Some big things happen on high mountains in the Bible. Noah’s ark landed on Mt. Ararat, and there God promised never again to flood the entire earth. Abraham climbed a hill to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice before God provided a lamb. Moses climbed Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.

The Transfiguration of our Lord is no exception: Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.    Big things happen at this Transfiguration, and it’s good for us to review them.

Jesus is transfigured, shining like lightning; in other words, He demonstrates that He’s not just another man. He’s fully human, yes—but He’s also fully God. Before Peter, James and John, Jesus gives them a brief glimpse of His heavenly, divine glory.

Furthermore, Moses and Elijah are there—but not to dispense advice. We know from Luke’s account that they’re talking about Jesus and His work. These greatest of prophets from the Old Testament are there to point again to Jesus. So Peter, James and John witness that Jesus is more than just another prophet: He’s the Messiah whom the prophets foretold.

That’s not all: God the Father overshadows them in a cloud and speaks: “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” In a glorious, thunderous way that complements Jesus’ dazzling appearance, the Father declares that Jesus is His Son. Not only that, but Jesus is the Father’s beloved Son. He’s not an escapee from heaven, a renegade son on the lam. He’s God’s beloved Son, sent by the Father to do the Father’s will of salvation.

Peter, James and John get a glimpse of heavenly glory. They normally see Jesus as an ordinary, humble human being going about His work. But here, for a brief time, they see Him glorious— something like the glory of the Lord God sitting on the throne in heaven. It’s short-lived, though; glory like this is the stuff of holy heaven, not sinful earth. God the Father recedes and the prophets disappear, leaving only the very ordinary-looking human Jesus standing in front of three bewildered disciples.

We know the story, and we know what it teaches. Now we must ask the question, “So what?” Why is Jesus transformed? Why then? And why in front of Peter, James and John?    We don’t know all of the reasons why; but we do know some. Jesus has already begun to tell the disciples that He is going to save the world not by glorious triumph, but by His death on the cross. His enemies have already begun to plot His death, and He is on His way to crucifixion. But before Peter, James and John see Him on the cross as the weakest and most condemned man on earth, they see Him transfigured and divine.

That’s it for the heavenly glory. From here the disciples will see Jesus rejected, arrested, tried and crucified, with no glory to be seen. They’ll see Him risen from the dead, and they’ll watch Him ascend into heaven—but no more dazzling white that the Scriptures record. After He’s ascended, they’ll go and proclaim the Gospel. Yes, the Church will grow as disciples are baptized and instructed—just as it does today. In the meantime, the disciples will face setback, suffering and even death themselves. Life on sinful earth will be like it always is: no heavenly glory, but labor and trouble. And hope.

Why hope? Because of what the Father said at the Transfiguration: “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him.” Hear Him. Long after the glory is disappeared, the disciples will still have Jesus’ Word, His Law and Gospel—His faith-giving, enlivening Word. Even though they won’t see more glory in this world, they have God’s Word that heaven is theirs. They have God’s Word that they’ll see His glory again.

So it was for Peter, James and John. Well and good. But once again we must ask, “So what?” So what does this mean for you?    As we consider some applications, we do well to remember: the disciples had the joy of witnessing Jesus’ glory at the Transfiguration before proclaiming it. You weren’t on the mountain that day, and you don’t get to see Jesus’ dazzling glory on this side of heaven unless He returns soon. But you have something better: you have the Word. Although you haven’t seen the Transfiguration with your eyes, you’ve heard the Transfiguration with your ears. To put it in the language of the text, you don’t see God’s beloved Son, but you hear Him.

There are two basic ways to run theology—either a theology of glory or a theology of the cross. If you’re a theologian of glory, you go by what you see. You go by what you feel. You look for God in glorious things on earth— beautiful sunsets, good health and exciting experiences. Worship is about excitement and motivation.

If you’re a theologian of the cross, you operate differently. At the cross, the Lord won salvation even though it didn’t look glorious: His power and glory were hidden under suffering and death. You trust that Jesus’ death is your salvation not because it looked good, but because you hear in His Word that there Christ saved you. Hearing His Word, you don’t look for God to act in glorious ways; but like the cross, you look for God to work in ways where His glory is hidden.

For example: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion don’t look all that spectacular—but those are Sacraments in which God gives you forgiveness for all of your sins. It may not feel exciting—but God’s word promises you forgiveness, life and salvation.    So as Christians in this world, as theologians of the cross, we don’t go with our eyes. Even at the Transfiguration, God the Father said, “Hear Him!,” not “See Him.” In fact, often you will find that you must trust the Lord’s Word in spite of what you must see with your eyes.

Let me give you some examples:  If you’re in junior high or high school, you’re in a unique part of life. It’s confusing time. You’re gaining more independence, but you’re not quite independent yet. It’s a time when you keep getting asked, “What are you going to do with your life?,” and you may be asking yourself the same question. Where your parents may have sheltered you before, you’re exposed to all sorts of stuff right now. That includes temptations, including parties and sex, that people keep on saying are fun. When you get to college, every special interest group—cults included—will try to suck you in for all sorts of bizarre causes, and their friendship and commitment will seem attractive. A lot of this will seem exciting because you’ve never been confronted with it before; and that excitement will seem glorious. But you live by the Word, not appearances. You don’t live in glory, but under the cross. So you live by His Word. You follow His commands, even if others seem to have more fun. You don’t measure God’s approval by how people or activities make you feel. You know that God approves of you because you hear Him speak His Word of forgiveness.   Rest assured: even if you don’t know what you’re going to do with your life, the Lord has plans for you—plans for a future and a hope.

