I AM the Light of the World: St. John 8:12-20

St. John 8:12-20: "12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."'13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, 'You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.' 14 Jesus answered and said to them, 'Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.' 19 Then they said to Him, 'Where is Your Father?' Jesus answered, 'You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.' 20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come."

This pericope follows after the narrative of the woman who had committed adultery and the Pharisees, desiring to stone her, asked our Lord Jesus what He would do with her, since she had been caught in the act of adultery and there was no way for anyone to deny that she was guilty. To this our Lord replied, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." And one by one, convicted in their conscience, they left from the oldest to the youngest. No one condemning her, our Lord declares her forgiven, saying, "Go, and sin no more."

From the Evangelist St. John, it would seem that today's narrative followed immediately after this event, therefore, our Lord Jesus, having declared the absolution, declares that He is the Light of the world. Notice that our Lord does not say, "the Light of the Angels," or, "the Light of the Heavens." But he says, "I AM the Light of the World," that is, mankind. He is our Light. The Light that dispels the darkness of sin and death. In this simple statement of our Lord, He proclaims Himself to be both the Son of God and the Son of Man. For all can plainly see that He is a man. There may have even been those present who doubted that He could indeed forgive the sins of the woman, for only God can forgive sins. But He declares His divinity by saying, "I AM." The Christological heresies which deny our Lord's divinity cannot stand up to this statement, for He does not say, "In Me is the Light of the World", as if He was granted some special divine powers from God, but was really only a man. No, He says, "I AM the Light of the World."

With the words, "I AM," He declares his divinity, and proclaims that He is the same God that appeared to Moses in the bush that was on fire, but didn't burn. In this declaration, He also proclaims that He is the one who has power of sin and death, and all the powers of darkness. And He promises us something very wonderful. Those who follow Him, shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life, that is, eternal life. Meaning, now, in this life, we follow Him by faith, hearing His promises, and rejoicing in His gifts, but in eternity, we will see for all eternity the truth of those words which we now see only by faith.

May God strengthen your faith to live in the light of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that in this light, you may enjoy throughout your earthly life, the forgiveness of your sins, and in that forgiveness may you enjoy all the gifts it brings.

God be with you,

Deacon Dulas

Now It Came to Pass, When the Time Had Come For Him to Be Received Up, That He Steadfastly Set His Face to Go to Jerusalem: St. Luke 9:28-62

St. Luke 9:28-62: "1 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah'--not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!' 36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. 37 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. 38 Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, 'Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. 40 So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.' 41 Then Jesus answered and said, 'O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.' 42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 44 'Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.' 45 But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. 46 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, 48 and said to them, 'Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.' 49 Now John answered and said, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.' 50 But Jesus said to him, 'Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.' 51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?' 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.' And they went to another village. 57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, 'Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.' 58 And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' 59 Then He said to another, 'Follow Me.' But he said, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' 60 Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.' 61 And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.' 62 But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'"

The events of this narrative follow eight days after the Lord has told them about His suffering and death in Jerusalem. The Evangelist St. Luke supplies some of the details that were missing in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark. We learn that the three disciples that our Lord took with Him were heavy with sleep, and did not see His glory until they were fully awake. It is almost as if they had fallen asleep and awoke in another reality. Another thing that the Evangelist St. Luke reveals that the other Gospel writers do not, is that the disciples and our Lord, spent the night on the mountain. For we are told that they came down the next day from the mountain, after His transfiguration.

Another thing we learn from the Evangelist St. Luke regarding the transfiguration of our Lord, is what our Lord Jesus, and Moses and Elijah spoke about on that mount. We are told they spoke about "His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem." In other words, they spoke about His crucifixion and death. Even after our Lord and His disciples come down from the mountain, and He casts out a demon, our Lord Jesus tells His disciples that He was about to be betrayed into the hands of men. Then comes these great words for our ears to hear, "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem." Meaning, that our Lord sets His purpose and will to accomplish the will of His Heavenly Father, that He discussed with Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. He sets His will to suffer and die for our sins.

Having fulfilled the Law for us; Having given many proofs of His Divinity, and that He was indeed the promised Messiah; Having shown His power and authority over the devil and the powers of darkness; He marches toward Jerusalem, like a military general set on defeating and capturing his enemy in one final battle.

There in Jerusalem our Lord, as we well know, will be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, suffer mockery, spittings, beatings, and scourging, and be sent to be crucified to death. All this He does for our salvation. As He says, "The Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." He gets destroyed for us, so that we would not be destroyed. The fire of the Father's wrath over the sin of mankind is poured down upon Him on the cross, so that we would not suffer that wrath.

