​Life Sunday – 2024                                                                                       LSB #’s 790, 570, 740
Text – Ephesians 2:10
 
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
 
CREATED FOR A PURPOSE
 
 
All created things have a purpose.  Nothing that someone makes  is built without purpose in mind.  These intentional designs run from the obvious to the less obvious.  We know the purpose of a shovel  or a chair  or a pencil.   They were created for digging,  sitting  & writing. 
Even things that seem pointless,  like the hole in the tab  of a pop can,  are made for a purpose.  Did you know  those holes were created to be twisted over the mouth of the can to hold a straw?  Just because we have not figured out an item’s purpose,  does not mean that the item has no purpose.  Humanity’s ability to purposefully create is a gift from God. 
Since mankind possesses the ability to create with purpose,  it’s not a stretch to argue that humanity itself was created with purpose.  And that conclusion implies there is someone who created us.  We live in a time & place where the mention of a Creator can be unpopular,  but that attitude does not square  with the obvious fact that created things  have a designer. 
We perceive beauty in creation,  & no one has conceived of an evolutionary purpose for the beauty of a clear night sky.  Therefore, beauty is evidence that a Creator exists.  Christians believe that this Creator is the God who revealed Himself in the Bible.  In all human experience, nothing complex functions well by accident.  Human beings are incredibly complex. 
According to a study conducted by Monitoring the Future, nearly 45% of middle & high school students say that their life is not useful.  That’s a stark increase from the year 2000, when only 25% of those students chose that answer.  It is up nearly 10% from the beginning of the Covid pandemic.  The research reveals a mindset that has led youth  & adults alike  to suffer depression & other insecurities.  Devaluation of human beings as nothing more than an evolutionary accident has led many to self-harm & other destructive behaviors & addictions.  The consequences of this are tragic, & sadly, they hit close to home for many.   A soul unconscious  of his or her purpose  inevitably faces futile disappointment in a broken world. 
To counter this,  God assures readers of His Word that they do have purpose.   In Ephesians, Paul says to those redeemed by Christ, “We are His workmanship,  created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  (2:10 ESV) 
In this single verse, God declares to us something incredible.  He says that human beings, created in His image,  redeemed by the blood of Christ through faith,  are His workmanship – His creation.  This God,  who created the world & all that exists by speaking it into existence,  is the same God who created us  in Christ Jesus. 
Through His Word, He calls us who were dead in sin  to life through faith in His Son Jesus.   In Genesis,  when God created the world,  He called each work of His hand “good.”  (1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25)   When He created Adam, He called him ‘very good.’  (1:31)   
Our Father, through the redeeming work of His Son, Jesus, now bestows upon believers that same declaration of approval.   Because we are God’s workmanship, we can rest in the certainty that none of us are a mistake,  not an accident,  not a blob of cells,  not a bag of chemicals reacting to create an illusion of purpose.  
Believers in Jesus Christ are the choice, carefully handcrafted treasure & apple of God’s eye – His creative masterpiece.  From the moment you were knitted together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), God began his careful construction of His chosen jewel of redemption.  There is tremendous value, meaning & purpose  in being God’s masterpiece.  
Imagine traveling back in time to witness one of the great artists like da Vinci,
Michelangelo, or van Gogh creating one of their masterpieces.  There isn’t one of us who, while witnessing the master attend to his craft, would walk up to him & say, “I think you could use another star in that sky,”  or  “Perhaps you should consider taking just a bit more stone from that part of the sculpture.” 
Nor would we,  once they were finished, attempt to add our own brush strokes or chisel marks to the finished piece.  We’d simply enjoy the opportunity to witness the master at work, & when he was done,  we’d take in the beauty of the work he created – that is to say,  we would appreciate its intended purpose. 
