Genna Biermann funeral sermon - Rom 8:31-39

 

Genna Biermann funeral

                                                                            Rom 8:31-39

                                                                            1/20/23

 

          The first time I met Genna Biermann in the summer of 2006, she had dreadlocks.  The Biermann’s had just returned from a vacation in Jamaica, and her hair was stilled styled from her time there.  It did make an “interesting” first impression, and Genna commented on this in laughter at that time.  As I look back, it just fit because Genna Biermann was a fun loving person who was not concerned about trying to impress other people.

          Genna was simply a wonderful individual, and that is why losing her is so sad for so many.  She was a loving and faithful wife as she and Dan shared life together.  In a true a case of opposites attract, their personalities complemented each other, and they loved spending time together.

          Genna was a dedicated mother and grandmother.  She was a blessing to both her children and grandchildren.  Her involvement in their lives and the time they got to spend with her was something that enriched all.

          Genna was an outstanding teacher. Her own love of learning never ended – in the summer she was always working on some scientific project or opportunity for learning. This translated into the deep interest she took in her students and the way she taught them. My own son will be pursuing a career in science, and Genna played a very important role in guiding him on that path.

          More than anything, Genna Biermann was a remarkable woman of faith.  Genna joked that Dan brought her into the Lutheran church kicking and screaming. But once here she embraced the biblical teachings as her own, and was eager to talk about them with anyone.  Genna trusted in the Lord and the Gospel absolutely.  Her witness to faith in Christ in the face of imminent death was moving. We should all hope to have such deep and profound faith.

          In one of my last visits with Genna, she charged me with preaching the Gospel at her funeral.  That I will certainly do.  But as a Lutheran, Genna also knew the importance of distinguishing Law and Gospel.  She knew that the Law prepares us for the Gospel.  Sadly, this morning Genna herself is the illustration of Law.

          Genna Biermann has died. I do not understand why she died so young.  Only God knows that.  But I know why she died.  She didn’t die because of the cancer that spread through her body.  That was just the instrument that brought about death. Instead,  she died because she was a sinner.  Paul says in this same letter, “The wages of sin is death.”

          Genna was indeed a wonderful person. But that doesn’t change the fact she was a sinner.  Paul says in Romans: “For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one;

no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’”  She did not fear, love, and trust in God above all things.  She did not love her neighbor as herself in all ways at all times.  God is the holy God, and Jesus tells what is necessary to have fellowship with him.  He said, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” 

          Genna knew this was true. She confessed her sin.  She did every Sunday when she attended the Divine Service. She confessed her sin one last time in the Commendation of the Dying.  Genna also knew that it was true of you.  That is why she wanted the Gospel proclaimed at her funeral.  She knew that on your own you are sinners who will face God’s wrath and judgment. That can be the only outcome for you apart from Christ.

          Genna Biermann died because she was a sinner.  But she has not received God’s judgment, and she never will.  Paul says in our text, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”

          God did not spare his Son.  Instead, he sent his Son into the world as he took on humanity and became man.  True God and true man, Jesus was in this world to die in Genna’s place – to die in your place. On the cross he received God’s judgment against sin.  He was the sacrifice by which our sin was atoned for and forgiven.

          In fact Paul asks, “Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.”  God will not bring a charge against Genna, because he did it against Christ in her place. Genna believed in Jesus Christ the crucified Lord. And so Genna was justified by God’s grace – she was declared by God to be righteous and innocent. The verdict of the Last Day has already been spoken about Genna.  Paul says earlier in Romans, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Genna died at peace with God – her sins forgiven.

          We are here today because of death.  But because Genna believed in Christ and was baptized into his death, death does not get the final word.  Paul says in our text, “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

          Jesus Christ died on the cross on Good Friday. But on the third day, God raised him from the dead.  Jesus passed through death in order to defeat it for Genna – in order defeat it for you.  Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, Genna lives now.  Paul told the Philippians, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” As the apostle contemplated his own death he said, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”

          Genna has departed and she is now with Christ. We will take her body and bury it in a cemetery. But because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, God is not done with her body.  Just before our text Paul wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”  Then he explained what this glory will mean when he said, “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.”

