They Drank of That Spiritual Rock That Followed Them, And That Rock Was Christ: 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5

1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5 "9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

10:1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness."

Today the Church begins a new season. This season is known as Pre-Lent. It is sometimes referred to as "gesimatide." This refers to the names of these three Sunday that link Epiphany and Lent, which are called, Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima. These three Sundays are so named because of their relation to how far Easter is, that is, about seventy days, sixy days, and fifty days, respectively. This particular season is preparation for Lent. Historically this was the time when the people of God would prepare for Lent by getting rid of the things in their cupboards that would not be allowed in during the fast of Lent. These were either eaten, or donated to those who were in need. The penitential season of Lent needed a transitional stage, one that slowly directed ones eyes away from the joy and revelry of Christmas and Epiphany, which revealed our Lord and Savior Jesus as God who was born in the flesh of man for our salvation, towards the reflection upon our own sinfulness, which lead to our Lord's incarnation.

This preparatory season, or transitional season, has always been marked by three themes, one for each Sunday, invitation, instruction, and enlightenment. We see this first theme, invitation, in the Epistle appointed for Septuagesima, where the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul invites us to prepare for a race. It is clear that the Church which has framed the historic lectionary, had in mind when they appointed this Epistle for this day in the Church, the preparation for Lent, that is, the race that is being referred to is the season of fasting, alms, and prayer and study of God's Word, i.e., Lent.

Those who are in training for a race, or those who are athletes, like football players, hockey players, and the like, hold themselves to a certain diet. This is what it means to be temperate. It means to limit the amount of food, or some other form of limitation which would prevent them from performing well in the game. They exercise, and train their muscles to endure the rigors of the athletic event. They study the game, and their opponent, or the race course that is set out before them. They do all this in order that they may win the prize. St. Paul uses here the illustration of the Isthmian games, which took place near Corinth. He points out that in these games there is only one winner.

Not so, in the Christian Church, everyone who prepares themselves for the race, will inherit the imperishable Crown of Life. However, the Christian life is a life of temperance, that is, limitation. This is why the Church fasts at certain times, and on certain days during the Church year. So that it might learn temperance, that is, to live without all the trappings of life. When we learn temperance, when we learn to be content in whatever situation we are in, several things happen.

One, we learn to be humble. Part of humility is contentment, that is, not having to be the biggest, and best, or most famous person on the planet earth, but being content with who we are, and the situation we are in. Two, we also become more ready to hear our Lord, for we are not constantly searching or requesting Him to do this or that, or perform some great and grand task, so that we might be given proof of His existence. Three, we become more generous, and this relates to what is commonly called "alms-giving." Alms come from the word for "mercy." And so, even though alms typically today refers to cash or monetary donations, alms is really about works of mercy, that is, doing for other people what needs to be done for them. When we are content with what we own, we are more willing to give to other people who are in need, because through the exercise of temperance, we have learned that we really need very little in this life, and what we do need, the Lord God will provide for us. Fourth, when we learn that we don't need all of the trappings of this world, we greatly reduce the amount of temptations to sin that affect our daily lives, since we will tend to listen to the Lord God, rather the world, and its lies. And this ultimately is what temperance does for us, is it teaches us to trust in our Lord and Savior, fully and completely.

This is why the Church fasts, why it runs the race set before it, so that it might learn to trust in our Lord God more completely, for in doing so, we win the Crown of Life. This race begins at Holy Baptism, as the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, points out in regards to the people of Israel at the time of the Exodus.

They were all baptized "into Moses" in the cloud as they passed through the Red Sea. Since Moses, being the prefigurement of our Lord Jesus, is mentioned as the one into whom the Israelites were baptized, meaning they placed their trust solely into Moses, St. Paul is giving a picture of our baptism into Christ Jesus. Indeed they show their faith in Moses, and by extension in God, by eating the food which he supplied, and drinking the water which he supplied, and in so doing they revealed their faith in the promise of the Messiah, who was the True spiritual Rock, and that was our Lord Jesus Christ. However, St. Paul is making a different point. He is pointing out what happened to the Israelites, after their "baptism." They spent forty years in the wilderness, living from day to day, by God's grace, on the rations that were supplied to them.

It is this type of temperance, that the people of Israelites endured that made them trust in the Lord God more fully, and prepared them to enter into the land of Canaan, their promised homeland. We also practice temperance in this life, through fasting, prayer, and study of God's Word, so that we learn to trust in our Lord more fully, and we are prepared to enter into our eternal Canaan, our Heavenly home, where we will receive the Crown of Life.

