“Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies” Lent 2 Sermon

January 27 – 28, 2010  Lent 2

Matthew 15:21-28

“Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies”

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindnesses. For they are of old. They are older than our sins. So remember them and not our sins. Remember Your promises. Remember the Sacrifice of Your Son in our stead! For we are severely oppressed by demons, by an evil army of angels, by Satan himself. We are assaulted through the eyes and ears with temptations that threaten to overcome us and drag us into self-destruction by lust, greed, and malice. Sanctify us, O Lord. Fulfill Your will in us or else we are lost. Avenge us for we are Your own Blood-bought children. Cleanse us in holiness. Deliver us from the evil one. Have mercy upon us.

Remember, and do not forget, O Lord, our children which we have forgotten. The end draws near. The enemy is bold in his attacks. He dashes babies against the rocks in clinics in our city. He turns the fathers from their children to shameful, grainy images on the television screens watched alone in the dark behind locked doors or to bottles of violent poison advertized as the stuff of the high life! He tricks them into gambling away the college fund and pretending all the while that their abuse toughens their children for the real world. He demoralizes and defeats in subtle, cunning ways. He undermines the fathers’ love for their children by first destroying the fathers’ love for their wives. He seduces them away with pleasures of the flesh, hardens their hearts, turns them inward, so that they do not notice, or do not mind, when he rapes and tortures their children.

Remember, O Lord, what we have forgotten! For demons prowl the halls of our schools. Our children are in danger. Remember, O Lord, to crush the serpent’s head and to keep us as the apple of Your eye! For the enemy seeks victims in the bathrooms and locker rooms, in the cafeteria and playground. He attempts to rule through terror and pain. He cuts down with cruel words and false names. Our children suffer at his hand and learn the ways of evil men way too early, behaving too much like their fathers, violently using guns and condoms in the school. Have mercy, O Lord, Son of David. Intervene. Bestow the Wisdom that surpasses Solomon’s. Grant us peace in Your land: in our homes, in our Church, and in our government.

Remember, O Lord, Yourself. For with You there is forgiveness that You may be feared. Apart from You there is nothing, no hope, no future, no mercy. And though we have invited these demons in, we are oppressed and repent. We know we should not have. We wish that we had not. We want to never do it again. And most importantly, wholeheartedly, we put our hope in Your Word! We wait for You. For if You marked iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? We ask not for justice. We plead, we beg, for mercy. Send us limping away if You must, but first give us a blessing. Reveal Yourself to us. Tell us Your Name. For we believe that You are the God of Abraham, the living God who made all things, who delivered the Syro-Phonecian´s daughter from demons, who sacrificed Himself to redeem men and defeat Satan, who ascended into heaven to open the way to all believers. We believe that You are the most Holy Trinity. We believe that You are the God of forgiving mercy and saving grace.

We are not the lost sheep of the House of Israel. We are not of that fold. But remember, O Lord, that You have caused us to hear Your Voice. Turn not away from us. Bring us to Yourself. Unite us together in grace. Let us be little lap dogs, eating crumbs from Your table. Anything, just let us live and come in. Relieve us of the demons and Hell’s wrathful fire according to Your own prophetic promise. For it is better to be a dog in Your House than meat in the devil’s stew!

Cause us to remember, O Lord, Your bitter passion and death, to proclaim it and Your mercy, by eating and drinking our salvation in Your Body and Your Blood, by casting out demons and drowning the Old Adam in the Jordan ‘s stream flowing out of the Baptismal Font, by preaching the truth of Your boundless love in the suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection! Feed us. Nourish us. Strengthen and encourage us. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindnesses for they are of old. Sanctify us. Fulfill Your will in us. Avenge us. Cleanse us. Deliver us. Help us.

Have mercy upon us, Lord, Son of David. We know Your Name. Remember our names in Your Kingdom for we are the new Israel. We have struggled with God and overcome by Your mercy. We have seen You. Our eyes have seen Your Body risen from the dead and hidden in bread. Our lips have been drank Your Holy Blood. Remember, O Lord, our children. Deliver us from demons. In  + Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The Wound of Betrayal Feb. 23, 2010 Lent Midweek

“The Wound of Betrayal”

Text: Matthew 26:20-25; 2 Samuel 15:1-12
February 23, 2010


“One of you will betray me,” Jesus said as He reclined at the table with His disciples. What makes that statement even more remarkable is that it was spoken at not just any table, and not just at the Passover table, but at the Table which was about to be the Table of our Lord’s Supper. Jesus was about to give them His body and blood, and one of them was going to give Him over to death.