A little older, and you’re a college grad and a young adult. Glorious temptations abound again. Weekends present exciting opportunities to get away, and Word and Sacrament can get left in the dust again and again. Loneliness can lead to relationships that satisfy your felt needs, but destroy your faith. It can be tough being a faithful Christian as a young adult, but once again you go by the Lord’s Word. The Lord declares that you’re forgiven for Jesus’ sake; and because that is true, He will work all things for your good.    Parents worry about their kids. They want their little ones to get the best training and education and opportunities. They also know that the world is full of all sorts of dangers and false messages. And they’re also horribly busy with all there is to do in this post-modern world. Against that backdrop, reading Bible stories, teaching toddlers to memorize the catechism and bringing kids to Sunday School seems so weak and powerless. But the Lord declares that He gives and strengthens faith by His Word, that those stories and doctrines strengthen the faith of your children. It doesn’t look glorious, those family devotions while your kid is trying to play with the spoon that got left on the table—but that’s where your kids can hear God’s life-giving Word.

Grown-up kids worry about their parents. It’s a real shock to realize that your parents, who have always been there, aren’t going to always be there. Witnessing their health problems and deterioration brings home how awful are the wages of sin. Jarred by that grief, you can go by what you see, which will lead you to anger and despair. But you hear the Lord’s Word; and though you still must grieve in this world, you remember Jesus’ heavenly glory on that Mount of Transfiguration. You remember His many miracles of healing; and you look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

It goes without saying that, if you’re the one with the health problems, the same is true. It’s awful to witness the wages of sin within your own body, to measure failing stamina and health. But your final hope is not in your PSA counts or muscle strength or the test results that you see. You hear. You hear Jesus say, “Lazarus, come forth.” You know that, on the Last Day, Jesus will say the same to you.

Whatever your age, you live in a sinful world. And while you want to see heavenly glory, there’s not much heavenly glory to be seen in a sinful world. There’s worldly glory, and plenty of that to distract you and lead you away from the faith. The Lord provides many days of happiness in this world, but there are other days when you’ve got to grit your teeth, say “I am baptized!” and endure. And frankly, there will be times each day, or days and days, when you fail to live under the cross— when you give into this temptation or that one, when you cling to false glories of the world rather than God’s grace, when you fail to speak grace to your family, when you despair instead of rejoice. It will be no different as long as you’re in this inglorious world. But repent—and rejoice that you are not forsaken. The glorious Son of God became flesh in this world to deliver you to heaven.     You don’t see His glory, but you hear His grace. For now, you live by faith on earth, but you will see heaven: because you are forgiven for all of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

In our text this morning we are told that Jesus found Philip and called to him: “Follow Me.” With that command came the power to do so, and thus Philip was made a disciple. What do people do with good news? They tell other people.  Philip found Nathanael and said, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” At last, the long-awaited Savior had arrived.

Nathanael considered those words of Philip and asked the question: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  There are, after all, good places to be and places to be from, and Nazareth fit into the second category—a strange place for the Messiah to grow up. Now, what was Philip to do? Should he argue the merits of Nazareth versus Bethsaida? That wouldn’t give Nathanael any faith. But Jesus could, so it made sense to bring Nathanael to where Jesus was. “Come and see,” said Philip.

Jesus greeted Nathanael as if they were already familiar: “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is nothing false!” “How do You know me?” asked Nathanael, and Jesus showed a bit of His omniscience:  “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” That was good enough for Nathanael: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

But oddly enough, not good enough for Jesus. There were all sorts of magicians and “psychics” floating around who could claim to see you under a fig tree: that didn’t make Jesus the Savior. This did: Jesus said to Nathanael, “You will see greater things than these. …I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”    Now what, pray tell, did that mean for this Israelite named Nathanael?

The original man named Israel was first named Jacob. Back in Genesis 28, on the run from his brother Esau, Jacob grew weary and laid down for the night. He dreamed; and what did he see? “A ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (Gen. 28:12). Heaven and earth were connected by a ladder, and it was there that the Lord spoke to Jacob. And what did Jacob conclude about the spot when he awoke? He said, “Surely the LORD is in this place!” (Gen. 28:16). That’s why heaven and earth came together there—because the Lord of heaven was present there on earth.

So what did Jesus mean when He told Nathanael that he would see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man? It wasn’t that Nathanael would see a ladder; rather, he’d see Jesus, the Son of Man. Jesus was the connection between heaven and earth because He was the almighty Lord of heaven on the earth. The Savior didn’t want Nathanael trusting only in things like Him seeing people under fig trees. The big point was that surely God was now in that place. He was speaking to him to give him faith and life. What an epiphany for Nathanael.