          Resurrection – that is what awaits Genna’s body. That is what awaits Genna. The Lord who has risen from the dead will return in glory on the Last Day.  The apostle told the Philippians, “we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

          This is the love that God has shared with Genna.  It is the love that God has shared with you – the love that is proclaimed to you this morning. Through baptism and faith this love from Christ is yours. Paul says in our text, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”  Not even the death of a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend can separate us from Christ’s love.

          Like us all, Genna’s life was not without troubles. She faced challenges. But because Genna knew Jesus Christ the crucified and risen Lord she lived in the knowledge that victory was hers. She lived in the confidence given at the end of our text where Paul declares: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

          Genna is held securely in God’s love today as she is with the Lord.  She will share in that final victory when Christ returns in glory and transforms her body to be like his.  In life and in death, nothing can separate her – and all those who believe in the crucified and risen Lord – from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.

 

Sermon for the Second Sunday after Epiphany - Jn 2:1-11

 

Epiphany 2

                                                                                      Jn 2:1-11

                                                                                      1/15/23

 

          Amy and I were married in July of 1997. Having a wedding in central Illinois in July was a bit of a gamble.  You can run into sweltering weather that can make everything miserable. However, we had a gorgeous day with temperatures in the low 70’s.

          In fact, everything about the day was wonderful.  The wedding service was a great Lutheran wedding.  The decorations at the wedding reception were lovely. The food was great.  It was a joyous occasion with our family and friends. I enjoyed every minute, … and then I was ready to leave because our wedding night awaited.

          After all the work and anticipation, it would have been very disappointing if something had gone wrong at the wedding.  My brother was married the following summer, and there hasn’t been another Surburg wedding since then. That will change this summer when my niece Naomi is married.  As I see the work and money that must be spent on even a reasonable wedding, I certainly hope that everything goes well.  I want Naomi’s wedding to go as well as ours did so that she too will have memories of a wonderful event.

          Weddings have always been the focus of preparations and the expenditure of money.  There is certainly the concern that things will go well.  In our Gospel lesson we hear about a wedding where this was not the case.  In fact, a social disaster struck as the wedding party ran out of wine.  However, our Lord Jesus was there and he used this occasion to perform the first miracle in the Gospel of John.  This first miracle explains to us what we see in all of Jesus’ miracles, and in the person of Jesus himself.

          In our Gospel lesson we learn of how Mary, Jesus and his disciples were invited to a wedding held at Cana, which was just under four miles away from Nazareth.  Just as in our world, a wedding feast was an important social event.  Yet we learn that all did not go as planned because the wedding ran out of wine.

          This was a disaster.  People in the ancient world drank wine and it was certainly expected that a wedding feast would serve it.  A wedding without wine in first century Palestine would be like a wedding today without wedding cake for everyone.  It was unthinkable and would be source of embarrassment.

          Mary showed care for the situation as she told Jesus, “They have no wine.”  She obviously believed that Jesus could do something about this.  However, our Lord’s response seems unexpected. He said, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” The words sound like a rejection. Yet Mary did not receive them in this way. She had faith in her son’s ability to put things right and so she said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

          Jesus’ statement about the “hour” alerts us to the fact that what is about to happen involves more than rescuing a wedding host from social embarrassment. In John’s Gospel the word “hour” refers to Jesus’ saving work of dying on the cross and rising from the dead. His hour is the goal of his entire ministry and our Lord will fulfill this at the time ordained by the Father.  On two different occasions we learn that people tried to seize Jesus, but they were unable “because his hour had not yet come.”

          Our Lord acts in his time and his way.  Later, Jesus told servants to take the six large water jars that were present and to fill them to the top. Together they held almost one hundred and eighty gallons.  Next he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.”  Imagine how absurd this sounded.  But they obeyed, and when the master of the feast tasted it, the water had been turned into wine.  In fact, the wine Jesus had made was better than the good wine that had already been served at the wedding feast.

