the kingdoms of fairy tales, others, the ‘Game of Thrones’ or ‘Lord of the Rings’ type of kingdoms, and others, like myself, who enjoy medieval history might have a much darker image of kingdoms with heartless kings, greedy nobles, poverty and disease. The word is surrounded with a lot of baggage.

If I had the time I would take you on a study through the Old Testament to understand the rule of God, his kingdom and how the concept of the kingship took on messianic and futuristic qualities. The kingship of God doesn’t carry with it any of the negative authoritarian, oppressive, implications of Israel’s past kings. This Old Testament understanding of Kingdom of God included hope, joy, peace, a new beginning, a new king, a new Israel and the great feeling of coming home.

I’m going to use the word ‘culture’ to explain God’s kingdom. Now that might seem a strange word to use, but let me explain using the following example.

There was a couple who had three lovely granddaughters, whose mother was French. Her parents live in a small, pretty French village in the Loire Valley. When they visited them, they had to forget about their own culture and the way they did things and totally immerse themselves in everything that is French: speaking only the French language, preparing food the French way, how it is eaten the French way, including how you break, not cut, your baguettes, the way an aperitif is served before dinner, the way you eat your evening meal over several hours with several courses and wine to suit each one, and eating only one type of food at a time – not mixing everything together as is the custom in Australia.

You see, culture is us. Culture is who we are and how we do things, and what we value and stand for. Culture shapes the way we behave, what we say. It shapes our whole life.

I think you might understand why I chose the word ‘culture’ to explain the impact of Jesus’ announcement that the Kingdom of God is here. Jesus is announcing that with the coming of God’s kingdom there is a culture shift. Now is the time to abandon (repent, turn away from) the values of the culture of this world and get on board. It’s time to immerse yourself in God’s new culture, God’s new way of living, a new way of looking at the past, present and future, God’s new values of hope, love, forgiveness, compassion, boldness, and so on. To be immersed in the culture of God is major change in a person’s life.

The disciples Jesus called that day along the shore of Lake Galilee heard Jesus say simply, “Come with me”. “Come with me and turn away from the culture, the lifestyle that is focussed on yourselves, your sinfulness. Come with me and turn away from the culture of this world with all its distractions and self-centredness that drives a wedge between you and God, and get on board God’s culture; God’s new way of living that changes the way you think about the world and others, the way you see nature, the people around you and yourself, the way you interact with the pain and hurt and suffering in the community around you. Come and get on board with this radical new turnaround”.

As we heard in the anecdote about getting to know the French culture, it takes a while to be fully immersed in a culture that is a radical shift from what we are accustomed. That day along the shore of Lake Galilee, the disciples made the first big step getting on board with the new culture of the Kingdom of God. It took a while for them to fully realise what this meant – it took them the next 3 years and the rest of their lives. Mark records the beginning of their new journey – “At once they left their nets and went with him” (v18).

So what has all this to say to us today? I dare say many of you have you been participants in the church for many years, maybe a lifetime, others a shorter time but no less dedicated. That doesn’t matter. It’s easy to take for granted the Kingdom of God and the radical shift this brings into our lives. It’s easy to miss this culture change, because that part of our inner nature that constantly urges us to become self-focussed, inward looking, putting me-first, stating I-want-my-way, gradually and unnoticeably takes over. In actual fact, without us even realising it, a coup takes place – a culture other than the Kingdom of God takes over; we adopt ways and values that we realise are all wrong. We might have been on board once, but somewhere along the way we’ve got off.

Throughout Paul’s letters he urges his readers to follow the way of Jesus not the ways of the world. You see, as Christians we live in a situation of constant tension between what is God’s way and what is the way of our own desires and the world. As people who follow Christ, who live in the culture of the Kingdom of God, as those who have been baptised in Christ and put on the nature and characteristics of Jesus – his love and compassion, his gentleness and forgiveness, his patience and self-giving, his focus on the needs of others before his own needs – as we live in this kind of atmosphere and culture this will often bring us into a conflict with ourselves and also with the values and acceptable standards of the people around us, many of whom we know and love dearly. Being “in Christ” is a tough call. Getting on board with the culture of the Kingdom of God is a real challenge.

Let’s hear from the apostle Paul. He says, “Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Rom 12:2) or as he says in Ephesians, “Since you are God’s dear children, you must try to be like him. Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us” (Eph. 5:1,2).

In Philippians he says, “All I want to know is Christ”. Paul is talking about a Christianity that’s not just in our heads but influences and affects and infects everything in our lives. Not one corner of our being is to be left untouched by the “new thing” that Jesus brings into our lives. We are to be totally immersed, soaked, saturated in the culture of the Kingdom of God. Paul often talks about becoming more and more “like Christ”.

Coming up on our calendars is Australia Day – a day when we celebrate the good things about our country, and without a doubt, we have so much to be happy about and to thank God. There are many good things to celebrate in our Aussie culture. But let’s not be so patriotic that we don’t see that Australian culture will put us in conflict with the culture of the Kingdom of God. Being “in Christ”, “bearing the image of Christ”, being “like Christ” is a challenge in our modern world. It’s easier to blend into our Aussie culture and accept even what we know goes against our calling to be “like Christ”.

We know that the apostle Paul struggled within himself about how well he followed Christ’s way. He said that he knew what was the right thing to do, but for some reason he kept on doing the wrong thing. That sounds very familiar doesn’t it? And like Paul, we know that in the Kingdom of God we find the forgiveness and newness that Christ has won for us.

The world, our nation, needs you and me to be “like Christ”. Which culture do we allow to shape our hearts, minds, attitudes, lifestyles, relationships with people nearby and faraway—and not the least with God himself? What is it that forms our identity – is it the culture of the world or is it the mind of Christ? The Kingdom of God, the culture of God, has come to you. Christ is in you; you are in Christ! Amen.

Come amd see Jesus.

John 1:29-51:
2 Epiphany

The various sections of John’s Gospel are much more interlinked than those of the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Indeed, it is hard to understand today’s text of John 1:35-42 without looking at the end of last week’s text, and next week’s text as well. The entire section is separated into three distinct but inter-connected parts, each beginning with the words ‘the next day’ in verses 29, 35 and 43. And this literary device also ties today’s text in with the story of the wedding at Cana, which begins in chapter two with the words ‘on the third day.’

The repetition of ‘the next day’ gives the story pace. John wants us to know that everything is happening quickly, not just ‘some time later’. It starts with John the Baptist saying that he was not the Messiah, but that the Messiah was about to appear, indeed, was already among them. For a community anxiously awaiting the coming of the Messiah this would have been very exciting news. Then, ‘the next day,’ John identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God (v. 29) and we move quickly into the calling of the first disciples.

Next week we will look at this extended again, with attention to Jesus’ calling of his first five disciples. This week, we will focus on the 17-fold repetition of various words meaning ‘to see’, most of these being forms of the verb orao (όράω). We find the word in past, present and future tense, as participle, as imperative. The use so often of forms of ‘to see’ in this text is no accident. Deliberate repetition of words and themes was a well-known device for underscoring a point and getting a reader’s attention in both Hebrew and Greek literature.

