What is at the heart of worship? Today we’re going to talk about the Lamb of God and the Spirit of Christ. We’re going to consider what is a sanctuary, and how Baptism both invites us into worship AND sends us out for mission, service, and evangelism. Let’s start with a reading from the gospel of John, the first chapter, beginning at verse 29.
John 1:29-42
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus…
The gospel of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Dear sisters and brothers in Christ: grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Living Sanctuary (John 1)
Introduction
Hello, Happy New Year, and welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I’m Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. Today’s podcast is for the second Sunday in Epiphany, January 15, 2023.
What is at the heart of worship? Today we’re going to talk about the Lamb of God and the Spirit of Christ. We’re going to consider what is a sanctuary, and how Baptism both invites us into worship AND sends us out for mission, service, and evangelism. Let’s start with a reading from the gospel of John, the first chapter, beginning at verse 29.
John 1:29-42
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus…
The gospel of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Dear sisters and brothers in Christ: grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Behold, the Lamb of God…
Twice here in this passage from the first chapter of the gospel of John, a different John, a guy we know as John the Baptist, points a finger at Jesus, calling him “the Lamb of God.” Ever wonder why? Well, for those familiar with the Old Testament of the Bible, and the centuries-long system of Temple sacrifice, the Lamb of God language connects Jesus to the Old Testament promises. From the Passover Lamb to the Atonement scapegoat, the death of a lamb was a sign of God’s faithfulness and the forgiveness of sins. To say that Jesus is the Lamb of God is to foreshadow his death on the cross, a demonstration of God’s faithfulness, the promise of forgiveness of sins.
And for anybody who has known political oppression or human tyranny, Jesus as the Lamb of God is also an indication that the kingdom of God is something altogether different. Jesus is a rejection of earthly kingdoms, patriarchy, and especially the Roman Empire. In the kingdom of God being ushered in by Jesus, the King is the one who gives his life for the sake of others, not the other way around. The hierarchy is flattened, even turned upside down. The Lamb who was slain triumphs over the Lion, over all human empires and systems.
Two other bits from this reading: First, this passage, as with the other gospel accounts of the baptism of Jesus makes clear the connection between water baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. John sees the Holy Spirit manifest in the baptism of Jesus. This is the pattern to this day. It is the Spirit that leads us to faith, invites us to be washed in the waters of Baptism. Then, in the water, we receive the Spirit in a new way. The Spirit of Christ now dwells in us, we believe.
And second, we see how the gospel spreads: John introduces his friends to Jesus. Jesus invites them to be with him. They, in turn, share the good news with others, as Andrew reaches out to his brother and brings him to Jesus. That brother turns out to be none other than Simon Peter, the same Simon Peter who would go on to become a pivotal leader in the early church. Evangelism is nothing more and nothing less than coming to know Jesus, then introducing him to someone else. Come and see!
Sanctified and Called
This pattern of “come and see” leads to the formation of the earliest communities of faith—churches. These were small groups scattered in cities across the Mediterranean, including one such community in a place called Corinth, in modern day Greece. They gathered around both a belief that Jesus was truly the Son of God who had died and rose again. They also shared an experience of the same Holy Spirit that had been revealed in Jesus at his baptism.
The Spirit of Christ now filled, equipped, and led these early churches. It was this Spirit that gathered them as one. It was this Spirit that equipped them to show the same kind of love and service which Jesus had demonstrated. It was this Spirit that gave them hope and courage in the face of difficulties, doubts, and even persecution. Listen to this confidence in the Holy Spirit that a man named Paul expresses in a letter to these Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
This is the church: the fellowship of believers, the communion of saints, those who by grace have been called and sanctified by the spirit of Christ. This Spirit will keep you firm in faith, Paul tells them, give you a solid foundation, no matter what, for God is faithful. “On Christ, the solid rock I stand,” the old hymn goes. “All other ground is sinking sand.”
Mud and Mire
There’s a poem in the Old Testament, in the Psalms, that uses a similar imagery. Psalm 40 begins this way:
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
It is January in the Pacific Northwest. Those of us who live out here know all about muck and mud, don’t we? I don’t know if you know this, but it rains around here. A lot. When Brenda and I go walking or jogging this time of year, we often come home drenched. Our dog is covered with mud and muck. Our shoes are, too. We know about muck and mire.
