Epiphany 3, Year C (2025)

Nehemiah 8: 1 – 3, 5 – 6, 8 – 10 / Psalm 19 / I Corinthians 12: 12 – 31a / Luke 4: 14 - 30

This is the written version of the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, January 26, 2025 by Fr. Gene Tucker.

 

“LONGING FOR SOMETHING; THEN GETTING IT” 

(Homily text: Luke 4: 14 - 30)

(Introductory note: For our worship this morning, and for the scriptural text for this homily, I’ve expanded the appointed reading from Luke 4: 14 – 21, to include verses 22 through 30. The reason is that, for this Sunday, we will be hearing Luke’s report on Jesus’ visit to the synagogue in Nazareth. But normally, we would hear the outcome and the aftermath of that visit in next Sunday’s reading, verses 22 through 30, for the appointed text for Epiphany IV. But since next Sunday, which is normally Epiphany IV, falls on February 2nd, it is customary to follow the appointed readings for the Feast of the Presentation when February 2nd (the fixed date for the Presentation) falls on a Sunday. So, by including those verses we would normally hear on Epiphany IV in this Sunday’s reading, we will be able to capture the entirety of Luke’s report on Jesus’ visitation to the synagogue, both His visit and the reaction of those who witnessed it.)

Ever harbor a wish for something for a long time? As young persons or as children, we might have harbored a wish to have a cherished item that our parents or our grandparents own(ed). For example, as parents or grandparents, we might have children who’ve wanted to have something we inherited ourselves from some member of our family. Or, we might have wanted to have an old car or truck in our younger years. As parents or grandparents, we might have found ourselves on the other side of the idea, being the ones who own an old car or truck or some other item.

But what would have happened to us as children, or to us as parents and grandparents as we grew older, if those dreams actually came to be? Chances are, getting the thing that we (or they) so wanted to have, would have meant big changes in life.

That might be a good way to enter into our examination of Jesus’ visit to the synagogue in Nazareth, which is where He grew up. (This is information that Luke, alone, provides us.)

Luke’s account of the practices in synagogues at the time of our Lord’s earthly ministry is, perhaps, one of the earliest written accounts of what happened during synagogue worship.

Luke tells us that Jesus read from a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. (It’s reasonable to assume that there would have been a reading(s) from the Law of Moses as well.)

Jesus reads from Isaiah 61:1 – 2, and a portion of Isaiah 58:6. We don’t know if this portion was appointed by some regimen of reading from the Scriptures or not, or if Jesus chose this passage Himself.

Isaiah’s words are comforting: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has appointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”.

What happened next seems to be out-of-sequence. Luke tells us that, after having finished, Jesus gave the scroll back to the attendant, sat down and then said, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke then says that all who heard Him spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words He said.

The impression might be that the congregation gathered that day took a little while to grasp that Jesus was saying that Isaiah’s prediction had come to reality in their midst, fulfilled in him. We might think that the normal sequence would be that those gathered would be impressed with what Jesus had done, and then He would have said that the prophecy had been fulfilled. But Luke records the sequence differently. Perhaps the sequence is in the order that it is for a reason. It’s just possible that that’s the way events unfolded.

The reaction of the worshippers is immediate. They say, ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

The implication is that Jesus is one whom the residents of Nazareth know to be a normal, everyday, native-son-made-good, but nothing more. Sensing what they are thinking, Jesus offers (what must have been) a common saying, “Physician, heal yourself”. Jesus then comments about the lack of acceptability that prophets have among their own people. Following up on this comment, He then reminds them that God’s prophets, Elijah and Elisha, were sent not to God’s chosen people, but the Gentiles. Luke finishes out his description of events by saying that the people in the synagogue were so enraged that they tried to throw Jesus over a cliff.

Let’s take a moment to return to the idea with which we began, the matter of actually getting something that was long hoped for.

God’s people in the time of Jesus’ ministry longed for the good, old days of Kings David and Solomon. They longed for the restoration of their independence, enjoyed under these two great kings of ancient Israel. They longed to chase the Romans out of their land. Many thought that the Lord would send a great leader and deliverer, the Messiah, to usher in a new, golden age.

