“Fear to Faith” (Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Mark 1:21-28)

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Mark 1:21-28

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Pastor Tom Johnson, January 28, 2018

Last week, Rachel Denhollander was one of more than a hundred women and girls who spoke publicly about their experience of abuse. They confronted their gymnastics sports medical doctor Larry Nasser for his horrific behavior. Rachel’s statement cried out for the severest judgment. She did not hold back in naming his actions as evil and wicked. And she begged the court to send a message to the world that young girls need to be cherished and empowered, not harmed and used for one’s own sick desires. But she also talked about the importance of repentance—the usefulness of God’s Law to bring about true remorse, forgiveness, and life-transformation. She see him with his Bible and says,

“Should you ever reach the point of truly facing what you have done, the guilt will be crushing. And that is what makes the Gospel of Christ so sweet. Because it extends grace, and hope, and mercy, where none should be found. And it will be there for you. I pray you experience the soul-crushing weight of guilt, so that you may someday experience true repentance and true forgiveness from God, which you need far more than forgiveness from me, though I extend that to you as well.”

Her words powerfully and beautifully sum up what we see in today’s Scripture. The Israelites in our Old Testament reading have just experienced the crushing blow of the Law—the Ten Commandments. Along with the Word of God there was earthquake, trumpet blasts, smoke, fire, and terror. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods nor take his name in vain. You shall observe the Sabbath day, honor your parents, you shall not murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, nor covet.”

And so God says in our reading, “They were right when they said they could not hear God’s voice or see the great fire again lest they die in fear and terror.” That is the right reaction—to feel overwhelmed and crushed by the Law of God. They Law always condemns—always convicts us because we have not kept it faithfully. “We have sinned in thought, word, and deed in what we have done and left undone” just as we confessed earlier in our worship service. The kind and loving thing for God to do is allow this soul-crushing experience. We come to realize our limitations. We confront our demons. We look into the Law’s mirror and see the stain of sin on our bodies, minds, and souls. We come to terms with how much harm and destruction our own behavior has caused. It is a good experience, as Rachel said, because after having tasted the bitterness of the Law you can now know how truly sweet the Gospel of Jesus Christ is.

The Reformer Martin Luther said that his terror of God’s Law and its demand of perfect obedience and righteousness cause him to hate God. “I regarded God only as a severe and terrible Judge seated on a rainbow… I tortured myself thinking I could acquire righteousness by my works and strength…I hated God and his righteousness.” That is why God raised up Moses to be his prophet. He would help God’s people understand their shame, guilt, and sin. But he would also help them see God’s path to forgiveness and restoration. That is what I so admire about Rachel Denhollander—that she would want the devastating blow of the Law to fall upon her accused. But she also embodies the Great Prophet with pity and compassion. She wants her accused to fully experience the Great Prophet Jesus in all his mercy and grace.

This is the Great Prophet God and Moses' promise. He will also speak with great authority. He will also confront our sin, our captivity to evil, and our demons. Like Moses, he will lead us through the wilderness of this world. Like Moses, he will help us better understand God’s Law and its demand for righteous perfection. Like Moses, he will provide a way to forgiveness and safely bring us to freedom. Jesus is that Great Prophet. He astonishes the experts in the Law by his teaching and shocks them by his authoritative voice. He delivers people from their worst demons. He amazes them and his fame spreads. He does all this to deliver us from the terror of the Law and the captivity of evil and death. He leads us from fear to faith. That is what the Great Prophet does—he confronts sin and evil directly and openly so that he can reveal the fullness of God’s love for the world. He overcomes our fear by providing himself—the one we can wholeheartedly trust. He speaks with authority to remove doubt. He builds confidence in his Person and Work. He confronts our ills, sin, evil, and death on the Cross of Calvary. He rises again to authoritatively and prophetically ensure us of our forgiveness and eternal life.