          Jesus performs this first miracle, and John makes sure that we don’t overlook its significance. This was not just a matter of Jesus rescuing people from social embarrassment. Instead John tells us, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”

          John describes the miracle as a sign that reveals Jesus’ glory.  We hear about this event on the second Sunday in Epiphany because this is what Epiphany is all about. The word “Epiphany” comes from a Greek word that means “appear.” During Christmas we celebrated how the Son of God entered into the world in the incarnation as he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Now, our Scripture readings will focus on how the saving glory of God was revealed through Jesus in his ministry.

          John says that the miracle revealed Jesus’ glory.  This recalls what he had said at the beginning of the Gospel when he wrote, “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.” The Son of God revealed his glory through the miracle of turning water into wine. His other miracles did the same.

          Yet Jesus’ statement about his “hour” leads us to recognize that the great manifestation of his glory occurred in Jesus’ death.  Jesus said during Holy Week, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

          The revelation of Jesus’ saving glory occurred in a paradox. It occurred as he died on the cross.  Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Then John adds, “He said this to show” – literally, ‘to sign’ – “by what kind of death he was going to die.” The miraculous signs all point to the miracle of the cross – a miracle that at the time when it happened did not look like a miracle.

          Jesus had told his opponents, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” The Son of God entered into the world to free us from our sin. That is why John the Baptist called him “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” 

          By ourselves, we are slaves.  We fail in sin again and again. We worship the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I, as we put ourselves before God and our neighbor. Yet Jesus Christ died on the cross in order to take away our sin. By the shedding of his blood on the cross he has fulfilled the Father’s will. Jesus offered himself as the sacrifice that takes away sin.  In ourselves we continue to struggle with sin. But through Christ we are able stand before God as those who are holy in his eyes.

          In our text John says, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” Jesus revealed his saving glory in death. Yet in John’s Gospel, the revelation of Christ’s glory is one sweeping movement that descends down into the tomb and up again in resurrection and ascension. 

          Jesus said, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”  On Easter Jesus took up his life again. He rose from the dead, and his exaltation continued as he returned to the Father in his ascension.

          In our text, the disciples see the sign of Jesus turning water in to wine. They see the sign that reveals Jesus’ glory and they believe in him.  At the end of the Gospel John says, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” 

You now see Jesus’ glory in his inspired word. Before his ascension Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”  Through the words of John’s Gospel, the Spirit reveals the saving glory of Jesus to us here and now.

You have seen Jesus’ glory and God has called you to faith. You have been born of God. Because this is so, you have life.  Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”  You have eternal life already now, and you also know that the risen Lord will raise you up on the Last Day.  Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”

Through Christ you have received God’s love that has given you life.  Because this is true, it changes the way we live. John said in his first letter, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”  Christ’s sacrificial love for us now guides the way we live. It is the source that prompts us to seek the good of others as we put their needs before our own. Christ’s action for us prompts to act, for as John says, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

In the Gospel lesson this morning, Jesus turns water into wine.  By this first miracle Jesus provided a sign that revealed his glory. It was an action that called the disciples to believe in him.

The Spirit of Christ reveals the sign to us this morning through the Gospel of John. This sign points to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through which we have received the saving glory of God.  By faith in the risen Lord we have forgiveness and life now – a life that causes us to act in love towards others.

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

         

         

 

 

 

 

           

 

 

Sermon for the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord - Joshua 3:1-3, 7-8, 13-17

 

Baptism of Our Lord

                                                                           Joshua 3:1-3, 7-8, 13-17

                                                                           1/8/23

 

          I have said on more than one occasion that Good Shepherd is a wonderful place to be a pastor, and Marion is a great place to live.  My situation would be perfect … if it just wasn’t in the state of Illinois.  I’m not alone in feeling that way.  Illinois is the number three state in the nation that people are leaving. The reason most often given for leaving is the high taxes in this state, and I can’t disagree with that.

          Certainly, Illinois is a financial mess. The state currently has 107 billion dollars in debt. Every single citizen of the state would have to pay almost $15,000 dollars to get the state back in the black.  The cost of schooling is higher here. My brother in Indiana can send his children to Purdue University in engineering for $7,000 less a year of in state tuition than I can here in Illinois. And of course, as we move from financial matters to moral ones, we find that Illinois is seeking to be the death capital of the Midwest as it promotes abortion in every possible way.