Their hopes and dreams seemed to be anchored firmly in the glory days of the past. It isn’t so clear that many of God’s people thought that such dreams could be a reality in their own lives, in the present time and place.

From time-to-time, various rebellious movements, led by charismatic persons, would emerge to challenge the status quo. Some claimed to have God’s anointing. All eventually came to an end. Whatever messianic hopes were linked to these various leaders vanished when they did.

Claiming to have God’s anointing was an audacious claim to make. Claiming it meant that God was going to be active in the here-and-the-now of life, in the person who claimed the anointing. If such an anointing was, indeed, real, then it meant that God was active in the present, not just in the glorious past of God’s people.

The logical conclusion is that, if God is active in the present, then there will be changes, perhaps big changes.

Let’s pose a question to ourselves: Is there something that we have longed for in our lives? Perhaps it’s healing of some sort, or delivery from some temptation or another. Or perhaps it’s the restoration of some broken or impaired relationship.

Whatever the case, the next question to ask ourselves is this one: “Have I asked God to help grant this long-held, long-cherished desire?”

For the reality is that God is active in the world today, often working quietly but surely to bring about new life, new hope, and new beginnings. For God alone has the creative power to create new life and new possibilities.

It all begins with faith in God’s abilities, and the prayerful request to grant our petitions and desires as is best for us. That’s often the beginning point in receiving the reality of the fulfillment of our aspirations and dreams.

AMEN. 

Epiphany 2, Year C (2025)

Isaiah 62: 1 – 5 / Psalm 36: 5 – 10 / I Corinthians 12: 1 – 11 / John 2: 1 - 11

This is the homily written to be given at Bendersville Evangelical Lutheran Parish (ELCA), Bendersville, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, January 19, 2025 by Fr. Gene Tucker.

 

“NEW LIFE”

(Homily texts: Isaiah 62: 1 – 5, I Corinthians 12: 1 – 11 & John 2: 1 – 11)

Are you ready for spring to arrive, and for winter to be gone?

It seems like, at this point in January, that we won’t see warmer temperatures, buds on the trees and on the plants, and things coming back to life again. Spring seems a long way off, and we might think that there’s little chance that it will ever come.

But, as surely as the sun rises in the east, warmer temperatures will come (but perhaps not on our schedule, but on God’s), there will be buds and then leaves on the trees and the plants, and new life will emerge. All these things are possible because God’s creative hand is involved. Indeed, one way we can see that God’s presence and God’s activity are at work is in the creation of new life. The creation account in the book of Genesis confirms that the ability to create things and to create life are one of the markers of God’s power.

Hold onto this thought for a moment, as we turn our attention to the lectionary readings that are appointed for this Sunday.

All three of our readings point to God’s creative work.

In our reading from Isaiah, we read of God’s intent to bring His chosen people back from exile in Babylon.[1] He will grant them new life, and a renewed name that the Lord God will give. No longer, Isaiah says, will God’s people be called “Forsaken”, and their land will no more be known as “Desolate”. Surely, the experience of being exiled to a foreign land must’ve felt like perpetual winter for God’s chosen ones. But the prophet assures God’s people that God will create a way to enjoy renewed life and the promise of God’s favor.

God’s creative power is seen in St. Paul’s description of the various abilities and talents that God allots to individuals. The early Church in Corinth must’ve been one of the more challenging churches that Paul had established. Judging from the topics that Paul covers in his first letter to these early believers, the church there must’ve been divided into factions. Furthermore, they seemed to be engaging in a game of what we might call “spiritual one-upsmanship”, one person claiming to be more spiritual than others, often because of their gift of being able to speak in tongues. But Paul has to remind them that God is the author of all gifts. It is the work of God’s Holy Spirit which distributes and which brings to life the various gifts that each person possesses. It is worth noting that Paul goes on to enumerate some of those gifts. Perhaps he wanted to be sure the Corinthians didn’t miss his point.

