Isaiah 6: 1-13

Psalm 85: 8-13

1 Corinthians 14: 12b-20

Luke 5: 1-11

“I am a Sinner”

Grace and Peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen.

“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” There is much wisdom in Simon Peter’s words found in today’s Gospel. He saw the miracle of Jesus bringing the fish, too much for the nets to hold, to the fishermen of Capernaum. The sheer amount of fish was enough to terrify Simon, for in that moment he instantly knew that he was in the presence of God Almighty in the flesh. He may not have known of the virgin birth that took place three decades prior or the event that took place on the Jordan River, but as a good Judean raised under the Torah he should have been at least aware of the many stories of God interacting with humans. For example, when Jacob son of Isaac literally physically wrestled with God; thus why he was renamed Jacob Israel which means, “Jacob wrestled with God.” So Peter, with the full knowledge that God does interact with His creation, and seeing Jesus Son of God nearly tear the nets apart by calling forth a swarm of fish, Peter knew that he was in the presence of God and was terrified.

King Solomon writes in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” But why is this so? Why is it wise for Peter to be so terrified? It isn’t simply because God is almighty and the very source of all of existence, nor is it simply because God is all good and cannot have any evil within Him, but also because in the presence of God Peter knew He, a sinful man, was unworthy. The fear of being smited wrought the conscience of Simon Peter, thus he immediately fell down at Jesus’ feet begging for mercy, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Let me tell you, at that very moment, there wasn’t a sinner walking the Earth that could match the wisdom of Peter.

Last week I preached about why we may feel unworthy with regards to spreading the Gospel. Examples included speech issues and stage freight and lack of knowledge, but there was one reason for feeling unworthy that I intentionally glossed over. And that was feeling unworthy to spread the Good News because of your sinfulness.

What if you did a number of horrendous things in your past, stacking great sin on top of great sin? What if you rightly served multiple decades in jail for committing a crime that would terrify the minds of any sane citizen? What if you lived a life of debauchery and decadence as you gluttonously devoured all sorts of passionate life styles? What if you did any of these and more, but found Christ? You may have walked away from these things or are struggling to release yourself from the evils of the world, but may also struggle with feelings of worthlessness. How, of all people, am I worthy to tie the sandals of Jesus’ feet, let alone preach His Gospel? I feel like I’m talking about Paul, aka Saul, here. For Saul persecuted the Christians; was at the front of leading the initial charge against the newly converted. He was the one who ordered the murder of the first Christian Martyr. So as Paul, he acknowledges that he is the worst of all mankind and deserves Hell for all that he has done, but Christ saved even him.

Here is the thing; I rather have a person preaching the Gospel who knows that he is a wretched sinner than someone who believes he deserves Heaven. I rather have a person spreading the Good News who acknowledges that they are a sinner than one who haughtily claims they are guiltless of sin. I rather that all Christians live with contrite hearts than believe that they are not in need of forgiveness. Why? Well, if you believe that you already deserve Heaven they why do you need the Gospel? You don’t, it’s not necessary for you are apparently already saved. If you are sinless, then the forgiveness and salvation that comes only through the cross of which Christ died on is meaningless because you don’t need either. Christ did not come for those who are saved, nor did he come for good people, or those who are already righteous. He came for sinners. He came for those are the lowest of the lowly. He came for evil men who are wretched maggots. He came with both mercy and grace; withholding the gates of Hell of which we rightly deserve and gifting the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven of which we most definitely do not deserve.

Isaiah understood this, his unworthiness. For when the Lord called Isaiah, Isaiah, wrought with fear, said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell in a midst of people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Like Peter, Isaiah knew he was in the presence of God and was well aware of his own sinfulness. He was a man of unclean lips, implying that he has said some awful things. But he is no different from your common Israeli during that era, for Israel had transformed into a land of unclean lips.

