Reflections on Thy Strong Word (verse 6)

The Light has shone in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. The reign of darkness has ended, for sin has been paid for, and death itself destroyed through the death and resurrection of the Light of the world, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. In the new heavens and the new earth, there will be no more night, but there will also be no created light, as John was shown in the book of Revelation: “The city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” The Lamb of God, sacrificed for the sin of the world, is the Light that will shine for eternity, shining on all those redeemed by His blood. Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous, and those who are righteous will dwell in that Light forever.

“God the Father, light-creator, to Thee laud and honor be. To Thee, Light of Light begotten, praise be sung eternally. Holy Spirit, light-revealer, glory, glory be to Thee. Mortals, angels, now and ever praise the Holy Trinity!”

The Father created light by speaking; Thy strong Word cleaved the darkness. The Son is the Light; Thy strong Word shone the light on those dwelling in darkness. The Holy Spirit reveals the Light; Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous. The Trinity together gives us the gift of Light; at creation, in redemption, and in justification. The Word and the Light; together these powerful images describe the glorious working of the Holy Trinity in our salvation. The Word and the Light are the gifts of our Triune God, the God who loved us despite our rebellion, the God who acted in mercy to deliver us from our darkness. Mortals, angels, now and ever, praise the Holy Trinity!

Reflections on Thy Strong Word (verse 5)

The Word has given us all that we have. The Word has given us life itself, and this creation that we live in. When this world was plunged into darkness, the Word broke in with the light of salvation. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ, and He hung upon the cross to pay the required price of our sin, then rose again to conquer the darkness of death. Now, even today, the Word comes to us to bespeak us righteous, to give us all that was won through the cross and empty tomb. For all that, as Martin Luther says in the Small Catechism, “it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.”

“Give us lips to sing Thy glory, tongues Thy mercy to proclaim, throats that shout the hope that fills us, mouths to speak Thy holy name. Alleluia, alleluia! May the light which Thou dost send fill our songs with alleluias, alleluia without end!”

The Word has shone light into our darkened hearts; now that light shines forth from our hearts into the lives of others. Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; it has been spoken into our ears, with the power to forgive our sins and make us righteous, now that Word goes out from our lips to those around us. God’s Word has power; it does what it says. When we speak words of forgiveness to a fellow sinner, when we tell them of the redemption of Jesus Christ, we have confidence that the Word will do its work, that the Word will make things happen. This is the life of a Christian; God does mighty things for us through His Word, and then we go forth singing His praises and proclaiming His salvation to those around us. Alleluias ring forth from those redeemed by the Word made flesh, alleluias that have no end!

Reflections on Thy Strong Word (verse 4)

On Good Friday, the Word made flesh hung upon the cross. The One through whom God created light itself, the One who brought light into this darkened world at His birth, was subjected to humiliation and shame, torture and death. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour on that Friday, the sun refused to shine, darkness covered the face of the earth. For those who sat in the darkness of that afternoon, there could only be one conclusion: the Light of the world had been snuffed out. But the reality was quite different. The Light had been killed, it was true, but not extinguished. Indeed, as John boldly declared in the opening chapter of his Gospel, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Instead of the Light being extinguished, from the midst of the darkness the Light shone forth from the cross as the salvation of all. The darkness thought it had snuffed out the light and found itself overcome.

“From the cross Thy wisdom shining breaketh forth in conquering might; from the cross forever beameth all Thy bright redeeming light. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!”

The wisdom of God is the foolishness of man. Only God could bring Light in the midst of the darkness of that Friday, only God could bring salvation through the death of His Son. It is at the cross that the Light shines the brightest, for it is at the cross that the darkness is overcome. The Word became flesh to hang upon that cross bearing the sin of the entire world. Only that sacrifice could deliver those sitting in the darkness of death, only His death could bring life. The light that shines forth on Easter morning, the dawn of the first day of the week, simply reveals what had been hidden three days earlier; the Light of salvation is the light that shines from the cross.

Reflections on Thy Strong Word (verse 3)

God’s Word was active and powerful at creation, cleaving the darkness.  God’s Word was active and powerful at the dawn of the new creation, breaking the light of salvation into a world made dark by sin and death.  God’s Word is active and powerful right now, bringing light into our darkened hearts, breathing into those under the power of death God’s life-giving breath. 

“Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; bright with Thine own holiness, glorious now, we press toward glory, and our lives our hopes confess.  Alleluia, alleluia!  Praise to Thee who light dost send!  Alleluia, alleluia!  Alleluia without end!” 

