Audio recording Sermon manuscript: Tonight we are considering the question: What is baptism? Let’s begin with the word itself. Baptism is not an English word, but a Greek word. It comes from the Greek word Baptizdo, which means “to wash.” So to baptize something means to wash it. Normally when we are washing something we use water, and so it is also with Christian baptism, but, as our catechism puts it, it is “not just plain water.” Something has been added to it. What has been added to it is God’s command and God’s word. Baptism was not something that was invented by the apostles. As we heard in our second reading from the end of Matthew’s Gospel, after Jesus rose from the dead but before he ascended into heaven he told his disciples to baptize in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. These disciples were commanded by their Master what they were supposed to do. They were also told how to do it. While applying water they were to do this in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So now we know what baptism is. It is the application of water while the words are said, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This is very simple. It takes less than a minute. So long as it is performed according to how Jesus instituted it, so long as the water and the words are used, it is a valid and effective baptism. We know what baptism is. What does it mean? Our two readings tonight from Matthew’s Gospel are helpful for answering this question. The first reading was from chapter three. This was before Jesus began to publicly preach, teach, perform miracles, and so on. It was before Jesus himself was baptized in the Jordan river—as we heard about in our reading. In this prehistory of Jesus’s work, the forerunner to Jesus is described—a man named John. He eventually became known as John the Baptizer, or, John the Baptist. You can probably guess how he got that name. He preached, and then those who were sorry for their sins, he baptized. So we can see that Christian baptism did not come out of nowhere. There was a precedent that had already been set with John, who was before Jesus, or possibly others, although the Bible doesn’t tell us anything about that. The meaning of baptism is already indicated in John’s baptism. We heard about the preaching that accompanied his baptism. He said, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near!” This means that God, with his kingship, is coming. God, as king, will apply his judgments. How will you fare in that judgment? John says, “Already the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Some of you may face this judgment from God in a very short time. It might be a year or two from now. Indeed, for any of us—no matter how old we might be, it could be this very night. For we know neither the day nor the hour. And what should happen when you are weighed in the balance? This is the kinds of things that John preached. But it is not really just John’s preaching, but the whole Bible’s preaching. John sounds very much like the Old Testament prophets who spoke about the coming of the great and terrible Day of the Lord. When God comes, when the king comes, there will be judgment. Many at the time of John the Baptist rejected this preaching. They thought that John was too worked up over nothing. So it was at the time of Noah. So it was at the time of Sodom. So it is also today. Most people never think of the idea of it at all, for years and years on end—even when they think about dying. And if it is brought to their attention they quickly dismiss it. Those who were baptized by John, however, did not dismiss this truth. When they considered the thought of being judged by God they were terrified of his justice and punishment. When they thought about the life that they had lived, they knew that they had committed many and grievous sins. The

 Audio recording (sorry about the quality) Sermon manuscript: In both our Old Testament reading and our Gospel reading this morning we heard about temptations. In the Old Testament reading we heard about Adam and Eve being tempted in the Garden. In the Gospel reading we heard about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. It is important to understand that with both of these temptations we are dealing with a different situation than what happens when we are tempted. The reason why the situation is different with both Adam and Eve as well as Christ is that we are dealing with people who were not “sold under sin,” as Paul puts it. Adam and Eve had not yet fallen. Christ was sinless and would remain sinless. But with both instances the people involved were free. This means that they were able to react differently to temptation than the way that we are able to react to temptation. After the fall into sin human beings couldn’t get back up on their own. The minds of Adam and Eve and all their children down to each one of us were darkened. We became turned in on ourselves, caring only about ourselves, and so we no longer could do anything other than sin. Even if it should appear that people are able to resist temptation, you can be sure that they are doing it for selfish reasons, unless they are being moved by the Holy Spirit. After the fall into sin, human beings lost the ability to defeat temptation. Temptation results in either the course sin, to which the person is being tempted, or it will result in a more refined sin like lying, pride, or self-righteousness. The only correct and godly way for a person to deal with temptation would for that person to burn with love for God, and that that love for god would be the sole reason