Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday – February 19, 2023

by Jeffrey Spencer | Feb 21, 2023 | Sermons

Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday – February 19, 2023
2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9

Dear friends, grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite places to go is up to the top of Mount Erie. It is especially nice to be there on a bright sunny day. The views are spectacular! From one direction you can see Mount Baker gleaming in the distance. You can see all the way out to the Skagit flats. From another viewpoint you can see Campbell Lake, with its little island in the middle. You can see the western shore of Whidbey and all the smaller islands nearby, covered in lush forests. You get a nice day up there with a little sun on your face and you just don’t want to leave! You want to bask in the majesty of it all!

Jesus took Peter and James and John up to Mount Tabor, their version of Mount Erie. It is even pretty similar in elevation. But the spectacular view they would take in had nothing to do with the scenery. Once they were up on the top of this mountain Jesus transfigured before them. Jesus’ face shone like the sun. His clothes became dazzling white, or, as the ESV nicely translates it, “his clothes became white as light.” For a moment, they saw Jesus in all his glory. They saw the glory Jesus had from eternity with the Father, the glory of the Father’s only begotten Son, the glory of the Word who was with God and who was God and who had become flesh and lived among them. They saw his divine light breaking out, as bright as the sun.

As if this weren’t enough, suddenly, Moses and Elijah were there, talking with Jesus! Talk about a celebrity sighting! These great figures from the past were now right there in front of them, chatting away with Jesus!

As Peter looked on in awe, shielding his eyes and squinting at Jesus, he said: “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Peter wanted to stay there! He wanted to continue to bask in that majestic light. He wanted to continue to take in this remarkable scene. And so he quickly came up with these elaborate plans for a building project. He would build three dwelling places, one for each of them, so that they could all stay there and the disciples could continue to soak in that holy light. Yes, Peter had big plans. But you know, it has often been said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”

It seems rather fitting then that as Peter was describing his plans, God interrupted him! “While Peter was still speaking,” scripture tells us, “suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” The disciples were terrified. They fell to the ground, overcome by fear.

Were they terrified because of the shadow that now fell upon them? Were they terrified because of the darkness that enveloped them? Were they terrified because they heard the voice of God himself? Were they terrified because of their human smallness in the face of such power? Because of their sins in the face of such holiness? As it says in Hebrews 10, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Were they afraid because their own plans were falling apart? Were they afraid because they were suddenly keenly aware of their own utter lack of control? Their helplessness? Their complete dependence on God’s mercy?

These terrified disciples were told to listen to Jesus. And what did Jesus say to them? “Get up and do not be afraid.” Jesus touched them, perhaps with a hand to raise them up, perhaps with a reassuring touch on their shoulder. He touched them and said, “Do not be afraid.”

Peter’s plans were abandoned on that mountaintop. Jesus’ plan was now to be implemented. Jesus was now on his way to the cross. He told the disciples to tell no one about what they had seen until after his plan was complete, after he had been raised from the dead.

We all have mountaintop experiences we wish would never end but do. We all have times when life doesn’t go according to our plans, when that shadow comes out of nowhere, when the darkness creeps in again. Maybe it happens when we are confronted with our own sinfulness. Maybe it happens when we are reminded of our weakness, our smallness, our vulnerability, our mortality, or the mortality of our loved ones. Maybe it happens when we have those moments when we realize just how little control we have over things. There are times when we lose sight of the glory of Christ, when we find ourselves in the darkness and become afraid.

Our epistle reading for today is an excerpt from a letter from Peter himself, where he reflects on his experience of the Transfiguration. After the resurrection, that gag order Jesus gave, that non-disclosure agreement, was voided and he could talk about his experience on the mountaintop.
First, Peter makes clear that this is no tall tale. “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Peter writes, “but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty….We ourselves heard this voice from heaven, while we were with him on the mountaintop.” This is something that really happened in history, and Peter saw it himself.

Peter then goes on to draw out the implications of the Transfiguration for us today. He says that because of the Transfiguration we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed, and then he says we “would do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

The light of Christ, Peter is saying, is something we need to be attentive to. We are to hold it near as one would hold a lamp shining in a dark place. We are to cling to this lamp in defiance of the darkness. We are to live by the hope its light provides until the fullness of that light dawns and Christ brings in the new day.

On Wednesday the high school across the street went into lockdown after someone called in reports of an active shooter. Social media blared rumors of shots fired and people down. Soon the roads were closed around the church. Emergency vehicles started staging their response in our church parking lot. The Light Flight helicopter had been dispatched in anticipation of casualties and could be heard overhead. We locked down our building. The church staff started calling preschool parents to tell them they’d need to wait to pick up their kids. There were police briefly in our narthex with tactical rifles, getting organized before they headed quickly over to the school – the school where my wife was working and my son was in class. I felt sick to my stomach. I was terrified.

