Sermon on John 1:29-42

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

If I were John, pointing out the savior of the world, the figure of God on earth, I might have picked a metaphor at least a little more impressive and intimidating than a “lamb.”

Lambs are small, wobbly, and adorable—not exactly attributes you want your rescuer to have.

And yet, here comes John pointing out Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

John is giving his hearers and us an epiphany—as Pastor Greg put it last week, not an “aha moment,” but a deep question to wrestle with. What does it mean to be the Lamb of God?”

The part about “tak[ing] away the sin of the world” might make us think of Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins, which is something that’s definitely in the churchy language we hear all the time, not just in church, but on billboards and shouted from megaphones on the side of the road.

But lambs weren’t used as sin offerings. Bulls, goats, and adult sheep were used for sin offerings.

No, lambs were used in one of the most significant events in Jewish history: the Exodus. The Israelites enslaved in Egypt were instructed to mark their doorways with the blood of lambs to protect them from the 10th plague.

That had nothing to do with their sins.

It had everything to do with their liberation.

The Gospel of John uses references like this to describe Jesus’ role on earth as bringing about a new Passover.

John introduces Jesus as the Lamb of God in the very first chapter, and toward the end, this Gospel makes sure we know that none of Jesus’ bones were broken in the crucifixion, “so that the scripture might be fulfilled.”[1]

Which scripture is that? In Exodus,[2]the Israelites are instructed not to break the bones of the lambin preparation for the first Passover, and in Numbers,[3]God elaborates in the Law how to continue honoring the Passover, and again, they are told not to break the bones of the lamb.

The Gospel of John helps us understand Jesus as the Passover lamb who brings liberation to the world.

Soin the first chapter, when John points to Jesus and says, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” he is saying, “Here is your liberation! Here is your freedom from what is holding you captive!”

And the word that’s translated here as “take away” means “to raise, to lift up, to take away, to remove.”[4]Instead of interpreting “taking away the sins of the world” as Jesus dying to wipe clean our sins, we can understand this as Jesus, the Passover lamb, lifting up the injustices of our world and the ways we hurt each other so that everyone can see them and make things right.

Jesus frees us from the ways we ignore and sweep injustices under the rug or shrug our shoulders and think we can’t do anything about them.

Sometimes sins and injustices have to be lifted up and acknowledged before they can be taken away or made right. Jesus brings truth and justice and liberation.

Tomorrow, we’ll be celebrating someone else who worked for truth and justice and liberation: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Like John in this story, Dr. Kingpointed people to liberation.

Like John when he called out King Herod’s immoral relationship, Dr. King called for bringing injustice to light.

Like John, Dr. King was assassinated for speaking truth to power.

John and Dr. King both saw a vision of a freer, more just and equitable society and rallied people to work to get closer to it.

John said, “Look, there’s the Passover lamb who will bring new freedom.”

Dr. King said, “It is normalcy all over our country which leaves the Negro perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of vast ocean of material prosperity. It is normalcy all over Alabama that prevents the Negro from becoming a registered voter. No, we will not allow Alabama to return to normalcy. [This speech took place in Montgomery, AL. The vision he was pointing to, of course, was not just for Alabama, but for the whole nation. He continued:]

“The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that recognizes the dignity and worth of all of God’s children. The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that allows judgment to run down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy of brotherhood, the normalcy of true peace, the normalcy of justice.”[5]

John in our Gospel reading today might just as well have said, “It is normalcy all over Israel that leaves Jewish people perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of the vast ocean of the Roman Empire. The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that recognizes the dignity and worth of all of God’s children. And Jesus over there, he’s the one to follow to get to that glorious Reign of God.”

And when John points his disciples to the Lamb of God, they chase Jesus down, asking him where he is staying, essentially asking, “we want to follow you—where are you going?”

And Jesus says, “Come and see.” He’s inviting them along for the journey. It’s not enough to see the vision of the Reign of God; it takes a journey to get there.

The vision of the Reign of God that we hear from prophets like John and Dr. King is so important, and it’s not enough to stay there. We have to see that vision and follow where the prophets are pointing.

That’s when Jesus invites us on the journey to the Reign of God and says, “Come and see!”

