The Lutheran Hour
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"Jesus, the Pilot of Your Life"
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Text: Luke 3:15-22
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Christ is risen, He is risen, indeed so that you might have life in His Name. Amen.
One of the routine parts of my job as the Speaker of the Lutheran Hour is traveling, especially flying. I fly 2-3 times a month to different places around the country, even around the globe to be with God’s people in church or at conventions, to share in the great work that God is doing in our midst. Flying is becoming as normal for me as driving a car, but it’s worth it to be with so many of you. But, flying can be a bit of a hassle today, too, right? So, to make it a bit more exciting, I play a little game now each time I fly. You see, I tend to fly Southwest Airlines a lot and my uncle, Captain Jeffrey Kilponen, is a pilot for Southwest. At one time, if I remember correctly, he was one of the youngest captains flying for a major airline. So, on each flight, I try to find out who’s the captain flying the plane that day in hopes of saying hello. I know if he’s on the job, I’m in good hands.
So, who’s your pilot? With all the traveling going on nowadays, that’s an important question. In the United States alone, nearly two million people fly every day. That number doubles if you add up all the flights throughout the world. That’s four million people in the air every day!
So, on your next trip, who’s your pilot? Or, should I ask it this way, “Would you volunteer to be the pilot of your next flight?”
Unless you’re a pilot, you’re probably like me, answering: “No thanks. Just bring me my peanuts and juice and leave the work to the professionals.”
I can safely say that most of us aren’t qualified to fly commercial aircraft. We haven’t been trained. We don’t know the ins and outs of flying. The controls and procedures would mystify us. At best, we wouldn’t even be able to take off. At worst, we could do some serious damage! Most of us wouldn’t even dare take the controls, or sit in the captain’s seat.
But, there’s a bigger question to be asked today, one with even greater challenges, greater opportunities, greater risks. Not, who is the pilot of your flight, but “Who’s the pilot of your life?” Interestingly, many people who would have been reluctant to even answer the former question are often bold, even brazen, in their answer of the latter, saying, “Well, of course, I’m the pilot of my own life!” Now some Christians might add, “Well, Jesus is my co-pilot.” You know, “I’m handling my life, and Jesus my Savior is right here by my side.”
Well, when the Author, Creator, Redeemer, and Perfecter of life isn’t in the cockpit of your life, or is at best, merely sitting in your self-designated, co-pilot seat, I think the better saying is “If Jesus is your co-pilot, switch seats.”
You get the idea. There’s no One like this Jesus and Jesus came into this world because the world was in a death spin of sin. He literally says that “He has come to give us life, to give it to us abundantly!” He didn’t come to give you a few tidbits of advice as if you are doing a pretty good job on your own. No, the Bible says that you and I were dead in our sins. We were helpless and lost, shackled to a life that led only to eternal death. Hopeless and in darkness, we needed light to shine, hope to appear. And Jesus arrived. He was sent by God the Father as a sacrifice for our sin. Yes, God gave up His Son to save us. Jesus piloted His way through death, carrying our sins upon Himself. He rose from the dead, breaking open the way for our salvation and eternal life.
We don’t need a co-pilot. We need Jesus, the pilot who can rescue us and bring us home.
I think that’s what John the Baptist was admitting to in our Scripture reading from Luke 3 today. When he was asked whether or not he was the coming Savior, the Messiah, John replied:
“I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:16-17).John wasn’t the pilot. He wasn’t the Messiah. He freely admitted that he was weak and humble compared to the coming Savior. Even his vital ministry in this world had this caveat, “He, Jesus, must increase, I must decrease.” But oh what a message he had to share. Oh what Good News was his to proclaim. A Savior was on His way! One sent by God who could perfectly pilot our lives, to deal with the brokenness of this chaotic world.
You know the rest of the story. The Savior was born in Bethlehem grew up, and prepared to do the work the Father in heaven had given Him. At thirty years of age Jesus approached John the Baptist who exclaimed that this, this One was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
You see, salvation isn’t merely about being religious or spiritual. The Savior of the world comes to do what only He can do. He comes to save, to forgive, to give life as only He can!
No matter how strong or how smart or powerful or wealthy you are, you still don’t qualify to pilot your life. You need a Savior. No matter how well connected, good, or even righteous you are, you are still not able to pilot your life through the sin, guilt, and death, through struggle and pain, through life’s ultimate challenges and complications. John the Baptist couldn’t do it. You and I can’t either. We need a Pilot.
