First Midweek in Lent - Thy Kingdom Come

FIRST WEEK IN LENT

YEAR B

             Old Testament       Genesis 22:1–18

             Psalm       Psalm 25:1–10

             Epistle       James 1:12–18

             Gospel       Mark 1:9–15

GOSPEL

Mark 1:9–15

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Goal: All people are called to the kingdom of God, not through their works, But through God’s call.

Malady: We cannot by our own reason or strength enter the kingdom of heaven.

Means: God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.

Thy Kingdom Come

Grace Mercy and Peace be unto from God our Father and Savior Jesus Christ his Son our Lord Amen

The focus for our sermon is the final verse, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

I must admit, my first thought when I think about Kingdoms, and kings tends to be out of the medieval times, with kings and queens, knights and court jesters.  Men like King Arthur and Robin Hood come to life when think of a kingdom, because in many ways kingdoms don’t really exist anymore, only countries.  Sure there is the United Kingdom, but while they have royalty, they are figurehead of power, and parliament does most of the governing of their country.  The idea that any one person or family having ultimate rule is the story of tyrants and despots in this day and age, so how can we identify with a kingdom of any sort, much less the kingdom of God? Yet we still pray in the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer, Thy Kingdom Come.  We cannot by our own reason or strength enter the kingdom of heaven or even understand it, but God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity. All people are called to the kingdom of God, not through their works, but through God’s call.

Why do we pray for a kingdom at all?

It seems a little funny to me that we pray for thy kingdom come each and every day when we pray the Lord's Prayer, when we as a people have rejected the idea of having kings and queens almost altogether. Sure we like the idea of Kings and queens, as long as it fits into our story book ideals of kingdoms, but when face with the reality of it we often rebel against such notions.  Old kingdoms are well and good, but new governments must be more modern and less central authority figure oriented.

Can the idea be changed into modern view? Perhaps we should pray instead for God's representative government through democratic election like the United States of Heaven.  The bible would be the outline for our heavenly government.  And we can call Jesus the President of Heaven.

This really sounds like something else entirely. It sounds like we have completely changed what it means to pray for THY Kingdom come into OUR kingdom come.  Now I will admit, I was going a little over the top attempting to bring the language of the Lord’s Prayer into our language, but there was a reason for it.  It is because when we are praying, we are praying for something completely different than our own earthly preconceptions of governments and with republics and monarchies allow.  Because when most Americans think about government, it is how we control government.  We allow people to become citizens either by birth or showing how they can contribute.  But the kingdom of God is all about God’s will for all people, how he created us and all creatures, how when living as members of his kingdom, we live and serve him.  God calls us to him, not because of what we can do, but simply asks for our repentance.  He is the king and he rules wisely and fairly. 

We cant understand an invitation like this because in our earthly governments, every single participant is a sinner.   And because of that, every person wants to be represented so that their own wants, needs and desires are brought before the counsels of this earth.  We are afraid because all politicians seem corrupt and governments do evil things due to their own sinfulness and greed. Martin Luther called this the Kingdom of the left.  God rules the earthly or left-hand kingdom through secular and (earthly) church government, by means of law (i.e., the sword or compulsion).    There is faulty logic at work if you think that God does not have a hand in the earthly kingdoms, for even the body of the church represents one arm of his kingdom.  The earthly governments can work against the kingdom of God though, through attempting to appease themselves and not God.  Even church governance has the chance to be corrupt, because its leadership are sinful human beings. 

When Jesus came, there were many that thought that he was coming to rule in this earthly kingdom.   He came preaching, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;” When Jesus was brought before Pilate, the crime laid at the feet of Jesus was “Are you the King of the Jews?” And Jesus answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” 5 But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.   And it was under these charges that when the crowds yelled, “Crucify him.” Pilate had the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”  The king of heaven and earth was killed because of the fear of earthly authority.

