Category: Sermon Page

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 5, 2023

“Let Your Light Shine before Others” (Matthew 5:13-20)

In the Holy Gospel for today, from Matthew chapter 5, Jesus says to his disciples, “You are the light of the world.” But elsewhere in the gospels, Jesus says about himself, “I am the light of the world.” So, which is it, Jesus? Are you the light of the world, or are we? And the answer is . . . yes. Both are true, each in its own way. Jesus is the light of the world in a unique, one-of-a-kind sense. And we are the light of the world by extension, as his disciples. Jesus addresses us as such, when he says, “You are the light of the world.” Therefore, as Christ’s disciples, “Let Your Light Shine before Others.”

First of all, let’s establish where our light comes from. It comes from Jesus, from him alone. He is the true light, coming into the world. In ourselves, apart from Christ, there is no light at all, only darkness. That is our nature as sinners. We are in the dark. In the dark about God. In the dark about ourselves. In the dark about the meaning and purpose of life. In the dark about what the future holds for us beyond this life. This darkness pervades and permeates our being, so that we do not walk in the ways of God. We serve ourselves. We dismiss the rule and reign of God in our lives. We turn inward, serving our own desires, at the expense of helping and serving our neighbor. That is our character, that is our fallen sinful nature, apart from the light and life that Christ brings.

But as we heard from the Gospel reading a couple weeks ago, from Matthew chapter 4: “The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” This describes what happened when our Lord Jesus came on the scene, beginning his public ministry. Into this sin-darkened world, Jesus came, bringing light and life with him. He came, bringing the kingdom of heaven with him.

And to bring us into the kingdom of heaven, Christ went all the way to the cross on our behalf. There darkness came over the land, as the sinless Son of God died for the sins of the world. There he died, for you, to pay for all your sins. Christ shed his holy blood for you, for your forgiveness. This was God’s wisdom, this was his plan for your salvation, the only way it would work. This was God’s power in action, even though it looked like utter weakness. And this is why we preach Jesus Christ and him crucified, so that you will trust in him for your righteousness before God and not in yourself.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Christ rose victorious from the grave, and his light is still shining forth to this day. It is the light of life, true life, new life, eternal life.

And now Jesus brings his life to you. He says: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So this is the source of the light that you have. It doesn’t come from you or from inside of you. It’s not something you can attain to by trying harder. No, the light is a gift. The source is Christ, and you are on the receiving end. He gives you his light and his life.

You received this light and this life when you were baptized. In those gospel-filled waters, the Holy Spirit enlightened you with the light of Christ. You were made a new person in Christ. Now you have a new nature. Now you are a spiritual person. Now you have the mind of Christ.

And so now, when Jesus says to us, his disciples, “You are the light of the world,” he really means it! Because he has given us his light, and now we have light to share. This is his will for us as his disciples: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

We Christians have a real purpose and identity in this world. We are here to light up this world with the light of Christ. By our words, by our actions, by how we live and conduct ourselves in this world, our light will be shining forth, and people will notice.

Let me give you an example. On Wednesday, Susan and I were flying back from vacation. We changed planes in Charlotte. We were sitting on the plane for a long while, when they announced we had to deplane, because they didn’t have a pilot to fly us, due to an ice storm elsewhere. We would have to take a flight the next day, they said. Nobody was happy about this, of course. As we were getting off the plane, one guy was cussing out the poor flight attendants. He was not shining any light into the situation. Well, the airline said they would put us up at a local hotel for the night, so we went to down to the taxi line to await our transportation. We were up at the front of the line, when the man in charge directed us and another fellow to a taxi several cars back. We got in, but then an angry woman came to the door and cussed us out, accusing us of cutting in line to get our taxi, when that was not the case. She too was not shining any light into the situation.