Son of God, eternal Savior,Source of life and truth and grace,Word made flesh, whose birth among usHallows all our human race,You our Head, who throned in glory,Your own will ever plead:Fill us with Your love and pity,Heal our wrongs, and help our need.          (“Son of God, Eternal Savior,” LSB 842, v. 1)

"God is my Safety" (Ps 62:6-14; Mark 1:14-20)

Psalm 62:6-14
Mark 1:14-20

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Pastor Tom Johnson, January 21, 2018

Jesus has begun his ministry. His message is is the good news that the Kingdom of God is near. The reign of God’s love has begun to expand and conquer more and more hearts. But Jesus’ words are also treasonous. The Kingdom of Rome has conquered these lands. The Kingdom of Israel is weak. And the threat to these worldly powers is now the Kingdom of God. Jesus is clearly fulfilling the prophecy of Messiah—the King from the house of David. As he recruits more and more followers, Jesus establishes a new and higher authority.

It is not safe. Jesus is putting himself in harm’s way. The Roman and Jewish authorities do not want an uprising. Sadly, this will be the charge that sentences Jesus to death in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” It takes a lot of courage to do what Jesus is doing. He calls four fishermen to follow him—Peter, Andrew, James and John. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers for people.” And they all immediately follow. Mark’s account makes it look really simple. The other Gospels reveal the inner conflict—particularly of Peter. But we know enough from Mark to know this must have been a huge step of faith for all of them. Peter and Andrew leave their livelihood behind. They leave the nets behind—that was how they survived. James and John leave their father and hired hands behind. They left their family business. It could be said that Peter and Andrew were more working class and James and John more middle class. But they all leave the safety and familiarity of their lives to follow Jesus. They hear that the Kingdom of God is near. They are promised to be transformed from people who gather fish for market into people who gather souls for God’s Kingdom.

Jesus reveals the heart of God here. The eternal Son of God has come gather the world. As Jesus will say later of himself: “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). God wants to draw us close. The Kingdom of God is near us in the Person and work of Jesus. God extends his reign. He does not want to conquer earthly powers but every human heart. He is not here to win wars. He is here to win souls. Jesus has made the first move. He and his Kingdom’s reign have come near. He has taken the first step toward us. And now he asks to take a step toward him. To leave our nets behind—those worldly comforts. He asks us to leave the familiar and comfortable—to follow him—to find our safety in him. This is why it took tremendous courage for these fishermen to leave their lives behind and trust in Jesus. They must have hungered for more. Jesus knew how to speak to directly to them—heart, mind, and soul.

I love how C.S. Lewis translates this for us in the Chronicles of Narnia. The children to who meet Aslan are surprised to find that the Savior of this other world is a huge, talking Lion. Aslan is the Messiah of that world. The first question they ask is, “Is he safe?” And that is exactly what the call to discipleship does to us. We question, is following this Jesus safe? What will happen if I take a hard look at my life? What if I realize I have been putting my trust and value in the wrong things? Or what if I discover that there is something far more precious—far more precious than everything I have been working for? What does it mean to leave my old life behind? What does it mean to look into eyes of my parents and choose to put my Heavenly Father before them? It can be unsettling. It can feel unsafe.

One commentator (Friendship with Jesus, David Miller) talks about what this story in Gospel of Mark should mean for all of us. Jesus has reached out to us. He wants a relationship with us. We watch Jesus. We listen to him. Our trust grows in him as we see him put his own life on the line for us. He reveals who he truly is. It’s a bit shocking. He is the eternal Son of God who has become human for us. He teaches us, heals us, forgives us, dies for us, rises for us, and ascends into heaven for us. He does all this to draw us close. God wants to be near you. He wants that intimate relationship with you. His example encourages us to look at ourselves differently. He accepts us—he gives us courage to put ourselves out there too. We feel safe enough to reveal more of ourselves to him. We are broken and sinful people. It’s safe to confess your sins. He already knows. It comes as no surprise to him. The only surprise may be to us that he loves us anyway.

He calls us to follow him and be partners with him in his mission to draw all people to himself. We do not just have an earthly vocation—a job to make ends meet. We have a heavenly vocation—a calling from God to life transformation. We get to tell the world to cast all our anxieties upon him because he cares for us. He is a safe place to vent and unload our worries and find our peace in him. He can safely bear it; he has carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Kingdom of God is our safe place. Jesus has boldly revealed himself as Savior of the world. It’s ok to follow his lead and reveal ourselves. God is our safety.