As you may know, or at very least have guess, if there is a Kingdom of the Left hand, there must be a kingdom of the right hand.  It is the kingdom of the right hand, the heavenly kingdom.  And unlike earthly governments that rule with the sword, with fear and compulsion, the Kingdom of God comes through the gospel.  Yes the perfect king, the perfect kingdom came because of the fears and greed of earthly kings and kingdoms.  It is because of our sinfulness that Christ the Lord came down to this earth so that through living according to all of the laws of God for those in the kingdom of the left, we could experience the grace of the gospel through his death and resurrection.  He died as the king of the jews, but he arose as king over life and death, King of Heaven and of Earth.  He can rule victoriously because he is without sin or greed.  We can trust in him, because he and the father are one, and all people are called to be in his kingdom.

How does God’s kingdom come for us? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.   We are brought into the kingdom through God’s riches at Christ’s expense, his death on the cross.   Because of his great and abundant mercy, we pray to the father, bring us into your heavenly kingdom.  And we also pray, while we live here on this earth, guide us and all people so that your Kingdom here on earth may answer your call and live in your word as well.  We are called to repent, and we confess that we are lost and a condemned person without your word, but with you there is forgiveness in the Gospel of your Son, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord forever.  AMEN

Ash Wednesday - Our Father, Who art in Heaven ... Hallowed by Thy Name

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012 | LENT

ASH WEDNESDAY

             Old Testament       Joel 2:12–19

             Psalm       Psalm 51:1–13 (14–19)

             Epistle       2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:10

             Gospel       Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

GOSPEL

Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust5 destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Our Father, Who art in Heaven ... Hallowed by Thy Name

Grace Mercy and Peace

Dear Brothers and sisters how are we to practice our faith? This is the question that is being asked not only by believing Christians, but also by the media, the government, and nonbelievers. This is being asked because the beliefs of Christians have the potential to affect other people, in ways that they may not want to, and there are those that are offended by such an idea. They do not want to be told what they can or cannot do, and they do not want their rights trampled on by anyone else. And above all else, they do not want to have someone else’s faith waived in their faces. Questions like, should a politician’s religion matter, or is it ok to pray in the public square have been hotly debated in public opinion and by political junkies. The question really boils down to how can I be in the world, and not of the world?

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, begins to discuss this very issue. How are we to practice our faith? He warns against the misusing of faith, as an attention seeker, or grandstanding, because this does not benefit you with God, instead it is only man that is being pleased. Instead God comes to you in the quiet places, so that we may receive the gifts that he has laid out for us. For we do not serve God for earthly gain, but instead it is because we are merely doing what he has taught us to do.

Christ gives us three great examples of how we are to practice our faith, and live in righteousness. Give to the needy, praying, and fasting are all great practices for Christians to practice. In our church giving to the needy is a common occurrence, giving to Christian friendliness, helping with mission dinners, and if that is not enough, whenever there is perception of someone needing help this congregation pours out its blessings upon that person. Prayer is common as well, lifting up prayers for those who are struggling, those who need healing, and those who need peace and comfort. Yes the first two examples are common occurrences. I will admit fasting probably is not as common as the other two examples. And when the bible speaks about fasting, it is not dieting, because weight loss is not the goal. No, fasting in the religious sense is about giving up something for the body to help us focus on the things above. This focus is part of the reason why for many generations, the church saw fasting as a beneficial act for Lent, the penitential season, because the act of restriction can be a physical aspect to our introspection of our earthly lives. That is what giving something up for lent is really all about, giving up something that we depend upon to prove that God is greater than those things.

So we have three examples of practices to live out our faith. Now that we have a what, now do we have a where? At first glance, it looks as if Jesus is telling us that the practice of our faith is meant to be done in a locked room with the light off, so that no one may ever see us do anything related to our righteousness. It may appear that the practicing of our faith is meant to be done only within the confines of our own homes and that we should keep our practice of the faith a secret. And in one sense, this is exactly what he is telling us to do. “when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets “ and when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners,” and “And then you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.” Instead may it be in secret, “And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Jesus is fairly clear, don’t do these things for the public limelight, because God can see when you do these things even if you are in private.

But the focus isn’t even really about where you do it, rather how and what motivation you have to do these things. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.(Matthew 6:1 ESV)” And he gives examples of living out the practice of the faith in the context of giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. Christ is not telling his listeners do not do these things, nor is he even truly saying to do them in a locked room, instead he is saying don’t do these things for the sake of being seen by others. Christ is telling his listeners, be cautious, because if you are doing the things of your faith in the public square in order to be seen, then you have already received the reward that you have been hoping for notoriety, don’t expect anything else.

