Sermon for Second Sunday after Epiphany

Here is yesterday's offering:

Epiphany 2
Jan. 17, 2010
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
Varieties of the Same

In the name of Jesus, amen. Early in our life we do not like to hear the words “Lights out!” That means that the fun is coming to an end. As we age and as we come to understand the value of rest, turning the lights off means sleep. We don’t mind the darkness when we are tired, when we need some sleep, when we need to recharge.

But having the lights our spiritually is deadly. Where God is not present, there is ignorance. And apart from God the Holy Spirit, everyone is ignorant of spiritual matters.

As a people, the Corinthians had known only idol worship. They went wherever they were led. They would notice all the excitement and could sense the buzz about the latest idol and they would head in that direction. Until…the next idol came along. We also often go however we were led. Too often it is our sinful nature and our sinful desires that do the leading. We forget that we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

Devoid of the Holy Spirit, one can at best be silent on spiritual matters, like mute pagan idols. At worst, we can speak in error. Apart from the Holy Spirit, everything one says amounts to “Jesus is accursed!” Every word that does not come from faith is ultimately all about me, and not about God, not about my neighbor and their needs. You know as well as I how much ‘me’ talk there is in our society. Culture is driven by what satisfies and feeds the ego. And we are a part of our society. We can hear ourselves talk and we are aware when we start to believe that the world revolves around our navel.

Where God does not dwell, where God does not speak, the lights are out. There is darkness and decay.

But the lights are on. The Epiphany season is about the light that reveals the presence of God. Where God is present, where God’s Word dwells and that Word is proclaimed, there is understanding and blessing.

Possessing the Spirit begets the voice that cries “Jesus is Lord!” So let’s talk about Jesus for a moment. God’s Son was uniquely gifted like no other person. That he was a person was clearly obvious as he was placed in the manger. That Jesus was true God is the glory of Epiphany. Today he changes water into wine, great wine, not Franzia. This uniquely gifted Jesus went to the cross to atone for all sins and then rose gloriously from the dead.

Now the Holy Spirit is about the work of revealing that glory so that people are brought to believe in Jesus as Lord. Jesus had followers prior to this wedding day in John 2. But we acknowledged in the Alleluia verse appointed for today that after the miracle the disciples believed in Jesus.

Coming to faith in Christ is very much like having a light turned on. From ignorance and darkness about God, we now see clearly that in Christ God is loving and forgiving. What words instruct us about the Holy Spirit in the Small Catechism? God has called me by the Gospel and enlightened me with His gifts.

Through the words of St. Paul, the Holy Spirit brightens the minds and hearts of the Corinthians. Their epiphany makes the one true God manifest, makes Him known. And this one true God works in many different ways yet is always one and the same.

There are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit. There are varieties of service yet the same Lord. There are varieties of activities yet the same God.

Within the heart and mind of the individual person, the essence of Epiphany is the personal reality of Jesus the Son of God. God’s glory burns brightest when the believer responds to God’s grace, when the believer leaves the mute idols and false gods and cleaves to the living God who speaks and acts.

Within the hearts and minds of the individuals in this space, individuals called by Father, redeemed by the Son, led by the Spirit, God’s glory burns brightly as we live in the shadow of the cross, as we rejoice in the empty tomb. And we are able to celebrate the individuals that are brought together and knit by God into a community of faith.

There are varieties of the same present within this room. To one is given the message of wisdom. To another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another discerning spirits, to another the ability to speak in tongues and to interpret tongues. Christians, loved by God, show different gifts.

But the Christian has the full Spirit with the full Christ since we have been baptized into the family of God and given the name of God.

We shine brightly with the glory of God when we use our spiritual gifts for the common good. There is no talk about me or my, they or them. Rather, the language is we, us, and ours. This is not my church, so I cannot dictate what will happen. This is not your church and you are not free to lord it over the others. By God’s grace, this is, has been, and always be His church. By God’s grace, he has given this church to us, thus it is our church. And to that end we do what God gives the church to do. We share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all people. We proclaim the reality that Jesus is Lord. We live the reality that Jesus is Lord.

The lights are on. With God’s help, at God’s command, we turn the lights up. The star lit the way for the Wise Men. The rays of Christ’s glory increasingly shine each week, shining the bright truth that Jesus is Lord.

We know that Jesus is our Lord. Jesus is our savior from sin and death. God has turned the lights on for us. It is the epiphany of God. To each of us is given the Holy Spirit to shine the light of Christ on others. You are an epiphany as you reflect the light of Christ to the people around you. We are different people, with different gifts and talents and abilities. But we are an epiphany as we reflect the warm and pure light of God.