O gently call those gone astray.
That they may find the saving way!
Let ev’ry conscience sore oppressed.
In You find peace and heav’nly rest.
      "O Christ, Our True and Only Light" (LSB 839 v.3)

“From prison to temple” (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

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Pastor Tom Johnson, January 14, 2018

Consider the recent news of scandals in the film industry and others in positions of authority and privilege. It is a disturbing revelation of the abuse of power. People are having more and more courage to speak out and the courage to listen. Our Scripture from Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church reminds us that there is nothing new under the sun. One person exploits another for gain and pleasure. That is pretty much the story of the human race from the beginning. Our Scripture warns us against this destructive and harmful behavior. In particular, sin which involves the body. Food and physical intimacy are the two examples. In particular, Paul is disturbed to hear that Christians in Corinth are pleasuring themselves through prostitution. And he wants it to stop.

What I admire so much about Paul—and what I am so thankful to the Holy Spirit who inspired him—is that he does not try to shame or guilt people into a more godly behavior. He does not threaten. Instead, he shows us that we have a higher calling. We are the people of God. We have been given something even more beautiful and priceless. But in order to draw us there, he teaches us something about sin itself. Sin is not just the act. Sin is not just the bad stuff we do. And it is not just harming others. Sin is a condition. Sin begins in our hearts—our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. It’s even worse than that. Sin holds us captive and we cannot free ourselves. And so Paul asks, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” This is a powerful question. And the New Testament Greek anticipates a resounding yes!

You know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, don’t you? You know that your physical body is God’s gift, don’t you? You know that your body was redeemed by the blood of Jesus on the Cross, don’t you? If that is true—and it is—then would not the truth of that have a huge impact on my life? My body is Temple. The Holy Spirit lives and works there. My body is not just a bag of bones and or a piece of meat—it’s a gift of God that he created. As our Psalm says today: “You created my inmost parts…you knit me together in my mother’s womb. …I am marvelously made.” The eternal Son of God became flesh and blood and gave that flesh and blood to make us his own—to purchase us—to redeems us from the power and dominion of sin.

Sin is the anti-Gospel. We do not treat our bodies as something sacred. We treat one another’s bodies as something we consume for self-gratification. Physical intimacy becomes a transaction. We cheapen God’s gifts. And we cheat ourselves. Paul says, “I will not be dominated by anything.” And that anything is the lust and desire of the flesh. It’s a scary thing to realize that we may be dominated or ruled by sin. In other words, our bodies are more like a prison holding us captive. We cannot free ourselves from our addiction—whether it is to food, physical intimacy or anything else. We cannot help ourselves break out of the cycle of abuse or being abused. We need a Savior. Christ lived, died, and rose again so that we would be free!

I believe one breakthrough in understanding is in the wisdom of the Golden Rule: love your neighbor as yourself—with an emphasis on loving yourself. Loving yourself does not mean becoming a narcissist. It does not mean living to please one’s self. It does not mean making you and your ego the center of the universe. Loving yourself means seeing yourself as God sees you. It means having compassion for you. It means empathizing with your own plight. It means being committed to what God is committed to—he wants your very best.

You know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, don’t you? You know that your physical body is God’s gift, don’t you? You know that your body was redeemed by the blood of Jesus on the Cross, don’t you? If you do, then will see food as something you eat to live—not something you live to eat. You will see physical intimacy and affection as a beautiful expression of union, love, cherishing the other, full acceptance, and vulnerability without shame.

With that understanding, we will not exploit, abuse, or use someone else. Their body and life are also a gift. They too bear the image of God. Christ also died and rose again from the dead for them. We love them as we love ourselves. We love them as Christ loves us. We have an epiphany; we clearly understand the love of God for us in Christ. We clearly understand that our freedom has been purchased by his precious blood. The prison doors swing wide open. We are now free to be a place where the Holy Spirit dwells and reigns. We become good stewards of our own bodies. We get to embody the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world, don’t we? That is truly a holy place—a special, unique, and sacred calling—to be members of Christ’s Body to the world, isn’t it? We are instruments that draw others into the presence of God—his forgiveness, and his promise of eternal life, are we not?