And we know about the metaphorical kind of muck and mud. Being mired in a never-ending cycle of doctors’ appointments and dis-appointments…. A week, or month, or year, or decade of slogging through addiction and abuse; bogged down at work or school; drowning in the slimy pit of depression and grief.
Well, you aren’t alone. This is the human condition. This has been the predicament of women and men and children since the dawn of time. But here is the good news: God is faithful and God hears your prayers. The hope and promise of the Bible—over hundreds, thousands of years—is that when we are in need, when we cry out to God, God is faithful and merciful. God sees you. God cares about you. God will help you. And this is the image of the psalm: God will lift you up and set on solid ground. God is a shelter. A sanctuary.
The Sanctuary
That’s one reason Christian churches call the place of worship a “sanctuary.” A sanctuary has the sense of a safe space. It is a place that is under the protection of the head of the household. This is God’s house, and all who enter here are under the protection of the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the God and Father of Jesus Christ.
A sanctuary is also a place where political refugees find safe haven. They receive protection from empires, human tyrants, and religious persecution. A place where women and children can flee from domestic abuse.
Beloved, in the name of Jesus, you are safe here. Come as you are. God has lifted you from the muck and the mud and shelters you here. A sanctuary is a place where one finds shelter from the muck and mud. A place to warm up, clean up, eat something, rest, and regroup.
It has to do with the Holy Spirit—the assembly of those who have been called by God and sanctified—made holy—by the Spirit. And so the sanctuary of God extends beyond mere walls. Each one of us, filled, equipped, and led by the Spirit, becomes a living sanctuary. We are extensions of the peace and protection of God.
The Font
And it is why often the Baptismal Font is located at the entrance of the sanctuary. Most of the week we are slogging through the mud and muck of life. We arrive at the sanctuary of God, and the font reminds us of the promise that in Baptism we are washed clean and Spirit-filled. We are no longer defined by our sins and mistakes. We are called, sanctified, chosen, beloved because of the blood of the Lamb. And in the kingdom of God, those who have been beaten down and forgotten are lifted up and called blessed.
In the sanctuary, filled, equipped, and led by the Holy Spirit, we sing new songs and old hymns. We behold the Christ who takes away our sin. We bear witness to our experiences of God’s mercy and love in our lives. We are nourished by God’s Word, and the bread and wine. We are encouraged by one another. We pray for one another and for the world.
And then, as we leave the sanctuary, we once again pass the Baptismal font. The stand that holds the bowl in the sanctuary here at Faith was crafted by a man named Doug Holt, about fifteen years ago. It is carved from wood, and depicts hands reaching out, cradling the bowl that holds the water that symbolizes and recalls our baptism. The hands invite us to reach out in love to serve and bless others. After all, we have seen the Lord. We have been lifted once again, out of the muck, onto solid footing. The Spirit has fed us, nourished us, and cleaned us up. And now its time to get back out there. There are others who are struggling in the muck and mire of their lives. They are precious in the eyes of God, too, and so the Spirit equips us and sends us into the world: to bless, to encourage, to love, and to serve.
So, whatever is going on in your life these days: take heart, for here is the Lamb of God who takes away your sin and keeps you as the apple of her eye. May God lift you out of the mud and mire and set your feet on the solid rock, which is Christ Jesus our Lord. May the Spirit of Christ nourish and keep you. Let us as one joyfully sing a new song—and maybe some old hymns—praising God in the sanctuary. And as we go from here, as we pass the font and recall our Baptism, may the love of God equip us to be living sanctuaries, and compel us to love and serve others in his name. Amen.
Conclusion
Thanks for listening, everyone. To learn more about Faith, go to our website, www.faithshelton.org. While you are there, like us, subscribe, donate, or sign-up for our newsletter. You can subscribe to this podcast on most podcast platforms, including Spotify, Apple, and Google. Chas and Nadia—you’re the best. Thanks for your production work on this podcast every week.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.
Praise God, all creatures here below.
Praise God, above, ye heavenly host!
Praise [to the] Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.