for a person’s actions. The greatest commandment is that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. So if we are not reacting to temptation with this love as what motivates us, then obviously we are sinning—even breaking the greatest commandment. So if you are skeptical about the Bible’s claim that no sinner has reacted correctly to temptation, simply examine your own life. Perhaps you have been able to resist something that you knew to be wrong. Was the reason why you did this because you burned with love for God in every fiber of your being? I don’t think so. What probably prevented you was that you didn’t want to lose face in the community, or even you did not want to lose esteem for yourself. Probably the best that could be mustered up within ourselves would be a terror at the thought of God casting you into hell. That might be as close as sinners can get to reacting rightly. What you can be sure didn’t happen, is that you joined your will with God’s will because you love him so much. With the fall into sin we simply aren’t wired that way anymore. Instead, we are under the slavery of the devil. So both of the temptations that we heard about were received by people who are so different than us that we can’t understand what it was like. Adam and Eve were sinless up to that point. Jesus was sinless. But there is an obvious difference in how these two temptations turned out. When Adam and Eve were tested they failed. When Jesus was tested he succeeded. This is not a mere factoid, but has the broadest of implications. It also is not just something that has to do with Jesus, but is also applicable to us. The fact that Jesus met and defeated temptation is good news for us sinners, for whom there is no hope otherwise. The reason why this is good news is because the Law of God had to be fulfilled. What we’ve been talking about so far today is the way that we have not kept the Law and cannot keep the Law. Every time we are tempted, if left to our own devices, we cannot help but failto love the Lord our God with our whole being. If the Law of God were not fulfilled so far as we are concerned, then we are damned and bound for hell. That’s where evil creatures are supposed to go

 Audio recording Sermon manuscript: The original temptation held out a promise to Adam and Eve. The serpent said, “You will be like God.” That promise achieved the serpent’s desired effect and has continued to be attractive up to the present day. Deeply seated within us is the desire to be recognized as the greatest. If it were possible we would all like to be the greatest in absolutely every aspect of life. We would all want to be the most charming, the prettiest, the smartest, the fastest, the strongest, the richest, the one with the most authority, so on and so forth. But most people are smart enough to realize that they cannot excel in every area of life. Some people will never be the prettiest. Others will never be the smartest. And so we all pick for ourselves certain areas of life where we have a better chance of being recognized as the greatest. I attribute this to that seed which was planted in our hearts in the Garden. We all want to be like God. We all, in a sense, want to be worshipped. That is, we want everybody to turn their heads to look at us when we walk into a room. We’d like it if they’d cover their mouths in awe, just being in our presence. Whispering to their neighbor they might say, “There goes that magnificent human being!” I might be exaggerating a little bit. Perhaps you don’t think you’re that vain. But isn’t that just one more feather in your cap? Not only are you so outstanding, but you’re modest to boot! The desire to be the greatest is in our blood. Therefore, since Christians also have flesh and blood, this desire will also always found in us too. We are no different from the people we read about in the Bible. Perhaps you remember that on the night when Jesus was betrayed, on the night when Jesus instituted the Sacrament, the disciples were arguing with one another over who among them was the greatest. Also in the congregation at Corinth, it seems that the members of that congregation were competing with one another over who was the most talented and the most gifted. Our epistle reading today comes from Paul’s letter to this congregation. He intends to teach them about a different kind of greatness. This is the letter where he says, “The Jews seek signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified—foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews.” Christ the crucified was Paul’s model for greatness. In fact he went so far as to say that he was determined to know nothing among them except Christ and him crucified. Christ and him crucified was the sum and substance of his message. He had nothing better or higher to tell them. So what does Christ and him crucified mean? We cannot easily grasp this truth. Paul says that it is foolishness to  our old Adam. We also won’t be able to grasp it all and master it, for we are dealing with the most holy act that has ever been done. But let us take up just one aspect of Christ and him crucified that applies to what we have been speaking about today. The serpent’s lie in the Garden was that we would become like God by being obedient to him. What actually happened, though, is that we became utterly unlike God. We became self-conscious and self-absorbed. This is where each striving after his or her own greatness began. This seems as though it should be no big deal. The world urges this as a great virtue. But a great many church fathers over the centuries have called pride the “queen of sins.” Far from being a virtue, as the world would have you believe, it is an impenetrable roadblock for entering the kingdom of heaven. Over and over throughout the whole Bible God says that he has mercy on the humble, but the proud he sends empty away. We most certainly did not become like God when we fell into sin. We became rebels and enemies of his will. We wanted our will to be done rather than his. But in Christ and him crucified we are given an opportunity to truly become like God. Unlike that other promise in the Garden, this one is not