Blasphemy was rampant in Israel, and persecution against the Jewish faith was on the rise as secularism and unholy acts of worship to false idols became the norm. If you dared preach the Torah, then those who heard you would hardened their hearts instead of softening it. They became even more hateful and raged against God. Your life may even be ruined if you preached against the authorities who defied God. Israel had become unclean and for safety reasons many stilled their tongues, mimicked the preaching of the idolators, or even defended the actions of their new captures. Isaiah was a person who lived in this environment and knew himself to also be someone whose lips were not void of sinfulness.

So did Isaiah hide his sinfulness? No. Instead he laid his burdens bare to the Lord of hosts. Isaiah acknowledged that he was a sinner. And instead of smiting Isaiah, God sent an angel to purify Isaiah. The sin that rested on Isaiah’s lips was burned off, his sin atoned for, and because there is no sin the need to feel guilty was no longer necessary. Isaiah had a humble and contrite heart, and it is for this reason that the Lord God graciously cleansed Isaiah. Now God also had a mission for Isaiah, and, if you remember from last week, God knows our weaknesses and does not leave us ill-prepared. Thus God prepared Isaiah through the burning coal, for the true reason why He called Isaiah was to preach to the country of unclean lips that Isaiah lived in.

Sadly, God knew that Israel was not going to listen to Isaiah. Isaiah will preach and Israel will harden their hearts and get enraged at the words of God that leaves Isaiah’s lips. Some people who claim to be wise may suggest that it is better to remain quiet when in the face of those whose hearts are already hardened. Such people would use the serenity prayer to claim that you should just not waste your time preaching to those who will never change their ways when in listening range of the Word, but that is not what the serenity prayer says, for it merely says, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.” Such people would be the very terrified Judeans who would be begging Isaiah to shut-up, claiming that his preaching was a waste of time and was having the negative effect of whipping the blasphemers into an even more fearsome frenzy.

Like Peter, we are sinful men who do not deserve to be in the presence of God. Like Paul, we, each and every one of us, have a history of sinful actions. Like Isaiah, we are unclean and live in a land that is most definitely unclean. But also like Isaiah, God, through His Son, cleanses us of our wickedness and prepares us for the mission of spreading the Gospel. Our Psalm 85:10 says, “Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.” We are not righteous, nor are we the source of our own righteousness. Righteousness comes only from Heaven above, from God alone, and thus if we are to be righteous then it is simply by the grace of God alone. And thus through Christ, we who are not righteous but filthy rags, sinners the worst are we, are made righteous, on no account of what we have done but on every account of what Christ has already done on that terrible cross.

“Sin boldly, but even more boldly belief in Jesus Christ,” one of Martin Luther’s more famous quotes. You’ve heard me us this quote, saying that if the world considers Christianity sinful then sin boldly, but there is another usage for this quote. You are a sinner. Do not hide from that awful reality. Boldly acknowledge your sinfulness. If you are going to sin, and you will, face it head first and don’t hide from your own wickedness. Only then can you with a despairing heart boldly turn to the cross and fiercely proclaim to the Lord, “I am a sinner, save me from myself.”

So to those Christians who are so weighed down by their own history of sinfulness and wonder if it is even permissible of them to speak the Gospel; who wonder if they are even right with God; who wonder if it is hypocritical for them, a sinner, to talk about the grace of God – another quote from Luther. “So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!”

Let us pray,

Dear Heavenly Father, in our sinfulness each and every one of us has done something we are not proud of. We may wish to hide these things from you, you who know everything, so we ask that you instead give us the courage to face our darkness, but to face it with the full knowledge that your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, died on the cross for sinners like us in order to forgive us and redeem us. We pray in your holy name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Isaiah 62: 1-5 

Psalm 36: 5-10 

1 Corinthians 12: 1-11 

John 2: 1-11 

“Zion, The Bride” 

Grace and Peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen. 

