Sneak Peek: Annual Meeting Report

St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
and Preschool
51 Years of God’s Grace + Christ Is Our Cornerstone

Pastor’s Report
Annual Meeting, May 17, 2009


The Lord has blessed St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. He has gifted us with the best news ever and asks us to share it with our world. There are plenty of challenges, to be sure, but we meet them with the victory already in hand, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

I would use this forum today to hold the following things before you:

1. We have a mission to fulfill. You will hear a lot about being “externally focused” in the months ahead. We want to be faithful to the mission Christ has given His Church: to make disciples. Please pray about becoming involved in an externally focused activity. In the near future we will evaluate ourselves as a congregation and develop strategies to be even more effective in fulfilling Christ’s mission.
2. Fulfilling this mission takes resources. In order to realize our potential as a mission-minded church, we need every family’s contribution of time, talent, and treasure. God’s Word tells us that our giving should be done with a thankful and cheerful heart; it also says that the Lord does not desire our “leftovers.”
3. Christ is present to help us. This is true at all times but especially in worship. The introduction and use of Lutheran Service Book has, from my perspective, gone very well. There are more services worth exploring in LSB, and we will do so with the patience such change deserves. I pray you are thankful for and blessed by our Scripturally-sound, Christ-centered way of worship.
4. We have excellent volunteers (and a strong church staff, including our Preschool Director and teachers). Across the board, we are blessed to have gifted Christian men and women who give generously of their time and abilities to further the work of God’s Kingdom. There are quite a few unsung heroes among us, without whom things simply would not happen. I am grateful for your willing service.

It is a privilege to serve you with God’s Word and Sacraments. I sincerely appreciate all the ways in which you care for my family, and I thank God daily for your faithfulness and friendship in Christ. God grant us the desire to joyfully share His gifts with our world!


Official Acts and Statistics
May 2008—May 2009

Baptisms: 9 (2 adult)
Funerals: 4
Weddings: 1
Confirmed: 7
New Members Received: 30
Worship Attendance Average (per weekend): 192
(More than double the average Ohio District LCMS congregation)
Over 400 pastoral care visits made
Approximately 165 worship services conducted
(includes Advent, Christmas, Lent, & Holy Week)
Approximately 150 Bible Study sessions offered
(includes Confirmation Classes, Saturday night, Sunday morning, and Life Group)


I currently serve the Church-at-Large in the following ways:

· Circuit Counselor, Ohio District (Northeast 7)—term up as of June
· Our Shepherd Lutheran School Board
· DELTO Mentor to Jimmy Riley—ends this summer
· Breakout Session Presenter, Ohio District Lutheran Educators Conference
· Bible Study Presenter, Ohio District Convention
· Leader of Closing Worship @ Ohio District Pastor’s Conference
· Chairman, Ohio District Board for Student Aid
· Participant, Boar’s Head Festival
· Participant, circuit-wide Ascension Day and Reformation services
· Participant, Ohio District Transforming Congregations Learning Community