And St. Paul points out one more thing. He is not telling the people of Corinth to do something that he doesn't do himself. For he also disciplines his body, and brings it into subjection. He also fasts, practices temperance, and does all the things listed above, for St. Paul has learned the value of these things, and he has learned how these things make him a stronger Christian, and increases his relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Therefore, today, St. Paul invites us to be temperant, to run the race that is set out before us, so that we may inherit the eternal Crown of Life. May the Lord grant us grace to receive this great gift, and may we learn the value of fasting, and put it into practice, so that we might learn temperance, and have our faith increased by this spiritual exercise.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Be of the Same Mind Toward One Another: Romans 12:6-16

Romans 12:6-16: "6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble."

This mornings reading which is the Epistle appointed for the Second Sunday after Epiphany, doesn't really seem to have anything to do with the Gospel reading for today, which is our Lord's first miracle, the changing of water into wine at the wedding at Cana.

There is something to be said about this, that is, that certain Epistles throughout the Church year are what they call "continua lectio." This is an ancestor of the ancient practice of reading the Scriptures continuously, the Bishop telling the Deacon when to stop reading. The Deacon would start up the next time where he left off. One can see this pattern when one looks at the list of Epistle reading for Epiphany, they are all from Romans 12 and 13 with only a few gaps in between. Hence, certain Epistles in the Church year were not meant to necessarily relate in theme to the Gospel, but instead were certain parts of Scripture that were read at certain times of the year.

However, the theme of the Gospel, that our Lord manifests Himself as God, can be seen in this Epistle. Our Lord Jesus is manifested through the saints who prophesy, minister, teach, exhort, give, lead, or show mercy. When the saints do these things, they show the love of our Lord, Who shows His love in the Gospel reading today, by not only providing for a need, but revealing Himself to His disciples that He is the Messiah, and foreshadowing the blessed Sacraments of baptism and communion.

Of course the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul qualifies his statement to the Church of Rome by saying that just doing these things, doesn't manifest our Lord, but rather, those who do these things without hypocrisy, that is to say, doing these things in faith; Believing that when these things are done, our Lord Jesus Christ is manifested to those who receive them in faith. This is similar to the Gospel reading for today, for those who saw the sign, done for the benefit of those at the wedding in Cana, manifested our Lord Jesus, and His disciples believed in Him. That is to say, they had faith that He was the Messiah.

This faith is really only fostered in unity. For where there is discord and strife, a roadblock to faith is put up, for people are so consumed with the discord that they lose sight of the thing that truly matters. However, it should be stated up front that unity does not come at the cost of the Word of God. True unity exists where people dwell together in the peace of like teaching. When there is unity in teaching and belief according to those teachings, there is a trust and bond that truly displays the love of our Lord Jesus Christ through us.

This is such an important point, that the Blessed Apostle, St. Paul, tells the Church at Rome to "be of the same mind toward one another." Or, in other words, be in unity in doctrine and practice. This is only accomplished through humility. Humility comes by submitting yourself to someone else. In the Church this is done by fellow ministers of the Word submitting themselves to examination of their doctrine, life, and practice by their other fellow ministers of the Word. This is only fostered by an enviroment of accountability, meaning, when your brother ministers challenge your doctrines or life or practice, that minister should listen to them, and humble himself before them., especially if that fellow minister of the Word be a Bishop, who has the care of the ministers under his authority.

Where this humility and accountability exists, love, trust, and peace exist. Our prayer is that the whole Church on Earth might experience this great gift of our Lord God.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

I Will Make Your Descendants As the Dust of the Earth: Genesis 13:1-18

Genesis 13:1-18: "1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. 5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. 8 So Abram said to Lot, 'Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.' 10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD. 14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: 'Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are--northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.' 18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD."

"I will make your descendants as the dust of earth." This is glad tidings for us, for we are the descendants of Abram by virtue of our baptisms into our Lord Christ. This promise is given to Abram when he has no offspring. And, this is the first time that he receives this promise, but it isn't the last. Abram will be the father of a huge nation. However, he will never see it come to fruition. Even his son Isaac, was not married to Rebekah until he was forty years old, and he only had two sons. By the time Jacob marries Leah and Rachel and has all of his sons and daughters, Abram is long dead.