The looking/seeing action starts immediately after the first ‘the next day,’ when we read that John ‘saw Jesus coming toward him.’ This is the first appearance of Jesus as a human figure in the Gospel. The Word that became flesh now has a name. He is real person ‘dwelling among us.’ And his name is Jesus.

And as soon as John sees Jesus, what does he do? He points others to him by declaring: ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.’ (v. 29). We also read in this section that John saw the Spirit descending upon him, points out that others have seen the Spirit descend and remain upon him, and that John himself has seen (with his own eyes) and testifies to what he has seen. For John, the Gospel writer, seeing is a way of portraying faith. John the Baptist sees Jesus, has faith that this is the Messiah, confesses him to be the Lamb of God, then asks others to see Jesus. So quite literally, in John’s gospel seeing is believing. To see Jesus, is to believe in Jesus.

But now we go to the next section of the text, set apart again by the repetition of ‘the next day.’ We are still with John and we are still keeping with the theme of seeing. John watched as Jesus walked by and calls out, just like the day before: ‘Look! Here is the Lamb of God!’ The identification of Jesus as the Lamb God is important as John says it twice. The second time he no longer needs to add the description of what Jesus does as the Lamb of God, that is, he takes away the sin of the world. His hearers will remember this from the previous day. But he does repeat the call to ‘look.’ We are meant to look to Jesus. We are meant to see Jesus. At this point John leaves the story, at least for a time, and we move to the account of Jesus and his first disciples. But the theme of seeing continues to build.

It is now Jesus who does the seeing. Jesus sees two of John’s disciples following him. And it is here that Jesus speaks his first words in John’s Gospel. And his words are these: ‘What are you looking for?’ Not ‘why are you following me?’ but ‘What are you looking for?’ The theme of looking and seeing is not only continued, but accentuated when Jesus takes up the theme in his very first recorded sentence in John’s Gospel.

This must have thrown these two new disciples off. They were perhaps prepared for a welcome, or some question about their qualifications to be disciples. But Jesus cuts to the chase. What he wants to know, and what he wants them to think about is, ‘what are they looking for.’

I wonder how we might have responded in their place? I wonder how we would respond today? If when you entered the worship space this morning someone had asked; ‘What are you looking for?’ How would you have responded? Perhaps you would’ve dismissed the question as being inappropriate. Perhaps you would’ve cheekily said, ‘How would I know until I have found it.’ But no clever answer can diminish the force of the question. When we seek Jesus, here in this worship space, in our private devotional space, in the depths of our innermost thoughts, in the midst of whatever pain we might be feeling or issues we are struggling with, the question remains valid. What are we looking for when seek Jesus?

I suppose if the two disciples had been very quick thinking they could have said, ‘John has already given the answer. We are seeking the Lamb of God. We want our sins to be taken away. We want to see the sins of the world taken away.’

But that is not what these two disciples said. Instead, they said simply, ‘Teacher, where are you staying?’ It seems like a bit of small talk. Maybe they are overawed. Perhaps it was their roundabout way of asking if they could stay with Jesus and become his followers. Whatever the intent behind this rather unexpected response to a very big question, Jesus does not discourage them. Perhaps there was no right or wrong answer to his question. Surely, some of us began to follow Jesus because we were looking for answers to life’s big questions. Some of us wanted to live a better life. Some of us sought forgiveness or the lifting of some burden we carried. But I have encountered many who began attending church or Bible study, or reading the Bible because they wanted to meet or impress some young man or woman in the congregation. Or they were bored or curious. Or in my own case, I was cold and the Bible story group meet in a heated room during school recess. But whether our initial reasons seemed noble or mundane, the response of Jesus in the same. ‘Come and see.’ It’s not about what we think we are looking for. It is about who we see.

Notice Jesus continues with the theme of seeing. John had seen for himself. Now Jesus invites these two young men to come and see for themselves. At the beginning of this process of becoming disciples, it is Jesus who takes the initiative. Jesus asks them the probing question. Jesus invites them to come and see. As the Gospel writer reminds us later (15:16) Jesus says to his disciples, ‘You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.’

We also note that the disciples’ question, the question that prompted Jesus’ invitation, was the simple one about where Jesus was staying. Jesus was surely referring to much more than ‘come and see the quiet and clean room I have rented.’ He has taken the seemingly mundane concern of the disciples and turned it into a life-transforming invitation. So the two disciples went with Jesus, and they saw the place where he was staying, and they remained with him. Note those words in verse 39. ‘They remained with him.’ This is the true beginning of their seeing. They saw more than Jesus’ accommodation. What they saw was Jesus. And seeing Jesus led one of the two, Andrew, to go and tell his brother, ‘We have found the Messiah!’ The process of discipleship (and we will explore this in more depth next week) is now well and truly taking hold.

But there is more to be seen in this text. There is much more that Jesus wants his disciples to see; much more that he wants us to see.

The third part of this passage is again marked out by the words, ‘the next day.’ The next day Jesus goes to Galilee. Now, it is not possible to go from the Bethany by the Jordan, which is about nine kilometres north of the Dead Sea, to Bethasida in Galilee in a day. Everyone knew that. The distance was well over a hundred kilometres. But that was not the point. The point John as the teller of this story is making, once again, is that things are happening quickly. There is an urgency in the transfer of action from John the Baptist, to Jesus, to the calling of the first disciples.

In this third section Jesus finds Philip (again note that Jesus takes the initiative in the relationship with the disciples). Again, the discipleship process takes hold immediately. As with Andrew and Simon Peter, Philip finds his friend Nathanael and tells him they have found the Messiah. When Nathanael expresses skepticism, what does Philip say to him? The very same words Jesus had spoken to the first two disciples the day before. ‘Come and see.’

And the focus turns again to Jesus. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him he said ‘This is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.’ Still skeptical, Nathanael asks how Jesus could know this about him. Jesus’ answer is both simple and obscure. ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip came to you.’ Nathanael’s response is instant and surprising. The skeptical Nathanael confesses Jesus not only as Messiah but also as ‘the Son of God’ (v. 49). While sitting under the fig tree might mean little to us, it clearly meant a great deal to Nathanael. We can imagine perhaps that he had been having a heart to heart conversation with God under the fig tree. Perhaps he had asked God when the Messiah was coming, perhaps he had asked if he might see the Messiah. Something along these lines would make sense given Nathanael’s response.

And we should not underestimate the importance of ‘being seen’ by Jesus in bringing Nathanael to this confession. When Jesus said he had seen Nathanael, he meant that he had really seen him. He knew his heart and his concerns.

A few years ago a major film was released called Avatar. The native inhabitants of the planet Pandora, in the film, had an endearing way of expressing emotion, love, forgiveness. When a couple was falling in love, they would say to each other ‘I see you.’ When two people had been fighting, reconciliation occurred when the offended party said, ‘I see you’. What they meant by ‘I see you’ went far deeper than mere physical vision. It was an acknowledgement of another’s worth or value, or their feelings for them, of seeing deep inside them, of seeing who they really were.