Joyfully Serving Christ and His Church—

Pastor Matzke

The Resurrection Direction

There is something about good news that makes us want to share it. You finally got the job you were hoping for. Your baby has been born. You accomplished something great and are being recognized. It’s almost impossible to sit on good news like that. These days, good news travels faster than ever. I remember watching a baseball game and seeing someone in the stands catch a home run ball and in the next moment, reach into their pocket, pull out the cell phone and dial someone—“You’ll never guess what just happened…”
Good news wants to move and be shared. You could say it has an outward direction. Good news that really means something to you lights a fire under you, gets you communicating. I love it when people get in touch with me because they have good news to share. It’s refreshing.
The Christian Church has not just good news but the greatest news ever to share. Jesus Christ has died and come back to life—that we might belong to God and live forever with Him. This news ought to animate everything the Church does. It ought to be in the minds and hearts and on the lips of every believer in Jesus. But is it? And if not, how come?
When we first see the disciples in today’s gospel lesson, they are hiding out behind locked doors, trying to figure out what the good news of Jesus’ resurrection meant. Gripped with fear and doubt, they had barricaded themselves away, when all of a sudden, people they know and trust show up with incredible news—they had walked and talked and broken bread with Jesus. Jesus was alive! The good news had broken into their little safe house—and it would break in again in mere moments when Jesus would appear, standing among them, speaking His peace to them, showing them that his risen body was flesh and bone. The words Luke uses to describe their reaction are: startled, terrified, happy and surprised. But there were more surprises in store that day.
Their resurrected, once-again-living Friend began to teach them. And what a lesson it was. Again, to use Luke’s words, Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. He taught them that everything in the Bible has to do with the message of repentance leading to the forgiveness of sins. And furthermore, Jesus said that they were going to be the ones to deliver this message not just to the people of Jerusalem, but to all people. He reminds them, “You are witnesses of these things.” That’s a lot to absorb in one evening. But today’s first reading reveals that the disciples learned their lesson well.
First of all, the Holy Spirit and the good news of Jesus’ Easter comeback had gotten them out of hiding; out from behind their four walls and into the public eye. Second, You can see how Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. Peter makes a quick sketch of Israel’s history and identifies Jesus as the Christ—the promised Messiah. And finally, the message of repentance leading to the forgiveness of sins comes through loud and clear—Peter is preaching exactly what Jesus taught him to preach. This is some of the most beautiful language in Holy Scripture: “Repent then and turn, to have your sins wiped out that a time may come when the Lord refreshes you and sends Jesus, whom He appointed to be your Savior…” If you keep reading in Acts you quickly see that there would be consequences for this bold proclamation—but it was a price the apostles were willing to pay, because the news was too good. It was too important and too life-changing and too reality—altering to leave it unspoken.
What does that have to do with us? Just everything. As I said before, good news wants to move and be shared. We Christians have the best news ever. The resurrection direction is outward. What does it say about us if we are not sharing this news with our world?
I’ll tell you: it says that our sinful nature still tries to silence us. Our predisposal to sin conspires to keep us from sharing the greatest news ever by making us fearful and worried about how people will react. We are buffeted by doubts of our own. In many ways we are just like Jesus disciples, huddled behind locked doors, keeping faith a private matter in our little safe house.
But now in the hearing of His Word Jesus comes to you and me. Walls, doors and locks that we construct mean nothing to Him. He comes give you peace. He comes to open your mind. He comes to lead you first to repentance, to that turn-around, that change of direction away from sin and to lead you to forgiveness. Your Savior can offer you full pardon and release from your sins because He is alive to do so. He paid off your invoice by suffering and dying on the cross. But He lives. In the words of the classic Easter hymn: “He lives to silence all my fears; He lives to wipe away my tears; He lives and grants me daily breath; He lives and I shall conquer death!”
You see, the glory of the resurrection is that it eliminates fear. Jesus’ saving work for you means that you never have to fear paying an eternal cost for your sins. They’ve been paid for in full. Jesus’ saving work for you means that you don’t have to fear death. Jesus goes with you through the valley of the shadow of death, and your baptism unites you with His resurrection. Jesus’ saving work for you also means that you need not fear how people are going to react to the greatest news ever. If someone rejects the saving word, they’re not rejecting you—they’re rejecting Christ! And if someone is moved by the good news to faith in Christ—think of what it would mean to be a part of that! Now in the hearing of His Word, Jesus enlists you to carry the greatest news ever into the places you live your life. You have a story that is uniquely your own to tell about Jesus’ working in your life and the difference He has made. He has chosen you for this purpose. He is on your side to help you. Good news wants to move and be shared. We Christians have the best news ever. As you’ve seen, the resurrection direction is outward. Let’s get going!

