A sermon for Transfiguration Sunday
Matthew 17:1-9; Second Peter 1:16-19
In this season of Epiphany we remember that the Lord works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. We are coming out of winter, the darkest time of the year. We celebrate the coming of the light. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). During this season the light has been increasing. Soon it will explode.
John 1:1-18
A sermon for the Season of Epiphany
In Hamlet Polonius comes to Hamlet and asks him: “What are you reading?” And Hamlet says: “Words, words, words.” What are words?
The Gospel of John 1:1 states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14 reads: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only son of the Father.” Two words are central, “Word” and “glory.”
A sermon on the sacraments for the Season of Epiphany
Matt 5:13-20
The gospel lesson is pretty tough. We are to be salt of the earth, light to the peoples, and we’re to keep every tiny detail of the law and commandments. It says every jot and tittle. That’s the same as saying we must dot every “I” and cross every “t.” We must keep every commandment. At the end of Matthew 5:48, it says: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That’s referring to Leviticus 11:44-45. It is also found in 1 Peter 1:15-16: “He who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written: ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
Note that it doesn’t say you are to do the best you can. “After all, we’re only human, what can we do?” It says: “Be holy the way God is holy.” The Old Testament text, Isaiah 58:1-9, says the same.
I Corinthians 10:16-17, 12:12-27
A sermon on the Lord’s Supper for the Season of Epiphany
In this season of Epiphany we’ve been looking at how God works practically, how he works though his Word. Last week it was Baptism and today it’s the Lord’s Supper. In order to deal properly with the Lord’s Supper, communion, Eucharist, it is important to go to the baseline: God became a human being and died and rose again for you and me.
A sermon on Baptism for the Season of Epiphany
2 Kings 5:1-14; Romans 6:5
After we have celebrated a Baptism, we ask ourselves: “What did we do?” It didn’t take very long. Only a few minutes. There was speaking and a candle.
In the Small Catechism Luther asks: “How can water do such great things?” That’s why this account in 2 Kings about this General in Syria is so useful here. It’s important to remember how Naaman had leprosy. That was a terrible disease. He was the Commanding General of the Army, and there was nothing he could do about it. But Naaman’s wife had a little slave girl from Israel, and she said to her mistress: “Why don’t they go to the prophet in Israel? He could heal him.”