John 6:1-15; The Second Sunday in Lent; February 24, 2013;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, Iowa;

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After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (John 6:1–15, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It was the Fourth of July. Well almost. That's what the Passover was for the people that Jesus fed on that hillside that day. The Passover was near. It is the most significant event in the life of the people of Israel. It was especially heightened by the Roman occupation. The great crowds that followed Jesus were certainly expecting God to do something like he had done in Egypt. And what Jesus does here, in the feeding of these thousands, is so closely connected to what God did through Moses that the people's reaction is only to be expected. They wanted to make Jesus King.

The Passover was all about God's deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt. Remember, Moses was sent to Pharaoh, "God says, 'let my people go!'" And when Pharaoh refused, God convinced him with the plagues. And of course, the last, the killing of all the firstborn living in Egypt, was the greatest. The people of God were spared by sacrificing a spotless lamb whose blood was smeared on their door posts. Moses led the people through the desert to the promised land. God fed them with bread from heaven. Every morning the people went out to pick up the manna from the ground. And the ate it every day until they crossed over the river Jordan fulfilling God's promise. They were free people, all they needed was provided by God.

But not now. Roman soldiers patrolled their streets. King Herod, no Jew, sat on the throne a puppet for Caesar. Taxes were high. Cost of living was high as well. Philip's answer to Jesus question about buying food could have just as easily been said, "If I worked for 200 days, although it might feed my family for six months, it would never feed this crowd!" And so in light of their hardship, in the shadow of the Passover, when Jesus feeds the people with bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4), of course they want to make him king.

The people, the crowds gathered around Jesus, were expecting a miracle working prophet. It was in fact God's promise through Moses.

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18, ESV)

There they were, gathered on a mountain. A multitude of people nearly 20,000. Sitting down on the green grass. Jesus takes five small barley loaves and two fish and multiplies it so that everyone has enough to eat, and more. The 12 disciples, gather up 12 baskets of food left over, one for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Passover was in their minds. God was raining bread from heaven. Jesus was the new prophet. It was more than a sign. It was a call to revolution. A call to reestablish his role as the kingdom of God. They must make Jesus King.

The thing is, they can't make Jesus King. Jesus is King already. The church father from Africa, St. Augustine says, "For he ever reigns with the Father, in that he is the Son of God, the Word of God, the Word by which all things were made. The prophets had foretold his kingdom." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, volume IVa) But Jesus' kingdom is not the kingdom they think it is. It is not a kingdom of political power. One that would overthrow the Roman soldiers by force of arms. The people are, in fact, missing the main point of the kingdom, and Jesus kingship. Jesus doesn't come in power but rather in weakness.

Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate accused by the Jews of sedition. Pilate had political power. He held Jesus' life and death in his hands. He asked Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And Jesus answers, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews." (18:36) Jesus will not establish his kingdom by force but rather through loving obedience to the Father's will. That is to become the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The people on the mountainside see Jesus and Moses as the same. But where Moses instructed the people to sacrifice a spotless Passover lamb, Jesus makes himself the Lamb who is slain. John the Baptizer knee-deep in the Jordan River said "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Jesus comes up out of the baptismal water, and heads toward the cross of Jerusalem. He does signs and wonders to prove himself to be the King of King's. He feeds the people. He destroys Satan's power everywhere he goes. But he goes to the cross. He offers himself as the sacrifice to save the people from slavery. He is a spotless Lamb. The perfect sacrifice for sin. His blood is smeared on the wood of the cross. And the angel of death passes over those who have faith in the King on the cross. It was more than the people could see.

And then, there's you and me. We see Jesus on the cross. We know he was crucified for our sin. We know that he provides well more than we can ever need. And yet, we have a faith crisis when we think God is not providing what we think we need. Look at what Jesus does with the feeding on the mountainside. They have gathered around him to hear what he has to say. There followed into a place where they cannot feed themselves. There's nowhere to go to get food in the amount needed. And the need is great. 20,000 people is a large city. So Jesus cares for their physical need. And he provides for them in abundance. Not just enough so that everyone has a little to eat. He provides all that is necessary, everyone eats their fill. And then 12 baskets full are collected of the leftovers. What's left over is even more than the five loaves that were the seed meal. This is exactly our prayer when we say "Give us this day our daily bread." Give us what we need every day for our living. And it is provided, and more than we need.

