Worship Helps for Epiphany 5
Artwork: Sermon on the Mount
Artist: Cosimo Rosselli
Worship Theme: On
a crystal-clear winter evening, it’s easy to believe that the full moon is
producing the wonderful light that allows you to take a brisk walk through the
woods without a flashlight. In reality, the moon is producing no light at all;
instead, it is simply reflecting the light of the sun. When people notice
Christians producing godly lives, it would be easy to pat them on the back and
to give them the credit for the good things they do. In reality, God’s people
are simply reflecting the good work of God’s Son, Jesus. Jesus is the Light of
the World (John 8:12), and he is revealed through his people, so let your light
shine! Jesus tells us: You are…so be. You are the light of the world, so be
light for the earth. You are the salt of the earth, so be salt for it. Our
calling as sons of God means our lives will reflect our new status, and the
world around us will be blessed by us.
Old Testament: 14Joshua
said, “Now, therefore, fear the Lord
and serve him wholeheartedly and faithfully. Remove the gods that your fathers
served in the region across the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15But if you see no
benefit in serving the Lord, then
choose for yourselves today whomever you will serve—whether the gods that your
fathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you
are living. But as for me and my household—we will serve the Lord!”
16The
people responded by saying, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord in order to serve other gods! 17For
the Lord our God, he is the one
who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, where we were
slaves. He is the one who performed before our eyes these great signs and
protected us on the whole journey that we made and among all the peoples
through whom we passed. 18The Lord
drove out of our presence all the peoples and the Amorites who were living in
the land. We too will serve the Lord,
because he is our God!”
19But
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, because he is a holy God. He is a
jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20If
you forsake the Lord and you serve
foreign gods, then he will turn and cause disaster for you, and he will put an
end to you after he has done good for you.”
21But
the people said to Joshua, “No! We will most certainly serve the Lord!”
22So
Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have
chosen the Lord for yourselves in
order to serve him.”
The people said, “We are
witnesses!”
23Joshua
said, “Now, therefore, remove the foreign gods that are among you, and turn
your heart to the Lord, the God of
Israel.”
24The
people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord
our God, and we will listen to his voice.”
1. To what does Joshua point the people when he encourages
them to live faithful lives?
2. To what does the Bible point you when it gives you a
similar command to live as salt and light?
Epistle: 1 Peter 2:9-12
9But you are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, the people who are God’s own possession, so that you
may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light. 10At one time you were not a people, but now you
are the people of God. At one time you were not shown mercy, but now you have
been shown mercy.
11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens
and temporary residents in the world, to abstain from the desires of the sinful
flesh, which war against your soul. 12Live an honorable life among
the Gentiles so that even though they slander you as evildoers, when they
observe your noble deeds, they may glorify God on the day he visits us.
3. What reasons does Peter give for us to live like salt
and light?
Gospel: 13“You are the salt
of the earth, but if salt has lost its flavor, how will it become salty again?
Then it is no good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by
people. 14You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill
cannot be hidden. 15People do not light a lamp and put it under a
basket. No, they put it on a stand, and it gives light to all who are in the
house. 16In the same way let your light shine in people’s presence,
so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
17“Do not think that I came to
destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy them but to fulfill
them. 18Amen[1] I
tell you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not even the smallest letter, or
even part of a letter, will in any way pass away from the Law until everything
is fulfilled. 19So whoever breaks one of the least of these
commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the
kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches them will be called great
in the kingdom of heaven. 20Indeed I tell you that unless your
righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and experts in the law, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
[1]
Usually, people say Amen at the end of a prayer. But Jesus used this Hebrew
word at the beginning of a statement, which was unique. The inspired writer
simply transliterated the Hebrew word that Jesus spoke, instead of using a
Greek term. This translation does the same in English. The basic meaning is I
solemnly tell you the truth. For more
information about this, see FAQ #1 at wartburgproject.org/faqs
4. How does Jesus describe Christians in this world and
why?
5. According to Jesus, why did he come into the world?
6. What warning does Jesus offer to people who believe
that they lead God-pleasing lives apart from Jesus?