Therefore, at the beginning of this Lenten season, we also set our face steadfastly towards Jerusalem and the cross. For it is at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we lay our sins, and receive His forgiveness.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

Now They Were on the Road, Going Up to Jerusalem, and Jesus Was Going Before Them: St. Mark 10:32-52

St. Mark 10:32-52: "32 Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: 33 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; 34 and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.' 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, 'Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.' 36 And He said to them, 'What do you want Me to do for you?' 37 They said to Him, 'Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.' 38 But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?' 39 They said to Him, 'We are able.' So Jesus said to them, 'You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; 40 but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.' 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, 'You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.' 46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' 48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!' 49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, 'Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.' 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus answered and said to him, 'What do you want Me to do for you?' The blind man said to Him, 'Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.' 52 Then Jesus said to him, 'Go your way; your faith has made you well.' And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road."

Again, we are told that our dear Lord Jesus is on the road going up to Jerusalem. This is more then just the Evangelist St. Mark telling us were Jesus is headed geographically. This is an indirect statement about our Lord's purpose. He is going up to Jerusalem, the place where He will be scourged, beaten, spit upon, mocked, and crucified by the Gentiles. The Evangelist St. Mark is preparing us for the Passion of our Lord. Our Lord Jesus Christ also prepares His disciples for His suffering and death by telling them what will happen to them when they reach Jerusalem. Although there is a light at the end of the tunnel. On the third day He will rise again from the dead.

We are told over and over again in the Gospels that the disciples didn't understand what He was talking about whenever He tells them about His work. And this lack of understanding continues until after His resurrection, and then they finally understand. However, here in this pericope, we get an example of two of the disciples' lack of understanding; St. John and St. James the Elder, two of our Lord's chief disciples. Here they ask our dear Lord Jesus to take their places on the left and right of Him in His glory.

The Sons of Zebedee, St. John and St. James the Elder, understood this to be His earthly glory. That is, they believed that He would establish an earthly throne, and rule. They were simply asking to be His right hand men. There are others today, who say that this glory is a reference to the throne that our Lord Jesus sits on in Heaven. Besides the obvious dilemma that our Lord Jesus sits on the right hand of the Father, and that one of the disciples would be sitting where the Father is sitting, this understanding of the text fails to take into consideration what our Lord Jesus tells St. James the Elder and St. John next.

The Lord starts talking about His cup and His baptism. Obviously we can see allusions to the two Sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord's Supper, but more than that we see a glimpse of what our Lord considers to be His glory. It is the cross. His crucifixion is His glory. This ties in nicely with what our Lord Jesus says about being servant of all. He is the greatest, because He became our servant and suffered and died in our place, fulfilling the Law. Our Lord's glory is not sitting on a throne judging people, even though He does that too. But, our Lord's glory is His Passion.

This too, is our glory. For it is His cross which we bear. We bear this cross through our Holy Baptism, where we were crucified and buried with Him in the waters of Holy Baptism, so that we too might rise again to new life. Indeed St. John and St. James the Elder were baptized with Christ's baptism, this takes place during the washing of the disciples feet on the night when He instituted the Lord's Supper. But, more than that, they both were baptized in blood. St. James the Elder became the first disciple to be martyred, and St. John, although not a martyr in the flesh, was a martyr in spirit, and his life was constantly in jeopardy, including being poisoned, which he survived. This is why his symbol is a cup with a coiled snake coming out of it.

The cup also represents blood, and it also is a symbol of the martyrdom of these two disciples. This cup that our Lord Jesus speaks about is the cup of His Passion. And from His Passion, our Lord gives His Blessed Apostles the cup that would be the life blood of the Church. It is this cup which we drink everytime we receive our Lord's Body and Blood, in bread and wine. This Body and Blood, is what He offered once and for all on the tree of the cross, and He gives it to us; to His holy Christian Church, as heavenly food for us to eat and drink. And this heavenly meal keep us in the one true faith unto life everlasting, by the in-working of the Holy Ghost.

Therefore, our Lord Jesus must go up to Jerusalem, in order to win for us forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation on the cross. And along the way, He opens the eyes of the blind man Bartimaeus. It is interesting that after our Lord Jesus tells His disciples what He must do, St. John and St. James the Elder reveal the spiritual blindness and misunderstanding of all the disciples, but on the road to Jerusalem, in the city of Jericho, the town which the Israelites first encountered after they crossed over the Jordan, a man who is physically blind, can see clearly spiritually. The blind man Bartimaeus represents all those who upon hearing of the cross of Jesus Christ, become enlightened, and believe on our Lord Jesus, the Son of David, and the Son of Man, that is, the True Messiah. Having received their spiritual sight, they follow our Lord Jesus on the road to Jerusalem.

