FEBRUARY 14, 2010  SERMON ARCHIVE

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ! AMEN

In today’s Gospel, Peter was thrilled to be there with Jesus in the warmth and light of the Transfiguration. Peter wanted to make the sensation last for as long as possible:

"Master, it is good that we are here!"

Yet even "as he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them."

Suddenly the worship service was no longer warm and welcoming. It was a little chilly, somewhat darker or drearier than it seemed like the worship of Christ should have been, "and they were afraid."

Dear Christian friends,

Think about the various expectations and desires a person might have when he or she comes to worship here with us. Stop.

Think about the various expectations and desires you might have when you come to worship here with us.
.....Do YOU come here looking for a sense of comfort and peace, especially after a week or month of contention and strife;
.....Do YOU come here looking for relief from your burden of guilt or yourr constant sorrow;
.....Do You come here wanting to be energized by worship, in order have strength to face the serious challenges of the week ahead;
.....Do You come here wanting a sense of belonging or inclusion or membership in a community;
.....Do YOU come here seeking a sense of purpose or fulfillment in life;
.....Do YOU come here looking for a shoulder to cry on;
.....Do YOU come here simply wanting to feel as though you have had a chance to be with God for a while.

Please do not misunderstand me.

I am not speaking negatively about any of the expectations or desires that people, that you, might bring with you to worship.

Each of these things is truly a good reason to come to worship—nearly as good as God’s command itself, that you remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it Holy.

I really do not mind what you motivations are for coming, so long as your motivations succeed in bringing you here. In all of this world, there is nothing more essential for your own life and well being than what happens to you here in this place, in this room, in this sanctuary.

There is only one reason why I have offered you these examples of expectations and desires people might bring to worship. I want you to see how easy it is for you to feel disappointed by what you find here. Think of it from their point of view:

· People come here looking for comfort and peace. What do they get? Words. Words written out on bulletins and read back and forth between pastor and people.

· People come here looking for relief from guilt or sorrow. What do they get? Words. A guy that does not even know them tells them he forgives them all their sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

· People come here wanting to be energized to face the challenges of the week ahead. What do they get? Words. Many of those words are the same as the words they heard last week.

· People come here wanting a sense of belonging or inclusion or membership in a community; seeking a sense of purpose or fulfillment in life; simply wanting a shoulder to cry on. All these different needs are met with one and the same response: Words.

· People come here wanting simply to feel as though they have been with God for a while. You guessed it. What do they get? Words, just like everyone else.

In today’s Gospel, God our heavenly Father gives two pictures of worship to His dear child Peter. The first picture of worship is the worship service that measures up to everything Peter could ever expect and desire it would be.

As he [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. … And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah"— not knowing what he said.

And then God shattered the picture for Peter.

God replaced this first, thrilling picture of worship with a second picture, a picture that does not come anywhere close to what Peter might expect and desire. God did not waste any time changing scenes, either:

As he [Peter] was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!" And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

God your heavenly Father made no mistakes in this Gospel. Knowing Peter even better than Peter knew Peter; knowing even better than Peter what Peter needs, the Father set aside His congregation’s expectations and desires in order to do the one and only thing He wants to do in any worship service.

God the Father focused the congregation’s eyes on Jesus, His Son. More to the point, your heavenly Father focused Peter’s attention on Jesus WORDS: "Listen to Him!"

Think of this analogy: A person might go to his or her doctor and say, "Doctor, I do not feel well. I need thus-and-such medication." But the doctor, after a careful examination, will respond, "No, you do not need thus-and-such medication. You need this other medication instead."

Or another analogy: A child might say to his mother, "I need a doughnut for breakfast." The mother, knowing her child better than the child can imagine, responds, "No, you do not need a doughnut. You need an egg."

Tell me: were the expectations and desires of the patient and the child invalid or unreal, simply because their desires were not filled in the manner expected? Of course not.

Both the patient and the child each have someone who knows them and who cares for them and who will lovingly provide what is truly needed—even at the risk of making patient or child feel disappointed. In either case, the gift given far exceeds the gift hoped for.

So it is with God your heavenly Father, who says personally to you, "I have called you by name, you are Mine" (Isaiah 43:1). If you who are earthly fathers "know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:9)

God knows your expectations and desires for worship just as well as He knew Peter’s in today’s Gospel.

God has packaged into Words everything you need to bear your burden and to face your struggle.

In the Words of Jesus—spoken to you, poured out for you, or served into your mouth—in the Words of Jesus God delivers to you health and strength and forgiveness and life. "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to HIM!"

Dear friends, keep coming to worship, and keep bringing your expectations and desires. In all of world, there is nothing more essential for your life than what happens to you here in this room.

· Do you seek peace? Jesus will deliver His peace to you through His Words. He does this in the Benediction every Sunday: Trust that you have it, even if you do not feel peaceful within yourself. "Listen to Him."

· Do you seek relief from guilt? Jesus will deliver His forgiveness to you in the absolution every Sunday. All your sins are forgiven. Trust that they are forgiven, even if you should continue to feel guilty. "Listen to Him."

· Do you seek strength for the coming week? Jesus deliver His strength to you in His Words and in His Holy Communion every Sunday, "This is My body… this is My blood," He can certainly handle your boss, clients and coworkers. "Listen to Him."

· Do you seek inclusion or membership in a community? Jesus reaffirms His promise and commitment to you with the invocation every Sunday, where He returns you to your Baptismal adoption "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." In your Baptism Jesus has given you many shoulders upon which you may lean or weep. "Listen to Him."

What is it that you seek?

What do you wish to receive from worship?

Peter wanted the brightness and the light. God gave Him the cloud and the less-than- beautiful Jesus (Isaiah 53:2).

Setting aside His congregation’s perceived expectations and desires, your heavenly Father focused the congregation’s eyes on Jesus, and specifically, on Jesus’ WORDS.

Where Jesus’ WORDS are, there Jesus also is. "‘This is My Son, My Chosen One. Listen to Him; Listen to Him." God your heavenly Father wants you to know in today’s Gospel that listening to Jesus is what worship is all about—no matter what your need. Listening to Jesus is where you truly receive the benefits of God and the fulfillment of your every need—including those needs that might not feel very fulfilled even after you have listened to Jesus.

Christ is risen.

AMEN