But, Abram, takes these words of God on faith, just like he did when he left his home in Haran. And the promises do not stop there. Not only will Abram be the father of a large nation, but he will also be given the land of which he resides in now as far as he can see in all four directions.

These promises were first fulfilled through the nation of Israel. Israel, who was called Jacob, begat twelve sons, who became the twelve tribes of Israel. And they eventually resettled in the land that Abram is currently in. This is all well and good, Abram will have a huge nation, and possess a great amount of land. But that is not the only reason that our Father promises Abram these things. This is done, so that through Abram, the Messiah would be born. This Savior is the same one promised back in Genesis 3 to Adam and Eve. The Messiah born out of Abram's descendant's is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Our Lord Jesus, even though born among the Israelites, as the Messiah of the Israelites, does something great and wonderful for all of us who were not born Jews. He extends His grace and mercy to us, by calling us into that nation and people. All we who are baptized, spiritually, are Jews, descendants of Abram, and brothers of our Lord Jesus. Indeed, the holy Church on earth, extends to all peoples and tongues. Christianity encompasses the whole earth. God is in great abundance has given to the descendants of Abram, not just Canaan, not just Jerusalem, not just the Holy Land, but He has given the whole world for us to live in and be a part of. And He also shows His abundant mercy, by not just calling Jews His people, but all peoples everywhere, His people.

This is all accomplished through His Son Jesus Christ, who by His obedience and death, as called us out of darkness, into this holy Nation. Our Lord Jesus, has restored His creation to Himself. He does this on the first day of the week, that is, on Sunday. The same day that He began creation, is the same day that He completes salvation. He recreates the earth that was corrupted by the sin of Adam by His resurrection from the dead. He takes the Nation that was dead in its trespasses and sins, and brings it back to life, just as He brought Himself back to life. And now He calls all nations to Himself through holy Baptism.

What great glad tidings this is for those of us who are baptized. We see this promise fulfilled in the holy Mother Church. And not just the Church that lives on the earth, but the whole history of the universal Church of all ages. When we consider also all those who have gained their heavenly reward, including the Blessed Abram and Sarai who were the parents of this great people, we cannot even fathom, let alone number, all the saints, who are part of this holy family. This is the family of which we who are baptized are a part. And seeing this family we can rejoice that the Lord fulfilled His promise to Abram. It makes sense, therefore, that if our Lord fulfilled this promise, and many other promises as well, He will fulfill all of His promises.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

You Shall Not Tempt the Lord Your God: St. Luke 4:1-13

St. Luke 4:1-13: "1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.' 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."' 5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.' 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve."' 9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: "He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you," 11 and, "In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone."' 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, 'It has been said, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God."' 13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time."

The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness seems out of place in this season of Epiphany. This is afterall the narrative for Invocabit, the First Sunday in Lent, although that Gospel is from the Evangelist St. Matthew. So why does the temptation reading get appointed for this week after the First Sunday after Epiphany? The answer is that the readings for the mornings are following the natural progression in the life of our dear Lord Jesus. He was baptized, called his first disciples, and then is led out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for forty days. There are many things that can be said about this pericope, but here are a few.

Jesus is tempted, we are told, for forty days. This number 40 calls to mind several things. The Flood, where it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The Exodus, where the Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness. Moses was on the mountain for 40 days and nights when receiving the Law, both times, that is, when he first received them, and when they were broken on account of the Israelites making a golden calf, and then again a second time, to replace the first one, in which he did not eat bread nor drink water for those 40 days and nights, during which he pleaded with God for the lives of the Israelites. The Israelite spies spent 40 days spying on the land of Canaan, before they decided to not attack the land, and God forced them to spend 40 years in the wilderness. Forty was the maximum number of blows that was to be given to someone who was to be beaten because of their wrong doing. Goliath came out to challenge the Israelite army for 40 days and nights. The front of the Temple was 40 cubits long. The ten lavers of the Temple held 40 baths of water. From these examples, and there are plenty more, one can see that the number 40 is important in Scripture.

Another thing that can be pointed out about this pericope is the response of our Lord Jesus to the second temptation: "Get behind Me, Satan!" This reminds us of the Blessed St. Peter, when he tried to stop our Lord from going to the cross, immediately after confessing Him to be the Son of God. This is how our Lord responds to those who try to prevent Him from completing His work of saving mankind from their sin.