The Purpose Statement of Holy Scripture

Back in my undergraduate days at what was then known as Concordia Univeristy River Forest, we were taught that when you write a paper, you ought to have something called a thesis statement. That thesis statement was supposed to capture, in one sentence, the point you were trying to make. Having a thesis statement was supposed to help give your paper focus and a clear direction. One of my seminary professors taught us that sermons should also include a thesis statement that serves the same purpose. You will have to be the judge of whether or not this message has focus and clear direction. All I can say is, I try!
The idea of having a thesis or purpose or mission statement has been embraced by the business world and has filtered back into the church. Even though Jesus gave his church a mission statement when he said, “Go and make disciples of all nations…” congregations have found it useful to write their own, and our congregation is no different. Do you know our mission statement? It’s at the top of every Epistle. It says, “St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church exists to witness to our faith in Jesus Christ through worship, education, building relationships, and caring for others.” Those are great things for our church to “be about.”
At the very end of today’s Gospel Lesson, we are presented with what I believe to be a purpose statement. I see it as the mission statement of John’s Gospel and indeed all of the Bible. John writes: 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 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. Listen again carefully: 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. The purpose of the Bible is to create faith in Jesus; faith that gives godly life. Now maybe that’s stating the obvious, but I’m afraid these days the obvious needs to be stated.
A recent Trinity College survey made headlines and ruffled a few feathers within the church. This survey found that an increasing amount of Americans are willing to say, “I don’t believe in any god.” We seem to have a growing number of “confessing atheists” among us.
I know the findings of this poll deeply troubled some people, and if this poll is an accurate reading of America’s pulse, it is not good news. But at the same time, does it really surprise Bible-believing Christians that there are faithless people out there? Doesn’t the Bible tell us that by nature we are turned away from God? Doesn’t the story of Noah record this stunning commentary: “The LORD saw that the people on earth were very wicked and in their hearts were always thinking only evil” (Genesis 6:5)? Doesn’t the apostle Paul use terms like “slaves to sin” and “dead in trespasses and sins” to describe the spiritual condition of mankind? These kind of opinion polls merely confirm that God’s Word gets it right. I don’t think there is an epidemic of atheism sweeping our country. We’re all atheists to begin with—until the Lord God reclaims us through His Word and baptismal water. More people today are candid about their lack of faith, and that ought to bother us. But keep in mind that an atheist is giving expression to our human default setting. We are by nature sinful and unclean. We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him. We were born into disbelief and doubt.
Maybe that’s what makes today’s Gospel reading so powerful. It deals realistically with doubt and disbelief, within the circle of Jesus’ own disciples. Not only does it point out the problem—it offers the solution. Remember? John writes: 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.
Today we are re-introduced to Jesus’ disciple Thomas. Yes, good old doubting Thomas. It sure would be easy to throw good old doubting Thomas under the proverbial bus; to say: “Boy, what an idiot! How could he doubt the Lord’s resurrection?” It might feel good to know we’re superior to one of Jesus’ own students. But can we really claim that?
Can we claim to have never doubted God’s reality? Can we really claim to have never wondered if Jesus actually cares about us? Can we honestly claim to have never lashed out at God—to have never shaken our fist at Him or threatened to pull away from Him when He doesn’t do things our way? Our maybe your doubt and disbelief is a little more boring than all that. Maybe Jesus doesn’t really cross your mind during the course of a normal day. Maybe your brief morning prayer eventually becomes no prayer at all. Maybe you would never dream of abandoning the Christian label—even though you’ve quietly slipped into a life of practical atheism, where God is not the enemy, just irrelevant. We have no right to criticize Thomas for demanding proof of Jesus’ reality when we do it all the time.
Along with Thomas, we deserve to be rejected by our Master for our faithlessness. But is it God’s mission to reject his children? No. 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. Jesus has not come to reject you but to give you life—life that really counts. When He appeared to Thomas, it was not to kick him out of the fellowship but to speak peace to him and to forgive him. Thomas was given the huge privilege of seeing His resurrected teacher—but this story is just as much about what didn’t happen. Thomas was not sent packing. He was not told to get out. He was allowed to remain with Jesus and see the visible signs of his forgiving love—the very scars in his glorified body. That, John writes, is how Thomas’ faith was restored.
And then, it’s like John turns directly to you and looks you right in the eye and says: 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. The Word of God exists to give you faith. These stories about Jesus, reported by eyewitnesses, have been handed down through time so that you would become convinced that Jesus is the One Savior God promised. These events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are relayed to you so that you will put your trust in him for forgiveness and eternal life. The Holy Spirit accompanies every word of Holy Scripture, actively working to create and restore faith in Jesus. And where there is faith in Jesus, there is life. Not just “life” meaning something that is alive, but “life” meaning existence with purpose and confidence and enjoyment of God’s gifts and love that never ends. All of that comes from exposure to and belief in the Word of God.
It is therefore extremely important that we put ourselves in the position to let God’s Word speak to us. Being a Christian means believing in the God who defines Himself in Holy Scripture—not the God of our imagination or our own preferences. We need a constant stream of God’s Word to keep that picture of Jesus sharp. Otherwise we start to sink back into old doubts and fears.
I can recall so many times when I have had some stress or strain cloud my vision, going through the day tired and distracted, or saddened by some bad news. And then, in some way, God’s Word breaks through the fog, whether in a devotion, or hearing someone speak it, or reading it somewhere. God’s strong Word shatters the bad mood and sets things right by re-defining reality. Jesus speaks His peace to my heart. I am brought face to face with his wounds and his risen life. I am reminded that Jesus’ story is also my story and my faith centers on Him. That is what the Word does for me and I know it can do the same for you, because 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.

Does Jesus Meet Your Expectations?

