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.

Layers of Grace

1 Christmas
St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Port Macquarie

John 1:6-9, 15-18

In the midst of the opening to John’s gospel, in which he beautifully describes God becoming human flesh and dwelling among us, the language suddenly changes from poetry to prose and the character of John the Baptist is introduced. This might at first seem out of place. Why interrupt such a beautiful and power piece of writing to tell us about a crazy prophet in the desert? Why mention John the Baptist by name before Jesus is mentioned by name? But there is a purpose in what seems an odd interruption. John the Baptist is a key figure in the early chapters of John’s Gospel.

The introduction of John the Baptist so early in the gospel brings the story of God taking on human flesh and dwelling among us into a concrete human place and time. John is a real flesh and blood person, living in a particular place and at a particular time. The Gospel writer is no longer talking about the eternally existing Word that is somewhere ‘out there’. God in flesh is now in our history.

But such a great event must be witnessed and the witnesses must testify to what they have seen. Over and over in John’s gospel he will talk about all those who witness or testify to the truth of who Jesus is, including the God the Father, Jesus himself, the disciples, and many others. But John the Baptist is the very first witness introduced in John’s gospel. And this is no accident. The Gospel writer has chosen his lead witness carefully, and for a reason.

There had not been a prophet in Israel for 400 years. And then John the Baptist shows up on the scene. He comes preaching repentance, and also proclaiming that the long-awaited Messiah has come. John makes a point of clarifying that he is not that Messiah. Sometimes we can get so excited by the message that we confuse the message and the messenger. But John makes it very clear that he is pointing to someone else. And the gospel writer opens his case for Jesus as the Messiah, as God in human flesh, with the testimony of John the Baptist.

After the first five verses of the prologue to the fourth Gospel the pace suddenly changes, and the tone shifts, and we read this: ‘There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light’ (v. 6).

If you have ever sat through a court case, or perhaps followed one in the papers, you will know that a lawyer seeks to set the tone of their argument at the very beginning. Their first witness, or lead witness, is part of setting this tone. Everything else builds on that. Everyone in the courtroom for a big case waits with expectation as the lawyer says, ‘your honour, I call to the stand’ (then a pause for suspense) and the name is given. This is the first key indication of where the argument in the case is going.

Well, imagine that is what the Gospel-writer, who uses the words witness and testify frequently in the early part of the gospel, is doing. He has just made his opening statement. And it is a big one. Now he calls for his first witness …. Wait for it … the crazy prophet living along the banks of Jordan river and eating grasshoppers and wild honey – John the Baptist. The crowd gasps. It is a bold and unexpected move.

It is a bold move because some were saying that John the Baptist was not as crazy as he appeared. They thought he might be a real prophet, like in times past. Not only that, but he might even be the forerunner of the Messiah? The one who was meant to pave the way for the coming king? So the alert reader can see where the Gospel writer might well be going with this choice of lead witness.

So what is the testimony of John the Baptist?

First, John testifies that Jesus is the light.

Five times in the space of three verses some form of light is mentioned. We are told twice that John comes to testify to the light. That he himself is not that light. We are told that this light will enlighten everyone. And we are told that this light is coming into the world.

One of the great themes of John’s gospel, that Jesus is the light of the world, begins here with the testimony of John the Baptist.

After an interlude in which the Evangelist goes back to the theme of the Word being made flesh in verses 10-14, he returns again to the Baptist in verse 15. He tells us that John the Baptist also testified to the Word made flesh. So the case is building. The light of the world and Word made flesh are seen to be one and the same person.

John the Baptist goes on to testify that that this Jesus was the one of whom he had said ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ Once again John the Baptist is making sure that his testimony points to Jesus and not to himself.

Perhaps you have followed a court case in the news where there is a celebrity witness in a trial. When they get up to speak everyone forgets that it is not about them. The media show images of them coming into and leaving court. It is reported what they are wearing, and everything they say. And sometimes it can be forgotten that they are a witness only. John the Baptist wants to make sure that he does not become a celebrity witness who distracts people from Jesus, the Word made flesh and the light of the world.

It is here that the Gospel writer begins to reveal the meaning and importance of John’s testimony. This is the part that sets the tone for what will follow. This is the part where we find out why this Word made flesh and this light of the world are important for us. This is where the Gospel writer begins to flesh out for his readers just who Jesus is and what he does.

And this is where the Gospel writer explains the significance of John the Baptist’s testimony. This is what the coming of the light, the coming of the Word made flesh, means to us.

‘From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. The law was given through Moses, but grace came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close the Father heart, who has made him known.’ (vv 16-18).

In Christ we receive grace upon grace. It is simply one layer after another.

Have you ever bought what looked like a great cake at the bakery. You bring it home with great anticipation. They you cut into it and disover that only the top layer had chocolate swirls and strawberries? What was underneath was simply filling. Imagine the life we have from Jesus, the light of the world, as being like a cake of many layers. But when we cut into it we are not disappointed. Each layer is as good as the one above it. In Jesus we receive one layer of grace upon another. There is no hidden law buried underneath. There are no hidden requirements to earn what we have received. The transforming light of the world is one experience of grace after the next. The life of forgiveness in Christ is grace all the way down. That is what is means that from Jesus’ fullness we have all received grace upon grace.’

The Law indeed came through Moses, we are told. And the Law was not a bad thing. In fact, the Law was and still is very useful. But the Law does not reconcile us with the Father. The Law does not bring us forgiveness. The Law is not life-giving. That is why the gift of grace that Jesus brought to us trumps the Law. The grace we have in Jesus transforms us, sets us free, and brings us peace with God.

Not only that, but the grace we have in Jesus brings us to the Father. In the Old Testament no one had seen God face to face. No one could bear to see God in his glory. Not even Moses. But in Jesus we are brought into the very heart of the Father.

That is why we celebrate Jesus as the light of the world. That is why in Jesus, we experience nothing but grace upon grace. Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

The Word Made Flesh

Christmas Day – 2023
St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Port Macquarie

John 1:1-5, 10-14

Do any of you remember the British sit-com The Vicar of Dible? In the first season Christmas special the vicar is preaching her second Christmas service in the parish. Not only did she use up what she thought was her only good idea for a Christmas sermon the year before, but her congregational chairperson has informed her that last year’s Christmas sermon was a real ‘stinker’ and she needs to lift her game. Well, it is not only my second Christmas here at Port Macquarie, but unlike the Vicar of Dibley, who just had one Christmas service, we have just had three services yesterday on Christmas Eve. So I can identify with her dilemma. And you may well be wondering, ‘Does the pastor have any left to say about Christmas?’