“One of your will betray me,” Jesus said to His friends. The twelve who were like His family. Who were the closest to Him. Whom He had hand-picked to be His disciples. One of them would turn on Him. No crown of thorns, no whip, no mocking, would hurt as deeply as that. Most of you know that. For most of you have felt the wound of betrayal - when your trust is thrust aside, and you are hurt by one close to you, a family member or a close friend. It is a wound not quick to heal.

“One of you will betray me.” And when they heard those words, the disciples began to be sorrowful, and each asked: “Is it I, Lord?” They would, of course, all betray Him. Not as Judas would, but each in their own way. As do we. Lent is a time to consider that, to examine ourselves, to ask the hard questions. Do I betray His name given to me in Baptism by how I live? Do I betray Him by presuming on His forgiveness and regarding it lightly? Do I take my Lord’s love and return it not?

“One of you will betray me.” As Absalom turned on his father David, so do sons of God turn on their Heavenly Father. But King David gives us a picture of the heart of God in that he will not return betrayal for betrayal, or wound for wound - his love for his son Absalom continues. He will endure the hurt and will not hurt in return.

So it is with Jesus. When He speaks, His words are not filled with anger or judgment or condemnation, but filled with love. “One of you will betray me” and “woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed” is not thundered like at Sinai, but spoken in compassion from the heart, to bring the terrors of conscience that lead to repentance and confession. That there might not be woe, but forgiveness. Yet Jesus knew, as was His way, that it would not be so. That when Judas came to know his sin, he would think it too grievous to be forgiven; greater than God’s mercy in Christ. And that made the sorrow even greater, and broke our Lord’s heart even more than the betrayal itself.

For it was for that sin that Jesus would now go “as it is written of Him.” It was for the sin of Judas, and the sins of all of us Judases, that the Son of Man stretched His hands on the wood of the cross and let them pound the nails. It was for the sin of Judas, and the sins of all of us Judases, that the Son of Man pleaded “Father, forgive!” It was for the sin of Judas, and the sins of all of us Judases, that the Lord of life let “grim death, with cruel rigor” (LSB #450 v.2) rob Him of His life, so that sin and death would lose their claim on us forever.

The wound of betrayal, perhaps we could say, hurt like hell! But in Jesus’ heart lives a love too great, too strong, too mighty to be conquered. And so there is no sin too great, too strong, too mighty to be forgiven. Jesus took all the sin of Judas, and all the sins of all of us Judases, that we might be forgiven. That we might turn to Him in faith. That we turn and live.

And live we do! Now, with the same love with which we have been loved. A love that will not return hurt for hurt, betrayal for betrayal, wound for wound - but which forgives the trespasses of those who sin against us. That is not easy; impossible, in fact, for our fallen human nature! But in communion with Christ, it is possible. That when we are crushed, when we are reduced to tears, when we are sold out, when we feel like rising up in anger and indignation and getting even with those who sin against us, instead, we take up our cross and follow Him. We nail that old Adam in us to the cross, and forgive. And love. To do so will feel like torture and death - like a cross! - to the old Adam. But to the new man in you, the resurrected man, created by God in Baptism, it will be joy and life. It will be the glory of Christ and His love living in you.

In the wounds of Christ, we find healing for our wounds of betrayal. In the wounds of Christ, we discover a love that sets us free from the need for revenge. In the wounds of Christ, we find the strength of compassion, and the joy of forgiveness. From the wounds of Christ come the gifts of our Lord, who comes to us betrayers, us sinners, now at this Table, this altar, with His body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. And we say, at this table: “It is I, Lord.” And He says: Take eat; take drink. For you I am wounded. For you I am crucified. For you I am risen. For you I live. Go in My peace, My strength, My love.

