Transfiguration of Our Lord – Matthew 17:1-9

We’ve been listening to Jesus this Epiphany season. We’ve heard Him confound the doctors of the law in the temple at the age of twelve. We’ve heard Him tell His parents, Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? We’ve heard His mother tell Him they have no wine at a wedding feast in Cana. We’ve heard Jesus ask the servants to fill jars used for water to purify cups, plates, and bowls. By the time the master of the feast tastes what comes from those jars, they are the best wine. We’ve heard Jesus heal a leper up close and personal, as well as a centurion’s servant far away by speaking the word.

In our listening to Jesus, have we heard what He has said? We have heard it, but have we listened to it. There is a difference between hearing and listening. Hearing means we hear something. We may be able to make out what is being said, but we may not be able to understand what we hear. That’s where listening happens. When we listen, when we focus our ears on the spoken word, we hear with understanding. We comprehend what is being said.

If there’s anything that beyond comprehension, though, it’s Jesus Christ, the Living Word. One of the most popular questions I am asked as a pastor is why there are so many churches? Why can’t Christians put aside differences and be one visible body in Christ? Right up there with that question is another frequently asked question: Why are there so many different Bible translations? Why can’t Christians stick with one translation? The answer to both of these often asked questions could be answered with the words our heavenly Father says in His Son’s transfiguration: listen to Him.

Christ’s church is one, even though there are many different churches. While Christians should never give up working for unity this side of eternal life, because of our sinful human nature there will be differences. Saint Paul refers to this in First Corinthians chapter eleven: For when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. Some Corinthian Christians were not listening to Jesus speak in His Word. Other Corinthian Christians were listening.

As it was in Corinth, so it is among Christians in the United States today. Some Christians belong to church bodies that listen to Jesus in His Word and follow His words. Other Christians lick their finger and check which way the wind blows. Then they listen to Jesus and fit His words into the direction the wind blows, making Jesus say what they want Him to say.

Let me add that there are many faithful Christians listening to Jesus speak in His Word who attend churches that distort what Jesus says in Scripture. They remain faithful to Him and to what He says. There are also those who attend congregations faithful to Christ’s Word but believe otherwise in their hearts. So it goes among sinners. Nevertheless, Christ’s church is one. It would be nice to see the unity in action more often, yet for us the unity is seen here when we gather around altar, pulpit, and font to be fed with the Bread of Life.

We see that distortion in action today when Saint Peter says, Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. Peter, astounded by what he sees, knows it is good to see God’s glory in Christ. Yet he also would like this glory to go away from him, for he is a sinner. It’s best that Moses, Elijah, and Jesus continue their conversation in tents so that God’s holiness doesn’t kill him. Both Moses and Elijah couldn’t see God’s glory face-to-face and live. Peter sees what they could not see and rightly discerns that he shouldn’t be seeing it.

In Christ, you and I are able to see this glory and live. When the curtain in the temple was rent asunder, access to the Most High God became ours in Christ. What was once veiled is now plainly seen. We are all Peters at heart, wishing that we could unsee what we have seen. We believe we are not worthy of being in God’s presence as the centurion confessed to Christ last Sunday. Jesus’s blood and perfect righteousness, though, untwists what was distorted by sin and gives us a clear view of our Savior.

As Peter said, it is good that we are here. It is good that we listen to the Father’s voice tell us, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. This beloved Son of God, Jesus Christ, accomplished for you what you cannot do, shed innocent blood as atonement for sin. This beloved Son of God, Jesus Christ, accomplished for you what you cannot do, live a perfect life free from sin. Yet this perfect life is slain for sinners, rests in the tomb, and rises from the dead so that you, too, rest in the tomb and rise from the dead a new creation, holy and righteous in God’s eyes.

Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. Do not be afraid at what you see and hear. He Who is holiness descends from the Father’s side to become sin for you, that you become the righteousness of God. You are clothed in Christ. You are free. You are worthy of eternal life. Jesus only has done this for you. Listen to Him, for He is your salvation.