When Jesus says to Nathanael that he saw him, I think this is the sense in which these words are meant to be taken. It is certainly how Nathanael took Jesus’ words.

Seventeen times in this passage some form of the word ‘seeing’ occurs. Often it is John or one of the early disciples seeing Jesus. Then it is John twice calling upon his hearers to see Jesus. And, of course, the two-fold repetition of the invitation to come and see Jesus. But perhaps the most striking use of the image of seeing is that Jesus sees us – just like he saw Nathanael. Because Jesus takes the initiative, because he sees us – we can also truly see Jesus. And more than this, Jesus tells Nathanael, ‘You will see greater things that these. … You will see heave opened. You will see the Son of Man.’ That is, Nathanael would see Jesus as he really is, in all his glory. Nathanael, and all who are called to come and see Jesus, will see the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

So, what are we looking for? Perhaps we really are not certain what it is we are looking for. But Jesus knows. And he calls us to come and see. He calls us to open our eyes and behold the one who takes away all the brokenness of the world. More than that, Jesus says to us, ‘I see you.’ He sees us as we really are, all our needs and worries. And he loves us and calls us to himself.

So why are you here today? What are you really looking for?

Come and see.

Come and see Jesus.

Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

Epiphany is about God revealing Jesus.

The Text: John 1:43-51

The season of Christmas celebrates the coming of the Son of God in human flesh to save and rescue His people.

The season of Epiphany is about God revealing that this Jesus, born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, is the promised Messiah. Jesus in the long promised and much hoped for rescuer from God, and He manifests His divine power in the spoken word, and in signs and wonders.

Epiphany begins with the sign of the star in the sky which guides the Gentile wise-men to Bethlehem, and the rest of Epiphany shows how Jesus was revealed as the Son of God to all who would hear Him.

God must reveal Himself to us or we would not know where or how to find Him. Many people think they can find God through religious experiences, charismatic leaders, and even participating in non-Christian worship practises. But such things don’t lead us to God, they lead us away from Him and place us in spiritual danger.

God cannot be found by humans. God finds us. He often comes to us through someone who already knows Him. This someone trusts in God. They know His life changing love and they want us to have it too.

This is the pattern we see in the Bible. A Jewish servant girl told Naaman about the prophet of the Lord who could heal him and he was cleansed of his skin disease and given faith (2 Kings 5). Four friends brought their crippled mate on a mattress to Jesus and he was cured and made whole in body and soul (Mark 2:1-12). Philip spoke with the Ethiopian about Jesus and he was baptised (Acts 8:26-39). Believers in Jesus bring those in need of God’s grace to Jesus.

This is what we see happen to Nathanael when Philip asked him to come and see Jesus. Philip knew Jesus. The Lord had said, “Follow Me” and Philip did, and he knew the Lord. He heard and saw that Jesus is the One whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote about. The Spirit filled Word of God revealed to Philip who Jesus was. Everything he heard from Jesus and saw Him do confirmed it. His eyes were opened. His heart was transformed. Philip is so excited that he goes and tells his friend Nathanael that the promised Redeemer has come, and he wants Nathanael to know the Lord too.

Someone did that for you. It was probably your parents or maybe a friend. They pointed you to Jesus saying come and see. Come and see the Saviour who has fulfilled the Law and everything God’s prophets said He would. Come and hear what He has done for you.

Christian parents bring their children to be baptised, and in water and the word a child sees and hears Jesus at work—cleansing, forgiving, creating new life and giving a new identity. Without Baptism’s gifts of rebirth and faith no one could find God. The old nature is too strong for any of us to overcome.

In Baptism you received the most wonderful gift from God. You were found by Him. He gives you His salvation. The joy and comfort you have in knowing Jesus lasts more than that moment. Knowing Jesus means a life time of forgiveness and mercy. Jesus is the One who saves us, and in Him we see God.

The Jesus we don’t really want to look at, is the bloodied body of Christ hanging on the cross. Most Christians prefer baby Jesus in a manger or ‘Jesus my friend’ or glorified Jesus in heaven. And He is those things, but Jesus is no friend, and no Saviour, and has no glory, without the cross and death.

It is not pleasant to see Jesus suffer God’s judgment for us. To see Him dying. To see on Him all those sins we shrug off or consider a normal part of life. It’s horrifying. But take a look and see.

Because once you do, then you realise the immensity of God’s love for you. Then you realise that Jesus fulfils the Law of God and the words of the prophets, and to do that is no small thing. The Father gave up His Son into death, for you. The Son laid aside His divine powers, to die as an atonement for you. And He wanted to do that, so you can have freedom and life.

And so, Philip goes to his friend Nathanael to tell him that God’s Saviour has come. But Nathanael could not believe it. This Jesus didn’t sound like the Saviour he had been looking for. After all, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip doesn’t try and convince Nathanael of who Jesus is, he simply invites him to, “Come and see.”

But before Nathanael sees Jesus, the Lord sees him. Jesus knows Nathanael. He knows his heart. Jesus knows all our faults and yet in love He still welcomes us.

We heard in Psalm 139 today that God knows us. He knew us before we were born. He knows our words before we speak them. There is no where we can go to hide from Him. This can sound threatening, because God can see our darkest sins and desires. But despite this, He welcomes us that we may be made holy, washed and forgiven.

And so, Jesus sees Nathanael, and Nathanael will speak the Gospel because he saw and heard the grace of God and was changed by it. Like the patriarch Jacob, Nathanael will see heaven open before him, but not in a dream, it will take place when he sees Jesus die on the cross and be resurrected three days later. Jesus comes from heaven to open its doors by shedding His blood, so that sinners like Philip and Nathanael and you and me may believe and enter into paradise.

How often do we desire God like Nathanael did, and yet overlook Him because we can only see our problems and hurt and shame? Turn your eyes from them and look at Jesus on the cross. That’s how He wants you to see Him. Look and see your condemnation and judgment on Him, because if it is on Him, then you are declared righteous. If your sins are laid on Him, then they are not on you—you are free of them. If your death is laid on Jesus, then you will no longer die, but live. If His rising again is for you, then salvation and life everlasting are yours. Heaven’s doors have been opened wide for you to one-day pass through them. In God’s eyes you are already there.

But we are not there yet; living in eternity. We live here and have no end of troubles and pains. The sins of others impact us and we hurt others with our sins. We have fears and worries and sometimes we wonder, “where are you now Jesus. I can see you on the cross, and I’m thankful for that, but what about now; in my pain, carrying my crosses, living life here?”

The Good News is that Jesus is here now, for us. He is here, speaking, washing, feeding, forgiving. He is here strengthening our faith and growing us in hope and trust. This doesn’t mean it is going to be easy. Life is never a breeze, the devil makes sure of that.

But He who has called us is faithful. He has made us a part of His body; He cannot forget us or abandon us. He has overcome the darkness of death and He will lead us through every dark time we face.

