“The Temptation of Jesus”

Main point: In the ways humanity has rebelled against God’s will, Jesus has surrendered to God’s will and in so doing has shown us the path to salvation.

INTRODUCTION:

Contentment 

Freedom in doing the will of the Father

• No need for power, though he could have claimed it.

• No need for safety of the body, though 

• No need even for food, as healthy and common as it may be.

All of these things he would sacrifice and gladly turn over as though they were nothing. All for the sake of doing the will of the Father.

1. To help himself in his need. 

2. To assert usurp? the father 

3. To deliver his brethren

Sustenance 

These are good things - the temptation is to divert one’s attention away from the will of the Father 

For Jesus’ own gain - To do something for himself separate from the provision of the Father

This is a chosen lack to remind himself of his dependence on the Father.

1. The things Jesus is tempted with are good things.

2. Good goals must be accomplished through good means.

1. Otherwise they're corrupted, unstable, and cycle back downward to their original state (or worse) because the corruption rots the movement from the inside out.

2. Consider the house built on the sand.

3. The ends do not justify the means.

4. Otherwise, the body will hunger again and Jesus will be put in the position to reply on his own divergent power to supply his own needs.

5. Otherwise, the kingdoms of the world will return to their old ways of division and wearing as soon as they are turned over to their own devises.

6. Otherwise 

3. The integrity of our good works is based upon the Union we share with the Father.

“The Heart in Lent”

Main point: Beware: We must focus on the heart, but our focus can run a muck.

INTRODUCTION:

Tonight we begin our preparation for Easter. 

We prepare by wiping the slates of our hearts clean through repentance. 

We prepare by taking the gritty sign of the cross smeared across our foreheads.

We prepare by attentively giving our hearts to God for 40 days of piety marked by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. 

Jesus cautions us to be careful not to practice our piety in showy ways in front of people. He says, “If you receive praise from people for your public displays of righteousness, you have your reward. So go to a secret place to pray, fast, and give to the needy. For your Father who sees you in secret will reward you.”

In our day, in our tradition, this warning from Jesus is well-known. If we polled the room tonight very few among us would think it’s acceptable to walk around town or walk around the church making grand, public gestures of charity, fasting, and prayers. We know that the point of practicing these things isn’t to perfect the action itself. The point is a transformed heart. 

Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. Joel 2:12-13

You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:6, 17

The world needs people with genuinely transformed hearts today. We need transformed hearts. Transformed hearts which result in good actions. Good actions which reflect (as we talked about on Sunday) God’s glory in the world.

There are ways to examine our hearts which are unhelpful.

Since we understand the warning not to put our acts of piety on public display and we understand our need to have our hearts transformed, tonight, I would like to go one step deeper into the warnings Jesus gives about how we practice our piety. I put together a list of 5 warnings. 

This list is for the many of us who want to have sincere religion of the heart, but when we look into our hearts we get confused, disoriented, and run amuck. 

Before bed, my wife and I take turns reading to our boys. Right now Jude, Dex, and I are nearing the end of C.S. Lewis’ book The Horse and His Boy. It’s about an orphan boy who was raised in indentured servitude in a foreign country. Part of the journey back to his country…

When hiking a mountain trail one needs to be careful not to get too close to the edge, careful not to start a rockslide, careful to avoid the wolves and bears that could cause you harm.

Simply stated: The movements of the heart can be subtle and unpredictable so I pray this list helps us not to lose our way. 

“From One Degree of Glory to the Next”

Main point: The transfiguration is a display of the goal of the Christian life.

INTRODUCTION:

Peter, John, and James go up the mountain with Jesus to pray. The face of Jesus changes and his clothes began to shine. Suddenly two men were with Jesus - Moses who represents the Law and Elijah who represents the prophets. These two figures are also bathed in glory and talk with Jesus. 

On this day we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord and we ask, what is it?? What splendid thing is happening in front of us?? What could this possibly mean??

C.S. Lewis, the famous Christian apologist and author of the children's fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia, called the Transfiguration the second most important event in the life of Jesus - second only to the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  What splendor did he see that we might taste this morning?

