The Lutheran Hour
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"“The Unveiling” – Transfiguration"
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Text: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Speaking of the promised Savior, the prophet Isaiah said, “The people walking in darkness would see a great Light.” (Isaiah 9:2) Centuries later, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) With the angel’s announcement of God’s great victory of grace at the empty tomb, you, me, the entire world, can be moved from darkness into the Light of life which comes through faith in the Savior.
Today we talk about light. More specifically, we talk about how Jesus is the Light of the world. Having said that, allow me to share a story about a Sunday School teacher who gave her class some homework. For the following week they were supposed to read the words of the prophet Isaiah, the ninth chapter, which talks about how, because of Jesus, “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” Amazingly, the following week when the teacher asked how many of her pupils had completed the assignment, almost every hand went up. Feeling confident, she asked, “Do you remember in verse two, what the people saw?” Nobody seemed to remember. Indeed, a couple of hands flew to their Bibles and began to look up the passage. Undaunted, the teacher encouraged, “I’ll give you a hint. The passage begins, ‘the people that walked in the darkness ….'” Nobody was brave enough to answer.
Finally, with a fair amount of frustration she decided to bribe the class. “There’s a candy bar for the first one who gets it right. The people that walked in the darkness ….” Hands popped up all over the place. She called on one student. He answered, “The people walking in the darkness use less electricity.” No, that wasn’t right. Another said, “The people who walked in the darkness stubbed their toes on the coffee table.” No, that wouldn’t do, either. Another volunteered, “The people walking in the darkness are usually burglars.” One student quite confidently said, “The people who walked in the darkness could really use a flashlight.” Just as the teacher was thinking about taking early retirement, one of the students found the passage and finished it, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
Today we talk about the Light. We who live in the beginning years of this millennium, with all of the advances of technology, have a difficult time understanding the impact of those words of prophecy. That’s because, most of the time, we don’t understand “dark” the way the ancients did. During the recent war in Iraq, we sat in our well-lit homes and watched the flicker of our television screens as they showed us nighttime pictures of events taking place halfway across the globe. The green starlight scopes of the soldiers and correspondents collected the light of the stars, amplified it, and with a strange green glow, allowed us to see the darkest of battlefields. We have seen police in helicopters peer into the darkness with infrared, and track down a criminal by following the heat of his body. No, it’s hard to understand the darkness of the ancient world. Even so, I know that most people don’t like to be in the dark.
Not so long ago, a cousin of mine was caught in an elevator during a power outage. He told me about the sickening jolt when things stopped and they were thrown into pitch- blackness. Then the seven people started shouting for buttons to be pushed, calling for the emergency phone and jostling to make sure they didn’t touch anyone, or get touched. Then, one of the passengers remembered the tiny flashlight he carried on his keychain. With the flick of a switch, a small amber light filled the elevator car. Just as a little child relaxes when a nightlight is turned on in his bedroom, so too, these adults, helped by the most insignificant of lights, found their fears fleeing. For the next 45 minutes they laughed at their fate, shared stories and a little history about themselves. That is the power of light in the physical world. No, most people don’t like to be in the dark. Most people, but not all.
In 1789 when the Bastille, the castle-like prison in Paris was about to be destroyed, a long-term inmate was brought out. He had lived in his gloomy cell for a good many years. Sadly, instead of welcoming his liberty, the man begged to be taken back into his hole. Unaccustomed to the sunlight, he had only one desire: to die in the murky dungeon which had held him captive for so long. No, not everybody wants to be in the light.
Centuries ago, a governor of the Bahamas was about to return to his homeland of England. He promised his people that he would do his best to bring about any request the Colonists might make to the home office. If I give you a hundred years, you would never guess what some of them asked him to say. The request of some of the folks was, “Ask the government to tear down their lighthouses. Their lighthouses are ruining our industry.” Why would anyone want to get rid of lighthouses? It was simple. These men were ship wreckers. They made their living salvaging ships that were ruined on the shore. The lighthouses were stopping ships from crashing. No matter people would die. No matter others would be ruined. These men hated the lighthouses; they hated the light, even as the devil hates the light that comes from Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Today we talk about the Light. We’ve come far from the position taken by our nations’ founders toward the darkness of men’s hearts. No, not all of our forefathers acknowledged Jesus as their Savior, or proclaimed Him as the Light of the world, but they still understood that humankind is flawed and foolish. They understood the values of virtue, the demands of duty, the importance of morals. And they also knew that those of their fellow men who would listen only to the darkest whispers of their souls, who followed the blackest wishes of their hearts, who would elevate sin and Satan, would need to be restrained by the power of the state. The President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, was a man of few words. One Sunday, with his wife sick, he went to church alone. Upon his return, she asked, “What did the pastor talk about?” Silent Cal said, “Sin.” “And, dear, what did the minister say about sin?” “He was against it.”
