The SECOND SUNDAY after the EPIPHANY: January 16, 2005
TEXT: "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John
1:29b
Many Christians, particularly those who seem to be most vocal about their
faith, say that in order to be saved one must have a personal relationship
with Jesus, and, therefore, the number one need of a person is to have an
experience with God. I agree. Furthermore, they will tell you that you need
to be born again. And again, I agree. But what is more important, is that
Scripture agrees. In fact that is exactly what John the Baptizer is saying
in our text today, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!"
As Lutherans, we look to Scripture to tell us how we can have that
relationship with God, how we can have an experience with Him – that is,
where we too can "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!" This Lamb of God, anointed by His Father at the blessed hand of John
the Baptizer, comes to people today just as certainly as He came to John at
the Jordan River some 2000 years ago.
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" The Lamb of
God Himself tells us where He can be experienced when He says to His
disciples, as recorded by Matthew in His Gospel, "And I also say to you that
you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of
Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." [Matthew16:18_19]
and again by John, "So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the
Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed
on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. ‘If you forgive the
sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are
retained.’" [John 20:21_23]
It is in Christ’s church that we "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world!" And it is through Christ’s church that we are born again.
For, as we just heard, the very foundation of the church is the proclamation
that Jesus "is the Christ, the Son of the living God" for the forgiveness of
sins [see Matthew 16:16-19 above]; it is by hearing this proclamation that
we believe [Romans 10:17]; and it is in being brought to belief that we are
born again as we heard in the Gospel of John a few short weeks ago – "But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,
to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." [John 1:12_13]
Yes, it is wherever the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified is
proclaimed by the Word and administered by the Sacraments that we experience
God. It is in Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, the preached Word of Christ and
the Lord’s Supper that Jesus dwells among us -- where He establishes and
maintains a most intimate personal relationship with His brothers as sons of
God and coheirs of His kingdom.
Now our friends who would ask us when we were born again, when we first
experienced God, when we first established our personal relationship with
Jesus often take exception to all this talk of Word and Sacrament. They say
it is putting God in a box. And one more time I would agree, and yet again
more importantly Scripture would agree. For Scripture tells us it is God
that puts Himself in a box – a box by which He delivers Christ and the
forgiveness of sins Christ won for all on Calvary to all who would believe
and receive Him.
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" came into the
world in a box of a manger in Bethlehem. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world!" conquered death when He was laid in the box of a
stone cold tomb. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!" is delivered to the world today in the liquid box of Baptism, from
the voice box of called servants in the preached Word and the Absolution,
and oh so lovingly wrapped in the box of His flesh and blood of the Lord’s
Supper.
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" delivers
himself to the world in boxes he calls the priesthood of all believers as
well. Yes your lives and your confession as Baptized, forgiven children of
God are boxes by which God delivers Himself so that all might experience Him
and receive the forgiveness of sins.
Martin Luther, the Reformer of the Church, was asked by his barber
concerning how, he, the barber, could be a better
'witness...confessor.....faithful Christian...' Luther answered, "be the
best barber you can be." Klemet Preus, an LCMS pastor puts it this way, "The
true key to Christian outreach is for Christians to confess the faith and
live their vocations." Confessing the faith -- that is, repeating to our
neighbor what Baptism, the spoken Word of forgiveness of sins in Christ, and
Holy Communion has revealed to us in our relationship with Jesus -- is the
one vocation all Christians have in common. And this is no task or duty. It
is the fruit of the Spirit who lives within us, it is "the good work which
God prepared beforehand that we should walk in [it]." [Eph 2:10 NKJ] Being
the best you can be at whatever you are doing, and that means serving your
neighbor for his benefit, is the wrapping of good works God puts on the box
to invite others to see the precious gift of Christ who lives in you.
In His book, The Fire and the Staff, Pastor Preus tells this story about one
of his parishoners:
<Begin story>
Peggy was a very nice woman, a mother of two little children, who believed
very strongly that people needed to be told about Jesus. She joined the
evangelism team at the church and every Wednesday night she would come to
church ready to make calls on prospective members. Peggy was one of those
people who was always late. She would rush in at 7:45 P.M., harried and
disorganized, while the evangelism training had started at 7:30. Everyone
said that her heart was in the right place. One day after a Lenten service
she asked if she could talk to me privately. As soon as I closed the door to
my office, tears started rolling down her face. I asked her why she was
crying and what was troubling her. "I can’t do evangelism anymore."
"That’s okay. You can take a break from that if you want. What happened?"
"It’s my husband," she sobbed. "He just doesn’t care about my church. Jack
knows I have to do evangelism on Wednesdays, and he went and scheduled work
that night. He knows we can’t afford a babysitter. So unless I bring my
kids, I can’t do evangelism. I signed up and gave a commitment. Now I feel
guilty because he just doesn’t care."
"Why do you feel guilty?"
Pastor, you know why. Telling people about Jesus is the most important thing
you can do. It’s certainly more important than his work schedule. And if I
don’t tell them, I’m not doing the most important thing I can do. That’s why
I feel guilty."
I thought for a couple of seconds, then said, "Peggy, you’re right. Telling
people about Jesus is the most important thing. So I’ve got an idea. I know
a way you can tell people about Jesus and still allow your husband to work
the extra night." She looked skeptical. "Don’t think about telling strangers
about Jesus. Just take the evening and tell your kids. Read Bible stories to
your kids. Which is better, Peggy, having a little influence on many people
or being the single most profound and positive influence on two precious
little children and the husband you love?"
"But, Pastor," she protested, "evangelism is the way that I want to be
involved in church. jack doesn’t want me in church. Aren’t I supposed to be
involved?"
"Peggy, your involvement in church is to listen to God’s Word. Be here
Sunday morning and bring the kids with you. If Jack gives you grief about
that, come back and we’ll talk some more. But on Wednesdays, stay home. Love
your kids and tell them about Jesus. The Bible never says that you are
supposed to be ‘involved’ in church. It says that you are to listen to God,
to train your children, and to honor your husband. It sounds like you have
enough pressures without feeling guilty about not doing evangelism. God does
not consider you guilty."
So Peggy went home. She slowed down and smiled more. Her kids came to Sunday
school. I don’t know if her husband will ever become a Christian. But she is
still an "evangelist." her husband is the chief recipient of her confession
of Christ.
<end story>
Who is the chief recipient of your confession of Christ? Who CAN be the
chief recipient of your confession of Christ so that the testimony of Christ
[may be] confirmed in you, as Paul says in our Epistle? In your various
vocations, who can you serve so that one day that person might want to
unwrap the box and hear your confession – "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world!"?
Be ready for that day. Receive that which you are to confess often here in
the Divine Service. Meditate and study that which you are to confess often
in personal and corporate Bible Study. Pray that which you are to confess
often, those chief teachings of the church contained in the Small
Catechism -- for as the Lord’s Prayer shows us, prayer is nothing more than
confessing back to God what He has first revealed to us. This will all
prepare you to "always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a
reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." (1 Pet 3:15
NKJ)
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" in your
Baptism.
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" in the
Absolution of the Divine Service and Private Confession.
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" in the
preached Word.
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" in the Lord’s
Supper.
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" in your life.
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" -- in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
___________________________________________________________________________
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