 Audio recording Sermon manuscript: There is no higher or more exalted thing than that God should speak to us. The fact that this is the highest thing in life is understood even by those who do not know the true God, but follow some other god in their hearts. The Buddhist monk sits in silence at the monastery, waiting for enlightenment. When he believes that he has received it, he is very pleased. The astro-physicist pours over numbers and theories, looking for new insight. When enlightenment comes, he is delighted. Even the great horde of humanity, who might care more about their creature comforts than they do about anything else, are pleased to hear about and use some new gadget. In this way they all are participating and anticipating the greatness that is to come, the greatness that their god is bringing about on the earth. It is a grand thing to hear your God speak. Our one and only true God, of course, has something different to tell us than all the other things that people trust in. The true God tells us that he has worked redemption and eternal life in the birth, life, suffering, and death of his eternally begotten Son Jesus Christ. We are forgiven and received by God as beloved children for Christ’s sake. Furthermore, since we have already been redeemed from sin and death, we already have begun to live our eternal life. This eternal life is not one where we pick whichever way we might want to live—which would probably mean that we would pick sinful things, or at least selfish things. Instead this eternal life is only of the highest and best things. We live sacrificial and selfless lives of love by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this way we disciples follow our master, our great teacher, Jesus, who has taught us that whoever would be the greatest must become the least. The more we love, the more we suffer in that love, the more we become like the glory of God, which is Christ the crucified. There is more that could be said about what our God tells us. This, after all, is why we have the Bible and why we gather to hear readings from the Bible. But I’ve tried to sum up the two chief teachings for Christians. First, the Lord Jesus Christ is our Redeemer and Savior. He has purchased us with his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. Through him our sins are forgiven and we are accepted by God. Second, now that we are his own, we serve him in his kingdom in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. All of Scripture, all the preaching of God’s prophets and apostles, is for us to know this, believe this, and thereby be blessed eternally as God’s chosen children. This is what the true God says to us and to all who have ears to hear. There is nothing higher or more exalted. This will become especially clear when Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead. Although this is the highest message there is, not everyone believes it. Among those who believe, not everyone continues to believe it. Among those who believe and continue to believe it, it is not always to the same extent or with the same results. This is what our Lord’s parable of the sower of the seed is about. The seed is the Word of God. Some of it falls on the hard beaten path so that it never takes root. The devil comes and takes it out of people’s hearts. Some falls on soil where the seed sprouts, but it doesn’t continue to grow or come to maturity. Some seed falls on the sandy, rocky ground that quickly warms up in the spring. The person quickly and joyously believes. But then the hot sun comes out. Jesus says that persecution comes because of the Word. That means that people have to choose between remaining with the Word of God or forsaking the Word of God so that they can get along more easily with unbelievers. In that struggle these people choose their friends and family. They save their own skin by silencing the Word of God. But this also means that their faith immediately withers and dies. Some seed falls among the thorns

 Audio recording Sermon manuscript: Today I’d like to speak about our will? Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is a person’s last will and testament. This is a solemn declaration that a person makes about his or her property and effects—what he or she wants to have done after death. A will is what someone wants to have happen. And so we can talk about a person’s will in a different way than just this last will and testament. We can speak about a person’s will as being what a person wants, not just after death, but also as we live out our life. What do you want? Whatever that might be is your will. If you want water, then you just might get out of your chair to get some. If you want entertainment, then you might turn on the TV or play a game. These are some mundane examples. Our will might go after some higher goals. We might want to be rich. We might want to be fit and athletic. To fulfill these wants there is a lot that has to go into it. We might have to spend time doing things that are tiresome to become rich. We might