The Third Sunday After Epiphany
Text: Romans 12:16-21
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
What do you desire in life? What do you desire within your home? Or what do you desire within this congregation?
These questions all appear innocent and honest, but they have one common flaw: they begin with you.
If we are honest, our desires throughout life often proceed out of personal distress, the need for control, or the unwavering belief we possess all the answers to the problems of life, the difficulties of our homes, or the issues of the church.
When we believe we have all the answers, we are led to become haughty and conceited, as the Epistle warns against. (Romans 12:16) We are led into arrogance and becoming excessively prideful.
Solomon wrote in the book of Proverbs, “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” (Proverb 3:7) Still, the inborn sin of your first parents continues to tug at your heart, whispering into your ears - speak up, chart a bold path forward, you know the way to go… don’t give in to others.
This subjective and self-absorbed confidence you demonstrate is precisely what the Proverbs warn against – it is the turning away from the objective Word of God, your Creator, and Redeemer. It is the way of sin.
Sin separates man from God, resulting from Adam and Eve’s disobedience that ended with expulsion from the Garden. Sin also separates men from one another, which causes strife and division.
Sadly, none of us must look far for strife and division. For whom did you see as you approached or entered the church today and said, ugh, I see they’re here. Which family member do you silence the ringer for when they call, avoiding the conversation of reconciliation that must one day occur? Or what secret addiction drives you into isolation, pulling you away from earthly responsibility?
Yet, the Apostle Paul urges the reader in Romans to “Live in harmony with one another.” (Romans 12:16a) Or, as one translator renders this verse, “Have the same mindset toward one another.”
These words call us away from our own desires and the course or path we have plotted, orienting and uniting us toward a single goal—peace.
However, while not always possible, the Apostle Paul goes on to urge the Christian and the Church: “So far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18)
Walther, the first president of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, wrote, “A Christian must value peace and harmony so highly that he will suffer considerable harm if he can thereby purchase peace and harmony.” (Walther, 159)
But what is the cost of peace?
Truthfully, apart from Christ Jesus, there is no amount of labor, means, or intellect you could ever possess to attain peace for the church, your home, or your life. No, the cost of peace hangs upon the cross – it is the only begotten Son of the Father.
Still, those He came to redeem treated Him shamefully as He was whipped and spat upon, His own disciples denied Him, and the government arrayed Him with a crown of thorns. No one was innocent, not even you.
But the passion of our Lord not only shows us how to suffer in this brief life but also teaches us to “repay no one with evil.”
This is a challenge, is it not? Unfortunately, the accessibility of retribution is not far from us. It resides within our hearts. Our lips simply give voice to our anger, becoming the very gates of hell as we issue vain threats and warnings to one another, and our silent quest for vengeance becomes a reality.
My friends, this struggle is not unique to you; I, too, share in this struggle of the heart. My faith continues to require a regular trip to my Baptism. In fact, each day I walk past that font, I must again remember that I have been marked, redeemed, and made a child of God.
All this to say, I, like you, must constantly turn my heart and direct my faith to where forgiveness and peace reside – to Christ Jesus.
This is something our Gospel reveals today about the leper and the centurion; their faith was unwavering.
The leper approached Jesus and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And what did Jesus do? He put out His hand and touched the unclean leper, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed,” which means to be forgiven.
The centurion comes running to Jesus, pleading with him to heal his servant. Jesus says to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion responds, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.”
What trust and faith this leper and centurion have in Jesus. Are you so bold?
Are you so bold to look solely to Jesus for the peace and forgiveness you need? Are you so willing to sacrifice yourself, setting aside your positions or ambitions in life for the good of your neighbor as the centurion?
None of this is easy, but we are called to set aside our desires and wills and look to the cross with unwavering faith.
It began for each of us at the font with water and the Word. It continued today as we joined our voices in confession and absolution. And soon the flesh and blood of Christ Jesus will again cleanse each of you with the forgiveness of sin, uniting us as the body of Christ Jesus, that we may “Live in harmony with one another.” (Romans 12:16a) That we would “Have the same mindset toward one another.”
Look, there will be days in our lives when our desires are not met. Beginning with ourselves as it is written, “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Romans 7:15) But, we must realize this same struggle resides in all who dwell within our homes and within this congregation.
So, while it sounds more frightening than it is, we are all called to “heap burning coals on the heads of our neighbors.” (Romans 12:17)
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.”
In other words, be good to those who persecute you and extend your hand as Jesus has extended His to you with His forgiveness.
This is what it means to “heap burning coals on the heads of [your] neighbors.” (Romans 12:17)
Do this joyfully, turning and uniting your hearts in Christ Jesus - overwhelming your brothers and sisters with charity and the forgiveness of sin-loving your neighbors as Christ loves you and leads you into the way of harmony and peace. +INJ+
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