But the fellow who was in the cab with us kindly forgave her. Now this man–Bill was his name–he was shining light amid the darkness. We rode with Bill to the hotel, met him for breakfast in the morning, and rode back with him to the airport. Bill was the nicest, kindest fellow, and he made a difficult situation much more pleasant. And, we found out, Bill was a Christian. And he caused me to give thanks to God for giving Bill the light of Christ and the ability to shine it forth.

How will you shine your light forth to others? How can you be a blessing to others by your words and actions? You are a new person in Christ, and God will give you opportunities this week to let it show and let it shine.

Now notice what Jesus says about this. He says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Notice, your good works will be seen. But why you’re doing your works for others to see–that could go a couple of very different ways.

For instance, the scribes and the Pharisees did their works in order to be seen. They would give to the needy, they would pray, they would fast–but they did these works in order to be seen and praised by men.

But let it not be so among you. You may be doing the same kinds of works as the hypocrites, and people may see you doing them. But you’re not doing your good works in order to look good in front of others, so that people will praise you. No, what does Jesus say? “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works . . . and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” And give glory to your Father in heaven! That’s what we hope will happen when people see a Christian’s good works. If they know we are Christians, they will think to themselves, “Hey, there’s something different about these people! Maybe there’s something there for me.” You see, by the way you live, you will be bringing honor and glory to God’s name.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, you are designed and equipped to do good works. As it says in Ephesians, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” The fact that you are able to do good works is because God has first done his good work in you, making you a new creation in Christ.

You know, we Lutherans are not against good works. We’re only against the idea that we can merit our salvation by our works. No, we are very much in favor of us Christians living a life of love and good works. That’s what God has created us to do. That’s what Jesus is encouraging us to do today in our text. And that’s what you will be doing today and this week, precisely because you are a new person in Christ.

Dear friends, Jesus is saying to us today: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Guest Preacher: The Rev. Dr. Peter Jurchen, Editor of Bible Resources and Curriculum, Concordia Publishing House

Old Testament Reading: Micah 6:1-8

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Holy Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 22, 2023

“The People Dwelling in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light” (Matthew 4:12-25)

In our Gospel reading for today, St. Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. And to do so, he quotes a passage from our Old Testament reading from Isaiah. Matthew writes: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles–the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” And this gives us our theme for this morning’s message: “The People Dwelling in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light.”

Yes, like the Galileans, we Americans are a people dwelling in darkness. We too are those dwelling in the region and shadow of death. But there is hope for us, just as there was for the Galileans. Because Christ has come to us, and we have seen a great light. On us a light has dawned.

“The people dwelling in darkness”: Is that us? Really? Yes, really. Just take a look around you, and you will see the darkness. People blinded by sin. People groping around in the dark. People living and breathing–even doing well, perhaps, successful, enjoying life–but spiritually dead on the inside, because they lack the light of Christ. That characterizes our society. We are people dwelling in the region and shadow of death.

Let me give you an example. It was fifty years ago today, on January 22, 1973–a date which will live in infamy–that the United States Supreme Court came out with its Roe v. Wade decision, striking down all state laws against abortion. Not only was that wrong constitutionally, violating the Tenth Amendment, of course it was also terribly wrong morally, legalizing the murder of unborn babies. And since that time, more than 63 million abortions have been committed in America, 63 million lives snuffed out. We are indeed people dwelling in the region and shadow of death.

Now thankfully, last year the current Supreme Court rightfully struck down Roe v. Wade. And in Missouri, there are no more abortion mills operating here. But just drive across the river from St. Louis, and one of the first things you’ll see is a giant billboard saying, “Welcome to Illinois, where you can get a safe, legal abortion.” Of course, an abortion is never safe, since it kills that little baby in the womb. And it may be legal in Illinois, but it is murder according to God’s law, which is always supreme.