This is the Good News of Jesus on the cross. Forgiveness and salvation are ours as a free gift and this has changed us. We are comforted by our crucified Saviour. We have joy that God smiles on us, and this shapes the way we live now, desiring others to come and see Jesus, that they would know Him too. As a child of the heavenly Father we can pray for His Spirit to open their hearts to know Jesus, even as we ask them to come and see.

The invitation to come and see Jesus is for all His disciples, throughout our whole life. There is always something new to discover, or something old to learn again, and the depth of God’s love for us is new for us every day.

And so, we need to come and see Jesus, often, and not dwell on our sins and or focus on our troubles. Come and see and hear the Gospel and be assured that He has opened heaven gates for us. Amen.

God is constantly preparing his heroes.

“God is constantly preparing his heroes; and when the opportunity comes, He
can fit them into their places in a moment.” ^{(author unknown)}

Dear friends, we are among those who have been called to the Epiphany that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour of all, prepared to share our faith. May the grace and peace of our Lord be with you always.

Epiphany is defined as a moment of sudden and great revelation. In our Christian journey, our lives are filled with such moments of sudden and great revelation that God is with us, God loves us, and God has an ultimate plan for us. A plan worked out in the life and salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God.

The Apostle John records the words of John the Baptiser after his epiphany, “There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Let’s join in a word of prayer: Lord God our loving Father, today, we are together to celebrate the epiphany of both the humanity and the divinity of Your Son, ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’ We worship You and we praise you for the gift of salvation received through His human birth, life, death and resurrection. Guide our time together so that we may hear your call to each of us and follow your plan for our lives. Gracious heavenly Father, hear our prayer for the sake of our risen Lord, Amen.

Over Christmas, we followed the human birth of Jesus. What I hold onto from the Christmas worship is another witness of the Apostle John, “the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”(Jn 1:14 NRSV)

Scripture reveals that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and dedicated in the temple at Jerusalem. He was taken to Egypt for protection, raised in Nazareth, and at just the right time, arrived at the Jordan river to begin his mission by being baptised.

Something new happened on the shores of the Jordan River. God sent John the baptiser out to prepare the way for the Messiah to be revealed. To baptise with water in recognition of repentance for the cleansing of the soul. Then along comes the Messiah himself. But at first John didn’t recognise his cousin as the long-awaited Messiah.

How true it is that “God is constantly preparing his heroes; and when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their places in a moment.”

After the light dawned for John, and before Jesus was baptised, John faced a challenge. Should he follow God’s plan and baptise Jesus, or kneel himself to be baptised by Jesus. We know the answer of that. And, of course, after Jesus was baptised, John saw the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus like a dove, and Matthew tells us that John heard the voice of God, “This is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” As we read today, John proclaimed “I have seen it and I tell you that he is the Son of God.”

Tradition has it that John was an Essene, with traditions that called for daily washing and prayer. But only for members who accepted the Essene way of life and were accepted into their community. John’s baptism was new, in that he invited anyone with a repentant heart to receive baptism. John’s baptism was still Old Testament baptism though, and not the gift of God received in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Jesus allowed himself to be baptized because He wanted to demonstrate to everyone that He was truly human. God chose to save the human race by becoming human while retaining the exact imprint of God’s divinity. We see His humanity in a very real way as Jesus was baptized.

The main point of today’s celebration for me is not when and how Jesus was baptized. The why of his baptism is important for me. It shows us his humanity. It shows us that Jesus does understand the human predicament of sinner and saint. In Baptism we are made saints, living as children of God. But at the same time, we are living the sinfulness of this world. We are at the same time,’ both saint and sinner’, as Luther says. In baptism, we receive the Holy Spirit, who remains with us throughout our lives in this broken world, just as Jesus promised.

Christ Jesus fulfilled all the righteousness of God, by entering humanity for our salvation, teaching us about God’s love in words and in miracles, and demonstrating God’s love by dying for us on the cross, being raised to life eternal, and returning to his rightful place at the centre of God’s Kingdom.

Something new happened in Capernaum as well. Remember, “God is constantly preparing his heroes; and when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their places in a moment.”

From the reading in Acts, Peter is called to attend the home of a Gentile, Cornelius, to present the Gospel. Like John the Baptiser in the presence of Jesus the Messiah, Peter was at first reluctant. Peter had not yet witnessed Christ Jesus to Gentiles. But God showed Peter his plan for the salvation of all who would believe.

And so, Peter followed God’s plan and spoke with the passion of John, before he baptised the family of Cornelius. Just as the Lord had revealed to John, Jesus Christ baptised this new family of believers with the Holy Spirit even before water was poured and words were spoken. An act of God, demonstrating the authority of the Son of God, and fulfilling the epiphany of faith for both Jew and Gentile. And Peter’s response is recorded in the reading for today: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

In our lives, we can trust our baptism. We can trust the authority of Jesus Christ over our lives. We can trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit who speaks to our spirit the very wisdom of God. We can trust that God is preparing us to be heroes too. And when the opportunity comes, He will fit us into our place in his time, whether a moment or a lifetime. So we shouldn’t worry about when or how this will happen. Just trust our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Some time ago, I discovered a terrific little metaphor for the event of epiphany that will prepare us to respond to Christ with faith, hope, peace and love.

There was a pastor from a small rural congregation who visited an old farmer from time to time in an attempt to share the gospel with him. Each time the farmer would tell the pastor, “I believe in God. It is impossible not to when you look around at the beauty of this earth and the way in which life is created. It’s just Jesus I don’t understand. Why would a perfect and all-powerful God have to come down as a man, and then die, just to make things right.” The pastor always struggled to come up with an answer that the farmer would find satisfactory. It’s just a matter of faith.

Then one night, as the farmer was sitting in his living room, he heard a thump on his window. He went to see what it was and outside he saw a group of birds floundering in the snow. They were trying to get into the warmth but they couldn’t figure out how, and so they were dying in the snow.

So the farmer went outside, opened his barn doors, turned on the lights, and tried to herd the birds into the warmth of the barn, because he realized it was their only hope for survival. But the more he tried to direct them the more they scattered. At that point the farmer thought, if only I could become one of them then I could lead them into the warmth. At that moment, he had an epiphany, and he began to understand faith that we struggle to put into words. That God did for all of us what he could not do for the birds. Enter our humanity to bring salvation.

In our Baptism, faith begins as God declares we are his. Our faith begins a journey for us as we live in Christ and trust him for our salvation. It is a trust that is played out in all the circumstances of our lives, through every new year of our lives. A constant epiphany of “the glory of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”

We can be joyful that we are Christians. We are children of God and people of the Saviour who are comforted by the Holy Spirit every day of our journey through the new year ahead. We can trust that God is preparing us to be heroes too.

May the grace and peace of God, which passes all our human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in the calm assurance of eternal salvation in our living Lord, Christ Jesus. Amen.

Rev. David Thompson.

How you could have been so blind.

Epistle: I Corinthians 3:1-9

It is time to move on from the basics, says the Apostle. It is time to sink your teeth into some theological meat and understand He is working in those baptized into Christ.