The next thing to be pointed out about this text is the temptation itself. St. Luke the Evangelist points out to us that our dear Lord Jesus was not just tempted after the 40 days and nights were completed, but that He was tempted throughout the forty days. The fact that this happens directly after His baptism, tells us something of our own Christian life. Immediately after having the Holy Ghost descend upon Him in the form of a dove, our Lord is driven into the wilderness and tempted. The same thing is true of us as well. The Blessed Dr. Martin Luther in his observations about baptism states that when we baptize someone, we make them an enemy of the devil. And because we make that person an enemy of the devil, he will have no end of trouble and sorrow, on account of the devil, the world and his own sinful flesh, which war against that holy thing which has been implanted into him.

The Temptation of Our Lord Jesus Christ is shown as a picture of our Christian lives. The devil is always leading us into temptation. However, unlike our Lord, we often fail at that temptation, especially if it is a particular sin we like to do. The good news is that our Lord resists the temptation. What that means for us is that the Evangelist St. Luke is here showing us that our Lord indeed does fulfill the Law with His obedience. Theologically speaking this is what we call our Lord Christ's "active obedience." That is to say, He actively obeys the Law on our behalf. This is coupled with what is known as His "passive obedience." Which is His death on the cross for our salvation, that is to say, He passively suffers in our place so that we won't have to. By these two forms of obedience, our Lord fulfills His work given to Him by the Father. And in so doing, He gives us a picture of how to resist temptation. It is done through knowledge of His Word.

We pray in the Lord's prayer, in the sixth petition, "And lead us not into temptation." * What we are praying for when we pray this is "that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, our flesh may not deceive us, nor seduce us into misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice; and though we be assailed by them, that still we may finally overcome and obtain the victory." * How does God guard and keep us? We learned that from the third petition of the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." * When God breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our flesh, we are protected from them. This is done when He gives us His Word and Spirit (The first two petitions of the Lord's Prayer). He gives us these through preaching and the Sacraments. So how does one learn to resist temptation, by hearing and receiving the Word of God, and His Blessed Sacraments, wherein, He implants into us His Holy Spirit, so that we might resist these sinful desires, words, and actions.

What that means for us who desire to resist temptation like our Lord, is that we should be in the Church, and we should be in a parish that preaches the Word of God in its purity, and administers the Sacraments according to the institution of our Lord Christ, in order that we might receive the Holy Spirit, and thereby be given a way to resist temptation.

May this be done for us all.

God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas

* Translation from Doctor Martin Luther Small Catechism and An Explanation of Christian Doctrine based on Doctor Luther's Small Catechism, Edited by Markku Sarela, Published by The Confessional Lutheran Church of Finland, 1999.

We Have Found Him of Whom Moses in the Law, And Also the Prophets Wrote: St. John 1:43-51

St. John 1:43-51: "43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, 'Follow Me.' 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' 46 And Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.' 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!' 48 Nathanael said to Him, 'How do You know me?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.' 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, 'Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!' 50 Jesus answered and said to him, 'Because I said to you, "I saw you under the fig tree," do you believe? You will see greater things than these.' 51 And He said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.'"

There are several things to be pointed out in this pericope: One, after the calling of St. Andrew, the unnamed Apostle, (who is probably St. John) and St. Peter Jesus determines to go to Galilee. There in the hometown of Sts. Peter and Andrew, He finds St. Philip. St. Philip does the same thing that St. Andrew did, he went and told someone else. These Apostles cannot contain their enthusiasm of finding the Messiah. They must tell someone. St. Philip tells St. Nathanael. "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Such a simple sermon. Nothing more needed to be said.

However, in St. Nathanael we see the second thing to be pointed out in this pericope. We see the kind of reaction the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ can have on a person, and that is, doubt. This is especially true of those who have not seen with the eyes of faith the great gifts that our Lord bestows upon us. St. Nathanael had the benefit of seeing with his own eyes, and hearing with his own ears. We today, obviously don't have that luxury, but we do have the eyes and ears of faith, which cling to the preaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that tells us of what He has done for us. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" This is the same disdain that those who desire a Lord and Savior, and a God, of their own choosing.