Oh, by the way, about a week and a half ago, the House of Representatives passed a resolution that “(1) condemns recent attacks of vandalism, violence, and destruction against pro-life facilities, groups, and churches; (2) recognizes the sanctity of life and the important role pro-life facilities, groups, and churches play in supporting pregnant women, infants, and families; and (3) calls upon the Biden Administration to use all appropriate law enforcement authorities to uphold public safety and to protect the rights of pro-life facilities, groups, and churches.” Now this should be a no-brainer, right? Unanimous consent, yes? Who could be against condemning attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, and churches? Who could be against protecting the rights of American citizens? Well, apparently, almost half of the House. The measure passed, but just barely, 222-209.

We live in a land of darkness. We dwell in the region and shadow of death. And it’s not just out there. It’s in here, too. In us. Inside you and me. Too often we go along with the darkness and the death. Too often we live like the people who lack the light of Christ. Oh, sure, maybe you wouldn’t go along with abortion, but in other ways have you gone along with things that are popular in our culture but go against God’s word? Same-sex marriage? Premarital sex? Divorce for less than biblical reasons? Greed? Drunkenness? Not going to church when you are able to do so? See, there’s plenty of darkness to go around, sin out there and sin inside of us. And where sin is, death will surely follow. The death rate is still 100%, one per person. Your name is on that list, whenever that day comes calling.

But, as our text says, “the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” That’s for us! We have seen a great light! On us a light has dawned! For here comes Jesus, doing his thing. And his “thing” includes the three things we see him doing in our text: preaching, teaching, and healing. “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” Preaching, teaching, and healing. Jesus brings his light to us.

First, he preaches: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus is bringing the kingdom of heaven into our midst. And because he is, it’s time for us to repent. We all have sins to repent of. And it even goes deeper than that. It’s our whole sinful self that we have to repent of. As self-serving sinners, we turn away from God and choose our own way to live. To repent means to acknowledge your sinfulness, get sick of it, confess it to God, and seek his forgiveness and help. He will give it to you; you have his promise on it.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus brings the kingdom to us. It is the active reign of God, his gracious rule coming into our midst. The kingdom of heaven is the driving out of darkness and death and the entrance of light and life in their place. Jesus comes bringing the kingdom of heaven here on earth. He manifests the blessings of that kingdom in his ministry.

So first, preaching: proclaiming a call to repentance and the inbreaking of the kingdom of heaven. The next part of Jesus’ ministry is his teaching. And so he calls to himself people whom he will teach. He calls disciples. The first bunch are some Galilean fishermen: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. “Follow me,” he says, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus is going to train these guys, so that they in turn can bring more people into the net of the church, so that they too can learn from Jesus and follow him.

And guess what? That’s you! You and I have been called to follow Jesus and learn from him. The purpose of Jesus’ teaching ministry is to unfold for you the true meaning of God’s Word, so that you can believe and live aright, according to God’s design. And that means living in faith toward God and in fervent love toward one another. Jesus teaches us not to trust in our own righteousness, which does not amount to a hill of beans. Instead, we trust in the merits of Christ, who went to the hill called Calvary to obtain for you the only righteousness that does work. Christ crucified–there is true wisdom for you, God’s wisdom and power, but which look like foolishness and weakness in the eyes of the world.

Following Jesus in faith, learning from him as his disciple–this is an ongoing discipleship, your whole life long. Oh, your salvation is already won. Jesus took care of that by his death on the cross and mighty resurrection. You have been joined to Jesus in your baptism and given the Holy Spirit. Your hope in Christ for eternal life is secure, because it rests outside of you and on God’s promise. But your life as Christ’s disciple is always growing. The Lord will continue to teach you, as you continue in his Word.

Preaching, teaching, and now the third part of Jesus’ ministry, healing. “OK, Pastor, explain that! You say that Jesus did preaching and teaching and that he’s continuing to preach and teach through the ministry of the church. Fair enough. But where is the healing? Look at what Jesus did: ‘And they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.’ Why isn’t Jesus doing that today?”