Yet, people who’d give one of their limbs for such an opportunity  can look in the mirror at God’s masterpiece  & fail to see the beauty of what our Lord has made.   In Christ,  you are God’s workmanship,  & God Himself calls you to recognize that truth.  We know that as God’s creative masterpiece,  you were created for a purpose.  Yahweh created you  for good works.  
Often, Christians have confused good works as a means by which to obtain the favor of God, but the Bible doesn’t allow for that misinterpretation.  God’s favor is achieved before the works are assigned.  The workmanship is completed  so the good works can be accomplished.  
Just as an instrument cannot produce music until its construction is complete,  the believer’s works aren’t good until the Master has accomplished His masterpiece.  Good works are the fruit of the Master’s labors.  This truth illustrates what good works actually are: God’s purposes  being fulfilled through us. 
Yahweh creates vessels to accomplish His work,  in His way, on His behalf.   Believers accomplish good works serving their neighbor as the hands & feet of Jesus.  Lutherans call this the doctrine of vocation.  The concept isn’t new, but it is transformational.  The doctrine of vocation describes the believer’s purpose.  The word vocation carries the idea of calling.  In the case of Christian vocation, the callings  come from God.  Everyone has these callings in the areas of society, family & the Church.  Being a child is a calling.   Being a parent is a calling.   Being a student is a calling.   Being a citizen is a calling.   Each so-called vocation is a calling from God Himself.  The role you fill in your church  is a calling.  
As God crafts each of us  in our callings, He places us in the presence of neighbors whom we are to love  on His behalf.    An example may help to illustrate this.  Take the calling of motherhood.  They are given neighbors to love,  namely  their children. 
As mothers serve their children by feeding them,  dressing them,  changing their diapers, potty training them,  disciplining & comforting  them,  they serve as Jesus to their children.  According to Matthew 25:40, in being faithful to her duties, the mother is also serving Jesus, who is “hidden” in her child. 
Although those tasks seem mundane, it is paradigm shifting.  When people search for purpose & meaning in their lives, they tend to look for extraordinary goals – the next mission trip opportunity,  the new promotion at work,  the charitable venture. 
Those are good things & certainly are ways to love our neighbor,  but they account for a very small portion of the vocations  God gives to believers.  The doctrine of vocation teaches that in  even the most mundane aspects of life, which are by far the majority,  as masterpieces of the Almighty,  you & I have a purpose.  There is no such thing as a useless human being. 
This is what Paul means in the sermon text when he says that God has good works for us to do, which He “prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  (Ephesians 2:10)   The Creator, who chose us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4),  had a planned purpose for who you were to be.  
He knew your vocations & prepared them for you as He knitted you together in the womb
of your mother.  (Psalm 139:13)   He knew the neighbors who would need His love – physically, spiritually, emotionally – & He prepared you to be vessels of that love & service.  God also knew that in fulfilling your purposes,  you would serve Him  as He is hidden in your neighbors.  
Those callings are not something we chose.  They are placed in the path  on which Yahweh calls you.   We “walk in them,” as the text says.  In the ordinary,  & at times boring stations of life,  we are called to be faithful.  Also,  we don’t always have the privilege of seeing the final product of what our Lord is accomplishing through us. 
We see the proverbial  back of the tapestry.  We see the messy incompleteness.   But as we walk in the paths  God calls us down,  faithfully practicing good as we seek to love our neighbor,  you & I  are assured  that God is working all things “together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”  (Romans 8:28) 
Brothers & sisters in Christ  you are God’s masterpiece.  You were created for a purpose.  You are the hands & feet of Jesus  demonstrating His love in a world that desperately needs it.  Live out that purpose in the strength that comes from your Lord,  & wait joyfully for the day when you get to see His finished product.  Amen. 
 