The First Sunday after The Epiphany – Luke 2:41-52

(Harper Ann Rittmeyer and Jackson James Rittmeyer are baptized in the late Sunday Divine Service)

Wherever Jesus goes, He is always teaching. When the Magi visit Him in Bethlehem, bringing Him honor and gifts, He teaches them about the true King of the Jews Who also is a spiritual King of both Jews and Gentiles. The Magi return home another way, not only to avoid being sought by Herod’s ilk but also the Way, capital W. They return home in Christ, believing He is the One sent to reconcile sinners to the heavenly Father.

Whether Jesus is a toddler, a tweener, or an adult, He is always teaching. As [Mary and Joseph] were returning [to Nazareth], the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. What is Jesus trying to teach them by pulling a stunt like this? He should be obedient to His parents, as it says in the Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

He is obedient to His parents. There’s more to say about that in another sermon but right now Jesus is missing. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. Did Mary and Joseph find Him, or was it the other way around?

A clue showing us that Jesus drew His parents to Himself is when Mary scolds Him:“Son, why have you treated us so? Mary, for a moment, supposes Jesus to be a child like any other child. And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? Before Jesus allows Himself to go back to Nazareth with His parents, both Mary and Joseph hear Jesus listening and talking to the teachers. Jesus, twelve years of age, is not only listening to what the teachers are teaching, He is also teaching the teachers. It must have been a lively back-and-forth discussion. What must the teachers have thought about a young boy, nearly confirmation age in our way of thinking, asking questions about what they are teaching. Perhaps our Savior corrected their teaching or clarified their thinking in His answers. No matter His age, no matter where He is or what He is doing, our Lord is always teaching.

Did the teachers have ears to hear Christ’s teaching? Do you and I have ears to hear what He says to us in His Word? Or are we like those of old who believed that children should be seen and not heard? Most of us grew up believing that was true. Children were allowed to be present around adults but were taught not to say anything. Children are young. They shouldn’t have anything to add to a discussion except their ears to hear. How does that jibe with King David’s words in Psalm 8: Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

Children teach us in many ways. As a parent I am always learning something new from my children about what it means to be a father. As a pastor I am always learning something from the young confirmands I teach about fostering spiritual maturity. Another old saying about learning is “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Could that have raced through the minds of the teachers listening to Jesus talk to them? Could it race through our minds, too? Am I so set in my ways that I am unwilling to be taught something new from Holy Scripture?

Like Mary and Joseph, we wander through the city of life looking for answers to questions we carry. We might conclude there is no need for salvation because there is nothing from which we need to be saved. We might call ourselves Christians yet never pick up a Bible to read and contemplate because it’s not like any other book. By the time we get to Leviticus we’re ready to throw the book across the room because it doesn’t make sense. We could search the whole world over for answers to questions we carry and never find the answers. It’s enough to make a person stop looking and embrace the first thing they see as their god just to get the thing over with.

That’s the time when Jesus finds us. Jesus finds us by leading us through the game of hide and seek we call life and, ultimately, taking us where He is: His Father’s house. When you were a child, you were led by your parents. They showed you the way until you gained confidence to show yourself around. This time, however, a little Child leads you as a sojourner through the wilderness of life and never lets you go. You often let go of Him thinking you can find your own way. He never lets you go.

When you get away from Jesus for a while, you’ll discover that as much as you want to push Jesus into the background or even shove Him out of your life, He’ll still be there. He’s not there as a nagging parent. He’s not there as a life coach, cheering you on to find Him. He’s there in His preached Word forgiving your sins. He’s there with water and the Word, washing away sins and making you His precious possession. He’s there with bread, wine, and the Word, feeding you forgiveness and life. Try as you might, fast as you can, perverse and foolish oft you strayed, Jesus will put your hand in His again because He loves you. He tells you, “Stay close to Me. I am your Rock and Castle”. That’s what He tells Harper Ann and Jackson James today as they are baptized. Jesus found them and brought them with Him into the Light of eternal life.

Children should be seen and heard. You can teach an old dog new tricks. Jesus rewrites the worn-out sayings and makes them new. Today He brings you as close to Him as you can be this side of Paradise. Today He teaches you anew the wonders of His love and the richness of His mercy that transcends time and space. Today Jesus is in His Father’s house, hard at work, handing over His gifts of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Welcome to Jesus’s home!