Day of Pentecost - Come, Holy Spirit

SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012 | PENTECOST
              Old Testament       Ezekiel 37:1–14
             Psalm       Psalm 139:1–12 (13–16)
             Epistle       Acts 2:1–21
             Gospel       John 15:26–27, 16:4b–15


EPISTLE - Acts 2:1–21

2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

            17       “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

                  that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

                  and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

      and your young men shall see visions,

      and your old men shall dream dreams;

            18       even on my male servants and female servants

      in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

            19       And I will show wonders in the heavens above

      and signs on the earth below,

      blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

            20       the sun shall be turned to darkness

      and the moon to blood,

      before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

            21       And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

GOSPEL - John 15:26–27, 16:4b–15

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Come, Holy Spirit

Grace, Mercy and Peace be unto you from God our Father and Savior Jesus Christ, His Son our Lord. AMEN

Today is the fiftieth day after easter, Pentecost. Throughout the season of Easter, Jesus demonstrated that he is risen, and he taught his disciples before ascending up into heaven. He made them a promise throughout his forty days, that he would send them a helper and they were to witness of what he has done. And ten days after His ascension the Apostles went out and confessed and witnessed speaking in tongues. Pentecost is often associated with tongues of fire, and the Apostles speaking out in tongues, but the true focus this day is the Holy Spirit. For the holy spirit was sent into the world, as a comforter, councilor, and as a witness so that all humanity could hear and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord.

It is easy to set our focus on the big and flashy things, because they draw our attention, they keep us coming back for more. And so for this Pentecost Sunday we of course give note to the sounds of the rushing winds and the tongues of flame that rest upon all the witnesses of God the incarnate Son. Also the speaking in tongues is a great attention getter. To speak in tongues is to speak a language that the speaker does not already know and the hearers understand. To speak but not be understood would be worthless. The Lutheran Church is a church that boasts in the confessions of the historic church, but we don’t still confess, Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipoténtem,Factórem cæli et terræ,Visibílium ómnium et invisibílium. Et in unum Dóminum Iesum Christum,Fílium Dei Unigénitum,Et ex Patre natum ante ómnia sæcula. We confess this whenever we have communion, yet most here do not understand it even though Latin was the language of the church for centuries. Well we are good Lutherans, so perhaps another option of german would get a few more people, Ich glaube an Gott, den Vater,den Allmächtigen, but seeing as I don’t even know German, I dont think it would help all that much. No while these and other languages are the languages of the church historic, they mean nothing without understanding. True the church has spoken many languages over the years, but they mean little outside of their context. The substance of the message is lost without translation. But when the Apostles spoke in many languages appearing drunk to some of the passersby, there were not speaking gibberish, they were not speaking dead languages that only scholars knew. No. they were speaking the tongues of the people so that all could hear and understand the message. They were guided through the gifts of the spirit.

Speaking in tongues is considered a gift of the spirit. And, there are many churches that put special emphasis on receiving the gifts of the spirit. Some see it as a sign of truly believing, a sign that God has chosen them for a special calling. Some of these churches even have their new members fill out spiritual gifts inventories, so that their special skills and desires can be fully realized. It is good to recognize that you are a good teacher, or someone that is good at maintenance, but attempting to focus only upon our skills puts our thoughts not on above, but below. Trying only to receive the Holy Spirit is awefully short sighted and narrow focused.

It is perhaps unique that we speak about the holy spirit in the lutherand church, because of what the role of the holy spirit is according to the biblical accounts. Bbecause the holy spirit’s entire purpose is to direct our gaze upon the Father and the Son. In fact, if our focus did not turn to the Father and the Son, but focused solely upon the Spirit, we would be misunderstanding the spirit. For when Jesus spoke about the Spirit he said, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, the will bear witness about me.” Yes the winds, and the flames, and the spoken tongues are good right and salutary, but the truly impressive thing that the holy spirit did was a lot more subtle. He gave the words to the apostles to preach. For while it was prophesied that a great signs and wonders would be done in Joel, the focus was not upon the deeds, but upon the result. ““ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” (Acts 2:17–21, ESV)

In our gospel Jesus knew that he would be leaving the disciples soon, but he was promising that they would not be left on their own, instead the helper, the Holy Spirit would proceedeth from the Father and witness to them about the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13–15, ESV) If any spirit comes and preaches about himself or about the Jesus revealed through the scriptures, that is a false spirit, one of deceit and not of God. Instead the helper came to direct us to the one and only saving faith in Jesus Christ.

We many never receive an experience quite as visually stunning as the apostles and the tongues of flame or the impressive sounds of rushing winds to herald witness in Chirst. Most of us, including myself, have a hard enough time speaking in English that we probably will never experience speaking in tongues either. But we have received spirit of truth through the washing in the blood of Jesus Christ through the waters of Baptism. We may rejoice and know that the Spirit moves in us, often quietly, so that we may know and confess that Jesus Christ is our lord and savior, that through love and grace he died on the cross, was laid in the tomb, and rose eternally defeating death, the devil, and all the powers of sin and darkness. All this he did for our sake. AMEN.

Ascension - Out of this World

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012 | EASTER

THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

YEARS ABC

             First Reading       Acts 1:1–11

             Psalm       Psalm 47

             Epistle       Ephesians 1:15–23

             Gospel       Luke 24:44–53

  

FIRST READING

Acts 1:1–11

1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with2 the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Out of this World

Grace, Mercy and Peace be unto you from God our Father and Savior Jesus Christ, His Son our Lord. AMEN

Our Text for this Ascension evening is the taken from the Account of the Acts of the Apostles.