I watched from the narthex for a bit, trying to be available and helpful, but at one point I had to come into the sanctuary by myself. I needed to catch my breath. I didn’t turn any lights on, so it was dark in here, but there was a light streaming in through the windows. I remembered what I had just told the preschoolers an hour before as I lit the altar candles for chapel, “A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

The situation at the school turned out to be a hoax, thanks be to God, but for a good hour and half I was pretty scared. In fact, I was a little disoriented the rest of the day. I lost track of time for a while and embarrassingly missed an appointment. I couldn’t concentrate. But for a moment in this then-dark sanctuary, there was a light of hope, a light of peace, a light no darkness could overcome.
“Be attentive to this, as to a lamp shining in a dark place,” Peter encourages us. Having seen the glorious light of Christ firsthand as an eyewitness, Peter encourages us to be attentive to this light when the darkness comes.

We are attentive to this light when we listen to Jesus. And what does Jesus say to us? He says, “Come to me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” He says to us, “All your sin is forgiven for my sake.” He says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He touches us with his own body and blood and says, “Given for you.” He says, “Do not be afraid.” He gives us promises which shine a ray of light and hope and peace into the darkness. When we listen to Jesus, falling into the hands of the living God isn’t such a scary thing after all.

Today we join Peter and James and John on the mountaintop. We catch a glimpse of Christ’s glory, a glimpse of the radiant light of his divine majesty. It’s quite a view, to be sure.

But like them, we cannot stay here. We are moving now into the season of Lent, which begins on Wednesday. And so we join them by heading down the mountain on the journey to the cross.

Sometimes our plans fall apart. Sometimes our plans need to be abandoned. And so we entrust ourselves wholly to God’s plan for us. We trust in God’s plan of salvation, which unfolds for us now in the weeks ahead. In the midst of every darkness we trust that through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, God has ultimately saved us from sin, death, and every evil.

This good news is a light shining in the darkness. It is a light that no darkness can overcome.

Be attentive to it.

Amen.

Rev. Jeffrey R. Spencer
Oak Harbor Lutheran Church

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany – February 12, 2023

by Jeffrey Spencer | Feb 14, 2023 | Sermons

CLICK HERE for a worship video for February 12

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany – February 12, 2023

Matthew 5:21-37

As the actor and comedian W. C. Fields was dying in the hospital, a longtime friend went to visit him. He was surprised to find Fields reading a Bible. Fields had never shown any interest in God or religion before. In fact, he was widely known as an outspoken atheist and a bit of a scoundrel. So, his friend was surprised to see the famous man reading the Bible on his deathbed. “What are you doing, W. C.?” the friend asked. To which the comedian replied: “I’m looking for a loophole.”

This seems to be a common practice, and not just for atheists who are hedging their bets on their deathbed. God’s own people throughout history have sought loopholes when it comes to obeying God’s holy law. God’s people throughout history have sought loopholes when it comes to being held accountable to that law.

As we heard in our first reading from Deuteronomy, God set before his people commandments by which they were to live. Doing so would lead to human flourishing. Doing so would bring life and prosperity rather than death and adversity. This wasn’t just a matter of outward behavior; it was also a matter of the heart. And so comes the warning we heard in Deuteronomy: “If your heart turns away and you do not hear…I declare to you that you shall perish.”

And as soon as these words were spoken, as soon as these commandments and decrees and ordinances were given, God’s people started looking for loopholes. They started making excuses. They started challenging the authority of God. They started watering down and explaining away the commandments. This game very much continues today as people cleverly edit or massage or set aside God’s commands in a vain attempt to create a loophole through which they may pass, avoiding God’s judgement.

Jesus clearly knows all about this game. Apparently, some had gotten the impression that he had come to abolish the law. We heard Jesus debunk this rumor last week when he said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law. I haven’t come to abolish one letter of it! I have come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.” Jesus had not come to bring loopholes! And as we pick up where we left off last week with the Sermon on the Mount, this could not be more clear.

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times,” Jesus says, ‘You shall not murder,’ but I say to you, if you are even angry with a brother or sister, if you even insult someone, if you even call someone a fool, you are liable to the hell of fire.” Remember the law was not just given by God to regulate outward behavior. It was given to regulate the heart. And Jesus says here that anger and spite and name-calling comes from the same place in the heart that murder does. It makes you just as guilty before God. No loopholes.