 
Just as I am,  without one plea,  but that Thy blood was shed for me  & that Thou biddest me come to Thee,  O Lamb of God, I come,  I come.     Just as I am,  poor,  wretched,  blind;  sight, riches,  healing of the mind,  yea,  all I need,  in Thee to find,  O Lamb of God,  I come,  I come.    Just as I am;  Thy love unknown  has broken every barrier down;  now to be Thine, yea,  Thine alone,  O Lamb of God, I come,  I come.  Amen.  LSB 570:1, 4, 6.  

​3rd Sunday after Epiphany – B                                                         LSB #’s 396, 856:1-2, 4-5; 830
Text – Mark 1:15
 
The due time is now fulfilled & the reign & rule of God has drawn near.  Repent & believe in the Gospel – now! 
 
THE REIGN & RULE OF GOD
 
 
A dog & cat are chasing each other  around the yard.  At one point,  the cat runs into the street with the dog in hot pursuit.   Neither one looks  before they fly onto the pavement   as a truck happens to be coming by.  There was no way the driver could stop in time.   Both the dog & the cat  end up  at the pearly gates. 
There sits God,  on His throne, & He asks dog, “Why should I let you into heaven?”  Dog replies, “I always fetched my master’s slippers.  I never chewed on the furniture.  I did not dig up the flower beds,  & I was always nice to the children.”  God replies, “Well done,  good & faithful dog.  Enter into the joys  of heaven.” 
Still on His throne, God turns to cat & asks, “Why should I let you  into heaven?”    Cat, glaring at God,  replies, “You  are sitting in my chair!” 
If you know what cats are like,  that joke  nails their personality,   & that leads me to wonder  what is your personality like?    I could frame the question this way, “How do you respond to the reign & rule of God?   Is it more like the dog  or more like the cat?   Is your spirit compliant & obedient,   or is it rebellious  & independent?” 
We celebrated Christmas  because Jesus was born in a stable  to rescue us from sin, death & the devil,  but not everyone reacts to Jesus in the same way.   In fact, the Bible describes two   personality types – believer & unbeliever.   Every single human being ever conceived  falls into one  of only those two categories – saved  or not. 
In the Gospel reading,  around 30 years after He was born,  Jesus officially began His
ministry,  & with that  the reign & the rule of God had drawn near.   Jesus offered the only appropriate response when He said, “Repent  & believe in the Gospel – now!”  (Mark 1:15b ESV)  Every human being reacts to those words in one way or the other.  There is no in between,  & the reign & rule of God is not optional  if you want to experience the fullness of life that Jesus offers. 
All of us have a rebellious spirit – our sinful nature.  Only through repentance are we actually alive.  Only through repentance can we participate in the joyous reign & rule of God.   Otherwise,  like the cat,  you see God as sitting in your throne.   Ultimately,  all unbelief is the desire to take God’s place.  The slogan, “My body, my choice” is a perfect example. 
God says, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.”  (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a ESV)   Jesus paid that price  in order that you might experience the eternal fullness of life that He offers.  “For the present form of this world is passing away.”  (1 Corinthians 7:31b ESV)   And if you reject His gift of a repentant heart  you will experience eternal death  instead of life. 
Jesus radically affects people.   Church leaders  hated Jesus enough to kill Him  because when you meet Jesus,  the reign & rule of God is undeniable.   Confronted with that reign & rule, it is clear to anyone who rejects Jesus  where their heart is at.   You & I may not see,  but they know.  They can feel the alienation & rebellion  in their bones. 
Out of love, Jesus said, “Repent & believe in the Gospel – now!”  (Mark 1:15b ESV)   He wants everyone to have life instead of death!   Being repentant   is allowing God to remain on His throne.  You are sitting in my chair,  is not the response of faith.  It is through the reign & rule of God that people enter the kingdom of heaven,   or   exclude themselves from it. 
Jesus Christ is the Word of the OT made flesh.  He is the new promised action of God (Isaiah 43:19) that gathers up the promises of the OT  & brings them to their final interpretation & conclusion.  Through Jesus’ conception in Mary’s womb, God invaded history in order to rescue us from Satan & from our own rebellion.  Even those brought to faith  are born inside the gates of hell,  but those gates cannot prevail against our Lord’s decisive action to save His people.  It brings our Lord great sadness that so many behind the gates of hell  refuse His efforts to save them.  Rather than repenting,  many people tell God, “You  are sitting in my chair!” 
People,  with the cat’s attitude,  feel that God is too demanding  even though Jesus gave His life  on the cross for them.   They’d rather have life  be about their own  reign & rule. 
Other people feel that God is not forceful enough.  In the OT reading, Jonah finally made his way to Nineveh.  He refused to go the 1st time he was called  because he knew that God is merciful.  Jonah wanted to see Nineveh destroyed,  not saved.   
