“Shining for Jesus: Boldness and Confidence”
January 7, 2024
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Isn’t it obvious? I get asked that a lot – especially when I’m trying to find something. And I’ve noticed, especially as I’ve gotten older, that I’ve been having a little bit of a harder time seeing things that are right in front me, especially if I get asked to go look for something, and it takes me a while to find it. When, a lot of the time, it’s actually literally been right under my nose. This even happened as recently as yesterday, when I had to look for a bottle of ranch dressing in the fridge, and it took me about a minute finally to see something that was right in front of where I was standing – on a shelf, in a rather large bottle. It should have been obvious, but, for some reason, to me, it wasn’t.
In the same way, God, especially in the way He is active and involved in every part of the world today should be obvious – but He isn’t always to people. However, there is one special way He is always obvious. Today is Epiphany Sunday, the day when we remember how Jesus was made obvious to all the rest of the world, especially to people outside of His own Jewish ethnic group: Magi from the east. These Magi were astronomers, who studied the stars to look for things which were going to be taking place in the world, and by seeing and following a special unique star put in place by God, they were able to find Jesus, who was born to be King and God for the whole world, and for all people. This visit had even been promised long before by God, speaking through Isaiah, in today’s First Reading. Who Jesus was was also made obvious in the gifts which were given to Him by the Magi: gold, to show not only that all the wealth of the world belongs to Him as King, but all the power belongs to Him as God. Frankincense was burned, and in many places is still burned, as a way of honoring both kings and gods, and so this frankincense shows that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the true King and God worthy of honor, glory, and worship. Myrrh, which was used to prepare bodies for burial after death, especially by the wealthy and noble, then shows not only that Jesus is a king, but He is the King who came to die – yet He is also the King who will rise from the dead victorious, and will never die again.
Also, it’s already the first Sunday of the year, and if you think time has gone fast already, think about this: Christmas is officially over as of today. As mentioned earlier, we’re going to be taking down our Christmas decorations here in the sanctuary, and then, in just a little over a month already, we’re going to be preparing to celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection, as we begin with Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day. So, this month, since we’re celebrating how Jesus was shown by the shining of a star, and is the Light of the World, we’re going to be talking about how we can shine for Jesus, and be that same light. As has been said many times before, we share in the same ministry: to bring God’s love and light into the world, bringing Jesus to people and people to Jesus. And how this happens is being like Jesus.
To give proper credit where credit is due, this is a quote from another pastor online, and I’ll put the website where it appears when I post this sermon online: “Christianity is not a religion that tells us what to do. It is a religion that tells us who to be. And we are called to be Christ in the world. Ours is a faith that would have us collectively be the body of Christ and as individuals be Christ to the world.” And, as the website on which this quote appears further explains, “Being Christ to the world can mean, for example, living lives of service and compassion, pursuing a life-long struggle to improve and grow in our walk with God.” (NOTE: The website with these quotes may be found at https://gwjolly.org/hcoc/. ) And one of the many things we are called to improve in our spiritual growth and walk with God is confidence.
Our confidence comes not from ourselves and our own holiness or goodness, but instead in everything God has already done for us. As Paul says in today’s Second Reading from Ephesians, it is because of Jesus that we have boldness and confidence that we can access God anytime, anywhere; we also have the freedom to be able to worship and praise God at any time, because Jesus made access to Him possible. Here, boldness and confidence, when it comes to expressing and living out our faith, actually means the opposite of what we normally think it means: usually, we think that we have to defend our beliefs. However, if we live as though we were at war, we are actually living with a lack of confidence in our faith, and in our God. Indeed, having true confidence means not having the need to criticize others, whether other Christians, or anyone else, because of beliefs or lifestyle. Having true confidence means therefore not feeling the need to defend our faith. This does not mean that we do not live out our faith openly and boldly: we are to live as Christians for everyone to see. We are seeking out opportunities to be the body of Christ, and, as individuals, make Jesus obvious to the world. We are also striving to live lives of service and compassion in humility, making a positive difference in our own lives and the lives of others. After all, Jesus Himself was born in humility, in a quiet event – and continued to live in humble confidence in His Father throughout His life, making the best impact for others by being so. As He remained humble and confident, so are we to be. God also does not need to be defended, because He is who He is regardless of what anyone else thinks of Him. However, people’s opinions of God can be formed by how His people act. And so, once again, the best way we can make Jesus obvious to everyone is by living humble, quiet lives of forgiveness, service, and compassion, while still being bold and confident in what we believe, but being just as bold and confident in living it out in a positive way towards other people. In just a few moments, we will be receiving Communion together. And, once again, as with every time we take Communion, we will be reminded of God’s commitment to us: His commitment to keeping His promise to save us, which He did by sending His Son to have His body be broken and His blood be shed, which He truly gives us to eat and drink. And as we eat His body and drink His blood, we will be filled with His power, to live in response to His commitment to us by living in commitment to Him, and to each other, as we strive to live as Jesus toward each other, and recommit to, once again, being the body of Christ together.
Today is your opportunity, and especially at the beginning of this new year, to reaffirm your commitment to following Jesus, growing in your faith and daily walk with Him, becoming more like Him, and living like Him where you are. Today is also a time to ask Jesus into your heart and life once again, to make Himself more plain and obvious to you, so you can see how much of an important and indispensable part of your life He really is, and how having a personal relationship with Him is something you can’t live without. You are also encouraged to reaffirm your commitment to live like Jesus, to ask Him to help you become more like Him, in humble confidence, living out your faith in Him boldly and without any hesitation. Shine for Jesus – and shine with boldness and confidence again!
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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