The Blind Servant

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the ancient world, and even into the middle ages, to be blind left open a peculiar set of employment options. Two jobs often reserved for blind men were poet and prophet/priest. In many cults of the past, the prophet or priest or seer was often blind. It was thought that a blind prophet had his power to see the physical world replaced with an ability to foresee the future, or to see the will of the gods.

The blind poet is a stock figure in history. Legend has it that the great Greek poet Homer was blind, as well as John Milton, James Joyce, and several other significant writers throughout history. Church history even has its own blind bard, if you will – the fourth-century Alexandrian theologian Didymus the Blind, known for his incredible memory and stirring theological insights. The archetype of the blind poet assumes that because one has been deprived of the physical sense of sight, the eye of the mind is opened to other ways of thinking and processing, and thus new forms of creativity.

Today's Old Testament lesson speaks of the blind and deaf servant of the Lord.

God Has A Mom

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It is fitting that we should pause in our Lenten observance, these nine months before Christmas, and contemplate the joy of our Lord’s Annunciation. For it is God’s good and gracious will that those who are humbled and fatigued by the grief of penitence and who mourn deeply for their sins, might be consoled by the Word and promise of God whose Son, born of Mary, takes away the sins of the world.

The angel sent from God comforted Mary with these words: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”

He promised more than a Son to the Virgin. In this, he also promised pardon to the guilty, redemption to the captives, and opening of the prison to them that are bound. He announced the Kingdom of the Son and in that Kingdom the glory of the righteous and the reward of faith. The Name Jesus – The Lord who saves – is the terror of Hell and the joy of Heaven.

Water and Marriage

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today you have heard about the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Like most of the vignettes in the Gospels, a great deal of ink has been spilled in attempting to tease out the meaning and significance of this account.

The structure of this account bears striking similarities to the account of Abraham's servant seeking out Rebekah for marriage to Isaac. Only here the bridegroom is not the far-off son of an unknown master, but the Great Bridegroom Himself, the very Son of God, only-begotten of His Father from all eternity. And the Bride is not just one beautiful woman, but the one most desirable to the Bridegroom – the bride whom He has washed clean and sanctified by His own blood and with His innocent suffering and death.

Today, our Lord gives us a lesson in the importance of the Church.

An Example of Trust

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Thus sings David, and thus the Church of God lives. What refuge is there for the man of God but to trust in God at all times?

Today, the Church calendar provides us with an example of what it means to trust in God at all times. St. Joseph was a just man and faithful to the Law of Moses. He was honorable and righteous, and he sought to do the right thing. He was betrothed to the Virgin Mary, and was willing to do for her according to the Law and the customs of their people. And Joseph no doubt expected her to live up to her end of the contract also. So it should come as no surprise to you that he was knocked for a loop when “she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”

What is an honorable man to do when him fiancee is found to be with child, and he is certain that it cannot be his, since they have not known one another? He would have been within his rights to stone her for fornication, or at least certainly to divorce her publicly and smear her name irretrievably. But “Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” From this, the Church has often inferred that Joseph did genuinely love the Blessed Virgin, that he would not seek the full measure of the Law's justice upon her.

But did he trust her word, about the origins of the child she was carrying? Would you?

Signs and Idols

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Of ourselves we have no strength.” We make this confession in the appointed Collect for today. And indeed, we have no strength. Neither you nor I have any strength in us to do anything useful. Our wills are corrupted and our bodies are weak and feeble. We live in a dying world, among the walking dead. Of ourselves we have no strength, because of ourselves we are dead.

One of the things for which you have no strength is resisting temptation. Even the regenerate man, the person baptized into Christ and marked with the Name of the Lord, still faces temptation, and more often than not gives in to it. Today's Gospel lesson alludes to a great temptation – the temptation of images and signs.