In the NT, the Pharisees did not believe that sinners & tax collectors should be given mercy.  For example,  they wanted the woman caught in adultery to be stoned to death  as the Law prescribed.  Jesus, however, “…came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”  (Mark 2:17 ESV)  Jesus would fulfill the Law  so that He could pronounce mercy & forgiveness  instead of death. 
In fact, Yahweh is reigning & ruling over our world right now  with mercy & forgiveness.  That is His choice of power  until the Last Day.    That choice doesn’t always make us happy either.   With the way our nation’s people are rapidly moving away from God’s Word,  we should be honest that at times,  we’d like to see a little fire & brimstone as well. 
In that, we’re in good company with some of Jesus’ disciples: “But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because He was on His way to Jerusalem.  When James & John saw this, they said to Jesus, ‘Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’”  (Luke 9:53-54 NLT)    That’s no different than Satan who loves to steal,  to kill  & to destroy. 
If Yahweh was reigning & ruling with power, instead of mercy,  He would never have sent His only Son to die  for your sin & for mine.  And since Yahweh is reigning & ruling with mercy & forgiveness,  that’s how we are called to respond to our world.  Do you remember the opening words of the Gospel lesson?  “Now after John was arrested…”  (Mark 1:14 ESV)  That’s the sign for Jesus to begin His ministry. 
The people who first read Mark’s gospel would have known that John was killed shortly after.  They knew that Jesus had come to suffer & die.  They knew as Mark records the calling of Simon & Andrew, James & John, to follow Jesus,  that He was calling them to die  as well.   That is how our Savior reigns & rules over His creation. 
Paul wrote, “For we know that all creation  has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”  (Romans 8:22 NLT)     Nothing in creation has escaped the horrible effects  of The Fall into sin.  So if God reigns & rules in power, He’d have to destroy everything including you & me.  St. Peter writes what will happen on the Last Day:
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, & then the heavens will pass away with a roar, & the heavenly bodies will be burned up & dissolved...”  (2 Peter 3:10 ESV)   For now, God chooses to reign & rule with mercy & forgiveness in order that some might be saved.  And how are we saved?  Through repenting & believing in the Gospel. 
To us in the church, those words are so familiar it’s easy to blow by them & immediately move on with the action.  But what does it mean, “Believe in the Gospel”?  The Twelve disciples learned that in calling people to follow Him, Jesus was calling people to die to themselves, to die to the things & even the people of this world. 
We die to them because in reality, Jesus is calling us to the next world, to the world that will be re-created to all the perfection of the Garden of Eden.  God is fulfilling everything He has promised... so repent.  Turn back to God.  In this world, it could not be less glamourous or less glorious.    The path of the Gospel   is the path to the cross.   By God’s grace it will end in glorification,  but for now,  that is not the call, the journey, or even a dangled carrot.  Ultimately, it is simply God’s promise.  The decisive time is now here.  This is the fullness of time.  Each & every human being has their own decisive time;  their own fullness of time, to repent & believe. 
In Jesus, power came into the world that’s in conflict with the powers & policies of sinful flesh.  God’s reign in Jesus offers the possibility & opportunity to live by a different power & order  than that of culture, society or government.  Jesus expressed power & authority,   yet His life was characterized by lowliness & suffering which culminated in His crucifixion,  for us. 
He claimed power in lowliness,  victory in defeat,  control  in serving.   His preaching challenged & invited people to change their minds & come to trust & hope in God,  especially through weakness.  Jesus met people with the demand that they deal with the power of sin in their lives.  The treatment He prescribed was repentance & faith. 
Jesus not only announced the arrival of God’s reign & rule, but He set up the community in which    God reigns & rules.  On earth that kingdom exists only where there are people who believe in Him.  And if you believe in Jesus as Lord & Savior,  then wherever you are  the reign & rule of God is there with you.  And Christ will reign & rule even through your weakness. 
Living on this side of the cross does not modify how God works.  Living on this side of Easter does not change how God brings people to life.  His reign & rule is still a call to trust our Lord & His gracious work.  It is still a call to repentance & faith.  To repent & believe in the Gospel is simply  to receive life from the Creator.   It’s to accept His cure  for the disease of sin. 
For now, & for eternity, Yahweh offers that to believers  from His throne of grace.  It is a throne upon which God alone has the right to be seated.   If there are cats in heaven,  that is the one place  you will never see them sitting.  Amen. 
 
