It Is Good for Us to Be Here!

Sermon preached at Our Savior for the Last Sunday after Epiphany, the Transfiguration of our Lord. Text: Luke 9:28-36

It Is Good for Us to Be Here!

I don't know how many people watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics a couple of nights ago, but it was quite a spectacle. Thousands of people were there in the stands. Amazing visuals and music were happening on stage. But the part that stood out most from what I saw was all the different countries' teams walking into the stadium. The crowds would cheer, and the athletes would walk and wave.

This part of the ceremony was for more than just entertainment. I've heard that walking into the stadium like they do is actually important for the athletes. After all, they are about to embark on quite a struggle. The Olympics are about competitions, competitions for which these athletes have trained years. But as they walk into the stadium to the roar of the crowd, the athletes get moments of glory. And it energizes them. It gets them ready for the struggle ahead. They've been to a lot of competitions, but now, as they walk and wave to the crowd, the athletes know they're ready to compete in the Olympics.

This is also important for those of us just watching the games. We could watch most of these sports at other times, but most of us don't. Why? Because it's not the Olympics! It doesn't have the same excitement for us. But when we see those opening ceremonies, when we see those athletes waving in all their glory, we realize that these are Olympic athletes. We realize that they're worth our time and attention over the next two weeks.

You might struggle to see what the opening ceremonies of the Olympics could possibly have to do with Jesus' transfiguration. But really, they have some striking similarities. The transfiguration was an amazing spectacle filled with light and glory. Jesus, too, was about to start on an incredible struggle. He would not compete in a sporting events; he would do battle with the devil himself as Jesus walked the road to the cross. Yes, right after the transfiguration, Jesus made his way to Jerusalem where he would be arrested, tortured, and put to death. The transfiguration is the opening ceremonies to Jesus' struggle against sin, death, and the devil.

Jesus didn't need the transfiguration for himself. But there was a great benefit for his disciples and for us. Because there we see exactly who our Savior really is. He's not some man going off on a fool's mission to die in Jerusalem. He is the true God of power and glory who was going to defeat sin, death, and the devil for us once and for all.  And because of his victory, the glory he showed on that mountain is the glory we will share with him in heaven. And until that day, he's the same Savior of power who is with us no matter what. So as we look to our Savior, we can say along with Peter in our text, "It is good for us to be here!"

It probably didn't start out as anything unusual when Jesus "took Peter, John, and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray." (Lk. 9:28) That was probably routine. But the routine changed pretty quickly. "As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning." (Lk. 9:29) This is pretty hard for us to imagine. We've all seen flashes of lightning before, but they're just that: flashes. They don't last long. Jesus and his clothes changed and stayed that way. Imagine looking at a bright light bulb for a long time and it might give you an idea.

But Jesus was just showing who he really was: God. He'd always been God. The Bible reminds us that he had been there at the beginning (Jn. 1:1), in fact, everything was created through him! (Jn. 1:3) Of course he has all kinds of glory and power; he always has! But then, as the Nicene creed reminds us, "For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became fully human."

When Jesus became human and was born, he did not become any less God. He just hid his true glory as God, and he didn't always make use of his full power as God. But there, on the mountain of transfiguration, Jesus showed his true glory.

How amazing it must have been! How comforting! Think about those disciples. Sure, they knew who Jesus was, at least they thought they did. Just before our text Peter had made a great confession that Jesus was the Christ. (Lk. 9:20) They'd seen his amazing miracles that pointed to him being true God. But still, there might have been doubts. Was Jesus really who he said he was? But now on that mountain, they had proof!

He is what he says! He really did have power! And then there's Moses and Elijah there talking with him all of a sudden! (Lk. 9:30-31) How incredible that would have been to see.  Imagine how safe they must have felt, how loved. This is the true God! He's here with Moses and Elijah! Suddenly their worries and problems melted away. They had no more doubts, no more fears. No wonder Peter in a happy stupor says, "It is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters -- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (Lk. 9:33) Peter wanted this moment to last forever.

Did you ever wish you could have a moment like that? I realize none of us were on that mountain with Jesus. None of us have seen our Savior in full glory. But we may have had our own mountain-top experience. Maybe something happened once that left you no doubt that God had just done something amazing. Maybe there was someone who was sick who just got better, despite doctors saying it was impossible. Maybe you were close to a car accident, but somehow you escaped it. You know God protected you. Maybe you had a moment in your life when you suddenly realized the amazing ways God had blessed you, and at that moment you could almost see his glory.