Therefore as we prepare for Lent, and the journey to the cross and Passion of our dear Lord Jesus, we rejoice in our Holy Baptism, and we receive the cup of Salvation, and rejoice that our sins our forgiven, and that our eyes have been opened, so that we can see clearly our Lord's glory, and our glory. For our glory is His glory, and His glory is the cross. This too is our glory, for it is the means whereby we have forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

May God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

For This Purpose I Have Come Forth: St. Mark 1:16-45

St. Mark 1:16-45: "16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, 'Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.' 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. 21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, 'Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!' 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet, and come out of him!' 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, 'What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.' 28 And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. 29 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. 32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, 'Everyone is looking for You.' 38 But He said to them, 'Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.' 39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. 40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, 'If You are willing, You can make me clean.' 41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed.' 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, 'See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.' 45 However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction."

Today we leave the Gospel of St. Matthew, and begin reading through the Gospel of St. Mark. In this pericope we have a description of the early ministry of our Lord. This narrative takes place after the temptation of our Lord in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. Our Lord's first task is to call His disciples. These men He had already met shortly after His Baptism, and we can assume that these are the same disciples that are referred to in the Gospel of St. John, who accompanied Him to the wedding at Cana, which happened on the third day after His Baptism.

But our Lord leaves His disciples for awhile and endures the temptation of the devil, so that He might prepare Himself for His ministry. What is His ministry? For what reason did our Lord come? Our Lord tells us Himself, that He has come to preach to the lost and the sinners. He does this preaching in Galilee, which is Zebulun and Naphtali. These were the first kingdoms led away into exile by the Assyrians, when the Northern Kingdom fell. Therefore, our Lord begins His preaching where the darkness of sin is greatest. And, since His disciples are from Galilee, He chooses His first disciples from those who live in the land where the stain of sin and death is greatest. In other words, He chooses as His future vessels to proclaim His word, men who are familiar with sin. St. Peter, who is called Simon in this Gospel, even confesses that He is a sinful, and thereby unworthy man, in another Gospel.

However, our Lord does not consider the man's works, but the man's faith. These men were the first to witness His preaching and miracles, and they were the first to believe that He was the Son of God, the Messiah promised long ago. On account of these men's faith, they would make fine apostles. Indeed, we know that these men did become great apostles. St. James the Elder became the first apostle to suffer martyrdom. His brother outlived all the apostles and his words were the last words of the apostles left as a testimony to their posterity, hence the position of St. John's Gospel as the last, and his epistles and revelation as the close of the canon. St. Andrew would spread the Gospel to far away places, including Scotland and England, and the surrounding isles, and he would suffer the same punishment as our Lord, only on a cross saltire, that is, a cross shaped like an "X." St. Simon Peter would become the leader of the apostles, the man that the others looked to for wisdom and guidance. He would establish churches and Bishops in Alexandria and Rome, where he would also suffer the same fate as our Lord, only upside down, on account that he did not believe himself worthy to die as our Lord did.

These sinful men, who lived in a sinful land would become the preachers of our Lord. And they would be great preachers, for they knew what it meant to be forgiven of their many sins. St. Simon Peter, especially knew this for he denied our Lord three times. But having confessed and repented of his sin, he was forgiven by our Lord, so that he boldly proclaimed this forgivenness in spite of the fear of death.

Our Lord still calls feeble sinful men to proclaim forgiveness. There are some today who think erroneously that this should not be, that ministers of the word should be without sin, and certainly ministers should free from certain public sins, but no minister will be completely free from sin, as in no human being. And this is not a liability but an advantage, for a sinful preacher, knows how to preach about forgiveness. For he knows what it means to be forgiven by our Lord.

And so our Lord, calls these men to follow Him, so that they may be "fishers of men." Then our Lord goes and preaches in this land where sin was most prevalent. That this was so, is shown us by the existence of many demon-possessed individuals. It is clear that this land was solidly controlled by the devil and his demons. The devil had a strangle hold on this land, and our Lord goes directly to his stronghold, and binds him and silences him through His preaching and healing. Our Lord still does this for us today, placing His word where it is needed the most, in the hearts and minds of sinful man, so that He might by His preaching and Sacraments bind and silence the devil and his works, so that we might live in faith and trust that our Lord has forgiveness of our sins, and has destroyed the devil and his works in our midst.

May the Lord give you grace and peace in the knowledge that by His preaching through the voice of a sinful man, who preaches our Lord's forgiveness, your sins are forgiven not only on earth, but also in Heaven.

God be with you!

Deacon Dulas

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