The Text: John 1:29-42

If you were told there is a treasure chest buried in the sand of a beach on the west side of an island, and if you find it you can have it, would you sign up? 

It is the same with God. We can search for God in a hundred different ways, and go through all kinds of odd and even dangerous experiences and never find Him. In fact, those who search for God, not knowing who He is, usually never find Him. They endlessly chase after false gods. What those searching for God need is someone who knows God to bring them to Him.

The reality is that we find God when He finds us. We find God when He speaks to us. His voice usually comes from a family member or friend who tells us about Jesus. Someone who knows the love of God, who has been changed by His compassion and grace. One whom God has made His very own, and they want others to know Him also. In most cases it is believers who bring their children, their family, and their friends to Jesus to hear Him speak with truth and with power.

That’s the pattern we see in the Bible. A Jewish servant girl tells Naaman about the prophet of the Lord who could heal him, and he was cleansed of his skin disease (2 Kings 5). Four friends carry their crippled mate on a mattress to Jesus, and he was cured and made whole (Mk 2:1-12). Philip speaks with the Ethiopian about Jesus, and he was baptised (Acts 8:26-39). Believers bring those needing God’s grace to Jesus, and He heals, and raises up and gives life.

The Gospel reading for today tells a similar story. One day John the Baptist was standing with two of his disciples and Jesus walks by. John points out the Messiah to them saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” John brought them to Jesus by showing them who Jesus is and immediately they left John and became disciples of Christ.

This was not the first time they had heard of Jesus. John’s ministry was to reveal Christ to the nation of Israel. The willingness of John’s disciples to leave him and follow Jesus shows how well he did his work. Having heard of Christ’s coming they believed in Him who they had not seen, and at the first opportunity they leave everything to follow Him.

Christ turned to His new disciples and asked them what they were seeking. What they were searching for was the Messiah, and the opportunity to sit at the great Teacher’s feet, and learn more about the kingdom of God. They didn’t just want to know who Jesus is, they want to know all about Him, and how He was going to fulfil the Scriptures and bring God’s promises to fulfilment. They were hungry to hear His words. If He is the Son of God and Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, then they want Him to take away their sins and give them His life.

Jesus invites them saying, “Come and you will see.” Has a greater invitation ever been given? Jesus grants an open invitation to join Him, to stay with Him and learn from Him. This is the best “access all areas” invitation ever issued. And so, the two disciples left John and followed Jesus.

The day was late, about 4pm, and the two men should have gone home, but they cannot stop listening to Jesus. They soak up His every word, until late in the evening and probably stayed the night with Him. After hearing Christ’s words of life and grace, one of the disciples, Andrew, raced out early the next morning to tell his brother about Jesus. Andrew wants his brother to know that the One they had been searching for, has come to them and invited them to stay with Him. He says to his brother, “We have found the Messiah”… and He brought [his brother] to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

An encounter with Jesus is life changing. For John the Baptist it meant the Son of God had descended and taken on human flesh to be the sacrifice for all sins. For Andrew, meeting Christ meant the long-promised Messiah had come. For Simon it meant a change of name and a change of life direction.

Jesus’ three new disciples – Andrew, Peter and the third is probably John the Gospel writer – did not find God by their own efforts, they were brought to Him by those who knew Him. Before they met Jesus, they had heard His words from the lips of a close friend that prepared their hearts to meet Him, and trust in Him as their Lord and Saviour.

Many of us come to know Jesus through our parents. We hear the words of the Bible and their prayers, even in the womb. Then they bring us to the place where He is found, where His Word works with power. They bring us to Baptism to meet with Jesus and hear His gracious words.

Children are brought to Jesus because Christian parents know that no matter how cute their baby is, every child is born a sinner. They know that without bringing their child to God they will never find Him on their own. The sinful nature we are born with, sometimes called the Old Adam, leads us away from God. The Old Adam rejects God and leads us away from His love and into sin and on to death.

Godly parents know the little ones God has blessed them with will one day die and have to stand before the judgement seat of God, and no matter how good they have lived their life, they will never have God’s approval without the forgiveness and pardon of Jesus upon them.

The psalm for today describes the life of the sinner without God as, a miry bog, a pit of destruction, from which we cannot escape (Ps 40:2). But we have a rescuer who has drawn us up from the pit of sin, death and hell, and set out feet upon a rock (Ps 40:2). Our rescuer is Jesus. He bled to save us. The forgiveness He won on the cross is what God gives in Baptism. Christ’s perfect righteousness is placed on us as a gift. This is why Christ commands us all, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 19:14). 

We encounter Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism through water and His Word. Christ speaks to forgive sins, to cleanse sinners, to grant His Holy Spirit, to make us holy and alive in Him, to adopt us into God’s family and grant us the certain promise of salvation.

In Baptism, you were born again a child of God. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Cor 5:17). Your identity and your life is found in Christ. You are now disciples of Jesus, followers of Him who has overcome sin by His dying and defeated death by rising on the third day. You confess the name of the true God in whose name you were baptised into: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Our Triune God gives us peace that lasts even in the hardest of times. Only Christ on the cross takes away your sin and guilt. Only Christ raised from the dead to never die again gives us hope for the future. Real joy is found in knowing that Christ went through death to win salvation for you, and He gives it to us as a free gift. No charge or payment required. Simply trust in Him who you have been brought to and who has shown Himself to be our Rock, your life and our salvation.

John the Baptist came to reveal Christ and His salvation to Israel. John told two of his disciples about Jesus and they became His disciples. One of those disciples was Andrew, who brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus. And so, through human history we see the Church grow by believers bringing others to Jesus, by inviting them to come and meet the Saviour. The best evangelism happens one on one when a child of God shares the joy they have from knowing God’s grace and compassion in Christ, with those who seek His blessings.

I want to leave you with a couple of question to ponder. 1) Who, among those you have brought to Jesus can you encourage in their faith walk this week? And who can you bring to Jesus in prayer, as well as in your loving words and actions, so they can one day meet their Saviour and Lord? 

Even before saying a word about the love God has for all people, we can bring others to Jesus in prayer. This prepares us to speak the Gospel to them and prepares their heart to trust in Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Amen

Let’s pray. Gracious Father, You have poured into our hearts the true Light of the World. Grant that the light of Christ would shine forth from our lives into the lives of those around us, that they too may know Your saving love. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

 

The Texts: Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-17

 John the Baptist is known as a preacher of repentance. Proclaiming the Law of God he accused the people and convicted them of being sinners. Then, John’s cousin Jesus entered the waters of the Jordan and asked John to baptise him. In the presence of perfection, John felt the accusation of the Law. He needed cleansing from his sins and tells Jesus, “I need to be baptised by You, and do you come to me?”

John not only knew Jesus was holy and righteous, but that He come to remove sins. Early, John saw Christ on the banks of the river and confessed, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (Jn 1:29). John is the sinner needing forgiveness, and yet Christ asks a sinner to baptise Him, the Holy One of God.

What a surprise this was for John. What a surprise this is for us! What is going on here? Why did Jesus seek John’s baptism? Our Lord answers John’s protests, saying, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Only the God/man Jesus could fulfil God’s requirements to be our Saviour. That is why He was sent. Christ alone is holy and sinless and only He can keep God’s Law to perfection. Not you or me or anyone else.

We miserably fail God’s test for righteousness. First of all, we are born a sinner. Before we have had the chance to act in sinful ways we are marked as a transgressor of the Law. The older we get the more we sin. Despite our best efforts to improve we cannot save ourselves. Our words and actions do not recommend us; they condemn us. Eternal death is what we all deserve from birth.

Not Jesus. He is righteous from eternity. He is the Word made flesh (Jn 1:14). The only Son of God (Jn 3:16). Everything Jesus did and everything He went through was done for our salvation. At His circumcision He first bled to fulfil the Law for us. In the temple as a boy Jesus worshipped the heavenly Father, showing us what true devotion to God’s preached Word looks like, a Word He would one day fulfil in His cross and rising again.

According to the requirements of the Law Jesus was without sin. He had no need of a baptism of repentance. Yet He chose to identify Himself with the sinners He came to save. He didn’t put Himself above us, although He could have. He entered the Jordan in the place of you and me. Christ repented on behalf of us all, that we might turn to the Father, seek His mercy and be saved.

Standing with us in the Jordan, Christ placed Himself under the Father’s judgment. He is baptised by John and the Father’s verdict is clear, “This is My beloved Son, with who I am well pleased.”

The Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove. Not that Christ was ever without the Spirit. He is eternally one with the Spirit and the Father. But the Spirit’s descent reveals to the world Jesus is anointed by God to be the Messiah, because He is from God. Christ is an Epiphany. He is God among us to save us.

At Jesus’ baptism, the Father’s approving words and the Spirit’s descent upon Him marked the beginning of His earthly ministry. He preached and taught about the kingdom of God, called all people to repentance, and performed many miracles, showing Himself again to be the Saviour He was born and anointed to be. 

Jesus was not transformed by His baptism; it only revealed Him to be the long-promised Messiah. By His baptism He transformed the waters of Baptism, so that everyone baptised in His name is washed clean of their sins and born again a child of God with the hope of heaven. Jesus didn’t need His sins washed away. He made the waters of Baptism a washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Ti 3:5).

Baptism transforms us. It makes us a new creation, the old has passed away, behold the new has come (2 Cor 5:17). Baptism takes away the old Adam, drowning him and all sins that lead us away from God and into death. Then by the grace of God we are made alive, re-born a new creature, a child of God. We are born again as saints, with the Spirit of God living in us to lead us to keep the Law, to do good works and finally to bring us to life everlasting.

Baptism is the Gospel. It is a physical acting out of the Good News. It is a means of grace so that we would not rely on our faith or our decision to know that we are saved. Rather, we are to trust in God’s Word spoken and poured over us to know that we are the beloved children of God.

As Jesus stood in the waters of the River Jordan in the place of all people, so He is present in the waters of Baptism to transform us from objects of wrath to the holy ones of God. He is there by the power of His Word that commands Baptism and grants the gifts of forgiveness, adoption and life.

At Jesus’ baptism the three persons of the Holy Trinity are present: Father, Son and Spirit. God is present in all His holiness at your Baptism too. He is not there as a bystander to watch the proceedings, but to work through water and Word to give you new birth. Christ pours the benefits of His death and resurrection over you, the Spirit opens your ears to hear the Word of the Gospel, and the Father declares for heaven and earth to hear “You are now My beloved child; with you I am well pleased.”

The water of Baptism has power to do all this because God Himself enters that water by His Word, making it a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit (Small Catechism, Baptism, Third Part). This is why Baptism takes away sin, destroys death and every evil and opens the gates of heaven for us.

Jesus gives us His identity in Baptism so that we are re-made like Him: blessed, righteous and innocent. Baptism sanctifies us; it makes us holy and pleasing to the Father as if we had always been His first born. The opening of heaven at Jesus’ baptism means that it will forever be open to all those who enter the healing waters and trust in the power of God’s Word to cleanse and save, to make us holy and give us a future with Him.

Later in His life Jesus would face a baptism of a different kind. He said to His disciples, “I have a baptism to be baptised with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished” (Lk 12:50). The baptism He refers to is the baptism of suffering and death on the cross of Golgotha.

Like His circumcision and baptism, Christ didn’t die for His own sins. He died for ours. By the wood of the cross Jesus bought our salvation. His Holy blood transformed a symbol of torture for the Roman Empire, into the symbol of grace and peace in the kingdom of God. The nails of crucifixion become the keys by which the gates of heaven are opened. His wounds the price of forgiveness; His cries to the Father were His intercessions for us; His dying the death we deserve; His resurrection our assurance for life after death. 

The forgiveness, the life, the peace and the grace Christ earned on the cross and by His resurrection are given to you in Baptism. God transforms you in Baptism through the power of His Word and Spirit. Jesus’ words spoken in Baptism transform ordinary water that could be used in the garden or kitchen, into a cleansing water that takes away sins and gives life and salvation. God’s grace is given in full to all who are touched by those healing waters, but it is only of benefit to those trust God’s Word.

Jesus’ baptism announced the beginning of His earthly ministry. Your Baptism has begun your journey of faith in Christ from the font of salvation to your heavenly home. Your Baptism transformed you from nobody to a child of God. Never despise it, but look on it as the new beginning, as the most wonderful day in your life. The day you were saved. The day you were born again to eternal life. The day when you were made part of God’s holy family.

Go and live out your Baptism and the grace you were given that day. Let the words of God spoken over you that day never leave your heart. Never forget who God has transformed you to be and give Him thanks and praise Him for the gift of forgiveness and salvation made yours in Baptism. Praise Him by doing good works in His name that the world may know God’s saving grace: earned by Christ on the cross and granted to sinners in the waters of Baptism. Amen.

Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, as You revealed Jesus to be Your Son at His baptism, so You have made us Your children in our Baptism. Keep us trusting in Your Word that we may daily turn to our Baptism, see the grace You have poured into our lives and praise You for saving us. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The Text: Luke 6:27-36

 

A few years ago Matt Corby’s local Subway restaurant in Perth was caught short…literally. Matt measured the sandwich he bought, advertised as a “foot-long,” and found it stopped at 11 inches. After Matt posted a photo of the sandwich next to a tape measure on Subway’s Facebook page, his photo went viral. The Facebook page was flooded with thousands of angry customers demanding to know why the sub didn’t measure up. Who would think 25 millimetres of missing bread could cause such a furore!

Across the other side of the world, two men in New Jersey saw Matt’s Facebook post and decided to sue the company because their foot-long sandwiches also allegedly fell an inch short. Their lawyer, Stephen DeNittis, said: “The case is about holding companies to deliver what they’ve promised.”¹ The two men from New Jersey represented a huge class action against Subway―all persons in the United States who purchased a 6-inch or Foot-long sandwich at a Subway restaurant between January 1st, 2003 and October 2nd, 2015. The class action alleged that sandwiches sold by the Subway restaurant franchise:

“…sometimes fell short of the chain’s “foot-long” marketing claims. But there was no dispute that the actual weight of the dough and the amount of ingredients was, in fact, uniform for each sandwich; and even the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit conceded that the exact length of the sandwiches didn’t affect their purchases or change their future plans to eat at Subway.²

What was the result? The class action against Subway was successful and the court approved a $US 525,000 settlement. But every cent of that amount ended up with the lawyers, reimbursing their legal fees. The people they represented didn’t get anything. So then the US Centre for Class Action Fairness filed an appeal…and to cut a long story short, the appeal ended up being dismissed.

This is all a bit of food for thought, if you’ll pardon the pun, and I found the argument of those bringing the action against Subway a bit hard to swallow. Big business does need to be accountable―but this wasn’t about a failure to meet minimum working standards or a breach of health and hygiene in food preparation. We’re talking about 25 millimetres of missing bread. Did that really warrant a tirade of over 130,000 Facebook posts—the trial by social media where everyone has a right to say whatever they want to in the name of freedom of speech, no matter how or defamatory—and the subsequent legal action resulting in over half a million dollars?

The plaintiffs’ own admissions that this wouldn’t stop them visiting Subway stores in the future says this was more about individuals defining what their rights are and enforcing them at all costs without thinking through how that might impact others around them.

The Subway saga is just one instance of today’s culture exalting ‘the great me’. Yet some 2,000 years ago, Jesus addressed the same issue, with his words in today’s Gospel reading. With a series of short statements in his ‘Sermon on the mount’, Jesus gives his audience a pattern of life that is radically distinct form the world’s way of insisting on our rights and getting even, and making our others pay for their transgressions. They are to bless those who curse them, pray for those who mistreat them. If someone slaps them on one cheek, they are to turn to them the other also. If someone takes their coat, they are not withhold their shirt from them. They are to do good to those who hate them. They are to be merciful just as their Heavenly Father is merciful.

This pattern for living that Jesus gives is not in order to earn special blessing from God. It is the pattern of life for those who are already blessed; those who are children of their Father in heaven, not children of the world, and this pattern mirrors God’s own merciful, self-giving love. With what Jesus calls the disciples to do―turn the other cheek to be slapped, or giving their overcoat as well as their shirt, or being compelled to walk with a heavy load for two miles rather than one (Roman miles at that; nearly 5 kilometres each), lending to those who cannot repay, loving one’s enemies and praying for those who persecute them―Jesus is not saying that his people should become doormats to be trampled all over.

But Jesus is giving a visualisation of how radically different from the self-centred world their lives are to be. They are not to be self-absorbed as the world is and insist on their rights while sacrificing the good of others at the altar of the self. They are not to give only if they can get something in return. They are not to breathe hatred, bear grudges, place conditions on forgiveness, or seek revenge and pursue litigation if their sandwich isn’t quite right. But they are to love all people and be merciful just like their Heavenly Father. They are even to love their enemies, Jesus says.