Now, this text is often most emphasized for Jesus’ calling of His first disciples. But let’s not  miss the point that this reading teaches us simply what evangelism is: it is bringing people to Jesus. That’s what Philip did. That’s what the Church is to do today. And believe it or not, you Lutherans here at Zion are extraordinarily well-equipped for evangelism. Why? Because you know where Jesus is. You know that He is present at the font, joining you to His death and resurrection (Ro. 6). If He wasn’t there, He couldn’t be doing that. You know that Jesus, the Word made flesh, is present in His Word, forgiving your sins and strengthening your faith. You know He is in His Supper, giving you His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

Therefore, because Jesus is present here, you get your sins forgiven here. Because Jesus is present here, your faith is strengthened through these means of grace. Because Jesus is here, you come here to hear His promises of healing and mercy. Because Jesus is present here, you come into the presence of the One who will raise you from the dead…and who gives life to those loved ones who have died in the faith before you.

It’s an astonishing miracle that so many Christian churches ignore or even deny: here, by Word and Sacrament, the Lord Jesus Christ is just as really present with you as He was with Philip and Nathanael in the text. This is not just the church out in the country, across the road from the big feed lot; but here, in this place, heaven and earth come together—because Jesus Christ, the Lord of heaven and earth, is here. This has a profound effect upon you, and me, and us.    For instance, to invite someone to church is to say with Philip, “Come and see Jesus.” Really! He promises to be found nowhere else than in His Word and Sacraments.

As long as, God willing, His Word is preached and His Sacraments are administered according to His Word here, then Jesus is here to forgive, strengthen faith, heal, and give life.    Now, many will look at the church across from the feed lot and echo Nathanael: “Can anything good come out of Zion? Why would anything special be happening there?” And, in fact, you and I will be assaulted by foes within and without to the point where we might wonder the same thing. When budgets are tight and attendance is down, we tend to dwell on these far more than the truth that the Son of God is present here with forgiveness, life and salvation. At such times, we must repent of our distractedness and return to the marvelous truth: Christ is here to forgive us all our sins.

Another thought that comes to mind is this: as the Lord truly is present here, it would make sense that we would desire to support this place with offerings of time and talent and treasure. What does it say of you or me if we claim Jesus is our greatest treasure, yet fail to support where He is present to save? His work here gives us pause to examine ourselves: do our actions and contributions confess that He first loves us—and loves us here? That is the key to joyful stewardship: Christ is here to save. We love and serve because He first loves and serves us.

Here is one more thing to ponder. If Jesus truly is here, then it is He who gathers us here. This means that those around you are not fellow spectators who happen to have an interest in the same things you do. They are not random customers who happen to frequent the same store. They are your brothers and sisters in Christ, because Christ Himself has called and gathered them and you, together, to this place. It’s an astonishing truth to ponder, and perhaps an unsettling one, but while we often greatly value our relatives by blood, such relationships only last a lifetime in this world. But the family of God remains together for eternity.

And don’t forget: Christ has not only died for you, but He is risen for you, too. He has called you to be His beloved children, forgiving your sins and giving you eternal life. That is why you come and see Him here. Or, perhaps better, that is why you come and hear Him here. For this is His Word to all of His children, and this is His Word to you: you are forgiven for all of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen

Today we see John the Baptist, miracle child of Elizabeth and Zacharias’ old age. He’s all grown up now, and he stands out from the crowd. His wardrobe is strictly Old Testament prophet in style. You won’t find camels’ hair with leather accents on the runways of Paris or Milan in 30 A.D., and they may not be John’s choice at all. But he’s dressed that way for a reason: He’s the new Elijah. He’s dressed in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets because this is the office he holds: God has called him to prepare the way of the Lord, to point to the One who is mightier than he.

Strange place to be a prophet. There’s no synagogue or amphitheater or marketplace in sight. He’s in the wilderness, far enough away from town that the dinner menu is down to locusts and wild honey. Demographically, it doesn’t make sense; it’s much more reasonable for him to go into the villages and cities of Judea with his message. But in the wilderness he stays, because that is where God has called him; he is to be the voice crying in the wilderness, and his station has been determined since the time of Isaiah. There he preaches, and all Judea goes out to hear his message.

It’s a strange message. He preaches a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. It’s not the catchiest sermon ever offered. John bludgeons his hearers with the Law: He bellows at soldiers to act justly and commands tax collectors to work fairly. No respecter of persons, he blasts the Pharisees as a brood of vipers. This is not a feel-good sermon, at least not so far; he warns them of their sinfulness and guilt before God. Of course, he doesn’t stop with the Law. He is not there only to accuse them, to make them despair and leave them lost. He is preparing the way; so after a heavy dose of applicable Law, he turns to Gospel: One is coming after him, one who is far mightier and will baptize with the Holy Spirit. There’s hope for sinners, because He is coming. And with such a strange message, the people undergo a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

There must be times when John is tempted to abandon that strange message; it won’t be much longer until he decreases and his ministry seems to take a nosedive. Eventually, his application of Law and Gospel to King Herod will cost him his head. But the message is like the office and the wilderness: it’s what God has given John to preach, and nothing else. If He abandons God’s message, He is no longer God’s messenger.

The time of John’s decrease is close at hand, because on this day the preparation is complete; the way of the Lord is prepared. The Lord stands in the crowd on Jordan’s banks that day. The incarnate second person of the Holy Trinity is standing among His people, and we note something strange again: Nobody notices that He’s there. No one will know that the Savior is in their midst until John points Him out and says “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

No, when the Word made flesh stands among His people, He has no form or comeliness; and when they see Him, there is no beauty that they should desire Him. Furthermore, He makes no statement of authority that day; He does not seize the reigns and declare Himself to be the Mighty One. He comes as Lamb, not lion; and rather than boast of His holiness and superiority before the multitudes, He comes to be baptized-just like all the poor, miserable sinners gathered to listen to John.