O Christ, who sent the Twelve  on roads they’d never trod    to serve,  to suffer, teach,
proclaim  the nearer reign of God:  Send us on ways where faith transcends timidity,  where love informs & hope sustains  both life & ministry.       O Christ,  the apostles’ Lord,  the martyr’s strength & song,  the crucified & risen King  to whom the saints belong:  Though generations pass,  our tribute still we bring,  our hymns a sacrifice of praise,  our lives an offering.  Amen.  LSB 856:4-5.  

​2nd Sunday after Epiphany – B                                                                      LSB #’s 589, 850, 827
Text – 1 Samuel 3:13
 
And I declare to [Eli] that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, & he did not restrain them.
 
RESTRAINING EVIL
 
 
In professional sports like football & basketball you hear a lot of trash talking.  Then, there are other sports like tennis & golf that adhere to fairly strict rules on etiquette & showing respect to your opponents.  Instead of loudly talking trash, while a player is putting on the green or making their serve on the court, polite silence is expected. 
Because all current humans beings are sinners, etiquette & respect are behaviors that need to be taught, whereas trash talking comes naturally.   And what is God’s design for children to learn respect & etiquette?   He gives children to parents & the parents are responsible to train them.  They are to address the wrong behavior of their children & teach them what is right. 
That is not easy work, as any parent already knows.   Even those who are not parents certainly should remember, & feel at least a tinge of regret, that we were not always perfect children.  The 1st order of business for any parent is to lead their children to Christ.  After that, parents teach their children to do good & help them learn to restrain their evil nature. 
 It is especially in that latter task that Eli failed as a father.  Because he did not restrain his sons, in the evil they were doing, Yahweh would bring judgment upon Eli’s entire household.  Ironically, Eli has been training his own replacement, & that’s where we are in the OT reading for this morning.    Samuel is about to graduate:
“And the Lord came & stood, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel!  Samuel!’  And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant hears.’  Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.   On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.  And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God,   & he did not restrain them.’”  (1 Samuel 3:10-13 ESV) 
Many people in our nation no longer restrain evil but celebrate with it.    All manner of sinful behavior, in direct contradiction to the Word of God, is being encouraged by our leaders.  From not working, when someone is able, to glorifying abortion as a path to choice & freedom, Americans are refusing to restrain evil.   People think Christians are fools for trying. 
Our culture no longer defines marriage or gender as does the word of God.  Lawlessness is celebrated as the right to free speech & political corruption is winked at as some kind of cost of democracy.  In many cities the very people who are supposed to work at restraining evil are encouraging it by refusing to enforce the laws that have been legally enacted by legislatures. 
The demise of Eli & his sons should serve as a warning to our nation & to us.  Shortly after Samuel graduates, Israel goes to war.  Four thousand of their soldiers were killed, so they call for the Ark of the Covenant to be brought.  Eli’s sons come with it.  This time 30,000 Israelites are killed, among them Eli’s sons, & the Ark of the Covenant is captured. 
A messenger came to Eli with the news.  He was so stunned by it that he fell over backward such that his neck was broken & he died.  Thus, the first prophecy given to Samuel was fulfilled.  After this, he directed the people of Israel to repent.  They did so & the Lord once again gave them victory over the Philistines.  Eventually, the Ark of the Covenant is returned. 
Like the people of Israel, when you & I, or our nation, live apart from God, it causes us to experience frustration & defeat.   That should lead us back in repentance, to seek His mercy.  Then, He restores us & makes us whole in Christ our Lord.   Eli’s sons refused to repent.  Eli failed to remove them from their positions in the temple.  God removed all three of them, & put Samuel in their place.  The 2nd sentence of the OT reading set the tone regarding the priesthood of Eli, “And the word of the Lord was rare in those days…”  (1 Samuel 3:1 ESV)   People in our country no longer respect the Word of the Lord, at least not the Word that tingles the ear.  They assume that whatever god there is loves them & that repentance is a thing of the past. 