And so are we.

Now surely that can’t be right?! We love those who love us, the ‘good’ people like ourselves. But surely not our enemies! Why would Jesus say that? If we were God, we would wipe evil out, right?

But what behaviour would be evil enough to stir us to take action? What standard, or benchmark would we use? Really big stuff, like drug trafficking, prostitution and terrorism would be fairly straight forward. Or would it? Would keeping the wrong amount of change mistakenly given to us be deplored as quickly as robbery, tax avoidance and embezzling church funds? If people did not get hurt would something that was wrong change to being OK? Would we be quick to condemn genocide, yet be more permissive about legalising abortion? Would situations, or our needs, determine what was right or wrong? What kind of behaviours would even determine who our enemies were anyway?

We would all most likely have different morals and tolerances towards evil and what is acceptable—and that is the issue. Only God’s standard is universally consistent. He gave us his commandments, to show us what his will is for our relationship with himself and others, and to curb and restrain hurt and wrongdoing. Yet the chilling shock for us is that when we reflect on the commandments we come to the realisation that the end to evil we wish for would leave none of us standing. Even the worst atrocities we witness on the news begin with a hurtful attitude, a selfish thought; attitudes and thoughts which none of us are exempt from.

Jesus says today “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” We can’t do that ourselves, for the problem of the ‘great me’ is part of our natural human condition ever since Adam and Eve listened to Satan’s temptation to distrust God’s word and want their own way. “Did God really say?” the serpent hissed, and they fell for the serpent’s lie, seeds, core and all. Ever since then we have all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

In today’s text, Jesus is addressing his disciples…and you, his disciples of today. By ‘enemies’ Jesus means enemies of the church; those who reject Christ by persecuting and rejecting his people and his message they bring. They are whoever refuses to listen to God or worship him. The Apostle Paul explains that, because of sin, in our natural state we are all enemies of God, hostile to him (Romans 5:10 and 8:7). The problem is that in our enthusiasm to wipe out evil by hating our enemies rather than loving them, we place ourselves under the same sentence, for none of us can perfectly fulfil God’s law.

When we determine who is worthy of our love and mercy and forgiveness and to whom we should turn the other cheek or go the extra mile with―we in effect are saying to God that when we fail and fall short we should be judged by the same standards: ‘Refuse to forgive our sins as we refuse to forgive others” or “Place limits and conditions on your mercy to us as we place limits and conditions on showing mercy to others.” That’s not a good place to be for we have just passed the same judgment on ourselves. When we refuse to love our enemies, seeking revenge and retaliation; getting even with our offenders and insisting on our rights, we are only treating them the way the world does.

But God did not try to get even with us and make us pay. It was while we were sinners; while we were enemies of God, that God not only loaned to us—we who have nothing to repay him with—but opened the storehouses of heaven and poured out the treasure trove of his riches for us, sending his own Son into the world.

This is how God showed his mercy to us. It was Christ who came all the way from heaven to earth for you, to perfectly fulfil the law for us. Although he was completely innocent and righteous, he walked to the Cross to take our place, receiving the punishment for evil and sin that we deserved. It was Christ who was persecuted for us. He turned the other cheek when he was struck and slapped before the High Priest, he was forced to walk the extra mile to Golgotha and bear the crushing burden of the sin of the world upon his shoulders. Jesus came to reconcile the world―even those most wretched criminals, the least deserving―to his Father in Heaven by his precious blood.

Through faith in Jesus, we are no longer enemies of God but his friends. Even more, united to Christ and his own death and resurrection in baptism, Jesus’ Father is now our Father who loves us perfectly and calls us his own dear children. He has washed us and given us his forgiveness, freedom and fullness of life through faith in Christ. We receive Jesus’ own righteousness so that even though we can’t be perfect, our Heavenly Father says you have lived as perfectly as Jesus himself. God gives to us and does for us what we are powerless to do ourselves. He plunges the ‘great me’ into our baptism each day to be drowned. Then we shift from ‘my will be done’ to ‘Thy will be done’—and really mean it.

We are really free―not as the world defines freedom, but as God does. Jesus has made the way for us to overcome evil with good and to sacrifice self for the good of others by showing mercy to others.

He has freed us to die to ourselves and with it the human desire to get even, and make those who wrong us pay.

He has freed us to pray for our enemies rather than curse them.

He has freed us to welcome those who are not our brothers and sisters.

He has freed us to really love, not just a shallow reciprocal love like the world, showing care if we can get something in return, but loving with the merciful love of Christ, even to our enemies, just as God has first loved us and still shows us his mercy each day.  

And so living out our baptism each day is a life which focuses on the extra mile rather than the missing inch―for it is a life redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, freed by God’s own mercy, and shaped by his love. Amen.

The Text: Luke 6:20-31  

                                                           

Looking at his disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you…”

How blessed am I! How blessed are we! Have you ever made such an observation before? Have you found yourself in a situation where you feel truly and deeply blessed?

There are any number of circumstances that occur on a daily basis where we could make this observation. We probably don’t say it or think it enough. 

We could all say it in response to a good harvest or as we consider the abundance of good things that come under the umbrella of ‘our daily bread’. We can feel blessed to have good health, blessed to have a job, a roof over our heads, family and friends, a certain quality of life and on and on the list could go.

In our Christian context we of course include God when it comes to our understanding of being blessed. To receive God’s blessing means to have his favour upon us. We even include a blessing at the conclusion of every worship service to bring God’s blessing to us. It is such a blessing to be blessed, to feel blessed…until of course you don’t: until you don’t feel it; until you don’t think you are!

Every reason you can think of for being blessed has its opposite. What about when there is no harvest and has been no significant harvest for a number of years in succession? What about when your health is failing or when your relationships are breaking? What about when the roof over your head is no longer affordable or when your income is no longer reliable? What about when the blessings of life are torn away through death? 

If a number of things have gone wrong for you, when the bad news comes in threes and sometimes even more, then you might be hard pressed to consider yourself blessed. At such times you can start to doubt that you have God’s favour. You can feel as though you have earned God’s displeasure for something you have done or failed to do. You might even wonder what you have to do to get him on side again.

It is natural to think this way. But when it comes to God’s blessings we are not meant to think in terms of what is natural. The normal/natural rules don’t apply. You only need to listen to the teaching of Jesus in our Gospel reading from Luke to see that!

This bracket of teaching is similar to the beatitudes in Matthew 5 that Jesus included in his sermon on the mount. In Luke’s version Jesus is on a plain (6:17), but as with the Matthew account there is a large crowd of people who have gathered to hear him.

You can imagine there would have been people from all walks of life who were listening to Jesus that day. There would have been the rich and the poor, the young and the old, males and females. Some had come to be healed of their diseases; others were troubled by evil spirits (v18-19). All of these people would have heard the same teaching of Jesus – but I imagine they would have received in completely different ways. The same is true for us as we hear it. So what did they hear? What do we hear? We hear a radically different take on life, a radically different take on what it means to be blessed in life.

Jesus said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man’.

Jesus connects blessing with precisely the opposite things we would. How blessed do you feel when you are poor, hungry, sad or oppressed?

As the crowd listened to Jesus that day there would have been those who were in one or more of those situations. Surely some might have been angry or, at the very least, annoyed at these words. Try telling someone who is suffering that ‘she’ll be right – it will all work out in the end’, and see what response you get.

But others would have taken comfort from them. If you are poor or down-trodden with limited prospects of improving your lot in life, then these words appear to offer hope. The assurance that things will work out in the end, the promise of eternal life, has brought many people comfort during grief and other trials.

But Jesus didn’t stop there. His topsy-turvy definition of blessing has a flip-side that could create even more issues for certain sections of his audience, us included. For he continued: “…woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets” (v24-26).

How might these words have been received? The downtrodden and poor probably liked them. There might be some consolation for the disadvantaged in hearing Jesus take a swipe at the rich, promising that they would get their just desserts.

But anyone who was well off, or even just content in life, could have been confused, challenged, angered or unsettled by these words. Many of us probably fit into the ‘well-off’ category, don’t we? We are wealthy in comparison to others in the world. We are well fed. We laugh. Is it so wrong to receive comfort from some of the pleasures of life? Is it wrong to have sufficient food on the table, to have laughter in your life and to have a good reputation among others?