During my first two years at the Seminary I worked part-time in a retail setting. That was an interesting experience for a number of reasons. The one I want to mention today is our company’s mission statement. It was our goal to exceed the expectations of our customers by providing excellent service. Now, “exceeding expectations” sounds like a good idea. Everybody likes to have a better experience than they were expecting. But even back then I thought there has to be a point at which you can no longer exceed someone’s expectations. If you keep setting the bar higher and higher, eventually you won’t be able to jump over it anymore. The fact that I had such thoughts might explain why I spent most of my time folding t-shirts.
Expectations. The relationships we live in are filled with them. One major problem people face in relationships is when expectations are not clearly communicated—if they are communicated at all. Most people are not mind readers. We need to know what our spouse expects of us—what our parents expect of us—what our boss expects of us—what our teachers expect of us—even what our friends expect of us--so we have something to shoot for. It isn’t very fair to punish someone for not living up to expectations that have never been stated.
Expectations are a part of life. You call 9-1-1, you expect help to come. You go to a movie, you expect to be entertained. You go to church, you expect to hear about Jesus. You’d have a right to be disappointed if those expectations weren’t met.
And so it is that many of you came here today with the expectation that you would hear about the events of Palm Sunday. You would hear about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. You would hear about people waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” which literally means “Save us now!” You would hear about people laying their garments on the road and the Pharisees voicing their disapproval. Now, make no mistake, this is a victory parade—the King has come to the city of peace in fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy. At the same time, it is worth asking: what were the expectations of the people who were waving the branches and cheering for Jesus? What were they expecting Him to do?
The Palm branches for which this day is named provide a major clue. Palm fronds were a symbol of triumph. Today we would wave a flag or a foam finger. But during the years of the Roman occupation, the palm branch took on even more symbolic value. Dr. Paul Maier writes that “the palm was the national emblem of an independent Palestine. These were Jewish flags!” Having seen Jesus do the miraculous, many were convinced that Jesus would use His power to break Rome’s rule and turn back the clock to the days of King David. When they shouted, “Hosanna/Save us now,” the meaning was “save us from these rotten Romans.” When Jesus is blessed as the King of Israel, the people have a political kingdom in mind. Their expectations of Jesus were colored by their circumstances, and when their Messiah-led rebellion seemed to end in utter failure at the cross, well, we don’t hear anyone shouting “Hosanna” at Calvary, do we? In less than a week’s time, these type of Messianic expectations were dashed to pieces.
Expectations. What expectations do you have of Jesus? Could it be that our expectations are similar to those held by the people on the Palm Sunday parade route? Those folks wanted Jesus to lead them straight to glory, to get rid of what they perceived to be their biggest troubles, and many abandoned Him when He didn’t. Don’t we want a Palm Sunday Jesus? Don’t we often expect Jesus to answer all our prayers with a “yes”? Don’t we expect God to only improve our quality of life? Don’t we tend to pull away from Him a little (maybe a lot) when He doesn’t do things our way? The God we often want is one that will guarantee us victories in life—that with a little bit of God, not too much, mind you, our general mood will be better, our relationships will be more fulfilling, we might lose some weight, feel better about ourselves, maybe find a better job, have more money to go around, we’ll have more security and prosperity in our lives. Are those expectations right? Is that why Jesus went to Jerusalem that day?