The Word of the Lord has become rare in our day & people do not miss it at all.   Only 20% of Americans attend church weekly,   & 31% never attend church at all.  In verse 9 of the OT reading, Eli tells Samuel to listen to God.  The irony is that Eli himself was not listening.  Finally, the Word did come to Samuel, not to Eli, & that Word brought judgment. 
Restraining evil is something we cannot do without the power of God’s Holy Spirit.  We must accept that restraining evil is necessary in order for life on earth to flourish.   Accepting that is also something you & I cannot do without the power of God the Holy Spirit.   Satan works hard against any sort of restraint of evil, because evil brings death & that is his joy. 
It is a sick & twisted creature that finds joy in the death of others.  Yet the world wants us to believe that restraining evil is for prudish & narrow-minded bigots.  Satan & his demons want you to believe the saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” 
However, the truth that Jesus’ Gospel shares with us is that God’s children have already beaten Satan & his hordes.  We beat them when Jesus died & then rose from that death to eternal life.  We beat Satan & his demons when the waters of Holy Baptism washed our sins away by the power of God’s Spirit.  We beat them when Christ joins Himself to us in His body & blood. 
When you hear the true Word of God preached to you, when you read, mark, learn & inwardly digest the Word of God, then Satan & his hordes are defeated as surely as when Christ Himself said, “It is finished!”  Right this very moment, the Creator of the universe is calling to you, like He called to Samuel.  The Creator wants you to know His love, because that love alone can empower you to turn away from your sinful heart & back to the loving heart of Yahweh.  Satan takes joy in your death & that is all he offers to you, no matter how he disguises it.  Christ is offering life to you in its fullest & eternal form, in a place where death will be no more.  Still, Eli’s sons chose death disguised as earthly power & pleasure.  
Samuel listened to the grace of God & said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”  Any time we even attempt to restrain evil, it is a blessing from the heavenly Father.  It is living out the life that Christ offers to us already here on earth.  In heaven we will experience that life completely & fully.  In heaven there will be no more evil to restrain. 
Yes, even as children of God, here on earth we still experience the tinge of regret for failing to be perfect children of God.  There are even times when, like Peter, we literally weep over our failures & our sins.  Yet that weeping is a blessing from God as it reveals that our hearts are not indifferent to His will.  Revelation is one of the themes of this season of Epiphany. 
As the OT reading begins, the word of the Lord is rare in those days.  By the end of the reading, “…all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord.”  (1 Samuel 3:20 ESV)   A thousand years later, the Word of the Lord had again been rare in those days.  When it finally arrived, it was Gentiles – the Magi – who revealed its arrival. 
By the end of Christ’s life, another Gentile, proclaimed who Jesus was: “And when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’”  (Mark 15:39 ESV)   Through that word, God is calling us to restrain evil, & once again return to the house of the Lord that we might receive His blessings.  Amen. 
Lo, the hosts of evil round us scorn the Christ, assail His ways!  From the fears that long have bound us free our hearts to faith & praise.     Cure Your children’s warring madness; bend our pride to Your control; shame our wanton, selfish gladness, rich in things & poor in soul.     Save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore; let the gift of Your salvation be our glory evermore.  Grant us wisdom, grant us courage lest we miss Your kingdom’s goal.  Amen.  LSB 850:2-4.  

​Epiphany – 2024                                                                                 LSB #’s 400:1-2, 5; 650, 523
Text – Ephesians 3:10
 
…that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers & authorities in the heavenly places. 
 
