Sermon for Lent 1

A sermon preached at Trinity-Mount Rainier on the First Sunday in Lent, February 22, 2015.

Tempted and Tested
Readings Appointed
(Genesis 22:1-18; James 1:12-18; Mark 1:9-15)

Last Wednesday, the Church began its 40 day journey towards the celebration of Easter.  And in the Church’s tradition, this first Sunday in the Lenten Season recalls the prototype of our Lenten fast: the 40 days spent in the wilderness by our Lord Jesus after His Baptism, when He was tempted by the devil.  Often, when we recall this event, we do so thinking of the way this event was reported by Matthew and Luke in their Gospels, where Satan tempts Jesus three times, and through the use of the Word of God, Jesus wins the day over the devil and his desire to derail the mission of the Redeemer.

This year in which the Gospel of Mark is our main companion on our journey through the Christian cycle of the seasons, the Evangelist gives us a slightly different take on Jesus’ temptation—only telling us about in in two verses, and without much detail.  Even so, Mark’s account of what happened during Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, along with the other readings which have been appointed for this day help us to reflect not just on Jesus and His temptation, which He underwent for us, but to see ourselves in these words and to discover how our Lord is with us in every time of trial and temptation and aids us in having and gaining the victory.

In the Epistle, Saint James exhorts his hearers to stand firm in the moment of temptation, reminding them that the source of temptation is never God, “for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.”  Remembering Dr. Luther’s explanation to the petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation”, Luther quotes James word for word that God is not, nor can be, our tempter.  Yet, looking at today’s Old Testament and Gospel Readings, one might think that this might not be true.

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Sermon for Ash Wednesday

A sermon preached at Trinity-Mount Rainier on Ash Wednesday, the First Day of Lent, February 18, 2015. It is part of Trinity’s Lenten Series, “The Parables of Lent”.

Receive Justification
Luke 18:9-14
(Other Readings Appointed: Daniel 9:16-19; 1 Peter 5:6-11)

On this Ash Wednesday, we enter into these holy 40 days of reflection on the great gifts of love and grace that our God has given to the believing world through the redeeming work of His Son, Jesus Christ.  So we walk with our Lord Jesus in this season, faithfully following in His steps through His life, to His cross, and rising with Him to the new life that He has purchased and won for us who believe that we may live with Him and our Heavenly Father both now and forever.

During this Lenten Journey, our traveling companion will be some of the Parables which our Lord Jesus told as He went about preaching and teaching those who heard Him—both then and now—about the life of grace which He came to give to us.  And as we enter into this holy season of repentance, the Parable we have heard proclaimed to us tonight helps to set the stage for this sacred time and how we go about our following the Savior in these 40 days and throughout our life.

Tonight’s Parable, as well as what some of the actions of this day, point out clearly to us a very uncomfortable truth: we aren’t as good or as perfect as we think we are.  Entering into Lent, we do so confessing what is the real truth about ourselves: we are sinners, filled with great errors against God and our neighbor committed in thought, word, and deed.  We are people who, because of our sin, are destined towards the grave and to return to the dust of the earth.  In and of ourselves, there really is no hope for us and there is nothing good within us.

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Sermon for the Transfiguration of Our Lord

A sermon written for the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, February 15, 2015.  It was not preached at Trinity-Mount Rainier as service was cancelled owing to the extreme cold temperatures on this day, but it is provided here as a devotional for those who wish it.

Behold His Glory
Mark 9:2-9
(Other Readings Appointed: 2 Kings 2:1-12; 2 Corinthians 3:12-13; 4:1-6)

As the Epiphany Season comes to an end today, it does so “in a blaze of glory” with the celebration of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus.  This event in the life of our Lord is very important, especially as it is, albeit to a small, closed group, the revelation of Who precisely Jesus is—not merely a man, but the very Son of God who shares in all the glory and divine majesty of God.  So along with Peter, James, and John, we too declare, “Lord, it is good that we are here”; for we too are taken up in this vision’s glory and rejoice to know more fully this Jesus and to see His kingship and His kingdom revealed to us.

Yet, as we look at the placement of this event both in the Gospels and in the Church’s liturgical year, we make an interesting discovery.  If the revelation of Jesus’ kingship and kingdom is at the heart of the event of Jesus’ Transfiguration, then why does it take place now?  It seems that this revelation of Who Jesus is would be the climax of His story, yet it happens sort of in the middle of everything.  And if this was really what Jesus’ life and ministry was leading up to, and if it was indeed so important, why would Jesus warn his disciples who saw it to say nothing about it to anyone?