Jesus’ own expectations were always crystal clear. He told his disciples in straightforward language that he was going to Jerusalem to die and rise again on the third day. His disciples were confused by this and you may remember that Peter tried to talk Jesus out of it. There is a tragic irony to the shouts of “Hosannas” and “Save us nows” of that first Palm Sunday, because that’s exactly what Jesus had come to do—just not in the way anyone expected.
Jesus did not ride that donkey into Jerusalem to improve our lives but to save them. The King of Kings did not ride into Jerusalem to replace Roman rulers but to rescue the human race. Jesus did not endure the agony of the cross to change the political landscape, but to fundamentally change us. Instead of marching immediately to a throne, Jesus stumbled up the hill of Calvary and was executed. This was not some miscalculation on Jesus part—it was the plan. It had been all along. God had a choice—he could either punish you for your sin, or He could punish someone else instead of you. His own Son Jesus was that “someone else.” Jesus answered the Hosanna request. We are saved now because Jesus took our death sentence. The King took the punishment His people deserved. This was not the salvation that anyone was expecting. It’s not always what we’re expecting or looking for from God. But what Jesus has done meets our deepest need. You can know you are loved. You can know that you are forgiven. You can know that God is for you, not against you.
Jesus did not go straight to glory on Palm Sunday—the cross came first—but Jesus would be glorified. That would happen three days after His death, when He would physically resurrect and live again. I think it’s safe to say that no one in Jesus’ inner circle really expected this to happen, even though Jesus has plainly told them in advance. But here we see God delighting in doing the unexpected and, indeed, the impossible. He lives after dying. He leaves the grave behind. If you believe that Jesus rode into Jerusalem to go to the cross and then live again, and that He did it to benefit you, then you will also leave the grave behind. You can expect to be with the Lord forever because of Jesus’ actions on your behalf. This is the Christian faith in its most pure and simple form. “Whoever believes in Jesus will not perish, but have eternal life.” Everything else that happens to you in your life, whether wonderful or terrible, happens around the core of this expectation. The greatest joys we experience in this life are blessings, to be sure, but they cannot compare with heaven and the life of the re-created world to come. The pain and sorrow of life and the grief and terror of death are balanced by Jesus’ suffering and death and overturned by His resurrection.
Whatever your expectations of Jesus were when you entered this building today—please hear me on this: Jesus has died your death and offers you a brand new life. You are forgiven of all your sin. You have eternal life starting right now. Jesus is alive and He is with you in your pain, with you in your joy. He has joined Himself to you in Holy baptism and is absolutely faithful. He will never leave you or forsake you.
To which we can say: “Hosanna! Save us now, Lord Jesus! Make us your own today, that we might know your love forever. Hosanna in the highest!”