In many religions the gods are far removed, living in their  Castles and Mountains and Domains where no mortal flesh  generally exist. Humanity and the gods of their imagination were  separated; Gods in their domain and humans their mortal realms.  This is a figment of the human imagination for how else can you  explain the divine that you cannot see? Human reason which  guides their made-up religions has led many easily dissatisfied  worshippers into assuming that these fantastical beings obviously  reign in a foreign environment, for why else would we be unable  to see them? The relationship between them and their gods was  not intimate. I mean, how could it? How can you be intimate with  that which does not exist? There is no long lasting unceasing  close relationship with their far removed gods. 

Now some of you may realize that what I just said may  sound familiar, for this is also a slanderous argument used  against Christians by those who lack faith and are thus blind to  the Truth. And what is this Truth? That God is not far removed.  He does not live solely in some alabaster castle or behind closed  gates. He is here, and as proof, just look at the Communion  elements; that is truly and physically his Body and his Blood. So  He is not far removed. But to the unbeliever, who lacks faith and  is thus blind to reality, all they see is bread and wine. They are 

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incapable of seeing God, and thus their view of us, similar to our  view of those who worship dumb idols and false gods. 

The thing is God indeed has a very close and intimate  relationship with His people. If you look at the first several books  of the Old Testament, starting with Exodus, God was physically  present with his people through the ark that traveled with them.  God was amongst us in those early days as we walked with us,  traveling with us, from camp to camp. And even when they  settled, all he asked for was a tent, just like everyone else. He  wanted to be close, easily accessible, and not far off. God was  not to be like some lofty Lord who had serfs appointed under him  but dared not ever mingle with such filthy troglodytes. He was not  like some prince who lorded himself over the common rabble  expecting praise for prides-sake. God is King, He is Lord, but He  was not like these lords. Instead he was a King whose people  were more like family than servant. 

His people Zion, were not mere worshippers, but was his  beautiful bride. God had so much love for his bride, of whom he  adored, that he adorned her with a royal diadem, a crown of  beauty, and brilliance that caused kings to glorify her. Zion, His  wife, was like a Cedar tree placed on the highest mountain for all  to see. Zion, a people truly blessed by God. 

How could anyone say that the Lord is far off when He is so  obviously close to a people that he is literally married to? Now  Zion in of itself is not beautiful, nor is she the cause of her own  righteousness. Zion in of herself is not worthy of praise, nor is  there anything particularly special about her. Yet, the Lord God 

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chose her and makes it so that she was more beautiful than  anyone and anything. It is the Lord God who made her righteous  and brilliant and like a burning torch that brightens a darkroom. It  is the Lord God who is the source of her salvation, who purifies  and presents as purified. Kings don’t bow down to Zion for  anything particularly of Zion, for what can Zion produce that is  worthy of praise from earthy kings? But Kings do bow down to  Zion regardless for they see the glory of God present behind Zion. 

They see the blessings of the Lord showered upon Zion.  They see her kindness, her boldness, her unwavering faith, her  might. They see all this, and the arm of God being the source of  all these blessings. Thus the nations bow down in fear and awe  for Lord God stands with Zion as Husband and wife. 

They see her beauty, but know that Zion, in of herself, is not  particularly beautiful. They see a beauty that can only be  achieved through the intervention of the Almighty. The crown she  wears is not of earthy beauty and significance, but is a divine  crown gifted by the King of Kings Himself; a divine crown which  has beauty and significance that far surpasses anything of the  earth. How can anyone claim that God is far off when the obvious  splendor of God is as clear as the eye can see? 

But who is Zion? Is Zion Jerusalem? Is Zion Israel? Is Zion  Judaism? Zion is the people of God. All who have faith in Him and  have received the inheritance of Heaven through faith in the Son  which comes from the Holy Spirit is Zion. The Church is Zion. And  Jesus is her Bridegroom.

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Now as a disclaimer, I am not preaching a Gospel of  prosperity, of earthly wealth, but am merely saying that those who  have eyes to see would see that God does indeed bless his  people with more lofty and divine things for He is not only our  King, but is also our bridegroom.  