Our Lord Jesus keeps revealing Himself in simple means and ways. He did not show up in Jerusalem, the holy city where the Temple stood, but He was born in Bethlehem. He was not raised in Jerusalem, in the house of the king, but in a backwater town called Nazareth, in the house of a carpenter and a handmaid. He reveals Himself today and comes to us today in simple means as well. He comes through the preaching of the Word, from some guy dressed in something that looks like a Mediaeval bathrobe. And this guy, who is called Minister, or Reverend, or Deacon, or Pastor, or Elder, or Presbyter, or Father, or Bishop, sometimes may not be all that pleasant to listen to. He has a tendency to "get into our kitchen and root around in our fridge without our permission" and point out our sins and our weaknesses, and our failings. For the most part these men aren't the picture of Adonis, but are more likely the embodiment of the nerdly sort. (This can be seen when you get a bunch of them together, it's like a nerd convention). But through this unlikelly man, our Lord Jesus is preached and taught in His truth and purity, and the sacrifice that He made on the cross for our salvation.

Our Lord Jesus also comes to us in the waters of Holy Baptism. There is nothing special about the water used, it is just tap water. The only rubric about the water is that it must be living water, that is, water that flows, just like the water from the tap. But it is not the water that makes a baptism special and salutary, but it is the Word that is connected to it. That Word is the Name of the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Without these Words, without that Name, it is no baptism, but it is simple water only. And since we have broached the topic of baptism, it should be pointed out that today, January 13, the octave of Epiphany, is the festival of the Baptism of Our Lord. It is the day we rejoice not only in our Lord's Baptism, but in ours as well. This baptism is performed again by the man of God, who is called and ordained for that purpose. This is done by an insignificant man, just like preaching and the other means of grace, so that the Word of our Lord Jesus may be the main thing, and not the man who does them. For it is our Lord alone Who is deserving of honor and praise.

Our Lord Jesus also reveals Himself in the simple words of the Private Absolution. "Your sins are forgiven." I suppose these words could be taken like the words "I love you," depending on who is saying them they could be just words, and not mean anything. However, even though it be a man of God, dressed in a simple cassock and stole, who says these words, it does not matter if he means them or not, because they are not his words, but His Words. It may be a man speaking it, but it is the Lord Jesus Himself Who is saying it to us. So that, we can be certain, that our sins are forgiven by God Himself in heaven.

Our Lord Jesus also reveals Himself to us in the simple forms of bread and wine. In these simple means, our Lord Jesus Christ, gives to us to eat and drink His true and real Body and Blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Again, the bread and wine, are not the main things in the sacrament, but the Words. Those Words being "Given for you," and "Shed for your for the remission of sins."

And our Lord Jesus also reveals Himself through the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren, that is, wherever two or three are gathered in His Name, there He is in the midst of them. This is the communion of the saints, it is the gathering together of the Body of Christ, into a common people. This takes place in a simple church building. It is silly to think that one can worship by himself. The Church of God is community, and one cannot have a community of himself. This is why parishes are formed, and why dioceses, and synods, and denominations, and the like are formed, because the Church realizes that where two or three are gathered together in the bond of fellowship, there our Lord Jesus Christ is present. And wherever He is present there His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation are given out in abundance. Where these gifts are given out, there is joy, and love, and peace, and patience, and goodwill, and the like. It is a good place to be.

So here is where the Lord Jesus is to be found, in the simplest of places. St. Nathanael did have the luxury, along with the rest of the Apostles, to see our Lord with their own eyes, to hear Him with their own ears, and to spend three years of their life with Him, learning how to be Apostles and ministers of the Word. St. Nathanael, also believes our Lord Jesus to be the Messiah, after He tells Him something only St. Nathanael would know. We, however, get to see our Messiah and Christ revealed to us today in so many ways, it is hard to believe that so many people disdain these good gifts of our Lord and Savior.

And so, we rejoice this day, knowing that we have been baptized, that we have the opportunity to gather together with other saints, and hear the preaching of Him and what He has done for us, and we have the ability to go to our Bishop, Pastor, or Deacon in private, and confess our sins to him, (which is really a confessing of our sins to Him) and receive absolution from them, as if from God Himself. And we can rejoice especially that on this feast day, we can come to the Lord's house, and with other people, receive the True Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, given to us in bread and wine, for the remission of our sins.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Behold the Lamb of God!: St. John 1:29-34

St. John 1:29-34: "29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, "After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me." 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.' 32 And John bore witness, saying, 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.'"

Behold the Lamb of God! What great words! This proclamation from St. John the Baptist is all over our liturgy. The proclamation that our dear Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God is found in the greater doxology, the Gloria in Excelsis. It is in the Proper Prefaces for Advent and Easter. It is in the Agnus Dei. It is also found in the canticle Dignus Est Agnus from the book of Revelation. What that means is that this proclamation is an important one.