Well, remember this about those healings: All those people that Jesus healed–they all ended up dying. They got sick from something else down the line and died. But it wasn’t like Jesus’ healings didn’t “take.” It’s just that they served a limited purpose. Those healings showed what’s in store for all of us, because of what Jesus has done by his death and resurrection. Those healings are a “sneak preview” of the ultimate healing we will receive when Christ comes again on the last day. The point being, God is committed to healing our bodies. He will restore the whole of this broken creation. That day is coming, the day when Christ returns. Resurrection. Glorified bodies. Paradise restored, better than ever. New heavens and a new earth. Everlasting life, with our Lord and all his saints.

And this is where the sacraments come in. The sacraments that Christ instituted show that God is committed to healing your body as well as your soul. The very acts of the sacraments–Holy Baptism and Holy Communion–these sacraments are applied to your body. God has redeemed you in both body and soul.

Luther makes this point in the Large Catechism. About Baptism, he writes: “I am baptized. And if I am baptized, it is promised to me that I shall be saved and have eternal life, both in soul and body. For that is the reason why these two things are done in Baptism: the body–which can grasp nothing but the water–is sprinkled and, in addition, the Word is spoken for the soul to grasp. Now, since both, the water and the Word, make one Baptism, therefore, body and soul must be saved and live forever.” Likewise, in regard to the Sacrament of the Altar, Luther writes: “It will cure you and give you life both in soul and in body. For where the soul has recovered, the body also is relieved.”

Preaching, teaching, and healing: Jesus is still doing these things today. And you are the beneficiary of his ongoing ministry. Christ is still coming to us, into our midst, bringing with him the kingdom of heaven. “The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them”–on us!–“a light has dawned!”

Second Sunday after the Epiphany
January 15, 2023

“Enriched in All Speech and Knowledge” (1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42a)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s how I start every sermon I preach, with those words. Where did I get that idea? From St. Paul. That’s how he starts his epistles, with those same words: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” For example, that’s how Paul begins his epistle to the Corinthians, as you heard. With those words, the apostle Paul is conferring a blessing on his hearers as he begins to speak to them. That’s what I do here with you. I’m reminding you that you have God’s grace and his peace in Christ, and it’s on that basis that I now will speak to you. God’s grace and his peace are the great riches that God has made known to me, so that now I can speak a grace-and-peace-filled word to you.

Now notice what Paul tells the Corinthians right after those opening words. He says: “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge.” Enriched in Christ in all speech and knowledge: God had gifted the Corinthians in that way. And this was so, even though Corinth was a pretty messed-up congregation. Still, they were a Christian congregation, they had had the gospel in their midst, and Paul is reminding them of this fact right from the get-go. And what Paul is saying of them is true for us also: We too have been “Enriched in All Speech and Knowledge.”

So, what are we doing with what we have been given? How are we putting these riches to use? God has given us his grace and his peace. He has enriched us in Christ in all speech and knowledge. How does this affect the way we speak? The words we speak to others?

Today we’ll look at a couple examples from our Gospel reading to give us ideas of how we can use our enriched speech and knowledge to speak to others. The first example is John the Baptist. He sees Jesus coming toward him, and he says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Then the next day, John is with a couple of his disciples, and he sees Jesus again and says the same thing, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

What does John mean by that expression, “the Lamb of God”? Why does he use that phrase? You know, we hear “Lamb of God,” and it sounds very familiar. We sing these words of John in the Agnus Dei every Sunday. And John’s disciples, as Jews, would likewise have had some idea of what John was getting at by calling Jesus “the Lamb of God.” But imagine you’re speaking of Jesus to someone who has no clue as to what “the Lamb of God” means. After all, why would you refer to a man as a “lamb”? What is there about him that is like a lamb? So how would you explain “Lamb of God”?

John gives us a clue when he adds some words: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Now we’re getting somewhere! As I say, John is speaking to people who would have known their Bible. So his hearers had a frame of reference to work with. They could think back to all the lambs mentioned in the Old Testament.

