Sermon for the Fourth Day after Epiphany
being January the Thirty First, in the year of our Lord 2004

Today is the last Sunday of the Epiphany season. Next Sunday celebrates the first of the "Gesima" Sundays, Septuageisma Sunday, the Lord's day within 70 days before Easter. The Gospels during the Epiphany season have shown us various phases of human life and our Lord's relationship with these phases of life. We looked at Christ's boyhood, home life, home duties, and relationship with His parents. We also witnessed His baptism, His emerging sense of duty and calling, and His full embrace of these. We heard about a wedding, and the related joys of life and of friends involved therein. The Church through her Epiphany lessons is laboring to tell us that Jesus, the Son of God fully embraced His calling to become a man that He might be a fit Advocate and Mediator on our behalf. Hebrews 4:14-16: Seeing that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Today's lesson rounds out the picture, because the Gospel carries us into the darker part of the human condition. What we learn and what we see (Epiphany is all about "seeing") is that as Jesus embraced the lighter side of human life, so He confronts and embraces the more painful aspects of being human. . .of living the human drama.

This is more wonderful news "Epiphany news." Jesus Christ is not at all aloof or adverse about His assignment from His Father. God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son. . .. Christ was given to us, and He has willingly given Himself for us. He is intimately concerned, interested and involved with His Father's business of bringing salvation to the earth. Epiphany's lessons remind us that this is the God to whom we entrust our souls in doing good, in seeking His Kingdom even before our own needs, in losing our lives according to His instruction. His intimate, personal connection to us through His incarnation has been a centerpiece of the Epiphany season. The conclusion of the Hebrew author to this realization of Christ our High Priest is the conclusion of Epiphany: Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

We also read from Isaiah 61 today. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. . . As we look at Jesus' life, we immediately realize that He did not spout off cheap advice and then sit back with His hands folded. He plunged into the calling which the Father had prepared for Him. Today, this passage is fulfilled in your midst. "I'm not burying My talent in the ground, the Spirit has anointed Me, and now I'm going to do it!"

In today's Gospel lesson, we do not see any hesitancy in Jesus about living among the realities of sin and its consequences. In many ways, Christ's glory stands out even more clearly among the darker surroundings. Let's begin by considering Christ cleansing the leper.

In verse 1, we see Jesus coming down from the mountain. This has its own significance. Jesus had just delivered the Sermon on the Mount. His words had fallen on hungry hearts, and now He meets the anguishing soul of men in the grip of life's miseries. On the mountain, ideals are lofty, truth is stirring, yet words are tested among the cry of sin-possessed humanity. Many stirring orators have proven totally incapable of dealing with those realities of life which their orations would have had us believe they understood so well. Life is OK from a distance, but don't let it too close to my door! (This is why we must not separate morality from leadership) Life of course also tests our Christian faith, and we soon learn if our confession (which we are holding fast) is words or power. Does our confession really sustain us. . .change us? Life at the bottom of the mountain answers that question!

Then in verse 2 we note the leper's faith. Hearing Jesus had produced real faith in his heart: Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean. He believed in Christ and had an assurance in His power to bring change to his life. He also "saw" to a certain degree who Christ was. He came and worshipped Him, and then prays a prayer of genuine faith similar to Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done. . .. Also similar to the Prayer of Chrystom at the close of Evening Prayer: Fulfill now O Lord the desires and petitions of thy servants as may be most expedient for them. "What's best for us Lord? You know!" In the leper's simple prayer I think I hear him saying, "Whether you heal me or not Lord, I have found the place where I belong, humble at your feet, dependent upon you, worshiping you (Sunday worship attendance). An abandonment and confidence in the will of God. This leads us to the next point: Christ's willingness.

Jesus responds to him, I am willing, be cleansed." What kind words! What gracious mercy! "I am as willing to help you as you are to be helped." "It is not those who are well who need a physician," Jesus said, "but those who are sick." Remember, Jesus is our willing High Priest. Jesus is willing to help us! How careful we must be not to lose sight of His willingness and presence in our lives, and take up life without Him.

The account of the leper's healing is followed by the healing of the Centurion's servant in verses 5-10. The first thing to notice is that before Christ heals the centurion's servant, He healed the centurion's heart. A "way" had been prepared for Jesus to walk upon. In St. Luke's account of this incident, the disciples tell Jesus the this centurion "loves our nation and has built us a synagogue." The prep work was effective for when Jesus visits Capernaum, the centurion approaches Jesus, and addresses Him as "Lord." Then he pleads for his servant saying he is at home, "dreadfully tormented." God is not looking for us to grovel. . .He is looking for us to be sincere, especially sincere in caring about another! Again, here is life down from the mountain. Jesus had impressed this man, yet He is not greeted with requests for an autograph, but with a desperate anguished plea for help. Jesus is not dissuaded by the grit and grime of it all. It is what He had come to do "I will come and heal him," is His reply. Again, we hear that "I am willing" in Jesus' response. He knew that He was not called to spend His time just teaching on the mountain, but living among us and healing us.

Then, like in the account of the leper, we witness the centurion's faith. Lord I am not worthy. . . "You have the power, if it is your will, you only need to speak the word for my servant to be healed." All of life is Jesus' servant: wind, rain, snow, seas and all they contain, the earth and all it contains, sickness, disease included. He need only speak, and all must heed His word.

The brotherhood of humility and faith which we saw in the leper, we see again in the centurion. Jesus calls this "great faith." What modern faith teachings call "faith" borders on arrogance in my view. Centurion does not say, "I've got authority and I command you to come and heal my servant or else!" Rather, "Lord I am not worthy for you to even come to my house, but I do know what it is like to have authority. Healing and health is your realm. If you would heal my servant, you need only speak the word, and the sickness will obey." Humility and faith are inseparable. We have often noted that humility has the same root as "humus." The idea behind "humility" is not that we are dirt, but rather that we realize that we were formed from the dust of the ground and are a part of His creation. We are the creature and God is the Creator.

So Jesus responds to the centurion's request by addressing the centurion's servants. "No faith in Israel like this! Your master will be an example of the future calling of the nations and the spreading of the faith throughout the world (verse 11). He will sit with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob because he demonstrated the same faith and will enjoy the same blessings. At the same time, the 'sons of the kingdom' will be cast out for their unbelief." (Jesus refers to these Jews as "sons" because they had received God's covenant grace and the sign of that covenant, circumcision." God was faithful to send them the Messiah. . .they were unfaithful in not receiving Him, in their unbelief.).

The incident concludes with Jesus telling the centurion, Go your way, as you have believed, so let it be done to you. Notice how generously Christ pours out His grace when He has a vessel open to receive it! He speaks to the centurion, but calls all of us to have good hope in Him.

And this is a fitting conclusion to our Epiphany remembrances. Christ has come among us, and by His Spirit remains with us and within us. If we seek first His Kingdom and righteousness and in faith and humility present ourselves and our requests to Him, He will hear our prayers, meet our needs, and advance His Kingdom in our lives and world. Amen.