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

Lessons for February 21-27

 Daily Lectionary

Second Sunday in Lent Genesis 16:1–9, 15—17:22; Mark 6:1–13
Monday Genesis 18:1–15; Mark 6:14–34
Tuesday Genesis 21:1–21; Mark 6:35–56
Wednesday Genesis 22:1–19; Mark 7:1–23
Thursday Genesis 24:1–31; Mark 7:24–37
Friday Genesis 24:32–52, 61–67; Mark 8:1–21
Saturday Genesis 27:1–29; Mark 8:22–38

Reminiscere—The Second Sunday In Lent

Jacob wrestled with God; he would not let Him go until he received a blessing from Him. (Genesis 32:22–32) So it was with the Canaanite woman. Though Jesus seemed to ignore and reject her, yet she continued to call upon His name and look to Him for help. (Matthew 15:21–28) Even when the Lord called her a little dog, she held on to Him in faith and would not let Him wriggle out of His words: ―Yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters‘ table.‖ This Gentile woman shows herself to be a true Israelite, who struggles with God and man in Christ and prevails. ―O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.‖ This is the sanctifying will of God, (1 Thessalonians 4:1–7) to test your faith in order that it may be refined and strengthened. For tribulation produces perseverance; perseverance, character; character, hope. And hope in Christ does not disappoint. (Romans 5:1–5)

Collect
O God, our heavenly Father, seeing that of ourselves we have no strength, keep us both outwardly and inwardly that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Lessons
Old Testament: Genesis 32:22–32 [Jacob wrestles with God]
Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4:1–7 [God‘s calls us to be holy]
Holy Gospel: Matthew 15:21–28 [Canaanite Woman‘s faith]

Lent 1 sermon

Lent 1 Matthew 4:1-11 February 20 – 21, 2010

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The devil is a liar. You cannot have more than one god no matter how many times the he says that he does not mind. You will either worship the God of Abraham or you will worship the devil. There are no other choices. And the devil gets not just the out-and-out witches and Satanists. He gets all the undecided, all the fence-riders, all the lukewarm pretenders, all those who worship no gods, and all those who worship false gods. He wants Jesus to have bread and honor and be spared His suffering so that men would go without Jesus’ Word.

The devil says to Our Lord: “You shouldn’t have to do this. It is not your fault. When Israel was in the desert they grumbled and complained! They picked their bread and quail off the ground and hungered for cucumbers in Egypt. They are not worthy of your gifts. Look here and see. These stones could be bread for you, pleasing to the eye, good for food. You have the power and the right. Take care of yourself. Be God. Let me have the men. They’ll never bother you again. I’ll be their god. And you can bet that I won’t be going hungry in the desert! I won’t be serving them.”

But Jesus does what Adam, Moses, and Israel, what you, did not. He resists. He is tempted but He is not overcome. He does not sin. He suffers in His obedience for their disobedience and lives perfectly by His Word. The Father will provide. The Son will wait. Led into the place of temptation by the Spirit, He submits to His Father and knows hunger and shame. The Lord provides for Him not by removing the burden, but by offering Him up. He goes silently as a Lamb to the slaughter without complaint, without bread, without honor, without friend. Nothing is stored up for Him in heaven. There is no grace, no justice, no relief for Him. The Father answers the Son by sacrificing Him in order to give the Spirit to the failures who went before Him: to Adam, Moses, and Israel, and to the failures who follow: you.

The Christ goes alone to pay for sins He did not commit. He turns the other cheek. He allows them to force a crown of thorns down upon His brow, to drive nails into His hands and feet. He lets Satan do his worst; have his day; take his price - but then! Then! Then the price is paid. The ransom made. The sacrifice complete. He has loved the world to the very end. And there is no more. He has satisfied the Law’s demands. He has removed the guilt and shame of the same. He takes up His power. He rises from the dead. He is the Victory over Satan in the desert, in Galilee and Judah and on Golgotha. He is the Victor, alive, out of the grave, over death.

His power is greater, stronger, than that of the devil. It’s not like the powers of men and the devil, which are always in some sense the power to destroy and seek vengeance, powers of violence. Of course, men and devils don’t color their power that way. That is why we call them deceptive and tempting. Don’t be naive. The President’s power rests upon the strength of the armed forces, as do all governments in this world. All presidents have ruled, by violence and threat of violence. If he were a man of peace he would be toppled in a instant. This isn’t a criticism. King David was also a man of violence. He rules in the kingdom of God’s left hand, in the kingdom of Law. This is the character of the fallen world. Here is the point, if the President is a man of violence, the Lord Jesus Christ is not. He is the Prince of Peace. The President rules by violence and threat of violence. But the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the Lordship of Jesus Christ is the rule of grace.