Sadly in our time, too many have deserted Cal’s position. Like that man in the Bastille, some have decided that it’s easier to live their lives in the darkness. Too many are living as if Jesus, the Light, had never come. Too many have had their spiritual eyes grow so accustomed to the darkness, that they think the black all around them is the way things are supposed to be. Murderers, molesters and malefactors are given minimal punishment, because courts believe their crimes are the product of a sad environment and not a sinful heart. Schools teach that everybody is basically nice and noble, never mean, malicious, or malevolent. Circumstance and situation, not sin and Satan, are the cause of all the calamities and catastrophes that occupy every newspaper headline that are reported on every radio and television news program.
Would you not think if we were in actuality good, that our countries would have by now, established a Shangri-la, a Utopia here on earth? Would you not think, that if we were basically kind, that crime and hatred would become a thing of the past? Would you not think that jails would be converted into warehouses, and prisons into museums, because there was no one deserving to go there? You would certainly not think that a society of good people would produce a million prisoners, like we have now. You would not think that security systems would need to be a part of almost every new home being built. The truth is, adding a legion of police to our streets won’t stop drugs being sold to children. Opening a thousand new colleges will not change the moral climate of our country. They will not make a difference because too many people believe the darkness and the twilight are normal. They are not normal.
A little boy once heard his Sunday School teacher say, “Jesus is the light of the world.” The boy took the teacher’s remark quite literally. After class he said to her, “If Jesus really is the light of the world, I wish He’d come hang out in my alley. It’s awful dark where I live.” Do you dear listeners, wish that Jesus would come and hang out in your alley, your street, your home? Do you wish that Jesus would illuminate the dark recesses of your country, your county, your community, your city? Are you tired of having darkness in your living room and in your life?
Two thousand years ago, Jesus was born into a world that loved and preferred the darkness. When Jesus came and confronted humanity with God’s call to repentance, forgiveness, and hope, the world didn’t want the Light to expose the evil that it was doing. That’s why they very clearly said, “Jesus, we will, if it’s all the same to You, live in the darkness.” Jesus’ neighbors, His Church, His government all said that darkness was fine by them. As a result, they hated Jesus’ light and did all they could to extinguish it. Indeed, they managed to nail Him to a cross and with great confidence that night had once again descended, placed a great stone and a watchful guard before His grave. But death and darkness for once, did not have the final word. Jesus’ sacrifice for us was accepted, and He, on the third day rose from the dead. Even now He lives, His Light exposing sin; His grace granting forgiveness.
Today we talk about the Light – the Light of Jesus. Because Jesus lives, you no longer have to subsist with darkness in your soul. Because Jesus lives, you don’t have to languish in the black shackles of sin. Jesus lives, and today He comes to forgive us and free us, to call us and to correct us, to direct and deliver us, to bring an end to the darkness and carry us into God’s marvelous light of life. Jesus lives, and because He lives, His Light can shine into your heart. That’s what Saint Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. He said, “The same God who brought light into the world at the time of creation, is now making His light shine in the hearts of humanity. God, the Divine Light-Giver, has sent His Son to send away the shadows and dispel the darkness.”
Paul would be one who knew. Paul’s heart, like so many others who have encountered Jesus, experienced an unveiling. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus had changed Paul from being a man whose deepest desire was to make miserable the life of the Savior’s followers, into being one of God’s great preachers of grace. Talking about Jesus, the Light, Paul could honestly say, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ…” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18a) Through faith in Jesus, we are brought from darkness into light.
Today we talk about the Light. Do you remember playing a game called, “Blind Man’s Bluff?” For those who may not have ever played it, let me give a brief description. A person is blindfolded. Then, in the self-imposed darkness, he or she has to try and touch another person. The fun, and now that I’m describing it, I will confess, is a strange sort of fun, consists in watching the blindfolded person grope and grasp, stumble and search for the others. Of course, obstacles get in the way. If you play a particularly nasty version of Blind Man’s Bluff, you will place new obstacles in front of the searcher.
For those of you who don’t know Christ and who are listening to these words, may I tell you, that’s a pretty good description of your life. You are in the darkness. You are groping and grasping, stumbling and searching, looking for something, Someone. To make the game even more dangerous, Satan, the world and sin, are putting obstacles in your path. No, I don’t know what those obstacles are. They change from one person to another. I can tell you that these evil playmates rejoice in watching your helplessness, they relish your misdirection; they revel in seeing you play a game you cannot win by yourself. It is only when Jesus takes off the blindfold; when Jesus gives you a helping hand, that you can see, most clearly, the right path of God. Believe in Jesus, your Savior and Lord. Let us provide you assistance in meeting the Lord of Light. Please give us a call.