Should we pray in the public square and should it matter how faithful a politician is in his religion? Yes and no. Because we as Christians cannot help but pray for the whole world and for the faithfulness of politicians according to the word of God, but our motivation must be considered. If the emphasis is upon how we can be seen, then we should not. Even giving to the church can be dangerous, if our desire is to show how faithful we are to our fellow human beings. That’s part of the reason we don’t name our churches after the biggest donor in the building fund, because the focus must be upon God and his holy and perfect work, not upon our limited and sinful works. But it does not mean that our actions are never seen in the public realm, just that they and not to draw attention to ourselves, but to our father who is in heaven.

It is in the middle of our reading that we have Matthew’s account of the giving of the Lord’s Prayer. The reading for ash Wednesday does not include it, but it tells us how we can pray to the father who gives us everything.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name.1

10  your kingdom come,

Your will be done, 2

On earth as it is in heaven.

11  give us this day our daily bread, 3

12  and forgive us our debts,

As we also have forgiven our debtors.

13  And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.4

14 for if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

It is in the introduction and the first petition that we see the positive end how to live out our faith. And everyone who has gone through confirmation knows the joy that Luther found in this prayer. 

With the introduction: Our Father who art in heaven. What does this mean?

With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father. That is exactly how we are to pray, bold and confident that the Father will care for us. That is why Jesus is saying don’t pray for public visibility, because you are missing the point.

And the first petition is like the intro, Hallowed be Thy name. What does this mean? God’s name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also. How is God’s name kept holy? It isn’t kept holy by proclaiming, hey look at all the wonderful things I have done, come praise me. Instead God’s name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity, and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God’s Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!

And our heavenly father has done many and abundant things for us. He sent us a savior to come down who gave perfectly of himself. He healed the sick, gave food to the hungry, prayed to his father who is in heaven, and fasted in the wilderness to prepare for his earthly ministry. He did all these things not to his own glory, for in many of these cases he specifically told those who were involved “don’t say anything about what you have seen or what I have done.” Instead he did all these things for the glory of his father in heaven, and for the salvation of a people who could not do it for themselves, us. And he would face the ultimate of public trials in which the sins of the whole world were placed upon the shoulders of the only sinless man. He laid aside all things earthly, so that he could prepare a place for us where no moth or rust could destroy in heaven with his Holy Heavenly father.

How then do we live out our faith? It is with fasting, prayer, and giving to the poor. We do these things not because we grow in our sanctification because of them, or so that other people can see what great things we can do, but because of the Father’s infinite and abundant blessings through his Son who died on the cross for our sins, and gives us life eternal with him. AMEN

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Transfiguration Sunday

OLD TESTAMENT

2 Kings 2:1–12

2 Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.

Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Exodus 34:29–35

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

34 Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

GOSPEL

Mark 9:2–9

2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Goal: The Son of Man is raised in the ultimate mountaintop experience, and we can proclaim what God has done.

Malady: We seek out the mountaintop experiences with God, but we do not know how to live our faith after those moments.

Means: God speaks the truth for our benefit, so that we know what HE has done.

The Ultimate Mountain Top Experience

Grace, Mercy and Peace…

Our text comes from the Gospel of Mark

A popular phrase especially in Youth Ministry over the last few years has been “having a mountain top experience.” Youth ministry isn’t the only place to use the phrase, I’ve seen blogs and other places talk about having “mountain top experiences”, but it only been in Youth Ministries and Camps where I’ve seen people attempt to create those special experiences. Of course in many instances this never involves a real mountaintop, but the emphasis is trying to create a memorable moment that changes our perspective and lives, if only for a little while. The idea behind creating these mountaintop experiences is to strengthen your faith in new and creative ways. And its wonderful if this is the goal of having a mountain top experience; it is a wonderful thing to have. BUT, there is a danger, if a person’s faith is based only on the mountaintops, they will not know what to do when the hard times come.