The power of Jesus Christ makes no threats, gives no empty promises, puts no one in prison, requires no taxes. It is the greatest power and the power of earthly kingdoms is unworthy of comparison. For the power of the Lord Jesus Christ reveals its strength in forgiveness. He rules by grace with love. He makes citizens for His Kingdom by declaring former rebels to be His own dear children and washes them in the waters of Baptism. Satan’s fantasy of killing God came true but proved to be his utter defeat. Failures, losers, cowards, weaklings the world over and through time were set free from their shame and welcomed back into God’s embrace!

You are the beloved of the Father forever. You live out your days in this wilderness in weakness, knowing hunger and shame, being attacked by the devil. Why weakness, why hunger and shame? Because the student is not above his Teacher. God hides saints in sinners. You follow Him in the Way of the Cross. For it is not by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God that you live. He provides that Word-infused bread for you. So that you do not go to slaughter. You are not alone. Your sins are forgiven. You are holy, righteous, innocent, without blame. But still, you have not fully arrived, the good work begun in you is not yet complete. You are not home. You are still suffering in this barren place full of sin and temptation, full of sorrow and death. And so with bread God gives His Word for life, out of His mouth and into yours. He does not give bread alone, for that is not enough for life. He gives Himself, the Word made Flesh, in the bread, that you would persevere and live. He joins you in the battle. He encourages, strengthens, and nourishes. Out of your mouth then comes the Word He placed inside of you, praise of His mercy, the pious “amen,” and you are clean.

The pastor holds what looks like bread before your eyes. He says: “The Body of Christ.” And you say: “Amen,” That is, “It is true. It is good. It is for me. Thanks be to God. He loves me. He endured all things for me. He feeds me not with bread alone but with Himself and makes me His holy Temple of grace. He has not forgotten me. He attends and serves me. He is for me! This is His Body. Amen, amen!”

This is what the devil does not understand. This is who the Messiah is, how He desires to be known. He is anointed for a Sacrifice, is the Lamb that God provides to make men His. He is caught in His compassion, in His desire to have you. He does it all - hungers in the desert, carries His cross to Golgotha, is mocked by the soldiers - all for you. For this is what it took - His holy Incarnation, His fasting and temptation, His suffering, dying, and rising -to make you His. You are a Bride so beautiful, so precious, that the Bridegroom of grace pays the dowry Himself to have you.

It is the not the way of power and might. It is not at all like the imaginary gods designed by men. You may have heard some armchair theologian argue along the way that all religions are the same. They all want to make men behave. It is not true. Our religion is not a religion of obedience, but of forgiveness. Our goal is not to get you to behave but simply that you would hear the saving Word of Christ. The Lord Jesus received and ate with sinners.

There are no alliterated strategies or secrets that will stop you from sinning on this side of glory, that will stop you from hurting yourself and those you love, or which will grant you sudden prosperity. Christianity is the way of weakness, substitution, and mercy. But there is an answer to temptation. I know you are eager for it. Because nothing bothers Christians more than their failing struggle against sin. Why do you keep sinning? Why don’t you do what you want to do and instead do the evil you don’t want? The bookstores profit from this. But there is no secret, complicated formula, no magical prayer. The answer is simply this: Jesus loves you. That is it. Jesus suffered for you. He has forgiven all your sins and they are not coming back. In the coming Day it will be revealed to all of creation that you are a son of God, well-pleasing to Him. What you suffer now, which is not just pain and sorrow but also temptation and failure, is not worthy of comparison to the glory that will be revealed in you. Behold, even now, you are surrounded, and ministered to, by angels. With them and with the whole company of heaven you laud and magnify His glorious Name, the Name of peace, into which you were baptized. Sin is not overcome by the Law, but by the Gospel.

The Lord Jesus has overcome temptation for you and answered for your sins. You are forgiven. You are righteous. You are Holy. Come, then, and eat the Holy Body, drink the Holy Blood, of your Lord and Savior, and be strong not by will or knowledge but be strong in weakness, in dependence upon the mercy and goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Lessons February 14 - 20, 2010

Daily Lectionary
February 14 Job 10:1–22; John 5:1–18
February 15 Job 11:1–20; John 5:19–29
February 16 Job 12:1–6, 12–25; John 5:30–47
Ash Wednesday Genesis 1:1–19; Mark 1:1–13
Thursday Genesis 1:20—2:3; Mark 1:14–28
Friday Genesis 2:4–25; Mark 1:29–45
Saturday Genesis 3:1–24; Mark 2:1–17