He comes to be baptized, and He is that day. John’s protests don’t even make it into Mark’s Gospel, because they are not the point. What matters is that Jesus has come to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. And mark this well, dear friends in Christ: He is baptized to fulfill all righteousness for you.

This Baptism of our Lord is an important stop on the way to the cross. It must be, because the Holy Trinity gathers at the banks of the Jordan, all three persons manifested. The Son is baptized. The Holy Spirit descends. The Father proclaims, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Just before His wilderness temptation, the Trinity gathers at the banks of the Jordan, where Jesus is baptized like every sinner there. He is baptized for all nations, and He is baptized for you. We know that, in Holy Baptism, the sins of sinners are washed off of them by water and the Word. In Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan, the sins of all the world are washed onto Him.  And He will drag that loathsome burden of sin with Him, never letting go-even when He must trudge up the hill of Calvary. On that way of sorrow, the wooden beams will be shifted to Simon of Cyrene; but the far heavier cross still rests upon the shoulders of the Lord.

And that’s your hope. By His Baptism, your Baptism is sanctified. As Father, Son and Holy Ghost were working for your salvation at the Jordan that day, so they worked your salvation at the font, when a pastor washed you with water and Word “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” And today the Holy Trinity has renewed your Baptism with the words, “I forgive you all of your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” By this Absolution, you are prepared and renewed for the Lord’s Supper, where you dine in the presence of God. All of this goes back to Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan River. If He is not baptized, your Baptism is not sanctified. If your sins are not washed onto Him there, they are not washed off of you at the font. And if your sins are not washed away, you cannot stand the presence of God.

But Jesus is baptized. He is present in Word and Sacrament for your good. So you have hope. This is the hope that we are called by God to proclaim to all who will hear. Like John the Baptist, we proclaim the Mightier One who has freed us by His mighty weakness, suffering and death.

Strange clothes. We wear them, too. Not camel’s hair and leather, but vestments and stoles worn by the pastor. We’re used to seeing them in the chancel. They may seem like strange clothes, but they’re not meant to be fashionable: They’re meant to cover us up, hide as much of us as possible, because we’re called to point away from us and point to the beloved Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Strange message, too. We preach Baptism, repentance and the remission of sins. We preach Jesus Christ, baptized and crucified. It’s still not the catchiest message for this world, and never will be. It is, however, the message that we proclaim, because it’s the one that God has given us as His messengers. He uses our tongue and hands for His ongoing epiphany to the nations. We perform baptisms, and Christ is there to save. We preach the Word, yet it’s the voice of God that rings out. We preside over the Lord’s Supper, and the Lord is there-as present as when He stood in the Jordan.

We could go on and on. We are told that successful churches are about character building, family relationships, leadership development, helping the poor. We do not oppose these things; indeed, we agree that these are good things for life in the kingdom of the left. But they don’t give the forgiveness of sins. If that is the sum total of our message, then Jesus is not present with His grace, and all is lost.

Ah, but here is your comfort and hope: God is still faithful to you. He washed your sins off of you at your Baptism, and onto His Son at His. The Word made flesh has borne your sins to the cross and suffered your judgment; this is true and will not be revoked.

The Supper is for you, too, because there the Lord feeds you with His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. He strengthens and preserves you in the one true faith unto life everlasting.

By these means of grace, He declares to you, “You are My beloved son, My beloved daughter” because My only-begotten Son has suffered in your place. With you I am well-pleased, because My Son has taken all of your sin away.”  – in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen

December 24, 1999

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

Do you know what one song has sold the greatest number of records in history?    If you’ve listened much to the radio lately, you’ve probably heard it several times in the past two or three weeks.  It’s Irving Berlin’s “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”.  The last part of that song goes like this:  “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas with every Christmas card I write.  May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white.”

There’s another song about snow that was written more than 1000 years before the birth of Christ.  The composer was David, second king of Israel and his song is recorded in Psalm 51:7 ― “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

With these two songs in mind, I’d like to share a poem as tonight’s sermon.  It’s called:  A White Christmas.

It is the season of Christmas, and all over the earth
Christians gather to celebrate our dear Savior’s birth.
With presents to open and some even tried,
We pause for a moment and set them aside.
And leaving the hustle and bustle and rush,
We sit here, just sit here, enjoying the hush.

Maybe we think of the month that is past,
And wonder about how it went by so fast.
So then we recall all the things we have done,
To judge the ones that were boring or fun,
And count up all of our trips to the mall,
The cookies, the candies, the wrappings, and all.
We wonder, oh, yes, if in all that is here
We’ve left something out of our Christmas this year.

Oh, there still will be visits and more presents yet,
But we know what’s not missing, a need that’s been met.
For now it is Christmas, and it all looks so right
When we look out the window, and Christmas is white!

When the dark and the stark and the naked old trees
Glisten and sparkle in the wake of the freeze,
And the frozen old ground, once so barren and low
Becomes such a wonder in its blanket of snow.

And even the stalks of the untrimmed roses
Appear to be snowmen in various poses.
And all that was ugly, unseemly, or trite
Becomes clothed in beauty, all dressed up in white.

But this white picture’s more than Currier and Ives;
This white picture touches more than our eyes.
And God in his wisdom would lead us to know
The message he gives in the white of the snow.