Come and see what injustices have been covered up that need repair.

Come and see what God’s justice looks like.

Come and see the freedom you were meant for.

Come and be liberated.

[1]John 19:36

[2]Exodus 12:46

[3]Numbers 9:12

[4]https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/1/4/lamb-of-god-salts-lectionary-commentary-for-epiphany-2

[5] “Our God is Marching On,” Montgomery, AL, 25 March 1965https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/our-god-marching

First Lutheran Church

January 8, 2023 + The Baptism of Christ (A)

The Journey to Epiphany

Pastor Greg Ronning 

“I will be, I will be, I will be strength for the journey.”

This past Thursday the church celebrated the last day of Christmas, the Twelfth day of Christmas.  And on Friday we celebrated the Day of Epiphany, the day we remember the journey of the Wisemen to pay homage to the infant Jesus.  We are now officially in the season of Epiphany! 

The word Epiphany has its roots in the Greek language, literally translated as “an appearing” or “manifestation.”We often think of an “epiphany” as “a moment when you suddenlyfeel that you understand, or suddenlybecomeconscious of, something that is very important to you.”One of those precious “aha” moments of clarity.

However, we need to be careful, because at its core, Epiphany isn’t only all about having those wonderful“aha” moments, revelations, discernment, clarity, and all the answers.  Epiphany can take us there, but only if we begin where Epiphany begins, withhard questions, with discontentment, with struggles, - with those “disruptions” caused by the Spirit.  Epiphany is not about finding easy answers, it’s about finding the courage to ask the hard questions of life, it’s about taking a road less traveled, to that distressed place where true Epiphany happens.

So it is that we begin, on the First Sunday in Epiphany, with “The Baptism of Jesus.”A story about someone who is asking hard questions, thosereally big questions, someone who is not satisfied with his place in life, someone whose life is feelingunsettled, someone wrestling with foundational questions, ultimately someone desperate enough to take that road less traveled, someone who is compelled to leave home and makea difficultjourney out into the wilderness. Our Gospel begins, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan” (Matthew 3:13)

Why does Jesus make the difficult journey from Galilee to the Jordan River?What compelled him to walk some 60 miles, a journey that will take three or four days?And why out to the very edges of Jewish Civilization? And why at the age of 30? What were the questions he was wrestling with?  What was going on in his life?  What was not going on in his life?

We really don’t know much about the life of Jesus up to this point.  We know the birth story, we know the family fled to Egypt to avoid persecution and then returned to live in Nazareth. We know that Jesus at the age of twelve spent a few days in the temple sitting among the teachers listening and asking questions.And we know that he eventually grew up to be a carpenter like his father Joseph, - that’s about it. Lukesums up all those in between yearswith just a few verses.  Luke tells us thatJesus was obedient to his parents, that he grew up and became strong, and that he increased in wisdom and in years and in divine and human favor.

And “then,” for some unknown reason, Jesus travels from Galilee to the Jordan River.  We are not told why, we don’t know if he had a dream telling him to go there, we don’t know if some event, good or bad, triggered the trip.All we know is that suddenly, at the age of thirty, Jesus is on his way to see John the Baptist.

I don’t know about you, but I find myself wondering what’s going on in between the lines of this story.  What did the scriptures skip over?  All of which activates my holy imagination, causing me to wonder, what’s going on?Could it be that was Jesus experiencing a midlife crisis? 

We are reminded that while we might think being thirty years old is young, in the time of Jesus thirty was perhaps more like being fifty or even sixty. In those days children that lived past the age of ten, (only 40% of the population) wereexpected to live, depending on their economic realities, till about fifty years of age.So, Jesus was more than half the way there!

So perhaps Jesus, suddenly woke up one day in the second half of his life, asking the same questions that many of us have asked?(The questionsthat those of you under forty will ask in another ten to fifteen years!)It is not uncommon to become emotionally and spiritually unsettled in the middle of life.  It’s not uncommon to wrestle with renewed questions of identity and vocation, the haunting questions of mortality, the heretical questions of faith, the existential questions of the soul that arise when the “ego” finally loosens up, and the true self, your soul, slips in and demands to be heard. 