          I was struck by this again during Christmas as I drove across the Wabash River into Indiana.  I like to joke that one crosses over that river into the “promised land” – a land of fiscal responsibility where taxes and tuition are lower, and where the state is seeking to ban abortion. Back home again in Indiana – its sounds great if I could just take Good Shepherd and Marion with me. 

          In our Old Testament lesson this morning we hear about how Israel passed through the Jordan River into the actual promised land – the land of Canaan.  The Ark of the Covenant led them into the water and allowed them to cross through.  On the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, this event causes us to think about what Jesus Christ did for us through his baptism and the baptism that he instituted for us.  Jesus entered the water of the Jordan in order to make it possible for the water our baptism to give us forgiveness and eternal life.

          In our text, Israel was just about to enter into the promised land after wandering in the wilderness for forty years.  Moses had died, and now Joshua was the leader God was using.  Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”

          Joshua told the people to consecrate themselves, because the next day Yahweh would do wonders among them. They were to follow the Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan River.  Keeping God’s command, Joshua had told the priests carrying the ark that when they entered the Jordan they were to stand in it. Then he announced to the people, “And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

          When the priests entered into the Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant, the waters of the Jordan were stopped north of the crossing and piled up in a heap. The people of Israel passed through the Jordan River on dry ground while those carrying in the Ark stood in the river.

          By this miracle God demonstrated to Israel that he was with Joshua, just as he had been with Moses.  Crossing through the Jordan River on dry ground recalled how God had used Moses as Israel passed through the Red Sea on dry ground in the Exodus. As Joshua declared to the people, this event also showed the that God would in fact drive out the Canaanites and give Israel the promised land.

          The event in our text this morning is a type – it is something in the Old Testament that points forward to the greater fulfillment found in Jesus Christ.  The Ark of the Covenant was Yahweh’s throne. It was the place were the glory of God dwelt.  His located presence among the people took place through the Ark of the Covenant in the tabernacle.

          In our Gospel lesson today we hear of how Jesus entered into the waters of the Jordan to be baptized.  The presence of God’s glory through the Ark of the Covenant pointed forward to how the glory of God was present in the incarnate Son of God. As we heard in the Gospel lesson for Christmas Day, John tells us, “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.”  God’s glory was present through Jesus Christ, and once again it entered into the Jordan River.

          John the Baptist announced in his preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  He called people to repent because the end time reign of God was about to arrive.  Matthew tells us that people were being were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

          Then, Jesus came to the Jordan.  John did not understand.  He said, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Yet Jesus responded, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  Our Lord said that this was proper for God’s saving action to put all things right.

          Jesus was baptized by John, and then another miracle occurred that day at the Jordan that was even greater than the stopping of the river in our text.  We learn, “immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

          The Spirit descended upon Jesus and God the Father spoke of the words of Isaiah 42:1. Through this event, God designated Jesus as the Servant of the Lord.  Jesus had no sin. He didn’t fail to put God first like we do, or covet what others have, or hurt their reputation.  Yet he submitted to a baptism of repentance because he was identifying himself with sinners.  He was taking our place.  He was the Servant of the Lord who had come to be the Suffering Servant.

          From the moment of Christ’s baptism, his entire ministry was directed toward the cross.  Jesus was here in this world to fulfill these words: “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

          On Good Friday Jesus accomplished this as he died crying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  But God had not forsaken his faithful Servant.  On the third day he raised Jesus from the dead. By his death Jesus won the forgiveness of sins, and through his resurrection he defeated death forever. Because Jesus has risen from the dead, you know that he will also raise your body from the dead on the Last Day.

          The risen Lord appeared to his disciples on the mountain in Galilee. There he told them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Jesus took John’s baptism and transformed it into his own.  He instituted Holy Baptism.

          Through this baptism you have received forgiveness, for as Peter proclaimed on the Day of Pentecost, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Through this baptism you have received the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Through this baptism you have shared in Jesus’ saving death.