It's a great feeling to have. You don't doubt; you're not afraid. You just want it to last forever! But here's the thing: it doesn't. The moment passes. Life goes on. Your problems come back; so do those fears and doubts. And pretty soon you're wondering if that moment ever really happened. You're wondering if you'd ever really been sure of Jesus' glory.

And that's if you've ever had a moment like that. Lots of people haven't. Maybe you don't recall any sort of miracle or special feeling that you've ever had. Does that mean that you missed something? Does it mean that God doesn't use his glory for you? Does it mean you're just not that special to him? And then when the troubles come, when the fears and doubts come (and they always do), you wonder. Why is God letting this happen? Is he really in control? Is he really there for me?

It's good for us to be here. That's what Peter said on the mountain, but it's true in our lives now. It's good for us to be here! We're not in heaven yet! We're in the midst of a world that is full of trouble and sin. There is temptation all around us. The devil tempts us, and all too often we give in. We fail and we fall.

Why is it good for us to be here? Because this is where God has put us. This is where God wants us to live for him. And how can we live for him when we are in a world of sin, so full of our sin? We can because of the truth we learn at Jesus' transfiguration.

When Moses and Elijah were there with Jesus, did you ever wonder what they talked about? Our text tells us! It says, "They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem." (Lk. 9:31) Jesus' "departure" was his death.  You'd think that was the last thing they'd want to talk about! You'd think Jesus would say, "Can we change the subject here? I don't want to think about that!" But he doesn't! In this brief time of his glory, Jesus talks about his death.

Think about that. Jesus' death is where his real glory is for us. If it wasn't for his death on that cross, Jesus' glory would be terrifying to us. It would be the true God who would wipe us out because of our sins. But no! After his transfiguration, Jesus went to Jerusalem. He was arrested, he suffered, and he died for you.

Instead of wiping us out because of our sins, Jesus died for them. He paid for them. Jesus' glory at his transfiguration reminds us that Jesus is God, that he is the one who had the power to die to save us. It reminds us that his resurrection means eternal life for us! It reminds us that because he lives, we will live with him in the glory of heaven where all our troubles will be gone forever!

But remember, we're not in heaven yet! And Jesus' transfiguration is a comfort for us now. Think of how it must have comforted someone like Peter. After this event, he went with Jesus to Jerusalem. He ran away when Jesus was arrested. He denied even knowing him. How horrible! How guilty he must have felt! But then he remembered: this man who died is the true God who was doing this to save me! Jesus did this to forgive me!

That's our comfort too. It's good for us to be here, it's good for us to live our real lives with all the ups and downs and pains and fears that come with us. Because those problems are meant to drive us back to God's Word to hear again and again what Jesus did for us. There in the Word we're reminded what God has done. We're comforted that our sins are gone. We're comforted that Jesus will never leave us, but will be with us always.

Remember what God the Father said after all this happened. "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." (Lk. 9:35) Let's listen to him. Let's go to his Word and hear his life and death that was for us. Let's listen to him at the altar as we receive that body and blood given for you, for your forgiveness. Let's listen to Jesus in his Word even when we're afraid, even when we're doubting, because in his Word he'll come our fears, and replace our doubts with faith. Yes, it's good for us to be here and to be in God's Word.

The Olympic opening ceremonies were quite a spectacle, and they cost millions to produce. But for the people who watched or participated, it was worth it. Jesus put on a spectacle at his transfiguration. And as we watch that spectacle through God's Word, we're reminded that the price Jesus paid was worth it, the blood shed was worth it, because he did it for our glory. He did it for our life. He did it for our salvation. May his glory be and abide with you through this life to the next.

Love Takes Time…with the Body of Christ

This sermon was preached on 10/18/09 at Our Savior. It is the second in a series called “Love Takes Time,” which is a stewardship emphasis on our use of time. The sermon text and series title were produced by the WELS for congregations to use as a stewardship emphasis. The sermon itself, though, is my own work.