At one time in your life, just like mine, you have been impressed by someone who in the end turned out to be toxic; who, for all his or her charisma and supposed knowledge and wisdom, bamboozled you. And now, now you have matured, now you have perspective on the person and that season of your life, you cringe and wonder how you could have been so blind.

Understand that shame and embarrassment, and you have got a grip on this third chapter of 1 Corinthians. This is where the Corinthians are headed. Paul is preparing them for a great sobering and weening them from the breasts of celebrity spiritualists. In these verses, Paul is bringing his discussion of wisdom and folly, and spiritual maturity and immaturity, right down to where the Corinthians themselves are. They have been using the drug of sophistry (of rhetorical flash and pizzazz; of high-mindedness and elitism peddled by smooth-talking sectarians) and by it supposing themselves more “spiritual” than others. But Paul says it has proved they are only even more worldly and infantile. As he will make plain in chapter 13, their juvenile squabbling showed a lack of love, which was a sure sign of immaturity: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things” (13:11). The Corinthians were making mud pies, playing with imaginary friends, and blindly following know-it-alls who were leading them into theological and moral pitfalls.

They were eager for the kind of teaching the sophists were giving, imagining themselves as super-believers. But they were deceived. The more they take the drug, the more immature they show themselves to be. The proof of it all is their in-fighting about different Christian teachers.

At first, and as their spiritual father, Paul fed these babes in the milk of Christ. He did not push the infant believers beyond their capacity, but gave them soft, easy teaching which suited their state: Kindergarten Christianity. There was nothing blameworthy in their being, “not yet ready for it.” But some four or five years had lapsed since Paul first planted the church in Corinth. By now they should have developed the capacity for rich fare — solid theological food. So, there is a strong reproof in his words: “But you are still not ready” (v.2).

The preacher now has rhetorical tools at his disposal. Questions can be asked of your auditors: Have you been a Christian longer than five years, too? How long have I numbered myself among the baptized? Am I given to a life of the Word in Bible study and devotion to the sacramental life of the Church? Do I read theology? How have these things influenced my service to Christ’s Kingdom and people?

The mature believer is, Paul says, “characterized by spirit—the divine spirit—the Holy Spirit.” That is what characterizes the Christian: Holy Spirit kind of thinking and living. This same Holy Spirit leads us into the deep things of the mind of Christ. The worldly Christian is the person who lives by the same morality, agenda, ideology, cares and concerns as the unbelieving and godless world in all its supposed wisdom. The basic difference Paul describes is between people in whom God’s Spirit has come to dwell, opening them up to new depths and dimensions of truth and experience, and people who are living as though the world and human life were rumbling along in the same old tired way. And in case the Corinthians were to put up a defense and say, “Oh, that is not what we are thinking or doing,” Paul presses home his point by reminding them of what he had heard from Chloe’s people: one person saying, “I belong to Paul,” another saying “I belong to Apollos” (v.4). Such self-assertion over-against one another was a sure sign the Corinthians were conducting themselves like people devoid of the Holy Spirit and, therefore, antithetical to the, “mind of Christ.” They are still infantile. How could they even comprehend the mind of Christ, the deeper things of God; His will and ways in the world? The Corinthians are not ready for it and they should be.

After upbraiding the Corinthians for their carnal ways, Paul redirects their thinking by addressing them as Christians who still do, by God’s grace, possess the Holy Spirit and the manifold gifts graciously given them by God. The way he does it is by explaining who and what they are in three analogies: God’s field, God’s building, and God’s temple.

The Corinthians were making far too much of their teachers. Their fawning, immature attachment to one or the other cried out for some reality therapy from the Apostle. Paul’s abrupt questions are designed to draw their attention away from the person to his office. Therefore, he asked not “who?” but “what?”: “What, after all, is Apollos? What is Paul” (3:5)? Sure, there is a sense in which Paul did indeed found churches, but the foundation he put down was Jesus Himself, the Messiah of God. This, he says in v.11, is the only “foundation” there ever can be. Anything else simply is not the Church but some warped social club with religious trappings.

Here is the point: Apollos and Paul are simply servants of Christ and His people (3:22). Holy Ministry is modeled on that of Jesus, who came not to lord it over others but to wait on them, not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:41-45). The Lord empowers all legitimate ministry. The Lord’s power yields all. Paul carefully chooses his words in 3:5: “Through whom you came to faith,” not, “in whom you believed.” In other words, the missionaries and priests were merely instruments through whom God called the Corinthians to faith. They were not to become objects of faith. The real work is done by God.

The attention of the Corinthians should have been fastened on God, who alone effects all spiritual work and growth.

Paul now describes his and Apollos’ different roles using an analogy from agriculture. Paul had planted the seed of the Word during his eighteen months in the city, when he became the young church’s first spiritual father. Then Apollos “watered” the sprouts Paul had sown. However, as everyone knows from agriculture, no gardener or farmer actually causes plants to grow; all he does is provide the conditions under which growth can take place by the blessing, power and design of God. Paul plants, Apollos waters, but God is the real farmer, the One who gives dynamic growth. Hence verse 7: “Neither the planter is anything nor the waterer, but only God, who does the growing.”

It is the triune God who is actually working in a continuous fashion through His Word and Sacraments. God desires for us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is time to move on from the basics, says the Apostle. It is time to sink your teeth into some theological meat and understand He is working in those baptized into Christ. Our Heavenly Farmer, as it were, requires fruit for your own good and for the good of the farm.

The Hard Sell

The ‘Hard Sell’

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 – The Cross of Christ

Have you ever encountered a really good salesperson? The kind of person who could convince someone to buy almost anything? Most of us would like to think we are beyond being swayed simply by a good talker. But, if you are like me, there will have been times when you have come home with an item, wondering how in the world you were convinced that it was such a necessary thing to have at the time. Perhaps you have a gadget or two tucked away in a kitchen drawer at home that worked near miracles when demonstrated by the vendor in the shop, but that you have never quite been able to get the hand of. Perhaps you have an exercise machine that you were persuaded would not only be easy to use, but would change your life. Perhaps you were even one of the thousands who bought a crystal years ago to put under the bonnet of your car because Peter Brock said they worked. Then afterward you wondered what you were thinking. There turned out to be little if anything behind the smooth and convincing words.

Some people are able to sell ideas as easily as a smooth and well-rehearsed salesperson can sell kitchen implements and home exercise equipment. Sometimes you might find yourself agreeing with an idea, or signing a petition, simply because you can find no fault in the logic, passion and eloquence of the argument as it is presented.

The history of religious sects and movements is littered with groups that have sprung up around the quirky ideas of some very gifted and eloquent speaker. In many cases these movements fade away as soon as the gifted speaker moves on or passes from the scene. Followers begin to disperse as they realise that behind the lofty rhetoric, there was really little of substance. In fact, the ideas might have even been hopelessly self-contradictory or harmful.

In the ancient world one of most popular and fundamental of all skills to study was the art of rhetoric. This involved learning how to write, and especially how to speak, in such a way as to move others to great emotion and to convince them of your case. Those who could afford it spent months with teachers of rhetoric learning these skills. Those who aspired to high political office, to military leadership, to be successful in law, or simply to be influential in their community or business would devote much time to learning the art of rhetoric.