“Arise, shine! Your light has come!” (Isa 60:1-6; Matt 2:1-12)

Isaiah 60:1-6
Matthew 2:1-12

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Pastor Tom Johnson, January 7, 2018

I’m always intrigued by how people still use the biblical word “epiphany.” They have had a moment of sudden revelation, insight into a certain truth, a fuller and more meaningful understanding. Epiphany means manifestation or revelation. For us it means that God’s love for the whole world has been revealed in Jesus. Today we see God reveal his love for the Gentiles by drawing in the Magi from the distant east. They follow the star to the place where Jesus has been born. Their gifts of gold, frankincense, myrrh fulfill prophecy. The Magi show that this Child is the promised Prophet, Priest, and King—the Messiah who will give his life for the world. They seek the Light of Christ. They radiate Christ’s Light for the world. They arise, shine. For their light has come.

As a child, I remember going to football games at night. I was captivated by the thousands of insects flying up to the beaming lights. There was a steady stream of creatures coming from the north, south, east, and west drawn to the brightness. That is what the Magi represent—the world—the nations from all corners of the earth who are mesmerized by the light of Christ. They are drawn in by his beauty, his promise, and the love of God so powerfully revealed. The Magi are our forerunners and example. They have curiosity for the Light. They are seekers. They want to find brightness and truth in this oftentimes dark and confusing world. They have courage to leave the comfort of the familiar. They go on a long, spiritual journey as sojourners in a foreign land. “Arise, shine! Your light has come!” And so they do not rest on their laurels but get up to the dawn of a new day. They experience the joy of discovery. They radiate a hunger for truth. They go on a spiritual journey with God.

I believe this is why we can be so ineffective for the Kingdom. We become complacent in our faith. We do not want—or feel the need—to grow. It is a blessing to be born into a Christian home and baptized as an infant. But we still need to cultivate a curiosity about the world and God who created us. We are all seekers. We may need to navigate through generation and after generation of religious practice. We may need to find our way through the maze of competing world views. None of us is born mature in Christ. Even Jesus himself grew in wisdom and stature before God and people (Luke 2:52). The Magi want to grow, learn, and discover Christ and what he means for their life’s journey. Mary and Joseph welcome these strangers. Their hospitality is handsomely rewarded. Imagine the blessings they would have denied themselves if they were not open or did not see the value and dignity of these foreigners.

All of this could have been killed by pride—the pride of the wise men that were wise enough—the pride of Joseph and Mary that they were from the house of David—not some remote, gentile tribe from the east.  Pride will kill our mission. It is arrogance and a lie to think we are God’s people because of who our parents are. It is delusion to think we are believers because of how smart we are. If so, I believe we will never attract people to the light of Christ the way God has designed. We are all on a journey of discovery. None of us has arrived. Maybe some of us have spotted Messiah’s star earlier than others—like the Magi. But that only means that we get to bring more companions with us on our shared adventure.

The epiphany is how great and awesome God is! It’s humbling to realize that we do not deserve God’s love and forgiveness. It is a gift. It is freely given. It comes through that little bundle of joy wrapped in swaddling cloth in Bethlehem. And we have the privilege of unwrapping God’s gift on a life-long journey of discovery. We have had that epiphany. The love of God has been finally revealed in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God born into time and space in a manger—the Light who overcomes our darkness. The epiphany is a life-long journey for Jesus. He continues to unfold God’s plan. He reveals day by day the love that God has for the world. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Jesus demonstrates God’s mercy by forgiving us of our sins. He manifests God’s grace by rising from the dead to assure us of eternal life. In Christ we discover that God is love (1 Jn 4:8). We are blessed with epiphany after epiphany.

And so God calls out to us, “Arise, shine! Your light has come!” Wake up to the day God has made—rejoice, be glad in it. The Morning Star has risen upon you. Our sins are forgiven. The Lord is with us. His Word is living and active. We see the flicker of light burning at the baptismal font. Here God reveals his love for us and especially little William. God will reveal William’s adoption as a child of God before our very eyes. We will share an epiphany through the water, Word, and Holy Spirit. We will will share an epiphany through the bread and the wine. Here God reveals his love, forgiveness, and ongoing nurture of our faith: Christ’s Body and Blood given and shed for you…and me. We share a journey of discovery. We grow in the love of God day by day and hour by hour as we are drawn toward his light. And…and we get to radiate that love to the world. “Arise, shine! For your light has come!”