have to quit eating some things we like, and start eating some things that we don’t like, as well as spend time making our muscles ache in order to be fit and athletic. So perhaps you can see that wanting something is one thing. Actually achieving it is another. We all might want to be rich or fit, but we might not want to do what is necessary to achieve those goals. The Israelites, when they were slaves in Egypt, had something that they wanted. They wanted to live in the land of Canaan, promised to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was a land flowing with milk and honey. But as they were making their way through the wilderness that existed between Egypt and Canaan, they were thwarted by many things that they did not want. For example, in our Old Testament reading we heard about how they were tested right away after passing through the Red Sea on their way to Sinai. There was no water to drink. They, their children, and their livestock were thirsty. So they quarreled with Moses and told him that this goal of going to Canaan was a terrible idea. They would rather have stayed in Egypt. There was no end to these kinds of challenges against God and against his prophet Moses. Over and over again the people no longer wanted to go to Canaan. It was too hard to go to Canaan. They didn’t have water or food or weapons. One thing after another they lacked. They would have liked to have lived in Canaan if it were easy, but, barring that, they would have rather just eaten, drunk, and been merry. As it turned out, the people that we heard about, this generation of Israelites, ended up getting neither. They rebelled against God who would have brought them into the promised land regardless of the difficulties. God punished them with 40 years of wandering in the wilderness until all of them were dead. None of them would make it into the promised land. Plus they wouldn’t have the niceties of life that they had enjoyed in Egypt even though they were slaves. They truly had tragic, miserable lives. They lost God’s favor and they didn’t enjoy the creature comforts that caused them to rebel against him in the first place. Such are the sorrows of the wicked that even what they have is taken away from them. So what should they have done instead? Should they have feared, loved, and trusted in God more? Should they not have despised Moses’s preaching and God’s Word, but rather gladly heard and learned it? Should they have called upon God’s name in every trouble, prayed, praised, and given thanks? All of this goes without saying. Of course they should have done these things. But that’s a little bit like telling a lame man that he should get up and walk, or telling a deaf man that he should listen up and hear. They were blinded to what was truly good, which was their relationship with God. For God had told them that they were a chosen nation, a nation of priests before God. But this meant very little to them.

 Audio recording Sermon manuscript: Linda chose the hymns that we are singing today. She also made known a favorite bible passage of hers that I’d like to speak about. It was in our Gospel reading: Jesus said, “Surely, I am with you always until the end of the age.” It is important to take into account when Jesus spoke these words to properly understand their meaning.  They come at the very end of Matthew’s Gospel. In fact, they are the very last words of the book that the apostle Matthew wrote. So prior to this Matthew had already written about many things that he saw and heard concerning Jesus. Already he has told of Jesus’s baptism, his casting out of demons, his healing of the sick, and his teachings. The last several chapters of this book speak about just one week of time—holy week. Jesus was arrested, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. On the third day he rose from the dead and appeared to his apostles on several different occasions. The Gospel reading that you heard this morning is one of those occasions. The resurrected Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples (because Judas Iscariot was no more) on a mountain in Galilee. When they saw him they worshipped him, but they weren’t all so believing and certain as they would have liked to have been. These were strange and difficult times for the apostles. Then Jesus said this to them: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you. And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.” Sometimes these words are called the great commission. The reason why they are called that is because what Jesus says here is a nice summary of what the resurrected Lord Jesus would like his disciples to go do. He commissions them to make disciples, by baptizing in the name of the Triune God, by teaching people what Jesus had taught them. Then we have those words that Linda said were her favorite: “Surely, I am with you always until the end of the age.” What these words indicate is that it was not as though Jesus were passing the baton to the disciples with this commission and now it was all up to them. Through that very baptizing and teaching whereby disciples are made, Jesus would be with those who did these things and with those who received these things. It is also important that we understand the nature of these things that Jesus has commissioned his disciples to do. These things are truly unlike all other things. Jesus’s baptism is a washing of rebirth and renewal. It has divine power. Baptism communicates and delivers the forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this as Christ’s words and promises