This is so important to God, Jesus says, that before you bring your offering to God, you are to go and be reconciled first. Don’t think you can be all lovey-dovey towards God while holding grudges against your neighbor. First, be reconciled! Don’t think your offering offsets your hardened heart! Don’t think that you can write a check to compensate for your violation of this commandment! No loopholes.

Next up we have the commandment on adultery. Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Again, the law was not just given to regulate outward behavior. It was given to regulate the heart. And to let your eyes fall lustfully on someone to whom you are not married, whether it’s an attractive stranger at the grocery store, or a Super Bowl cheerleader on TV, or someone in a magazine or on a screen, to look at them in this way is to reveal what is truly in your heart.

Don’t think that just because there is no physical contact that it doesn’t matter, Jesus is saying. How dare you take your eyes off the spouse God gave you? How dare you look at one of God’s daughters in that way! When you do so you are objectifying them, bringing shame on yourself, and betraying your wife. It would be better, Jesus says, for you to cut out your eye if that’s what it takes than to have your whole body cast into hell! It’s that serious! Don’t think that you can look but not touch. Even a wandering eye is a form of adultery. No loopholes.

Jesus then moves from adultery to divorce, and what he says here is just as hard to hear for many people here today as it was then. Only men could initiate a divorce in Jesus’ time, so he addressed them specifically. He says: “whoever divorces his wife, except on the grounds of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” It wasn’t hard at all in Jesus’ time for a man to find a rabbi who would sign off on his divorce certificate, for just about any reason. Archeologists have found some of these ancient divorce papers where the reason for the divorce is cited as “she burned my dinner.” Many of the men of Jesus’ time, then, came to believe that as long as they had the certificate, they were good! As long as they did the paperwork, they believed, they hadn’t violated any of God’s laws.

But once again, remember that the law was not given just to govern outward behavior. It was given to regulate the heart. And divorce always involves a hardened heart in at least one of the parties, much of the time both. Sometimes it is that one person’s heart becomes hardened while the other’s is broken. Much of the time it involves two hearts which have both become too hardened to be reconciled. It always involves a broken promise. It always involves tearing asunder of hearts that God has joined together.

Jesus’ words might sound harsh, especially to those who have divorced and remarried. But isn’t it true that every divorce involves a measure of heartache, of regret and sadness? There is no certificate or legal document that takes away the painful complications of a marriage that has ended. If there are children involved, there is no certificate that can take away the heartache of those kids being torn between dad and mom for the rest of their lives. Jesus is just being honest here about what divorce is like. I’ve never met a divorced person who didn’t have a lingering wound somewhere in their heart. Just because the paperwork is in order doesn’t mean God’s intention for marriage wasn’t violated. There’s no way around it. No loopholes.

Jesus takes up one last commandment in our reading for today, the commandment against lying. He says: “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely,’ but I say to you, do not swear at all.” Jesus is not talking about using bad words here. He is talking about the way we try to add some oomph to our words by saying things like, “I swear!” or even worse, “I swear to God!”

You see, human beings tend to be untrustworthy in how we use words. We often use words to shade the truth in our favor. We use words to influence, even to misrepresent and manipulate. This is why people say, “I swear.” We do it to make our words more believable. And doing so just outs us as people who have already broken the commandment against lying. It outs us as people who aren’t normally trustworthy. So let your yes be yes and your no be no, Jesus says. Anyone who needs to swear an oath to make themselves more believable has shown that they have already violated the commandment. No loopholes.

It is sometimes thought that Jesus is the nice, laid-back God of the New Testament, in contrast to the mean, strict God of the Old Testament. It is sometimes thought that Jesus came to relax the law, reducing it all to some squishy definition of love that accepts and affirms everything and never makes any demands on anyone’s life. It is sometimes thought that Jesus came to abolish the law, or at least reduce it to something that is easier to keep.

Can you hear Jesus today and still think any of this? Last week we heard Jesus say, “I have not come to abolish the law. Not one stroke of it.” And then in the part of the sermon we hear today, Jesus points to the deeper meaning of the law, applying it not just to outward behavior but to what is going on in our hearts. Jesus is relentless in applying God’s law to every corner of our lives, every corner of our being, telling us in no uncertain terms that there are no loopholes.

Some of you might be especially sensitive to some of what Jesus says today – but make no mistake about it, every single one of us here today are in the same boat. The law convicts and condemns all of us. None of you here today are any worse off than anyone else. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There are no loopholes for any of us!