It can be hard to get to the bottom of the message Jesus is trying to convey here. But at the heart of it is the way Jesus challenges our natural understanding of what it means to be blessed. If you simply conclude from this teaching that Jesus is talking about future blessings, then you have missed the point of it.

Yes, there will be a day of reckoning at a time to be determined. We confess that Jesus ‘will come again to judge the living and the dead’. As to how he is going to sort out everything so that justice can be done on the one hand and mercy exercised on the other, is up to him to work out. That is why he has the job of Lord, not us.

But this teaching is primarily about understanding what it means to be blessed here and now. Listen to the opening line of Jesus’ teaching again: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God’. This teaching on blessing was not about a future reality but a present one – ‘yours is the kingdom of God’.

This went against everything that was ingrained in them. Wealth and health and happiness were seen as signs of God’s favour. Poverty and sickness and misfortune were seen as signs of God’s displeasure. Thankfully we are not so simplistic or superstitious in our understanding these days. Or are we?

The connection between what we have and how blessed we feel is still very much ingrained in us – as is the understanding that bad things shouldn’t really happen to God’s good, blessed people. It is ingrained so deep that Jesus had to use this provocative, in your face, teaching to try and draw it out. He made it very clear that our level of blessing is not dependent on circumstances: ‘blessed are you who are poor – woe to you who are rich: blessed are you who hunger – woe to you who are well-fed: blessed are you who weep – woe to you who laugh’.  

Wealth and health and popularity do not signify that a person is blessed, even though they might feel it. Poverty and sickness and oppression do not signify that a person is cursed, even though they may feel it. It is not circumstances that determine whether or not a person is blessed or cursed. God alone determines this!

And thank God for that! This means that a run of misfortune in your life does not affect your blessed status in God’s eyes one bit. Another way we could translate this teaching of Jesus is to say: ‘even if you are poor or hungry or sad or persecuted you are still very much blessed, because you belong to the kingdom of God’.    

We could also translate the flip-side in a slightly different way, as a warning: ‘if your wealth, provisions, happiness and popularity are coming between you and the things of God’s kingdom, then you could be living in a fool’s paradise that will come crashing down’. 

Being blessed is not about what we have. It is about who we are! We are God’s children. We are members of his family. We had nothing of worth to offer God in order to secure a place in his family. It has come about purely through his actions of grace. And that makes us truly, richly and fully blessed – already now and also in the future. Wealth and health and reputation can all be taken away – but ‘nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 8:39).

With this definition and understanding of what it means to be blessed, it transforms the way we see and live our lives. Irrespective of our own circumstances, irrespective of how much or how little we think we might have, we can still be a blessing. When you know that no one can take away God’s blessing from your life you are suddenly free to be a blessing in so many ways. A miraculous healing can bear witness to the grace and power of God. But a believer who trusts in God, even in the midst of their suffering and grief and pain, can also be a powerful witness.  

The normal rules don’t apply anymore because there are no limits to the way God’s grace is received by us and no limits to the way it can flow through us. So regardless of whether we are rich or poor, well-fed or hungry, happy or sad, respected or oppressed, we can show the world through our faith, hope and love what it means to be truly, richly and fully blessed by God! Amen.    

Luke 5:1-11

 Do you have a favourite food to eat? In the times of Jesus, fish was most commonly eaten. There were many boats on the Lake of Gennesaret trying to catch fish during the night when the fish came closer to the surface of the water. Fish were even exported to Rome. The opening letters in the Greek word fish (ICTHUS) were used to symbolise what was central to the Christian Faith: Jesus Christ, God’s Own Saviour”. Boats were seen as symbols for the Christian community, the Christian Church.

It’s fascinating to watch people catch fish from a jetty. We can’t help but admire their dedication, patience and persistence. I wonder if this doesn’t have something to do with Jesus calling fishing folk to become His full-time disciples. Just before this event, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. Now Jesus is preaching at the lakeside, where a great crowd has come to hear Him speak God’s Word to them. He hops onto Peter’s boat and continues teaching from it so the people crowded around them can hear Him better.

Jesus is especially keen to make an impact on Peter, so after His preaching, He asks Peter to go out into deeper waters and let his nets down for a catch. Peter shows a bit of reluctance initially, because they had caught nothing all night, but ends up obeying Jesus and discovering what a blessing it is to obey our Lord. In today’s Gospel we see how Jesus calls the most unlikely and most unexpected of people to assist Him in the most important work in the world. Our Lord does His best work through those who have no tickets on themselves, those who are initially reluctant to serve Him because they feel not up to the task. Jesus can do wonders through such folk because they, in their humility, depend on Christ from start to finish. Jesus values those who come to Him only too aware of their failures and faults.

Jesus enters the workplace of Peter and his fellow fishermen, just when they’d been unsuccessful in their daily work. It’s there that He finally gets through to Peter and changes his life forever. When Jesus has finished preaching, he asks Peter to resume his work. Will you also do what Jesus wants you to do once today’s sermon is finished? Jesus asks Peter to do something contrary to regular practice. Now Peter often puts his foot in his mouth and speaks without thinking. He responds to Jesus’ request, saying, “Master, we have worked all night long, but caught nothing. Yet, if You say so, I will let down the nets.” Peter is no doubt tired from a night of unsuccessful fishing and is unsure about what to do. Who can blame him? Sometimes Jesus asks us to do something for Him when we feel too tired to do it. But when Jesus wants us to do something for Him He will provide us with the energy needed to obey Him.

Miracles often occur when someone takes Jesus at His Word and obeys Him. Taking on board our Lord’s agenda for our lives becomes a privilege rather than an interruption, the privilege of winning followers for Jesus among the people around us, and a privilege that creates persistence. Monica, the mother of Saint Augustine prayed for the conversion of her son for 30 years before her prayers were answered and he became Saint Augustine, the greatest biblical scholar who lived between New Testament times and the time of Martin Luther.  

Peter and his fishing friends experience the greatest catch of fish ever. They’re overwhelmed, not just at the catch of fish, but more so at discovering who Jesus is. Jesus isn’t just another teacher or preacher. Rather, He is the Lord of everyone, worthy of our wholehearted, lifelong loyalty and devotion. Peter, instead of being filled with immense joy and happiness at his good fortune, is overwhelmed with his own unworthiness and sinfulness. He feels he doesn’t deserve Jesus’ bountiful goodness and generosity. He feels all he can do is to kneel at Jesus’ feet and say, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Peter feels he is in God’s presence, full of regret for his failure to do what God expects of him.

Peter now realises that Jesus, the Son of God, treats him so much better than he deserves. Jesus is delighted with Peter’s confession and instead of rejecting him, calls him into lifelong service. We too are never more pleasing to our Lord than when we confess to Him our own unworthiness and feelings of inadequacy. He then welcomes us with open arms and helps us do things for Him that we never thought possible before. With Christ as part of our daily lives, we can do so much more than we could ever do on our own.

Jesus also says to us, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching people alive”, that is, bringing them into close connection with Christ Himself, so that He can bestow on them life abundant, life that’s a joyful foretaste of eternity.

Above all, our Lord is seeking teachable people of all ages, people who never want to stop learning more about Him. That’s why He called Peter to follow Him. Peter becomes someone who is never satisfied with what he knows about Jesus so far. He wants to know all he can about Jesus, asking more questions of Jesus than does anyone else in all our four Gospels. Luther says, “God’s Word is a beautiful flower, the longer I have to enjoy it the better.” In the Book of Acts we see how Peter grew in his knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. For all Peter’s weaknesses, Jesus calls him to be His lifelong apostle because He sees Peter as He sees us, in terms of our future potential.

It’s so exciting to think that our best days of serving our Saviour may still be ahead of us. To encourage us, we’re assured that whatever we do for our Lord will never be in vain. Jesus reassures us that our service for Him will bear fruit beyond what we may see in our lifetime. Our best way forward is simply to serve Him faithfully day by day, week by week. It’s a contradiction is terms, is it not, to be a Christian and yet not serve Christ as best we can.

The story of the Fishless Fishing Folk illustrates this:

There were fishing folk who lived by a big lake full of fish.

They met regularly and spoke of their call to fish. They defined what fishing means and what were the best fish to catch.

They built beautiful places called “Fishing Centres”, where everyone was encouraged to go out into the lake and fish.