His love for us surpasses all understanding that whenever  we turn from evil but then turn towards Him He rejoices and all the  heavenly hosts sing alleluia. You know the parable of the prodigal  Son; that is a story reflective of someone who turns away from  God, who ruins their life, who realizes the love of God, who  returns thinking he does not deserve to be recognized only to  receive the finest of feasts. The Father is torn apart whenever we  leave his life-giving presence, the source of our beauty and  righteousness, and thus He is overjoyed whenever we turn back  to Him. He is like a lovesick fiancé who finds out his soon-to-be  wife has ran away with someone else, who continuously sends  letters to her about his unconditional love, who organizes the  wedding regardless, and then breaks down in tears of joy as he  sees his bride running down the aisle on the wedding day asking  for forgiveness. 

His love for us surpasses all understanding that He is even  willing to rewrite the Laws of Nature all so that He can provide us  with miracles. Many of you know of or have been the recipient of  these miracles: an incurable disease disappearing; a turning from  a sinful life style; an impossible event happening; a happy  providential “coincidence”; a prayer heard.

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus went so far to rewrite physics all so  he can miraculously transform water into wine; wine, an incredibly  important thing for weddings, and always a tragedy if spoiled or  lacking. When the wine ran out, it was Mary, the Mother of Jesus,  who came to Him and said, “They have no wine.” She’s practically  ordering Jesus to make more wine, for she knows the truth about  her son. And Jesus knew her implied message, a demand to  perform a miracle, which is why He said, “Woman, what does this  have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” Yes, I see there  is no wine, why are you telling me in particular that unless you are  implying that I do something about it? My time has not come yet,  when it does then I’ll do a miracle. Then the audacity of His  mother who told a servant, “Do whatever he tells you.” 

Honor thy parents. Jesus loved his mother so much, that  even though it was not his time, he performed his first miracle;  turning water into wine. He couldn’t say no to her. He rewrote the  Laws of Nature simply because his mother commanded him,  though implied, to produce more wine. And isn’t fitting that his first  miracle was done at a wedding, and done so that the wedding  feast would be fantastic? This and communion, are both  foretastes for the even grander feast in heaven that is prepared  for all us, a feast for the wedding between the Church and her  King. 

His love for us, his precious bride, surpasses all  

understanding that he willingly gave up everything to save us. A  true husband protects the honor of his wife, and would go through  thick and thin to make sure that she is always provided for and is  safe. Many Soldiers, police officers, firemen, willingly give up their 

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lives not merely for the sake of country, but for the sake of their  family. There are Soldiers who carries pictures of their wives on  them as a reminder of why they are doing what they are doing.  According to John 15:13, to lay down your life for the sake of a  

friend or family is the greatest form of love. The Love of Christ for  his bride, the Church, surpasses all understanding that he  willingly allowed himself to be taken, slandered, brutally attacked,  humiliated, and suffered one of the most painful of deaths. He  allowed all of this, for just as Satan alluded to during the  Temptations, all Jesus had to do is cry for help and angels would  lift him up. He allowed all of this, because he knew the end result,  and desired this end result. For through his death, he forgave us  all our sins by taking on our sins and went to Hell so that we won’t  have to go to Hell as a result of our sinfulness. 

He saved us, and he did that because He is not just our King  but also the Church’s ever faithful and loving bridegroom. 

Let us pray, 

Dear Heavenly Father, as we take Jesus into our bodies  through the Eucharist, help us remember that this is a foretaste of  the overwhelmingly gracious Wedding feast that awaits us  eternally in Heaven. In your holy name we pray: Father, Son, and  Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jeremiah 1: 4-10

Psalm 71: 1-6, 15-17

1 Corinthians 12: 27- 13:13

Luke 4: 21-32

“The Word on my Lips”

Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen.

How many of you feel inadequate in your speech, in your ability to teach or preach and simply say what is in the Bible? Whether in part or wholly, how many of you feel that you are not well equipped with spreading the Good News? Maybe you have stage fright, a stutter, an accent, a small vocabulary, not enough education, or you're too young in the faith.

