“The Celebration Eclipses the Accomplishment” Num. 11.24-30 PentecostA, May ‘23

 

1.               Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday is taken from Numbers 11:24-30, it’s entitled, “The Celebration Eclipses the Accomplishment,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.               Lou Holtz is a legendary college football coach most known for his days leading the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, though he also coached at five other colleges and one NFL team. He instilled discipline in his players, having little patience for behavior that was detrimental to the team. That included what happened after a touchdown. He told his players that when they reached the end zone, they should act as if they’d been there before. In other words, an elaborate end zone celebration gives the appearance that you’re not accustomed to scoring.

3.               In the same way, one of the greatest running backs in NFL history was known for not celebrating his touchdowns. Barry Sanders was a dynamic presence on the field with incredible moves and spins that would “break the ankles” of defenders. With moves like that, you can imagine what kind of theatrics he could have pulled off in the end zone. But he didn’t. He said that usually when he scored a touchdown, he was too tired to celebrate. As a result, you were left only remembering what Sanders did to get to the end zone. His celebration did not eclipse his run. Instead, his incredible work shone even more brightly.

4.               Pentecost is a day that should always be about the incredible things God has done for us in Christ, never about the human celebration (Num 11:24–30). Here’s another example of how the celebration can eclipse accomplishment. In ancient Rome, one of the greatest honors that could be afforded a victorious general was called a “triumph.” The victor would ride a chariot through the streets of Rome, accompanied by his soldiers, captives from the campaign, and slaves carrying trophies and spoils of the conquest, and the procession would conclude at the temple of Jupiter, where sacrifices of the plunder would be made to the chief Roman god. A triumph could only be granted by the Senate, and it was reserved for the most distinguished military accomplishments. It was to acknowledge the victory as a mighty service to the Republic of Rome.

5.               That was the tradition. As time went by, a triumph became more a celebration of the man than of the achievement and its value to the nation. For example, Pompey the Great in 61 BC was awarded his third personal triumph, and it lasted a full two days. Pompey rode in a gem-studded chariot, along with carriages loaded with gold ornaments, a king of the Jews among his captives, and a crowd of admirers large enough that, an ancient historian reported, he would not have needed an army to bring a revolution (Plutarch, Parallel Lives, vol. 5, 42.43). And why, again, all the fanfare? Other ancients write that it was “more the triumph of luxury than the triumph of conquest” (Pliny, Natural History, 37.6 [London: Taylor and Francis, 1855]) and that it was orchestrated to show Pompey’s “trophies beautifully decked out to represent each of his achievements, even the smallest” (Cassius Dio, Roman History, 37.21.2 [Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1916]). Too often, a celebration eclipses the accomplishment—and shifts the focus from the real purpose to the person.

6.               Pentecost might be seen as Peter’s greatest day in the sun—the day his brilliant sermon won the first three thousand converts to the Christian Church. But Peter would be the second—the Lord Jesus would be the first—to say that our celebration of Pentecost is not about Peter and the apostles. They were faithful messengers. Pentecost is about the message of Jesus Christ that the apostles proclaimed.

7.               It can happen that we lose the message for the sake of the messenger. We want the spotlight on ourselves when we accomplish something notable, distracting both us and others from what was accomplished. In our text in Numbers chapter 11, Joshua wants to safeguard Moses’ position as the prophet of Yahweh. Joshua’s thinking sounds commendable, but it really gives Moses’ place precedence over what Moses was given to do—deliver the Word. Numbers 11:24-28 says, “So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.         Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.”

8.               The Holy Spirit has come to deliver the Word of Christ to us. But what do we do in the Church? We will give more attention to the messenger than the message. One way we do this in the Church is by pitting the pastoral office versus the priesthood of all believers and vice versa. Thus, the focus is on the messenger rather than on the message. In God’s perfect design, both the pastoral office and the universal priesthood are unique callings and blessings! The faithful messenger knows that he does not save but that it’s the message he carries that does the work—because that message is Christ.