If some of this has been too much for you to bear and the pain of it all has caused you to shut your ears to my voice, please open them again. Please listen to me, because what I am about to say to you is the most important thing you will hear today. Jesus didn’t come to bring loopholes. He came to bring something better. He came to reconcile you to God through his forgiveness.  Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law. He came to do something better. He came to fulfill it for you! He lived in perfect obedience to God’s holy law for you, and he gives you his righteousness as a gift of grace, to be received in faith. Jesus didn’t just come to preach and teach God’s law. He did that too, and we cannot simultaneously love him and ignore his words, but he came to be so much more than a preacher and a teacher. He came to be a savior!

Jesus befriended sinners of every stripe. He spoke words of forgiveness to the woman caught in adultery. He even forgave the angry crowds who put him on the cross. There is nothing mentioned in this relentless sermon of his that Jesus didn’t go on to forgive. It was ultimately Jesus’ good pleasure to fulfill the law for us. He ultimately came to give us what the law can never give. He came to save us. He came to reconcile us to God. He came to bring forgiveness, and he specifically told his church to continue his mission and ministry by proclaiming this forgiveness in his name.

So listen up and listen good: In Christ Jesus your sin forgiven. All of it – every angry thought, every insult, every failure to reconcile, every wayward glance, every failed relationship, every broken promise, every deception – in Jesus Christ, all is forgiven.

There are no loopholes in the Bible. Jesus sure as heck doesn’t give us any! But as we look beyond this sermon to what Jesus did for us in his death and resurrection, we find something much better than a loophole. We find a savior who died the death we deserve, and even now is raising us to new life with him.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Rev. Jeffrey R. Spencer

Oak Harbor Lutheran Church

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany – February 5, 2023

by Jeffrey Spencer | Feb 7, 2023 | Sermons

CLICK HERE for a worship video for February 5

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany – February 5, 2023

Matthew 5:13-20

Dear friends, grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks new realities into being. Just as God the Creator said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, now God the Son is speaking new things into existence.

Last week we heard Jesus say, “Blessed are you,” over and over again. “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus said. “Blessed are those who mourn, and those who are meek. Blessed are the pure in heart and the peacemakers. Blessed are you when you are rejected and reviled for my sake,” Jesus said. And as Christ spoke these blessings, they came to be. Jesus’ word does what it says! Just as God the Father spoke creation into existence, so too now God the Son is speaking new realities into being by the power of his Word.

We are in the second of a three-part series on the Sermon on the Mount, and as we pick up where we left off last week, we hear Jesus continuing to do this. “You are the salt of the earth,” Jesus says. This is a declarative statement. Christ has defined his hearers in this way, and so that is what they now are! “You are the light of the world,” Jesus says, echoing the Father at creation. Jesus calls this light into being and then says, “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

What does it mean to be the salt of the earth? Throughout most of human history salt has been used as a seasoning. It is really quite an amazing substance. Salt is a flavor enhancer. It draws out the goodness of the food being seasoned. Salt also neutralizes bitterness, which is why you almost always need a pinch of it even in sweet recipes. Salt, of course, is still widely used today. It is found in every kitchen around the world, and on the table of every restaurant.

In the ancient world, salt was also used as an essential preservative. In Jesus’ time there were no refrigerators. There were no Coleman coolers. You couldn’t grab a bag of ice on your way out of the grocery store. The only way to preserve meat was to salt it. Even just a thin layer on a fish filet or a slab of lamb would keep it from rotting, preserving those important sources of protein.

To be the salt of the earth, then, is to bring out goodness. It is to neutralize bitterness. It is also to be a preservative for the sake of the world, for the sake of human society, keeping it from rotting.

What does it mean to be the light of the world? From ancient times and across cultures, light has represented truth. Many educational institutions use a torch as part of their insignia to represent the pursuit of truth. Light has long represented hope and comfort, like the first light of dawn after a long night of darkness. Light has long been a symbol of goodness and holiness and life, in contrast to the darkness of evil and sin and death. To be the light of the world, then, is to be bearers of truth and hope and goodness and life. It is to reflect the light of Christ into the darkness of the world.

When I think of what it means for us Christians to be salt and light, I think of a news story that came out a couple of years ago about a high school in Louisiana. The school was dealing with some serious discipline problems. I’m not just talking about kids being tardy. This high school had 23 students arrested over the course of three days after a series of fights on campus. In response, a group of dads formed a group they called “Dads on Duty.” They worked with the principal to have dads come in to just roam the campus. They weren’t there as security. They weren’t there as counselors. They were simply there to be dads. And so they did what dads are supposed to do. They told dad jokes! They got the kids to smile and laugh. They listened to these kids. They provided encouragement, giving high-fives in the hallways. They provided guidance on basic life skills, like tucking in your shirt and wearing a belt, and showing up on time. These were just a few dads who took turns coming in, just a handful of dads spread out across the school, none of them doing anything particularly spectacular or special. They were just being who they were as dads. But what a difference it made. Since the “Dads on Duty” program started there hasn’t been a single fight on campus.

