St. Luke 2:40-52 Dearly beloved,
Those who attend Divine Service regularly will know that I spend a great deal of time talking about the need to be at the Lord’s altar receiving God’s gifts in Word and Sacrament. The Scriptures appointed for today show us what the life of faith looks like. Solomon admits in his young days, “I do not know how to go out or come in.” Solomon is talking about the life of faith and devotion to the Lord. Solomon is saying that he is not spiritually prepared to lead in such a difficult position. Psalm 121 uses similar language but the psalmist gives the credit to God: “The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even forevermore”(Psalm 121:8). These verses remind the hearer that we are to practice the faith we confess. Likewise, the gospel indicates that Jesus is about His Father’s business, even at the age of twelve, to be discussing the Holy Scriptures with Scribes in the Temple. It comes as no surprise to us that Jesus amazes them with His understanding. He is God, after all. Those of you who are accustomed to hearing me preach will also know that I preach on the gospels when we have the sacrament, which, in our case, is every Sunday. The reason I preach on the gospel on Sundays is because every Sunday is the Lord’s Day, a high feast, where we must naturally set our thoughts and meditations upon Jesus and all that He does and teaches. There are two reasons for this: First, you are to look at your Savior and fill your thoughts and intents of the heart on your Lord. This leads you to hear the gospel and the forgiveness of your sins. Your life is to be centered on the cross and mercy of our Lord towards you. The second reason for the gospel is to see from Jesus’ own example how you are to order your steps as the body of Christ. The love of Jesus teaches you His love for you but also about the love that you are to show others. As your pastor I sometimes see the worst in some of our members. Rather than love, I see hate. Rather than prayer, I see gossip. Rather than finding peace and comfort in the gospel, I see selfish behavior where people focus on themselves. These things pain me. So, today, I want to explain why you are to live humble and quiet lives in the church and the world. How one serves in the church will indicate to all of us what that person believes about Jesus. When you serve in the church you volunteer. You are graciously given opportunity to serve, not lead. Serving doesn’t come by right. It is a blessed opportunity. When you serve, you are to serve with the mind of Christ--in truth; in love; in mercy. St. Paul talks about moving from unbelief to faith and from selfish living to serving in the church. He tells the Ephesians, “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need”(Ephesians 4:28). Notice how St. Paul emphasizes the result of Christian service. The person who stole is no longer to steal, but, more than this, he is to work with his hands so that someone else may benefit. Is this not the mission of the church? To work with your own hands for others to benefit is giving tithes, helping the poor, caring for the sick--all of this is meant to bring the love of Jesus to others. But you are not to become arrogant in your service, nor are you to use these things to your advantage to get what you want. Likewise, St. Paul continues for all of you who will leave church today and gossip: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers”(Ephesians 4:29). These words of St. Paul to the Ephesians go back to why we listen to the gospel. Jesus is our pattern. His type of service is selfless. He hides His glory, and serves instead of being served. If you serve for selfish gain or you do not think that you should serve in the church, then you need to rethink all of this. St. Paul continues: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you”(Ephesians 4:31-32). Sadly, I often see the ugly side of this, and it grieves me as the pastor of this church. For these reasons, I will continue to hold up for you the crucifix. I want each and every one of you to behold Christ crucified for the forgiveness of your sins. I also want you to see the pattern set for your Christian life and service. There are many in the church who serve faithfully and humbly. When this is seen, there is much rejoicing by your pastor and others. The Holy Spirit is clearly at work in such people and situations. I speak this way today for two reasons. One, we all have sins and need to repent of them. We need to hear Christ say: “You have been made well. Your sins have been forgiven. Go in peace.” Second, I speak this way to remind you that part of repentance is to amend or change your sinful ways. We are to extract from ourselves our sinful, selfish behavior and learn to order our steps so that we may begin to understand “how to go out and come in from this time forth and even forevermore.” You have a gracious Lord. Jesus dearly loves each and every one of you. His selfless and humble sacrifice on the cross is for you and all people. Your faults, your temptations, your sin and weaknesses are forgiven and you are made new. St. Paul also tells the Ephesians: “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”(Ephesians 4:23-24). Jesus came in the flesh in order to trade our sinful flesh for His holy flesh. Jesus came in the flesh so that, being forgiven, our steps may then be ordered a different way, not like the world, but like Him who loves us. What this means is that if we are going to take seriously the task of ordering our steps so that we may “go out and come in” in faith and devotion to the Lord, then we must always have our eyes of faith fixed upon our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ at all times. He is your forgiveness; He is your strength; He is the one who enables you through the Holy Spirit to live the new life in Baptism. After all, you are Jesus’ holy and precious saints who have been redeemed and baptized. And so, we ponder the gospels every Sunday in order to better understand, appreciate, and bask in the mercy of our God who has set you free and given you a blessed inheritance filled with the holy bliss and awe of heaven. Amen. -- Rev. Chad Kendall Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org