Answers:
1. Faith responds to God’s grace by promising to live as
salt and light. Joshua pointed the people of Israel back to the gracious acts
of God who had delivered them from every enemy. Now in possession of the
Promised Land, God’s people could reflect on God’s great acts of grace and
power in their lives. Seeing all God had done, the people vowed to Joshua to
live as salt and light: “We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.”
2. As the children of God today, we see that God has
defeated enemies far fiercer than the Amorites, Perizzites, and Canaanites.
Sin, death, and the devil are vanquished. The gates to the heavenly Promised
Land stand open. Looking at God’s great acts of grace and power, we cannot help
but join in vowing our obedience to God. We will put away the gods of self and
sin, and through the Spirit we will yield our hearts and join with Joshua in
his life of salt and light: As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
3. The call of God made us part of a new people in order
that we might declare his praises. Peter tells us to live lives that are
different from the world around us—as different as light is to darkness. Called
out of the darkness, we live in this world like foreigners who know that this
is not our home. Strangers to the world, we abstain from sin and live such good
lives that even the pagans will have to give God glory for his work in our
lives. Called into the wonderful light, we let that shine on everyone around
us.
4. They are the salt of the earth and the light of the
world because they reflect the “salt” and “light” of Jesus. Jesus reveals
himself to the world through his people.
5. Jesus came not to abolish or overturn God’s order and
will, revealed in his holy law. He came instead to fulfill it as God intended.
Jesus has fulfilled his Father’s will perfectly as our substitute in order to
save us from sin.
6. Holiness apart from faith in Jesus requires us to keep
God’s law perfectly, which is impossible for sinners like us. Apart from Jesus,
we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Jesus’ sermon moves from the promises of the Beatitudes to
his commands for the Christian life. The Christians blessed by Christ are
called to be blessings to the world around us. You are salt, Christ says, so be
it: act as the preservative that keeps this word from rotting. You are light,
so be it: shine into the darkness of the world that people might see and know
how different you are. The message of grace is not a message of antinomianism.
Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it—first for us, and then
in us. Our righteousness could never be enough—even if we could keep the 613
laws of the Pharisees—but Jesus’ righteousness is. Now he commands our light to
shine that our deeds might give evidence of our faith to the praise of God the
Father who created us to do them.
Putting
your faith into action
Jesus gave me the job of being a light, a light to the
world in fact! How can I possibly do this? I can try to show my love for God in
all that I do and say, in the way I manage the money and possessions and gifts
he has given me. I can give him back a significant portion of my income with
which he has blessed me. But at most that would only provide light for my small
area, not the world! I thank God that I don’t have to do this alone. By his
grace and mercy, all of us work together, encouraging and strengthening each
other as we lift high the light to tell the good news that God sent his Son to
die for the sins of the world and to triumph over death and hell.
9] Concerning
the righteousness of faith before God we believe, teach, and confess
unanimously, in accordance with the comprehensive summary of our faith and
confession presented above, that poor sinful man is justified before God, that
is, absolved and declared free and exempt from all his sins, and from the
sentence of well-deserved condemnation, and adopted into sonship and heirship
of eternal life, without any merit or worth of our own, also without any preceding,
present, or any subsequent works, out of pure grace, because of the sole merit,
complete obedience, bitter suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord
Christ alone, whose obedience is reckoned to us for righteousness. – Solid
Declaration of the Formula of Concord, III. The Righteousness of Faith (paragraph
9)
1 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!
2 Lo, on those who dwelt in darkness, Dark as
night and deep as death,
Broke
the light of thy salvation, Breathed thine own life-giving breath.
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia without end!
3 Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; Bright
with thine own holiness,
Glorious
now, we press toward glory, And our lives our hope confess.
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia without end!
4 From the cross thy wisdom shining Breaketh
forth in conqu’ring 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!
5 Give us lips to sing thy glory, Tongues thy
mercy to proclaim,
Throats
to 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, Alleluias without end!
6 God the Father, light-creator, To thee laud
and honor be.
To
thee, Light from Light begotten, Praise be sung eternally.
Holy
Spirit, light-revealer, Glory, glory be to thee.
Mortals,
angels, now and ever Praise the holy Trinity!
Text:
Martin H. Franzmann, 1907–76, alt. © 1969 Concordia Publishing House.
All
rights reserved. Used by permission.
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