THROUGH THE CHURCH
 
 
People talk about having an Epiphany  when suddenly they connect the dots on something they had never before understood.     Inventors have been known to describe it as an Epiphany when the major aspects of their new invention came together in their mind for the very first time. 
Maybe you’ve read a particular passage of Scripture many times before   & never understood what it says.   Then, unexpectedly, your mind lights up with the answer.    The church’s celebration of Epiphany recognizes that Jesus Christ came in the flesh in order to connect the dots for all mankind concerning things we had never before understood. 
One manner in which Jesus connected those dots was through the star.    Evolutionists would say it just coincidentally appeared.  Yet, anyone who believes that God would send His only Son to die for our sins knows full well that star was not some   random event of the universe that just happened to coincide with the birth of a baby in Bethlehem. 
No.  That star was not an accident.   It was put there by the almighty Creator of the universe.  And He put it there when He did so the Magi could journey to Bethlehem specifically to make this statement of faith, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews?   For we saw His star when it rose & have come to worship Him.”  (Matthew 2:2 ESV) 
Jesus put that star there to announce His birth, to reveal to the world that He was born into human flesh for the salvation of the world.  Jesus put that star in the sky in order to connect the dots for you & me & for all mankind.  That many people reject that sign does not mean it was just a random coincidence.  King Herod did not believe in Jesus as Messiah, yet he certainly did not reject the star as a sign.    What does the Word of God tell us?  “Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly & ascertained from them   what time the star had appeared.”  (Matthew 2:7 ESV)  And why did Herod want to know that answer?    Matthew tells us a few verses later:
“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, & he sent & killed all the male children in Bethlehem & in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.  (Matthew 2:17 ESV)  Herod did not believe in Jesus as Messiah, but he also knew that star was no random event. 
That star was sent by Jesus to connect the dots for all who would believe in Him.   For everyone who laughed at that star as a heavenly sign, come Judgment Day, it will be a witness to their unbelief.  The Magi & king Herod all believed that the star was a true sign.  The Magi traveled hundreds of miles, at least, probably by camel, in order to worship Jesus. 
The majority of people in our nation today, won’t travel five miles, by car, in order to worship Jesus.   Come Judgment Day, what will the star witness have to say about your response to that sign placed in the heavens by Jesus?  Although that particular star is no longer pointing out Bethlehem from our sky, it was recorded in history & thus it still speaks today. 
At this moment in time the challenge is no longer about traveling hundreds or thousands of miles.  The challenge is no longer about riding a camel or avoiding an evil king hell bent on destroying the new & holy King.   Our challenge today is in looking at the church & asking ourselves, “Why bother?”  Most people today cannot connect the dots on church attendance. 
Looking at the church in the here & now, what do you see?  Some people see mistakes in the bulletin,   or in the slides.   Some people see & hear a pastor stumbling to read the Scripture lessons or preach his sermon.  Some people hear church music that is boring & difficult to sing.  Some people see lazy church members who won’t lift a finger to help their neighbor.   Some people see ornery members who are constantly complaining or looking out only for themselves.  We see pastors who sexually abuse their parishioners.  We see churches defying the very Word of God, calling evil good, & calling good evil. 
In the worldly way of looking at it, the church is nothing but one hot mess, filled with people who are nothing if they are not full-blooded sinners.   You may be saying to yourself, “Pastor, you know we’re not supposed to look at the Church that way.” 
But we do look at it that way, every single time we complain about low attendance & low offerings.   We do look at it that way, every time we complain, “Why am I always the one who has to do this, or that?”   If you measure the church in terms of efficiency or growth, or even in terms of honesty, the church you & I see is a flat out disaster. 
Come to think of it,  even the very Son of God,  hanging naked & bloody & dying  upon a Roman instrument of execution,   appeared to be a flat out disaster.   No human business model or leadership manual can even begin to explain why the Church is still in existence today. 
The very fact that the Church does exist, with all her flaws & faults, proves to Satan & to His cohorts that they cannot win the victory.   The Church stands upon one foundation & upon one Rock alone.  That Rock is Jesus Christ & He has already conquered sin, death & the devil.  Whenever you look at the church & see one hot mess, consider these words:
“Though with a scornful wonder  the world sees her oppressed,  by schisms rent asunder,  by heresies distressed,   yet saints their watch are keeping: their cry goes up, ‘How long?’     And soon the night of weeping   shall be the morn of song.”  (LSB 644:3)    With the Church – the body of Christ – there is no other shoe to drop.  This is as bad as it gets & it is one hot mess. 