And who isn’t glad when a qualified, well-prepared pilot takes command? Who isn’t overjoyed when the expert navigates the modern marvel, jet aircraft in all kinds of weather, to its destination safely? You may have heard about the 150 people who still tell the story about how glad they were when an expert pilot took the controls of their flight.
Just about three years ago, on January 15, 2009, U.S. Air flight 1549 took off from New York’s LaGuardia airport. The plane was bound for Charlotte, North Carolina with 150 passengers on board. Less than 100 seconds into the flight, at 3000 feet, the airliner hit a flock of Canadian Geese. The bird strike disabled both engines. Suddenly, flight 1549 had no thrust, descending dangerously over the busy and populated New York City.
After a quick assessment of the damage and attempts to restart the engines, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger called out to his first officer Jeffrey Skiles: “My aircraft!” As was protocol, Skiles replied, “Your aircraft.” Sullenberger took the controls.
He nosed the aircraft down to retain airspeed. After evaluating the options for 60 seconds, Sullenberger realized there was no way to safely return to LaGuardia or to make it to another airport. He told the air traffic controller, “We can’t do it. We’re gonna be in the Hudson.”
Sullenberger maneuvered the 100,000-pound aircraft as it glided ever lower in the sky. At 900 feet, he passed over the George Washington Bridge. Then he leveled out the wings and told the passengers, “Brace for impact.”
Imagine, imagine being on that plane. In interviews after the harrowing experience, passengers said they thought this was the end. They thought of family members. They hoped their loved ones would be okay without them. They prayed for forgiveness.
But the crash didn’t kill them. No, the pilot set the plane down on the Hudson River with skill and confidence. After the landing, he quickly left the cabin to make sure everyone got out safely. Crawling through 36-degree water, Sullenberger and Skiles saw to it that no passenger was left behind.
This remarkable landing was quickly referred to as “The Miracle on the Hudson.” It’s been called the most successful ditching in aviation history. Sully Sullenberger, Jeff Skiles, and their crew were lauded as heroes.
So when it comes to overwhelming challenges in the sky, the passengers of flight 1549 can tell you: there’s nothing like a great pilot. But what about the real, eternal challenges in every one of our lives, dear friend. What can you do when the flight of your life seems so beyond your skill or control? I’ve got good news for you: Jesus is qualified, skilled, and ready to sit in the captain seat of your life for you!
In Luke chapter 3, Jesus the Pilot, the Savior, shows up. For a world disabled by sin, for a world in a “death spin,” Jesus stepped in to take the controls. We hear Luke say: “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too” (Luke 3:21a).
You see, in His Baptism Jesus was saying, “My aircraft.” He was stepping into the reality of your life. He entered into the dire situation of a broken human existence.
And if you are honest with yourself today, you know as I know, that this brokenness is real. We know together how this broken and powerless existence feels. You understand the burden of stress, the pain of broken relationships, the helplessness of grief, and the hopelessness of depression or addiction. You see and hear how sin has ravaged the world and how separation from God is seeking to plunge us downward.
But Jesus took the controls, “My aircraft”. God’s Word tells us: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV).
In His Baptism, Jesus willingly stepped onto our broken aircraft. He lived perfectly in our place. Then He braced for the impact as He was beaten and mocked. Finally, He crashed as He bore our sins on the cross and suffered the wrath of God the Father. That crashed killed Him, but it spared us and it earned for each of us the gift of new life, the forgiveness of sins, and everlasting hope.
This was a miracle on Calvary, the miracle of the cross! And as Jesus rose victoriously from the grave, He made it clear that He didn’t want to leave anyone behind. After His resurrection, He told His disciples: “Go into the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).
So that no one would be lost, Jesus gave us the gift of baptism–a baptism that literally places His powerful Name on our lives; My aircraft, My salvation, now for you! Romans 6 says: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-5).
Jesus’ Baptism by John made Him our pilot. Our Baptism in His Name means we are His, now and forever.
So, who’s your pilot? You may want to answer by saying, “Jesus is,” but deep inside some of you may be wondering if you can ever be included in such a miracle.