We place a lot of importance on where we are when the big important thing happens in our lives. We ask the questions, “Where were you when… when pearl harbor was attacked… when the planes hit the towers… when…?” And we visit the important historical sights, to see where things like the constitution being signed happened, where Martin Luther posted the 95 thesis, where the world changing events occurred. The sight the smells of a particular place can evoke memories of days gone by. It helps us to tie our memories into the present reality. We become a part of the history that took place there. That why moving can be so hard, because we are losing some of our ties to the memories of the past. One of the most thought provoking places are the resting places of our loved ones. The Burial plot is a somber reminder that our loved one is gone, that all that remains of him or her, is a small stone and our memories. Many people find it important to remember historical figures by visiting their graves; to see the final resting place of those who changed the world. And yet, as Christians, we do not have a tomb to go to for the founder of our faith. We do not have a place on this earth to go to see the body of Jesus, for he is not dead, but is living, and is out of this world. For Christ did not come to just die in the world, but to live and reign in heaven at the right hand of the father. We are reminded that this place is temporary, that earth is temporary. He reigns so that we may have an everlasting hope in him.

People have always attempted to “get closer to God.” This desire stems from the idea that if we are closer to God, God will hear us and listen to us. The Israelites were constantly being reprimanded by the Prophets of the Lord, for building the High Places as an attempt to be nearer unto the pagan Gods. They wanted to be “closer to God” yet even though they were in the highest of places they were spiritually farther away from God than they could ever imagine possible. Physically they were right there in the very presence of God, for this is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. (Isaiah 66:1-2)” “‘Am I only a God nearby,’ declares the Lord, ‘and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:23–24). It is impossible to be physically nearer or farther away from God, because is all present, he is everywhere. To attempt to get closer to God is to limit what God is capable of. For he is not limited by the realm of this physical world, as he created the heavens and the earth, and rules over them accordingly.

We remember today, 40 days after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ his ascension up into heaven. Christ the incarnate Lord did come down to this earth, to be housed in a body of flesh and blood, one that would succumb to death, death on the Cross. For a time he was limited to one small point, one small location. His disciples were in fact in the very presence of God, they learned from him, and he gave them a mission to go out and make disciples of all nations witness the word that he spoke, and baptize in the name of the Father son and holy spirit. But Christ did not stay with them physically, Christ who was born of this world, died in this world, and rose again over all the world, has no final resting place. We cannot go and seek the place where he lays to because he is not just merely human, but God in the fullest. Christ has risen, he has risen indeed, is a great and wonderful saying, that conveys the true hope and joy of Easter. Our Hopes and joys rest in the knowledge that the man who knew no sin took our sin and died our death and rose again. But that is not the end of the story. No it continues, Christ who was and is both God and Man ascended into heaven to sitteth and the right hand of the Father to judge both the living and the dead.

That Christ sits in heaven does not mean that we do not come into the presence of God. Because there is not a tomb to visit, or a grave to honor, Christians sometimes make the mistake in believing that there is not a place for us to be close to God. But we still desire a personal closeness. While we can never leave his presence we do come into his presence when we gather as brothers and sisters in Christ. We share in the his body and blood, when we are washed in baptism, when we hear the word through his spirit which he sent to his people. We are witnesses of these things, the promises and actions of our Lord Jesus who lives and reigns with the father and the holy spirit forever and ever. 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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Happy Epiphany

Sunday we celebrate the baptism of our Lord by John the Baptist in the Jordan.  Because of Lutheran's sacramental view of baptism, I feel it is important that we put emphasis on the physical elements that we use, just as we do with our theology.  It bugs me when at a Lutheran Church the baptismal font has to be pulled out of a closet, because this treatment it does not seem to resonate with our emphasis on baptism.


In the church that I have been designing, I have been attempting to create a space with a lot of symbolism, in an attempt to get people to think more about the sacrament.  To be fair, I kind of went overboard with designing it, but I like what I have so far.

The baptismal font is in an octagonal pit at the entrance to the church.   The reason for the location and the bridge is to show that it is only through baptism that we are able to enter into God's presence.  The 8 sides curve in to give the feel of being inside a boat to remind us that God saved 8 people through the flood.  In the stairs are cascading fountains. The stairs descending into the pit are painted red to represent the blood of Jesus,and  the stairs ascending are white to represent being made pure in the waters of baptism.

There is more symbolism and art to be worked into it, I just figured this was good for today.

St. Stephen, Matyr

Today we remember the feast of St. Stephen, sometimes known as the first Christian Martyr.  Stephen was a deacon in the church designated to take care of the widows and orphans of the early church when a mob encouraged by Saul of Tarsus(later known as Paul) stoned him to death for being a Christian.  From the account of his death in Acts we see how the martyrs died, without anger witnessing to Christ as the risen savior. 

"Good King Wenceslas" commemorates this day through the acts of  Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia. Wenceslaus I was known for his generosity for the poor and needy, giving to them in a similar manner to Stephen.  In this Christmas season we should remember the bounty that we have been given, and give to those who do not have as much.

Happy Boxing Day!

1. Good King Wenceslas look'd out,
On the Feast of Stephen;
When the snow lay round about,

Deep, and crisp, and even:

Brightly shone the moon that night,

Though the frost was cruel,

When a poor man came in sight,

Gath'ring winter fuel.

2. "Hither page and stand by me,
If thou know'st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he?

Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence.
Underneath the mountain;
Right against the forest fence,
By Saint Agnes' fountain."


3. "Bring me flesh, and bring me wine,
Bring me pine-logs hither:
Thou and I will see him dine,
When we bear them thither."
Page and monarch forth they went,
Forth they went together;
Through the rude winds wild lament,
And the bitter weather.

4. "Sire, the night is darker now,
And the wind blows stronger;
Fails my heart, I know now how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, good my page;
Tread thou in them boldly;
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."


5. In his master's steps he trod,

Where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod
Which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
Wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor,
Shall yourselves find blessing.