NEXT WEEKS LESSONS: INVOCABIT—The First Sunday in Lent

In the Garden man exalts himself to be a god in place of God. (Genesis 3:1–21) He succumbs to the temptation of the devil, and eating of the forbidden fruit he receives death. But in the sin-cursed wilderness God humbles Himself to become man in place of man. (Matthew 4:1–11) He does not eat but fasts and bears the onslaughts of the devil for us that we may be restored to life. Jesus stands as David in our place to do battle against the Goliath Satan. (I Samuel 17:40–51) Though outwardly Jesus appears weak, yet He comes in the name of the Lord of hosts. He draws from the five smooth stones of the books of Moses and slings the Word of God. The stone sinks into the forehead, and the enemy falls. In Christ we are victorious over the devil. Let us therefore not receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1–10), but seeing that we have a great High Priest, let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14–16).

Collect
O Lord, mercifully hear our prayer and stretch forth the right hand of Your majesty to defend us from those who rise up against us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Old Testament: Genesis 3:1–21 [Fall into Sin]
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 6:1–10 [Now is the accepted time]
Holy Gospel: Matthew 4:1–11 [Temptation of Jesus]

Transfiguration at Concordia Springfield

Luke 9:28-36 The Transfiguration of our Lord
February 14, 2010 “Ears, not Eyes”

I find it very interesting, that in the Holy Gospel, the account of the “transfiguration” of our Lord, that right at the moment the disciples see Jesus in His glory, they are directed not to remember what they saw, but what they hear. “Listen to Him!” Ears, not eyes.

Was that an admonition, a rebuke, because they had not been listening to Him? Parents have to do this all the time, with children who hear only what they want to hear; or who have more important things to do than to listen to their parents! And so the parent’s frustrated plea, “Listen to me!” But children do not want to listen. They want to do. Peter wanted to do. Peter, especially, always wanted to do! And what about us? Do we want to listen, or just do?

Imagine if you had been there, and saw Jesus’ glory. The glory of God, revealed for just a moment, as Jesus pulls aside the veil of His human nature. It is glory He always had – the glory of God from eternity, which He did not lose when He was conceived. He was always the glorious Son of God, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present – He just didn’t fully use those powers that He possessed as He lived to be our Savior and worked for our redemption. He humbled Himself. It is called His humiliation.

But on this day He reveals, for a moment, His glory, as He is “transfigured” – as His figure is transformed, or changed. He shines as brilliant light. Moses and Elijah appear there with Him. It is as if here is heaven on earth. . . . But as this happens, the disciples sleep. For Peter, James, and John, the journey up the mountain was just too much. They were tired. Their eyes were “heavy with sleep.” (You know how that is, trying to stay awake for that TV program that starts too late!) . . . And when they finally manage to wake up, its almost over! They almost missed it! How long had they been there? How long had they been asleep?

And so Peter, naturally, wants to do something! “Wait! Don’t go yet! I’ll build three tents!” (Don’t tell me I climbed all this way and missed it!)

Peter, you haven’t been listening! “Listen to Him!” Listen! They have to go. There is work to be done. Saving work. Cross work.

Seeing Jesus in His glory doesn’t tell the whole story. Just before they ascended the mountain this day, Jesus had spoken of the cross. (Luke 9:18ff) Of its necessity. Peter had confessed that Jesus was “The Christ of God” but He didn’t yet understand what that meant. That it meant dying.

Peter, listen to Him! In fact, if he had been listening, this is exactly what he would have heard in the heavenly conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. We are told that they were talking about Jesus’ “departure,” or literally, His exodus. His cross. For this is what they talk about in Heaven. This is the sole focus – the Lamb of God, slain for the sin of the world.

And how like the first exodus was this scene on the Mount of Transfiguration! Moses is again there. They are again on a mountain top, like Moses was at Mt. Sinai. There is again a cloud that overshadows them. There is the voice of the Father. There are a few people in the cloud, but most stayed at the bottom of the mountain. It was like a replay! But it was, in fact, no replay. They were not talking about that first exodus, but about HIS exodus. A second one, Moses couldn’t finish the first exodus. As we heard in the Old Testament reading, he died on the doorstep of the Promised Land. Moses, the law-giver, couldn’t deliver the goods. But Jesus would finish it. He would cross over and provide entrance into the Promised Land of Heaven. The Gospel does what the Law cannot.

