John 1:35-39a 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany Jan 15, 2017

Just a moment ago, we stood up for the reading of the Gospel. Then we remained standing for the confession of the creed. Then we sat down for the Hymn of the Day.

Most people don’t really think about it. They just stand when they are supposed to stand and sit when they are told to sit. I’ve heard people complain about Roman Catholic church services because they stand up and sit down, stand up and sit down, stand up and sit down, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.

To tell you the truth, I don’t know the rhyme or reason for Roman Catholic worshipers, but I do know it for ours—at least for the reading of the Gospel and confession of the creed. It’s actually pretty simple.

Think of it like this: Football season is wrapping up. It’s the post season now. My team is still in it. The higher my team goes (I’m not sure I should say the name aloud; it’s sort of like saying who I voted for president, which means you probably have some idea but I don’t want to alienate anyone, namely myself) but anyway, as my team gets closer to the Superbowl the stakes get higher. Every touchdown means more. When I watch, as I have been able to do only lately, I can’t stay in my chair. I want to jump up and cheer with every score that gets them closer to the Superbowl.

Why do we stand for the Gospel? It’s like that. We just can’t stay in our chairs. If you don’t feel that way--and I know I don’t really feel it myself—let me tell you why the Church would have you out of your chairs for the reading of the Gospel in the Divine Service.

We’re in the Epiphany season, right after Christmas. This is the celebration of Jesus’ incarnation. God has become flesh. I’ll say that again. God has become flesh. God has a body. He has hands. He has feet. He has a mouth. The world had been waiting for that moment, for the time when He became incarnate in the virgin’s womb.

When I say “world,” I mean, all of creation had waited for this moment. All of mankind. Most of mankind doesn’t realize what His incarnation means, but they yearn for exactly what He has come to bring. He has come to break the curse of sin.

We do our own part of messing it up. We cherish a little sin. We try to hide something else. We react in selfish ways. We’re not willing to look at ourselves. We act like it takes too much effort to even look. Instead, we just keep going in the direction we’ve been taking, no matter who it is hurting. We show just how firmly we are grasped in that curse, how it is dragging us down, how it turning us against our God more and more.

Yet, at the same time, we all have a sense of what life could be like. All of us. We all yearn for it. Every single human being.

Furthermore, we all have the image of God, so we know we have a maker. No other creature has this knowledge, but the more we allow the curse to grip us, the more we become like lower creatures.

We may even play games with God. Act like we are serving Him, tell ourselves we are, but actually look out for our own best interests. Use Him as a cover for what we are doing. But our ransomed souls know better. As a newly created soul, we yearn for Him. Created again in Him in our baptism, we want more than what we give ourselves. We want Him. We know He has come to give us what we need.

The incarnation says, “It’s begun.” Every action of the God that has become flesh is an occasion for a celebration. Even if He sneezes, it’s this wonderful reminder that He is a human being and He’s a human being so He can redeem us and all of creation, set us all free from the curse.

He is conceived. He is born. He is circumcised. He is baptized. All for us.

He walks by John the Baptist and John makes a monumental statement. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Alright, you may not feel it, but think about what it was like for those disciples of John that heard that. Think about what it was like for John. They were jumping out of their skin. This is the one!

How many lambs had been sacrificed, which only pointed to this one? How many? Twice a day since the tabernacle, since Israel wandered in the wilderness, that’s starting about 1500 B.C. but even before that, with the Passover Lamb, and that was one per family. And then every year after that. Twice a day in Solomon’s Temple. Twice a day when they rebuilt the temple.

You can be sure one had already been slaughtered the day John said this, and another one was to be slaughtered later that day after he said it, and again the next morning, because they didn’t know the Lamb was here. But He was.

All these rituals were pointing to Him. All these teachings they had learned. Everything in the life of the temple and synagogue pointed to Jesus and now He just walked by them. Do you think you would have to tell them to stand up?

But John also said, “The one who takes away the sin of the world.” That’s what our souls are yearning for. You are not the same as other people. You have been made into a new creation. Your baptism has changed you. You, as a soul, want more than what most people want because you have become tuned to God’s goodness. You know He is the One who takes sin away. You know He is the one who has conquered it by His perfect life, death and resurrection.

To hear these words, your spirit within you doesn’t want to just stand. It wants to fly. It is so charged up to be here in the Divine Service where God comes among us and walks with us as He did with Adam and Eve. And it wants your body so badly to take it all in—for your ears to hear and your mind to contemplate the wonders of what is happening in the Divine Service. It longs for your mouth to take into your body the very incarnate God under the bread and wine when it is available.

Now, why do we stay standing for the creed? Because we are still celebrating. We are still singing God’s praises. We are talking about what He has done.

We’re not just going, “Oh, you’re so great and you’re so mighty. And I just want to praise you.” We’re actually saying something. “This is what you have done. This is who you are.” We praise Him by speaking back to Him what He has told us. Now, that’s praise.

The only reason we don’t stand for the Gospel lesson in Matins or other prayer services, is because standing for this is a feature of the Divine Service. The Divine Service is the queen of the services. She is the one with all the bells and whistles. All the grand and majestic gestures are part of her, starting with the standing during the reading of the Gospel.