I have been told that if you cannot expand a topic by broadening it out, then the other option is to delve into more deeply. And that is exactly what we want to do this morning by taking a look at that other Christmas story. Not the one with the shepherds and angels in Luke. Not the one with the star, wise men and gifts of gold, frankincense and myrr in Matthew. But the one is John with, well with the Word, and Light and Darkness and glory.

If the Christmas story had been released on DVD the Gospel of John would not have featured, but would have been included as bonus material. These are the clips of information added at the end especially for those who are really keen to know all the background information. Let’s be honest, the Christmas story action is all in Matthew and Luke. In John’s Gospel we have the backstory. Matthew and Luke tell us what was happening here on Earth, from a human perspective. John tells us the story from the viewpoint of God, from above. Matthew and Luke have angels, shepherds, wise men, gifts, a stable, a manger and a star. And, of course, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. John has the eternal Word, the Light, darkness, glory and grace. For exciting Christmas action, read Matthew and Luke. But if you want to go deeper, if you are wondering why God would be born as a human baby and just what this means – beyond peace on earth and goodwill to all – then John is the Christmas story for you.

By the time John wrote his Gospel the other three Gospels had been circulating for at least two decades. And the traditional Christmas story as we know it was already well known. Also, by the time John writes, the overwhelming majority of Christians were of Greek-speaking background, and not Jewish. So John does not only not need to rehash the Christmas story of Matthew and Luke, but he also needs to address his Christmas story to a Greek audience.

John begins with words that are meant to remind his readers, both Jewish and Greek, of the opening words of the Hebrew Bible: ‘In the beginning God …’ But John puts it this way: ‘in the beginning the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’

For Jewish background Christians the use of the Word to refer to God had become a custom in some circles in order to avoid unnecessary direct references to God, out of respect. So, for instance, in the Targums, the Aramaic translations of the Hebrew text used in synagogues in the first century, instead of Moses going out of the camp to meet God (Exodus 19:17) he goes out of the camp to meet the Word of God. And in Deuteronomy 9:3 it is not God who is a consuming fire, but the Word of God. So for Jewish Christians understanding the Word as being God made sense.

For Greek Christians, that is, the non-Jewish Christians of various ethnic groups who would have spoken Greek as either as a first or second language, the term John uses for Word, ‘Logos’, would also have been familiar. The Word, or logos, was a strong philosophical concept and well know to educated readers. The Word has a power of its own, to act and even to create. It was the logos, or the word or reason of God, that gave order and meaning to reality.

So John’s audience would not have found his opening sentences difficult to understand.

The next bit, about creation coming through the Word, would have also made sense to both Jewish and Greek background readers. But again, for slightly different reasons. For those familiar with the Hebrew Bible the creation statements affirm the strong echoes of the language of Genesis one. When John talks about the beginning, he really means the beginning. In Matthew and Luke, the story begins with the announcement to Mary (Luke) and in Matthew with Mary finding she is pregnant. Or perhaps, if we include the genealogy of Matthew in this account, then with the claim of Davidic ancestry for Jesus. Which was important to show that he was the promised Messiah.

But John really goes back to the beginning, to a time before there was anything at all. Just the Word. And John makes the point that the Word, who will soon be revealed to be something or someone other than what his readers might expect, to be the creator. This would have resonated with Jewish readers.

Greek readers would also have been familiar with the idea of a creator god of some sort from some of their philosophers. And this word creates all things out of nothing. No pre-existing material outside of the Word was needed. ‘Not a single thing that exists,’ John writes, ‘came into being without him.’

Even though John is clearly going deep here both philosophically and theologically, his readers are still with him. It is good and profound writing. But nothing that is really new has been said.

John goes on to add that the Word was the light of the world. A light shinning into darkness for all people. Again, there is strong creation imagery. There is a play between light and darkness that the Greeks would have also well understood. And there is also a strong allusion to Isaiah chapter 9, a messianic text that those with a Jewish background would not have missed. ‘The people who wandered in darkness have seen a great light, and a light has shown upon those living in the a darkened land. … for to us a child is born, to us a son is given … and he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ (9:2,6). This is the first indication of where John is going with this language that is both strongly philosophical, and strongly grounded in the Genesis creation narrative.

Then comes the big twit. And this is where readers not already thoroughly grounded in the teachings about Jesus, would have had trouble following John. This is where the message of the Gospel diverges from that of both Greek philosophy and Hebrew religious thought.

John tells us that, ‘The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory …’ (v. 14)

John makes much in his gospel about witness and testimony. And the word used here for see is the literally world for having physically seen something with one’s own eyes. The Gospel writer is here putting himself forward as any eyewitness to this world-changing event. The shocking thing for the readers is not that John claims to have seen something, but it is what he says he has seen.

The Word was made flesh. God became a human being. And lived among us.

For the Jews, this was unheard of. God could not be seen face to face. John alludes to this is verse 18, ‘no one has ever seen God.’ When Moses wanted to see God he was allowed only a glimpse of his back as he passed by, as his glory would have been too much for him to take in. God is so holy and so far transcends our human existence. How could God possibly become a human being and live among us? So just what is John saying? Surely he is not saying that God became flesh and lived among us. Surely he is not saying that God was the carpenter next door! But that is precisely what John is saying.

The Greeks would have had an entirely different problem with what John says here. They believed spirit is good and flesh is bad. The physical is something to be overcome, to be freed from. Pure spiritual being is ultimate attainment. So how and why would a pure spiritual being – the pure spiritual being – the creating Word, become human flesh? This prejudice against the physical was so strong in fact, that in the early years of the church a heresy arose called ‘gnosticism’ that took over much of the imagery, language and stories of the Christian faith, but denied that God actually took on human flesh, or actually physically lived among us, and certainly did not die on a cross. At best, these were tricks, or simple appearances. And John, in his later years, is said by tradition to have strongly opposed to rising new heresy. Many think this opposition to the gnostics can already be seen in this and other texts in his Gospel.

