Second Wednesday after the Epiphany with Video of Divine Service and text of sermon

 Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer

 


Second Wednesday after the Epiphany     

Romans 12:1-5          Luke 2:41-52

O Lord, your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. 

In Romans 6:3-11, the Apostle Paul describes the disruptive, life-giving effect of Holy Baptism. Through the combination water with the promise of God’s Word, we personally encounter the mercy of Christ Jesus. On account of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, through Holy Baptism we are snatched from the crushing jaws of sin and death and united with Christ. The Apostle declares, “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.” And, just so we get the point, the Apostles states, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

Christ frees us from enslavement to sin and the fear of death. In Christ we receive the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternal life with God. While we are never baptized again, we must always take care that sin is not allowed to wreak havoc upon our mortal bodies. We must be weary of our human passions and the ease by which they are corrupted for Satan’s use. We are free in Christ. Yet, in this life, we can all too easily return to the prison that sin, death, and the devil seeks to lure us into. The forces of evil always seek to bind us. The Apostle’s beautiful description of the life altering grace of Holy Baptism is followed by a warning. “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under the law but under grace.” (Romans 6:12-14). 

The Epistle reading for today is six chapters from the Apostle’s description of Holy Baptism and the warning to guard the precious gift of freedom that you have in Christ from the forces that seek to take God’s gift of freedom and life from you. In today’s Epistle, we receive additional words of encouragement to maintain the discipline of conscientious discipleship of Christ. 

Christ offered his own body as a sacrifice in our behalf. He did not conform to the world. And, in today’s Gospel we are reminded of the premium that the Christ Jesus places on a mind that dwells in the truth of God. As a twelve-year-old, he makes good use of the continuing education to be found in the Jerusalem temple with its ample supply of teachers.  He sought a renewal of his mind. He discerned the will of his heavenly Father as he prepared for his earthly ministry 18 years later. 

Discipleship means that we imitate our master, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are blessed with a mercy, the grace that is the opportunity to present our own bodies as a living sacrice. Christ died for us. We sacrifice and deny ourselves for the sake of Christ. We learn from the Word of God what God’s expectation of us are. We choose to order our life around his commands and gospel. Through the liturgy, the hymns, the reading and studying of scripture, the reception of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar, our minds, our hearts, are transformed. 

Lest we be tempted to think that discipleship is a personal endeavor or a solitary path, the Apostle assures us that our discipleship is practiced in the company of the church. We are not alone. Through Christ we walk with our fellow believers. Through Christ, we imitate our Lord and reflect his light and love into a dark and confused world.

Discipleship of mind and body is our response to the grace of Christ. We present ourselves to the Lord as a living sacrifice to witness to the transformative power of Christ. This is our worship and our praise.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. 

 

 

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