What churches and camps are attempting to create, are the experiences that God has given his prophets and apostles throughout the Bible. Indeed today’s text is an example of a mountaintop experience. Here we see Moses and Elijah, both of whom had their own mountain top experiences come down from heaven and speak with Jesus. For the disciples following Jesus they were left speechless. They wanted to remain only in this moment. Even though we seek to be in God’s presence, we are left unsure of what to say when we enter into his presence. But, God speaks the truth for our benefit, so that we may know who he is and what he has done. This mountain top was just a foretaste of the ultimate mountaintop experience where the son of man was raised so that we can proclaim what God has done.

Moses is known for the mountaintop of the law. Because of this He is known as the Great Law Giver.

Moses’ mountaintop experiences would shape the face of the world forever. Moses was unique because the LORD would speak to him face to face as a man speaks to his friend.. And when he spoke, he spoke with authority given to him by God. God first made contact with Moses through the burning bush which burned but was not consumed by the fire. The “I AM who I AM.” Called out to moses, Deliver my people from the bondage of slavery, bring them to my holy mountain to worship me.

For the Jewish people, Moses is synonymous with the Law of God, for when the Israelites had been release, just as God had foretold, Moses’ next mountaintop experience was the resulted in the reception of the 10 commandments and other specific laws and ways that He wanted the children of Israel to abide by. The God who had delivered his people gave them a way to live, serving Him alone.

After entering into the presence of God, the Glory of God shone around him and the people were afraid. When it shone they knew the weight of their sin and so Moses stood veiled among them to hide the fading of God reflected glory.

Even his death became the moment of a mountaintop. Even though he would not have the joy of entering into the Promised Land, God gave him a glimpse of it before he died. And at 120 years, still in health and vigor he died and the LORD himself buried his faithful servant, so that no man knows where he was laid. The story of his life is the mountain tops experience of receiving God’s Law.

As great as his mountaintop experiences were though, He had to come down off the mountain to deliver God’s people, to deliver the Law, to lead the people of Israel into the promised land. Had he stayed on the mountain he could have become the greatest of mountaintop gurus on what the meaning to life, the universe, and everything, and how should we live life. But instead he had to come down and face the Pharaoh and an unbelieving Israel. He had to deal with the struggles of 40 yrs in the desert because they had not trusted in God. He had his mountaintop experiences with God, but he still had to live in the valley with the rest of humanity.

Elijah is known for the mountaintop acts of God. He is the great Prophet.

He like Moses would stand before God and Men proclaiming the Word of the LORD. Elijah stood before kings and queens and spoke the Word of God to them, even though he knew that it would endanger his life. Unlike Moses, His mountain top experiences are not about the Law of God, but in the Actions and Revelation of God. In the midst of prophetic persecution and Baal worship, he stood upon the Mount Caramel challenging the Baalists to call upon their God too light an altar. And when no response came he called upon God who showed his real presence and power by lighting the unlightable altar. And after persecution Elijah would stand upon Mount Horeb and hear God speak to him not it the Wind, not in the quaking of the earth, nor in the burning of the fire, but spoke to him in the gentleness of a whisper. Through him God worked miracles and signs. Even the end of Elijah’s earthly life was a mountaintop experience. He didn’t die, instead he was taken up by the chariots of the Lord.

But while he was in the presence of the Lord upon the mountain, he couldn’t stay upon the mountain forever either. Just as Moses descended to do the Lord’s command, so did Elijah. And it wasn’t easy for him either. Being pursued by Kings and killers, being the last of the prophets of the Lord are not exactly mountaintop material. But if the prophesy of God was to be proclaimed, Elijah was going to have to go down into the valley of despair.

Jesus is the Fulfillment

It was in the shadow of these two men that Jesus came. The last prophet had spoken 400 years before and his final words for the Day of the Lord were: ““Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”” (Malachi 4:4–6, ESV) It was in the light of their mountaintop experiences that Jesus would come and fulfill all things for all people.