So John has now laid down the gauntlet, so to speak. He has made clear the major claim of Christianity. That Jesus is not just the Messiah, but God in human flesh. In the traditional theological language of the church we call this the doctrine of the Incarnation. In comes from Latin and means to become flesh.

Many think that John 3:16 is the key, pivotal verse in John’s Gospel. It is actually this verse, John 1:14. This is how God showed his love for the world. This is how God brought us eternal life. By taking on human flesh and living among us. This is the core teaching of the Christian faith, and the core teaching that the rest of John’s Gospel builds upon and explores.

God in flesh …. for us. This is the core message of Christmas. When we strip away all the lights, presents and parties. When we look behind and beyond the shepherds, angels, wise men and stable, we find the eternal creator God. Living among us. Bringing light to our darkness. Bringing his peace to us. By becoming one of us and living among us.

May God made flesh bless you and bring you his light and his peace this Christmas.

Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

That Other Christmas Story

Christmas Eve 2023
John 1:1-5, 10-14

It is well known that Luke and Matthew have two very different Christmas accounts. Luke’s is the best known, with the journey to Bethlehem, no room at the inn, the choirs of angels appearing to shepherds, and the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. From Matthew we get the wise men (or kings), their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrr, and of course, the star. Our nativity plays tend to follow one story or the other. The Christmas musical called ‘Journey to Bethlehem’, that was released in cinemas this year, and which featured Antonio Banderas as a maniacal, singing King Herod, is based on the story of Matthew’s Gospel. The Christmas special released by the makers of ‘The Chosen’ for this Christmas is based on Luke’s Christmas story. Sometimes both accounts are combined so that shepherds and sheep are mixing with magi and camels in the stable, while angels and a star share the sky overhead. It’s a bit busy, but you cannot get more Christmassy than that!

Less known to most people is that there is a third Christmas account in the Gospels, and that is the one at the beginning of John’s Gospel which we have just heard. Of all the Christmas accounts it is the most profound, the most filled with meaning and, in my view, the most impactful. Yet I have never seen a Nativity play or Christmas film based upon John’s Christmas account.

The problem is a practical one. If you are putting on a nativity play based on the account from Luke, you need to find people to play shepherds, angels, Mary and Joseph. Plenty of parts to go around. And for the backdrop you will need a stable, manger and perhaps a few farm animals. Casting, costumes and scenery are pretty straight forward.

If you decide to put on a nativity play based on Matthew’s account you will need to find people to play the kings, or magi. And the Bible doesn’t say there were only three, so you can fill up the cast on these. You still need a Mary and a Joseph. Even though the magi appear sometime well after the birth in Bethlehem and the family have certainly moved out of the stable by then, most go with the stable setting. It is certainly easier as a backdrop than a Middle-Eastern mud and brick house. As backdrop you will need some camels, a stable and a star. A maniacal singing King Herod is optional. Once again, casting, costumes and scenery are pretty straight forward.

But what if the pastor says, “You know what, I think this year we should go with the account in John’s Gospel for our nativity play.” Well, what to you do then. The account in John chapter one is certainly powerful. But then we begin to look at the practical aspects. The main cast consists of God, the Word (who is also God), the Light (which is also God and the Word). Oh, and that crazy prophet who wore animal skins and ate locust, John the Baptist, also makes an appearance. But his part comes some thirty years after the birth of Jesus, so perhaps easier to leave him out. I wonder what casting and costuming are going to do with God, the Word, and the Light?

The setting for the first scene is in the beginning, before anything was created. So the backdrop to that scene is pretty straight forward. Nothing. Then comes Darkness, and Light that shines into the darkness. Perhaps we could turn the lights down and then turn a spotlight or torch on.

Oh, and we also have the world. All of it. The same world that the main character, the Word, has created. But that is a different story. A bit hard to fit the world on stage. Perhaps an old globe would do. And then all the people in the world need to see the glory of the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth. So we will need to work on how to depict glory, grace and truth – and should they be characters or scenery?

And then the climax of the story. The Word, which existed way back when nothing else existed and is God, takes on human flesh (that is, is born as a baby) and comes and lives among us. But this is all really important, because everyone who sees the Light, who believes that the Word was made flesh as a little baby and lived among us, is ‘empowered to become the children of God.’ Not sure how we will show people transforming into children of God, but I suspect some sort of costume change might be needed here.

Okay, so admittedly, putting on a nativity play based on John’s Gospel would present some challenges. And no one has been able to pull it off before. But we’re up for a challenge, right?

Or maybe we could just stick with shepherds and angels and Mary and Joseph. After all, we already have the costumes. And we can keep the stable and manger because we already have those too. Perhaps It is as good as way as any to show that ‘the Word became flesh and lived among us.’

And the crazy pastor who wanted to do everything this year based on John’s Gospel? Well, perhaps he could simply read the story from John after the traditional nativity play and explain it. And as for the beginning of the World, God, the Word, the Light, Darkness, glory, grace and truth – We will just have to use our imaginations until we can find a very creative and hopelessly optimistic Christmas play director.

Until then, we will just have to rely on shepherds, sheep, angels, stables and kings bearing gifts to get the point across.

A blessed Christmas everyone!

And may the light of the world, the Word made flesh who came and dwelt among us, bless you and keep you.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

That You May have Peace

Sermon for 4 Advent 2023
Peace Sunday
St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Port Macquarie

John 16:25-33

Peace is the traditional theme of the final Sunday in Advent. It is also a major theme of the Christmas season. I looked back over sermons from previous years for this Sunday and found that I often started by noting that there seemed to be a short supply of peace in the world. Last year in was the war in the Ukraine, the year before that Myanmar was the focus of attention. And before that in the war with ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and before that it was the war in Afghanistan. This year, the focus of the world’s attention is on the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. In fact, for the past one hundred years there has been a significant and horrendous conflict going on somewhere in the world. And of course, prior to that one hundred year period was the small matter of the first world war, billed at the time as the ‘war to end all wars.’ I think you see the pattern.

Yet every Christmas we wish one another peace. We sing about peace on earth, just like the angels did to the shepherds. And we pray for peace. It seems that one of the few things that has changed over the past 100 Christmases is that we now hear a lot more detail about the human suffering brought about by war and we hear about it much more quickly and in much more graphic detail. So how on earth do we sing about peace on earth and goodwill to all people when there is always at least one major, tragic war going on in the world? And why do we even bother? Perhaps the angels were simply naïve when they sang their song. Perhaps Jesus was simply being overly optimistic when he spoke of peace. Or perhaps, we are missing something.