9.               Losing the messenger for the sake of the message actually even blesses the messenger. The Church: The message of the Spirit is Christ. When Peter preaches his Pentecost sermon, he preaches Christ. Acts 2:22–24 says, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” Throughout Acts, when apostles, deacons, or any Christians faithfully speak, they focus on Christ, not their own rights. Whoever is speaking, Jesus is the sum and focus of the messenger; he is the message. He is the one who was crucified for us for the forgiveness of our sins. He is the one who rose and reigns. He is the one forgiving our sins, even as we hear the voice of a simple messenger!

10.            Rather than contend for his position, Moses longs for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on all Yahweh’s people so that the message, Yahweh himself, would be magnified (Numbers 11:29–30). When the message is magnified, when Christ is magnified rather than ourselves being in the spotlight, we are not less, but more. In Christ, we receive the fullness of who we are called to be.

11.            No person—apostle, ordinary you or me—can ever eclipse Christ and what he has accomplished for us by his cross, resurrection, and the giving of his Spirit. The Spirit focuses on Christ and his saving work. How blessed we are when our life together reflects the Spirit’s focus! Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

 

 

 

 

“Made in the Image of God” Gen. 1.1-2.4 June ’23 TrinityA

 

1.                Please pray with me. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts, be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer. Amen. The message from God’s Word, as we celebrate Trinity Sunday, is taken from Genesis 1:1-2:4, it’s entitled, “Made in the Image of God,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                “We’re all made in the image of God.” You’ve heard that line. It’s often quoted by those who are demanding equal rights, to demonstrate that we are all equal, that we’re all the same. But the truth is that in our world today we are not all equal. Not all life is considered the same. Today, children still in the womb aren’t counted that valuable by many. Who’s considered higher? White-collar versus blue-collar? Renter versus homeowner? The young or the elderly? Even in our personal lives we must decide: Is a person worth our time? our effort? our energy? our money? We determine that some are and some are not.

3.                One example of this caused no small dispute and contention. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York City, donations were collected to compensate the victims’ families for the loss of their loved ones. But each family didn’t receive the same amount. A determination was made as to what each life was worth. Was a father worth more than a single man? Was an executive worth more than a blue-collar worker? What about the potential for future earnings? And what about the rescue workers? Some families received up to 10 times more than others. The task for determining what each family received fell to one man. After he’d completed his task, he said he’d never do it again.

4.                So, what does it mean to be made “in the image of God”? It means that in the beginning, when God created all things, man received what nothing else in all of creation received. Everything was made “good,” and all creation was “very good” (Gen. 1:31), but of no other creature in heaven or on earth can it be said that they were made in the image of God. Not even the angels. This honor was given only to man. And made in the image of God means not that we looked like God, but that we were created in righteousness, with knowledge of God, and true fear and confidence and trust in God. The crown of his creation. Given dominion over all the earth.

5.                Then on the day Adam and Eve sinned, this image of God was lost. No longer do we fear and love God as we ought. No longer do we have any natural knowledge of God as our loving Father. No longer do we have confidence in him, but we take matters into our own hands. Sin has broken creation. It has broken us. We’re different, and we consider others differently. But not wanting to be seen “naked” (Adam, Gen 3:10), or as we are without the image of God, we try to create substitute images for ourselves. Masks to hide behind, so that others will think a certain way about us. And so maybe you’ve created a religious image or mask, so that people will think you’re holier than you really are. Maybe you have an image or mask of bravery to hide your fear. The cry “We’re all made in the image of God” is a mask so that you can’t condemn me for who I am! And on and on we go. But when all is said and done, we’re still broken. We’re still sinners. We may be able to hide who we are from each other, but we can’t hide this from God. Whatever images we create are poor images.