Here comes another grand moment. The Word speaks. Remember, Jesus is called the Word. John started His Gospel that way. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

We called Him the Logos, and on Christmas Day talked about what that meant. He is the Word that makes words. Not just the words; He doesn’t just make words, but He makes the things that require words to describe them. He is the Creator through whom the Father makes all things. The Word that was spoken. A brief excerpt from my Christmas sermon is on the back.

And now the Word Himself, forms words with His mouth and speaks. He responds to the disciples that follow. He turns, sees them, and speaks, “What are you seeking.”

If we were to use a modern language Bible that tends to use slang, it would likely say, “What do you want?” That’s not what He is saying.

Remember, this is John. John’s symbol as one of the four Evangelists, is the eagle. His theology soars. Simple words are not simple words. Revelation is not that way, neither is His Gospel.

What are you seeking? It begs us to look closely at what He is saying. Do you seek what I have to give you? Do you seek what the author of this book will say at the end of the second to last chapter of his book, “…that you may have eternal

life?” Do you seek the Christ, the Son of God, and all this means? It’s the Lord’s question to all His disciples. “Do you seek me, to walk in my way?”

And the disciples answer, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Already from the title they are indicating the end of their old existence and entry into a new life. They have left John. Jesus is their teacher. “Rabbi, we are ready to come under your tutelage. You are to become our teacher, but we aren’t interested in just learning facts. We want to learn your way of life.”

In fact, when they ask, “Where are you staying?” they’re not simply asking to see his hotel room. The English makes it sound that way. The Greek shows it’s more. Where are you remaining? This is the same word as when Jesus says, “If you remain in my Word, you are my disciples indeed.” And then goes on to say, “The slave does not remain in the house, but the Son remains forever.”

Jn 12:26 says, “Where I am, there will my servant be also.” Where is He? This is obviously not just talking about a physical location. John is the Eagle, remember?

Where is He? In His glory, but His glory is in the cross. The disciple is taking up His cross and saying he is ready to die.

I know. It doesn’t sound that way. It sounds like a simple exchange, but that’s not John’s style. Those who personally knew how he wrote and personally knew his style comment on his words. This is how we know. We know because John writes details that are not just details of the history. He’s making deep theological points. And Jesus response, “Come and see,” is said to every disciple.

Jesus is gathering His church. He starts with his disciples, those who will become the apostles. He starts with the Jews, the blood descendants of Abraham, but expands it, giving us non-Jews reason to rejoice.

Isaiah had sung to us the song that tells us the Lord would go beyond the blood descendants of Abraham. He sings, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

He is singing about us! The servant starts with the Jews, but He expands to us. The nations and the end of the earth, are the names for the Gentiles, like us. The magi that visited the child Jesus in His home, were of the nations, were part of those His salvation reached on its way to reaching the end of the earth.

Epiphany is our season! The season of the Gentiles; the season where we get to celebrate Jesus is for us. Almost makes you want to stand up and cheer. AMEN

In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For all people, that they might joyfully see the glory of God proclaimed in His creation and not misuse His handiwork to deny His name, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the people of God, that they might be preserved from evil thoughts and evil speech, so that the words of their mouths and the meditations of their hearts may be acceptable in His sight, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the saints of God in every place, that God would enrich and sustain them in all knowledge by His Word so that they do not lack in any gift as they wait for the revealing of our Lord, Jesus Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the nations, that the Lord would grant godly rulers who act with wisdom and promote peace, and that the news of God’s salvation might reach to the ends of the earth, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For all pregnant women and the children they carry, that the Lord who formed His eternal Son in Mary’s womb for our salvation might sustain them and preserve them from harm and complications, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For [_____________ and] all who are afflicted and in need of deliverance, that their Father in heaven would have mercy upon them according to His gracious will, bolster their faith and sustain them until the day of our Lord, Jesus Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For the baptized, that they might daily rejoice to live lives of repentance, follow Jesus and be His instruments in the many and various callings He has given them, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For all who gather to receive the Holy Eucharist today, that they might, in bread and wine, behold the very body and blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For all the saints who, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, followed Jesus until they rested from their labors, let us give thanks to the Lord, asking that we, too, might follow our Savior and rejoice in His gifts of grace and life until we are delivered to the eternal day, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

Almighty God, You have rescued us from the pit of destruction and put in our mouths a new song of salvation. Incline Your ear to us, hear our cries, preserve us in Your steadfast love and answer us graciously for the sake of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Jn 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jn 20:31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Jn 8:31b-32 “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

Jn 8:35  “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 

The word, Logos, says “This Word makes words.” He makes trees, and we know trees are not the same as bushes. But by saying the name of a tree we know it is different from another. I say “Willow” and you know it’s not an “Oak.” I say “man,” and you know it’s not a “woman.” The Logos is the One that makes them. Not just the words for them, but the difference between them, so words can mean what they do.

Gospel Symbol Focus . Matthew Man Jesus’ humanity

Mark Lion Jesus’ courage and royalty

Luke Ox Jesus’ sacrifice and the Temple

John Eagle Jesus’ divinity in a symbolic style