I think we must at least say, this isn't just some weird blip on the map of this strange guy with these strange people with an out of this world experience on top of a mountain. It may have been all that, but it's so much more. So what is it?

Answering the Question

It's…

• Glory revealed - 

• Encounter with God

• Amazement and wonder

• Luminescent Essence

• Pure goodness

• Light which casts out darkness.

Primarily, what we see in this encounter is a glimpse of our future. It's the state of being to which all of us are headed. Pure divine glory. This glory, seen in Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, is the ultimate destiny for all believers. In a word: it's sainthood.

Secondly, we see in this encounter an invitation to us today. It's an invitation to be welcomed in and transformed into the same glory that we see on display to Peter, John, and James. We are Peter, John, and James in this story.

The ultimate destiny and the invitation are summarized beautifully by St. Paul in our second reading. I pray you underline, reread, and take to heart these words. He says…

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

Wow, rest in those words a moment: all of us are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. 

"There is work to do."

Main point: Encounter with God leads to doing the works of gathering people in all kinds of ways.

INTRODUCTION:

Luke 5:1-11

Jesus calls the disciples to fish for people

Once while Jesus was standing beside the Lake of Gennesaret and the crowd was pressing in on him to hearthe word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets.

He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."

Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets."

When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst.

So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus's knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"

For he and all who were with him were astounded at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who are partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."

When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Two Levels, one meaning

There is one way to read this story. It is the story of Peter's call to discipleship. 

• Jesus does a miracle

• Peter is amazed.

• Jesus calls Peter to follow him.

• Peter obeys

At a certain level, this way of reading the text is perfectly fine. Our lesson is: Peter is called to include people and we should do likewise. Clear and simple. Nicely packaged and neat.

There's another way to read this story. It’s a bit of a deeper look.

“Leveling the Field”

Main point: The Sermon on the Plain is a story in its own right. 

nThis is the meaning of life: our salvation.

INTRODUCTION:

Start with a movie story where the setting is very important.

TELL THE SORRY

The Setting

Jesus came down…to a level place.

• A scary movie needs to take place in a haunted house.

• A John Wayne Western need deserts and canyons from the Great Southwest.

• A Hallmark movie needs to take place in a small town at Christmas.

Our scene delivered by Luke is a level place where Jesus meets the people face to face and eye to eye on level ground. 

The Crowds 

1. The crowds are full of all kinds of people from everywhere who have needs

1. They came from far away places to be healed. 

2. Common folks from all walks is like are included in Luke's gospel.

1. Women are featured in more stories in Luke than the others gospels.

2. The poor are specifically addressed and lifted up in Luke more than others.

3. Gentiles are present in Luke more than the others

WHAT IS JESUS DOING IN THIS SERMON?

And then Jesus lifts his eyes and begins to speak. A look to heaven. An instructive glance. A simple, Embodied demonstration to illustrate entire ethos of the sermon he's about to give. 

Many have speculated at the meaning of these familiar words. So what is Jesus doing here?

I can say…

• Jesus is not setting up morally superior categories. Rich and poor. A person is not defacto good or evil because they lack comforts or have comforts.

• Jesus is not making pronouncements of a quality or experience in the here and now. He isn't saying, you life is great while you're suffering. That simply isn't true and Jesus knows it - as we'll discover in a moment.

This is a description of the journey through life with God - the lifting up of our heads to acknowledge our need for God - all with an end goal in mind.

Here's what I mean: On this journey through life Jesus presents two paths available to us. At the end of these two paths there is a destination.

• One path is a path of struggle - a path of great need - which set the conditions to render blessedness in the hereafter. Because what do we do when we struggle now? When we struggle, when we are in need, we turn to God. Turning to God day by day and moment by moment works in us the transformation into godliness that we are designed for now and blessedness in the life to come.

• The other is a path of comfort and ease which set the conditions for destruction in the hereafter. Because when we need nothing, it's hard to acknowledge your need for God. When we spend a life not looking to God, we miss the work of God in us- the godliness we are designed for. When that work is skipped over during this life, there isn't much left of us at the end for the life to come.