6.                But the God who created man in his image does not leave us fallen and broken. The God Who creates also re-creates, and He is restoring His image in a fallen and broken world. We can try to create images for ourselves, but only God can create something out of nothing—in the beginning and still today. And so, after sin entered the world, after the image of God in us was lost, God acted. The Father sent his Son into the world. The Son, who is the true and exact image of God the Father. And the Son of God incarnate shows us true man, without sin. In Jesus, the image that we lost lives. Jesus is the one who knows his Father. Jesus is the one who has complete trust and confidence in his Father. Jesus is the righteous one.

7.                But the Son of God didn’t come into the world to restore the image of God in the world for only a time, but for all time. So, he takes upon himself our sin, our punishment and death, our broken image, and in return gives us his Spirit. And through the Holy Spirit, the image of God is again given to us. Through the Holy Spirit, we are re-created, made new, and are being conformed into the image of Christ, who is the image of the Father. This is the work of the Holy Trinity for us. The Father, who sent his Son, who sends the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit, who joins us to the Son, who takes us to the Father.

8.                That work is what this day is all about. We celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday not simply to proclaim who our God is—the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity, although we certainly do that. Today we also proclaim what he has done and is doing for us. We proclaim that the Holy Trinity is applying himself to the world for the life of the world. For your life and mine. To restore his image in us. To give us what we can’t create. If he didn’t give it, we wouldn’t have it.

9.                With that understanding we can maybe look at the words we heard in the Gospel of Matthew in a new light. Those words, known commonly as the Great Commission from Matthew 28, aren’t so much about what we are to do as they are about what God the Holy Trinity is doing. What the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are doing through his church, applying himself to the world. Making disciples, baptizing, teaching, feeding, raising, forgiving, through the Means of Grace that he has given. The voices and hands and feet may be ours, but the work is our triune God’s: his water, his body and blood, his words. Through these means restoring, re-creating, giving, making something out of nothing. Creating again children in his image, conforming us to the image of his Son.

10.             The terrorist attack in the Garden of Eden caused devastation to our world. It has affected every one of us. The task of recovering what was lost that day fell to one man, and he determined that each life was worth his own. And so, Jesus gave his life on the cross for your life. He suffered the shame and nakedness of the cross and then rose from the dust of death, that all who believe in Jesus might be raised from the dust of death with him and live not only forever, but already now, again in the image of God. And after he had completed his task, he said it need never be done again. It is finished. You are whole. You are healed. You are forgiven and re-created.

11.             “Blessed be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity. Let us give glory to him because he has shown his mercy to us.” That is what this day is all about. The Holy Trinity in mercy giving himself to us, and we in turn giving glory to him. And not simply here in church, but daily in our lives, living the image we have been given again. Living as Christ in the world. Giving to the least. Determining that each life is worth our own, because we are made in the image of God and redeemed by Christ the crucified. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

 

 

“Why Did Jesus Ascend into Heaven?” Luke 24.44-53, Ascension, May ’23

 

 

1.                Please pray with me.  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our Redeemer.  Amen.  The message from God’s Word, as we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord Jesus into heaven, is taken from Luke 24:44-53, it’s entitled, “Why Did Jesus Ascend into Heaven?” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.  

2.                As the disciples stood there watching Jesus go into heaven, they must have wondered, “Why?” After all that he’d done, why was Jesus going away?  Maybe that question has crossed your mind from time to time: Why did Jesus ascend into heaven? Wouldn’t it be nice if Jesus was still walking around down here on earth like he did in New Testament times? In the flesh, he could answer all our questions, solve all our problems, settle disputes and heal divisions in the church, convince the doubting, comfort the weak, bring back the straying, personally lead his church forward in proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth? Why did Jesus Ascend into Heaven?  It’s a good question and the Bible gives us some good answers to that question, answers that can help us understand what a blessing it is for us that our Lord didn’t stay, but went away on Ascension Day.  