A year after the Miracle on the Hudson, Sully Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles teamed up to complete the flight they never finished. To great applause, they flew from LaGuardia airport to Charlotte, North Carolina successfully. The people on that flight were amazed to have such famous pilots commanding their plane. By this time these men had been lauded at the White House, had given interviews on television stations. Sullenberger even wrote a book about the experience. He couldn’t walk in public without being recognized. He was an American hero. And here he was, piloting a regular flight. The passengers were in awe.
As you listen today, you may be wondering if Jesus would ever choose to pilot your life. You know how unworthy you are to have such a pilot. You know how you’ve failed. You know full well the stains of your own sin and the shadows that exist in your life. But friend, the more in need you are, the more God wants you to hear clearly that the miracle of the cross and resurrection was for you! Did you hear that clearly? In your broken, unworthy, and undeserving state, Jesus wants to be your pilot. This is the reason He came into the world–to be the friend of sinners.
In the waters of the Jordan that day, Jesus was offering Himself for you as only He can. He was saying, “My aircraft, My plane,” not to dominate or to de-humanize, but to offer sinners forgiveness, life, and salvation that will never end. When Jesus says, “My aircraft,” faith shouts joyfully, “Your aircraft” thanking God that our lives are truly in His hands.
You and I don’t deserve Jesus as our Pilot. But imagine how it was when Chesley Sullenberger, the miracle pilot, got on the ordinary flight and said, “This is your captain speaking, welcome to the flight.” Well, Christ as my Pilot, is that and more. I can know the incredible joy of hearing Jesus, the risen and victorious Son of the Living God saying to me and to you today, “This is your captain speaking. Welcome to the flight of your life.” Tell me that you wouldn’t want to be on that plane! I think that flying with such a Captain would indeed change your life!
One of the little-told stories of the Miracle on the Hudson is how the lives of passengers on flight 1549 were changed dramatically. Time and again, passengers expressed a new outlook on their lives. They were filled with gratitude for their second chance at life. They appreciated their families more than ever. Some made even bigger changes.
One woman, for instance, shortly after the miraculous landing, decided to quit her job as a clothing buyer. She consulted her husband and he told her to go for it. Deep in her heart, she felt that she needed to do more than provide skirts and pants for shoppers in retail stores. She wanted to share this new gift that was given to her. So she gave her two weeks notice and began volunteering full time for the Red Cross.
That’s what a miraculous rescue does for you. It changes everything. When Jesus is in the captain seat of your heart, your mind, you are in for the ride of your eternal life! But it also changes the way you face today too.
When He says, “My aircraft” and you respond in faith, “Your aircraft,” now you face your worries this week with the promise of your Savior who is with you always, who cares about you in ways you can’t even imagine or think.
When He says, “My aircraft,” and you respond in faith, “Your aircraft,” now you tackle tough decisions with prayerful trust and Biblical wisdom and guidance from the One who laid down His life so that you might live!
When He says, “My aircraft,” and you respond in faith, “Your aircraft,” now you can face even the uncertain, but real turbulence of this world, with confidence that the One who beat death literally will bring you safely home to life eternal with Him!
And never forget that even when temptation comes in and sin overtakes you, at that moment Jesus especially calls out, “My aircraft.” By the power of the Holy Spirit, even then you can repentantly return to your Savior, confessing your sin, receiving His promise of forgiveness, striving anew, to live a life that will make Him proud, serving others in His Name. Even then, faith can say, “Your aircraft!”
There is no life, no joy, no hope, no peace like the one we have where Jesus is the Pilot of our life! I can only marvel with you that God was willing to enter our sinful, broken life, not to judge and to destroy, but to forgive and to give life.
So, this is your Co-Pilot speaking….God the Father has Sent His Son into the world so that we might have the very flight of our lives, now and forever! That’s the miracle of the cross. And today, by the very power of His resurrection, God brings you a new day of salvation, a new life forever with your Savior, and a message to share with a world in need. Jesus entered the waters of the Jordan that day so long ago to say, “My aircraft, My plane” will you say with me by faith today, “Your aircraft, dear Jesus, Your plane”? Because when Jesus is the Pilot of your life, you are in good, well, even more, you’re in God’s gracious hands! And that’s a great place to be! Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for January 13, 2013
Topic: Did Wise Men Really Visit Jesus?ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Gregory Seltz responds to questions. I’m Mark Eischer. Today a listener wants to know, when you talk about the Magi in last week’s sermon, the Wise Men, were there actually Wise Men who visited Jesus after He was born?”