Saved From/Saved For

I'm back on the blogging horse after having fallen off for a while. Thanks for reading.

I have always been fascinated by stories of survival. Just this week, I read the story of an eleven year old girl who saved her mother and infant sister after their SUV plunged into an icy river. She was able to escape out of the window and was shocked three times trying to leap an electric fence before leading rescuers back to the accident site, only to discover that more than one vehicle had taken the plunge. This eleven-year-old’s calm demeanor and persistence saved her family from certain death.
Here’s another survival story. A large group of people were wandering in the desert, and their camp was overrun by poisonous, lethal snakes. Their method of survival was pretty unconventional. Those bitten looked at the bronze statue of a snake on a pole and they lived! By doing what God had said, they were saved from death.
That’s what we mean in the Christian Church when we talk about being saved. We mean, saved from death. Saved from eternal death…separation from God…the torment of not knowing love or grace and to keep on existing in that mode…that’s what it mean to be saved.
Jesus used the bronze snake event—where God used an unconventional method to save his people from death--as a launching pad to talk about himself and what he was all about.
Jesus makes the comparison explicit when he says: 14And(A) as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man(B) be lifted up, 15that whoever believes(C) in him(D) may have eternal life. 16"For(E) God so loved(F) the world,[b](G) that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not(H) perish but have eternal life.
The snake on a pole anticipated a man on a pole, or rather, a cross. Lifted up from the earth by a wooden torture and execution device, Jesus would become the one to look to for eternal life. To look to Jesus and believe is to not perish—that is, to be saved from death of body and soul. To lift up your eyes to see Jesus nailed to the cross and to be sure that He’s doing it for you is to know that you have only life with Him ahead of you. Your sins that could have and should have condemned you to never ending darkness and fear have been expunged from your record—all mention of them is gone—because Jesus erased them with His blood. Death is a lame duck, because of Jesus’ resurrection. This is the good news that the Church rightly proclaims—the gospel that changes human hearts and lives. You are saved from hell and the fear of death by Jesus’ death and resurrection.
So…is that the final word on Christianity? Certainly, the work of saving us from death is complete in Jesus. Only He could do what needed to be done, and he did it. So where does that leave us? Be happy you’re saved…relax and put your feet up…or is there something else?
I believe that not only have you and I been saved from eternal despair by the blood and new life of Jesus, but we have also been saved for a purpose. Listen again to what the apostle Paul writes in today’s Epistle lesson: 8For(A) by grace you have been saved(B) through faith. And this is(C) not your own doing;(D) it is the gift of God, 9(E) not a result of works,(F) so that no one may boast. 10For(G) we are his workmanship,(H) created in Christ Jesus(I) for good works,(J) which God prepared beforehand,(K) that we should walk in them.
Did you hear that? “…we are his workmanship,(H) created in Christ Jesus(I) for good works,(J) which God prepared beforehand,(K) that we should walk in them.” We are saved for the purpose of doing good works in Jesus’ name—actions of love and service that God has prepared beforehand for us to do! The opportunities for us to serve are just sitting there, waiting for us, and what’s more, God himself set the whole thing up!
Now I’m going to be candid with you. I’m not a “Lutheran-bashing” Lutheran pastor. I am not someone who is going to stand up here and bash Lutheran teaching or practice or culture (and as weird as it sounds, there are Lutheran pastors out there who do this). But I will say this. It’s not a slam, it’s just a fact. I was born and raised Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, went to all Lutheran schools my whole life; it is in my DNA. Do you know how long it took me to realize that there is a verse 10 that comes after Ephesians 2: 8—9? A lot longer that I care to admit. Just about any Lutheran and really any Christian who’s been around the block should be able to recite by heart, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Yeah! But who knows verse ten by heart? I didn’t really know it was there! The catechism seems to stop at verse 9! But the idea continues on and says so much more about our lives in Christ! Taken as a whole, this passage does a beautiful job of telling us that we are saved from death and hell and that none of that is by our doing—clearly it is a gift from God. Then it goes on to share the simple insight that we are saved for a life of service. There are things that God wants us to do, as his saved people.
If you have ever had the pleasure of staying at a Ritz-Carlton hotel, (I can count the times on one finger), you know it is one amazing experience. Each staff member is mindful of one thing: serving guests. The hotel’s corporate motto is: “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” Employees are empowered to correct a problem or handle a complaint. When a guest thanks a staff member, rather than responding “No problem” or, “hey, it’s OK” they look the guest in the eye and say, “It’s a pleasure to serve you.” I don’t care who you are—service like that makes an impression. Service like that doesn’t happen by chance. It is intentional and sincere.You and I are saved for a life of intentional and sincere service. It’s all there in Ephesians 2: 10For(G) we are his workmanship,(H) created in Christ Jesus(I) for good works,(J) which God prepared beforehand,(K) that we should walk in them.” It is time for us to do the good works which God has prepared for us. Now is the time to intentionally and sincerely walk the walk. Let us learn the pleasure of serving. After all, service to our fellow man is service to our Lord Jesus. It is what we have been saved for.