One thing they never did, though, was to go and catch any fish.

They appointed boards of enquiry to find out why this was so. The thick reports of these boards took lots of time to study and make recommendations.

Some folk felt their job was to relate to the fish in a good way so that the fish would know the difference between good and bad fishermen.

After a meeting on “The Necessity for Fishing”, one young person went fishing and caught two outstanding fish. He was honoured for his catch and, as a result, quit fishing to tell others of his experience.

They were all shocked when someone asked one day: “Is a person a fisherman if he or she never goes fishing?”

Don’t let this be true of you. Today or tomorrow, pray for the conversion or return to God of one of your friends or family members who has wandered away from Him. Ask God to give them a living, active faith in Jesus. And pray, “Revive Your Church, O Lord, beginning with me.”

Amen.

The Text: Luke 4:21-30  

Today Luke brings us back to the synagogue at Nazareth where we visited last week, to hear the amazing touring preacher, Jesus. Reports have circulated about him throughout the whole region and people who heard about the miracles he has performed in Capernaum have flocked to listen. The atmosphere is bubbling with anticipation and as you look forward intently, you can see Jesus step up to the lectern. A few people make shushing noises and the excited chatter of the crowd suddenly dissipates as the synagogue attendant hands Jesus the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. Jesus reads from chapter 61:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor, He has sent me to preach deliverance to the captives and that the blind will receive their sight to free those who are oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

Everyone leans forward on the edge of the stone benches they are sitting on and every pair of eyes is glued on Jesus. Without any fuss, he rolls up the scroll, hands it back to the synagogue ruler, and sits down. Then Jesus begins his sermon: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Wow!! What does Jesus’ mean? It soon dawns on them that Jesus is proclaiming himself as the long-promised Messiah. He’s come to bring freedom at last—the freedom Israel longed for from the hated Romans who have taken over. And so everyone speaks well of him. This is exactly what they wanted to hear! All are amazed at the words of grace coming out of his mouth.

Then someone asks: “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” And then it clicks for you—yes, you know this guy. He is Joseph’s son! He’s a hometown boy. Jesus continues:

“Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ Truly I say to you that no prophet is accepted in his own town.”

To illustrate this, Jesus points to Elijah and Elisha who were well known for their teaching and miracles. But at critical times they and the message from God they brought were not welcomed in Israel, so God sent them to help those outside of Israel instead. When there was a chronic drought and a terrible famine affected the whole land, there were many widows in Israel, but God sent Elijah to bless a widow of Zarephath in Sidon, beyond Israel’s borders. Even though she had nothing to give God, God miraculously provided food for her. And in the time of Elisha none of the lepers in Israel were cleansed, but only Naaman from Syria.

Uh oh! This isn’t going to go down too well. Is Jesus daring to suggest that the gifts of God’s grace are not tied to one’s nationality? Does Jesus seriously think God would help and bless these Gentile outsiders…this unholy rabble!? God favours Sidon, not Israel?! Does God heal in Syria, not Nazareth?! How dare Jesus suggest that God should care about them—as if they are deserving of God’s help and favour. It’s impossible! The widow and Naaman are both Gentiles; pagans; heathens, they should get what they deserve! Whoever proof-read Jesus’ sermon should have told him this would have upset the Nazareth crowd. Is Jesus saying that Nazareth doesn’t have any special claim to blessing and God would turn from them to other nations?

That is the very thing that Jesus is saying. The episodes with Naaman the Syrian and the widow of Zarephath was the first glimpse that God was sending his saving help to all people…because he cared about them. His love and compassion for all people would be found in Christ, the one sitting there before them in the Synagogue at Nazareth, in whom is the fulfilment of Isaiah 61 for their deepest and most desperate needs: freedom from bondage to sin, death and Satan.

When the people thought Jesus meant that he would bring them political freedom they loved his ‘gracious words’. When they realised that he was saying Nazareth had no special claims to God’s blessing, and that they themselves needed forgiveness, they exploded with hostile rejection. In one of the biggest backflips ever, those who were so delighted with his words of grace are now fuming with outrage. In their eyes Jesus has gone from hometown hero to lowdown zero. He’s not the kind of Messiah these people wanted, and certainly didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear. So rising up they cast him out of the city and led him away to edge of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down.

This attempt at murdering Jesus foreshadows his later rejection in Holy Week. The shouts of ‘Hosanna!’ and welcome by people lining the streets who waved branches and threw their cloaks before Jesus as he rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, would wildly swing just days later to shouts of “Crucify him!” by those baying for his blood.

How unexpected that God should use the bitter darkness of human evil in which to shine his love so brightly. How unexpected that God should send Jesus into the world to love even those who rejected him and sought to kill him. How unexpected that Jesus should come for those so undeserving of his love. But that is what Jesus did all throughout his ministry, welcoming sinners and tax collectors and eating with them, ministering to the broken and unclean, those deemed by society not good enough to be included, let alone to be considered righteous.

The people at Nazareth didn’t realise that God’s love and favour was not just for them. They couldn’t comprehend that God could possibly care for and desire a relationship with the so-called no-hopers in this world; those who were outsiders; those who didn’t present well; those who didn’t measure up; those who were unclean; those who were offensive. But then again, God’s love is radically different from human understandings of what love is and should be like.

Paul describes what love is in our second reading today from 1 Corinthians 13. But it is not in our human efforts but in Christ that we see what true love is. Jesus did not come to boast, but to serve. He wasn’t proud or arrogant, but gentle and humble. He wasn’t envious, but self-emptying. He wasn’t self-seeking, but seeks the lost. Throughout Jesus’ life and ministry, in his perfect obedience to his Father, but especially in his brutal death on the Cross, the love of God and his compassion for all people—which is not just a feeling but a doing—has been shown to the whole world. The characteristics of love that Paul describes are the very characteristics of God’s enduring, long-suffering love that went to such astonishing lengths as Jesus, the son of Joseph and Son of God hung on the Cross, patient and suffering, for all people, patient and suffering for you. A love not counting our wrongs against us…but counting them against Christ.

God’s love is not just for us. It’s not just for those from a particular area. It’s not just for those in a particular group. It’s not just for those who meet our expectations or standards. God’s love is not just for those we like. God’s love is not dependent on what people look like, or what they are good at, or how well they perform, or whether they fit in. Nor does God withhold his love for those who we think are beyond love or who have gone past the point of no return. Jesus’ confronting words to the synagogue crowd in Nazareth show us that none of us have a monopoly on God’s blessing over and above others. The Cross shows us that. The Cross didn’t come with a list of postcodes or behaviour codes or dress standards. In his ministry Jesus came to those who had nothing, he came to sinners and tax collectors, those who were unwell, broken and disabled.

And he still does today.

Everyone needs Christians to show them God’s love. That’s why the Devil loves nothing more than to tempt us to write other people off; to tempt us to think they are beyond the point of no return; to think of ourselves more deserving of God’s love than others; to think of some people deserving of our kindness and others deserving of our rejection. That’s so dangerous. For there is a part of ourselves in every person we are tempted to write off. And when we fall to the temptation to do that, we have condemned ourselves. For you and I are like the destitute widow of Zarephath. We have absolutely nothing to give to God to earn his blessing. Indeed we were once outside the nation of heaven; once enemies of God. You and I were like Naaman the Syrian, unclean with the leprosy of sin.

Yet just as God showed his favour to those people for no other reason other than that he loved them, so too he has shown his favour to each of you here today. He paid the price that you were unable to pay, by giving what you were unable to give: the holy and precious blood of his own Son, purifying you from all your sin. And through the waters of baptism, God sought you and brought his love for the world to you personally so that, even though you don’t deserve it, all the saving benefits of Jesus’ death and resurrection have been given to you. In gentleness and kindness, Jesus washed you and gave you his very own righteousness so that you have the right to be called a child of God, and can join with him in having access to his Heavenly Father’s peace.

2000 years after Jesus preached in the place of worship at Nazareth, God continues to show his saving love to his baptised faithful, here in this place of worship today. For today, this Scripture Jesus first read at Nazareth is again fulfilled in your hearing. He is here again to read the Gospel for you. He is here to give the gospel to you, by not counting your wrongs against you but instead forgiving your sins. He proclaims his peace is with you, so that you and I and all those who have only ever known rejection can look forward to eternal acceptance as God’s own dear children.
Amen.