For each stark and dark and naked old tree
Is a description of all that is lacking in me.
And the muddy old ground looking barren and low
Is the stain of my sin and the guilt that I know.
And even the stalks of the untrimmed roses
Stand out as my life in its unholy poses.

And I long for a blanket to cover my sin,
Something to hide the deep stain that’s within.
And I stumble and fumble and search through the night,
But I cannot begin to turn darkness to light.
In my helpless condition, though I strut and I brag,
I’m no closer to white than a filthy old rag.

Oh, I can holler and wail that enough is enough,
And could even try to be hateful and rough.
After all, it’s not my fault I’m morally lame.
It’s the world! It’s those others! It’s the weather I’11 blame!

But even as I clamor with self-will and with pride,
Looking for excuses behind which to hide,
God’s Law is so perfect, and clear is the sign:
The sin, the transgression, the evil are mine.

And that’s when I sit in the darkness of night,
I pray to God to send forth his light.
“Lord, take all within me that’s rotten and mean,
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.
Where sin’s ugly stain is all I can show
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

That washing, that cleansing from darkness and strife,
That freedom from bondage, that forgiveness and life,
Was the promise that God through his work would soon bring,
The promise he gave to each prophet and king:
Salvation would spring forth and put sin to flight,
And Christmas for all men would one day be white.

In so many ways our God spoke of old
And thus through the prophets his message was told.
And through signs and wonders and visions to man
He began to reveal his most wonderful plan.

But did walking with God in the garden in light
Secure man’s salvation and make all things right?
NO, Adam and Eve turned away in their pride.
And because of their sin, each one of us died.

And what about Noah, when the flood waters came,
Did life in the ark cleanse the guilt from his name?
NO, the sin of the world was not washed in that flood.
Men continued to hate and to shed their warm blood.
Did the rescue from slavery in Egypt by night
Free the world from its bondage to sin and its might?

Did giving the Law on Mount Sinai’s height
Make people sinless and forgiven and right?
Did the Red Sea rescue? Did the wilderness plight?
Was that manna from heaven their holy delight?
Did it happen when God with his own mighty hand
Brought them into that Promised Land?
Was it there in the temple, where God chose to dwell?
Did Jerusalem’s walls thwart the powers of hell?
Did the remnant from exile with praises to sing?
Did judges? Did prophets? Did priests? Did kings?

God used all these things only to make it clear,
His promise of ages was still drawing near.
And God in his wisdom, in each sign they could see
Was telling them always, “Hope and trust in me.
And soon when time in its fullness has run,
I will give you that gift of my own precious Son.”

And I see what the prophets had promised for years,
What God’s people longed for with prayers and with tears
God brought it to pass in the still of the night.
When Jesus was born, and Christmas was white!

White because here was God’s holy child.
White because tho’ he was humble and mild,
He would carry our griefs and our sorrows and blame.
He would suffer indignity, insult and shame            .
And endure each temptation without giving in,
Then give up his life to cleanse us from sin.

White because over sin rank and obscene
He purged me with hyssop, and I became clean.            .
White because in his shed blood I know,
He washed me in love, I became whiter than snow!

It’s the season of Christmas and all over the earth,
As Christians we celebrate our dear Savior’s birth.
In spite of the season stuffed full of noise
We remember the reason for all of our joys.

You could cover the world in a blanket of snow,
And still every heart would deep down in it know
That it takes more than snow to turn darkness to light.
Yes, it takes more than snow to make Christmas white.

So where’s the white Christmas that we’re dreaming of?
Why, it’s right in the manger, in God’s gift of love.
No longer is Christmas dark, naked, and old.
No longer will sin leave us barren and cold.
Not the stain of my sin, nor the guilt that you know,
For our Savior has washed us much whiter than snow!

And now through our lives, every day, every hour,
We can know his forgiveness, his strength, and his power.
And then on that last day when we see him in light,
We will stand with the multitude clothed in pure white
And give glory forever to God up above            .
For the gift of a Savior, the power of God’s love.

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
With Jesus’ birth here on this night.
May your days always in him be bright
And may all your Christmases be white.

In the name of the Father and of the  Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

“Which will bring you the greater return on your investment?  [A] One dollar a week for 52 years, or [B] one penny a week doubled for 52 weeks?”  Choose either option A or option B.  This illustrates how people today are unsure, confused and unclear about the choices they make until they have by a process of addition or multiplication calculated the potential return on their investment.  Option “A” sounds appealing, but adding the figures only nets you $2,704.  Now for option “B”, take out your calculators and you will soon realize that the power of multiplication would make you billionaires in less than 52 weeks!  The difference is between addition and multiplication.  Faithful investment of treasures to support the work of the kingdom of God multiplies ministry and reaps a fruitful harvest.

During a visit to Korea, two American businessmen were highly amused to see a young farmer hitched to a plow that was guided by his father.  Later they learned that both father and son were Christians who had sold their only ox to provide money for a new church building.  “What a stupendous sacrifice!” exclaimed one businessman.  “Not really,” replied a missionary accompanying the Americans.  “They were only sorry they had but one ox to give to the Lord’s work.”  That’s the spirit of putting first things first.  That’s what it means to seek first the kingdom of God!  That’s what it means to live as fruitful stewards of treasures.