Today’s gospel text is a good place to start. It finishes with Jesus telling his disciples that they will have peace. In the ancient Near East the wish for peace was a common greeting and farewell. In Hebrew and Aramaic, spoken by Jesus and his disciples, ‘Shalom’ was ‘hello’ and also ‘goodbye’. Only the intonation was different. And sometimes goodbye was the double ‘Shalom, Shalom!’ The Arabic greeting ‘salaam’ also means peace and comes from the same original core word as Shalom. So perhaps Jesus was simply wishing his disciples ‘goodbye’ in the familiar language of the day and not actually promising them an elusive peace.

To put Jesus’ wish for peace for his disciples into context, we need to look at the conversation he was having with them when he said these words.

In today’s text Jesus is coming to the end of his long Last Supper discourse to his disciples. He has just a few more words to say to his closest companions, then he will pray for them (John 17). And then he will be arrested. Much of what he has been saying to this point perplexed his disciples. At the end of chapter 13 Peter interrupts him to ask why he cannot follow where Jesus is going (13:37). This in chapter 14 both Thomas and Philip interrupt him. Thomas asks how they can know the way to where Jesus is going when they do not even know where he is going (14:5), and then Philip asks Jesus to simply show them the Father (14:8). And then Judas (not Iscariot) interrupts to ask how it is that Jesus will reveal himself to those who follow him, but not to the world (14:22). And then earlier in chapter 16 Jesus gave them the riddle, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’ (v. 16) which left them all puzzling over what he meant.

But now Jesus says to them that he will no longer speak to them in figures of speech, but will now speak plainly.

Then he tells his disciples: ‘On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father’

And to this his disciples respond: ‘Now at last you are speaking plainly and not in figures of speech!’ (v. 29).

Now I do not know about you, but these last words of Jesus seem no less perplexing than the things he has been telling them which they found so difficult to understand. And yet their response is one of clear relief. ‘Thank goodness you are now speaking to us plainly!’ And not only that, but these words prompt them to confess that they now believe Jesus knows all things, does not need to have anyone question him, and has truly come from God (v. 30). And this is perhaps a reference to the fact that they have been peppering Jesus with questions the entire evening as he sought to explain to them what was about to occur.

Now it is the readers’ turn to scratch our heads, wondering just what is was that Jesus said in these few short sentences that is not only now so clear to the disciples, but which provokes such a response of faith.

What we are missing is the first century Jewish context. Jesus has been talking much about the Father and his relationship to the Father in John’s gospel. Some of his words have been such explicit claims to be God that the Jewish authorities took up stones and tried to kill Jesus. But now, after twice in this extended Last Supper discourse telling his disciples to ask anything of the Father in his name and they will receive it (14:13f; 16:24), Jesus comes back to them saying that when they ask in his name he will not ask the Father on their behalf. This is because there is no need for him to do so.

What Jesus has been saying to his disciples from the beginning of his time with them now suddenly becomes clear to the disciples. Jesus does not need to ask the Father on their behalf because he and the Father are in fact one. When they have loved Jesus, they have loved the Father. When Jesus goes on to say, once again, that he came into the world from the Father and is now leaving the world to return to the Father, echoing the language that John began his gospel with, the penny finally drops for the disciples. Jesus is from Father. He is one with Father. And is now leaving the world to be fully one with the Father again. Jesus is not just a great prophet. He is not simply the Messiah. He is God himself. Suddenly the eyes of the disciples are opened and what Jesus says is plain to them. This is what prompts their confession of faith in Jesus.

And Jesus responds to them not with great praise for finally getting it, but with these sardonic words: ‘Do you now believe?’ In other words, at this very last hour, at the end of my final words of teaching for you, you at last get it!

Well, and good. Better late than never. But now that the disciples finally clearly understand who Jesus is, he has some hard news for them.

‘The hour is coming,’ he says, ‘and is indeed now upon us when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will all abandon me, leaving me alone. But as you have now understood, I will not be alone because the Father is with me’ (v. 32).

The disciples now understand, but there is no time to explore what this means. There is no time to rejoice in their now firmly cemented faith. Jesus needs to tell them that very difficult times are coming and coming very soon. The disciples are about to flee into hiding.

Just when they finally fully understand just who Jesus is, their time with him is at an end. And things are going to become very difficult for them. And it is precisely here that Jesus promises them peace. In fact, he tells them that he has told them these things, about he and Father being one. About him leaving the world to return to the Father, about the difficult times about to come – in order that they might have peace.

It does strike us at first as a strange kind of peace. To be told your friend, your teacher, your Lord, is going to leave you. To be told that persecution is coming and you will all go into hiding – these are not the kind of words we would normally associate with bringing peace. But that is exactly what Jesus says. He doesn’t sugar-coat anything, he doesn’t beat around the bush. He tells them bluntly that things are going to change, and that trials are coming. But he tells them this to give them peace. And this peace is possible because of who Jesus is. The peace Jesus promises is possible because Jesus is returning to the Father where he himself will hear their prayers. This peace is possible because, despite the persecution they are about to face, Jesus assures them: ‘I have conquered the world.’ (v. 35).

Notice the past tense. Jesus is not about to conquer the world. He is not hoping to conquer the world. He is not in the process of developing a plan to conquer the world. Jesus has already conquered the world. By taking on human flesh and living among us. Jesus has already redeemed and ‘conquered’ the world. His death and resurrection are yet to play out, but the victory has already been won.

Here Jesus uses military imagery here. A great peace comes after a great victory. Jesus has won a great peace through a great victory. But it is a victory that no one saw coming, and a peace like no one had envisaged.

And this is not the first time Jesus promised his disciples peace during his last evening with them. In chapter 14:27 we read that Jesus told his disciples ‘Peace I lave with you; my peace I give to you.’ This was his promise to the disciples as he explained he was going to be with the Father. And notice it is not just any kind of peace he promised by ‘my peace’, the peace of Jesus. That is the peace Jesus is now reminding his disciples of at the end of his talk with them at the last supper. This is the final thought that he wants them to take with them into the difficult times to come.