declare. For Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved. Whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus’s teachings, also, are not just words or philosophies or even merely commandments. Jesus’s words have life and healing in them. Just as Jesus was able to heal and save and raise from the dead simply by speaking, so also his words have just as much divine power today. They deliver what they say. Those who hear him when he says to them that he is the good shepherd, have a good shepherd indeed. Those who hear and believe that he is the light of the world will never walk in darkness. Whoever lives and believes in him will never die. So when Jesus says to his disciples, “Surely, I am with you always until the end of the age,” it is not merely a matter of someone being near, or someone holding one’s hand. This is the Son of God that we are talking about here. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. And all that power and authority is directed towards one thing—the salvation of sinners: sinners like Linda, sinners like you. The reason why God

 Audio recording Sermon manuscript: Our epistle reading today is from a letter that the apostle Peter wrote. No doubt the reason why this was chosen as the reading for today, Transfiguration, is because Peter speaks about his own experience when Jesus’s appearance was changed. He says, “We weren’t making it up when we made known to you the powerful appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. We, Peter, James, and John, were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father, when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We heard this voice, Peter says, which came out of heaven when we were with Jesus on the holy mountain.” Here we see one of the most important things that the apostles were given to do. They were to act as witnesses. They were witnesses of the signs that Jesus performed. They were witnesses of the words that Jesus spoke. In this portion of Peter’s letter he is giving witness both to what he saw and what he heard. Perhaps the most important testimony that the apostles were to provide was that they saw the resurrected Jesus. This was after he had been crucified, died, and been buried. He did not stay dead. His appearance was changed when he was resurrected also. His divine nature was no longer as hidden as it was before Jesus had completed his redemptive work. Perhaps something of his appearance at the Mount of Transfiguration is now apparent in the glorified and resurrected Jesus. The impression that Jesus made on these apostles was such that they were willing and eager to suffer the loss of everything just so that they could continue to tell people that Jesus is the Savior. Nearly all of these men died violent deaths because they refused to be quiet about what they had seen and heard. The reason why they were put to death, though, was not merely because they witnessed something unusual or some spectacle. We are witnesses to things that happen every day, and nobody gets upset about our witnessing events. It is when meaning is attached to our witnessing of something—that is when things can get dangerous. For example, if someone sees something that does not line up with the official story, then there can be trouble. If powerful people are saying one thing, and you witness something else, all of a sudden you are a threat to them. Their version of events is no longer taken for granted. Whistle blowers can end up dead, because their witness contradicts how powerful people might want the story to go. There is no other way to explain the deaths of the apostles except that they were contradicting the official version of reality that others wanted to impose on people. Some powers that be wanted the people to think, to believe, and to live in a certain way. The apostles were teaching people that they should think, believe, and live in a different way. The powers that be wanted to stop this alternate view of reality, and it seemed good to them that stopping these witnesses from testifying by killing them was the best way to do that. So what was the threat that Peter’s witness posed for the powers that be? Before we can answer this, we need to know what the meaning of Peter’s witness is. Our reading speaks to this. The whole letter of 2 Peter speaks to this. Right at the beginning of this letter Peter says, “[Jesus’s] divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. Through these he has given us his precious and great promises so that through them you may share in the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that sinful lust causes in the world.” Let’s unpack this a little bit. Peter says that Jesus has divine power. Through that divine power he has given us everything we need for life and godliness. This is quite a claim, if you think about it and take it seriously. Salesmen, when they are trying to sell you something, might