Whatever it is that troubles you, there is something that prevents you from believing that you are well equipped to spreading the Good News. Myself? I too have these fears. I fear that I will fail God, that I would misspeak and cause confusion. I fear preaching and teaching something that goes against the teaching of God. I fear that because of my own verbal struggles that the message I convey comes out as only garbled noise. I stumble over myself. I lose myself in the sermon. I have struggles producing certain sounds. I always second guess my sermons even while preaching them. Sometimes I speak too fast. Some days my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth as I am at a loss for words. I get butterflies in my stomach as I get wrought with fear, and after my sermons I can't stop criticizing myself.

Public speaking terrifies me, why did God pick me? All I wanted was to go into the math field and be a civilian mathematician and army engineer. I have no speaking skills. Quite the opposite. So why me? I would be lying if I told you I answered God's call instantly. I second guessed him, and sometimes I still do, but I am a Soldier and Soldiers obey orders, and my supreme commander is Jesus Christ Himself alone. So how could I disobey a direct order from God? Though I didn't disobey, I didn't trust God's judgment and asked my peers about this calling. Every one of them told me to go this route. My fellow Soldiers. My fellow Mathematicians. My teachers. My family. God was telling me to go, but this must be a mistake. I cant speak to save my life. My grammar was horrendous, and by far my absolute weakest subject. I went through 9 years of speech therapy just to learn how to speak and instead of graduating I ran away, giving up thinking that I will never learn and it was better that use my time learning things more important than grammar and my sounds such as Math. I ran away from ever thinking I would be some orator, and here God is telling to go into a profession that depends on good oral skills. Though I didn't run away, I did wonder, “Why Me.”

So I understand if you may have your struggles. If you may be terrified with standing in front of others. If you don't trust yourself. I truly do. I understand if you fear you may fail God, and thus leave more well-spoken people the task of delivering the Gospel. I understand if you fear you may even look like a fool either because you can't speak or because you are too young in your Christian understanding.

So what do we do when we receive a command from God to tell our neighbor, “That Jesus died on the cross for you.”

It may sound too simplistic to trust and obey, but that is the answer, at least from our part. Do you think that if Jesus commands us to spread the Good News that He would not equip us? We may think He doesn't, but He does.

As we read from Jeremiah, we get one of many times in the Bible that God calls the ill-prepared and prepares them. Jeremiah is called by God to be a prophet of the Lord. But Jeremiah is just a mere youth appointed under a priest. Jeremiah is right to say, “I do not know how to speak.” How could Jeremiah be an effective prophet of the Lord? I have neither the skills nor the education. What can He give or do that the priests around him can't do better? Why Me? For most of us, we will never find out the answer to that question. Why Me? But did God leave Jeremiah ill-prepared? No, far from it! For God looked upon Jeremiah's weakness, and told him quite firmly that whatever He commands Jeremiah must obey, but to not be afraid because the Lord will be with him. Then the Lord touched Jeremiah's lips with His hand and told Jeremiah that He had put His words into Jeremiah's mouth.

God knows Jeremiah cannot do this by his own ability. He already knew Jeremiah's weaknesses and his struggles. He knew Jeremiah before He was born; He was the one who consecrated Jeremiah before Jeremiah's birth. He knows all the hairs on Jeremiah's head, every thought, every evil, and all that he doesn't have. But God also doesn't make mistakes. He picked Jeremiah, knowing Jeremiah's faults, and instead of leaving Jeremiah alone God became Jeremiah's words. Thus it was not Jeremiah who spoke through his own lips, but it was the Word of God that proceeded out of his lips.

Now is Jeremiah alone in this gift? No, for we know of many others whom God speaks through, but is this a rare case? I say no to even that. Jeremiah is no different from any Christian today. Jeremiah is the Church. For if left to our own devices, we will truly fail. It doesn't matter how smart we sound or how charismatic our words are. If God does not speak through our lips, if the Holy Spirit is not present, then our utterances are just noisy gongs. How are we to obey God's commands without God on our lips?