"The Risk of a Jesus Who Offends”

Main point: We selectively approve of the cultural Jesus who matches our preformulated ideas about him. We rarely allow Jesus to offend us so that we might grow in faith.

INTRODUCTION: Contextualizing the Feast

On this day we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord at the Temple - or more accurately stated - the Feast of the Purification of Mary. It was the Jewish custom according to the Law of Moses, for women who had given birth to present themselves at the Temple 40 days after the birth of their child, to be restored to the community, to have their sins forgiven, and to be cleansed from their ceremonial uncleanness. Mary and Joseph were, of course, devout Jews and upheld the Law of Moses so it should be of no surprise to us to find them in the Temple right on schedule.

You might notice that this Feast Day falls out of sequence with the timeline we have been following of the events in Jesus’ life. In the last 6 weeks we covered 

• his birth in Bethlehem,

• the visit of the Magi when he was a toddler, 

• the lone episode of his childhood included in Holy Scripture when he was left behind at the Temple in Jerusalem, 

• his baptism in the Jordan River,

• the wedding feast in Cana, 

• and last week we looked at the short sermon he gave at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth which we will continue today. 

This Feast plops down in the middle of our sequential narrative and we’re taken all the way back to the beginning of Jesus’ life when he was just 40 days old. For those who are interested, this happens because the Feast counts off a certain number of days from Christmas. February 2nd comes 40 days after December 25th whether it falls on a Sunday or not. This year it happens to fall on a Sunday but usually it doesn't. The last time it fell on a Sunday was 2020. The next time it falls on a Sunday will be 2031. The time after that will be 2042.

Tell the Story

Our Professional Gospel told the story. Joseph accompanies Mary to the Temple in Jerusalem. They bring two turtle doves to offer as sacrifices to God. Two turtle doves was an acceptable substitute for a lamb allowed by the law of Moses in Leviticus which says, “if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons.” When they arrive with the roughly 6-week-old baby Jesus, they are greeted by two holy people who have devoted their lives to God to such a degree that they spend all their time in the temple. Simeon and Anna: a righteous man and a prophetess. They speak words of celebration and vision. The tell of the wonders of the child and hope that he brings.

Making the Link

Among the many things Simeon said to Mary, he included this ominous prophetic word… “and a sword will pierce your own soul, too." (Luke 2:35)

“Remember the Poor”

Main point: Jesus announces news to the poor. It is our calling to be that good news.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the third week of Epiphany. Epiphany, of course, means “appearance” “manifestation” or “revelation”. I pray you have been celebrating the wonderful revelation of Jesus of Nazareth during our season of Epiphany. If you happened to miss a week here or there, I encourage you to find our sermons on Spotify if you’re curious about what you missed. Madlyn has recently posted the sermons there in a podcast format so you can keep up if you miss a service or want to listen again.

Over the last several weeks we uncovered and celebrated a rich display of God’s revelation in Jesus of Nazareth. Many of our questions about who Jesus is, what he showed us about God, what his intentions were during his earthly ministry, and what our participation in his work should be like .. these questions were addressed during these weeks and we were left in wonder.

On the Great Feast of Epiphany we celebrated the arrival of the Magi who came from distant lands beyond the borders of Israel to worship the young Christ child. They showed us the expansive scope of this epiphany from God. Jesus is for the whole world.

At the Baptism of our Lord we saw Jesus uniquely identified from the crowd of people who came to John the Baptizer to be baptized. Jesus sets the precedent for all those who come after him to be “the baptized”. We are baptized into Christ and must walk worthy of that calling.

Last week we saw Jesus at a wedding feast where he revealed his glory. We noticed how the language and setting of a wedding perfectly matched the language used by the prophets to describe the work of the Messiah. Marriage: where the two are made one. Bride and groom and heaven and earth. And we prayed, with renewed understanding of what we were praying for: “Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

This week we see Jesus read from the Isaiah scroll and declare explicitly his intention for this new Messianic age which he begins and we continue in today. It is the work for which Jesus was anointed by the Spirit. It is the same work given to us through our baptism. 

“The Two Are Made One”

Main point: The sign at the wedding feast was an announcement of the messianic age. In the New Creation, heaven and earth become one.