The Text: Luke 4:14-21

When was the last time you heard good news? Good news rarely features on our radio or television news programmes or on the front page of our newspapers. The greater the disaster, the more space is given to it. Our media believes bad news attracts a bigger audience than does good news.

Into a world of bad news, Jesus brings us the best news we will ever hear. He wants to help us keep the bad news we hear in focus; and speaks to us a message tailor-made to our needs. He helps us to overcome the negative thoughts in our minds so we can concentrate on all the good things God has done for us.

The first word we hear from Jesus is the word “Today”. Today Jesus can bless us in wonderful and unexpected ways and meet our deepest needs with His grace and mercy. Through His word and sacraments, Jesus is with us this morning to strengthen and refresh our faith and equip us for the week ahead. St. Luke tells us that “on the Sabbath, as was His custom, Jesus went to the synagogue” (Luke 4:16) in His home town of Nazareth..

What a resounding endorsement of weekly worship in God’s House this is for all of us! Few people had a busier Sabbath day than Jesus. Whenever and wherever Jesus could, He helped those in desperate need, even if it meant interrupting the Service to heal someone in their desperate need. Being in God’s House as often as we can is more important than we may think it is. Our time here can bring us blessings and benefits which we may only recognize many years into the future. Nowhere else on earth can we become better equipped for life in this world and for life in the world to come than in the Divine Service each Sunday. Jesus treasured worshipping and praising with fellow worshippers.

Jesus’ first sermon in His home town was eagerly anticipated. It turned out to be a time of high drama. Everyone’s eyes were focussed on Jesus as He stood up to read the passage set aside for that day from the Sacred Scriptures. The book of Isaiah, a book filled with prophecies about Christ’s coming, was handed to Him. The passage Jesus read tells us about all the good news of what He wants to do for us. First of all it tells us that the Holy Spirit is actively involved in what Jesus does for us. When the Holy Spirit rests on us, God is present in our lives. The Holy Spirit was already active in Christ’s conception, baptism and temptation.

Our Lord’s listeners hear the best news they’ve ever heard. He shows them, and us today, how God’s Word speaks into the present situation with a message of joy, hope and peace. Above all, Jesus has come “with good news for the poor”. “The poor” are those of us who are aware of our spiritual poverty and needs which only our Lord can meet. Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount with this amazing blessing: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

The poor are those who, suffering distress, pain or grief, plead for God to help them. Our own disappointments are God’s appointments with us. He is genuinely interested in everything about us. He is our “…present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) He has shared life’s negative experiences with us and seeks to apply His healing touch to where we hurt the most. Jesus’ sympathetic ear is of such great benefit to us and His compassionate presence uplifts and strengthens us in our difficult days.

In the time of Jesus’ incarnation, the word “gospel” was an electrifying term announcing victory. Jesus brings us the good news of His victory over our worst enemies: sin, death and the Devil. His gospel of grace and favour wants to bring release from those addictions and enslaving habits which make life miserable for us. He longs to bring us liberation from all of our sinful habits and selfish desires, and cure the wounds our sins and the sins of others have inflicted on us. Jesus’ gift of forgiveness can free us from the guilt of the past and make life seem brand new for us. Jesus’ forgiveness means we can live as if today is the first day of our life.

Our Lord Jesus has come to bring “recovery of sight to the blind”. By this He also means giving us a faith which is ‘’super-sighted, a faith that sees God at work in our daily life both for our good and for the good of those near and dear to us. Faith sees what God is doing now. Jesus says, “Did I not tell you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)?” When we let Jesus heal what’s broken in our lives, He gives us His unbroken peace, a peace which nothing can destroy.

We long to be in favour with others. We want them to like us despite our weaknesses and faults. We sometimes do things to earn their favour. But we don’t have to do anything to earn God’s favour. Jesus came to announce “a year of the Lord’s favour”. This year is also a year of His favour. Jesus wants to treat us so much better than our past deserves. He gives us new status and worth before God. Let all the good news about Jesus crowd out all the bad news we’ll hear this year. Jesus’ gospel is both an undeserved gift and a transforming power which seeks to make us Christlike in all we do or say.

The Gospel is the light which salvation throws ahead to lead us. This means the Gospel isn’t a utopian description of some far off future. It is the daybreak of this future in God’s forgiveness which sets us free from fear. “For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation.” (Martin Luther) The Lord’s Supper is good news which equips us to handle the week ahead creatively. Our God does more than say, “I love you”. He gives Himself to us in Holy Communion as a gift of love. The forgiveness given to us in Holy Communion is God’s barrier-breaking, future-opening gift to us.   

Our prospects for the future are as bright as God’s good promises to us. His presence can make this year a year of unexpected blessings coming our way. Holy Communion gives us a foretaste of the Feast to come in heaven. The weight of the past need no more dampen tomorrow’s outlook. As we go into this new year, remember, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8).” Don’t let the bad secular predictions about the future make you afraid of it. Embrace your Lord’s words to you: “Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) May these words fill us with a triumphant faith! “And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” (1 John 5:4).” There’s nothing tame or timid about genuine Christian faith!  

To those of us who delight in listening to the words of Jesus He says: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) What a blessing it is to know of His unconditional care for us.

Jesus Christ, the dearly loved Son of God, makes our Creator so approachable and endearing to us. Because of all that Christ has done for us, God looks at us as recipients of Christ’s victory and smiles on us. God’s will won’t take us where His grace can’t keep us in His loving care. God promises us: “…as your days, so shall your strength be.” (Deuteronomy 33:25)

Our deepest desire for each other over the coming months can be that we “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18).

Amen.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

What would you consider to be your special gift or talent? Are you grateful to the Holy Spirit for it? Every Christian has been endowed with a different gift or gifts by the Holy Spirit, not just for their own benefit, but also for the blessing and benefit of others. The gifts you’ve been given complement those given to your fellow Church members. Some gifts, like that of leadership, are more visible than others. The less visible gifts aren’t any less valuable for the work of the Holy Spirit than the more visible ones.

So much of the best work done for our Lord is done behind the scenes; seen only by Him. Christians who have accomplished great things for Christ have often done so with butterflies in their stomachs and feelings of inadequacy. You see, if everything always went well, we wouldn’t need to constantly seek our Saviour’s help and His transforming gift of forgiveness.

Only too aware of our inadequacies, we thank God for the wonderful gifts He has given to our fellow Church members. The mark of a true charismatic Christian is a love for fellow Christians, praying that God would richly bless them too. The Holy Spirit doesn’t bless us for our own personal gain, but in order to build up others in love, confidence and commitment. We’ve often overestimated the value of the “extraordinary” at the expense of the “ordinary”.

The Christian life is lived out amid the activities of daily life, but in an uncommon Christ-shaped manner. The Holy Spirit can transform the routines of everyday life into celebrations of love that will surprise us. The Holy Spirit isn’t primarily at work doing miracles but the Spirit loves helping us in our weakness and helping us to pray aright.

The Spirit helps us in our weakness – what immensely comforting good news that is! That’s why Jesus urges us to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit. “If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13).”

In the Christian community at Corinth, St. Paul sought to correct an over-emphasis on a few spectacular gifts of the Spirit like speaking in tongues. They had too narrow a view of the Spirit’s gifts. Speaking in tongues is no more spiritual than the gift of wise administration. Some of the Spirit’s gifts surface only when the need arises.

Unspectacular gifts like encouragement, discernment, service, helping others, showing mercy, practising hospitality and praying for others are more valuable for the life and growth of a Christian community than spectacular gifts. As St. Paul points out in the next chapter in 1 Corinthians, that beautiful chapter on love, spectacular gifts are of no value without the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of love.

St. Paul doesn’t want us to be gullible. Not everything that claims to be from the Spirit is from Him. Every gift we employ is to bring glory to God rather than to us. We read in 1 Peter 4:11a, “Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking with the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ.” Everything the Spirit does is for the common good of the whole Church rather than for the benefit of any one individual only.

The first gift mentioned in our text is that of wisdom. Wisdom is thoughtful application of knowledge and insight. Wisdom involves speaking the truth in love. “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy (James 3:17).”

The next gift – that of knowledge, involves more than head knowledge. It involves knowing Jesus more and more personally and intimately, and experiencing Him with us in all the joys and sorrows of daily life. The Spirit’s gift of knowledge centres on Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom. The outcome of this knowledge involves making contributions to those in need and responding to them with words of kindness, care and concern.