We continue to pray and work for peace on earth, and not only at Christmas. We do this because Jesus has made peace with all people through the cross. We do this because through his resurrection Jesus has defeated death and so offers us a peace that goes far beyond a simple earthly cessation of hostilities. Even when physical peace between nations and peoples seems in short supply, we know that have a peace with God through Christ that shines brightly in our lives and in our world regardless of the troubles that rage around us.

At Christmas time, regardless of what turmoil we might be experiencing in our lives, or whatever troubles are unfolding in the world around us, we have real peace, the peace of Christ that rises above all else, a peace that transforms us and fills us with joy and hope.

And now in the words of the Apostle Paul which we heard in our epistle reading this morning, ‘May the peace of God was transcends all human understanding guard you in heart and mind, now and always.’ Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing

God’s Christmas Gift

The Text: Luke 2:11 (ESV)

Christmas is a time to give gifts. There’s a story about unexpected gifts at Christmas which were regarded as heaven-sent. The story comes from about 100 years ago in Germany. It was after World War I. In those days in Germany there wasn’t much work or much money to go around.

One Christmas, a factory owner asked a young man to be St Nicholas for his family. He gave him a bag filled with apples, nuts, chocolates and toys, to bring to his house. On Christmas Eve the young man dressed in his costume and set out for the factory owner’s home. There was a thick fog that afternoon. As Santa made his way, people suddenly appeared out of the fog, startled to see him. Soon there was happy laughter, as they realised it was the night for Santa to be doing his rounds.

At last he arrived and came up to the home ringing a bell and stamping his feet. He knocked at the door and immediately went in, because that’s what he was expected to do. But he was very surprised by what he saw. There was no Christmas tree and decorations. There was only one light on. A woman was lying on a bed next to a stove and near her was a girl of 5 or 6, sobbing bitterly.

The young Santa didn’t know what he should do or say. It wasn’t the factory owner’s home after all. In his confusion he heard the child say, half-crying, half-laughing, “Santa is here, Mummy! And you said he wouldn’t visit us!” “Mummy’s sick, you know,” the little girl said to Santa. “And she said that because she’s sick, you wouldn’t come to us.” Then, turning to her mother, she said, “But he’s come after all!”

The young man realised he’d become lost in the fog and had come to the wrong house. He couldn’t say, “I’m sorry. I got lost. I have to be going to a different house.” He did the only thing he could do. He took the bag off his shoulder, reached in and took out the gifts. Then he patted the girl on the head and shook hands with the amazed mother. He heard the woman say, “Whoever you are, I don’t know. But you are a gift from Heaven”.

On arriving at the home of his boss, he explained what had happened. “I couldn’t help it, Herr Schroeder,” he said. “I gave your gifts to someone else’s child without authority.” “It’s alright, my boy,” Schroeder said. You did the right thing. It wasn’t you who did it. It was Someone else. He led you to that place. That’s what can happen at Christmas. As for the bag, we’ll fill it again, right away.”

And so the young Santa went to the children’s party to give out his gifts, as he’d originally set out to do. He soon found out who it was he’d stumbled on by mistake. But the mother and her daughter never discovered who the young Santa was, whom, as the woman said, “Heaven had sent”.

Presents bring joy at Christmas, especially to children. But the greatest gift of all, which is the real reason for Christmas, isn’t merely something from this Earth that’s Heaven-sent.

The greatest gift is that ‘someone else’ in the story. He came from Heaven and was sent by God the Father. He was God’s Son from all eternity who came into our time as a little baby, the son of Mary. The message of the angel of the Lord to the shepherds of Bethlehem is also God’s good news for us: “For unto you is born … in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord”.

By nature, all humanity is a captive of sin and the devil, without peace and hope. By nature, all people are in a worse position than the sick mother and her distraught daughter. Because we live under the verdict of death and eternal punishment because of our sins, the birth of the Saviour, the Rescuer, is more than good news. It’s the best news.

Jesus, God’s Son, is the best of gifts. He’s the gift of God’s Love to us. He is Christ, that is, He’s the Anointed One. He was anointed by His Father with the Holy Spirit at His baptism, to be the one who would take into Himself the sins of all people and who would pay for those sins by His death on a cross. He could do it because He’s also the Lord, just as the Father and the Holy Spirit are the Lord. As we say in the Nicene Creed, He’s “God from God”.

Christ, the Lord, was conceived by the creative power of the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary. He came bound up in the wrappings of human flesh and blood. Gift wrapping you can throw out. God’s Son didn’t throw away the wrappings of His flesh and blood. He came to rescue us from our sins by giving His body into death and shedding His blood on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins. His saving work done, He triumphantly rose from the dead in His body, to show that He’s the victor over sin, death and the devil. Now He shares His victory with us.

He came from Heaven to Earth to unite Heaven and Earth. He came to bring about peace between God and sinners. He came to send us the Holy Spirit who brings about repentance in us and faith in God’s good news for us. All who believe in Him are rescued from sin and shame. We have great joy and peace and hope. Like the angels at Bethlehem, we also give glory to God who has brought about peace between Himself and us.

In our story, the identity of the young Santa remained concealed. When Christ was born to bring us God’s gifts, His identity was proclaimed by angels, so that all might believe in Him. His identity and location were proclaimed firstly to shepherds. They immediately went to find Christ, the King. When they found Him, they told everyone what the angels had told them about Him. They went back to their work, giving glory and praise God. The song of the angels was now their song.

We too give praise to God. We thank Him for the best of gifts: Christ the Lord, born to rescue us from our distress. God also tells us where we can find the Christ for our salvation. We find Him in the Bible, because there we’re given His words, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We find Him in His Baptism, where He places His name on us and makes us part of His family.

We find Him in His Supper, because there He feeds us with His own body and blood. Where He gives Himself to us, He brings us His forgiveness and love, and fills us with peace, joy and hope. Jesus wasn’t only Heaven-sent. He came from heaven so that we also might have a place in Heaven. He’s God’s Christmas gift to us.

Amen.

