St. Luke Ev. Lutheran Church

Sermon by Pastor Anthony E. Schultz

Transfiguration February 18, 2007 Luke 9:28-36

As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lighting. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they because fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus. Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.

People of God—rescued from the flaming lake of fire in hell by the innocent blood of the very Lamb of God:

Our family used to live about 15 minutes north of Kewaskum. Kewaskum is pretty small. I used to stop there at Lenz’s gas station, mini-mart and car wash for a Mt. Dew on the way to St. Joseph’s Hospital in West Bend. Kewaskum made the news the other day—Fox News—that little strip of news that goes across the bottom of the screen. It even made international news. Did you know that? It made world news—because the Police Chief gave himself a ticket! You see the chief was driving down highway 45—two lanes each way—when he saw a truck pulled over. Then there was a car too—so the chief pulled into the far lane—to leave space—when he realized—alas too late—that he was whipping past a school bus that was stopped—with the lights flashing—and that little swing out stop sign—hanging out! That was a mistake. It was wrong. Technically—the chief of police—himself—deserved a ticket. And so the chief wrote himself a ticket. A ticket for passing a stopped school bus. He wrote the ticket for $253 and he took 4 points off his driver’s license! Back at the police station he paid his ticket. That was that! Well, word got out—and people everywhere were talking about this person who admitted his own mistake—and paid for his mistake. For a Christian—this doesn’t seem so strange—does it? If we make mistakes—we need to admit them. If we do something wrong—we need to confess our mistakes. If there are consequences for our mistakes—we will accept them without grumbling and without complaint. The fact is—we do things wrong—all the time. Only Jesus can really pay for our mistakes—and he did—when he died on the cross. Today—transfiguration day—we say with Simon Peter:

It is Good For Us To Be Here!

1. Celebrate what happened on this hill

2. Celebrate what happened on Calvary!

As we catch up with Jesus in spirit today—Jesus’ public ministry is just about over. The three short years—when Jesus went through Judea, Samaria and Galilee were just about over! Lets back up just a little bit—to get a feel for what had just happened most recently. Jesus met a man named Jairus—a synagogue ruler—who came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl about twelve, was dying. Jesus is on the way—a crowd of people almost crushing him. A woman who had been bleeding for twelve years—came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. Jesus stopped and asked, “Who touched me?” This lady—came trembling and fell at Jesus’ feet. Jesus told her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” It was just at this moment—that people came from Jairus’ house to say—your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher any more.” Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” When Jesus got to the house and told the people wailing and screaming—she is not dead but asleep—they laughed at him—laughed him to scorn! But Jesus took the little girl’s cold dead hand and said to her—“My child, get up!” And immediately she was alive again. He told her parents to give her something to eat. She wasn’t a little dizzy—a little wobbly—a little woozy—like—don’t try to sit up. After all—you were just dead! No—it’s get up and have a snack! When Jesus makes you alive again—you are whole and refreshed and strong! Jesus told Jairus and Mrs. Jairus—don’t tell anyone what has happened. Jairus and Mrs. Jairus needed to keep private—how Jesus had raised their daughter from the dead. The disciples—however were supposed to go out and preach the good news about the kingdom of God. Jesus gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases. But the most important thing was to point people to heaven—through the blood sacrifice Jesus would make to save them.

When the apostles returned Jesus withdrew with them—to Bethsaida—but crowds of people found out where they were and followed him. Jesus was not frustrated with them. God’s Word says, “He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.” Late in the afternoon—the disciples asked Jesus to sent the people away—so they could find some supper and a place to sleep. Jesus told the disciples, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “we have only 5 loaves of bread and two small fishes—how far will that go among so many people. There were about 5,000 men, plus women and children. In round numbers there could have been as many as 15,000 people. That’s a lot of people! Jesus had them sit down in groups of about 50 each. Then Jesus prayed. He thanked his heavenly Father for the food that they did have—the little brown bag of lunch they did have. Then he had the disciples begin to pass it out. It must have been the best fish fry the people ever tasted. God’s Word says, “They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over—so that nothing was wasted! 12 basketfuls! That’s far more leftover—than what was started with! And everyone was full! That’s how Jesus takes care of early supper. Imagine how much more Jesus has forgiven all your sins!

Next Jesus went by a place called Caesarea Philippi—where he spent time praying in private. Here is a powerful example for us, too. The Son of God—took time—made time—to be where it was quiet and private—to pray. Here Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist—who would have been back from the dead. Some say Elijah—back from the dead, too. They saw in Jesus’ preaching and teaching the passion and the authority and the power of a stinging law and healing gospel. Some said—one of the prophets—like Isaiah or Jeremiah or Ezekiel—back from the dead. Then Jesus asked them the question that really mattered. Who do you say I am? Simon Peter gave the perfect answer. “You are the Christ…the anointed One—the promised one—the Messiah—the Savior and Redeemer! Jesus is the one born into the world to pay for all our sins! Jesus is the only Way to Heaven!