On one hand, there is the temptation toward idolatry. Depicting God in any form, even the face of Jesus Christ, runs the risk of creating an idol, an object of worship, or at least dependence. This is why the Reformed traditions reject all forms of church art or visual depictions of God. They assert that to depict God in any way, shape, or form is to diminish His glory, because the glory of God is beyond the capacity for human beings to represent. Furthermore, they assert that to depict Jesus in visual form is to rob Him of His divinity, because the divine cannot be expressed in visual terms. Finally, the Reformed claim that God commands His people to worship Him and to deal with Him only in Word and Spirit, and that to depict Him visually is a direct disobeying of this edict.

Light and Shelter

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? With these words, God tenderly invites us to trust in Him for hope and salvation, just as David did. Since the Lord is your light and salvation and your refuge, what have you to fear?

When you might be assailed by fear and temptation, remember these words, and then remember your Baptism. In Holy Baptism, you were marked with the sign of the holy cross upon your forehead and upon your heart. You were engraved with the Name of the Lord God Almighty, and your name was inscribed in the Book of Life. Your salvation is secure, therefore. Fear not; who can harm you now?

Remember what happens in the Rite of Baptism.

Coyote in a Trap

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Coyotes are known for being tenacious and relatively fearless creatures. They are also obsessively stubborn in the pursuit of something they want. One peculiar characteristic of the coyote is how he will react to being caught in a trap. It has long been known that if a coyote is caught in a trap, he will do anything to escape, even down to gnawing off his own foot or leg in order to get free. Of course, that more than likely means that he will die of blood loss, infection, or starvation. But he will die free! A friend told me that he has never caught a coyote minus a foot, but he has often found severed feet in a trap.

Between last week and today, a line has been crossed. We have entered from the blissful season of Epiphany into the penitential season of Lent. And another line has been crossed in today's Gospel lesson. Jesus, fresh out of the waters of the Jordan where He was baptized by John, is immediately driven out into the wilderness to fast and to be tempted by the devil.

Notice that there is no lolly-gagging about at the Jordan. No party, no cake, no massive to-do or society debut. Right upon the heels of Baptism, Jesus begins to suffer and to be tempted by the devil. The trap has snapped shut. There is no turning back, if there ever was anyhow.

Rend Your Hearts

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This past Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord. We were privileged to have the heavens opened and the voice of God speak to us. We saw the face of our Lord bright and shining as the sun. And now the heavens are shut up tight.

Epiphany is a season of having the gates of heaven flung open to the whole world. The Lord of Hosts is here. And now we enter in to the season of Lent, where the doors are closed. The way is barred. The gates are locked. You may not enter heaven, not even in a vision. You may not hear the song of the angels. No glory resounds in the sky now. Mankind may not enter into heaven, but must remain on earth. You must sit beside the waters of Babylon, weeping for your sins and praying for a Redeemer. Mourn for yourselves, for your children, for the consequences of your sin. Transfiguration is over; today is Ash Wednesday.

"And Our Redemption See"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

'Tis good, Lord, to be here!

Thy glory fills the night;

Thy face and garments, like the sun,

Shine with unborrowed light (LSB 414.1).

So goes the first stanza of the familiar hymn written for the Feast of the Transfiguration, which we celebrate here today. And indeed, 'tis good, Lord, to be here!

It is good to be in this place, in the presence of the Lord, to hear and see the Lord of Hosts display His glory for His creatures to see, even if for a brief moment in time. The glory of the Lord fills the night and shines out through the day, eclipsing even the sun itself in His brightness and radiance. The face of our Lord Christ shines with truly unborrowed light, light more pure than even that of our brightly-burning star. Our Lord's garments are transfigured to be as white as snow, whiter than any fuller's soap or laundress' bleach could hope to get them.

This is the glory of the Lord on display for the people of God to see. This is the Word made flesh who dwells among us, just as St. John declares. In His face we see the glory of the immortal, invisible Father in heaven, whom no one has seen, whom no one may see and live. In the light of Christ, we see light. In His radiant face we behold the glory of the Father, full of grace and truth. In this brightly beaming face, we see the radiance of grace and mercy, the countenance of God which He is pleased to lift up upon us, the face which He makes to shine upon us, being gracious to us and showing His steadfast love to us.

'Tis good, Lord, to be here,

Thy beauty to behold

Where Moses and Elijah stand,

Thy messengers of old (LSB 414.2).