‘Despite everything – Joy’

Sermon for 3 Advent, 2023
St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Port Macquarie, NSW
John 16:16-24

It is easy, or at least is should be, to be happy when all is going well. But true happiness, and indeed true joy, is not dependent on everything going well. It is not dependent upon having our dream home, driving our dream car, doing well at school or work, having lots of friends. If we seek joy through these things, good though they be, they will eventually and inevitably fail us. Genuine joy, the kind of joy that lasts, is instead to be sought and found in the midst of hardship, struggle, difficult times, pain and grief. All three of our readings today talk about joy. But each one talks about joy in the midst or aftermath of pain and hardship. Did you catch that?

In our first reading from Isaiah 65, we read that when God creates the wonderful new heavens and new earth, ‘the former things will not be remembered or come to mind,’ but that instead, we ‘will rejoice forever in what God is creating.’ This means that the joy of God’s new creation will overwhelm all memories and thoughts of pain and suffering. The Joy of God’s new creation arises out of the context of human suffering. It does not deny or ignore it. It simply overwhelms human pain with the joy of God’s work.

Similarly, in the epistle reading for this Sunday, from 1 Peter 1, we read that we rejoice, or find joy, in the new life we have in Christ ‘even if now for a little while we have had to suffer various trials.’ The ‘indescribable and glorious joy’ that Peter writes about are not the result of a charmed life, of living in a good neighbourhood with and having many friends – as nice as these things might be. But the joy he describes comes also and especially those who have suffered.

In the Gospel reading for today the link between the joy we have in Christ and the reality of the pain and suffering of this life is even more profoundly underscored in the comparison Jesus makes with a mother giving birth.

But before we get to this illustration that Jesus used to describe the joy we have in him, we need to first look at the strange riddle he put to his disciples. Jesus, in today text, is still sitting around the table of the last supper with his disciples. He is telling them things they need to know. In in the midst of these talks Jesus says to them ‘After a little while, you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.’ (v. 16).

In essence, Jesus tells his disciples that they will soon not see him, and then they will see him again. And the disciples note that this is because Jesus is going to the Father (vv 16-17). Of course, the disciples are completely baffled by this. The words are a genuine riddle for them. So the discuss its meaning among themselves and Jesus asks them why they are discussing what he meant – as if his words should be obvious. But the meaning of this saying was not obvious to the disciples. Even today, Bible scholars debate the meaning of this saying. Is Jesus referring to the fact that he will soon die, and they will not see him, but then in a little while he will be raised from the dead, and they will see him again? This certainly makes sense. But in what way does Jesus go to the Father in his death?

So perhaps Jesus was referring to his ascension to the Father, after which the disciples would not physically see him. But he would come back and they would see him again. This would also make sense, even though the ‘little while’ in which he was gone would certainly be from God’s perspective and not ours as it has now been just over two thousand years and counting! Some would argue that Jesus had both of these things in mind. Others that he was referring to something else entirely. So, when Jesus asks his disciples if they were discussing what he meant by ‘a little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’ we would expect him to clarify what he meant.

But that is not what Jesus does. Jesus talks instead about the pain his followers will feel while he is away from them. And he comforts them by assuring them that this ‘pain will turn into joy.’

Now his disciples would have immediately recognised that pain and joy are opposites. They go together like war and peace, famine and feast, hatred and love. So now they have two riddles. Not only are they still confused about not seeing Jesus in a little while, and then in a little while and they will see him again, but now they must surely also be wondering, how can joy come from pain?

But it was not Jesus’ intention to confuse either his disciples or us. His words are not riddles to solve, but words of comfort, hope and joy. The disciples were indeed wondering just what Jesus meant by a little while and they would not see him, and in a little while further, they would see him. But Jesus is concerned not with explaining the meaning of these words, but with preparing them, and us, for the time in which he is not with us. For the time in which the world will rejoice and we well be tested and experience pain. Jesus is concerned that his disciples are able to cope with the first ‘little while’ of his absence, until the abiding joy of his return. And to do this, he uses the example of a mother giving birth. In this way he explains to them how it is possible for joy to come from pain.

Jesus says: ‘When a woman is in labour, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world.’ (v. 21).

Now, I want to say right up front that I have never given birth. I cannot speak from direct personal experience. But being a father in the current generation, in which fathers were not made to wait outside the birthing room for news, I was with my wife through the birth of four children. Each birth was different and each was memorable. But in all of them, my wife experienced great pain.

The first time around her labour lasted just over twenty hours. I did all I could to help with encouraging words like ‘hang in there’, ‘it won’t be long, now,’ ‘millions of women do this every year, you can do it too,’ and best of all, ‘Surely its not that bad.’ And of course, I said these words of comfort while gently holding her hand.

Oddly, these words of encouragement were not received in the spirit in which they were intended. In fact, it became increasingly clear to me that my wife was angry with me, as if I were somehow to blame for her pain! She didn’t want me to hold her hand. Then she did. She wanted me to massage her back, but was angry at me for not getting the right spot. (I never did find the right spot). I suggested, as my presence was obviously not as soothing as I had hoped, that perhaps I leave her in peace for an hour so while I went to get a cuppa. Well, she could have simply said. ‘No thank you, dear. I would prefer if you stayed.’ Now this might be hard for those of you who know my wife to wife to believe, but what she actually said through the gritted teeth of yet another painful contraction, was: ‘’Don’t you dare leave. You’re gonna stay here and suffer with me until this is over!’

Things went downhill from there. By the time we passed eighteen hours of labour I was pretty certain that my relationship with my wife was beyond repair. And then the baby finally came. Just under 10 pounds. That explained a lot. It was a little boy, all pink and wrinkled and odd looking, like all new babies are. And they placed him on top of my wife, now exhausted, to hold. She took one look at him, smiled, and said, ‘Isn’t this wonderful. It’s the most wonderful moment of my life.’

Well, I was perplexed. This was quite a sudden change in mood. Cautiously I took her hand. Something I had not been allowed to do for the past couple of hours. ‘Are you still angry with me?’ I asked.

‘Angry?’ ‘Why would I be angry?’

Later, it became clear that she did not remember half of things she had said to me in during labour. The worst pain, pain that pushed her to the limits of her endurance, was suddenly not just gone, but now largely forgotten. And in its place was simply joy, the joy at bringing new life into the world.

So when Jesus uses this example with his disciples, they understand that even the greatest pain can be turned to joy. Mothers teach us that.