Which is why Jesus came to be born in human flesh, that He might rebuild the Church?
& become its one foundation.  St. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, “When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations   as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles & prophets by the Spirit.”  (3:4-5 ESV)   A few verses later, Paul continues:
“To me… this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, & to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church   the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers & authorities in the heavenly places.”  (3:8-10 ESV) 
Why does the wisdom of God need to be made known to the rulers & authorities in the heavenly places?  It’s because those rulers & authorities are not the heavenly beauty you might think them to be.  The heavenly places are the realm of spiritual activity, the unseen universe that lies behind the world we can touch or see or hear. 
It is a multi-layered spiritual realm occupied by good & evil forces doing battle.  That’s in parallel to the war underway on earth.  Powerful forces are at work, opposing & wrestling against us.  Those evil forces, including our own sinful natures, make the Church appear as an ugly old hag, even as the Holy Spirit is working through the Church to accomplish God’s plan. 
Paul wrote, “…that through the church   the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers & authorities in the heavenly places.”  (Ephesians 3:10 ESV)  Paul also wrote, concerning that wisdom of God, in 1 Corinthians 1:
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, & the weakness of God is stronger than men.   For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.   But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low & despised in the world,  even things that are not,  to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”  (1:25-29 ESV)   What could God choose that appears more weak & foolish, more low & despised than the Church? 
It is God’s will that His Church exists in this world,  hidden under the guise of poor sinners,  flawed leaders,  tensions,  divisions, even false teaching.  Through all that, God is able to make known His wisdom to the rulers & authorities in the heavenly places.  For if those who reject the kingdom of God cannot defeat such a broken Church what can they brag about? 
“…the foolishness of God is wiser than men, & the weakness of God is stronger than men.”  (1 Corinthians 1:25 ESV)   The powerful king Herod could not even kill a helpless baby child born to peasants so poor that Jesus spent His 1st night in a manger, in a stable. 
When the circumstances of life cause you to ask, about making it to church, “Why bother?” it is good to remember that behind the world we can touch or see or hear there is an unseen universe.  Through the Church, of which you are a living, breathing part, Christ is reclaiming territory that is rightfully His.  The Gates of Hell cannot prevail against His Church. 
The next time Satan tempts you to focus upon the warts or the sins of the Church, remember that Yahweh chose our foolishness & our weakness purposely that He might shame the strong & the wise.   He does that through having mercy upon us, & through forgiving our sins making us clean & holy in His sight. 
Even in our sins, we need not fear when the other shoe will drop, for Christ came to take our place hanging naked, bloody & dying upon a Roman instrument of execution.  Any mistakes in our bulletins have been paid for.  Our ornery attitudes have been washed away.   Christ has come to connect the dots for you that you might know the joy of being in the Lord’s house. 
Finally, on the Last Day, we will see fully that now unseen realm beyond our senses. 
We will never again ask, “Why am I always the one who has to do this?”   On the Last Day, as the OT reading declared, “you shall see & be radiant;   your heart shall thrill & exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.”  (Isaiah 60:5 ESV)   No more will any of our thoughts, words or deeds be found wanting. 
On the Last Day, all the people throughout the history of the world, will have an Epiphany like never before.  To those who trust in Jesus that Epiphany will be one of ultimate & eternal joy.   To those who rejected trusting in Jesus, that Epiphany will one of dread & horror. 
The Church is the body of Christ, not as a denomination, not as a congregation, not as any particular building or group of people or form of worship.  The Church is an outpost of God’s kingdom here in this corrupted & brutal world.  The Holy Spirit works through the Church to take up & to extend the ministry of Christ. 
Like Jesus hanging on the cross, the church on earth can be an ugly sight.  Yet, through thousands of years of history, Satan has not been able to destroy God’s Church.  He never will.  Amen. 
 
 
Holy Spirit, ever living as the Church’s very life; Holy Spirit, ever striving through us in a ceaseless strife; Holy Spirit, ever forming in the Church the mind of Christ:  You we praise with endless worship for Your gifts & fruits unpriced.    Holy Spirit,  ever working through the Church’s ministry;   quickening, strengthening,  & absolving,  setting captive sinners free;  Holy Spirit,  ever binding  age to age & soul to soul  in communion never ending,  You we worship & extol.  Amen.  LSB 650:2-3.