Secret Identity

The Saturday Night folks are the only ones who heard this sermon preached. Illness prevented me from leading worship on Sunday. So Sunday people, this is what you would've heard if I would've been up to it.


I’d like to play a little word association game with you today. I’m going to say a few names and you tell me who comes to mind. Ready? Clark Kent. Peter Parker. Bruce Wayne. Bruce Banner. OK. Your comic book literacy is where is should be. One big feature of superhero stories is the idea of a secret identity. The concept creates all kinds of dramatic tension, centering on what might happen if the true identity of the super hero is revealed. You get a lot of close calls and once in a while the mask is pulled back and somebody discovers the truth.
I would submit to you that there’s an element of this in the story from our Gospel Lesson today. The curious mountaintop experience recorded there is the brief exposure of Jesus’ secret identity. We call this Jesus’ transfiguration. That means his figure or appearance changed. In front of his closest friends, Jesus peels back the human mask and lets them see who He really is. Mark just says that Jesus was transfigured before them and His clothes became dazzling white. Luke adds that the appearance of Jesus’ face changed and his clothes were as bright as a flash of lightning. Matthew says it like this: “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” The secret identity is revealed. Jesus, who looks like just another guy from Galilee, is God.
What do you do with information like that? Peter, James, and John, weren’t sure. What do you do when you find out that the rabbi you’ve been hanging out with has the full glory of the Almighty God hidden inside Him? What do you do when you discover that he can hold conversations with Moses and Elijah? How do you handle the voice of the Almighty One speaking the ultimate reveal: “This is my beloved Son—Listen to Him!” Well, the first thing you’d probably do is just that—you would listen to Jesus. There’s more than meets the eye here. And then you might start to wonder, what can’t Jesus do? If he’s connected to this type of power, He might be the answer our people have been looking for.
But the moment things seem normal again, Jesus asks you not to talk about it. He doesn’t mean forget about it. How could you? He wants you to remember. One day it will make perfect sense. But He’s concerned. He knows what people will say and do if the word gets out that he has super-heroic power. But he did not come to leap tall buildings in a single bound, nor did he come shatter the shields of the Roman Empire. He came for the cross. He came to stagger up the hill of the Skull. This superhero’s power is made perfect in weakness. With love and strength that defies description, he will lie down on the wooden beams and allow the nails to enter his flesh. His heart will stop beating and he will breathe no more. Only then will sin be cancelled. Only then will it be clear what the power of Jesus is. It is the power of sacrifice. It is the power of mercy. It is the power of forgiveness. It is the power of love for the undeserving. He used this peculiar power for you.
And then He would live again. Not in some eulogizing sort of “He’ll live on in our hearts forever” type of thing, but he would really live again, physically, resurrected, walking around, eating, breathing, teaching. There, too, is the power and glory of God. Death is defeated. Its stranglehold is broken. Jesus will share resurrected life with all who believe in Him.
Jesus had His cross and tomb in mind when he told Peter, James, and John not to say anything about his transfiguration. His secret identity would be revealed to the whole world, all in due time. But for now, his path led to Jerusalem. His work of saving you and me from a horrible life in this world and even worse things in eternity was not complete until cross and tomb were dealt with.
With all this talk about secret identities, we can’t leave today without wrestling with this question. Are you keeping your Christian faith a secret? Is your Christian life with Jesus a secret identity that you keep under wraps? Is there a part of you that hopes that your friends and acquaintances never discover your link to Jesus? If you’ve struggled with this, you’re not alone. Sin would have us hide the light of Jesus under a bushel basket. Society would have us keep our faith private. But that’s simply not what Jesus would have you do.
Jesus would have you repent of the times when you have made Him your little secret. He would have you know that there is forgiveness for you through faith in His actions at the cross and tomb. And He would have you see yourself through His eyes when he says: “You are the light of the world. A town can’t be hidden when it’s built on a hill. You put a lamp on the lampstand, where it gives light to everybody in the house. So let you light shine before people that they may see the good you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Likewise, the apostle Paul writes to Timothy, “God didn’t give us a cowardly Spirit, but a Spirit of power and love and good judgment.” And Paul can write to the Corinthian Church: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” If you have been connected to Jesus through Holy Baptism, and you continue to trust in Jesus for forgiveness and strength, then this is your true identity. It is an identity that cannot be kept secret. It isn’t possible. Because if Jesus is alive in you, He’s going to cause you to look for someone to help. He’s going to cause to you look for someone to serve. He’s going to cause you to come alongside someone with words of gospel hope and deeds of kindness. That’s just the way He is. Sure, we can decide to not go along with it. We can try to put the lid on His compassion. But even then, the Spirit calls us to turn around and seek forgiveness for frustrating God’s purposes for us. We’re called to trust that we have been given a Spirit of power and love and good judgment. And we’re freed to let our true identity—our connected-to-Christ-identity—shine through each and every day of our lives.
God wants this to be our reality. He wants to give us Himself. The same God who hid his full glory in a normal-looking teacher and carpenter from Nazareth still hides Himself today. He hides himself in words on a page; words that are sung; words that are preached; words that are discovered in Holy Scripture. Every time you hear those words it is God speaking to your heart and mind.
He hides himself in ordinary water; water scooped out of a bowl. Every time that water is accompanied by God’s Name, it is God Himself cleansing a person and gifting them with His life.
He hides himself in flatbread wafers and wine from the grape. When this food is combined with Jesus’ words, we take the broken body and shed blood of our Savior into ourselves. He literally pours Himself into us, sharing His identity with us, giving us the things we need most. Far more than a hero, Jesus is our reason for living. Amen.

A Simple Invitation: Come and See

43(A) The next day Jesus decided(B) to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44Now(C) Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found(D) Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom(E) Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus(F) of Nazareth,(G) the son of Joseph." 46Nathanael said to him,(H) "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." John 1