And that is exactly what God will bring of all the pain and struggle in this life. As Jesus gives birth to a new life in us, a new life of forgiveness and the promise of a life with God forever, our pain turns to joy. And it is a special kind of joy indeed. Jesus tells us that it is a joy that no one can take from us (v. 22) and that it will be a complete or perfect joy (v. 24).

Imagine that. Something that can never be taken away, that will never fade, never diminish. I had a special bike once that brought be much joy, then it was stolen. I had a car when I was young that I put a lot of work and money into. It brought me much joy and I was going to keep it forever. Then the rust set in. But the joy that we have in Jesus is in a whole new category. It is perfect joy and joy that lasts. It is a joy that no one can take away from us.

On this Sunday in which we focus on the Joy that the coming king brings us, we do not deny or supress the pain and struggle we all at times experience. Instead, we are reminded of Jesus’ words of comfort that our pain will be turned to joy, a joy that is perfect and which cannot be taken from us. A joy that so transforms us that we will hardly remember the pain we have experienced. Because our joy, our true and perfect joy, is based upon the love that Jesus has for us, on his forgiveness, on the transformation he brings into our lives. In Jesus, and only in Jesus, do we find complete and lasting joy. Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.

Reflecting the true light.

The Text: John 1:6-8, 19-28

A few years ago, China landed a rocket on the moon and obtained some samples from the moon’s surface. We humans are fascinated by moon travel and expeditions to other planets.

Sometimes, when we see a full moon rising in the early evening, it appears so big and bright that we can see so much detail on it.

In some ways, John the Baptist is like the moon. He came rising onto the scene out of nowhere – from the wilderness – and told the people that he is not the light but was pointing the people to the light: He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. And that’s what the moon does. The moon does not produce its own light but it merely reflects the light of the sun. And what’s interesting is that the sun is nowhere to be seen – it’s at the opposite end of the world, and yet it shines bright enough to bring light to the deepest darkness.

In the same way, we Christians have been called to reflect the light of Christ. Jesus says – “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” So just as John was a witness to the light, we are to be a witness to the light. The light of Christ. And we do that by reflecting the light of Christ in all that we do. Because people look at us and they don’t just judge us by the things we do or say but they judge God as well.

As we look to see how we are reflecting the light of God it is often helpful to look in the mirror to see what others are seeing. Quite often we don’t realise what we are reflecting. We might think we are looking okay – until we look in the mirror and see our shirt button isn’t done up or we have some breakfast remains on our face. We might think we are leading great examples of Christian living; but it’s not important what we think, but what others see in us.

Luther’s explanation to the 10 commandments in his Small Catechism, helps us reflect on how we break each of the commandments in 2 ways – known as acts of commission and acts of omission. We break the commandments not just by what we do – acts of commission – but by what we don’t do – acts of omission.

Usually we’re pretty good at refraining from doing the wrong thing – acts of commission, such as in the 5th Commandment: “You shall not kill. What does this mean? We are to fear and love God so that we do not hurt our neighbour in any way.” Yep, I can check that one off.

But Luther continues – “BUT, I am to help him in all his physical needs.” That’s the part I’m not always so good at. “Look, I’m a little busy at the moment – can’t somebody else help you?” Or the seventh commandment: “You shall not steal – we are to fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbour’s money or property.” Check. No worries with that one.

“BUT – we are to help him improve and protect his property and means of making a living.”

“Sorry but I’ve got my own business to worry about – I have to make enough to pay my mortgage – my credit card – and save up for my retirement. Can’t my neighbour get his act into gear? I’ve worked hard to get where I am – why can’t he do the same?”

Sometimes it’s not the light of what we are doing that is reflecting on people around us – but what we are NOT doing that people are taking notice of. As the old saying goes – “all it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing.” Sometimes it’s the acts of omission that do the most harm. And so it can be a real struggle reflecting the light of Christ because of the things that we don’t do to help our neighbour.

And there are also times when we can fall into the danger of not reflecting the light of Christ because we are trying too hard to reflect our own light. A sort of, “Look at me – look at all the good things I’m doing.” And that’s where John had to try hard to keep reminding people that he is NOT the light. He said – I’m not even Elijah or one of the prophets. I’m just one who is pointing you to the true light of Christ.

St Paul shares with us how we CAN reflect God’s light not by doing good works in order for the world to be impressed with our service. No, Paul says – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. What a freeing thing that is when we forget about trying to impress others by our good works and just rejoice, pray and give thanks for all the good things God has done for us..

It’s so easy to rejoice, pray and give thanks when we realise how much God has done for us in Christ. But it’s just as easy to reflect the opposite, to grumble about everything instead of rejoicing. Like the Israelites who grumbled about their conditions rather than rejoicing that God had freed them from slavery in Egypt, many of us complained about the restrictions that were imposed upon us during the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of rejoicing that God had saved many lives through the actions of the medical profession, and some of the restrictions put in place by the government of the time, we grumbled that we had to wear masks in church and use individual cups for holy communion. It’s so easy to forget to rejoice and give thanks and pray for our government and our medical profession, even though they’re not perfect, like all of us. That’s when we need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “What image are we reflecting to the world? What light are we shining? Are we shining our own light or Christ’s?”

So often we believe it is up to us to take the ‘fight’ to the world. We think that it is up to us to defend the rights of God and the church. And often what happens is that we replace God’s light with our own. And that’s what John was avoiding when he said: “I’m not the Christ, I’m not Elijah – I’m not one of the prophets. In fact I’m not even worthy enough to untie the sandals of the one I’m pointing you to.”

Yes, we all want to defend God – we all want to defend the church – we want to defend the name of Christ in an increasingly Godless world. But the best way we can do that is by rejoicing in the midst of it all – giving thanks in the midst of it all – and praying for all. And Paul says – pray without ceasing – because the challenges on the church and on God’s name are without ceasing. And in doing that we will be reflecting the light of Christ even if sometimes we don’t always live perfect lives. And even when that happens, we are assured by the Word of God, that, “the God of peace himself will sanctify you entirely; and your spirit and soul and body will be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The one who calls us is faithful, and he will do this. Amen.

‘The Contagion of Love’

St Peter’s Lutheran Church, Port Macquarie, NSW

John 15:9-17 –

The theme for the second Sunday in Advent is love, and there is no better text in John’s Gospel concerning love than today’s reading.