They may have thought of the Passover lamb. When Israel was in bondage in Egypt, the angel of death was about to go across the land and strike down all the firstborn. But the Lord told Moses to have the Israelites take a lamb without spot or blemish and spread its blood on the doorposts of their house. That would be a sign for the angel of death to pass over, sparing their lives. Well, Jesus is like that Passover lamb, because his holy blood shed on the cross is the sign by which death passes over us.

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John’s disciples would also have thought of the lambs sacrificed for sins at the temple. Of course, those lambs by themselves could not take away any sins. But they were “types” pointing ahead to Christ. He, Christ, is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament sacrifices. He really does take away the sin of the world! That’s what Jesus was setting out to do, setting out on the way of the cross, when John saw him and called him the Lamb of God.

That takes us to a third lamb that John’s disciples may have thought of. That’s the lamb mentioned in Isaiah 53. There Isaiah prophesies of the Suffering Servant who will bear our griefs and carry our sorrows, who will be wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. And the prophet compares this servant to a lamb: “Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” So John’s use of “Lamb of God” recalls the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.

The Passover lamb, the temple sacrifices, the Suffering Servant–all of these come to mind for a person well-versed in the Bible, when John points to Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Now this shorthand will work when you’re talking to someone who knows the Bible. But these days, that would be hardly anybody. Almost no one knows the Bible anymore. The rate of biblical illiteracy in our culture is shocking. If you start talking about Jesus as “the Lamb of God,” you’ll get a lot of blank stares. So what do you do? You explain the terms. You do the longhand version, not just the shorthand. In fact, you may not even use the phrase “Lamb of God” at all, at least not to start with. But you certainly can get at what the term means. That Jesus is the sacrifice for sin. He is the one who takes away the sin of the world. He takes away my sin and yours. People can understand that. Of course, you still have to get at the whole matter of sin, what it is, and who has it, which is everyone.

And there’s the rub! It won’t be so much in understanding the concept as in resisting the application. See, people don’t want to admit that they are in need of a Savior to take away their sin. They will debate over what qualifies as sin, and our current culture has certainly screwed up people’s thinking on that. People think, “Hey, I’m not so bad!” Or “How dare God punish people for their sin! Who does he think he is, God?” Well, yeah. And you are not God. No, you are that sinner who needs your sin taken away and atoned for.

So say you get a chance to talk to a friend or neighbor or family member about Jesus. Unless that person senses their need, your words are pretty much going to fall on deaf ears. If people don’t think they have sin that needs to be taken away, they won’t care about the Lamb of God who does just that. But you may just run across someone who does recognize his need. Then your words about Jesus as the “sin-taker-away” will be music to their ears. It’s just what they need to hear! But here’s the thing: You may not know ahead of time who are the “resisters” and who are the “receivers.” So don’t be afraid to just go ahead and speak of your Savior, and let the chips fall where they may.

So John the Baptist is the first person in our text who speaks of Jesus. The other one who does this is Andrew. He’s one of the two disciples who hear John call Jesus the Lamb of God. So Andrew and the other disciple go and follow Jesus. Jesus asks them, “What are you seeking?” They say, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” He says, “Come and you will see.” “So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day.”

Well, staying with Jesus is always time well spent. And it’s enough to send Andrew on a mission. He’s so pumped, he’s so excited, that he goes and finds his brother, Simon, and tells him, “We have found the Messiah.” And “he brought him to Jesus,” it says.

Again, this is instructive for us. No one had to put pressure on Andrew to get him to “evangelize.” No, he just did it spontaneously. Why? Because he had spent time with Jesus. This was so important to him, so life-changing, that he had to go and tell somebody. It wasn’t a program. It wasn’t a campaign. It just happened as a result of spending time with Jesus. Andrew was beginning to know who Jesus is and why that’s so wonderful.