Yes, Jesus’ Transfiguration was indeed a moment of glory, giving us a glimpse of Who Jesus truly is and allowing us to have a sense of what is to come for the believing child of God when we do finally come to behold our Savior in all of His glory in the kingdom of God.  But that is precisely all that this event is: a glimpse.  This is not the end of the story.  The kingdom of God has not yet fully arrived.  And most certainly, even for all the rarified air of that mountaintop, this is not heaven.

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Sermon for Epiphany 5

A sermon preached at Trinity-Mount Rainier on the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, February 8, 2015.

The Liberating Gospel
Readings Appointed
Isaiah 40:21-31; 1 Corinthians 9:16-27; Mark 1:29-39

As we draw close to the end of this Epiphany Season, we conclude today our journey through the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as it is found in Mark’s Gospel.  Mark began his account by saying that this was “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ”.  The word “Gospel” means “good news”, and the Good News which Jesus came to bring was the announcement that the kingdom of God was near.  And we have seen that Good News in action as Jesus not only spoke this message, but also demonstrated it as he healed the sick and drove out demons.  This kingdom that Jesus proclaimed was certainly a kingdom of power, and Jesus was willing to show that power in both word and deed.

Looking at Jesus’ proclamation of the arrival of the kingdom of God, we, along with those who first heard this message, might well wonder what all of this is about.  What is this kingdom?  What is it for?  And what does it bring to those who become a part of it.  In many ways, all of these questions are answered by answering the final question.  The kingdom of God that has come in Christ is all about bringing to those who come to it the gift of perfect and total liberation and freedom from the power of sin, death, and the devil.

Believing in Jesus, we know that the freedom which He won for us by His life, death, and resurrection are indeed our greatest and most precious treasure.  And even before we see Jesus on the cross, we see in events like that of today’s Gospel how our Lord showed the sure and certain defeat of Satan’s power over the children of God’s creating.  Jesus disarmed the power of sin’s consequence as He healed the sick and drove out demons from the possessed, showing that Satan could no longer have his hold over the ones that God has claimed to be His own both now and forever.  The Good News which Jesus proclaimed both in word and in deed declared the beginning of a new creation—a world which would return to its Creator and a creation which would live in and reflect its Creator’s intent.

All of this is certainly good news.  Yet, even as we hear it, we may well wonder, “So what.”  Yes, Jesus has brought to the world a message of Good News that provides all who hear and believe it with a new and lasting way of life.  Yes, Jesus brings healing and freedom to those who have been captive to the power of sin, death, and the devil.  Yes, the Good News brings liberation to those who have come into and live with Him in the kingdom of God.  But, now that we have been liberated and we know what we have been freed from, what exactly are we free for?

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Sermon for Epiphany 4

A sermon preached at Trinity-Mount Rainier on the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, February 1, 2015

Marking Turf
Mark 1:21-28
(Other Readings Appointed: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13)

Long before Twitter and Facebook made it electronically popular, “tagging” has long been a part of life in urban areas.  Growing up in DC, I have memories of seeing all of the different graffiti tags that “adorned” many walls around the city.  Some of these tags were pretty innocent, once you got past the idea that the vandalism it caused was not the primary intent.  These were the marks left by “Cool Disco Dan” and others like him who were just trying to make a name for themselves in the urban lore of our town.  Others were marks left by those who wanted to show their love for their favorite go-go artists.

But then there was and is the “dark side” of such tagging.  These are the marks left by the various gangs and crews who used these signs as their way of marking their turf.  These signs were to show those who understood them that this place was controlled by a particular gang and that trespassing on it by a rival gang would not be tolerated.  It was a statement about who belonged in this place and who needed to watch out if they chose to pass through this territory.

As I read through today’s Gospel, I noticed that the words and actions of our Lord Jesus were not unlike the declaration of a “turf war” of sorts.  Last Sunday, Jesus began His ministry of teaching and preaching, announcing that “the kingdom of God is at hand.”  Such a declaration must have seemed surprising to many, especially when such words spoke of the coming of the Messiah whom so many were waiting with eager expectation so that they and the nation of Israel might be freed from those who occupied and oppressed them.

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