Tomorrow Sunday, March 2nd, 2014 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: “We Have Something More Sure” (2nd Peter 1:19-21)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“We Have Something More Sure” (2nd Peter 1:19-21)
The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Sunday, March 2nd, 2014
Pastor Espinosa
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus, as believers and disciples of the Lord Jesus we have no interest in myths as the foundation for our faith and as the foundation of truth. We do not base our faith on any fictitious products of the imagination. Sociological, anthropological, and historical reminders as to the value of myth are beside the point. Our children esp. must be guarded against the idea that the saving faith – the Christian faith – is just one more idea among many ideas. And while it was enjoyable taking in the movie “Son of God” (with many good things, and other things lacking — what can one expect? It’s a movie! – but the risen Jesus did not walk through an open door to greet the disciples for example; John 20 teaches us that He appeared in their midst with the doors locked and — as Dr. Dawn pointed out — it was entirely inappropriate that Jesus seemed surprised when Lazarus awoke from death…these details are extremely important and we can’t be careless about them), we must be careful in respect to the subtle or not-so-subtle challenge with Jesus movies: they are put in the Hollywood spectrum of other movies many of which depict myth. For the uninformed person, it begins to feel like belief is entirely subjective and is not based on what is real, but based on whatever one feels. This subjectivism is the first step towards walking away from the Lord, because feelings come and go and cannot endure the rigors of real life.
No, we need something much more substantial and powerful to rely on and upon which to build our lives. So St. Peter in his second letter, chapter 1, verse 16 is clear about what his message did NOT rest on and about what his message DID rest on: his message by the Holy Spirit is not about “cleverly devised myths,” but rather based on eyewitness testimony. There is a gigantic difference. But before elaborating about the basis for our certainty, St. Peter states what he’s talking about: he’s talking about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ of which he saw an astounding prelude of with his own eyes when he saw the Lord transfigured on the holy mountain.
Peter by inspiration of the Holy Spirit is teaching us why Jesus should be predominantly before us in our hearts and minds; why our Lord should be predominantly before us in the way we live and why Jesus is the basis for our illumination and transformation as the people of God. Take away the Lord Jesus and there is no faith, there is no hope, and there is no eternal life. But why should you believe in Him?! Because He has all power and because He is coming again! Remember Peter is preparing us for what will happen: “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The word for “coming” is parousia…it is made up of para which means “alongside” and ousia which means “to be,” so parousia refers to when Jesus will be alongside you when He comes again in power and glory. The day is coming and you are being called to be ready for that glorious day when you will stand before the Lord of glory. That will be the single biggest day of your life. Again, we are to be ready!
But for the Lutheran Christian especially – and this was one of the most basic points of my doctoral dissertation in responding to the madness of contemporary second coming teaching – if one remains in the constant coming of the Lord Jesus through Word and Sacrament, then one is always ready for the great and glorious coming. Receive Jesus constantly through His Word and you will be ready. Then that day will not be a day you view in anxiety, but a day that you view with joy and faith-driven anticipation.
This whole dynamic reminds me of what comes up frequently in athletics: maybe you’ve heard the saying, “you perform or play like you practice.” If you practice half-heartedly, then when the day comes for the big game or competition, you will play or perform according to the way you rehearsed, but if you practice hard, then you will perform at your best. Now in removing the synergistic nuances from my analogy: if you are led to constantly receive Jesus who comes to you through Word and Sacrament for the forgiveness of sins, then guess what? Then He will make you ready for His powerful and glorious Second Coming! Or think of it this way: if you are constantly receiving the LIGHT of God through Christ’s Word and Sacrament, then the glorious LIGHT of Christ on the Last Day – though awesome and beyond description – will at the same time not be strange; at the same time you will have been trained by the lesser light (and yet still efficacious light) of the Word of Jesus before His coming…this is why we gather. We are not here to be a social club; we are not here to pat ourselves on the back because we’re being “good Christians” who go to church…yuck and no thank you. We are here to remain in the forgiveness of our sins received through the Gospel and received through the body and blood of Jesus; and to receive the light of Christ through His Word…and it is this that truly makes you ready to die and to live and to see Jesus when the parousia takes place!