And notice what else Andrew does when he tells Simon about Jesus. He then brings him to Jesus. He invites him to come with him to the place where Jesus is staying. And you can do the same thing. Do you have a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a coworker, someone you know that you could speak to and share your excitement with?

That’s assuming you yourself are excited about knowing Jesus. If not, if you’ve grown lukewarm about being a Christian, then take time to reflect on all that Christ has done for you. He has taken away your sin. He has saved you from death and hell. He has brought you into a new life in the Spirit. Christ has given you a hope and a future. He will come again and take you to be with him forever, in a raised and glorified body, in a perfectly restored creation. I’d say that’s something to get excited about! And it’s something worth telling others about, too, so that they too can get in on the action.

So do what Andrew did. Speak to someone you know about Jesus. Invite him or her to come with you to where Jesus is staying. And that would be here, in church. This is where Jesus is staying, speaking his words of grace and peace to hungry sinners like you and me. This is where Jesus is staying, giving out his gifts of salvation. Come and you will see!

Dear friends, you and I are like the Corinthians. We have been enriched in Christ in all speech and knowledge. You know Jesus and the riches he freely gives. This gives you something to speak about! So be the John or Andrew you already are, one sinner telling another what you know to be true. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” “We have found the Messiah!” You may need to explain those terms, but remember: You have been enriched in Christ in all speech and knowledge.

The Baptism of Our Lord
Sunday, January 8, 2023

“Anointed for Servanthood” (Matthew 3:13-17)

Today we recall the Baptism of Our Lord, that great event when our Lord Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist. The heavens were opened. The Spirit of God descended on Jesus like a dove. The Father’s voice came from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” What an awesome occasion! And what I especially want to say about it this morning is that, in his baptism, Jesus was “Anointed for Servanthood.”

“Anointed for servanthood”? What does Jesus’ baptism have to do with that? And what do we mean by “anointed”? How was his baptism an anointing? Let’s find out.

Jesus’ baptism was an anointing because it marked him out as the Christ. The word “Christ” means the “Anointed One,” “Christos” in the Greek, “Mashiach” in the Hebrew. The “Messiah” or “Christ” would be the “Anointed One” promised by God from long ago. In the Old Testament, various kings and priests, sometimes prophets, were anointed–literally, they were anointed with oil. Oil, such as a fragrant olive oil, was poured over their heads to set them apart as those chosen by God for their office. The anointing conferred God’s blessing and power and favor upon them.

But there was a special anointed one to come. The promise was that there would come one particular king, the Son of David, who was prophesied as being the great Anointed One. God’s blessing and power would rest upon this coming king in a special and singular way. In Psalm 45, the psalmist prophetically addresses the messianic king and says: “Grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.” “God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

Grace poured upon his lips, anointed with the oil of gladness, blessed and set apart by God–this would be the Messiah, the Christ. And this is who Jesus is. This is what his baptism declares. Jesus is the Anointed One. Even though he was not anointed with oil, Jesus was blessed and set apart by God. God’s prophet, John the Baptist, poured water over his head. The Spirit of God came and rested upon Jesus. God’s voice of approval came from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

By the way, why no oil? Why wasn’t Jesus anointed in the traditional way? Perhaps the reason is that the people then would have thought he was the same kind of king they had before, only this time more successful. The Messiah they were expecting was a political king, who would restore the military glory and economic fortunes of Israel. But Jesus was not going to be that kind of king. His kingdom was not of this world.

So here at the start of his ministry, Jesus is anointed in an unusual way, being baptized along with people confessing their sins. John recognizes the strangeness of this–the sinless one being baptized with sinners. He says to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But by being baptized in this way, Jesus shows how he will establish his kingdom–by identifying with sinners, by becoming one of us. His different kind of anointing fits his different kind of kingship.