Love Takes Time…with the Body of Christ

What would the perfect church be like? What would it be like to be in the perfect congregation? Think specifically! What would this church look like if it were the perfect congregation? I can see it now. A packed house every Sunday for worship. There are multiple Bible classes every Sunday to keep up with the need. Every day of the week there's a Bible information class or some other class. Kids are everywhere, going to Sunday school, confirmation classes, teen classes, and youth group events. People are reaching out, visiting the sick, helping the poor, improving the community. Members are constantly telling their friends, relatives, acquaintances, and neighbors about their Savior and their church. Oh yeah, and everyone gets along, always. There's never any complaining. Everyone is working together, and they're doing it joyfully, not because they have to, but because they love their Savior and they want to do all they can for their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Well, how close are we? Maybe we're not quite ready to call ourselves the perfect congregation yet. In fact, every one of us, from me the pastor to the youngest or oldest or newest member -- we all have to admit that our own actions have made this congregation less than perfect. We've complained. We've divided instead of united. We've grumbled about the work to be done. We've let someone else do it all. We've taken our brothers and sisters in Christ for granted. We've failed to talk about our Savior to those we know. We've ignored the needy and the community. Perfect? We're not close to perfect.

So how do we get there? Obviously when we think of things that aren't perfect, we want to fix them. But how? Do we start all sorts of new programs and classes and then "strongly urge" people to come to them? Maybe we start requiring a certain level of church attendance, and if they don't live up to it; they're gone. Maybe we could invest in a laser-light show style worship to keep things exciting around here and keep people fired up. The problem is, those solutions might cause more harm than good.

And then we look at the early Christian church from our text in Acts and we really start wondering how we could live up to their standards. The early Christians didn't just go to church when they felt like it; we hear that "they devoted themselves" (Acts 2:42) to public worship. And in addition to that, "Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles." (Acts 2:43) Hmm. I'm not sure how we'll pull that off.

Outside of worship, the Christians were constantly together. "All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need." (Acts 2:44-45) Think of the generosity we're talking about here. They share everything with each other, and if anyone needs anything, they give it. Wow! It makes me realize how much of my own stuff I want to keep for myself. How about you?

Those early Christians also had some pretty amazing fellowship with each other. "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:46-47) This wasn't a "see you next Sunday" kind of fellowship. Their lives were completely devoted to each other because they were all devoted to their Savior. And we think, how could we keep up with that! Guess we'll need a lot more sign-up sheets...

But the idea of trying to be the perfect church or somehow trying to keep up with the early Christian church in Acts 2 is an idea that takes us in the wrong direction. It focuses on us, instead of where our focus should be. You might remember that one of the names that the Bible gives for the Christian Church is the body of Christ. Jesus has ascended into heaven, but he still rules all things for the church, which is his body. (Eph. 1:22-23) To be a better church, a better congregation, we can't focus on programs or results. We can only focus on our head, on the only one who can bring us together -- we look, appropriately, to our Savior.

See, with all the amazing things that the early Christian church did there in Acts, it's easy to forget how they got there. That's the beginning of our text. It takes us to the day of Pentecost, and to Peter preaching a sermon to a huge crowd of people. As our text starts, the crowd is stunned. It says, "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart." (Acts 2:37) But you have to go back a verse to see what they heard.

It was Peter uttering the most devastating words -- and the most comforting words -- ever spoken: "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:36)

No wonder the crowd was cut to the heart. They had killed the Savior. They thought he was an impostor. They'd been convinced that he was a troublemaker, and when the opportunity came to get rid of him; they took it.

Oh sure, not every one of the thousands of people Peter was talking to was directly involved in Jesus' death. Maybe they didn't all arrest him or flog him or spit on him or drive the nails into his hands and feet. But they did all kill him. They killed him with their sins, with their lies, with their hatred, with their unbelief.

And the worst part of it is, so did you. Yes, everyone at Our Savior Lutheran Church, I have news for you: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Yes, you crucified him. No, you didn't hammer in the nails or crack the whip or thrust the spear. But you have sinned. You have put up roadblocks to the unity of your fellow Christians. You have taken your Christian family for granted. You've treated the Good News like old news. And each sin put Jesus on that cross. For each sin Jesus suffered hell.

So like the crowd on Pentecost, we ask, "What shall we do?" (Acts 2:37) Where can we go with this guilt we feel? The answer we need is the same one Peter gave: "Repent and be baptized, 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.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-39)

Just about everyone here has already been baptized, but the power is just as real for us now! Repent. Look at your sins and turn from them. Then turn to Jesus. Turn to the Holy Spirit's power given you in your baptism. There you will find forgiveness. There you will find that your sins have been washed away. Your baptism connects you to Jesus' death (Rom. 6:3). The very death your sins brought Jesus is the same death that Jesus used to take away your sins! You are right with God again! You want to be renewed spiritually? You want new life breathed into our church, into our congregation? Look to your baptism! The Holy Spirit is still at work in you, renewing you and building you up.