Moses and the Law may have been synonymous, but only Jesus could fulfill the Law. 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. He knew not only the words of the law, but the underlying meaning to them. So that when he was asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And ha second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” And like Elijah, Jesus came preaching and teaching in the One True God, calling them to repentance, working signs and miracles for all who believed. And even Jesus would go up on the mountain to speak to his father who was in heaven. And when Jesus was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. He was radiant, not because of the reflected Glory of God, but because he was God, and his divinity was showing. And Moses and Elijah came speaking to him about the end, where Jesus was going to face the worst of mountaintop experiences, death upon the cross at Calvary. Because when Jesus was fulfilling the Law and the prophets, he did it to the glory of God. He had to come down to this earth to live in the pit of despair so that he could bring the pit up with him into the presence of God, so that all could know the glory of God.

What does this mean for us? Are we to seek the mountaintops, or does the lead us somewhere else?

There is a danger for Christians to want to focus solely upon the “mountaintop experiences” of faith, because things are fresh and exciting. We easily become like the disciples wanting to praise god for his abundant glory, but forget that there was a rest to the story. Jesus stood at the precipice of his ministry, looking down into the decent into the pits of hell through his death on the cross. If we try to stop here, then all we have is a Jesus who feeds the earthly body and gives us well illustrated morality lessons. That’s what a church that stops there in the middle of a mountaintop experience but forgets that Jesus came and walked through the pit of despair is representing: The morality giver who taught us to care for those in need.

But as Christians we know that the story did not end with the mountain, the story continues. Life is rarely lived upon the mountain top, instead it is a journey from mountain to mountain, with hard struggles each and every day. We are standing looking out at the season of Lent, in which the struggle with the world, death and the devil comes to the forefront of our minds. We live in a world that continues to work against the Kingdome of God that no longer values the lives of all people, that places our own happiness before others. Even this very week a conversation on the religious liberties in the country was made a mockery in the media because they viewed personal opinion over the rights of the faithful.

But we do not go out alone and we do not need to be afraid. We do have our mountaintop experience as well, right here in church. We come before this altar knowing the God is with us, that he has washed us in the waters of baptism to make us his children. And that he strengthens us with his own body and blood in the sacrament of Holy communion. And he comforts us through his spirit and through the word that we can truly that know that Lo I am with you always even to the end of the age. Even though we may not remain upon the mountain, he continues to be with us when we go into the plains of life.

Through the Christ who strengthens us, We can pray with hope and vigor the hymn

Lord, transfigure our perception
With the purest light that shines,
And recast our life’s intentions
To the shape of Your designs,
Till we seek no other glory
Than what lies past Calv’ry’s hill
And our living and our dying
And our rising by Your will.

Just like those that have come before us, Moses, Elijah, and all the saints in heaven and on earth, we can know the joy of the mountaintop experiences, that God is with us, even when we walk through the valleys we have no need for dispair.

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AFTER CHRISTMAS IS A SEASON OF THANKSGIVING

If Christmas is the season of giving, it seems only appropriate that the following season should be the season of thank you.  If I didn’t think that people would revolt at extending the holiday season I would say that thanksgiving belongs in the middle of January.  Everyone has received a lot from many and so now is the time for thank you cards.  Alicia and I certainly have a lot to be thankful for this year, with generous gifts given to us from this congregation.  I have discovered over the years that I am slow at writing thank you cards.  This does not mean that I am not thankful, instead it simply means that it is a practice that I did not get into the habit of as a child.  This is why I was happy to finally finish thank you notes only six months after Alicia and I were married.

There are different ways to be thankful, though. I personally like to be able to go to the people and thank them for their wonderful gifts. For many children, you can see their thankfulness not necessarily in their works and actions toward the giver, instead in their words and action toward others about the generous gift.  Many a Sunday School teacher has experienced this first hand. The young boy that brings in his new toy wanting to show off the treasure given to him by Grandma and Grandpa is another great example.  He shows what is important to him to those people in his life that are important to him: his friends, his family, and to those he respects.

It seems appropriate then that in the church the season that follows Christmas is Epiphany.  A major focus of Epiphany is ministry; the telling of others what God has given us.  We have been given everything through the child that came at Christmas. There are many ways to give thanks unto the Lord.  We worship and adore him here in church, giving thanks to him.  We also have the chance to be like the young child again, telling others; “Hey look at what has been given to you and remember a Savior who is Christ the Lord.