3.                First of all, the Bible tells us that Jesus ascended into heaven in order to reclaim his rightful position as King of kings and Lord of lords. In Ephesians 1, Paul says that Jesus sat down at the right hand of God “in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given. . . . And God placed all things under his feet” (1:20–22). We might sometimes think that it would be nice to have Jesus still walking around down here on earth like he did 2000 years ago. But the Bible says that the best thing for us is to have Jesus right where he’s at: enthroned in all majesty and power at the right hand of God. That doesn’t mean that Jesus is literally sitting down at some particular spot in heaven. But, it does mean that he has authority over everything and is in complete control of everything—in the world, the church, and in our own lives.  

4.                I’m sure some of you and your children have read the book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Disney even made it into a movie back in 2014 starring Jennifer Garner & Steve Carell.  If you haven’t read it, I’m sure you’ve experienced it in one way or another. The book is about a little boy named Alexander who goes to bed one night with gum in his mouth and wakes up the next morning with gum in his hair. He trips on his skateboard getting out of bed, and then he drops his sweater in the sink with the water running. At school, his best friend deserts him, his teacher fails to appreciate him, and his mother forgets to put dessert in his lunch. After school the whole family goes to the dentist, and only one person has cavities—guess who? When he gets home, Alexander has to eat lima beans for supper—yuck!—and then he has to put up with kissing on TV—double yuck! Even bedtime is bad for Alexander: his bath is too hot, he gets soap in his eyes, his favorite marble goes down the drain, and he has to wear his stupid-looking train pajamas to bed. To top it all off, his night-light burns out, he bites his tongue getting into bed, and his cat refuses to sleep with him. (After the kind of day Alexander has had, I’m not sure you can blame the cat.)  

5.                All of us have probably had days like that, days when everything just seems to go wrong. And sometimes it may seem as if everything everywhere is going wrong—in our homes, in our church, in our nation, in the world as a whole. Sometimes you get the feeling that things are just spinning out of control—and that’s why Ascension Day is so important. Ascension Day reminds us that things are not spinning out of control. Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, he ascended into heaven, he sat down in all, power at the right hand of God. No matter how things may look, he is in control. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me (Matt. 28:18),” said Jesus before he ascended into heaven. We can be sure that nothing happens without our ascended Lord’s knowledge and permission, and we can also be sure that everything that does happen will be used by God to bring blessing into the lives of those who put their trust in him.  Rom 8:28 says, “²⁸ We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  So, when it looks like things are coming apart at the seams—in the world, in the church, or in your own life—remember why Jesus ascended. Jesus is on his throne, he’s got the whole world in his hands, and no matter how things look, he’s in control.  

6.                The Bible gives us another reason Jesus ascended into heaven, and I would encourage you to listen carefully to this second reason. Jesus went away so that he could be with us always. I know that sounds like it doesn’t make much sense, but that’s exactly what the Bible says. In fact, just before he went away, Jesus said: “And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matt. 28:20).”  

7.                As you ponder this seeming paradox, how things might be if Jesus had not gone away on Ascension Day. Let’s imagine that Jesus is still living here on earth in the flesh, with an office set up somewhere in Jerusalem—open, let’s say, from 9am to 5pm. Imagine all of the millions of people who would be waiting in line every day just to see Jesus, to talk to him, ask him a question, and get his help in solving some problem. Just imagine if every time you wanted to see Jesus or talk to him or ask for his help you had to get in line or put your name on a waiting list: “OK, John, your number is 2,300,003, and that should come up in 15 or 20 years, if you’re still around.”  