Yet, among Christians today, there are few willing to make such a sacrifice and commitment to the kingdom of God. In a 1995 stewardship survey of pastors and regional leaders in 16 church bodies, 90 percent agreed that in most congregations, 20 percent of the people contribute 50 to 80 percent of the financial support for ministry.

Why are the 20 percent willing to contribute so much and the 80 percent content to give so little?  Some are content to have a little bit of God in their lives, to give a little bit to God in their offerings, and thereby represent the withering, sickly, infected, shriveling, fig tree which bears no fruit.  The law says: “Cut it down.  Why should it take up the ground?”  The Gospel says: “Give it another year.  Let’s fertilize, cultivate, water, and pray for fruit.  If it bears no fruit next year, then cut it down” (Luke 13:6-9).

Too many Christians are confused and unclear about addition versus multiplication when it comes to investing in the kingdom of God.  In their confusion, they choose to give little or nothing in proportion to what they have received.  What percentage of your income is an investment in the kingdom of God?  How much do you put in the offering plate?  Are you growing in your giving?  More fruitful this year than last?  Committed to being more fruitful next year?  First things first.  Is Jesus represented as first in your giving of treasures?  Your financial commitment is a reflection of your faith.  If you are growing in your faith, you’ll also grow in your giving.

Some evening when you have a few moments, retrieve your old checkbook registers and read through the entries.  Or maybe it’s your old credit card statements that chronicle your spending habits and preferences.  Whichever you choose, you may find it interesting, and perhaps somewhat startling, to discover just how the money you’ve earned has been spent.

The entries will read like a family journal.  They record major events, vacations, visits to the mall, vacations, travel, how expensively you dress, or how extravagantly you furnish your home.  The total spent in each category will pinpoint the things that make the greatest demands on your income – either because of need or by choice.  The entries reflect what you have prioritized and value.

Such a checkup might also reveal our spiritual temperature.  Are you hot, cold, lukewarm?  Is there a pulse?  The contributions given to the work of the Lord compared with the expenditures for the things of life offer some clues.  If nothing has gone to support the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, or to people in need, but large sums were spent for personal gratification, we need to examine our values related to our treasures.  We show what we love by what we do with what we have.  “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

What does it mean to put first things first?  Matthew 22:37-39: “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Give as if you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind … give as if you love your neighbor as yourself.

Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8-11: “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him …” I want to be like Christ!

Our church is a “first things first” church where God’s Word is truth and where the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are faithfully administered.  Our church is a “first things first” church with a vision for missions and ministry. Our church is a “first things first” ministry where we serve and work together in Christ with time and talents.  Our church is a “first things first” congregation where all people are cared for, where families are nourished, where marriage is uplifted, where young and old are encouraged to live fruitful lives.  It begins in your heart, touches your home, and extends to your fruitful use of time, talents and treasures.

Bearing fruit as stewards of time, talents, and treasures is the fruit of faith that seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  Then, everything else will fall into place.  It means I am connected to Christ as the true vine; I am one of the branches, so connected as to take my life from Him, and to bear fruit.  “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).  Connected to the Christ of the cross and empty tomb.  In Christ, you will be fruitful stewards of time, talents, and treasures.  Amen.

Today, we begin our stewardship program Bearing Fruit for Jesus: His Grace and Power at Work Within You. For this week, our focus is on being fruitful with our time.

The text is from Ecclesiastes 3:1: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…”

Come with me for a little learning adventure.  Listen carefully.  Imagine you see yourself going to the funeral of a loved one.  You arrive at the church and walk in.  You see friends and family and you feel the shared sense of loss and grief that fills their hearts.  You walk up to the casket at the rear of the sanctuary and come face-to-face with yourself.  This is your funeral.  All these people have come to honor you, and you hear them expressing feelings of love and appreciation for your life.  As you take a seat and wait for the service to begin, you look at the service folder in your hand.  There are four speakers.  The first is from your family, the second is a friend, the third is a co-work or neighbor, and the fourth is your pastor.

Now think deeply.  What would you like each of these speakers to say about you and your life?  What kind of husband, wife, father, or mother would you like their words to reflect?  What kind of son or daughter or cousin were you?  What kind of friend have you been?  What kind of worker or neighbor were you?  How would your pastor describe your Christian life?  How would those who know you best remember your relationship to them?  Bottom line: how would you like to be remembered when you die?  You will be thought of in definite terms. If you participated seriously in this exercise, you revealed some of your deep, fundamental values, principles, and beliefs.  (Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey).

Time is a gift from God, and, if Christians will begin each day with the end in mind, it could change lives.  Every day we live under God’s grace.  We live with the saving faith in Jesus Christ Who died and rose victoriously that we might live the abundant life as fruitful stewards of time.

Let me put it this way: To begin with the end in mind isn’t to be focused on “What will others think of me when I’m dead and gone?”  Rather, how differently would I use the time God has given to bear witness of His grace at work in my life?  When we consider how we will be remembered upon our death, it awakens our sense of urgency for living what I call a Christ-filled, fruitful life.

It means, I am connected to Christ as the true vine; I am one of the branches, so firmly connected as to take my life from Him, and to bear fruit.  “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).  Jesus is telling us that as branches we will bear fruit as long as we stay connected to Jesus, the Vine.  In order for us to be fruitful with the time God gives us, we need to stay connected to Jesus.  My time and life has meaning from beginning to end.  And even then, the end is only the beginning of all eternity.  In Christ, you will be fruitful stewards of time.