I was never much of a Lord of the Rings fan. I was more of a Star Wars guy. When Peter Jackson’s “Fellowship of the Ring” came out in 2001, it made a pop culture splash, but I didn’t go see the film, and didn’t feel as if I was missing anything.
In 2002, the next installment, called “The Two Towers” was released to theaters. Again, I didn’t really care much one way or the other. But some friends of mine who were really into the Ring stories invited me to a midnight showing, and I agreed to go. Keep in mind I had a pretty sketchy idea of the plot, and I was walking into part two without any real idea of what part one was about. It didn’t matter. All it took was the spectacular opening scene and I was hooked. I’m glad I went, because it introduced me to an imaginative world that I had never explored before, and I was pleased to learn that the story dealt with some worthwhile themes. Point is, I had to come and see for myself what all the fuss was about. Once I did, I got it, and I’m thankful for the enjoyment it’s given me.
I’m pretty certain that we share that characteristic. As human beings, we like to see for ourselves. Sometimes we’ll take the word of others at face value, but most of the time, we like to check things out for ourselves. We want to test things by our own criteria. We want to gauge our reaction to something, whether it’s a movie or a book or a sport or a game or even a church. We want to see for ourselves. It’s just the way we’re built.
A man named Philip understood this very well. Philip had come face to face with Jesus of Nazareth. This Jesus had approached Philip with a life-changing invitation. “Follow me.” Something about this experience led Philip to the conclusion that Jesus was the one about whom Moses and the Law and the prophets had written. Jesus was the Prophet with a capital P. Jesus was the one who would take the throne of his ancestor David. Jesus was the Messiah. The time of God’s deliverance had come.
What do you do with that kind of news? You’ve got to share it with someone. You feel like you’ll burst if you don’t. So Philip thought of Nathanael and goes to find him. Did you notice all the finding going on in this passage? Jesus found Philip. Then Philip finds Nathanael in order to say, “We found the person the Scripture points to: it’s Jesus of Nazareth!”
Have you ever had someone just totally take the wind out of your sails with their less-than-enthused reaction? You’re dying to share some good news with someone, and they just shut you down with a sarcastic, negative comment? I wonder if that’s how Philip felt. We’ve located the Messiah…we know who he is...and Nathanael’s response is a classic bubble-burster: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Come on Philip, you’ve got to be kidding.
And right here is where Philip teaches us an incredible lesson. There were a number of different ways he could’ve reacted to Nathanael’s dissing of his discovery. He could’ve gotten angry and walked away. He could’ve said, “Forget it.” He could’ve engaged Nathanel in a theological debate, going point by point through the Scriptures, giving a clinching argument for Jesus’ identity. He could’ve done any of those things and more. But he didn’t. Instead, he just drops this on Nathanael: “Come and see.” Just a simple invitation: ‘Come and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.’
There is a lesson here about witnessing that I don’t want you to miss. So often I think we have the impression that witnessing only means “talking someone into believing.” That makes us stop before we start. We don’t know what to say or how to say it. We don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. Or it might just be the opposite—you love the truth so much that you’re willing to just drop the hammer on anyone who disagrees with you. You’ve got answers and you know how to use them. Both extremes can learn a better way from Philip and his simple invitation: “Come and see.”
Now it must be said that this invitation was a bit more concrete on Philip’s part. He could invite Nathanael to come see a flesh and blood person and listen to what that person had to say. But our invitation to come and see is really not that much different. Our invitation is this: Come and see Jesus in the place he has promised to be: in His Church.
We can expect the Nathanael question to that too. Lots of folks including some of our own family members, friends, and neighbors might say, “The Christian Church? St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church? Can any good come out of there? I’m not into organized religion. The church is full of hypocrites. They’re always asking for your money. I don’t have to go to church to be a good person. All the Christians I know are more judgmental and less forgiving than the non-Christians. Can any good come from the Church? How do you handle this Nathanael question?
Again, we could be offended, especially if there is some painful truth to what is being said. We could debate and try to win the argument and prove ourselves right—which might make us feel good, but also might hurt more than help. We can give up and withdraw and not say anything to the unbeliever and take the stance that they know where we are if they need us. (Not really an option). Or we can hold out our hands in hospitality with the invitation: “Come and see.” Come and see for yourself. Come and see if the stereotypes you have hold true. Come and see if the Christian message is what you think it is. Just come and see.
Making this invitation requires confidence. Philip had it in Jesus. He reasoned that if he could just get Nathanael and Jesus together, then the right things would happen. In this case, they did, and then some. Jesus exceeded Nathanael’s expectations—so much so that the man who accepted the invitation to come and see ends up confessing Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel!
If we believe that Jesus is really with us in His Word; If we believe that Jesus is really with us in baptism and in the Lord’s Supper; if we believe that Jesus has made a home in us, then we can make the same invitation with confidence, too. But it’s that last possibility that trips us up. We can get in the way of Jesus. We can, unfortunately, present a negative image to people of what Christianity is all about. I saw a book or an article title once that said: “I Don’t Have a Problem with Jesus; It’s His Followers I Can’t Stand.” Ouch! That hurts! But, could the person who wrote those words have a point?
If so, then we need to know that the invitation applies to us too. Come and see our sins in light of God’s Law. Come and see the punishment they deserve. Come and see the Son of God stoop down to pick up the heavy load of our sins—our sins, not his—and stagger under their weight up to the cross. Come and see Him die your death and take your shame and guilt and see Him bury them all in his grave. Come and see Him break out of His tomb, fully alive, to make you fully alive. Come and see Jesus. And once you’ve seen, bring others to see. Invite them to the places where Jesus awaits. Invite them to the places where the Holy Spirit is active and probing and working to create faith. Invite them and help them to meet a God who knows what we need, and gives us so much more. Let’s become imitators of Philip, making this simple invitation to all who will listen: “Come and see.” Amen.