God’s Word is powerful, it is performative, it is different from any created Word.  God’s Word does what it says.  God speaks, and it happens.  This Word goes forth into this world from the pages of the Scriptures, from the mouths of Christians in their day-to-day lives, and from the broken and sinful lips of pastors in chancels and pulpits throughout the world.  God speaks His Word through these His instruments, and it happens.  God’s Word does what it says.  Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous.  Through speaking, sinful, dead people are made righteous and holy, living members of God Himself.  Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; the Word declares that we are righteous through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we are righteous, for God’s Word does what it says.  Thy strong Word has that power because it is the same Word that took flesh and suffered death for your salvation.  The Word which accomplished salvation now applies salvation to you.  The righteous are glorious even now; you shine with the Light that broke into this world of darkness, you shine with the Light that broke into the darkness of your heart.  You cannot see the glory that you posses, but you have it, for God’s Word has declared it to you; the same Word that brought light in the darkness, the same Word that became flesh and bore your sin to the cross.  We press toward the glory to be revealed with the assurance that it is already ours, now and for eternity.

Reflections on Thy Strong Word (verse 2)

The first important place in Scripture where the Word and the Light are joined together is Genesis chapter one, the creation of light through the speaking of God’s Word. The second is at the dawn of the new creation, John chapter one. There the evangelist declares, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” At the creation, the Word brought forth light in the midst of darkness, but when humanity plunged that perfect creation into sin and death, darkness intruded again. The Word was called upon once again to bring light, and the Word did its work, as John triumphantly declares: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

“Lo, on those who dwelt in darkness, dark as night and deep as death, broke the light of Thy salvation, breathed Thine own life-breathing breath. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!”

Darkness enveloped all creation, dark as night and deep as death. But on Christmas Eve, when all was still and dark, light broke into the darkness. Isaiah saw this dawn of light coming from afar, and he declared, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.” The Light broke into the darkness, and as John declares, “The darkness has not overcome it.” The Light came into this world to bring forth a new creation, to destroy the darkness of sin and death. God speaks, and it happens. The Word goes forth from the throne of God and becomes man, bringing light, bringing breath, just as at the beginning. The breath of God made Adam a living being; now the Word, the Light, breathes into those in darkness, those living in the shadow of death, and brings life and light.

Reflections on Thy Strong Word (verse 1)

God’s Word is unlike any other word in all creation. God’s Word is eternal, it is beyond our concepts of time and space. God’s Word is powerful; it makes things happen. This Word brought all things into being, and then when this perfect creation fell, this Word became flesh to redeem it. And even today, this Word breaks into hearts of stone, creating faith within sinful people, faith which saves from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

“Thy strong Word did cleave the darkness; at Thy speaking it was done. For created light we thank Thee, while Thine ordered seasons run. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to Thee who light dost send! Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!”

The Word and the Light. These powerful images come together in two important places in the Scriptures. The first is at the beginning; Genesis chapter one, the creation from nothing of this universe and all that dwells therein. “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” God speaks, and it happens. Light is created by the power of the Word; Thy strong Word cleaves the darkness. God speaks, and it happens. God’s Word has a power ours does not; it is performative, it does what it says. At Thy speaking it was done. With the gift of light God sets in order time; both days and seasons. God is not an absent Creator. He creates, and then He sustains, preserving all of His creatures. It is His Word that brings forth light, even in the midst of darkness, and when the darkness of sin enters His world, His Word will bring light once again.

Proper 10 of Series B (Ezekiel 2:1-5)

“And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.” Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. The text for our sermon this morning comes from the Old Testament lesson read a few moments ago from the second chapter of the prophet Ezekiel. Dear friends in Christ, like Isaiah, Ezekiel saw heaven, as we read just a verse before our text: “Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around... And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” Ezekiel saw the throne room of God; he saw the power, the glory, the brilliance of Almighty God, and it drove him to the ground in reverence, in worship, in fear. But God didn’t leave him there. “He said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.’” This is absolution, this is grace. A sinful man cannot stand before the glory of Almighty God, but Ezekiel is beckoned to stand. “And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking.” Before Ezekiel can even respond, before he can try to stand on his own, God’s powerful Word does what it says, for the Holy Spirit goes with it. God speaks, and the Word does the work.

What comes next follows the pattern we find again and again in Scripture. Having seen this vision of God, having fallen to the ground in terror and having been absolved, Ezekiel is sent out to preach the Word. “He said to me, ‘Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.’” Ezekiel is sent to rebellious people, to those who have revolted against their Creator. Ezekiel is sent to people who have transgression in their genes, a tradition passed down from their fathers. In other words, Ezekiel is sent to people like you and me. Rebellion is the opposite of service, the kind of service that you were created for, service of Almighty God. Do you serve God in all that you do, or do you serve other gods? This is a first commandment issue, for you serve many other gods each and every day: the god of money, the god of work, the god of sports, the god of pleasure, and especially the chief god, yourself. Your gods can be addictive substances, such as alcohol or lust, or even good gifts of Almighty God, such as your family and friends. This transgression against the first commandment then spills into all the other commandments, and you find yourself in rebellion against God in every area of your life, like your parents before you.