The apostle Paul clearly had some basic training in rhetoric. We can see it in his letters. He employs many techniques that make his letters moving and memorable even today. But when it came to the most valued aspect of rhetoric in the ancient world, the gift of public speaking, Paul admitted that he simply did not have that gift. He often mentioned his lack of eloquent and lofty language. Paul knew enough of the skills of public speaking to know that this was not his strength. He knew that to win over a crowd you had to not only get their attention, but keep it, and you had to keep them with you to the end. But in the accounts in the book of Acts we learn that many of Paul’s speeches were cut short. Just as he was gathering momentum and the interest of the crowd, he would mention that this Jesus whom he was exhorting people to follow had been executed on a cross as a criminal. That seldom went over well. And if he got past this point, he would claim that Jesus was raised bodily from the dead. This was something that everyone knew was not only impossible, but also not necessary to a Greek way of thinking since the body was not seen as important, but only the soul. On a good day the crowds would simply wander off or mock Paul. On a bad day, they would try to kill him.

When Paul writes to the church at Corinth, they already knew him well. He had spent a year and a half among them (Acts 18:11). He made tents to earn a living with his friends Aquila and Priscilla. In his free time he argued about Jesus with anyone who would listen. And he taught the young Christian church in the house of a Roman convert, Titius Justus, who happened to live next door to the synagogue, which Paul and been banned from after the synagogue leader, Crispus, converted to Christianity. Paul’s themes and way of speaking were well known to the recipients of his letter. So when he reminded them that his talks were not particularly eloquent, they would have nodded in agreement.

But Paul turns what most would see as a weakness into a strength. ‘Brothers and sisters,’ he says, ‘when I came to you I did not come speaking lofty words or espousing great wisdom.’ (1 Cor 2:1). That is to say, Paul neither spoke with great eloquence, nor did he espouse some impressive philosophical system, which so many speakers were famed for. So, if it is not the skills of the speaker that changed so many lives, it must have been the message itself.

So what message did Paul, the bold but not so eloquent speaker, present?

Paul could have devoted his time to retelling Jesus’ most famous parables. He could have expounded on the beauty of the Sermon on the Mount. He could have talked about the great ethical example Jesus set. But he didn’t focus on any of these things, even though it would have been pleasing and entertaining to most listeners. Instead, Paul harped on about a single theme: Jesus Christ crucified on a cross. Admittedly, it was a hard sell as a message. Who wants to hear a story about an execution? Who wants to put their trust in someone who died a shameful death? Who wanted to follow a king who not only did not defeat the Romans, but didn’t even appear to put up a fight? Nothing about the message Paul was compelled to preach was easy.

It was not a feel good message.

It was not a soothing visual image.

It was nonsense to the Greeks (I Cor 1:23)

It was a stumbling block to the Jews (1 Cor 1:23)

Nevertheless, that was the focus of Paul’s preaching. Everything always came back to the cross of Christ.

Like Paul, it was also a message that Luther could not get around. He, too, contended that our preaching should be focused on the cross of Christ. One of the greatest compliments paid to Luther was not by another theologian or a preacher, but by a layperson in the congregation in Wittenberg where he often preached. It was his friend, the painter Lucas Cranach. After Luther’s death Cranach painted an image for the altar emphasising Word and Sacrament. For the ‘Word’ part of the painting he depicted Luther pointing the congregation to a bare wall with nothing on it apart from Christ on the cross. Paul would have been pleased.

This is the same message Paul wanted to convey to the Corinthian church in his letter. Everything was about Christ and Christ crucified. The power to transform our lives is in that simple message. No fancy words, no tricks of logic, no impressive philosophy, no celebrity endorsement.

Just Jesus.

On a Roman cross.

Suffering.

For us.

Apart from this, Paul told the Corinthians, there was nothing else he preached to them. There was nothing else he talked to them about. Everything was about Christ on the cross. “I knew nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (verse 2). This simple yet unlikely message, without any polished speaking or rhetorical tricks, turned the world upside down. And continues to this day to transform lives. In this we see the wisdom and power of God (1 Cor 1:24), which is so different from human wisdom. We might very well find the image of Christ crucified unattractive. It would be hard not to. We might find the message of the cross difficult to understand. It is certainly not what we expected from the Creator of the Universe. We might find the idea of a crucified God a hard sell. Just try explaining it to someone who has not heard the story before! But anything else is not the good news. Anything else, however polished and uplifting, is not what transforms lives. Anything other than the message of the cross is merely human wisdom and elegance.

We believe and proclaim Christ, and him crucified. The unlikely and unexpected power of the cross does the rest. Quite literally, the cross sells itself. Because no fancy words ever could.

And as Paul reminds us, that’s not a bad thing. It is a reminder that the message of the cross in not some hyped up human wisdom and pretty story. It is nothing less than the wisdom and power of God.

May Christ the crucified keep your hearts and minds and draw you always to himself. Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

True happiness.

Text: Matthew 5:3-10 (NIV)

True happiness

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

No doubt, some of you have watched Survivor. This immensely popular TV real life game show is watched by millions of people around the world.

Imagine putting 16 people together from different backgrounds – trying to survive together and at the same time competing against one another for individual survival. After each round, the participants meet together to cast their votes to see who will be dismissed from the group. It can be for any number of reasons such as –
I think you’re not pulling your weight; you cheated by having some kind of contraband; you are too old, too selfish, too uncooperative; or simply, because I don’t like your face.

The ultimate goal is to not get voted out. And the way to survive is to make sure that there are people on your side – alliances are made – and broken – leaving behind a trail of betrayal and suspicion. This is real life played out in a game show. That’s perhaps the reason why Survivor has been so popular – it brings out the best and worst in people – more often the worst than the best. The winner is not the person who is kind and considerate, but who makes friends, uses them and then turns against them. The winner is not the person who is the better or the nicer person but the one who is ruthless and hurtful, who has no feelings for the others.

One person who was asked about his view of the show hit the nail on the head when he said, “It’s sorry that our society is this way, but the people who are conniving and back-stabbing are the ones who make it. Unlike the movies where the scriptwriter controls the plot and good triumphs over evil, in Survivor, no one controls the plot and how things eventually turn out. It is a sad commentary on the way the world is.”

As we think about what it means to be happy or blessed we might say —
Blessed are those who earn six figure incomes.
Blessed are the famous.
Blessed are those who don’t have anything to worry about.
Blessed are the powerful.
Blessed are those who have the determination and ruthlessness to eliminate everything that hinders the fulfilment of their dreams.

Our view of happiness depends so much on our circumstances and environment. A young woman might think that true happiness is to find the right man, to marry and have a family, only later to find herself thinking that true happiness would come if she could divorce her abusive husband.

Teenagers may think true happiness is getting their first car, but it’s not too long before they think that they would be truly happy if they could have a certain car that was sleeker and faster.