It is good to be here, to sit at the foot of the mountain and see our Lord holding converse nigh with Moses and Elijah. Our Lord shines with grace and mercy in the company of the Law and the Prophets. Everything that has been foretold about our Lord is coming to pass. The plan of salvation is coming to fruition.

But what in the world is going on? Why is Jesus metamorphosized? Why do none of the holy evangelists explain the significance of the account they narrate? Our Lord even commands His apostles not to tell anyone about what they have seen or heard until after His passion and resurrection. Why? “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” (Luke 16:29).

It is good to see our Lord transfigured on the mountaintop. There is nothing wrong with catching a hint of the glory of the Lord to be revealed in the great and latter day of the Lord. But the glory of the Lord knocks Peter, James, and John flat on their faces. They are blinded and bewildered, and utterly terrified.

That is the same reaction the people of Israel had when Moses came back from talking with the Lord on Mount Sinai. His face glowed from being in the presence of the Lord, and the people were frightened. Why? Because the presence of the Lord is an awful place for sinners to be. Because even being in the presence of Moses and Elijah is enough to still a beating heart.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.” (Rev. 2:7) You have the Law and the Prophets. You even have the Evangelists and the Apostles. Listen to them. Hear the Word of the Lord. Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the Holy Scriptures. The Word of the Lord is revealed in the sacred writings. You have these before you always. Listen to them.

The three disciples saw Jesus and they fell on their faces. And yet, Peter got up and said, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If You wish, I will make three tents here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” St. Luke adds the editorial comment here: “He did not know what he was saying.”

The Father gives instructions to the apostles – “Listen to Him!” Listen to Jesus, and not “cleverly devised myths” (2 Peter 1:16). Listen to the Word of God, which is open and public and clear. You cannot stay on the mountaintop. The “Rocky Mountain High” wears off, and then you have to find something concrete and solid upon which to rest your faith.

If you want to see Jesus, then look where He is to be found. Look where you find Moses and Elijah, where you find Malachi and Matthew, where you find John and Jeremiah. Look in the Scriptures. For the Scriptures testify of Christ. The occasional mountaintop experience is not all it's cracked up to be, because sooner or later the sun sets and it gets cold up there on the hill.

You have the Law and the Prophets. Listen to them! Satan has been working very hard for a very long time at getting the children of man to listen to him, to the wind – to pretty much anything but the Word of the Lord. And it works, too – an awful lot of the time. Eve listened to the serpent's hissing instead of the Word of the Lord, and Adam listened to her.

The trouble is that the Word of the Lord speaks loudly and clearly regarding the will of the Lord for you. Sometimes the Word of God is harsh. Sometimes He says that you cannot have what you want. He says that your neighbor's wife and his things and his life are not yours, so keep your hands and your eyes to yourself. He says that your brother's good name and reputation are gifts from God, so help him to protect and improve them. He says that all life is a gift from God, in whatever form and on whatever timetable it comes along, so support and encourage those in peril of life and limb.

Peter, James, and John should have counted themselves fortunate to be able to witness the transfiguration of our Lord, and live to tell about it. There was not even any blood shed on the occasion. When Moses and the elders of Israel went up on the mountain to speak with God, they first had to be covered in the blood of the covenant.

For without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. And without the forgiveness of sins there is no way for a sinful human being to be in the presence of the Lord. But then, of course, the apostles did not voluntarily enter into the presence of the Lord.

Fulfiller of the past

And hope of things to be,

We hail Thy body glorified

And our redemption see (LSB 414.3).

Moses and Elijah appear at our Lord's side, the icons of the Law and the Prophets, the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the former covenant which is passing away – although not being abolished or abrogated. They appear to testify to the person and work of our Lord, just as the voice of the Father from heaven identifies Him as the Beloved Son. Moses and Elijah are the types of what would come after them. They are the patterns which will be filled in later with the thing itself. They are the signs which point to the Man Himself.