Regarding the gift of healing that is given to some Christians – this gift doesn’t give the ability to heal everyone who comes for healing. St. Paul didn’t heal everyone or even his close friend and colleague, Timothy. Nor was St. Paul healed of his “thorn in the flesh”. God lets some weaknesses remain in us so we never cease to depend on Him for help. We’re all of equal worth with each other in our weaknesses!

St. Paul rates the gift of Christian communication or prophecy especially highly.  He tells us that “those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding, encouragement and consolation (1 Corinthians 14:3).” He rates the practice of encouraging and consoling others far above speaking in tongues. To prophesy in the New Testament involves telling others what Christ has done. To speak of the blessings and benefits He’s brought us, to Christians in need of comfort and encouragement. The New Testament calls David a prophet because of the solace and comfort his psalms offer us. Where would we be without the comfort Psalms 23 and 46 give us?

We are prophesying, according to the New Testament, when we apply verses from God’s word to someone who is in need of the help contained in these verses of Scripture. We offer them comfort from God’s word in order to strengthen and fortify their faith. We offer Christ Himself in that very word to them.

Prophecy in the New Testament deals more with the present than with the future. Prophecy in the New Testament is Christ-centred. It focuses on the immense difference for good Jesus Christ can make in our lives now, as the Holy Spirit keeps our focus on Him as our only Lord and Saviour. “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).” As Lord, Jesus is our Benefactor to whom we give our total and complete allegiance. “All the prophets testify about Jesus that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name (Acts 10:43).” Prophesy has to do with what Jesus is saying through His word to the Church today.

God’s word and His Holy Spirit are inseparable. Through the sacred Scriptures, the Holy Spirit seeks to set us on fire with love for our Lord and for one another. For love is the greatest gift the Holy Spirit gives us. “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal … Now faith, hope and love remain, these three; and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:1, 13).” Love is the greatest gift because through faith, love unites us to our Lord, and through His love we are enabled to love others forever.

From the letters to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation, we see the Holy Spirit doesn‘t give up on lukewarm churches, but pleads with them to regain their first love for our Lord. Some of the most moving words in the New Testament are addressed to the lukewarm church in Laodicea (and to all our churches today). We need to pray often, “Come, O Holy Spirit, revive your Church beginning with me.” Next we will ask the Holy Spirit to immeasurably bless the gifts He has given both to us and the fellow members of our congregations to bless these gifts in new and exciting ways.

“So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith (Galatians 6:10).”

A prison chaplain was so discouraged by the lack of response to his work that he was thinking of resigning. He went sailing to give himself time to think about whether or not to resign. Then the thought came to him, “Every day I stay on that job is a victory. I win by just staying there.” We too, win by staying where the Holy Spirit has placed us. He promises to bless our prayer-shaped faithfulness beyond our imagination.

Have your own way, Lord, have your own way!

Hold o’er my being absolute sway!

Fill with your Spirit, ‘till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me!

Amen.

The Text: Luke 3:15-17, 21, 22; Matthew 2:11     

 There is always a bit of a dilemma at this time of the year. Two important observances on the Christian calendar coincide at this time. On January the 6^th it is the day of Epiphany. Epiphany commemorates the first revelation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles (the non-Jews), represented by the visit from the Magi (those exotic visitors from the east, more commonly known as the three wise men). The festival of Epiphany originated in the Eastern Church (the Orthodox Church), where it at first included the actual celebration of Christ’s birth, and was second only to Easter in its importance.

But at this same time we have the first Sunday after the Epiphany which focuses on the baptism of our Lord in the Jordan River. Epiphany means manifestation and it is at the baptism of Jesus where he is clearly manifested as the Divine Son of God. So, we are left with the dilemma of which important theme to focus on: the revelation of Jesus as a Saviour to the Gentiles or the manifestation of Jesus as the Son of God in his baptism. Well, this year we can take the ‘bull by the horns’. And given that a bull has two horns we can deal with both events, making comparisons between them.

Firstly, we have the Magi from the east who sought out this new king. They saw signs in the heavens that a great ruler had been born in the land of Judah. And so, they travelled hundreds of miles to present their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts were indicative of the homage they were paying to this newborn child.

The gold was obviously a precious gift, representative of the worth the Magi saw in this child. The frankincense and myrrh were also historically associated with royalty. In the Old Testament book Song of Songs we hear both mentioned in relation to King Solomon: Who is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant? Look! It is Solomon’s carriage… (Song of Songs 3:6-7). Gold, frankincense and myrrh were certainly gifts fit for a king.

But in the life of the Israelites these items were significant for another reason. Worship was the lifeblood of the people and their worship took place in the Temple in Jerusalem. This was an elaborate building made according to the specifications of God himself. God was both the architect and the interior decorator of the Temple complex and he determined the way worship was to be conducted. And in Exodus chapter 30, we read of three important items featuring in this worship: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The myrrh was used in the high priest’s anointing oil which was used to consecrate the most important vessels in the Most Holy Place in the Temple (Ex.30:22f). The frankincense was used at the entrance to that same Most Holy Place to help symbolise the presence of the Almighty God with his people (Ex.30:34f). And the altar upon which the frankincense was to be burnt, and which was itself anointed with myrrh, was overlaid with pure gold (Ex.30:3f). So, these were fitting gifts for a king, but they were also items that represented the presence of God with his people.

These were very appropriate gifts to be presented to the child who was also known as Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us’! We have no idea whether the Magi were aware of the symbolic significance of their gifts. But it is more than a little ironic that these non-Jewish, Gentile visitors bowed down and worshipped Jesus as king with the same items used in the Jewish Temple worship! Quite a significant offering!

And then some 30 years later we come to the baptism of Jesus. Even though only three decades separate them, this event in the Jordan River seems worlds apart and centuries removed from the visit by the Magi. It is hard to imagine that the two events occurred in the same lifetime. The visitors from the East seem almost mythical and unreal in comparison to the baptism of Jesus – as though they were mere phantoms in the night.  

Far more believable and indicative of human nature is the incident at the Jordan River. The people in this instance travelled for miles to come and hear what John the Baptist had to say – but from the surrounding region rather than from an exotic land far away.

The response of the people was reserved and uncertain. They were waiting expectantly for something – but they weren’t sure what. They wondered in their hearts if John himself might possibly be the Christ. On the other hand, the actions of the Magi in worshipping Jesus were far more decisive. And the people did not come to the banks of the Jordan bearing any elaborate gifts. They came empty-handed, unless of course you count the offering of their sin and their need to repent. Hardly gifts fit for a king!

But herein lies the unique nature of this king Jesus. John the Baptist indicated that Jesus was the one more powerful than he, the thongs of whose sandals he was not worthy to untie. But although he deserved all honour and glory and praise Jesus did not come to receive gifts from his people. He came to bring them.

Jesus does not in the first instance require us to offer him our wealth, for he came to seek us out in our poverty. Augustus Toplady, the author of the hymn Rock of Ages, recognised this truth when he wrote:      

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to your cross I cling;

Naked, come to you for dress; helpless, look to you for grace.

Jesus our King comes bearing gifts more valuable than gold, frankincense and myrrh. He comes bearing a cross. He comes bearing our salvation. And having won for us our salvation through his death and resurrection he now gathers us into his kingdom and bestows on us his wealth through the gift of baptism.

As John the Baptist declared: He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16). And when it comes to our baptism into Jesus Christ the gifts from the Magi can help us get a handle on what we receive through baptism.

Firstly, we have myrrh which was used to anoint kings and special items in the Temple. At his baptism Jesus was anointed by the Spirit and God declared: you are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased (Lk.3:22). In baptism, Paul told Corinth, God anoints us, sets his seal of ownership on us, and puts his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor.1:21-22). Our baptism therefore acts as our coronation. To the Galatians Paul wrote: You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (3:26-27). In baptism we receive royal robes of righteousness, fit for those belonging to the kingdom of God. 

In addition to this, myrrh was also used in embalming. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes to help preserve the dead body of Jesus (John 19:39). This acts as a good reminder of the death that takes place in our baptism. The old Adam is drowned and a new creation arises from the water. As Paul wrote to the Romans: Don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (6:3-4).