They had to go down. They could not stay. There is work to be done. Saving work. Cross work. And so they go down. Moses and Elijah depart. The revelation is ended. The disciples look up and see Jesus only. And He is all they need. So they go down, and Jesus “sets His face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) That is a nice way of saying to go to His death. He knows what will happen there, in Jerusalem. He knows full well. That is why He is so resolute. That is why He is determined that nothing will stop Him. Neither Satan, nor well-intentioned but ill-informed disciples.

Because you see, Peter, you can’t do it. You may want to do it, but you can’t do it. Only Jesus can do it. Are you listening Peter? And how much more there will be to listen to! There is so much to hear and learn. Jesus prays and teaches how to pray. He explains the Word and teaches with authority. He corrects and rebukes; He encourages and forgives. He speaks the words of His Supper. He gives His baptism. He gives His Spirit and the power of the keys, the power of forgiveness. He speaks His words from the cross. He speaks of His resurrection. Are you listening, Peter?

It is most important that he does listen – and for us that we listen! – for just as seeing Jesus in His glory doesn’t tell the whole story, so too seeing Jesus on the cross doesn’t tell the whole story. Both are necessary. That we know that the man hanging on the cross is, in fact, not just a man, but God Himself. The Creator dying for the sins and rebellion and guilt of His creatures. That fact makes Mount Calvary just as glorious as the Mount of Transfiguration. But that we will not know if we do not listen.

Peter got it, eventually. And so he writes is his second letter: we saw His glory; we were with Him on the holy mountain; but, “we have something more sure, the prophetic word.” (2 Peter 1:16ff) Visuals last but a moment. They are here and then gone. But the Word of the Lord endures forever. (1 Peter 1:25)

So Peter got it. Eventually, he listened. The question is, do we get it? As it was for Peter, so too for us. We have something more sure. Ears, not eyes. Listen to Him! But are we listening? Or are we too busy doing? Are we too busy seeing? And are we believing what we see instead of what we hear?

For what do we see as we look around us? Our eyes will tell us that what we see is not glorious. Our lives. Our situations. Our families. Our suffering. Our Church. Are we not failures? Falling asleep on the job. What are we to make of all of this? And what about those we see who do look glorious? Successful. Rich. At ease. Remember – seeing glory or seeing the cross do not tell the whole story. Listen to Him! Listen to the glorious and crucified One. And our ears, not our eyes, will tell us what truly is.

For only as we listen will we see Jesus only, and see Jesus as He really is. As you read the Biblical accounts of who saw the glory, who saw the cross, who saw the empty tomb, they did not understand what they saw. It is the Word that opens ears, that opens eyes, and that opens hearts and gives faith. And that Word that gave understanding and faith to the disciples then is the same Word that is spoken today and gives understanding and faith to us today. It is His Word, spoken by countless undershepherds. His Word, given us to speak. His Word, that created all things in the beginning, and that still creates faith and life today. His Word that combined with water adopts us as His children. His Word that combined with bread and wine feeds us His body and blood. His Word that speaks upon us His forgiveness. His Word, that tells us that glory and cross and empty tomb all go together – in His life and in our lives. It is His Word.

But are we listening? This week we will enter into the Lenten season, and for many the focus will be on what we do – giving up something for Lent, going to extra services. We, like Peter, want to do. But Lent isn’t about what we do, its about what Jesus did. His saving work. Cross work. Forgiveness work.

He had to go down. To save; to forgive; to suffer; to ascend the cross; to leave the grave. He had to go down, for down is where we are. Down and out. And still He is coming down. Although exalted and ascended in glory, He is still coming down to where we are. Many churches say that Jesus cannot be present with His true body and blood in Holy Communion because He is in glory, ascended into heaven. But that is not the Jesus I know. That is not the Jesus of the transfiguration. That Jesus goes down in flesh and blood, and He is still coming down in flesh and blood, for us Christians to eat and to drink, for the forgiveness of our sins. And it is His glory to do so.

For it is not the glory of the transfiguration, of who Jesus is, that saves us, but the glory of what Jesus did. The glory of the cross. That allowing His flesh and blood to be pierced with nails and thorn and spear and now with our teeth, He would do for us what we cannot do for ourselves – give us life. And so He does.

“And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to Him!” Do not believe your eyes, or your feelings, or your heart. Listen to Him. That is what is most sure. “And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.” And He is all we need.