Our third reading, from John’s Gospel account, informs us of our Lord Jesus Christ’s creative power, that power that God alone possesses, in the changing of water into wine at a wedding feast in a town called Cana in the region of Galilee. If we think about the importance of marriage in the culture of the day, we can easily imagine that it was one of the very few occasions for celebration, given the harshness of the Roman occupation, and the challenges that filled everyday life. Marriage carried with it the possibility of new life, that is, children. So, it was central to the lives and the futures of God’s people.

Now, let’s return to the theme with which we began, our consideration of the promise of new life, even if – at the moment – we may think we are in a wilderness, a winter place which is devoid of life.

A lifeless place is a place each of us can find ourselves in at one point or another. It is a place without hope, one without a discernable future, a place where God doesn’t seem to be present or active.

Oftentimes, I chat with people who describe their life experience in wintry, wilderness-like terms. They tell me that it seems like the cold of winter, and not the warmth of Spring or Summer. They tell me that God seems absent, and that there’s little indication of God’s life-giving, life-changing activity. A wilderness place, they say.

But the wilderness is a place where people often find God. Three examples from Holy Scripture will help us to see this reality.

Consider God’s people, who wandered in the wilderness on their way out of bondage in Egypt into the land that God had promised them. They wandered for about forty years in such a desolate place. And during their wanderings, they were often dependent on God’s goodness alone in order to survive: Water from the rock, manna and quail from heaven, just two of the things that God provided them in that desolate place.

Or, consider the prophet Elijah, who escapes into the wilderness to avoid King Ahab’s wrath.[2] There, he laments his circumstances, his lack of a future. As he falls into sleep, an angel wakes him up and tells him to eat the cake that is sitting by his head, for he is to go to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. There, God reveals some of His glory to Elijah.

St. John the Baptist goes into the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism for the repentance of sin. (We’ve been hearing a lot about John the Baptist during Advent, and in last week’s account of Jesus’ baptism.) The wilderness is the place where people meet God. John’s baptism marks a new chapter in life for those who had come to confess their wrongdoings and to begin a new and reconciled life. It’s worth noting, since we’ve mentioned John the Baptist and our Lord’s own baptism, that immediately after that event, Jesus goes into the wilderness for a period of forty days.

As surely as Spring will follow Winter, we can be assured that whenever we find ourselves in a wintry, wilderness place, a place where God’s creative power and presence doesn’t seem to be, there it is that we will, quite likely, find Him. In such a place, we will be dependent on God’s care and God’s unseen work, bringing new life in the midst of the chill of winter and the lifelessness that seems to have no end.

AMEN.

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[1]   Some biblical scholars believe that this portion of Isaiah was written during the time in which God’s people were returning from exile in Babylon, an event which began in the year 538 BC For this reason, scholars entitle this portion of the book “Second Isaiah”. Other scholars, however, believe that this portion dates from a period after God’s people had returned from exile, entitling this portion “Third Isaiah”.

[2]   See I Kings 19: 1 – 14. 

Epiphany 1 (The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ), Year C (2025)

Isaiah 43: 1 – 7 / Psalm 29 / Acts 8: 14 – 17 / Luke 3: 15 – 17, 21 – 22

This is the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, January 12, 2025 by Fr. Gene Tucker

 

“FAITH: THE KEY TO RELATIONSHIP”

(Homily text: Luke 3: 15 – 17, 21 – 22)

Perhaps without realizing it, we put our faith in things we use every day. We do this, based on our past experience with these objects.

For example, the common chair (just a chair as we might use at a kitchen table will do) can illustrate this reality quite well: When we prepare to sit in a chair, we look at it prior to doing so. For one thing, we’d want to be sure that there isn’t anything in the chair already. (A cat would be a good example, taking a nap.) We’d also want to be sure that the seat of the chair isn’t broken, cracked, or damaged in some way. As we pulled the chair away from the table, or moved it so as to sit in it, our attention would be alerted if the chair seemed to be loose, wobbly or if its structural integrity was impaired in some way. Then, as we prepare to sit in the chair, we would be careful to observe how well it manages to support our weight.

Our past experience with a particular chair, say one that we use daily to eat our meals, will serve to enlighten us about that particular chair’s value as a device upon which to sit. Or, if we’re using a chair we’re not familiar with on a regular basis, we’d rely on what we already know about the design of chairs, the materials used to make chairs, and the ways in which the component of chairs are assembled and fastened together. (We’d do this for a chair with which we are familiar, as well.)