There is no way to separate this providing physical food from the providing that St. John wants you to see in this account of Jesus feeding people. He provides more than is necessary for the people to eat. He provides more than is necessary for the people to be saved. Jesus death on the cross is a complete and total sacrifice for sin. Your sin no matter how great is forgiven. Your neighbors sins no matter how great are forgiven. Your neighbors sins against you no matter how great are forgiven. Even the sins of those who care nothing about what Jesus provides have been forgiven. It is all there in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world hanging on the cross.

And as he looked out across the crowds gathered on the mountain he knew what they needed. They needed to be fed. They needed to be forgiven. He knew what he was going to do. He took the bread and broke it and gave thanks to God, the Father, and gave it to the crowds to have the food they needed to eat. He took himself to the cross, and his body was broken. The there hanging at the top of the mountain he looked out over the people and he knew what they needed. "Father, forgive them!" He said and he died for the sins of the whole world. And we give thanks to God, the Father, for all that our King has done for us. Amen.

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

John 6:1-15; The Second Sunday in Lent; February 24, 2013;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, Iowa;

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (John 6:1–15, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It was the Fourth of July. Well almost. That's what the Passover was for the people that Jesus fed on that hillside that day. The Passover was near. It is the most significant event in the life of the people of Israel. It was especially heightened by the Roman occupation. The great crowds that followed Jesus were certainly expecting God to do something like he had done in Egypt. And what Jesus does here, in the feeding of these thousands, is so closely connected to what God did through Moses that the people's reaction is only to be expected. They wanted to make Jesus King.

The Passover was all about God's deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt. Remember, Moses was sent to Pharaoh, "God says, 'let my people go!'" And when Pharaoh refused, God convinced him with the plagues. And of course, the last, the killing of all the firstborn living in Egypt, was the greatest. The people of God were spared by sacrificing a spotless lamb whose blood was smeared on their door posts. Moses led the people through the desert to the promised land. God fed them with bread from heaven. Every morning the people went out to pick up the manna from the ground. And the ate it every day until they crossed over the river Jordan fulfilling God's promise. They were free people, all they needed was provided by God.

But not now. Roman soldiers patrolled their streets. King Herod, no Jew, sat on the throne a puppet for Caesar. Taxes were high. Cost of living was high as well. Philip's answer to Jesus question about buying food could have just as easily been said, "If I worked for 200 days, although it might feed my family for six months, it would never feed this crowd!" And so in light of their hardship, in the shadow of the Passover, when Jesus feeds the people with bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4), of course they want to make him king.

The people, the crowds gathered around Jesus, were expecting a miracle working prophet. It was in fact God's promise through Moses.

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18, ESV)

There they were, gathered on a mountain. A multitude of people nearly 20,000. Sitting down on the green grass. Jesus takes five small barley loaves and two fish and multiplies it so that everyone has enough to eat, and more. The 12 disciples, gather up 12 baskets of food left over, one for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Passover was in their minds. God was raining bread from heaven. Jesus was the new prophet. It was more than a sign. It was a call to revolution. A call to reestablish his role as the kingdom of God. They must make Jesus King.

The thing is, they can't make Jesus King. Jesus is King already. The church father from Africa, St. Augustine says, "For he ever reigns with the Father, in that he is the Son of God, the Word of God, the Word by which all things were made. The prophets had foretold his kingdom." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, volume IVa) But Jesus' kingdom is not the kingdom they think it is. It is not a kingdom of political power. One that would overthrow the Roman soldiers by force of arms. The people are, in fact, missing the main point of the kingdom, and Jesus kingship. Jesus doesn't come in power but rather in weakness.

Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate accused by the Jews of sedition. Pilate had political power. He held Jesus' life and death in his hands. He asked Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And Jesus answers, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews." (18:36) Jesus will not establish his kingdom by force but rather through loving obedience to the Father's will. That is to become the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The people on the mountainside see Jesus and Moses as the same. But where Moses instructed the people to sacrifice a spotless Passover lamb, Jesus makes himself the Lamb who is slain. John the Baptizer knee-deep in the Jordan River said "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Jesus comes up out of the baptismal water, and heads toward the cross of Jerusalem. He does signs and wonders to prove himself to be the King of King's. He feeds the people. He destroys Satan's power everywhere he goes. But he goes to the cross. He offers himself as the sacrifice to save the people from slavery. He is a spotless Lamb. The perfect sacrifice for sin. His blood is smeared on the wood of the cross. And the angel of death passes over those who have faith in the King on the cross. It was more than the people could see.

And then, there's you and me. We see Jesus on the cross. We know he was crucified for our sin. We know that he provides well more than we can ever need. And yet, we have a faith crisis when we think God is not providing what we think we need. Look at what Jesus does with the feeding on the mountainside. They have gathered around him to hear what he has to say. There followed into a place where they cannot feed themselves. There's nowhere to go to get food in the amount needed. And the need is great. 20,000 people is a large city. So Jesus cares for their physical need. And he provides for them in abundance. Not just enough so that everyone has a little to eat. He provides all that is necessary, everyone eats their fill. And then 12 baskets full are collected of the leftovers. What's left over is even more than the five loaves that were the seed meal. This is exactly our prayer when we say "Give us this day our daily bread." Give us what we need every day for our living. And it is provided, and more than we need.

There is no way to separate this providing physical food from the providing that St. John wants you to see in this account of Jesus feeding people. He provides more than is necessary for the people to eat. He provides more than is necessary for the people to be saved. Jesus death on the cross is a complete and total sacrifice for sin. Your sin no matter how great is forgiven. Your neighbors sins no matter how great are forgiven. Your neighbors sins against you no matter how great are forgiven. Even the sins of those who care nothing about what Jesus provides have been forgiven. It is all there in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world hanging on the cross.

And as he looked out across the crowds gathered on the mountain he knew what they needed. They needed to be fed. They needed to be forgiven. He knew what he was going to do. He took the bread and broke it and gave thanks to God, the Father, and gave it to the crowds to have the food they needed to eat. He took himself to the cross, and his body was broken. The there hanging at the top of the mountain he looked out over the people and he knew what they needed. "Father, forgive them!" He said and he died for the sins of the whole world. And we give thanks to God, the Father, for all that our King has done for us. Amen.

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

John.1.37-51; Ash Wednesday; February 13, 2013;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, Iowa;

The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”” (John 1:37–51, ESV)

(From a Sermon by Norman Nagel)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Nathanael actually asks a good question. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" You see, Nazareth was nowearsville. One of my seminary professors said "Nazareth was of one-donkey nothing of a town." Nothing good or notable had ever come from there before. It wasn't in the history books. No famous people claimed Nazareth as their home. It was in the middle of nowhere, and you can't get there from here. So Nathanael's question stands, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

His friend Philip was from Bethsaida. He doesn't waste any time arguing with Nathanael, instead he takes him to Jesus straight away. "See for yourself!" There is nothing wrong with Nathanael's question, in fact we have it on good authority that Nathanael was a good man (the best authority indeed). When Jesus sees him he says in him is no deceit. Nathanael had spent time studying God's word. That's what it means to be "under the fig tree". Nathanael must've spent plenty of time there reading The Book. It's possible to read the Bible and never see Jesus. It's possible to read the Bible and think it's something like "Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth". That is a manual on how to live and what to do in every situation. In other words how to be a good person to make God happy. There wasn't a problem with Nathanael's question, there seems to be a problem with the way Nathanael thought about God. What he meant by the Nazareth question was "that's not the way God is supposed to work. Nazareth is not even mentioned in the Scriptures (for Nathanael that was our Old Testament). That's not the way God should be doing things."

Nathanael's understanding of God had to change. The God he had made for himself reading under the fig tree had to die. And the God from Nazareth had to be born. Nathanael needed a new heart created in him that could see not a God of his own making, one who couldn't do anything from Nazareth, but the one who came from Nazareth who was going to do everything, that is bring salvation in new life to him and all people.