Happiness is a common desire. Yet, so few people seem to have true happiness that we put happiness in the same category as four-leaf clovers and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – that which is elusive, unattainable, and impossible. Happiness is a goal that we all strive for, but when that goal is reached, we realise that there is always something else that we think would make us truly happy.

I’m sure you can think of things that you would like to see changed in your life so that you can be truly happy. So we go about arranging and re-arranging our environment and circumstances so that we will be happy. On this basis, people have assumed that, if they are unhappy, it is because of this wretched washing machine, this wretched heart, this wretched person I am living with… They believe that they will become happy by changing their lot in some way.

Seeking happiness becomes a never-ending quest. Happiness, we assume, must be fun and laughter and expressing our own personalities by “doing our own thing”. In order to be happy, we think, we must be free from suffering, sorrow and hardship. It’s no wonder that we can’t ever say that we have reached our goal – true happiness. There is nothing wrong with the desire to be happy; there is everything wrong with the way we often go seeking it.

And that’s exactly what Jesus is talking about today in the Sermon on the Mount when he talks about true happiness. He says,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

We would hardly regard ‘the poor in spirit’ as “happy” because they are aware of how much their sinfulness is out of control; their faith often wavers; they lack the spiritual resources to cope with the upsets in life and easily become depressed and miserable.

“Blessed are those who mourn.”

They are the least likely to be called “happy” because they are upset by the injustices in our world; they grieve for the starving, the homeless, refugees and those suffering in wars; they are distressed over their own stupidity and sinfulness; they are sad because of what death has done.

“Blessed are the humble,”

Those whom the world regards as the least likely to be “happy” because they are always busy doing things for others; they are gentle in their dealings with others, refusing to do anything for their own personal gain at the expense of others;
they don’t push themselves forward and are satisfied helping others.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”

These people can hardly be called “happy” because of their deep sense of what is right; they are passionate about justice for the underdog and won’t rest until something is done. They are unhappy about the treatment of refugees, unnecessary logging, the treatment of prisoners. They are also those who are “unhappy” with their own lives and want to live more as God intended them to live.)

“Blessed are the persecuted.”

Being persecuted can hardly be called a “happy” experience. Persecution is an unhappy event when you are suffering because you are a peacemaker, or because you have shown mercy and compassion on someone whom everyone else thinks doesn’t deserve it, or because you are pure in heart – you know what is the right thing to do but no one else sees it that way.

Can you see that Jesus’ definition of what it means to be blessed doesn’t depend on us and what is happening around us? The Beatitudes present us with a whole new idea of what it means to be happy and blessed. True happiness has to do with knowing God, belonging to God’s Kingdom, being a part of God’s family. You might say that this is hardly a popular view, especially when worldly happiness depends so much on money, a house, the right car, and being free from sickness, death and anything that upsets our “happiness”. But Jesus was one for making true statements. True happiness is to be found in God. The fact is that we don’t find happiness by seeking happiness. We find God, and discover a deep level of happiness.

Or it is better said that God finds us.

In the middle of all the difficulties we have living out our Christian faith in our daily lives; when we are sad and upset; when we are despondent and depressed;
when others reject us and ridicule us for our faith or for sticking up for what we believe is right; when we are trying to show mercy and love or bring about peace and we are told to butt out; God meets us, he strengthens us, he comforts, he helps us endure, he gives us the courage to move on.

A woman was the victim of abuse as a child. She understood what had happened – she didn’t like it – she had been angry but God had helped her through her anger and now she prayed for her father. She also helped her brother to come to terms with what had happened and to rebuild his relationship with his father. She had suffered a great deal and yet she would say that she was blessed. The inner and outer scars will always be there, but she was happy because God was with her. He had helped her though it all and now God was using her to be a peacemaker.

George Matheson was a great preacher and hymn writer who lost his sight at an early age. He thought of his blindness as his thorn in the flesh, as his personal cross. For several years, he prayed that his sight would be restored. Like most of us, I suppose, he believed that personal happiness would come to him only after the handicap was gone. But then, one day God sent him a new insight: The creative use of his handicap could actually become his personal means of achieving happiness!

So, Matheson went on to write: “My God, I have never thanked you for my thorn. I have thanked you for my roses, but not once for my thorn. I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross, but I have never thought of the cross itself as a present glory. Teach me the glory of my cross. Teach me the value of my thorn.”

George Matheson had found God’s kind of happiness—the kind of happiness that is not only a future hope, but also a reality in the here and now.

That’s the kind of happiness that enabled the apostle Paul to write to the Philippians from his gaol cell, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (4:4).

That’s the secret of true happiness!
You may be suffering a great deal from sickness; you may be persecuted for doing what you consider the right thing; you may be upset about your own sinfulness or the weakness of your faith; you may even be upset by those who have failed to show love toward you; whatever the case, you can still be “happy” in the knowledge that you are one of God’s precious children, that he sent his Son to die for you, and that when all is said and done, there is a place for you in heaven where there will be no more unhappiness.

This is the kind of “blessedness” or “happiness” that no circumstance or person can take away from those who trust in Christ.

Amen.

Jesus begins his work.

^{MATTHEW 4:12}Jesus, having heard that John had been imprisoned, withdrew into Galilee.
¹³And having left Nazareth He went and lived in Capernaum by the seaside in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
¹⁴in order that it may be fulfilled what had been said through Isaiah the prophet:

¹⁵Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

way of the sea across from the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

¹⁶The people dwelling in darkness and gloom have seen a great light

And among those dwelling in the field of the shadow of death

A light has risen for them

¹⁷From then Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” ¹⁸Then walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew, his brother, casting a large fish net into the sea, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹And Jesus said to them ‘Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of people.’ ²⁰And they immediately left their nets and followed Him. ²¹And moving on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with their father Zebedee, repairing their nets, and Jesus called them. ²²And they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him. ²³And Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom and healing every sickness and every infirmity among the people.

Apparently, as seen from space, Las Vegas is the brightest city in the world. In New York City, Times Square is home to the ABC ‘SuperSign’ a whopping 3,685-square foot screen with wavy LED ribbons. The Eiffel Tower in France is illuminated by 20,000 bulbs. Closer to home the light towers of the MCG have a total of 844 2000 Watt lamps. Each have an individual angle that is computer generated to provide maximum coverage of the arena without any shadowed areas or dark spots. A few years ago, Sydney’s cloudy night sky was seemingly turned into bright day when the city ushered in the New Year with 7 tonnes of fireworks including 1000 that were launched from the Opera House sails, as well as glittering waterfalls of fire that cascaded over the harbour. This paled into insignificance when compared to Dubai’s Guinness World Record effort in which over half a million fireworks were used spanning 94 kilometres of the Dubai Coast, costing nearly $7 million.

All this light in the world – it is not true light. The world is still in darkness—the darkness of greed, selfishness, broken homes, violence, theft, destruction, substance abuse, injustice and exploitation…and everything else that comes with worshipping the self as number 1. And so these man-made lights are a symbol of the extravagance and decadence that place the self on a pedestal to be served with whatever society wants to be served with.