Maybe it’s a safe bet to say that most of us haven’t given much thought to the business of making use of chairs.

Returning to our illustration, our present experience with sitting in a chair, being based on our past experience with chairs, serves as the connecting point between the past and the future. To clarify, as we put our trust in a chair, that it will hold our weight, not wobble and give us concern about its usefulness, and not deposit us on the floor, we are able to step forward into our future use of a chair we are familiar with (or with chairs in general). Essentially, the process is one in which we make use of what we know (our past experience) in order to move into the unknown future.

Now, keep this discussion in mind as we turn our attention to the theme for this Sunday, which is the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ in the River Jordan by John the Baptist.[1] Each of the first three Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark and Luke) narrate Jesus’ baptism.[2]

A key consideration of our assessment of this event, and of its importance to us as Christian believers, has to do with the nature of John’s baptism and Jesus’ willingness to undergo it. Recall that John’s baptism was one of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. If our Lord was/is without sin, then why did He consent to being baptized?[3]

Perhaps only a partial answer is possible to this question.

We know from the witness of Holy Scripture that our Lord came and immersed Himself totally and fully in our human condition. Part of that experience meant our Lord was willing to undergo and experience everything that we human beings are likely to face. (One blessing from this understanding of Jesus, being “God with us”,[4] is that it makes holy all of human life and experience.)

Now, we return to the essence of our observations about chairs and their use.

Recall that we said that our current experience with chairs depends on our past use, enabling us to make future use. Faith is a key component of the bridge from the past to the future. Without faith in a chair’s reliability and usefulness, we cannot move into any future with chairs.

If the witness of Holy Scripture is reliable, then its recounting of our Lord’s baptism can serve as a reliable basis for belief that our Lord Jesus Christ, who made holy our human experience, continues to make holy our current and future experience.

The conclusion has to be that we love and serve a God who does not stand outside of our human life and experience. On the contrary, we love and serve a God who entered that experience, even to the point of a horrible death on a cross.[5] Put another way, God sent His Son into the trenches of human life.

Our Lord Jesus Christ came as Emmanuel, and he remains Emmanuel, God with us. We are not alone. By faith we receive this truth. By faith, we are able to enter into relationship with God, and to fold God’s love, faithfulness and presence into our lives.

Thanks be to God.

AMEN.

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[1]   This is the theme, each year, of the First Sunday after the Epiphany.

[2]   John does not narrate the baptism. He does, however, mention the descent of the Holy Spirit at the time when Jesus was baptized.. See John 1:32.

[3]   Matthew seems to demonstrate this aspect to the interchange between Jesus and John, for John objects to baptizing Jesus, perhaps sensing Jesus’ holiness. In response, Jesus says that it is right for Him to be baptized. Doing so, He said, would “fulfill all righteousness”.

[4]   The Hebrew word is Emmanuel. See Matthew 1:23.

[5]   See Philippians 2:5 -11 for St. Paul’s reflection on Jesus’ death. 

Christmas 2, Year C (2025)

Jeremiah 31:7 – 14 / Psalm 147:13 – 21 / Ephesians 1:3 – 14 / John 1:1 – 18

This is the homily given at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania on Sunday, January 5, 2025 by Fr. Gene Tucker.

 

“ONLY”

(Homily text: John 1:1 – 18)

A friend of mine has assumed, for himself, the persona of Language Man. Language Man takes it upon himself to comment on what he perceives to be misuse of words, bad grammar, and other offenses against the dignity of the English language. (Language Man’s postings can usually be found on Facebook.)

It we might be permitted to follow in Language Man’s quest, we could apply some of his observations to the use of the word “Only”, as we look at today’s wonderful Gospel text, the Prologue to John’s Gospel account (John 1:1 – 18).

We begin by looking at the word “Only”, in order to assess when and why it used, and in what contexts.

“Only”, it seems to be, generally is connected to the idea of assigning the cost, the importance or the value of something or someone.