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lighting. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. Jesus had lived his life—some 33 years—in lowliness and humility. He was born in a stable—and slept in a feed box. He was hustled off to Egypt—to keep him safe from murderous King Herod. He grew up in Nazareth—learning God’s Word from Mary and Joseph and his rabbis. When he was 30 years old—Jesus was anointed prophet, priest and king—then fasted 40 days and 40 nights—alone in the wilderness. Jesus got tired from preaching and teaching and healing people all day. He was so tired—he fell asleep in the back of a boat—beaten and battered and swamped by a storm at sea. Jesus cried. Salty tears stained his cheeks—when his friend Lazarus died—and Mary and Martha were so sad. Jesus was hungry and thirsty. Jesus bled—the way a head wound bleeds—when they pressed a crown on thorns on his forehead. His back ached when the scourge cut his back. Jesus cried out on the cross—when he felt the anger of his Heavenly Father—because of my sins and your mistakes. But now—for just a few moments—Jesus’ face was as bright as lightning—as he was transfigured before three frightened fishermen—and Moses and Elijah! Here was Jesus’ glory!

There is no lack of people who try and take away from Jesus’ glory as the very Son of God. You can go to book stores—so huge—they have literally thousands of books and magazines for sale—with a place selling fancy flavored coffee drinks inside. There are whole huge display racks—proclaiming proudly that God is a delusion! This hardcover attack on the glory of the Lord Jesus proclaims that “atheists can be happy, balanced, well behaved and intellectually fulfilled.” According to this exceedingly popular book the ideas of Darwin can explain this living world—without any God. That children who are brought up in their parent’s religion are victims. That atheists can be proud of their healthy independent mind! The glory of the Lord Jesus is attacked when it is printed and published and read and believed—that “one person who is deluded is insane—while a whole group of people who are deluded are called a religion. The glory of the Lord Jesus is attacked when our crucified and risen Redeemer is put on the same level as unicorns, the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the tooth fairy! Jesus’ glory is attacked—when it is printed—published and believed—that you can make logical and reasonable arguments—that are more clever than the Gospel. If this were the only attack—it would be simple enough to point out. But the devil attacks in all different ways. It is front page news in an international newspaper—that the Secret is out! The Secret is being marketed on the most afternoon women’s TV program of all. It says what you need to understand the secret of attraction! “If you think positively, you become a magnet that pulls everything you want toward you.” Happiness—so it is being sold—from $25 to $30 a pop—that you need a happy attitude—that makes people like you—and then you get all the things and stuff that it takes to make you happy here and now! Understand the laws of attraction and this will literally get you good parking places, cure cancer and kidney disease—and make your eyes better—so you don’t need to wear glasses? They say—word of mouth is what’s really moving this philosophy—this religion of humanism! When literally a million copies are being bought—people are looking for eternal happiness in all the wrong places! If we have the truth of the soul saving Gospel—what are we doing with it—when there is such spiritual danger all around?

A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” Jesus is the Son of God—the one who very soon would die on the cross—to wash away all our sins. People do sins all the time! They say people are cheating in NASCAR. They look for cheaters. They take your engine apart—looking for illegal chemicals—deep inside engines. They take parts of the cars apart—looking for parts that are added or removed—against the rules—in order to cheat! Get caught cheating—and you can be fined--$100,000. Workers can be suspended for a number of races—if they catch you cheating. The fact is—green wrinkled papers and not being able to work on the car at a race—don’t take away sins. Only Jesus could pay for sins of cheating—cheating at the race track—cheating in your desk in 8^th grade on your math test—cheating on your spouse—when you are out of town on business! Only Jesus’ blood—shed on the cross—could take away your sins!

The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen. If you have any doubt—that we are living in a world darkened and filthy and spoiled by sin—take note of the fact that last week a blonde lady died—and 20 soldiers in Iraq died. I would imagine everyone in church today knows the first, middle and last name of the blonde lady—who time after time—certainly appears to be so under the influence of drugs and alcohol that she can’t speak a single sentence—without slurring her words and confusing her thought. How many of us can name a single marine—who gave up his life—this past week—serving their Savior and their country—half way around the world? Something is wrong—when we are so fascinated with people whose life has been called a train wreck—again and again—while the people around her—were so helpless to save her? A little baby may be the heir of literally hundreds of millions of dollars. But life is not about the abundance of our possessions. Life is about all that Jesus did to rescue us from sin and guilt! All that matters is the glory that Jesus has. And the glory that Jesus has promised to share with us—by grace through faith. This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday—the beginning of yet one more walk beside Jesus—up to Jerusalem—to die on the cross to save us. Up to Jerusalem—to the skull shaped hill—where Jesus will die to save us. A hill near a garden—with an unused tomb—that Jesus will only borrow. Because our glorious Savior is not dead but risen. And because he lives—we too shall live. Amen!

To God alone all glory!

Rev. Anthony E. Schultz