Speaking of which, what is this command God has given each and every one of us? Why the Great Commission; to baptize, preach, and teach. But like Jeremiah, we are all equally ill-prepared to fulfill this task if left to our own device. If anyone believes they have the ability to spread God's Word without the help of God then they are puffed up and a liar. Jeremiah knew his weaknesses, and instead of hiding them, he exposed them. Jeremiah wanted to obey God, but he needed help, for he had the humility to accept that he couldn't do what God wanted of him. We, if left to our own devices, will fail God. Who are we to believe we could genuinely convert even one soul to Christ? We can't. We are like Jeremiah, whether we recognize or not, whether we accept it or not.

But just like how God placed His Word on Jeremiah's lips, when we speak the Gospel, God places His Word on our lips too. That much is a guarantee. For if anyone was to convert it was not because of your own intellect but because of the Holy Spirit which you did not bridle but boldly released for others to receive.

There are many reasons why we bridle our tongues. Most all are related in some way to fear. Fear of messing up. Fear of getting laughed at. Fear of being the center of attention. Fear of losing a friend. Fear of being ostracized. Fear of getting fired for merely speaking the Word of God. In all these cases, God tells us just as he tells Jeremiah, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Do not be afraid, for God is with us and His Word will be our words. Do not be afraid, for God knows our struggles and never leaves us up to our own weaknesses. Do not be afraid, for this world is too short for such worries, but the reward in Heaven is great for according to Christ's Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” When people persecute on account of Christ, rejoice and be glad? How could we rejoice and be glad? That is fear speaking. Rejoice and be glad because God is indeed with you and your reward in heaven will indeed far surpass whatever trivial earthly pleasures the world will have to offer.

And in case we come to believe that God won't speak through us like He promised Jeremiah, read Psalm 71. It reads, “My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day.” Well how does that prove God speaks through us? Christ tells us many times that it is only because of the Father that we can proclaim Jesus is Christ. So in Psalm 71, what is this “salvation” if not Jesus Christ? Christ is the source of our Salvation, and through Him we are given the ability to proclaim Him as our Lord. How can we speak of the deed of salvation which comes from and is the Lord, our Savior, Jesus Christ who died on the cross for all sin, if not through the power of Christ who is the Word which is placed on our lips through baptism? Our mouths will tell of your righteous acts because through the Holy Spirit we can't help but proclaim from our lips the Word which saves. I may be a mess when it comes to preaching, but it is not my words that leaves my lips which is out of my weakness, but the Word which is not of myself but of God and all of His might!

So why me? It is not up for me to determine that, but to simply trust and obey, to have faith in Christ that He will guide me and supply me. To never give into fear and simply do what Christ commanded of me, not because I wish to obtain salvation for through Christ I am already saved but simply out of love for Christ that surpasses whatever fears may avail me.

Before I conclude, I wish to read the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 10, verse 16 to 23. I noticed that in our LBW lectionary this part of Jesus' speech is excluded. It is completely skipped. And I believe that to be a complete disservice. Why? Because I have heard many chaplains, Lutheran chaplains at that too, who abuse part of this scripture by saying it in part but not all together. No verse in this passage should be read apart from another but should all be read in light of each other. Thus I ask that as you listen to the Words of the Lord that you listen carefully and then reflect on what I have already said in this sermon. When “wisdom” is mention, that is to be understood in light of Job 28:28 which states that Wisdom is found in the fear of the Lord. When “innocence” is mention that does not mean to act blamelessly but to act in a way that is innocent of the cares and evils and vices of the world. And the rest, listen in light of Jeremiah and Psalm 71.

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10, verse 16 to 23.

“16Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

The Gospel of our Lord.

Let us pray,

Dear Lord give us the Strength to preach your Word, the Humility to know that it is not our own, and the Wisdom to trust Christ above all things. In your holy name we pray, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Isaiah 42: 1-7 

Psalm 45:7-9 

Acts 10:34-38 

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 

“Baptismal Epiphany” 

Grace and Peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ, Amen. 