And you don’t want to hear about it. You don’t want to hear about how you have transgressed against each and every one of the commandments, how you are living in open rebellion against your Creator. We bristle at the accusations of the Law, and so we shut our ears to them. God knew this would happen, and He warned Ezekiel beforehand: “The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.” This is the bigger issue: rebellion is bad enough, but God’s people refuse to receive correction, they stop their ears when the Law speaks through God’s messengers. They despise the preaching of God’s Word. This is a third commandment issue: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” What does this mean? “We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” Do you or I gladly hear and learn God’s Word from His sent messengers, especially when they point out our sin? Or do we despise preaching and His Word, because it’s inconvenient, because it’s uncomfortable, because it speaks the truth, shining the light on our rebellion? In Ezekiel’s day, prophets were killed by those who didn’t want to hear their message; today we are more subtle, finding another church or no church at all, or simply shutting our ears on Sunday morning.

It’s amazing that God doesn’t give up on us; not only have we rebelled against Him, but we even refuse to receive correction. We should expect God to tell Ezekiel, ‘Don’t bother; you’re wasting your time.’ But instead, in grace, God doesn’t give up on us. He continues to send His messengers to us. They aren’t sent bearing their own authority or their own words, but instead they have been given God’s Word to speak with the authority of that Word. “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’” God’s messengers have nothing more, and nothing less to say than the Word of God. God’s messengers have nothing more, and nothing less to do that what they have been authorized to do. That is their task, that is their message. They don’t speak from themselves but only as God has given them to speak. They are bound to the Word of God. That is why pastors dress as they do. The collar and the stole are symbols of servitude, of slavery. They indicate that they are bound to God’s Word, bound to do only what God has authorized them to do. The white robe covers them when they proclaim the Word of Almighty God; it gets them out of the way, demonstrating that they are not to speak their own thoughts and opinions, but instead they must speak what God has authorized them to speak. A little girl once put it best. She said, “See that guy in the black shirt? He’s our pastor. When he puts on his dress, then he’s Jesus.”

Because they speak not their word but God’s Word, the messengers of God don’t have to worry about the results. They have been authorized to speak, and so they must speak, even if you and I refuse to listen. As God told Ezekiel, “Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.” They are not called to be popular, they are not even called to be successful, they are called to be faithful, proclaiming that Word as God has authorized them. In our Gospel lesson, Jesus came into His hometown, preached God’s Word about Himself as the promised Messiah, and was rejected. He told His disciples to expect the same: “If any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony to them.” They are called to proclaim the Word that God has given them to proclaim, nothing more and nothing less, and God Himself will be concerned with the results.

The messenger of God can do nothing else, for it is not his word, but God’s; he is only a mouthpiece, an instrument, used to proclaim this Word to specific people in a specific time and place. And even though his hearers, you and me, are rebellious and stubborn, he can trust that the Word will have effect as God sees fit. For it is God’s Word, and God’s Word has power. God’s Word had the power to set Ezekiel upright; God commanded Ezekiel to ‘stand on your feet,’ and before he could move a muscle, the Holy Spirit, which always accompanies the Word, had accomplished it. God’s Word is performative, it makes things happen. God’s Word can break into stubborn hearts and create faith; it can forgive the rebellious of all their sins. It has this power only because it is the Word about Christ; in fact, the Word is Christ. Jesus is the Word made flesh, the Word spoken to Ezekiel which has now become man. This Word preaches the Law because it is necessary; our sin must be pointed out. But even more importantly, this Word preaches Christ, the answer to the Law’s accusations. 

For the Word was made flesh to fulfill the Law perfectly, to live the life you could not and to die the death you deserved. The Word has power because it proclaims to you the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; His obedience in the place of your rebellion, even to death, His love in the place of your stubbornness, as He was willing to give up everything for your salvation. He died for those in rebellion against His Father, for those who refuse to listen to Him. He died for you because He had a plan for your stubborn, sinful heart, as God spoke through Ezekiel: “I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

Only God’s Word has the power to transform your heart, to forgive your sins, because the Word is Christ. Jesus came to transform hearts through the power of His Word, to give you a heart of flesh in place of your heart of stone. We were in rebellion against God in each and every way, but because of Jesus’ death and resurrection in your place God declares, “They shall be my people, and I will be their God.” The Word doesn’t just talk about Christ, it delivers Christ to us, with all that He accomplished for us. The messengers of God are not just authorized to speak the Law to accuse us of our sin; they are authorized to speak the words of forgiveness to remove that sin. And God’s Word does what it says; when the messenger of God speaks His Word of forgiveness to you, you are forgiven. We gladly hear and learn the Word of God, because it is the only Word that can break into your stubborn heart, the only Word that brings forgiveness, the only Word that brings us Jesus, indeed the only Word that is Jesus. That Word is working each and every day, calling you to repentance whenever you fall into rebellion and stubbornness, then pouring out upon you the blood-bought forgiveness of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. That Word set Ezekiel on his feet, and it transforms you from a rebel to a servant, to a child, to one beloved by your heavenly Father. Your rebellion is forgiven, your stubbornness washed away, for the Word who died for you has entered into you to stand you on your feet before God for eternity. In His holy and precious Name, Amen.