Jesus begins by teaching his disciples about the chain reactions that love produces, and places his disciples (and us) squarely in this chain. First, God the Father loves God the Son. It is no surprise that the basis and foundation of all genuine love is trinitarian, and is based on the nature of God. Now, at first this might look simply like self-love, which used to be viewed as a negative trait (narcissism in its extreme form) but today is much lauded and promoted. But the love God the Father has for God the Son is far more than this. The nature of the trinity reminds us that God is not only one, but also three. And it is from this later perspective of the three-ness of God that we need to understand this passage. The dynamic, living nature of the trinity includes the flow of love from the Father to the Son. It is the love of the other within the One.

Jesus explains to his disciples that this is where it all begins: the great chain of love. ‘Because the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. (v. 9). Because the Son is loved by the Father, the Son passes on his love to those who remain in him, that is, those who put their trust in him. So we have moved now from the love of the Father for the son, to the love of the Son for us. And the impact on us? Quite simply, this love is in turn passed on further. Jesus says to his disciples: ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.’ (v. 12)

You perhaps may remember a movie called ‘Pay it Forward’ from 2000. In it a 12 year old boy, inspired by a challenge from a school social studies assignment, decided to do a good deed for three different people and asks each of them ‘pay it forward’ to three other people. In essence it is a kindness pyramid scheme. The chain reaction of his actions has significant and unexpected consequences. Imagine the love of Jesus from the Father passed on to his disciples with the instruction to pass in on. Now imagine running this deep version of ‘pay it forward’ for the past two thousand years and counting. We can begin to understand something of the scope of what Jesus has called us to do in loving one another.

But it might seem that loving one another as Christ has loved us doesn’t seem to be having much impact at the moment. We have seen all too often in all too many places in recent times how contagious fear and hatred can be. One group or people or nation keep track of all the wrongs done to them by another group, which in turn keeps a similar list. Every unkind, unjust and even evil action draws like responses. And the hatred just seems to continue to spread and be passed on from one person to the next and from one generation to the next. In the midst of the despair caused by this situation we can all too easily forget that love also is contagious. Wars and feuds are often ended by someone’s act of love or self-sacrifice. How often have we seen the resolution of some painful conflict in our family, workplace or congregation simply dissolve because someone took the first step and said ‘sorry.’ Or perhaps someone simply offered help or a kind word in time of need.

I once inherited a feud with a neighbour from the previous pastor. According to long established tradition the neighbour would hold loud late night parties on Friday night and toss their empty beer bottles over the fence into the manse yard. The pastor would then get up very early on Saturday, throw all the bottles back, and then mow the lawn with a very loud mower, whether in needed mowing or not. When this behaviour happened two weeks in a row I was informed of the feud I had inherited. This information was not included in the call information! I wondered how to respond and took he question to church council. The head of the property committee offered to bring over a particularly loud mower. He also pointed out that some chain sawing needed to be done. We could up the ante. I liked the way he thought. Then our head elder, one the oldest members in the congregation, said very thoughtfully. ‘Well, that hasn’t worked for the past seven years. Perhaps you could pick a basket of peaches from the tree by the fence and leave in on their doorstep.’

That was a radical thought. It was worth a try. So I put aside the kind offer of a chainsaw and obnoxious lawnmower and went to work picking. I delivered a basket of choice peaches on the neighbours’ doorstep. I didn’t leave a note. The tree was visible from their house and was the only one in the neighbourhood. That night there was a knock on our front door.

A large, bearded man with arms and neck covered in tattoos stood at the door. ‘Did you leave a box of peaches in front of our door?’ he asked testily.

‘Yes,’ I admitted.

‘I thought so,’ he said, turned and walked away.

The next night I came home from work and found our rubbish bins had been brought in. I knocked on my neighbour’s door. ‘Did you bring my rubbish bins in?’ I asked.

‘Yeah. That was me,’ he said. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but it seemed easy enough to do as I was bringing mine in anyway.’ And that was it, the feud was over. No more beer bottles in the back yard, the music went quiet at 11 p.m. and no more early morning lawn mowing and chainsaw work. If I had followed by basis instincts my successor would probably still be having this feud. Thankfully one of my elders not only knew the words of scripture commanding us to love one another, and even to love our ‘enemies’, but understood the importance of applying them.

Jesus tells us that passing on the love he received from the Father and that he has shown to us is not simply a good idea. It is a command. ‘This is my commandment,’ he says, ‘that just as I have loved you, you will in turn show love to each other.’ And so, despite many glitches, false starts and missed opportunities, the Christian community is characterised by our love for each other, our love for others. It is in the end not possible to feel and understand, even imperfectly, the love that Jesus has shown for us, and not respond by passing on the love we have received. That is how the contagion of love works. It the best response we have to the fear and hatred that infects our world.

Love changes us. It transforms us. This is the case even in human relationships. My wife loves me. No one can work out the reason for it. Her mother certainly never understood it. I, too, remain baffled by it. But it has changed me. I am a slightly less cranky, less impatient, and less anti-social character largely because of her love. Take a moment to think of someone in your life, either in the past or in the present, whose love, care and acceptance of you has positively impacted your life. Have you thought of someone?

Have you thought of the impact they have had upon you? Now consider Jeus love for you and the impact his love has had and continues to have on your life. The impact of Jesus love for us occurs in so many ways we may miss many of them. But the impact of the love of God in Christ for us is on a scale of magnitude far above any human love.

And what is the nature and extent of this love? Jesus explains that to his disciples in today’s text. ‘No one,’ he tells them, ‘has greater love than this, to lay down his life for his friends.’ Then, after what I imagine was a very significant pause to let this soak in, he adds the kicker. ‘You are my friends.’

Jesus is willing to die for his disciples. He is willing to die for us. He is willing to die for all people. When he spoke these words to his disciples he knew he would be arrested later that night and put through a show trial and torture before being crucified. These words spoken on Thursday night are going to come back to the disciples on Friday. But it will take until Sunday and the empty tomb for them to begin to understand the full depth of their meaning. Jesus ends the hostilities, the feud, the breach between God and human beings by sacrificing himself for us – his friends. That is what love ultimately is. That is the love that Jesus shows to us. The love us Christ transforms us and transforms our world. And that is the love that Jesus calls those of us transformed by his great act of love to pass on to others.
Amen.

Pastor Mark Worthing.