“Now I depart in peace” (Luke 2:22-40)

Luke 2:22-40

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 31, 2017

Jesus’ parents are fulfilling the Law by taking him to the temple. They offer a sacrifice for their firstborn. This is not to cover Jesus’ sins since he is born sinless. This points us to the purpose of Jesus’ life—to give his life for the life of the world—to bring forgiveness and purchase a place for us in heaven. This infant has not just opened Mary’s womb for the first time and so needs to fulfill the Law’s demands; he will also open the gates of heaven for all eternity. Simeon has been waiting his whole life for this moment. He tells Jesus’ mother Mary that there will be sword which will pierce her soul. This once again points to the prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion. Mary will see Jesus pierced through with a sword which will pierce her soul with a mother’s agonizing grief. In the movie Nativity, Simeon and Anna not only look at Jesus adoringly but painfully—you can see it on their faces that this Child will suffer and die for them. I love that God sends these geriatric prophets to the newborn Messiah!

What better choice to bring death into perspective than the elderly—our “seasoned citizens”—who have faithfully walked with God through thick and thin. Proverbs 20:29 says, “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.” God does not want us to look at the strength of Jesus’ youthfulness and lose perspective on who this Christ child is. And so God brings the treasure of these two mature believers at just the right time. Simeon and Anna fulfill the desire of the aging Psalmist who writes in Psalm 71 (v. 18): “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” These two pillars of faith in the Temple are granted an opportunity to proclaim God’s power to another generation—and because their witness is recorded in Holy Scripture, their Word is for us—we whipper-snappers of First Saint Paul. You could call this event in Jesus’ life “a senior moment”—a blessed senior moment—a moment of maturity and wisdom. Simeon gives us a perspective of death for believers but, even more importantly, a beautiful perspective of life.

Simeon is a prophet—waiting for “the consolation of Israel”—ever watchful—looking for true comfort and peace—the Messiah who would console his people. Our text says that Simeon knew “by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” The time had come. Simeon is led “by the Holy Spirit” directly to the infant Jesus as Mary and Joseph bring Him into the temple. How else would he have known? And how would you and I feel about a strange old man snatching our infant out of our arms? If I were Joseph, I would have would have been alarmed and worried that his frail arms would drop him. Instead, Joseph and Mary hear beautiful words flow from Simeon’s mouth: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

In other words, Simeon says: “I can die now. Go ahead and take me home, Lord. Jesus is all I need before I die. To see this Infant is to see my Savior. And not just my Savior—but the Savior of the whole world—both Jews and non-Jews. Receiving Jesus as our Messiah is all we need. He takes the fear of death away. He brings peace between God and humanity—through the infant who will grow up to the be the Prince of Peace. And he sheds his blood for the life of the world. One of the innovations of the reformer Martin Luther was to sing this song of Simeon after Communion. Like Simeon, we take the Body and Blood of Jesus into our hands. And we say, “Go ahead, and take me! I’m ready to step into eternity. It’s okay.” For to depart this life in peace is to enter our heavenly home—“to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord,” Scripture says (2 Corinthians 5:8). Scripture describes death as a departure (e.g. 2 Tim. 4:6; 2 Pet. 1:15). We are passing away—not into oblivion or vanishing—but passing from this life unto the next—we are just changing our address. We are departing in peace.

For the prophets Simeon and Anna, it was from the earthly temple to the heavenly Temple. It is not that we have made friends with death—but that Jesus has made friends with us—and his friendship takes away all our fears—even death itself. As St. Paul boldly says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). “Take, eat this is Messiah’s Body. Drink of it all of you.” And after taking God’s gift into your hands and mouths, Christ sends you away in peace. We leave this holy house with a song on our lips and peace in our hearts.  Simeon knew he would meet the Lord’s Messiah before his death. There is nothing in this text to tell us when he would depart this life. And so it is for all of us. We do not know the day or hour of Christ’s coming to us or our going to him. Like him, we are blessed with this peace—peace that flows from the assurance of God’s grace. Our sins are forgiven. We have a place secured for us in heaven. We go out into the world in the confidence that we are ready to face anything. We’ve received the gift of Jesus into our hands and hearts. We now have the joy and confidence that he will take us up into his arms and welcome us into our heavenly home.