This is the way of all people. It's even our way here at Trinity/First Lutheran. We have ways we think God should work. We have standards that we think God needs to meet. We need money to run the church, volunteers to fill our boards, new bodies sitting in the pews, and Sunday school classrooms full of little children. And if he can't do that, well, we just throw him out and make up our own God. One that can fulfill all our expectations. We want our God to point out the sins of other people and hold them to account, but not point to our sin is deadly, and damning. There are ways, we think, that God should work, and ways that he should not. When we place our expectations on God we are not dealing with the living God but were working with the God that we have made and put in his place.

Jesus knew how ridiculous it is to deal with God this way. Maybe he's even poking a bit of fun at Nathanael. Maybe you think he would never do such a thing. But he shouldn't have come from Nazareth. He shouldn't have been a plain old carpenter. He shouldn't of been born in a stable, either.

Nathanael wasn't seeing what God was really supposed to be like. He read under the fig tree but he missed the point. He wasn't seeing God while he was under the fig tree but God was seeing him. And actually, the question isn't whether you believe in God, the question is whether God believes in you. The question isn't whether you accept Jesus, the question is does Jesus except you. Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig tree. Nathanael came to Jesus of Nazareth. And he doesn't just see Jesus, he sees God in Jesus. He blurts out the truth. He sees with more than just his eyes. "You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

But notice that Jesus doesn't use any of the titles afforded him by Nathanael. Instead he uses the title "the Son of Man." As St. John always wants us to see, Jesus is true God and true man together. Jesus uses the title that makes him interchangeable with all people. He walks and talks and breathes and lives on the Earth as a son of man, a person. He walks and talks and breathes and lives on earth for anyone and everyone. Jesus says later "the hour has not yet come for the Son of Man to be glorified." He is speaking of his death on the cross, being lifted up from the earth. And there too, he is interchangeable with all people. He suffers, he bleeds, and he dies. And he does so according to God's perfect will. The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, true God, is glorified and lifted up on his throne of the cross. This is indeed the greatest thing that Nathanael will ever see. If he didn't think that God could come from Nazareth, he certainly didn't think that God should die on the cross. But this is exactly what happens in Jesus Christ. With all his weight bearing down on the nails, he bears our sin, especially our sin of replacing him with our own god. And there bleeding out of his head, hands, feet, and side he is not the God we think he is, or even want him to be, but he is the God that we need. For in his life, suffering and death he brings to us the forgiveness of sins, and as Martin Luther says "where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation."

So this evening, Ash Wednesday, you bear on your forehead a charcoal cross. It is a sign of death. What has been put to death in you is your old nature that wants to make its own God. A God that will do things the way you want them done. A God that will tell you that your sin is small. A God that will excuse your sin and the sins of those you love, and tell you you have no other way to go. That's the ashes. They remind you that you are dead to sin. But it's also a cross. And even though the cross is a deadly instrument, and it brings death to you through Jesus Christ, it also brings life. It brings life because in his death on the cross, Jesus, the Son of Man, is interchangeable with you. Your sin goes the way of death. Your sin goes the way of forgiveness. For you the cross is also life. And although it's not the way we think that God should work, thank God he does. Amen.

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

John.1.1-18; The Transfiguration of our Lord; February 10, 2012;

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Creston, Iowa;

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:1–18, ESV)

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"In the beginning was the Word…" It's how the Gospel of John begins. It's more than just poetic language. St. John wants us to know something more about Jesus Christ then is apparent from a simple telling of what Jesus did and said. By beginning his Gospel in this way he ties it very directly to Moses telling of the creation (Genesis 1:1-3). "In the beginning God… And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." There in eternity is God, before all things were created. And there together with God is The Word. And God and The Word are one and the same and yet "with" one another tells us they are separate. The Word is the one through whom God creates all things. God speaks all things into existence and he does so through The Word. John wants us to see a complete unity in the persons of God (The Creator) and the Word (the one through whom all things were created) and the Spirit (in Genesis, hovering over the water). They are one in being, activity, and purpose. And it is this Word that God, the Creator, sends to redeem the whole sin corrupted creation. God creates through the Word and God redeems through the Word. The world is saved through the very same creative power, The Word, that was there "in the beginning."