The thing about epiphanies is that they are events when  people realize something that was eluding them. A better way of  describing this event is like turning on a light. You walk in  darkness and you have no clue what is in front of you. Say you  are walking down a hallway in the middle of the night barefoot to  go to the bathroom and a shooting pain rips all the way your leg  as you step on something pointy. You have no clue what you just  stepped on and your pain is already distracting you. Finally you  get to the hallway’s light switch and behold there is toy on the  floor; maybe a Lego or a Hot Wheels car, but tiny with pointy  edges. You get an epiphany, a realization. That is what I stepped  on. It is like walking in the dark trying to find an object, only for  your much smarter better half to turn on the lights for you, thus  turning what would have been minutes of searching into mere  seconds. 

This is why the season of Epiphany is filled to the brim with  imageries of light. It begins with us remembering on January 6th the Wise men who follow the Advent Star and ends with us  remembering the transfiguration of our Lord. 

Now speaking of Wise Men, through the power of the Holy  Spirit, it was revealed to them through the studying of Scripture 

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that the Messiah was to born soon, and that the guide they will  follow will be the Advent Star. This was their epiphany. It’s kind of  interesting because their epiphany happened not after, but before  Christ’s birth. And after their epiphany they gathered their gifts  and traveled far so that they could get to this Christ child as soon  as possible, how they got their epiphany exactly, we do not know,  but we know that such an epiphany could have only been  possible through the grace of God. And then shortly after the birth  of Jesus, within forty days, in accordance with Matthew and Luke and Leviticus, the Wise Men finally laid eyes on baby Jesus. 

Such might have been a second epiphany for them for it is  one thing just knowing of something, it’s a whole ‘nother ball  game seeing it for yourself. This is why some parents break down  in tears of joy upon seeing their child for the first time. This could  be during an ultrasound or right after their child’s birth. Such a  person knows that they are already a parent, and may have spent  many months of preparation for this child, but the full reality  doesn’t hit them until they see with their own eyes their son, their  daughter. The Wise Men knew of Jesus, but as soon as they saw  the baby in Mary’s arms, they immediately fell down and started  worshipping Jesus. The full thrust of reality, another epiphany  moment, overcame the Wise Men as they saw in front of them  their King, their Lord, their Savior. 

This is the real reason why Epiphany is celebrated after  Christmas, and why we wait to focus on the Wise men until a  couple weeks after the birth of Christ, because the true Epiphany  the Wise Men had was when they finally saw for the first time,  God in the flesh.

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Now after Jesus came into the earth, many saw Jesus but  knew not who he truly was, short of a Nazarene who was the Son  of Joseph the Carpenter. Most who worshiped Jesus before his  mission was to begin did so because the Holy Spirit had already  revealed to them the full reality of who Jesus truly was. This  includes Simeon and Anna who were there on the fortieth day of  our Lord, upon his and Mary’s purification ceremony. But outside  of the few who were blessed by the Holy Spirit, most people did  not know that Jesus was the Son of God, God Himself made  flesh. How could they? Why would they? Thus, in order for such  to happen, an epiphany of sorts must occur. 

When we read our Gospel and the other Gospels that refers  to the event of Jesus’ baptism, a question that should be asked is  why did God the Father do what he did on that day? He obviously  didn’t do it merely for Jesus sake alone, for we know that Jesus  

was trying to keep his true ministry secret from the ears of the  Pharisees who would have clearly killed Jesus, and thus if this  baptism was for merely Jesus then God would had provided his  revelation to Jesus in secret. We also know that Jesus doesn’t  need an epiphany to realize that he is God’s son, just look at the  shenanigan he pulled off when he was 12 and stayed in his  Father’s house. So Jesus didn’t need an epiphany. So why did  God the Father say, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well  pleased”? 