In his baptism, Jesus is anointed, anointed as the Christ, anointed with the Holy Spirit. For what purpose? Jesus was anointed for servanthood. In the Book of Acts, the apostle Peter makes this very point, saying: “You yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

Notice that this anointing is not just to elevate Jesus to a position of prominence for his own sake. God didn’t anoint Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power just so Jesus could sit on a throne and take life easy. No, it says that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and then “he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” In other words, Jesus’ anointing, his baptism, launched him into ministry. God anointed him, and then he “went about doing good.” Jesus was anointed for servanthood.

This should have come as no surprise. Centuries earlier, the Lord had spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” And to this servant the Lord says: “I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”

This then was the servanthood that Jesus undertook in a special way, beginning at his baptism. As Peter said: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good.” Jesus himself put it like this: “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

This was the greatest good that Jesus could do. He gave his life to redeem you, to set you free. He died, that we might live. We were the ones with blind eyes. We were those captives in a prison of sin, sitting in darkness in the dungeon of death. Jesus, God’s anointed servant, came and opened our eyes. He set us free from our dungeon. We were under the power of the devil, but Jesus broke that power, triumphing over the devil by the cross. Christ’s death on the cross, in our place, won for us the forgiveness of sins. That, in turn, secures our ultimate healing, the resurrection of our bodies and the life everlasting.

Jesus’ baptism anointed him for servanthood, for his life-giving ministry. But what about our baptism? What happened there? In our baptism, you and I were united to Christ. We were buried with him in his death and raised with him to new life. This union with Christ means eternal salvation for us. But it also means for us, in the here and now, that we have a new life, a life of service. For in our baptism we too were anointed for servanthood.

I have a good friend who is Greek Orthodox. When his twin daughters were baptized, I attended the service at a Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago. In the Greek Church, the child who is baptized is also anointed with oil. This ancient practice of anointing is called “chrismation.” It’s like when we refer to baptism as a “christening.” To say that a person is “christened” is to say that he or she is being united with Christ, the Anointed One. And so a baptism is a chrismation, a christening, an anointing.

Luther liked to say that we who have been baptized are “little Christs.” We are “little Christs” to our neighbor. We demonstrate the life of Christ in the way we live toward others. We too are called to “go about doing good,” like Christ did, because God is with us also. God is with you, dear friends. He calls you his beloved children. He is well pleased with you, because of Christ. The Holy Spirit is resting upon you. In your baptism, you have been anointed. Anointed for salvation. Anointed for servanthood.

How will you live out your servanthood? What good can you go about doing? Some of you today we are installing as officers in our congregation. This is good. Your service is much appreciated. And the rest of you–you can work with these officers in doing the many things that need to be done in our church, as well as some new things we could be doing. And your life of service extends beyond these walls. In whatever your vocations in life–family member, community member, worker, friend–in all your callings in life, you have been anointed to serve your neighbor with the love of Christ. Go and be who you are.

Of course, our servanthood is always dependent upon Christ’s servanthood for us. Our servanthood is imperfect, always a work in progress, as we struggle with our sinful selfishness. Christ’s servanthood was perfect, his anointing without measure, always marked by his selfless love and his devotion to his Father. That was the mission the Father sent him on. That was the journey the Spirit empowered him for. Jesus had no sins of his own to confess, yet he was baptized, standing in the place of us sinners. His baptism set him on the road to the cross. That’s what Jesus meant when he said, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus fulfills the righteousness we lack. His perfect righteousness becomes our righteousness through our baptism into Christ.

Jesus was anointed for servanthood at his baptism. In our baptism, we Christians are joined to Jesus, connected to Christ. We receive his righteousness and his victory over sin and death. The Spirit rests on us, giving us life, conferring God’s blessing and power upon us. The Spirit anoints us for a life of servanthood, leading us to be “little Christs” to our neighbor. And the voice of the Father comes from heaven and says over each one of us–he says over you: “This is my son, this is my daughter, with whom I am well pleased.” Christ makes it so. Amen.