For example, “Only’ can be used to minimize – or overlook - the cost of something, usually something for sale. An example would be its use in advertising, as in “Only four easy payments of $29.95/each”. Here, the idea is to heighten the perceived value of whatever is being sold, often far beyond its real value and worth. Or, it can be used to minimize the steps that must be taken to achieve something, as in “You only have to do these exercises daily for one hundred days…” (Ugh!)

You get the idea.

“Only” can also be used to remind ourselves of something we might/should have known at some point in the past, something that places our current knowledge and information against a time in the past. For example, “If I’d only known what fun my grandchildren would be, I would have had them first!” (A certifiably true statement, by the way.) Another example would be, “If only I’d known what I know now, I would have done things differently”.

The third way that “Only” is used (it seems to me) is to declare the highest value we place in someone or something. Used this way, “Only” has the sense that the properties being held in mind are ones that no other thing (or person) can have. An example might be “Dove dark chocolate drops are the only kind of dark chocolate I like”. (OK, not true…I’m a chocoholic, and enjoy chocolate in any and all its various forms!) One other example will illustrate this use of the word: When we meet someone and fall in love, we often say something like, “You are the only one for me!”.

Let’s turn now to our appointed Gospel text, the beginning of the Fourth Gospel, the one whose author is John.

The first thing of importance (I think anyway) is to remind ourselves that John is concerned to concentrate on our Lord Jesus Christ’s divine nature, His Oneness with the Father.[1] So it is, in this context that Jesus Christ says, “I and the Father are One. (John 10:30) Similarly, in dealing with the disciple Philip’s doubts, He says, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father”. (John 14:9b) One more example will emphasize John’s focus: The Lord says, “Before Abraham was, I am”. Those who heard that statement knew immediately that He was claiming His divine being, eternal as His Father. (John 8:58)

In the fulness of time, God decides to intervene in human affairs and in human history. He decides to do so directly, by sending His emissary.

Let’s reflect on God’s decision, and begin by imagining that God might ask one (or more) of us what form of the use of the word “Only” He would have to use to encourage us to leave God’s presence and enter history.

God might well have had to say something like, “You only have to go down and become a helpless baby. As you grow up and begin to deliver my message, many will reject it, although some will hear, understand and accept what you have to say. Some will oppose you so much that they will conspire to kill you”. In order to persuade one or more of us to take up this work, God would have to minimize the difficulties that would lie ahead, or to get us to overlook how hard that assignment would be.

Of course, the truth is that none of us is at all qualified for such a work and such a mission. However lacking we are to fulfill this mission, it is helpful (I think) to cast some light on God’s decision to send Jesus, the Christ, to take up our humanity, in order to show us the way to God.

The truth is that the Father didn’t have to minimize the difficulties and the challenges that would lie in Jesus Christ’s path as He left His Father’s presence, and as He set aside the glory He has with the Father for His earthly sojourn. Instead, perhaps the appropriate use of the word “Only” that applies here is the Son’s unique nature for this work and this mission. Indeed, we can safely say that “Jesus Christ is the only one who could fulfill the Father’s desire and work”.

And so, God the Son came, and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) His sojourn is a temporary one, for the Greek word which is usually translated as “dwelt” has the sense of “pitching his tent” among us. As God dwelt with His people in the wilderness in the Tabernacle, a tent which went wherever God’s people went, so our Lord Jesus Christ manifests God’s presence among us, and goes wherever we go in our life’s walk and journey.

Our response to God’s wonderful work in sending the very best, Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, can fall into one of two categories, both of which make use of the word “Only”. We could fail to appreciate God’s gift by saying, “If only I’d known, valued and accepted the blessings of God’s work in Jesus Christ….” Or, we could say, “You, only, O Lord, are to be praised, glorified and believed on in our lives, for you have come to us, bringing God’s very self to dwell in our hearts”.

AMEN.

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[1]   The emphasis and the focus of the first three Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark and Luke, is on Jesus Christ’s humanity. All of the Gospels affirm Jesus Christ’s dual nature, His humanity and His divine nature. It is the emphasis, the focus, that differentiates John’s account from the other three.