And in the same way our worship here together as a body of Christ builds us up, too. It's so easy to think of these services as just words, just a little ritual that we go through. It can be so automatic and thoughtless and we can make it mean nothing by our carelessness. But it isn't nothing. Every word and action in our services point to Jesus. Every word of Good News from the Bible is a gift from God that builds up our faith, that the Holy Spirit uses for our good. You want to renew the Church, come here to worship with hearts ready to repent of your sins, with ears ready to hear with joy the Good News of Christ, and with mouths ready to confess and sing your Maker's praise!

That's what the early church did in Acts. They weren't so different than we are! "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." The Apostles' teaching -- that's like how we hear and learn God's Word here at church. Fellowship --that's the time we spend together as brothers and sisters in Christ. The breaking of bread -- that can be eating together, like we often do, or -- more likely -- it refers to receiving Jesus' body and blood with the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper, another incredible gift we receive! Prayer -- we do that too, as we pray to God in thanks and in requests with boldness and confidence that he hears us because of his Son!

So, no, we're not the perfect church. Sure, we have sins and problems and struggles. But we also have a Savior! We have a Savior who loved us so much that he took all of our sins, all of our problems and our struggles, and he bore their burden on the cross. He's forgiven us, and he wants us to cast our cares on him.

And you know what? He will bless us. He will bless us as we take the time to go back to the very means that he has promised to bless us in. Return to your baptism and the real power of the Holy Spirit working in you. Return to the Word and Sacraments proclaiming your forgiveness in so many different ways in these worship services.

When we do that, our love will grow. Whether we look just like that early Christian church or not is beside the point. Our love will grow as Christ's love grows in our hearts. Yes, love takes time. But we as the body of Christ will continue to grow in Christ's love, and his love will shine out for us more and more as Christians, as a congregation, and as his church.

What’s the point of Feeding His Sheep?

From our perspective, it didn’t look like the smartest move on Jesus’ part.  After

all, Jesus had just won a great victory.  He had risen from the dead! Death and the grave could not hold him! By his resurrection, he gave life to all who trust in him (1 Cor. 15:20; Jn. 11:25-26). He had given us the victory! (1 Cor. 15:57)

But now he was going to ascend into heaven. He would no longer be with his disciples and believers visibly. He promised to return to take us to be with him forever (1 Thess. 4:13-18; Acts 1:11), but until that time, he decided to leave sinful human beings with the responsibility to carry his Word to others (Acts 1:8).

That’s why he was talking with Peter after breakfast by the Sea of Galilee after he’d appeared to his disciples for the third time after his resurrection (Jn. 21:14). His question was simple, and he repeated it three times: “Do you love me?” (Jn. 21:15-17) Peter was more aware than most of what is true of all of us: he was a sinner.  He had denied even knowing Jesus during Jesus’ hour of need (Matt. 26:69-75).

Peter was hurt that Jesus questioned his love for him three times (Jn. 21:17). But he was also keenly aware that he didn’t deserve to do the job Jesus asked him to do three times: “Feed my sheep.”

Really, Jesus?  You want sinners, people like Peter, to feed your sheep, to teach your Word to your people?  It doesn’t seem smart. It seems impossible that God would even allow a sinful human being to have such an important role in his kingdom.

I know it doesn’t seem right that I should have that privilege.  Like Peter, I’m a sinner, a sinner worthy of eternal death.  Also like Peter, however, I’ve been forgiven by Christ.  His blood has washed my sins away.  He’s put his name on my in my baptism.  He’s called me into his service to feed his sheep and lambs as a pastor.  I don’t deserve any of it.  I don’t deserve to serve the church I do. These are all gifts of complete grace from my Savior.

So, in my job of feeding Christ’s sheep and lambs, I work in God’s holy Word, the Bible.  It is a joy and privilege to be able to spend so much time in his Word.  That’s why I’m writing this blog. I want an outlet to think through my study of God’s Word. I want feedback that will help me serve the flock entrusted to me. I want to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Pet. 3:18)

So, feel free to leave your thoughts.  I’m not sure the form this blog will take in the days ahead, but I pray God will use it to bless me, my congregation, and anyone who happens by.  What a blessing to be feeding his sheep!

Technorati Tags: Peter,Ministry,purpose of blog