When people in their eighties were asked, “What would you do differently if you had life to live over?”  Their response was threefold: Risk more, reflect more, and leave a legacy (something that would last beyond their time here).

What did they mean by “risk more?” Gamble?  Invest more money in the Stock Market?  Live with reckless abandon?  Drive like there were no tomorrow?  (Some are doing this already!)

Rather, for the Christian doesn’t it mean using our time to boldly, confidently, and openly share the love of Christ, risking ridicule and rejection for the reward of eternal life for all who believe?  Doesn’t it mean using my time with a non-Christian to share Christ with him?  How about risking a relationship by using your (ultimately) limited time to share your faith.

“All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth” (Colossians 1:6).  It was because the early Christians were willing to risk it all for the sake of Christ that the church grew in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Reflect more. What does this mean?  It has a two-fold or dual meaning here.  To pause and think; to retrace the past; to stop and smell the roses; ponder; or reflect as the moon reflects the sun in the night sky, or a mirror reflects the image before it.  By the use of our time, we should reflect such a life filled with fruit that others would know decisively that we are Christians.  (“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Matthew 3:8).

We need to use our time to reflect on the richness of God’s grace revealed in His Word.  We need to use our time to reflect on the power and benefits of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and for living for all time and eternity.  AND, we need to be closer to Him Who is the Light of the world that we might more brilliantly reflect His light and love to the world, to others.  “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  Jesus doesn’t want us to hide our lights.  He wants the world to see His light shine through us.

Leave a lasting legacy. “Begin with the end in mind.”  Your use of time (how you prioritize and live your life) each day sends a powerful message to others regarding what you value the most.

Toward the end of the 19th century, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local newspaper.  It read:  “Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died yesterday, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and he died a very rich man.”  Actually, it was Alfred’s older brother who had died; a newspaper reporter had bungled the epitaph.  But the account had a profound effect on Nobel.  He decided he wanted to be known for something other than developing the means to kill people efficiently and for amassing a fortune in the process.

So he initiated the Nobel Prize, the award for scientists and writers who foster peace.  Nobel said, “Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one.”  Few things will change us as much as looking at our life as though it is finished.

There is a time for everything under heaven.  This is your time, a gift from God.  It is your appointed time.  For such a time as this the Lord has appointed you to live as a fruitful steward of the days and years He will give.  The Spirit is our powerful source of strength for living as fruitful stewards of time.  Begin with the end in mind, because the end is the beginning of forever with Jesus! Amen.

“Amid the world’s bleak wilderness a vineyard grows with promise green. The planting of the Lord, Himself”.

Dear Friends in Christ:

The liturgical color for the season of the church year following Pentecost is green.  Green is the color of growth and the theme of this season is the growth of the Christian in faith and in works of love.  As we draw closer to the end of the church year we ought to be realising that God expects us to grow in maturity of faith and that one day He will gather His harvest of believers home to himself in heaven.  This theme is reflected during the month of November with “All Saints Day” which reminds us of the harvest of souls already received into the heavenly granary.  The remaining Sundays in November will draw our attention to the end times and what God’s Word teaches about the last days. Already today we begin to think about some of these themes as remember and give thanks to God for all His blessings to us.

Our text draws us to consider the green vineyard which God has planted in the bleak wilderness of this world.  The hymn we just sang (spoke) vividly portrays this bleak wilderness.  In your mind you can picture a world that is forlorn and drab, hues of grey and brown — offering no promise of hope or life — a spiritual wasteland.  But then, as you survey this barren wilderness, your attention is caught by the most beautiful green speck of growth — the planting of the Lord, Himself.  It is a vineyard, and it is for rent — in need of loving and dedicated caretakers who will faithfully labor to bring in the most pleasing harvest.  Who will manage this property for the owner?  And what are the terms of the lease?

Before you hear the terms you must understand that this parcel is in excellent condition.  God is the owner and as owner He has invested much in its development.  He certainly did so for Israel in today’s Old Testament Lesson.  Listen to all the labor He invested:  “My love one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.  He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines.  He built a watch tower in it and cut out a wine press as well.”    Only a farmer on the prairies knows how much effort it takes to clear a field of stones.  Today there are mechanical “rock pickers”, but then it was by hand — hard, back-breaking labor.

God had invested much labor in His vineyard, Israel.  He made great promises to the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Mightily He rescued and delivered them from the Egyptians.  Lovingly He provided for them on their journey through the wilderness.  Eagerly He defeated their enemies and established them in the land He had promised to give them.  When they disobeyed and followed other gods, He sent prophets to confront them with their sin and to call them to return to Him in faith and obedience.   And in spite of their many sins of disobedience He eagerly, with a dear Father’s love,  forgave them when they repented.  Yes, God went to extraordinary lengths to put His vineyard in excellent condition.  He has done the same for us through the Gospel of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.  Through the Gospel He has called and gathered and preserved us as His own possession.

The treasure of the Gospel has been handed down from one generation to another until it finally has reached you today in your generation.  Through all these centuries God has taken care to guard and protect the true faith, defending it from error, raising up servants to witness to the truth even in the face of much opposition and hardship.  We think of such reformers of the church as Dr. Martin Luther who restored the Gospel as the heart and core of the Christian faith.  In many other ways God has taken significant steps to maintain His vineyard so that it will continue to provide life and salvation to this bleak and barren world.