          In our text, we hear about how the people Israel passed through the Jordan River as they entered into the promised land. You have passed through the water of baptism and this has become the means by which you have entered into the promised land of salvation and eternal life.

This is true for you already now, and your baptism is the guarantee that you will share in the consummation of salvation when Christ returns on the Last Day. Because you have been baptized, you know that your body will be raised. St. Paul told the Romans about baptism, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

The Spirit who worked new life through water and the word is the One who raised up Jesus from the dead.  You have received the work of the Spirit through baptism. Because you have, the power of Christ’s resurrection is already at work in you.  St. Paul wrote, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

In the ongoing struggle against the old Adam we confess our sin. We repent.  And in faith we return to what God has done in our baptism, for there we have the source of the Spirit’s continuing work in our life. The Spirit enables the new man in us to walk in newness of life.

What does this life look like? Paul describes it later in Romans when he says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” We present ourselves as instruments of service to God.

Because we have been forgiven by God, we now speak this forgiveness to others – even to those who speak ill of us.  The apostle says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” We do not respond in anger. Instead, as Paul tells us, “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.”

          Especially we seek to support those around us. Paul says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” We rejoice in the blessings that others receive.  We weep with those who experience hardship, for in this way we express our love for them, even as we lift them up in prayer.

          In our Old Testament lesson today the priests take the Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan River, and as a result the people of Israel pass through into the promised land.  In Jesus’ baptism, the fulfillment of the ark – the incarnate Son of God – entered into the water of the Jordan to be baptized by John. There he took on the role of the Suffering Servant who died for our sins.  By his death he won forgiveness for us, and death was defeated when God raised him from the dead. As the risen Lord he gave us the gift of Holy Baptism. You have passed through that water and entered into the promised land.  Already now you have forgiveness and eternal life as God’s child. And because of your baptism, you know that Christ will raise you up on the Last Day.

         

 

Sermon for the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord - Mt 2:1-12

 

Epiphany

                                                                                      Mt 2:1-12

                                                                                      1/6/23

 

          Rising to attention was a dangerous thing in Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union.  Stalin had acquired his position by eliminating opponents and rivals.  Once in power, he was not going to give it up.  He was paranoid and regularly used the Russian secret police - the NKVD - to execute and imprison anyone he perceived to be a potential threat.

          Large portions of the Russian military were not exempt from this.  During 1937-1939 Stalin ordered purges in the Russian military.  In the Army, 50 of 57 corps commanders, and 154 or 186 division commanders were removed.  These actions proved to be disastrous in June 1941 when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. With so much of the skilled and veteran commanders removed, Russian military leadership was severely lacking. This played a significant role in the disastrous losses that the Soviet Union experienced in the first six months of the war as the nation lost a million killed or wounded and three million captured.

          Herod the Great was very similar to Joseph Stalin. Against all odds he had risen to power and ruled a kingdom that was as large as the one created by King David.  He too did this by eliminating opponents and rivals as he ingratiated himself to whatever Roman leader had control over Palestine.  Once in power, he was not going to give it up either.  He was paranoid and had three of his own sons executed because he perceived them to be threats to his position.

          This background helps us to understand the reaction by Herod when the magi showed up in Jerusalem looking for “the king of the Jews.”  Herod responds in unbelief. On the other hand, the magi faithfully sought and found Jesus.  Yet what our text makes clear is that the magi did not figure this out on their own. Instead, it was God who brought them to Christ. In the magi we see that God’s grace has included us as Gentiles in his people.  And we also see that it is by grace that we as individuals believe in Jesus.

          Our Gospel lesson for the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord is marked by two statements that indicate surprise.  The first of these occurs at the very beginning of our text as we hear, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’”

          The word “behold” calls our attention to the fact that the arrival by the magi was unexpected and surprising.  The magi showed up in Jerusalem looking for “the king of the Jews.” There are two surprises here. First, what are Gentiles doing, looking for the king of the Jews? And second, why are magi doing this?