Secondly, the frankincense symbolising the presence of God acts as a reminder of how we receive God’s presence in baptism. We hear in the book of Acts the call to: Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

God’s Holy Spirit is the abiding presence of God received by us in baptism. As Paul told Titus: God saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour (Titus 3:5-6). We might not see a manifestation of the Spirit on us as Jesus did in the form of a dove at his baptism. But we do see evidence of the Spirit in us as we make our confession of Jesus as Lord (1Cor.12:3) and as the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children, as Paul told the Romans (8:16)

And finally, the gold is symbolic of the precious and eternal nature of God’s kingdom to which we belong through baptism. Martin Luther in the family seal he developed, known as Luther’s Rose, had his seal circled with a ring of gold to symbolise that the bliss of heaven is endless and eternal, more precious than any other joy or treasure.

Through our baptism into Christ we inherit that eternal life. That is what it means to be sons and daughters of God through our connection to Jesus Christ. We have, in the words of the Apostle Peter, been given new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for us (1Peter 1:3-4). 

So, there you have it, those who are baptised into Jesus Christ the King of kings receive more than they could ever hope for. Jesus was revealed at his birth as a Saviour to all the peoples of the earth. The gifts he received from the Magi, the gold, the frankincense and the myrrh, were really only tokens of the wealth that was to be found in him. And later, when he was revealed at his baptism as God’s only Son, it soon became apparent how great a gift to our world he is.

We are baptised children of God. Our King has come to us through our baptism and he has come bearing the gifts of his kingdom. As Paul told the Corinthians: Your body is now a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God. You are not your own; you were bought at a price (1Cor.6:19-20). We are now gifts to the world because as a baptised, holy children of God we represent the presence of God in the world. May we offer our lives in service to God and to the world so that others can come to know and experience the incredible riches of God’s kingdom of grace. Amen. 

The text:  Isaiah 40:31                              

Ever wondered what it would be like to fly?  I don’t mean flying in a plane or dangling beneath a kite or parachute.  I mean sticking your arms out like a bird, or out front like superman if you like, and soaring above the earth; banking over the forests; skimming over the rivers; darting through mountain canyons; diving down and scaring the living daylights out of the members of your family; breathing deeply in the fresh air of free and effortless flight!  And if you are someone who is scared of heights, imagine if you had no such fear. You could come and fly with the rest of us.

From the early pages of history people have looked at the birds and wanted to fly.  You have seen people jump out of perfectly good planes and ‘fly’ at least for a while, but gravity does its job and the skydiver has no choice but to pull the ripcord on his parachute.

I’m sure every kid at some time has wanted to fly.  Maybe it’s been a theme in your dreams but like all dreams there comes a rude awakening when you wake up and discover that you are still a prisoner of gravity.  As much as we really wish we could fly, we have to walk to the bathroom, walk out to the kitchen for breakfast and walk to school or work.  We aren’t built for flying.

As adults we don’t think about flying as we did when we were kids.  Not only aren’t we built for flying but we also carry a lot of baggage – we carry too much weight.  Not only the kind of weight that shows up on the bathroom scales but the weight of worry, anxiety, paying bills, keeping the boss happy, and how our health crisis will turn out.  All this weighs us down.

Then there’s your family.  The people you love.  You see your parents getting older; perhaps becoming infirm.  You see your children struggling in this or that. Perhaps you’ve hit a rough patch in your marriage.  When you were a kid love wasn’t so difficult and so demanding.  But that’s because you were mostly on the receiving end of it.  And now you are called to be the one who gives it; called to be the one who loves.  This too can weigh you down.

So what about those dreams of flying high above the world in complete freedom and in the open spaces where there is not a worry in the world?  Nah!  Not anymore!  Life is way too heavy to entertain such thought.  Flying – that’s okay for kids to dream about because they don’t have the worries we have but for us the world is too real.  A bit like gravity – we can’t ever get away from it.

And yet, what does the text from Isaiah say?  “Those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed.  They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary.”  Hmmm.  “They will rise on wings like eagles”.  With renewed strength they will soar above the earth with the powerful wings of an eagle.  I don’t know about you, but Isaiah’s got my attention!  Suddenly my childhood interest in being able to fly is renewed.  Floating, drifting, circling, free as a bird.  Is there a way to overcome the gravity of our lives, a way to lighten our loads, a way rise above it all?  Is this just a dream, wishful thinking, belonging to the world of fantasy along with fairies, flying dragons and magic carpets?

Just to put these words about flying like eagles into context.  The prophet Isaiah was writing to the people of Israel during a time when they felt like their strength was sapped and they had no hope.  Like us, they were worried.  The news wasn’t good.  The dreadful Assyrians were breathing down their necks, and later it would be the Babylonians who would take them all away to live in exile. As they thought about all the stuff that was happening around them, they were weighed down and overwhelmed by the seriousness of their situation.

They started to say things like, “God doesn’t really care about me!  How can he? Look at all this bad and difficult stuff that is happening all around us.  He’s not really in charge of things!” (Isaiah 40:27).

You see what was happening here?  They began to see their problems as being bigger than God himself.  They forgot that the creator of everything, the everlasting Lord, whose love for his people means he will never grow tired of helping them, just might be able to help them with all their worries.

You see over the years a subtle exchange had taken place.  They exchanged their faith in God for a kind of do-it-yourself kind of attitude.  We do the exact same thing!  This DIY kind of Christianity excludes God from certain areas of our lives. I know God is there but I can handle this myself.

“Let’s see, my work, hmm, no that’s not God’s problem.

Finances, no. I can fix that.

Relationship problems, no.  That’s my responsibility.

My love life, no God doesn’t know anything about that, that’s my area.”

Without even giving it too much thought we exclude God from different aspects of our lives.  We can fix it we say and maybe it works okay for a time. But then we begin to feel the weight.  Our blood pressure rises.  We toss and turn. We get sick.  We become depressed.  The joy goes out of our lives.  We despair.  We slowly realise that the DIY approach isn’t all that successful after all. 

I’m sure that a lot us, including myself, have to admit to doing this at some time, if not more often than we care to admit.  We sideline God and try to be our own god.  We believe that we can do it alone, but that’s something God never intended for us.  God didn’t make us to stand alone against everything that threatens our safety and happiness.  God made us to rely on him.

This is where Isaiah comes in and we have this wonderful passage that was read earlier.  He asks, “How can you be so dumb.  Don’t you know who stretched out the heavens, made the earth and filled it with people?  Don’t you know that it is God who created the stars?  There are millions of them, and yet he knows when one of them is missing and if God knows each individual star, it follows that he knows each one of us personally and calls us by name.  He knows when we are in trouble.  No one can ever accuse God of turning a deaf ear to our needs. 

Then comes these wonderful words,
“Don’t you know?  Haven’t you heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God; he created all the world.
He never grows tired or weary.
No one understands his thoughts.
He strengthens those who are weak and tired.
Even those who are young grow weak; young people can fall exhausted.
But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed.
They will rise on wings like eagles;
they will run and not get weary;
they will walk and not grow weak.” (40:28-31)

Jesus affirmed what Isaiah said when he said: “Come to me, all of your who are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”. 

Jesus assures us that there is not a moment when we are not under his love and care.  Yes, there will be times when we could have saved ourselves a heap of stress and pressure if only we had trusted in the Lord for help and realised that he is ready, willing and able to give us renewed strength and a fresh outlook on life and its problems. 

The apostle Paul realised that he knew what he ought to do and trust God more, but found more often than not, that he did what he knew he shouldn’t do.  There were times when he was physically exhausted and drained, not knowing what would happen to him next.  But in each case he came back to this one point, “God can raise me above all this.  His love is so powerful that I can be confident, content, and certain no matter what the circumstances.  The Lord will help me to face each thing that terrifies me and give me the strength to continue”.  In the end Paul says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

As Isaiah said, “Those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak”. 

In other words, trusting in God to give us the strength that is beyond our own strength to deal with any situation, we can rise on wings like eagles.  We can fly.  We can soar high above our problems; we can fly free with the sky as the limit. God wants us to fly like eagles.

When we trust in God and his love for us and entrust our lives to the one who gave his life for us on the Cross, everything else is dwarfed in comparison to the largeness and authority of the Lord.  He is bigger than any problem we might face.  And as we learn to trust him, we begin to see things from his perspective. He draws us upward in faith, so that we begin to get a bird’s eye view of things, or more correctly, a God’s eye view of things.

Remember the dreams about flying, the fantasy stories like Peter Pan where children could fly? Well they are not too far off the mark.  We too can fly even though our feet never leave the ground.  We can rise above everything that threatens our security with a strength that comes from God.  “Those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles”. Amen!