This, I think, is a microcosm of what we are called to be and do as Christians. We are the salt of the earth. As we are scattered and sprinkled throughout our communities, we bring a measure of goodness that preserves God’s world. This isn’t a goodness that comes from us, it is a goodness that Christ has given us when he declared us to be the salt of the earth! And so we don’t need to be anything more than what we are. Just by sharing the goodness we have been given we provide seasoning and preservation to the lives of the people around us.

We are the light of the world. As we reflect the light of Christ which shines on us, we bear the truth of God to the world. This includes the truth of God’s law. Jesus himself says in this very sermon that whoever breaks one of the commandments of the law, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them, Jesus says, will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. And so part of bearing this light is to teach the truth about God’s law, God’s commandments. We shouldn’t do this in a way that is aggressive or mean-spirited. Remember, we’re called to bring light, not heat! But part of bearing this light is to show the goodness and beauty of God’s ways, living our lives in stark contrast to the darkness of the world. Part of bearing this light is guiding others away from the lies of the devil, the world, and their sinful selves, and into lives that are pleasing to God.

But to bear this light is not only to bear the truth of God’s law. It is also to bear the truth of the gospel. It is to bring the light of God’s grace. It is to bring hope to those burdened by their sin by assuring them of Christ’s forgiveness. It is to bear witness to the goodness of God, who sent Christ to fulfill the law for us.

This isn’t easy. We won’t always be as well-received as those dads at that school in Louisiana. Sometimes the salt we bring stings those who have rejected God. Sometimes the light we bring hurts the eyes of those who have lived too long in the darkness. We are called to navigate this hostility very carefully, in ways that neutralize bitterness – in us, as well as in others. As we heard last week, we are even called to rejoice when we are reviled, for that is what happened to the prophets. We’re in good company, Jesus promises, and our reward will be great in heaven.

Sometimes we might feel discouraged as we increasingly seem to be pushed to the margins of society and the fringes of culture. We might get discouraged as we continue to see the church losing numbers and Christianity losing influence in society. But it doesn’t take much salt to make a difference. Many recipes call for only a pinch, right? It doesn’t take much salt to preserve something. A thin sprinkling, spread out, can be very effective in keeping things from rotting.

Likewise, a small amount of light can chase back a lot of darkness. As long as that light isn’t hidden under a bushel for some dumb reason, it brings light to the whole room!

Today Jesus declares us to be salt and light. He isn’t giving us a suggestion or an invitation, he just up and says it! By his Word he is bringing a new reality into existence. He has said that we are salt and light, and so that is what we are! Christ isn’t calling us to anything particularly heroic here, necessarily. He is simply calling us to be what he has made us to be. He is sprinkling his people around the world to enhance and preserve the world he so dearly loves. He is shining his light on us so that we would reflect his light for all to see.

How we live as salt and light varies greatly depending on the callings and opportunities God gives to each of us. Some are salt and light as dads or moms or aunts or uncles or sons or daughters. You are salt and light in your jobs, your careers, your workplaces. You are salt and light in your service as volunteers. We have our own school program here where kids come over on early-release Wednesdays. I see them fed and high-fived and welcomed and encouraged. I hear them being guided into proper behavior, like not running down the halls or doing stupid things in the bathrooms. Some are salt and light by putting on coffee for us every Sunday. Some are salt and light as Stephen Ministers. Others in our congregation are salt and light in our community as they volunteer at Spin Café or the refugee support team or the crisis pregnancy clinic. You are salt and light as citizens as you care for our communities and participate in the political process.

These are simple things, but they are so profound. Christ has infused your life with purpose and meaning. As you roam the hallways of Oak Harbor and Coupeville and Anacortes and wherever else you live and work and play, you are the salt of the earth. You bring the flavor of Christ, which brings goodness to others, which neutralizes bitterness and preserves this world from going completely rotten. You bring the light of Christ, the light of truth and hope and grace and life, simply by being who Christ has said you are.

You are the salt of the earth. This isn’t merely my opinion of you. This isn’t something you might become if you try hard enough. This is what Christ Jesus has declared you to be. His word does what it says. It brings new realities into being. And so this is who you are.

You are also the light of the world. So let your light so shine before others that they would see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Rev. Jeffrey R. Spencer

Oak Harbor Lutheran Church