Did Jesus the carpenter finally reach that moment where he knew deep down that he was more than just a carpenter? Did Jesus finally reach that time where he needed to engage in something deeper and more meaningful? Did Jesus finally reach that point where the things of this world ceased to matter, and the things of the kingdom became his ultimate concern?  At the ripe old age of thirty, did Jesus have a feeling that his destiny was still out there waiting to be lived?

Some people don’t like to imagine such a human Jesus, but I love it when we stumble upon a truly human Jesus.A Jesus we can relate to, a Jesus who wrestles with life just like we do, a Jesus who has occupied the same uncomfortable places that we do, a Jesus who has more questions than answers, a Jesus desperately longing and hoping for some kind of an epiphany.

This is where I am able to find myself entering into the gospel this Sunday, this is the place where I can begin to hear the good news, this is where I am inspired and filled with some hope.I find comfort in a Jesus who doesn’t have it all figured out yet, because I don’t have it all figured out yet!  I find peace in a Jesus who needs an epiphany, because I could surely use some kind of, any kind of, epiphany.

No matter where we are in life, in the first half of life trying to faithfully create our life, or in the second half of life trying to faithfully live out the life we have created in a new and different way, or somewhere transitioning between the two, Jesus has been there and thus is with us now. 

Not with us in a magical way, but in a way that might guide us, encourage us,and embolden us;to set aside our fears, engage the more difficult questions and moments in life,to take the road less traveled that leads away from the familiar and comfortable; and in doing so, discover the places where the“aha moments” of faith happen.

This is what is modeled for us in today’s Gospel; the faith practices, the journey,the road, - that lead us into epiphany.

Jesus’ life is disrupted by the Spirit, compelling him to do the work of the soul.  Work that is not easy, the battle between the false self and the true self, the battle between convention and the extra-ordinary, the battle between the voice of over cautious safety and that voice that is your deepest intuitive relationship with yourself. Work that can be troubling and depressing, work that feels reckless, work that raises the level of anxiety so much so that most people will never dare to engage in it. This is the work that Jesus must do, and it is the work we are being called to do.  Let us not be afraid, let us trust in grace, let us be kind to each other and ourselves.  We are not alone in this demanding work, we have each other, and we have Jesus, the one who has gone been there before us.

The Work of the Soul once engaged eventually takes Jesus on a journey.  Note that Jesus is not sent to Jerusalem but instead on a long and hard journey from Galilee to the wilderness region of the Jordan River.  Jesus is not sent to priests wearing fine linen but to a wild man dressed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and wild honey.  Soul Work is best done away from home, away from the familiar, away from convention, away from the way things are; because soul work is about making all things new.  Jesus must leave home to find his epiphany.   We too must make this kind of demanding journey, away from home, away from our Jerusalem, and deep into the unfamiliar. Jesus walks sixty miles to meet John the Baptist, and each step, is a step in our shoes, making the same kind of journey possible for us.

And finally, there is the moment of Epiphany.  Jesus humbles himself and is baptized by John.  The heavens open up, the Spirit descends like a dove, and a voice from heaven declares, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”And Jesus’ life begins again.  Strengthened in his beloved identity, and more certain of his calling, he enters deeper into the wilderness to be prepared for his mission, his public ministry; a life of teaching, a life of reaching out to others, a life that will lead to death, and a life that will rise up in resurrection.

This is the faith of Jesus, the same faith that each of us has been given in Christ. Faith that engages the hard questions, faith that risks a journey into the desert wilderness, and faith that always finds the waters of baptism.And so too, an epiphany awaits each of us at the end of the journey we are making even now, an“aha moment” that will strengthen us in our identity and our calling, in the time and place where we need it the most the word of God awaits each of us,“You are my beloved, with you I am well pleased.”

In this season, may Christ be our guiding light, the source of our faith, our inspiration and hope, and our strength for the journey.

“I will be, I will be, I will be strength for the journey.”