SELTZ: That’s a great question, Mark. It reminds us again of the celebration of Epiphany, which means “appearing.” Epiphany is a day celebrated as a kind of a presentation to the public of Jesus as Wise Men, or Magi, from the east visit Jesus and His family.
ANNOUNCER: So the Wise Men did pay a visit?
SELTZ: Well, that’s what the Bible tells us, Mark. It’s recorded in Matthew chapter two. We’re told that Magi from the east came to Jerusalem to visit the “One who had been born king of the Jews.” They went there, the Bible says, because they “saw His star in the east” and came “to worship Him.”
ANNOUNCER: That account from the Bible has become very popular in depictions of the manger scene. We also think of songs like “We Three Kings”. Even sayings like “Wise men still seek Him,” but what was it really all about?
SELTZ: We believe these Wise Men or Magi were from Babylon or Persia, located east of the Holy land. The word “magi” is an Aramaic word for eastern spiritual men who looked for signs in the stars and tried to discern God’s wisdom. These particular Magi may have descended from people who learned about the promised “King of the Jews,” One who would literally change the world as they knew it. Their relatives may have learned such things from the people of Israel who were exiled in Babylon. Their relatives may have met people like Daniel or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego–believers who were forcibly settled in the east during captivity. So, we’re not sure how many Magi came, but we do know that a group of them visited Jesus.
ANNOUNCER: Why then does the song indicate there were three wise men?
SELTZ: Most likely the number three came about because of the three gifts offered to Jesus.
ANNOUNCER: All right; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
SELTZ: Exactly. With these three precious gifts offered, history began to talk about three Magi. But, as I said, we don’t really know how many were there. The significance of the visit is what’s most intriguing. Throughout the Bible, God emphasized that His Messiah and also His own people were to be a light to all nations.
ANNOUNCER: Because God’s salvation is for the whole world.
SELTZ: Absolutely. God wanted to reach everyone through the people of Israel. The message of salvation in the true God wasn’t for just one group of people on earth. It was for the whole world. So God worked throughout history to make certain the Good News of salvation was shared with everyone. The fact that the Magi, non-Jewish people, came to visit Jesus and worship Him, that underscores God’s plan that the Savior was for the redemption and rescue of the whole world.
ANNOUNCER: As predicted in Isaiah chapter 60.
SELTZ: Exactly. Think about that. It’s even more remarkable. If you were to try to predict who might visit the newborn Messiah, there is no way that anyone would ever guess that a contingent of foreign spiritual men would stop by. But 700 years before it ever happened, the prophet Isaiah foretold this amazing event–even down to the gifts they give the Christ child.
ANNOUNCER: Now, did they see Jesus lying in the manger?
SELTZ: The Bible says that the Magi came to a house in the Bethlehem area. Some scholars think that Jesus may have been two years old when the Magi visited. So, we’re not certain about the timeframe, but we do know that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were in a house at the time.
ANNOUNCER: What’s the significance of the gifts?
SELTZ: People have speculated about what the gifts meant. Some have said that the gold symbolized the kingship of Christ; frankincense symbolized the prophetic work of Jesus as He made the Word of God known; and myrrh, a spice used for embalming a body, pointed to the priestly work of Jesus as He was to become the sacrifice for our sins. Those are wonderful symbols, but the Magi probably brought these gifts because they were valuable items suitable to be presented to a king. What is most remarkable and encouraging is that the Magi believed. They openly demonstrated that the newborn Jesus was the King sent by God, the promised Messiah, as they bowed down and worshipped.
ANNOUNCER: Which brings to mind the verses in the book of Philippians, “that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
SELTZ: “to the Glory of God and the salvation of all who believe!”
ANNOUNCER: Certainly a Savior worthy of gifts as well as faith, theirs and ours. Thank you Pastor Seltz. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.
“In You, Lord, I Have Put My Trust” by Adam Reusner & Samuel Scheidt, ed. Henry Gerike. From Heirs of the Reformation (© 2008 Concordia Publishing House)
“Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House)
“How Lovely Shines the Morning Star” by Paul Manz. From Paul Manz at Mount Olive by Paul Manz (© 1994 Paul Manz)