This precious property, this fertile and promising vineyard He has now “rented out” to us.  We have become the custodians of His vineyard, the caretakers of His message of love and forgiveness of sins through the atonement of Christ.  He has entrusted it to us by His grace.  We didn’t deserve to be called, gathered, enlightened and sanctified.  By nature we belong out there in the bleak barrenness of the world, without hope and without God.  That’s what we deserved.  That was our birthright.  But by virtue of His great love and mercy He granted us life and salvation through the saving merits of Jesus Christ, and has now charged us with the great and awesome responsibility of managing His vineyard.

As tenants, God expects us to pay Him rent – but it is rent in kind.  As He has blessed us, so we are to be a blessing to others.  As He first loved us, so we are to love one another.  As the vine of faith grows in us, it will produce its fruits.  St. Paul tells us what those fruits of faith are:  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.    As we mature in faith, we will respond and produce those fruits for our Lord that He Himself first produced for us.  He forgave us, we forgive others.  He loved us, we love others.  He showed compassion and mercy, we also show compassion and mercy.  He reconciled us to God, we become reconciled to those with whom we are alienated.

Our fruit bearing is not a chore.  It is not a way to ingratiate ourselves with the owner.  It is not a payment for His gift of salvation.  It IS a spontaneous outpouring in response to the wonderful benefits which God first poured out upon us.

Now, in this relationship between the owner of the vineyard and the tenants certain difficulties are encountered.  God had difficulties with His renters in the past.  In His parable Jesus says:  “When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.  The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.  Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.”

Whenever God sent His prophets to Israel — to warn them, to call them to repentance, they were treated shamefully.  They were despised and rejected.  Their message was ignored.  Some were beat up and stoned, others were even killed for their attempts to call the people to true repentance.  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem”, Jesus once lamented.  “You who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

When God’s messengers told the people that God expected them to deal with others justly and mercifully and that He demanded good works in place of empty sacrifice, they were rejected.  The people would not heed their warning that a day of accounting would soon come — the day when the owner would himself return to receive his harvest.

Finally, in hopes that they would listen, the owner sends His own Son.  But they even kill the Son.  “This is the heir”, they said.  “Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.”  So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.  How clear and to the point Jesus is in predicting His own rejection by the Jewish leaders who were responsible for taking care of the vineyard of Israel.  The heavenly Father had sent His own Son from all eternity to proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of sins.  But they plotted against Him and crucified Him.

Yes, God had difficulties with his renters.  He still has difficulties with His renters today.  He has difficulty with us (1) when we fail to love His mission to the world.  He wants us to work earnestly at transforming this world’s bleak wilderness by the power of the Gospel into His kingdom of grace.  But often we don’t catch the vision and we’re not willing to pay the price.  When we are too concerned about satisfying our own needs and desires, we fail to have that great desire and purpose for which He has called us.  He wants us to work the vineyard — to expand its borders, to transform the bleakness and darkness of this world with the light and joy of His salvation.   Where people are despairing He wants us to bring them hope.  Where they see only death, He wants us to show them life.

He has difficulty with us when (2) we fail to love God’s people.  They are victims of the wilderness of sin and its devastations. The world uses them, abuses them and throws them away as worthless.  We have the life-giving treasure of forgiveness and peace with God to offer them.  We have the very Son of God to give them.  For God loved them so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.  We know that God loves people that much — the Bible tells us so.   But when WE fail to love them enough to tell them about their Savior, then we are not the tenants God wants working in His vineyard.  In view of these difficulties, the Owner of the vineyard takes action.  And the first action He takes doesn’t seem like action at all.  It seems like inactivity.  The Owner of the Vineyard acts with great PATIENCE and RESTRAINT.

God kept on sending His servants, the prophets, to Israel.  He sent major prophets like Elijah and Elisha and Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  And He sent minor prophets like Amos and Hosea and Micah and Malachai, and many others.  Through those servants He dealt lovingly and patiently with the rebel tenants.  We would have reacted differently.  If we had been the owner we would have responded with anger and vengeance.  But God kept on sending Prophets to warn and restore the people.  So great was His love for them that He would not let them go.  He even went so far as to send His only Son.  Through Christ’s death God atoned for the tenants’ selfishness and for ours.  To what great lengths God went to demonstrate His love and patience.

And He is still dealing patiently with us.  Even though we do not always love His mission and though frequently we fail to show love to His people, He is still dealing patiently with us, giving us time to bring forth the fruits of faith.  He keeps on loving us and forgiving us and seeking our love — the produce and harvest of faith.  But God’s patience does have a limit.  When the Jews rejected Christ, God gave the vineyard to the gentiles.  The Gospel message, the promises and power of God was given to other tenants — the Christian Church.  There is a great warning here for us who have been brought into the Vineyard by God’s grace.  “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”  If we reject Christ, the Gospel will be taken from us and given to others.

The Vineyard is God’s.  He can give it to the tenants He chooses.  And He can take it away from those who despise or neglect it.  God’s sign is still out:  Vineyard for rent.  The terms are as generous as they can be.  What a privilege to be a tenant in God’s vineyard and to bring Him the Fruits of His harvest!  True thanksgiving is to be faithful workers in God’s vineyard, laboring all our life long to bring in a harvest of thanksgiving to our faithful God. Let us do so with great joy as faithful tenants of His Vineyard.  In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.