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." The Word became flesh in Mary's womb. The Word became flesh, born, nurtured, taught, ate, slept, laughed, cried, lived and died as is the way with all human flesh. This Word made flesh is none other than Jesus Christ whose life, death, and resurrection are the telling that John here begins. So in everything else he relates he wants you to see God in the flesh, God the creative Word, at work creating and redeeming.

It's exactly what Martin Luther so eloquently wrote:

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death...[i]

Then St. John says "In him was life". The life of creation is found in none other than Jesus Christ, the only Son of the Father. For through him all life was created. Through God's creative Word all life, all things created, came into being. So when the task of saving all creation was necessary it makes sense that the one through whom all life was created takes up the task. And he takes it up by bringing life into the midst of death. At the funeral of his friend Lazarus Jesus spoke to Mary, Lazarus' sister, and said,

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” (John 11:25, ESV)

And Jesus, the Word, spoke the name of dead Lazarus and life went into him again. Lazarus walked out of the grave by the creative word of God. In Jesus Christ is life.

In his coming, in the flesh, the Word made flesh "shines in the darkness". Jesus shines the light of life in the world. The light that he brings Is the Good News that he indeed has "purchased in one me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil". These three are the Unholy Trinity. These three are the darkness that we have brought upon ourselves. And this too goes back to Genesis. The first human beings to live and breathe brought death by their rejection of the one who created them. They brought death to us all. Don't think you escape from the death they brought. Your own sin and selfishness puts you in the very same darkness. Every day you reject God just as they did. Every day you choose yourself over others. Every day you would push God aside and be God yourself. Every day your sin pushes you closer and closer to death. Every day death threatens to take away all that you have. And every day Satan himself accuses you of your sin before God and reminds you that death is your due punishment. And more than that tells you of your earned destination apart from God in hell. And so it would be without the Word Made Flesh. As John says this Word dwelt among us, born of the Virgin Mary redeemed me a lost and condemned person, purchased in one me from all sins from death and the power the devil.

The Word made flesh is good news for you, and me. Because we do not receive the death we deserve but instead grace upon grace. Think about it this way. If Jesus Christ were a simple human being is promises would be good is any other persons. All that he did would be worth what any single person can do. He is certainly a good example for you to follow. He cared for those who need it caring. He didn't discriminate between rich and poor or any other man made distinction. His love was the same for all people. But if then he was only human, his death then would only be for himself, and would only mark the end of all that he did. Jesus is not a mere man. He is true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary. So all that he did is worth the infinity of God's worth. All that he did has the eternity of God's eternal existence. And all of his promises are covered by God's ability to do everything he promises. So when Jesus lives in keeps the law perfectly, as he did, he keeps the law perfectly enough for all people for all time, and that includes you. Jesus kept the law perfectly for you. And when he suffers and dies on the cross, as St. John will explain in great detail, his death is enough to cover the punishment of all people for all time, and that includes you. Jesus suffered and died on the cross for you. With his perfect life accounted to you and the eternal punishment of hell taken away from you your death is no longer a separation from God but eternal life with God. That is an eternal life in a perfect creation made for perfect people. And that's God's promise to you through Jesus Christ you will be raised from death is a perfect person to live forever. This is grace piled upon grace piled upon grace. And this grace is brought by the Word made flesh. Everywhere he went he proclaimed this grace. But nowhere does the power of the Word made flesh speak stronger than it does when Jesus pronounces your forgiveness in his simple word of the cross.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30, ESV)

Jesus word is the most simple that can be spoken. In the daily language of the day "it is finished" is one single word, τετέλεσται. And this single word spoken by the Word that is God is the word that brings to you everything that Jesus promised. He speaks it and he bows his head in death. And then to prove his work and his identity he doesn't remain dead but like Lazarus, the one he raised from death, he walks out of the tomb resurrected. It is just as John said,

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4–5, ESV)

This is the Light of Life that we read in St. John's Gospel. Amen.

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

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[i] From Luther’s Small Catechism © 1986 Concordia Publishing House, http://www.cph.org/t-topic-catechism-creed.aspx

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Kollbaum to direct LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Kollbaum to direct LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission