Sunday, January 29, 2023

The Transfiguration of our Lord

The Transfiguration of our Lord – January 29, 2023
Psalm 84; Exodus 24:29-35; 2 Peter 1:16-21
St. Matthew 17:1-9

I apologize for the poor formatting of the following. This is the outline from which I preached on the occasion of the Transfiguration. The outline itself is based on a sermon for the same occasion written by Joseph August Seiss. The full citation is found in the first footnote.

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Concerning the Transfiguration of our Lord, we will consider:

  1.        The Location;
  2.         The Witnesses;
  3.         The Transformation of Christ;
  4.        The Time when it Occurred;
  5.        The Company of the Transfigured Christ; and finally
  6.        The Meaning of All This.

 I.        The Location [1]

a.       Mountains are particularly suited for the sacred and the Divine.

i.        The Law was given on Sinai.

ii.      The first great sermon of Christ is given on a mountain (the Sermon on the Mount).

iii.    The conflict between Elijah and the Prophets of Baal was on Mount Carmel.

iv.     Isaac was prepared as sacrifice on the same Mountain where Christ would soon be the final sacrifice.

v.       Christ often retired to mountains to pray.

vi.     The vision of the New Jerusalem was given to both Ezekiel and St. John from a “very high mountain.”

vii.   Jesus is transfigured, betrayed, crucified, ascends, and will appear again upon a mountain.

II.      The Witnesses

a.       The life in Christian grace, in fact the law of all creation, is that of mutual dependence and mutual service; according to which it is necessary that some should have gifts and functions not given to others, and that the gifts of each should supplement the particular graces of all the rest.

i.        As Luther once wrote, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”[2]

III.   The Transformation

a.      Whereas the face of Moses shone with the light of God and was hidden by a veil, and the face of Stephen only appeared as the face of an angel, the emanation of light as our Lord is transfigured extends to His whole form; and his earthly clothing, rather than concealing it, became a participant in His light.

IV.   The Time

a.       The sixth day after a prediction concerning Christ’s death.

i.        The sixth day of creation is when man was created.

ii.      The sixth day is when Christ will be crucified.

iii.    Six is also a number of near completeness—the number of earthly things rather than 7, the number of divinity.

V.     The Company of the Transfigured Christ

a.       However alone we may seem to be in our devotions, we are never alone.

b.       The appearance of Moses and Elijah demonstrates the existence of another state of being for the saints and that it is one of glory far superior to anything enjoyed by them in this world.

c.       The greatest significance of the company of Christ is the topic of conversation—the death that Christ was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

VI.   The Meaning of All This

a.       The least meaning is that the faith of the disciples needed to be strengthened before the death of Jesus.

i.        They needed assurance of His Divine glory or else their faith would utterly fail them when His Passion should occur.

b.       The most sacred and solemn conversation and consolation offered by Moses and Elijah also served for the strengthening of Christ as He was about to endure His Passion.

i.        Just as He will pray in the Garden of Gethsemane and be ministered to by the Holy Angels, here He receives the ministrations of brothers in the faith.

c.       That Christ shone with a light all His own signifies that He is True God incarnate in the true flesh of man.

i.        That this light was not concealed by His clothing but made the earthly fabric a participant in His light, signifies that we, who are like His earthly garments, have been made participants of His divinity.

ii.      How? By being made heirs of the Father, receiving the washing of regeneration in Holy Baptism, and by being united to the very Body of Christ in the Eucharist.

d.       We are also given the Transfiguration as a picture and solemn foretaste of the future coming of Christ and His eternal kingdom.

i.        Six days before the Transfiguration, Jesus told His disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”[3]

ii.      The Transfiguration is a fulfillment of this prophecy according to St. Peter, “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitness of His majesty…when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”[4]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.



[1] The following outline is based on Joseph August Seiss, “Sixth Sunday after Epiphany,” Lectures on the Gospels for the Sundays and Chief Festivals of the Church Year, Vol. 1, 6th edition (Philadelphia, PA: General Council Publication House, 1915), 280-301.

[2] Martin Luther, “The Freedom of a Christian (1520),” AE31:333-377 (Philadelphia, PA: Muhlenberg Press, 1957), 344.

[3] St. Matthew 16:28.

[4] 2 Peter 1:16, 18.

Sunday, January 22, 2023

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany – January 22, 2023
Psalm 97; 2 Kings 5:1-15b; Romans 12:16b-21
St. Matthew 8:1-13

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Just as our Lord finishes preaching the Sermon on the Mount and walks down the mountain, a leper approaches Jesus and worships Him. Lepers were commanded to stand afar off, calling out “Unclean! Unclean!” lest anyone contract the disease by passing too closely. Yet this leper bolds walks up to Jesus, falls upon his knees, perhaps even falling prostrate—flat on the ground—in worship of the Incarnate Lord. After such a provocative approach, the leper humbly says, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”[2]

Here we see the boldness of faith. Faith makes you more powerful than the US President and more wealthy than Jeff Bezos. Christ says faith the size of a mustard seed is capable of moving mountains.[3] It is by faith that in Psalm 82, God says to Christians, “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.”[4] Faith makes you a god among men, a lord over lords, and a mighty conqueror of this world.

It takes such faith to ask anything from God. The centurion knows that he is not worthy to have Christ stand under his roof. The centurion knows that he is not worthy even to be speaking to Christ. Yet faith, given to him by God, has made the leper and the centurion worthy to stand before the Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier, Judge, and Lord of the Universe and dare to ask for something as trifling as a healthy body.

Yet even such faith as can move mountains is worthless if misplaced. The leper is able to approach Jesus with such bold faith because he trusts that Christ is not only powerful but merciful, gracious, and loving. Faith is not only knowledge in the power of God but trust in His goodness. The bold faith of the leper is not without humility.

The humility of faith trusts that God is good and will deliver to you that which is best. You do not have all of the information. You cannot see through God’s eyes. We are bidden by the Lord’s Prayer to form all of our prayers according to the Will of God.

When you pray that God would sustain you in right doctrine, the teaching of the Scriptures, and that he will not cast you away, you can be certain that the answer to your prayer will be a resounding yes. God has promised to do these things for you in His word.

But when you pray for something that is good and necessary for this body and life, but which God has not specifically promised to you in His word, then the humility of your faith ought to always cause you to ask according to the Will of God. “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” The leper is not questioning the ability of Christ nor Christ’s love for him. The caveat of “if You are willing” refers to the uncertainty within the leper if being cleansed is really the best thing for him. Jesus knows what is best and so the leper humbles himself to the Will of Jesus.

The humility of the centurion’s faith is expressed somewhat differently. Jesus is ready to come straight to the centurion’s home to heal his servant, but the centurion stops Him. “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come to my home. Your Word is enough for me. I know you are the Lord of heaven and earth. Just as my soldiers obey my commands, I know that all of creation will obey Yours. Please, just speak a word and I know—I trust—that my servant will be healed.”

No one is worthy to have Jesus come under his roof. Historically, the words of the centurion are the words prayed before received the Body of Christ in the Eucharist. “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof, but only say the word and Your servant shall be healed.” We are not worthy to receive forgiveness, let alone to feed on the Body of God. Yet in our unworthiness, the Son of God descended into our flesh to die for us. He took on our humility and shame so that we would be given the faith which makes us kings and lords.

The humility of the centurion is in his request only for a word because he believes the Word of God will do precisely what it says. He believes the Word of Jesus will be good for whomever it is spoken. So too should you humbly believe that the words which I speak are not my forgiveness, but the forgiveness of God, your Father. You should humbly believe that what I give to you in the cup is the Blood of Jesus, not doubting because it doesn’t taste like blood. You should also humbly believe the Word of God is true simply because God has said it. If you disagree with it, submit your own will to the Will of God.

St. Paul says to the Corinthians, “Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”[5] We see the love personified in Christ while healing the leper. Leprosy is always a symbol of our sinful condition because it deadens our senses toward God. We are not only numb toward God but dead. This necrosis creeps throughout our souls, poisoning us against God and man until we are finally laid in the grave of our own choosing, fated to spend eternity in darkness, weeping and gnashing our teeth in anger against a God we refused to know.

In this deadened state of leprous sin, the Word of God comes to us. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.[6] Having heard the Word of God, faith is kindled in our dead hearts. Our flesh begins to move and having faith, we are bold to pray, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”[7]

We, like the leper, already have faith. He is not praying to be converted. If that were the case, his actions would lead to salvation. No, he has already heard the Word of God and now prays that this forgiving Word would act upon his body. He prays that Christ would give to him that which is best for him. So too, we pray for food and drink, house and home, health, money, possessions, a pious spouse, pious children, good government, good friends, peace, discipline, honor, and the like.[8]

In so doing, we also pray to be made holy. We pray that Christ would relieve us of the temptation to sin. It ought to be the desire of every Christian to live without sin. No sin should please us who would be like Christ. Praying to be cleansed with the leper is to pray that sin would cease its clinging to our conscience. While the temptations of the flesh will never cease on this side of glory, prayer for relief from sin is certainly biblical, practical, necessary, and pleasing to our Father in heaven.

The centurion himself is an example of love. He comes to Jesus not for his own healing, but the healing of his young servant. He pleads to God on behalf of another. This is love. The centurion must have traveled some distance, though not necessarily a long distance. This takes time and resources and for what? A slave? A young slave? He does this out of love. At some point, perhaps during the Sermon on the Mount, the centurion heard the preaching of Christ. The Word of God replaced his heathen heart of stone with a heart of flesh and now the centurion desires to live in service to his neighbor. Faith makes you a lord of all, but love makes you a servant of all. Faith without love is dead.[9]

So too, should we follow the centurion’s example of faith working out in love, the greater being a blessing to the lesser. No one can provide for every need of everyone they meet. But you can provide for the needs of those God has given into your care. You can sacrifice your own comfort for the sake of another. You can humble yourself so that your children, your less fortunate friend, your sister, or even your destitute mother may have more than the bare minimum in life. To sacrifice yourself for the needs and wants of another is the definition of love.

Such faith and love will be rewarded. Both the Jewish leper and the Gentile centurion will be seated at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. They shall dine with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for all eternity. This feast has also been prepared for you, beloved in Christ. The blood of the Jewish leper and the works of the Gentile centurion did not secure their invitation to eternal bliss. The Word of God, which delivered the very faith by which it is apprehended, moved their souls to repent of their sins and trust in Christ for salvation. This faith is then shown forth in love for their fellow man.

Your faith too is shown forth in love, even when you don’t realize it. You cannot help but show love toward your neighbor so long as you have faith. The act of changing a diaper is not worthy of salvation but the act of changing a diaper is the showing forth of love born by faith. It is the blessing of the helpless child by the capable mother.

So too are your prayers heard and answered no matter how it may seem to you. Faith means trusting that Christ knows what is good for you and will deliver that which is good. If your prayer is not answered the way you wanted it to be, then realize that you do not know what is best. God does. It would be worthwhile to practice praying like the leper and the centurion.

“Lord, if You are willing, You can deliver me from pain. But I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. Only say the Word, and Your servant shall be healed.”

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.



[2] St. Matthew 8:2.

[3] St. Matthew 17:20.

[4] Psalm 82:6.

[5] 1 Corinthians 13:2.

[6] Romans 10:17.

[7] St. Matthew 8:2.

[8] A summary of the Small Catechism on the 4th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer.

[9] James 2:17; 1 Corinthians 13:2; Galatians 5:6; Colossians 1:4; 1 Timothy 1:5, 14; 1 John 4:20.

Sunday, January 8, 2023

The Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany

The Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany – January 8, 2023
Psalm 100; Isaiah 42:1-9; Romans 12:1-6a
St. Luke 2:42-52

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

On Christmas, we celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord and place a special emphasis on the humanity of Jesus. Last Friday, at the Epiphany of our Lord, we celebrated the revelation that this child in the manger is truly God. At the Epiphany, there is a special emphasis on the divinity of Jesus and His kingship over all creation. As the Sundays after the Epiphany progress, the Gospel readings will focus on the miracles of our Lord which reveal His divinity. Epiphany means “to reveal.”

It is then notable and quite interesting that we begin the Sundays after the Epiphany not with a miracle text, but with the only text God has delivered to us which describes our Lord’s boyhood. When Jesus was twelve years old, His family went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, as was their yearly custom. After the feast, His family departed Jerusalem to return to Nazareth. Since they’ve spent eleven years with Jesus in the family and have come to expect His perfect obedience, they didn’t even bother to check that He was numbered with His brothers. Joseph, Mary, and their relatives departed for Nazareth.

It took an entire day for them to notice that Jesus was not with them. When they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him, it took three more days for them to look in the Temple. At last, when they found Jesus, Mary rebuked Him for making Joseph and her anxious. Jesus responds, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”[1] After this, Jesus went down with them and was subject to Joseph and Mary, increasing in wisdom, stature, and favor in the eyes of God and men.

The first question you may have of this text is how could they forget Jesus for a full day? Remember, Jesus is God in the flesh. They have raised Him for the last twelve years and He is perfectly obedient. Joseph and Mary have left Jesus behind because they’ve grown complacent. Because He is perfectly obedient, they’ve come to expect that He can read their minds. When they forget to tell Him they are leaving town, they expect He will know anyway.

From this, we see that neither Joseph nor Mary is without sin, but Jesus is. Jesus does not sin if Joseph and Mary fail to communicate with Him. Even Mary’s attempt at rebuking Jesus makes it clear that the sin lies with her and Joseph. “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”[2] It is clear that she is at fault for not being a diligent parent and yet to admit as much would be embarrassing. She knows it would be a lie to say, “You hid from us” when the truth is they forgot Him. So she says the next best thing, “why have You done this to us? You made us so anxious.”

Upon further examination, we must learn from the sin of the parents and the sinlessness of our Lord. The sin of the parents is complacency. They have grown so comfortable with the obedience of their Son, they believe He no longer needs parents. They have abdicated their role to train up their Son—whether He is divine or not.

This is the temptation for anyone who has been a Christian for any length of time. It is tempting to become complacent with your faith. It is tempting to believe that you’ve already heard about that stuff and so you don’t need to come to church, or bible study, or read the bible at home, or review the catechism. In fact, there are many in our church body who believe that once you’ve been examined in a confirmation class, you no longer need to do memory work and there is no reason for the Pastor to examine what you know of the Scriptures.

This is complacency. All Christians must be on guard against such complacency because should you fall into this temptation, you won’t even notice that you have left Jesus behind. Joseph and Mary were blessed by God to have remembered after one day of journeying. If you fall into complacency, you have no promise that you will remember after one day or even before your death. The less you attend to your faith, the less you will want to.

On the other hand, the sin of Joseph and Mary speaks specifically to parents. Sending children to school—be it public, private, or otherwise—does not absolve you as being in charge of their education. We do not send children to school to be taught by experts. We send them to school to assist us in our duty to educate them. The same goes for teaching the faith. Catechesis classes at the Church are important but one hour a week at Church will do nothing to foster the faith of anyone. Daily prayer, daily bible reading, daily discussions concerning the Word of God are necessary for raising a child in the faith.

It is necessary that children be present at the Divine Service. Children’s Church is a terrible heresy of the North American church. By distracting children with food and games during the Divine Service is the same as telling them there is nothing here for them. How does a child learn? A child learns by imitation. Repetition is the mother of learning. The youngest among us is learning the faith right now. Sure, the infants in our congregation do not yet understand language, but they are learning the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and even tastes of the church. If we teach children that the church is a place to play and eat, then we can’t be surprised when they leave the church for more entertaining pastures.

We must now turn our attention to Jesus. Whether Joseph and Mary completely forgot to tell Jesus they were leaving or if they simply gave unclear direction, we do not know. We do know that without sin, Jesus remained in Jerusalem. He remained in Jerusalem and went straight to the Temple to learn. Do not misunderstand the text. He is not teaching in the Temple. He is sitting diligently at the feet of the teachers. He is listening to them and asking questions. Those standing around were amazed at what diligent of a student He was.

Imagine a student is perfectly attentive and perfectly obedient. Then imagine the teacher asking a question and this student doesn’t give an inappropriately academic answer, but gives a thorough answer displaying understanding of precisely what the teacher was teaching. This is the boy Jesus in the Temple.

From this, we must first understand that faith in Jesus Christ is not about academic knowledge. The avoidance of sin is not about academic knowledge. Keeping the righteousness of Christ is not about academic knowledge. It is about attentiveness to the Word of God. It is about diligently listening and taking to heart the things of God. It is about trusting the Word of God above your own thoughts and desires.

It is very rare that I share personal stories from the pulpit because you come here to hear the Word of God, but in this case, it is illustrative. Sometime in grade school, we were given an assignment over the weekend to write a story about our summer break. Because the assignment was to write a story, I returned on Monday morning with a fantastical story about falling into a hole in the street and discovering a cave full of treasure. The teacher was delighted but told me I misunderstood the assignment. She was looking for a story about something that really happened.

The point of this anecdote is that in misunderstanding the directions, I did not sin. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, can remain perfectly sinless and perfectly obedient while making a mistake. Mistakes of this nature are not due to sin, but to the imperfection of the world around Him. Thus, it would be entirely possible for Christ to have mis-measured a board in the shop with Joseph or answer a question of the teachers in the Temple incorrectly.

The difference between Jesus and you & me, is that we do not know what it is to make mistakes without sin. I miscut a board because I am in a hurry and didn’t carefully measure. You miss questions in Bible Study because you were busy talking to your neighbor or thinking about lunch. We make mistakes because we are imperfect. He made mistakes because we are imperfect.

This ought to bring you a degree of comfort. Jesus Christ, True Son of God and True Son of Mary, was capable of making mistakes without sinning. He is truly man and is displaying that God is not interested in all Christians having perfect academic records. The Father is interested in diligent study of His Word. Does that mean everyone must know Greek and Hebrew? No. God has given you other vocations. Does it mean that everyone ought to devote more time than you do to God’s Word? Absolutely. Diligent study of God’s Word simply means to read and reread the Word of God so that it becomes a part of you.

Our Lord’s subtle rebuke of Mary is astonishing. “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” It is as if He is calmly saying, “Why didn’t you start by looking in the Temple?” Where else would Jesus be? Joseph and Mary likely went to all of the places a human twelve year old would be found; a twelve year old driven by the passions of his flesh and the desires of a sinful heart. They remembered that Jesus is True Man but had somehow now forgotten that He is True God.

Why be anywhere else? Not all Christians are called by God to spend their days contemplating the Word of God from sunrise to sunset. You have families. You have homes. You have vocations every bit as pious and holy as the Office of the Holy Ministry to attend to.

At the same time, when there is the opportunity to come into the House of the Lord, the Christian heart rejoices. “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go unto the House of the Lord!”[3] It is the complacent hearts of Joseph and Mary who would now say, “But how much do we have to go? Does Thursday count for Sunday?” To ask such a question is to ignore the Gospel. It is not an exercise of Christian freedom to seek the least number of services to attend in order to maintain membership. That is a sin. It is a sin against the Third Commandment and a sin against God’s Word.

Rather, find the joy in receiving God’s Word. Enjoying coming to Church doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy other activities. It means you can enjoy those other activities because God has given them to you. The joy of the Divine Service and the Daily Offices comes not from getting what you want but from receiving what you need.

This is the final lesson to learn from the Boy Jesus. From beginning to end, Jesus displays humble submission in this text. While He is in the Temple, Jesus sits quietly and obediently learns from the teachers. He does not question their authority, even though He has been since before the world began. He does not demand the teachers act according to His expectations or even that they teach the topics He is most interested in. No. The Word through whom creation was made humbly obeys the authority of His teachers and diligently learns from them.

Then, when the Holy Family returns to Nazareth, Jesus is said to be subject to them. In spite of the sins of Joseph and Mary, Jesus is subject to them because they are His parents. God has set the world in order, and it is not always related to ability. God created Adam first and then Eve. Man is the head of woman not by ability but by Divine Order.

  What do I mean not by ability but by Divine Order? It is conceivable that a woman could craft better sermons and teach more effectively in the church than a man. Yet God has strictly forbidden this. Why? Because it is not given to woman to have authority over men. Man is to be the head of woman even as Christ is the head of the Church. If Jesus Christ can submit Himself to His parents, then all women are capable of submitting themselves to the authority of men.

And make no mistake—submission does not mean weakness nor slavery. Submission means recognizing the authority of another and placing yourself under that authority. The one who is in authority must also recognize his duty to lovingly serve and care for those under his authority. No Christian is to lord his authority over another, be it male or female. At the same time, having authority sometimes means rebuke, warning, and exhortation. Sometimes authority means simply to teach. In all cases, him with authority is called to lead by divine right, not by human order.

If Jesus Christ, True Son of God and True Son of Mary, can submit to teachers in the Temple and sinful human parents, then all Christians can follow His example by submitting our wills to His. By such submission, we too will follow our Lord in growing in wisdom, stature, and favor with both God and man.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.



[1] St. Luke 2:49.

[2] St. Luke 2:48.

[3] Psalm 122:1.

Friday, January 6, 2023

The Epiphany of our Lord

The Epiphany of our Lord – January 6, 2023
Psalm 72; Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-12
St. Matthew 2:1-12

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Like many of the events surrounding the birth of our Lord, it is too easy to assume the visit of the Magi is a bygone fact of history.[1] This account of our Lord is certainly true history and happened as it is recorded by the Holy Spirit, however, if that is the only meaning in this text, then there is no point beyond historical curiosity for us to read it. We, too, ought to share in the elation experienced in the hearts of the Magi as they worshipped the One True God made flesh. We, too, come this night to worship the Triune God and to give thanks that He has not only taken our flesh and redeemed us from our sins, but that He has brought this salvation to the nations, to the Gentiles.

It is nothing short of a miracle that these Magi recognized the birth of a foreign king in the appearance of a star. It is no less of a miracle that when they found that king, they knew to worship Him. Despite the lowly state of His birth—the condition of the cattle shed or even shack in which they found Him—the Magi knew this to be a great king. They had even conferred with the nominal king in the land, Herod, yet recognized this child to be greater still.

We are no better off than these Magi except that we have a clearer description of the Son of God. We have the words of the prophets and the fathers, who named Bethlehem great among the cities of Judah;[2] we have the promise of the virgin birth;[3] the promise of the incarnation;[4] and the promise of a Redeemer Kinsman, who will save us from the kingdom of Satan.[5] And yet, these Magi, who were without the Word of God, came to know the Son of God, we are put to shame by their reverence and worship.

We believe that because Christ has died for us, what we wear, how we speak, how we act, and how we conduct ourselves during worship don’t matter. We believe that because these things do not affect our salvation, we may abuse Christian freedom to do whatever we want. Yet these pagan Magi, when coming into the presence of the Almighty God, forsake the falsity of their learning and worldly wisdom. They bow before an infant, proclaiming Him to be God. They offer to Him not what they can afford, not what they can spare, not even the nicest things they can find. They offer gifts to Him that are greater than what they would bestow upon anyone else.

In seeing this miraculous conversion of the pagan, we must be seeing the grace and mercy of God at work. These Magi have no background in Christianity. They are not “spiritual but not religious.” They are unbelieving pagans. Yet the presence of Jesus Christ turns their hearts in an instant, causing them to fall down in worship. Yes, they fell down to worship Jesus. These dignitaries from foreign lands laid themselves on the floor to worship a God they had only just met.

‘In this we see men devoted to worldly wisdom and far from belief in Jesus Christ brought out of the depth of their error and called to an acknowledgment of the true Light. Undoubtedly it is the brightness of Divine Grace at work and when that new light illumines the darkness of their hearts, the same brightness comes this night to illumine yours. That same star, the Light of Life given to men in the flesh of a child, illumines your hearts just as it illumines theirs so that it should move both with wonder and lead both to the adoration of God in the splendor of that True Light. So then, with careful thought, we might see how the threefold gifts of the Magi are also offered by all who come to Christ in faith. He that acknowledges Christ the King of the universe brings gold from the treasure of his heart. He that believes the Only-Begotten of God to have united man’s true nature to Himself, offers myrrh. He that confesses Him to be of the same substance of the Father, in no way inferior to the Father’s majesty, worships Him with incense.’[6]

While we share in the worship of Jesus with the Magi, we also find ourselves in very different times. Herod is actively plotting to kill the infant Jesus. The Church has undergone centuries of open persecution. Today, there are all kinds of attacks on the Church yet even now, our faith is not illegal. We are not at a point where we must meet in secret.

Yet these differences do not mean that Herod, or his coconspirator, Satan, have ceased to work against the Church. They have simply changed tactics. Why make it illegal to go to church when you can simply convince people not to read the Scriptures? Or, why arrest Christian preachers when you can simply convince people not to listen to them? Herod was outraged that someone else would be called ‘king’ in his land, especially one who would claim the title ‘God.’ Such outrage and spite are understandable when people are seeking the Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

But when even Christians are not worried about seeking the Messiah, Herod has no need to rage. Satan can replace the blow of affliction with the stumbling block of pleasure. Instead of threatening to seize your belongings, Satan tempts you with more. Instead of throwing you into prison for your faith, Satan changes your home into a prison by telling you it is unsafe to leave. Rather than destroy families by putting the father to death, Satan makes sure you can stay connected by never speaking to your family in person—only via screens. Why listen to the Scriptures when you can “follow along”? Why read a book when you can watch the movie? Why listen to the preacher when you can listen to the radio? Why bring up a child in the faith when you can send him to confirmation?

These tactics are indeed Satanic, and they afflict us all. They afflict us all because they are easy. Just as it was easier to offer the pinch of incense to Caesar than to confess the true faith, so too it is easier to placate children than to teach them. It is easier to insist on your way than to submit to authority. Pleasure is easier and provides a tangible reward. Faith is difficult. Faith is uncomfortable. Faith might require you to fall down on your expensive slacks and worship a child sitting in a cattle stall. Faith might require you to do something you don’t like because a superior expects it of you.

The tumult of our world threatens our pleasure but only by threatening to remove our pleasure. The tumult of our world threatens to make our lives difficult so that we will cling to the relative ease we have come to love. The love of ease is dangerous for it plays into the hands of Satan. The faith and hearts of men are shown in works. They are shown in how we engage with the world. This is godliness. This is piety. There are some, as St. Paul says, “who profess that they know God, but deny Him by their deeds.”[7] Denial and hypocrisy are true accusations when the sound of the voice does not match the voice of the conscience. The frailty of man easily leads into faults and because no sin with without its attractiveness, deceptive pleasure is easily fallen into.

But we should run away from satisfying the desire of the flesh and the mind that has knowledge of God should turn away from any evil suggestion of the enemy. In flight from the temptations of sin, turn instead to the steadfast love of God. His mercy endures forever. No matter what sin and no matter how long you’ve found yourself captive to it, God’s love and mercy endure forever. Do not persist in cherishing your sin no put off repentance because you enjoy your sin. Turn and repent at once, that you too might partake of the love and mercy of the Father. Turn and repent because while His mercy endures forever, your life does not. Your life is in the hand of the Father and it is not for you to decide the days of your life.

But for the one who strives against sin, who experiences the restlessness of enduring the sinful flesh while awaiting the joyful release of heaven, receive the mercy of God and pray incessantly that the burden of sin and the chains of evil habit be removed. The prayer of one that confesses will not be in vain since the merciful God “will grant the desire of those that fear Him,” and will give what is asked.[8]

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.



[1] This sermon is based on the sixth Epiphany sermon of St. Leo the Great as found at http://www.lectionarycentral.com/epiphany/LeotheGreat%204.html.

[2] Micah 5:2.

[3] Isaiah 7:14.

[4] Psalm 8.

[5] Genesis 3:15.

[6] This paragraph is a loose quotation of St. Leo’s sermon, the end of the first paragraph.

[7] Titus 1:16.

[8] Psalm 145:14, 19; St. Matthew 7:7-8.

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