The answer is because God did this not for Jesus’ sake but  for those who witnessed this event. This was God the father and  the Holy Spirit which descended like a dove intervening on behalf 

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of Jesus in order to provide all who witnessed this event an  epiphany, to realize the full depth of who Jesus was. Let it be  known that the only way one can believe that Jesus is Christ is  through the Holy Spirit. Thus the Holy Spirit was present, and the  Father spoke, all for the sake that all who were present would  believe that Jesus was Christ. 

And with this event, the official ministry that Jesus was  placed on this earth for began. The events that ultimately would  lead to the climax of his mission, and of humanity at large, was  finally put in motion, as the cat was finally out of the bag. This is  the Son of God, and there’s no way you can take that back,  especially in the way God presented this fact. Like wildfire the  news spread and with it rumors and speculation as many who  were not present wondered how this was so. Eventually the  Pharisees did catch wind of this Messiah, though they knew not  whom the news referred to. It took time, but eventually they were  able to apprehend Jesus and kill him on the cross. 

But the great epiphany, and with it the beginning of Jesus’  ministry, was in of itself a beginning for many others, a revelation  that the prophesied Messiah that they have waited long for has  arrived. And like the Wise Men and parents who finally see their  birthed children, I could imagine a similar reaction. For most who  were present were not present for Jesus, for they knew not Jesus,  but for John the Baptizer. The baptized came to be washed in  preparation for the coming Lord of whom John has preached  about emphatically. There is no way one wouldn’t know of John,  lest they lived under a rock, and new that his primary message  has always been to make yourself ready for Christ is coming. So 

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those who came to the river came to hear from the prophet John  and his message about the King who was closely approaching.  They knew of Christ, but they knew not who Christ was. They  heard of him, but they have never seen him, nor did they think  that they would on that fateful day. 

So as people were being baptized one by one, listening to  the words of John, all of a sudden John proclaims that Christ is  here! John then makes a scene in front of everyone about how it  would inappropriate for him to baptize Jesus, but then relents and  baptizes Jesus. Some at this point may have believed that Jesus  was Christ at that moment, but others may have not. To those  who did not believe, I wonder how many were still in denial after  the intervention of God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Regardless, those who were there knew of Christ, simply because  of John, but now have actually seen him, truly seen him. This was  their epiphany moment, as the full depth of all that John the  Baptizer has been preaching about reached home. They have  finally and knowingly laid eyes on Christ. 

Now to all of you, most of you have already had your own  epiphany moment. The mere fact that you believe that Jesus is  Christ is proof of this. And I mean truly believe, as in having a  faith that desires and loves and hopes in the promises of grace  through Christ who died on the cross to forgive us of all of our  sins. But there are many out there that know of Christ, but know  not who Christ truly is. They quite simply lack faith. They have yet  to have had an epiphany moment, to realize that they had it all  wrong, to realize that the world which lives in darkness has been  lying to them the entire time. We can serve as a light for them. For 

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many live in darkness and knows not the truth. We who do know  the truth, which is revealed only through the Holy Spirit, can serve  God in the Great Commission by boldly speaking the Word in  hopes that the Holy Spirit shines out of us and enters into the  hearts of those who lack faith, thus providing them with their own  epiphany moment. This can be done in the form of inviting people  to church, occasionally saying that Christ did die to forgive us of  our sins, and using any opportunity to open up the Bible and  speak the plain Word of God. 

But know this; you are not the source of the epiphany. God  alone is the source of our epiphanies, he who reveals himself to  us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be like John the Baptizer,  ceaselessly preaching of Christ, for those who have not had their  own epiphany; preaching the Gospel in hopes that the Holy Spirit  through us opens the eyes and ears and hearts of those who  listen so that they too may finally see Christ with eyes a new. 

Let us pray, 

Dear Heavenly Father, you who are the source of all  revelations, who washes our eyes of the sin that blinds us from  the Truth, help guide us as we spread your light for all to see. In  your heavenly name we pray, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.