And so they come to testify to Jesus as the fulfiller of the past and the hope of the future. They stand at the side of Christ to hail Him as the glorified and transfigured Lord. And so the apostles fall on their faces, blinded by the glory of the Lord revealed in the face, yea the whole body, of our Lord Christ. The apostles are blinded by the transfiguration of our Lord, and yet this is just the opening act of His trip to another mountain – Mount Calvary. They see the glorified body of Jesus, but that body has not yet accomplished their salvation. Rest assured, however – they will see the Lord's Christ high and lifted up in glory.

Before we taste of death,

We see Thy kingdom come;

We long to hold the vision bright

And make this hill our home (LSB 414.4).

Indeed, before Peter, James, and John tasted death, they saw the Kingdom of Heaven come to earth. They saw what was prefigured in Moses and Elijah, and what was presaged by the Transfiguration. They saw the Lord Jesus Christ high and lifted up, not in radiant splendor upon the throne of heaven, but in ignominy and shame upon the cross. They saw the vision bright in the midst of the deep darkness – our Lord Jesus Christ crucified and dead upon the cross for us men and for our salvation. They saw not the fleeting radiance of the Transfiguration, but the everlasting glory of God revealed in His all-merciful act of shedding His blood for you, for the forgiveness of your sins.

We may long to hold the bright vision of the Transfiguration in our minds and make that mountain our home, but that is not the way things work. Visions do not create faith, nor do they forgive sins. Visions merely give us a glimpse into the reality that God has already revealed. We do not make the Transfiguration mount our home, because God is no longer there. For this same reason, we do not make pilgrimages or maintain holy shrines. You do not take a vacation to go visit God.

You do not go to God, because He comes to you. He comes to you in His Word, and He comes clothed in His Church. St. Augustine once wrote, “His garments are a type of His Church. For garments, unless held up by the one having donned them, fall.” The Church stands and falls not on visions and mountaintop booths, but on the Word of God and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For it is this, and none other, that forgives sins, restores life, and promises eternal salvation to all who believe, as the words and promises of God declare.

'Tis good, Lord, to be here!

Yet we may not remain;

But since Thou bidst us leave the mount,

Come with us to the plain (LSB 414.5).

It was good for Peter, James, and John to witness the Transfiguration. It is good for you to have the Spirit at work in your heart. But you may not remain within these walls forever, any more than those three could remain on that mountaintop. You may not remain, because life goes on, because the Church is in motion to serve a world in chaos.

But since our Lord bids us leave the tranquility of the mountaintop and the safety of the sanctuary, He feeds and clothes us for the journey forth. He spreads a table before you in the sight of your enemies and feeds you with overflowing cup and abundant plate. He feeds you with food better than anything served to Moses and Elijah. For which of the prophets was ever blessed to eat and drink the very Body and Blood of our Lord? He fortifies you with this food and drink, that you may be strengthened in faith and enlivened by the forgiveness of your sins. And He clothes you with His robe of righteousness, so that you may be well-dressed for the work of mercy which He sets before you. It is no longer you who live, but Christ lives in you.

Look to the hills, whence comes your help. Look up, and see the glorious vision of your redemption. You will not see the bright, beaming face of Transfiguration, but the bloody and bruised face of Calvary, now crowned with glory and risen with healing and salvation for you, and for all people. Fix your eyes on this Jesus, and see no other.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

+ Donald A. Flugge +

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Donald Flugge was not what you might call an “easy to get along with” person. He liked to argue, about pretty much anything. He had his ideas and his opinions, and he enjoyed verbal sparring with anyone who would come out and sit and talk with him. I once spent three hours in his living room, arguing with him, and and the end of it, we got up, laughed about the whole thing, and I went home. Once Don's mind was made up about something, come hell or high water, you were not going to change it.

In many ways that tenacious quality of Don's personality may have been a source of annoyance or frustration to his family and friends. But there is one place in which that tenacity served Don well, and which would serve us well in his memory. Don was stalwart in his profession of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Through the ups and downs, through the good days and the bad days, Don knew that his Redeemer lives and that the Lord's promises to him held true, no matter what. It is this that brought today's Scripture readings to my mind.