Amen

First Lutheran Church

December 18, 2022 + The Fourth Sunday in Advent

Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

“The Great O Antiphons”

Pastor Greg Ronning

Today’s sermon flows from the seventh century liturgical prayers known as “The Great O Antiphons,” the prayers that gave birth to the traditional Advent hymn, "O come, O come Emmanuel.”  The context of this traditional prayer and hymn is that of a people in captivity.  The text looks back and remembers the nation of Judah and the Babylonian Captivity.  A time when God's people had lost everything and had been carried off in chains to live in a foreign land.  A time when God’s people found themselves in a deep winter of despair longing for the light of spring and a time of rebirth.  Each verse begins with the exclamation “O,” emphasizing the deep longing in our hearts, the great desire for freedom, for light to shine in the darkness, and the awe filled anticipation of God’s advent into our world.

Today we reflect on the “The Great O Antiphons,” we pray as we sing each verse of the hymn, and we open up our souls in the deep outcry - “O,” because we too are desperately beseeching Christ to break into our world.  We too are looking for God’s advent - in the midst of pandemic, economic struggles, and social unrest.  We too are seeking - freedom in a time of captivity, light in a time of darkness, and life in the midst of death.  So it is that we join the saints of God in all times and places, in this time and in this place, in the timeless prayer of every place, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Wisdom from on High”

In a world filled with an overload of information, in a world filled with great knowledge, - we don’t always make the best decisions.  Too often we react in fear, too often we act from pride, too often we are anything but wise.  As individuals, as communities, as nations, as the world; we pray for wisdom on high.

O come, O Wisdom from on high, embracing all things far and nigh:

in strength and beauty come and stay; teach us your will and guide our way.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Come, O Lord of Might”

In ancient days God led the faithful with a great cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as they wandered in search of a promised land.  Along the way God gave the people the gift of the law to keep and order a good life.  At Christmas the law is fulfilled in the life and teachings of Christ.  Each day and each night we pray for guidance as we begin our advent journey.

O come, O come, O Lord of might, as to your tribes on Sinai's height

in ancient times you gave the law in cloud, and majesty, and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Branch of Jesse, free”

A prophecy from Isaiah, "The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David's descendants." (Isaiah 11:1). The lineage, along with the hopes and dreams of Jesse, seemed dead.  Yet “the stump of Jesse” was anything but dead.  In the fullness of time a new branch appeared, and a lovely flower bloomed.  As we prepare for Christ, we are reminded that God comes to us in unexpected ways. Perhaps God is once again present for us, present with the gift of new life in our broken, forgotten, and hopeless places?  We pray for courage to look for life in the midst of death.

O come, O Branch of Jesse, free your own from Satan's tyranny;

from depths of hell your people save, and give them vict'ry o'er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Key of David, Come”

Keys hold power. They allow us to enter a building or a house, to start up a car, to keep things safe. Keys can also be symbols of authority. The one who has a key can open and can shut. The one who holds the keys to life and the power of love comes to us at Christmas.  God's advent into "our life" opens the door to "our life."  God opens the door of forgiveness that sets us free from sin.  God opens the door of peace that gives us a new way to live and a reason to live.  The one who comes to us at Christmas holds the key to life and the power of love.  May God grant us the courage to open new doors and embrace new possibilities.

O come, O Key of David, come, and open wide our heav'nly home;

make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Dayspring, Come and Cheer”

In this season the days get shorter, and the nights get longer.  And before Christmas arrives on December 25th, we must first endure the longest night of the year on December 21st.  So it is that in Advent, we find ourselves living in increasing darkness.  Just as the sun is nature's source of light and life, bringing seeds buried in the earth to life, so is Christ the source of our life.  Christ is the rising sun who brings, warmth and light to our darkness.  We pray that in our season of darkness we might be drawn to the light of God.

O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer; O Sun of justice, now draw near.

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadow put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O King of Nations, Come”

Another Christmas will soon be here and still the world finds itself in great conflict.  O how we long for a king or a queen that might be different, a sovereign committed to justice for everyone, a ruler that might lead us in the ways of peace.  We pray for the coming of God’s commonwealth, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

O come, O King of nations, come, O Cornerstone that binds in one:

refresh the hearts that long for you; restore the broken, make us new.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.  He  was in the beginning with God.” …  And in the fullness of time ..“the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory,” …. “full of grace and truth.”  And Mary named him Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.”

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,

that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.

We conclude with a word from the prophet Isaiah, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined.” (Isaiah 9)Amen.