          You will note that thus far, I have not referred to the magi as “wise men.”  This is very intentional.  The term “wise men” has positive connotations among us.  It indicates great learning that had been applied in figuring out the meaning of the star and coming to find the Christ. However, the Greek word “magoi” had very negative connotations in first century Judaism. Magi were associated with paganism and all that was the opposite of the true knowledge of God.

          That is why it was a surprise to find magi looking for the king of the Jews.  Magi were pagan Gentiles whose learning did not involve the true God.  Their learning and arts could not bring them to God.   But we learn that God had acted through his word and through his creation to bring the magi to the Christ.

          The magi came from the east and announced that they were looking for the king of the Jews because they had seen “his star when it rose.”  We do not know exactly where the magi originated. The best guesses are what had been Babylonia or Persia. They had seen a star when it rose – they  had seen some kind of astronomical event that indicated to them that the king of the Jews had been born.

          The lands I have mentioned are places where the people of Judah had lived in exile.  They had brought the Scriptures with them, and so the magi had come into contact with it.  It is in Scripture – in Numbers chapter twenty four – that they had read: “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.”

          God had provided the Scripture. God had provided the astronomical event.  This is what prompted the magi to seek the king of the Jews. They had gone to where you expect the king to be – in Jerusalem.  God in his providence had seen to it that Herod was also there, because normally he would have been at his palace at Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea.

          What Herod heard was disturbing. When Herod got disturbed, bad things happened, and so the people in Jerusalem were troubled.  Herod was not really a Jew. He was from Idumea.  And he certainly wasn’t a true believer – he built temples for pagan gods in Gentile areas.  He had no idea what Scripture said, so he summoned the chief priests and scribes of the people and inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

          They quoted Micah chapter five as they said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Bethlehem – the city of David – was the place were the child would be born.

          It was Scripture that provided the destination for the magi’s travel.  And then we encounter the second surprise as our text says, “And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.” An astronomical event had prompted the trip. But now, the same astronomical event again appeared and actually guided the magi to the place where Jesus was. This was something new, as God himself led the magi.  Indeed, Matthew tells us, “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. These Gentile magi were led by God to Christ as he used Scripture and a star. And when they were brought to Christ we learn that “they fell down and worshiped him” and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

          Matthew’s Gospel is striking in that he alone indicates the Jewish centered mission of Israel’s Messiah.  When our Lord sent out the apostles he said, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” We may be offended by this, but Jesus’ words remind us that we are by nature “outside” of God’s saving work.  We did not descend from Abraham and Jacob. We were not included in the covenant God made with Israel at Mt. Sinai.

          However, in Matthew’s Gospel we also find that the first people to come and worship Jesus are Gentiles. In fact, they are magi. This is not what we would expect. But we find in this the anticipation of the fact that Jesus the Christ has come to be the Savior of all people – Jews and Gentile alike. For this reason, the Gospel will end with Jesus’ words, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” 

          More than that, the grace of God that we see in our text calls our attention to the manner in which his salvation for each one of us is purely a matter of grace.  The magi worship and offer gifts to a child.  But the child will grow up to be a man who carries out the mission of dying on the cross for us.  Jesus said during his ministry, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” God sent forth his Son to die on the cross and give us the forgiveness we could never win on our own. Then through the Word and baptism he called us to faith – a faith we could never create on our own.

          God gave us salvation as he sent Jesus to die, but then raised him up on the third day. He gave us salvation as he called us to faith in Christ – we who are sinners; we are Gentiles.  This salvation is purely a gift. It is purely God’s blessing to us.

          Because God has done this for us, our response is now the same as the magi.  When they had seen the Christ, God commanded them in a dream not to return to Herod. God’s word prompted them to disobey Herod’s command.  This put them at risk as they left by a different way. Yet they were obedient to God.

          In the same way, our encounter with Christ has changed everything in our life. God’s word – the way of faith – guides our actions.  Having received forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ, we now follow him in ways that reject the world. We receive disdain and antagonism because Jesus has already borne it for us.  Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Saved by grace and living in the certainty of faith we know that forgiveness and eternal life is ours because the One the magi visited has risen from the dead.