Our Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God. Well, what was done to lambs, without spot or blemish, in the Old Testament times? They were sacrificed for sins. Our Lord Jesus is our sacrifice for our sin. But He is not just the Lamb, but He is also the priest Who offers Himself up on our behalf. Behold the Lamb of God, is a proclamation of Redemption. It is a proclamation of our forgiveness from sins.

St. John the Baptist realizes this great mystery. He realizes that our Lord Jesus is greater than he is, that he is not worthy to untie His sandals. This is a confession of his sinfulness, and an acknowledgement of the righteousness of Christ. St. John the Baptist cannot take away sin. Even though he is baptizing in the Jordan River, his baptism cannot save, it was nothing more than a symbolic washing. The Baptism that our Lord Jesus gives us can save, it can remove sins, and impart righteousness. For it is a baptism of not just plain water, but it is water connected with God's word. Which means in that water is the Holy Ghost, and those baptized with the Holy Ghost have their sins drowned in those waters, so that He may bring them out of the water spotless and pure, just like the Lord Jesus Christ was a pure and spotless Lamb.

He becomes for all those who are baptized into His Name, a Shepherd, and He leads them to the still waters of His holy Word and Sacraments. There we receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation, freely, abundantly. And in these things we find rest and comfort from the trials of this life. Yes, though we walk through the valley of tears, this life life filled with trouble and sorrow. We know we have a Shepherd, Who comforts us with His holy Word, washes our wounds from the battle with sin, death, and the world with the waters of Holy Baptism, and feeds us with His true Body and Blood, given in bread and wine.

And this is perhaps the greatest gift of Lamb of God, for just like in the Old Testament times, the sacrifice that was offered was eaten by the priests as a wage for their service, so too, does the royal priesthood, eat the Lamb of God, which is given to us in this sacred and holy mystery.

One might wonder why St. John the Baptist shows up at this time of the year, in the season of Epiphany. For Advent is really the season of St. John the Baptist, since Advent is the forerunner of Christmas, as St. John the Baptist is the forerunner of our Lord Christ. He is even mentioned in two of the Advent Gospels, once in prison, and once in the pericope that comes before this mornings reading. Epiphany is all about our Lord Jesus being manifested to the world as One, True, and only Savior. Here St. John the Baptist shows up, to proclaim into our ears, that our dear Lord Jesus has come to begin His work of salvation for us. Here He is the Lamb of God, proclaimed as the Son of God, having the Holy Ghost rest upon Him in the form of a dove, acknowledging Him as or Priestly King, Who will offer Himself up on the altar of the cross, for our forgiveness.

Behold the Lamb of God! Crucified for us! Hanging dead on the tree on account of our sins. The sacrifice is made, we are made clean and pure. And this Lamb of God, is offered as our spiritual food, to create and sustain faith and life within us. And just as this Lamb of God, although dead in the grave for three days, rose again to eternal life. All those who feast on the Lamb of God receive that eternal life as a gift.

So rejoice this day in the Lamb of God, hear Him proclaimed by the modern day John the Baptists, the ministers of the Word, and come to the Lord's house and receive that Lamb of God on your lips for your forgiveness and life.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

I Will Establish My Covenant With You: Genesis 6:9-22

Genesis 6:9-22: "9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, 'The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. 15 And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark--you , your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 And you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them.' 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did."

This evening's reading tells us that Noah was a just and perfect man; that he walked with God. Noah is a picture of another just and perfect man, our dear Lord Jesus. That Noah walked with God, doesn't just simply mean that he went for walks with Him. It means that Noah did as God desired. He was in complete fellowship with Him, walking in all His ways. Noah is contrasted by the rest of the world. "Indeed it was corrupt." Noah is the only one who is righteous, and so God plans to destroy that which is corrupt, through a flood.

One can see two images in this narrative. The Cross of our dear Lord Jesus, and our baptism. In the Cross, God destroys all that is corrupt in mankind. Our Lord Jesus stands as both the Victim and the High Priest, offering Himself to the Father, as a sacrifice for all of mankind. He dies, we live. He suffers, we go free. We who are corrupt, suffer no punishment. He who is just and perfect, suffers our punishment. Like Noah, our Lord Jesus is also place in a type of Ark, but He is only in this Ark for three days; it is His tomb. Noah is carried through the death of the world, to life again after the flood. Our dear Lord Jesus is carried through the Tomb and death and, even hell, to life eternal.

