The Voice of the Lord

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

What is the power of a voice? Something so fragile, that it can be broken by hormones, by sickness, by injury. Something that can be shut up, stopped, silenced without hardly a thought. A voice seems like such a weak and frail thing, and yet a voice can hold great power.

Think of your mother's voice. What do you think of when you think of a mother's voice. With her voice and her words, a mother has the power to soothe just about any hurt. Some of the worst experiences of childhood can be healed by Mommy's words, “It will be okay, dear.” A mother's voice can encourage and lift up even the weakest child to great heights. With the encouragement of a mother, men have been spurred on to accomplish great and mighty things. A mother can love with her words and voice like none other can.

On the other hand, think of what a malevolent voice can do. An enemy can use his voice and his words to insult and disparage you. He can make the gift of speech into the tool of the devil to hurt you, to mock you, to belittle you. Scorn and hate and lies come through the voice. A voice can tear down and destroy. Self-fulfilling prophesies afflict so many. Tell a child that he is slow, fat, ugly, worthless, unloved – abuse his mind in this way long enough, and he will believe it. Words can condemn when uttered in judgment.

In our psalm today, David proclaims, “The voice of the Lord is powerful.” Indeed it is! You heard in the Old Testament lesson just how powerful the voice of the Lord is – that He speaks, and creation leaps into being. “God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light.” The Father utters His Word, that is, He sends forth the Son, and the Word is carried upon His breath, namely His Spirit. As the Son is begotten and the Spirit proceeds, so they accomplish the purpose for which the Father sends them, which is to create and give life. When the Lord speaks, His Word does what He says, always.

Furthermore, what the Lord creates by the power of His Word, He calls good. His voice utters forth upon His creation and says that it is very good. What God has called good, let no man call bad. The Lord creates all things for His good purposes, and He suffers you to use them accordingly.

The voice of the Lord did not cease to resound when He rested on the Sabbath. David declares that the voice of the Lord still goes out, and His Word orders and governs all of creation. His voice shakes the foundations of the earth. His Word shapes the days and times. His Spirit gives life according to His great plan. The Word of the Lord knits together babies in the womb, and at His Word the deer give birth. Just as at His speaking the universe was born, so likewise every child born since. When the Lord speaks, things happen, and what He does is always good.

But not so with you. Out of the mouth of man come all manner of lies, hatred, slander, deceit, and wickedness. Your evil heart has stopped your ears from hearing the life-giving Word of the Lord. His voice, which called you into being, falls upon deaf ears. You disregard what He speaks to you. You mock, profane, and abuse what He has called good. You call good and right what He has not given to you and what He has forbidden you. The Spirit has put good words into your mouth, but you swallow them. Instead, your lips speak reviling and mockery. You fail to speak a good word to those in need. You speak ill of those who have not injured you. You fail to speak peace to those in turmoil. For all this, the voice of the Lord speaks condemnation to you.

The voice of the Lord declares that He desires to seek and to save the lost. He desires not the death of His saints, but that all come to the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of sins. However, in this case, the Lord cannot simply speak the justification of sinners into being. The Word must be enacted.

Therefore, according to the Father's purpose and pleasure, the Word became flesh. The all-powerful Word of the Lord became a man, born of the Virgin Mary, and took on human flesh and blood “for us men and for our salvation.” The Word of the Lord spoken into the ear of Mary accomplished this great mystery, and the Word of the Lord was brought forth from the womb of Mary according to the will of His Father.

This selfsame Word of God, our Savior Jesus Christ, was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. The Word of the Lord entered the waters, which served as a washing away of sins for the masses of humanity. Here, the Great Exchange begins. From the waters, Jesus takes up all that is bound up in the sinful heart of man. The sin, death, and condemnation that are washed off the children of God are taken into the person of Jesus Christ. Your sin is removed by His taking it up. In its place, He imparts His holiness, blessedness, and righteousness to and through that blessed flood. By His Baptism in the Jordan, our Lord hallowed all waters to be a sacred flood for the salvation of mankind, for your salvation.

This Word made flesh then rose up out of the waters of the Jordan and was lifted high upon the cross. He was sacrificed so that by the shedding of His blood, the Word might prove to be true, that the Lord has redeemed His people. The Word of forgiveness hung on the cross, so that the word of forgiveness might ring forth through all the world. He has died, that you might no longer die. He has risen, that you too might rise to newness of life. He has given His Word and Spirit, that you might dwell in them richly.

From the cross, our Lord Christ proclaimed, “It is finished!”, and He gave up His Spirit. He accomplished your salvation by the shedding of His blood, and He delivers it to you by giving you the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to dwell with you and to declare to you the Gifts of God. His Word is your constant companion, as the Spirit speaks Him into your heart and mind and places Him on your lips to speak to others words of blessing and peace.

With that same voice that declared salvation accomplished, the Lord declares you to be righteous for Jesus' sake. The powerful, creative voice of God sounds forth into the darkness and calls you into being, calls you to be His dear child and to live with Him in paradise.

At the foundation of the world, “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” The Spirit broods over the waters as a hen sits on her eggs, to warm and quicken and give life. The Spirit hovers over the waters to create life according to the Word of the Lord. In the beginning, the Spirit hovered over the depths of the void, waiting to proceed forth from the mouth of the Lord to create.

Likewise, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters of the Jordan as Jesus entered them. He came down and alighted upon Jesus, marking Him as the beloved Son, as the Father declares Him to be. He alighted upon the waters sanctified by Christ, to make them a rich, life-giving bath for all who receive them. What once was a symbol of death and destruction is now a sign of life and rebirth.

So also, the Spirit of God hovers over the waters of this font. He alighted upon those waters as they were poured over you, and He imparted the life of Christ to you through them. He calls you up out of the flood and gives you the Gifts of God – forgiveness, life, and salvation. He enters the waters and engraves upon you the Name of God, proclaiming in that watery voice that you are the beloved Son, with you the Father is well-pleased.

The voice of the Lord is indeed powerful. His Word speaks creation into being. His Word orders the stars of the sky and the babies in the womb. His Word bespeaks you righteous and calls you His own. The Spirit of the Lord calls you by the Word of the Lord and makes you a child of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God draws you to Himself, forgives your sins, and establishes you in His holy Church. The Word of the Lord makes ordinary water into a life-giving flood, makes bread and wine into food for your soul. His Word makes it so. God's Word does what He says.

These truths on Jordan's banks were shown

By mighty word and wonder.

The Father's voice from heav'n came down,

Which we do well to ponder:

“This man is My beloved Son,

In whom My heart has pleasure,

Him you must hear, and Him alone,

And trust in fullest measure

The word that He has spoken.” (LSB 406.3)

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.