A few years ago it was questioned by one mainstream newspaper why millions habitually flock to parties and what they actually celebrate when the same selfishness characterised by injustice and violence and family and social breakdown continues and calamity and strife surround us on a daily basis. Really isn’t this the picture we hear of from the prophet Isaiah cited by Matthew today?

The people of the Land of Zebulun and Naphtali are dwelling in darkness and gloom—God’s chosen people, the Jews, as well as Gentiles, were in darkness, error, unrighteousness—that 3 letter ‘s’ word that dare not be mentioned: sin. The people are ‘living’—that is, barely existing—in the state of sin, and therefore dwelling in the field of the shadow of death. That was the situation of the human race during the time of Isaiah’s prophecy. It was the situation when Matthew wrote…we see that with the opening verse of our text: John the Baptist had been imprisoned by Herod because John was faithful to God’s Word and reproved Herod for unlawfully taking Herodias, the wife of his brother Herod Philip I. On Herod’s birthday, Herodias’s daughter Salome danced before the king and his guests. Her dancing pleased Herod so much that in his drunkenness he promised to give her anything she desired. Prompted by her mother, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Although Herod was appalled by the request, he reluctantly agreed and had John beheaded in prison. What had John the Baptist done? Faithfully proclaimed God’s Word.

As our nation celebrates its greatness and the achievements of its people today, how much room will be made for public thanksgiving to God for His blessings? For all our greatness as a nation, the Australia I see is the land and the people Isaiah and Matthew spoke of centuries ago—a country that is desperately in need of the light of Christ. A country that rejects God’s Word—lost, stumbling, consumed with the decadence and self-worship of the Western world that will do away with anything that stands in the way—even God Himself.

It’s a chilling thought, but we too have inherited that condition—the condition that has the potential for us to be the next tyrant who we are sickened by. The condition that makes us all enemies of God because it shows itself in all the ways we know of or deny that are contrary to God’s will expressed in His Word. We were among the people of Zebulun and Naphtali who sat in gloom and darkness, even in the very shadow of death, needing rescue. So behold, the gospel, for you this day:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

way of the sea across from the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

The people dwelling in darkness and gloom have seen a great light

And among those dwelling in the field of the shadow of death

A light has risen for them

That light is Jesus and His Gospel. The first words Jesus proclaims in our text is: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Jesus is talking in a geographical sense. In the person of Christ, heaven has come to earth. Wherever Jesus is, God’s kingdom is present and at work. Every other religion requires us to ascend to God through our good works. God shows his grace in that even though the world is darkened by sin and in bondage to it, blind to the true God and unable to free itself, God came down with love in the person of Christ, to bring freedom from the bondage of sin and dare I say it—ourselves. He came to trample over death with His own and make a mockery of the demonic realm of darkness with His redeeming work on the Cross.

Matthew tells us today that this Christ went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom and healing every sickness and every infirmity among the people. This is the light that has risen for the people. These healings are a witness that Jesus is indeed the Son of God with all authority over the created order, over sin, death and Satan, and the authority to forgive sins. The forgiveness of sins which is the greatest of blessings even in the depths of our brokenness and despair because it is only through forgiveness that we enter into God’s presence as His holy children and have peace and life with Him forever.

All of this is an undeserved gift to a people helpless to help themselves. So repentance is the only appropriate response to such lavish love; a love that none of us deserve but a love that is given without condition, a love that does not count our wrongs against us but counts them against the Christ who was crucified in our place to take our sin from us and exchange it with His holiness and righteousness. A love that welcomes the least into the family of God through His Son to be co-heirs with Him. Entry is through faith alone in the promise that there is a righteousness apart from the Law; the righteousness that comes through faith in this Messiah, Christ the light of the world.

Jesus says to us today: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Where is the Kingdom of Heaven? Wherever Jesus is, the Kingdom of Heaven is present—God’s gracious rule. Where is Jesus? In His holy word and sacraments. Just as He taught in the synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, Jesus is truly present again today, preaching and enacting the gospel through the readings, the liturgy, this sermon. Preaching the Gospel to you that will not return to Him empty but accomplish everything He desires it to do. He is the host of the holy meal we are about to receive, speaking His word that does what it says, making ordinary wafers and wine His true body and blood that He places in your hands, so that as you eat and drink there is no mistaking that the forgiveness and redemption that He won for the world He gives to you and you receive personally through faith in His promise: given and shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.

You too have seen this great light shining in the darkness. It is not spectacular in the way the world understands spectacular, but it is far more powerful for this light has freed you so that you are no longer captive to your sinful nature but captive to Christ, who made you His very own in the waters of holy baptism. What a gracious God we have to come into our world and give us these holy gifts to bring us into personal relationship with Him! And in these waters, you too were called by our Lord to be His followers in your daily life and work. Just as Jesus called Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John who immediately follow Jesus, not because they have a better faith or greater willpower or have sinned less than others, or for any quality within themselves. They are able to follow Jesus because He calls them to do so. The words that Jesus, God Himself utters: “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of people” are not just words, but words that do what they say they will do…because what Jesus says, happens. We are reminded of God’s words in the creation of the universe: “Let there be light…and it was so; let there be…and it was so; let there be…and it was so.” Here in our text the Lord of creation brings about a re-creation in these fishermen through His speech: “Come, follow me”—the same re-creation He works in your life.

Not only has Jesus won forgiveness and salvation for undeserving sinners, but in His task of building His church, chooses to use them in this work, leading and guiding them in the harvest of souls. And so the people you live and work with see a great light when they see how you live God’s word in your life. Just before our text today was Matthew’s account of the devil’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Without food for forty days Jesus is hungry. The devil knows Jesus has the power to turn the stones around Him into loaves of bread and tempts Him to do it. But Jesus answers: ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Jesus isn’t talking about simply existing. He doesn’t say ‘Man does not exist on bread alone, but live on bread alone; real living. And so when you live—really live—meeting with Jesus Himself through His word, receiving the Holy Spirit He sends through the Scriptures, you have peace and contentment and strength no matter what your situation is because the Spirit is at work bearing His fruit. People see that in your life and they know there’s something different about these ‘churchy people’ as we’re often referred to. They see the light of Christ at work because you are a little Christ, to borrow Luther’s terms, in the darkness of the world around. When others see how you say grace at Maccas because you want Christ to be present and bless the food for you, when others see you come to church on a Sunday instead of sport or sitting on the header or sleeping in, when others see how you interact in a patient and forgiving way to those who have wronged you, when others see how you care for others, when others see how you respect authority, when others see how you cherish God’s name rather than using it habitually, when others see how you handle a crisis or live in integrity, when others see you feasting on the Word of God to really live, they see Christ the light of the world, living in and building His church among you.

It is not because of any effort on our part, but this only happens because Jesus has first preached the good news to you, and as he continues to preach to you and teach you through the scriptures, he continues to inspire and enable you to serve others and witness to him. Again today, He is in this church right here and He sends forth His gospel to make you everything He wants you to be, so that even as we live in the shadow of the valley of death of this life, His eternal light lights our way and—by his work in us and through us—shows the world a glimpse of the incredible love of its Saviour. Amen.