The Cross and the Tomb, as well as the Flood, are all pictures of our Baptism. We are buried, through the waters of baptism, into Christ's death. For us Christians, this is our death. It is the death of all that is corrupt in us, that which we inherited from Adam. But just as we are brought out of the waters of baptism, so are we brought out of sin and death, so that now we have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation in Christ Jesus alone. Noah too was buried in the waters, carried safe and sound through those waters, to life again on the other side.

This is the covenant that God makes with Noah. That he will live with Him. And it is the covenant that God has made with us. He fulfilled this covenant through His Son's death on the Cross. And He makes us a part of that covenant through our baptism. When we receive the Flood of baptism, God places us into an Ark. He places us into the Church. Perhaps you have wondered why the main seating area in a church building is called the Nave? Nave, is the Latin word for ship. And in most historic looking church buildings, if you look up at the ceiling, the ribs of the  arches look like the underbelly of a ship. The Church is the ship, or to say it another way, the Ark, that carries those who have been called out of corruption, and put on the perfection of our dear Lord Jesus, to our heavenly home. We are carried through this sea, this life of death and trouble, to our eternal home.

This is God's covenant with mankind, this is His covenant with you. Rejoice at your baptism, and rejoice that when you come to the house of God, you are being carried through this flood of life, and nourished by the preaching of the Gospel, and by the very Body and Blood of Jesus given in bread and wine. And these gifts of God to you will sustain you, and strengthen you through this vale of tears, until you reach your heavenly home.

God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas

You Are My Beloved Son: St. Luke 3:21-22

St. Luke 3:21-22: "21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, 'You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.'"

The Feast of Epiphany anciently possesed three historical events in the life of Jesus. They were: 1) The visit of the Maji; 2) The Baptism of Jesus; 3)The miracle of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. All three of these were a part of the Epiphany feast. Today these three historical events in the life of Jesus are divided up for us. The visit of the Magi, takes its place on the Feast itself. The Baptism of Jesus is celebrated on Epiphany's octave, January 13. And the wedding in Cana is the Second Sunday after Epiphany. The Church in her grand wisdom, over time also included for the First Sunday after Epiphany the narrative of the Boy Jesus in the Temple. And so in Christmas and Epiphany we get the details of our dear Lord's early life, and the beginning of His ministry to us.

Today's reading tells us, briefly, of the baptism of our dear Lord Jesus. Two things can be pointed out about this pericope.

One, the appearance of the One True God, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Father appears as a voice from heaven, declaring to all who will hear, that our dear Lord Jesus is His beloved Son. And that He is a Son in whom He is well-pleased. The Son whom the Father refers too, is obviously our Lord Jesus, whose baptism purifies the waters of the Jordan River, and thereby purifies all water for baptism. The Holy Ghost appears in bodily form like a dove. Therefore, all three persons of the One, Holy and True Trinity are present for the Baptism of our Lord.

The Second thing that can be pointed out is the application to us. The Baptism of our Lord is a picture of our own baptism. Our dear Lord Jesus in sanctifying the waters of the Jordan, and thereby sanctifying all water for baptism, removed sin and death and the power of the devil from the waters of baptism. So that when you are baptized in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost by the minister of God, your sins, both the original ones you inherited from Adam, and all those which you added thereto, by your own disobedience and willfulness, are drowned and washed away in the waters of your baptism. Therefore, as the Blessed St. Paul says to the Church at Rome, you arise as a new man, without sin. And the Almighty Father, who is now your Father in heaven, proclaims from heaven, that you are His beloved Son, in whom He is well-pleased.

On account of Christ's work, you are given the place of Christ, as a free gift. That means your sins are taken away. And because your sins are taken away you also are given eternal life and salvation. For whereever there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. Therefore, whenever we remember our baptism, we drown the Old Adam within us once again, and every time we remember our baptism and drown our Old Adam anew, we again arise as a new man before God pure and holy. This is the process which we call "repentance." It involves confessing our sins, either to God or Minister, and receiving absolution, that is the declaration of the forgiveness of your sins.

Therefore today, confess your sins, and rejoice in your baptism, and live as a new man who has been redeemed by God. If you have not been baptized, seek out a minister of God to see what is required for you and your family to be baptized.

May God's peace be with you!

Deacon Dulas