And for you who already are walking in the Light, let me give you a word of encouragement. Years ago after completing high school, a Christian girl got her first job. The first day of work showed her she was hardly ready to deal with the things she was encountering. The lurid language, the ungentle jokes, the cruel comments shocked her. Shaken, she returned home, told her parents she wasn’t going back. Before she had finished sharing her lament, her father interrupted, something he seldom did, and asked, “Honey, where do you put a light?” She stumbled in her presentation and then continued telling them about the stuff she had suffered. Dad asked again, “Where do you put a light?” Exasperated, she replied, “Dad, what does that have to do with what I’m saying? What do you mean? You put the light where it’s dark.” “Good,” said her dad, and continued, “As a Christian you are to reflect the light of Jesus. You are to reflect His light into a dark place. Go to work tomorrow, and let His light be reflected to those folks in the darkness so they can see Jesus.”
Today we talk about the Light. Today and all of your tomorrows my Christian friends, live the Light. God may have put you in the darkness so those around you can see you reflect the Light of the Savior. Reflect His Light; or as the children sing it, “This little Gospel light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” Folks, let Jesus’ Light shine. Amen.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for February 22, 2004
Topic: What Does God Expect?ANNOUNCER: And now Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Pastor, here’s an email from a listener; she writes, “Sometimes I feel like God expects too much from me. I have a one-year-old child and I’m very busy with him. I’ve also heard I should put the Lord above all others in my life, but how can I put Him above my child and husband?”
KLAUS: Mark, I think taking care of a one-year-old can get to be too much for just about anybody.
ANNOUNCER: What do you think about where she says, “sometimes I feel like God expects too much from me?”
KLAUS: There are a number of ways I can answer that question. A man once came to Jesus and asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it – “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Now, if our listener is trying to fulfill those commandments of loving God with all her heart, soul, and mind, and her neighbor as herself, she’s trying to fill a mighty tall order. She will, I am afraid, like the rest of humanity, never be able to manage it. Especially with taking care of a one-year-old.
ANNOUNCER: But doesn’t God expect perfection?
KLAUS: He does. But He also knows we can never, because of our sinful nature, ever attain that perfection.
ANNOUNCER: Because, as you said in today’s sermon, people love the darkness.
KLAUS: People love the darkness, and that is why God sent Jesus into the world; to be our light and call us out of the world’s darkness. Jesus did for us what we can’t do for ourselves. Yes, God expects a lot. Jesus has, for us, delivered a lot. He perfectly obeyed God’s law and took our place. Because of that Paul could write, “We are saved by grace and not by what we do.” It’s important for this lady to realize God doesn’t expect her to work her way into heaven. Jesus has one heaven for us. God does expect His people, trusting in what Jesus has done, and receiving His grace, to live lives to thanksgiving by the power of the Holy Spirit.
ANNOUNCER: How about her next question, “I’ve heard I should put the Lord above all others in my life. How can I put Him before my husband and my child?”
KLAUS: I think her one-year-old is very blessed to have a Christian mother who asks such questions. The world and our country would be blessed if all our Christian mothers and fathers were so concerned.
ANNOUNCER: But what do you think? Shouldn’t the Lord be first?
KLAUS: Absolutely! The Lord wants us to have no other gods before Him or alongside of Him. He is the one who has made us, who saved us, who sustains us. He has the right to expect to be first.
ANNOUNCER: But at the cost of husband and children? How can a wife and mother do that?
KLAUS: Now we’re getting to the rub of the thing, Mark. I believe this lady is thinking of this as being an either/or. She thinks if she loves and serves God, she can’t love and serve her family. I don’t think that’s right. I think this is more along the lines of a both/and. God has called her to the vocation of wife and mother; she serves God by serving in the office to which God has called her. She shows her love for God in the way she shows her love for her husband and children. Like the sermon said, we reflect the light of Jesus.
ANNOUNCER: But didn’t Jesus ask His disciples to leave everything and follow Him?
KLAUS: True, Mark, but He didn’t ask everybody to leave everything and follow Him. On the contrary, Jesus sometimes told people to stay put, to stay where God had placed them. The best example I can give of that is recorded in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus had cast devils out of a man; had been asked by the town to leave. As Jesus was ready to depart, well, this is what Mark said, “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with Him. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your family. Tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.’ So the man went and began to tell in the Decapolis, how much Jesus had done for him. All the people were amazed.” (Mark 5:18-20) I think Mark, that is probably what the Lord Jesus would say to this lady. “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.” When a Christian mother does that, not only is the world amazed, but so are the neighbors and her children are blessed.
ANNOUNCER: We welcome your questions or comments. Call us toll free 1-800-876- 9880. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.