8.                Do you remember what Jesus said to his disciples in John 16? He said, “I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor [the Holy Spirit] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7). Jesus ascended into heaven so that the Holy Spirit could come.  Now, through the work of the Spirit, Jesus is with us always, and he will be to the very end of the age. Because of the Holy Spirit, we don’t have to wait in line or make an appointment to see Jesus. We can meet with Jesus anytime we want to, we can all be with Jesus at the same time, simply by opening the Bible and reading the words of Jesus that the Holy Spirit has given us. By the power of the Spirit working through this Word, Jesus himself answers our questions, gives us solutions to our problems, comforts us, warns us, encourages us, forgives us, and strengthens our faith. The Holy Spirit also brings Jesus to us through the Sacrament of Baptism—not just on that one day when we were baptized, but as we live in our Baptism every day: as we confess our sins, as we receive God’s forgiveness, as we draw on his power to fight against sin and temptation. And Jesus is with us in a very personal way in the Lord’s Supper, as he gives us his very body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith.  

9.                There was a ritual that certain Indian tribes used to do to train their young braves and help turn them into men. When an Indian boy turned 13, he was blindfolded and led out of camp at night and taken deep into the forest several miles from home. Then his blindfold was removed, and he had to face the night alone in an unfamiliar place, with the threatening sounds of the forest all around him. After a stressful and sleepless night, the sun began to come up and the boy could start to see what was around him. As the light increased, the boy was surprised to notice, out of the corner of his eye, the shape of a man standing just an arm’s length away, armed with bow and arrow. It was his Dad, who had been standing there all night long in silence, ready to protect the boy from any danger. In the same way, Jesus is right there by our side at all times, even though we can’t see him. And we have one advantage that those young braves didn’t have: we have Jesus’ promise that he’s with us always through his Word and Sacraments, to protect us from the Devil, to provide us with all that we need both physically and spiritually, to empower us to be his witnesses, and to guide us safely to our heavenly home. 

10.             And that, brings us to the final point of today’s sermon, the third reason that Jesus ascended into heaven. Jesus says in John 14 (1–3): “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be with me where I am.” Jesus went away to prepare a place for us in heaven—to get those “mansions” ready for you. His “going away” and his “work of preparation” include his suffering and death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead. Through those events Jesus prepared a place for us in heaven.  

11.             When Jesus talks about “preparing a place” for us in John 14, he may be using imagery related to Jewish customs of engagement and marriage. In Jesus’ day, God’s people took engagement very seriously. Engagement was legally almost the same as marriage. But several things had to happen before the couple could actually begin living together. The bridegroom had to make sure that he had a decent home for his new wife to live in—he had to go and “prepare aplace” for her. The young bridegroom was excited about getting married, and if it had been up to him, he would have gone out and nailed a few scraps of lumber together and said, “Welcome home, honey, this is it!” So, according to some scholars, the bridegroom’s father was often put in charge of making sure his son did the job right, and the bridegroom wasn’t allowed to go get his bride until his father looked things over and gave his approval.  

12.             Now, there was nothing wrong with heaven before Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. But without Jesus’ work, heaven was not a place prepared for us. We could not have entered heaven, much less spend eternity there. But by his payment for our sins on the cross, and by his ascension to lead the way as our representative, Jesus has made heaven ready to receive us. 

13.             Considering what the Bible says about how much Jesus loves us, I think it’s safe to say that Jesus is even more eager than we are for the day when he will fulfill his promise to come back for his bride, the church, and take her to live with him forever in heaven. But as we anxiously await that day, Jesus reminds us, even as he reminded his disciples on the day of his Ascension: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:7; cf. Mt 24:36). It is enough for us to know that our Bridegroom will come back on that day appointed by the Father, and to know that, he has worked hard to prepare a place for each of us, making sure that all of our heavenly “mansions” meet with his Father’s approval. And as we wait, we cling in faith to his promise: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (Jn 14:3). 

14.             So on this Ascension Day thank God that Jesus ascended into heaven: to assume his rightful place in power and majesty at the right hand of God; to send the Holy Spirit to bring his saving gifts to us through Word and Sacrament; and to prepare a place in heaven for us, with reservations guaranteed in our name because of his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.  Amen.  Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting.  Amen.