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript: Things weren’t going so well at this wedding banquet in Cana. It’s every host’s nightmare. They must have figured the numbers wrong. They should have ordered more wine. Now what are they going to do? Offer people a lukewarm glass of water? They don’t even have ice. Who goes to a wedding banquet and gets served water? This was going to be embarrassing. We are not told what the connection is between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the folks who were putting on the banquet. There must have been some connection—perhaps Mary was a relative. I don’t know how else she could have known this insider information. You don’t just tell anybody something embarrassing, but Mary knew. We also don’t know exactly why it is that Mary comes to Jesus. What was Jesus supposed to do about it? His response seems to indicate that he was somewhat bewildered too. He says, “Woman,” (I’ve never called my mom “woman” by the way.) “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My time has not yet come.” Seemingly she goes off to help with whatever can be done. “Do whatever he tells you,” she says to the servants. There were six large stone water jars there. The Jews washed quite a lot. They wanted to be clean. These were special jars—not the everyday buckets that might be used for chores. They also were not pottery, formed out of clay. They were hewn out of solid rock. Other materials are porous and absorb things. They cannot be fully sanitized according to Jewish standards. These stone jars didn’t allow anything to seep in or be absorbed like wood or pottery might. They were special and expensive. They also were large and heavy. Think of half a barrel here, for a full sized barrel holds 50 gallons. These were 20-30 gallons. Jesus tells the servants to fill the jars with water. They filled them to the brim. Then he said, “Take some out and bring it to the master of the banquet.” The master of the banquet seems to have not known about the problems they were having in the kitchen. You can tell that by his response to the bridegroom. After tasting the water, now made wine, he says to the bridegroom that they’ve managed to pull out some new vintage that is even better than what they had served before. He was not expecting to drink water. He was expecting to drink wine. He was surprised by how good it was, since the banquet had gone on for some time already. This was the beginning of Jesus’s miracles. Compared with other miracles that Jesus performed, this one is a little different. Jesus cast out demons, healed leprosy, gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He raised the dead. All these miracles are practical answers to very pressing needs. Perhaps the miracles that would be most similar to this first miracle would be his feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000. He provided food to hungry people instead of wine to thirsty people. But there is still a pretty big difference between the two. With the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus was concerned that the people would faint along the way if the disciples did not give them something to eat. There was no danger of fainting at this wedding banquet—at least not from a lack of wine. The master of the feast indicates that the people had already been drinking for some time before Jesus added more. Drinking water wouldn’t have done any of them any harm. It just wouldn’t have been as nice, and it would have been kind of embarrassing for the hosts. This miracle can seem a little luxurious. His other miracles look more practical. But this way of looking at it says more about us, and the natural thoughts that we have when it comes to God, than correctly understanding what is going on. Take our prayers, for example. It is very common for people to do a little horse-trading with God in their prayers. When they want something very much they will try to be very practical with their requests. “If only you will give me this, God, I’ll take care of everything else. You needn’t trouble yours

 Audio recording Sermon manuscript: The word “Christ” means “anointed one.” Anointing is to have a liquid poured over something. In the Old Testament there were a couple of anointings that were especially important. Being anointed was one of the things that was involved in becoming a priest—someone who could serve before God in the Temple at Jerusalem. Another important anointing was when someone became king. They were anointed with oil. Anointing has not been important in our society’s culture. The way that someone is put into office among us is by an oath, perhaps while laying one’s hand on a bible. Before this our leaders were crowned—a metallic circle was placed on their head as a symbol of who they were. Since anointing is such an unfamiliar practice among us, it might be helpful to think of Jesus’s baptism being like a coronation. Jesus is publicly made known as the Christ at the Jordan River. He becomes king, you might say. But his anointing was not just with water, nor even with oil, but he is anointed with the Holy Spirit. The Father speaks from heaven: “This is my Son whom I love. I am well pleased with him.” Having been crowned, Jesus then begins his reign. Being crowned is a big deal. Everybody knows that. This is also how a person must understand baptism as well. Immediately after Jesus was baptized, he was kicked out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Then he came up into Galilee, the region where he grew up, and began to cast out demons from those who were possessed, healed the sick, and preached the Gospel. As you know, there are many other things that Jesus did; many other things that Jesus taught. It finally all culminated in Holy Week. Jesus once referred to what was going to happen to him at Golgotha as a baptism. He said, “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished.” With this baptism he would not be anointed with water, but with blood. This second baptism of blood is a new phase of Jesus being the Christ. Perhaps you remember the splendid title on Jesus’s cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” The Jews wanted Pilate to change it so that it read, “This man said he was king of the Jews.” Pilate was already grumpy enough from his dealings with the blood thirsty crowd and said, “What I have written, I have written.” This was no accident. Although Jesus’s enemies were trying to mock him with that placard, it actually preached the Gospel to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. Jesus is king. He is crowned with thorns. He is anointed, baptized, with blood. From his side come blood and water that cleanses the whole world from its sin. With this new phase of Jesus’s kingship his reign would go out into all the earth. He went from a local presence to a presence everywhere. After his baptism in the Jordan Jesus cast out the demons and healed the sick of those who came into contact with him as he went about that region. With his crucifixion, resurrection, and especially his ascension and Pentecost, his saving work extends to wherever and whenever the Gospel is preached. To those who believe in his name, he gives the right to become children of God. Thus you can see that Jesus was not exaggerating when he said on Holy Week, “Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He was saying this to indicate what kind of death he was going to die. Jesus the king, anointed with the Holy Spirit at the Jordan, was going to use that kingship to defeat his enemy, the devil, the prince of this world, the one to whom all people have been enslaved after the fall into sin. The way that he does this is by his baptism of blood on the cross. When he is lifted up on the cross, he draws all people to himself. He draws all people to himself already now, in time, through his pronouncement of peace and reconciliation between God and sinners. Thus

 Audio Recording Sermon manuscript: The way that we are saved as Christians is that we are united with Christ so that there is a sharing that takes place between him and us. We share what belongs to us. Christ shares what belongs to him. We hold all things in common. The result of this sharing is that Christ receives our sin so that it becomes his own. He dies in order to atone for the sin that we could never rid ourselves of otherwise. He shares with us his righteousness, life, and status. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. We receive the status of divine sonship when we are baptized into him. All these thoughts are prominent during this Christmas season. At Christmas we think about how the Son of God became man and was born of the Virgin Mary. In this way he joins us in our condemnation and misery so that he could lift us up and help us. It is an amazing thing, that we don’t quite understand, how God intertwines himself with human beings so as to bring about their eternal happiness. Since God has joined himself with us human beings, and he will forever be intertwined with us in Jesus Christ, we may know that our salvation is certain. Christians find hope and joy in this sharing that God does with us. Our Christmas songs all ring out with this message: Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Hark the herald angels sing. Away in a manger. Gloria in excelsis Deo. Go, tell it on the mountain. All these songs announce the Gospel, the good news, that in Jesus God and sinners are reconciled. Unto us a Savior is born. Immanuel, God is with us. Jesus is the best gift at Christmas. One thought of the shame of our sins or the punishments of hell must quickly convince us of that. But it is good for us to see how this gift is different than other Christmas gifts. With all other gifts the recipient of the gift can choose to either take the gift or leave it. If you like some gift you can treasure it and be entertained with it. If you don’t like some gift you can toss it to the side. You can toss it in the trash. The one who receives the gift maintains absolute control. That’s not how it is for those who receive the gift of Christ. First of all, for anyone to truly receive the gift of Christ, it is necessary for the Holy Spirit to perform the miracle of faith. If it were left up to any of us, as far as we are by nature, we would not welcome Christ the King, but would see him as a threat to our dark plans. All Christians are converted despite themselves by the power of Almighty God. Jesus says, “You did not choose me. I chose you.” So this is very different than any normal gift. The gift of Christ is also different in the way that it does not allow those who truly receive him to remain unchanged. If the person remains unchanged, then that is proof that the gift was either not received, or the person believed for a while but then fell away. Jesus’s parable of the sower of the seed helps us here. The seed that the farmer sows is the Gospel of salvation—the promise of sharing of all things together with Jesus. Some of it falls on the path and it never sprouts. Some of it falls on certain types of soil where the person believes, but then falls back into their old ways. Some of it falls in good soil and the life of that seed is transformed so that it bears much fruit. God’s gift of salvation in Christ is such that it cannot be something that you tuck away in a cupboard somewhere, and you pull it out whenever it might be convenient for you to use it—at Judgment Day, for example. You cannot remain in your happy relationship with greed or lust or pride or lying or manipulating or domineering or ambition or any of the other things that seem to hold out promise for giving us happiness. The old values get overshadowed by the new values that we receive together with Christ so that the old values lose their glory entirely. The new values that we receive in Christ are the ones that he teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount and elsewhere in the Gospe