INTRODUCTION

Last week we looked at an event in the life of Jesus which is recorded in all four of the gospels: the Baptism of our Lord. This week we encounter an event only recorded by John: Jesus turns water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana.

Jesus turns water into wine! Of course he does! It's a feast! A celebration! The people have been there for three days. They're celebrating so much they run out of wine, but Jesus is there to provide more wine and the party continues. This is a famous story from the life of Jesus, but it's a story not always well-understood for the deep significance it holds. Yes, it's a demonstration of something amazing Jesus did, but there's more.

“Baptism of our Lord”

Main point: In the Baptism of our Lord, Jesus begins the work of expanding “Sonship” to all people.

INTRODUCTION

 Welcome to the feast of the Baptism of our Lord.

• This is an annual festival for all churches who follow the Church year.

• The baptism of our Lord is recorded in each of the four gospels - but they each tell the story just a little bit different

Parable of the Elephant

You may have heard the story of four people who were guided into a very large, pitch black room. They were taken to different parts of the room and were told to reach out and describe what they feel.

• The first person says (trunk)

• The second person say (leg)

• The third person says (tusk)

• The fourth person says (tail)

The lights are turned on and each of the four people realize what they were touching and describing was different parts of an elephant.

• Person 1 was describing the trunk 

• Person 2 was describing the leg

• Person 3 was describing the tusk

• Person 4 was describing the tail

All of them described their piece accurately but they each only described the piece they had.

Something similar could be said of the four gospel writers. Some, like Matthew and John, witnessed the events of Jesus' life first-hand. And wrote about their experiences from memory. Others, like Mark and Luke, wrote from what others saw and relayed to them. Just as in our illustration with the elephant, each of them described the same thing but from separate vantage points and with emphasis that were complimentary yet unique.

“Incarnation”

Main point: The incarnation shows us salvation.

INTRODUCTION 

My wife recently posted on Facebook the list of books she read during 2024. Over the last several years his has become somewhat of an annual tradition among our family and friends scattered around the country. She lists her favorites of the 60+ books she's read and I casually enjoy the rich conversation that develops from others who have read or intended to read books from the list.

More than a few times each year as she works her way through one book or another she remarks to me of her discontent with the way the book is dragging along, usually around ¾ of the way through. She wonders aloud if she should push through and complete the book or drop it and start another one. Here is another point of departure between my wife's methods and my own. I finish only around ⅓ of the books I start. My wife, on the other hand, finds a way to power through and complete the book nearly every time.

The season of Christmas may be sitting with you in similar terms. We find ourselves on the 12th day - the last day - of Christmas. Most of us dropped Christmas a week or more ago. Some of us are committed to pushing through to the end. You might be over it, but concerning the coming of Jesus into the world 2000 years ago - the real meaning of Christmas - there's still a little bit more toothpaste we can squeeze out of the tube.

The first chapter of John's gospel tells the story of the incarnation of God. For those of us who are unfamiliar with the term incarnation, think of it this way. When we say incarnation we simply mean when God became human.

In our gospel we discover the setting of incarnation: In the beginning was the Word.

Next we discover the substance of incarnation: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Finally, we discover salvation found in incarnation:

From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

Setting. Substance. Salvation.

SETTING OF INCARNATION

In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. (vs. 1)

This line may sound familiar. “In the beginning…” The first words of the entire Bible in the first chapter of Genesis are “In the beginning, God…”  Here we read. “In the beginning, was the Word…(that is Jesus).”

It's no accident that the writer of our Gospel, St. John, echoes the language of Genesis 1 when he introduces Jesus to the world.

John tells us, Jesus was in the beginning. All things were created through Jesus. No one has ever seen God, but now, in Jesus, we have seen God and in Jesus we see the fullness of God revealed to us.

Let's not rush through such a profound statement. Pause and let it sink in for a moment. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God.

Do you realize what St. John is saying? 

God was as fully on display as God can be - in the person Jesus Christ, because when we see Jesus, we see God. Wow. Soak that in. Let it catch you.

The setting of the incarnation starts in the beginning. In the beginning, Jesus was with God and Jesus was God.