(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).

(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).

(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).

(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).

(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).

(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please check back later).

(We are working on a transcript for this sermon, please stay tuned).

TRANSCRIPT

The Israelite’s complaint didn’t seem so bad. All they wanted was a little bit of water. Give us water to drink, they said. Moses’ answer kind of seemed a little harsh, didn’t it? “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” All they wanted was a little water.

Maybe I’ll try that response the next time my kids ask me for a little water, or a toy, or something like that. “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” Seems a little extreme, doesn’t it? I mean, they’re in the desert. All they wanted was a little water.

Moses, though, knows his people better than we do. Moses knows his congregation, as they’re called in verse one. The people he was to shepherd to the promised land. Moses knows there’s more to their request than just a little thirst. It wasn’t just water they wanted, but it was a deeper thirst. They longed for the comforts of Egypt. They had just been released. They were wandering, and they wanted comfort.

The word of the place where we find them in our Old Testament lesson clues us in to what’s going on here. “Rephidim.” That means to give support or to give refreshment. They had come to the place called “refreshment” or “support” and their God had no water for them. They were angered. They wanted comfort, and God had not jumped at their request as they thought he should.

Some god you are!

So it wasn’t just a request for water. Yes, that’s what they asked for, but under that request was a question, accusing God of not being the true God. Moses told the people his name, “I am,” the name that he heard at the burning bush. Now “I am” is worthless to the people. He had let them down. He, apparently, is no better than Egypt, where they had Rephidim. Where they had refreshment.

They said to Moses, “have you brought us and our children and our livestock out here to die?” All they wanted was a little water.

But isn’t that how it always starts? Isn’t that how it just begins? Just a little water, that’s all they wanted. But Moses knows there’s something far more sinister laying under the surface of this seemingly harmless request. There was doubt of God and trust in a false god.

They were looking for comfort from Egypt. They tried to quench their insatiable thirst for righteousness by bowing down and becoming slaves again. It’s a wonder that God didn’t just give them what they wanted. Send them back. Ungrateful people.

Well, the woman too at the well. All she wanted was a little water. But her desires had already drowned her in sin. Just like the Israelites, she too had a deep desire to be taken care of. While Israel had thoughts of finding satisfaction in slavery in Egypt, this woman tried finding satisfaction in multiple husbands. Their sin was the same.

Turning from trust in God, the Great I Am, and the things that he provides and looking to things or people in this life, rather than fearing and trusting in God alone and repenting. St. Paul, in our second reading, says we should rejoice in our suffering.

But what do we do? We suffer a little and we bite, we scratch, and we scream, “How dare you God?”

Jesus came to the well too and what did He ask for? All He wanted was a little water. There, though, was the Samaritan woman. And she, of course, is suspicious. “This is not how things normally work, how is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?”

If she’d have known that this was the true God-of-God, Light-of-Light, maybe a more appropriate question is, “how is it that you, true God, even approach me, a dead sinner?”

God appeared to Moses in the bush when Moses was not looking for him. This woman too, running from her sin, perhaps not even knowing it, she is also surprised by the Great I Am. She isn’t nearly as impressed as Moses was when he saw the burning bush. Jesus answered her, “if you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.”

If you knew.

But, she doesn’t. So she, still not getting Jesus water, she points out the obvious. She doubts God. “You’ve nothing to draw water with. Are you better than our father Jacob who drank from this well, and watered his cows?” Little does she know that this Jew is better than Jacob. This is the very one who put Jacob’s hip out of socket. The one who gave Jacob the name Israel. Little does she know that this Jew knows her better than she realizes.

At this well is just plain water, Jesus says. All the places you’ve been running to find satisfaction, those are all just plain water, Jesus says. Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of the water I will give will never be thirsty again. The water I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

The woman said to him, “sir, give me this water so I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” Jesus now makes it evident that even though she doesn’t know Him, He knows her. Even more, and perhaps just a little scary, Jesus knows her better than she knows herself.

And Jesus knows you too. Jesus knows us. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. And where we have maybe become comfortable with sin, Jesus knows. Jesus knows what she and us need, even if we don’t. Jesus even knows how this woman has attempted to quench her thirst, and He knows how you have attempted to quench your thirst as well.

The Samaritan woman tried to quench the same thirst the Israelites had, yet instead of Egypt it was a husband. Call your husband come here. The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “you’re right in saying, ‘I have no husband,’ for you’ve had five husbands and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

The woman said back to Jesus, “keep your religion out of my bedroom!” How unloving, Jesus. How unkind. All she wanted was a little comfort, a little security in this world. But Jesus is a better shepherd than we are. This woman had tried, time and time again, to find something to quench her heart and soul. Perhaps she was satisfied for a while. But then she realizes that even to quench her deepest thirst with a gift of God, instead of God himself, is worthless. It must be quenched by God himself.

And so we too run around, we long for Egypt, we long for husbands. We too settle not for mister right, but mister right-now. There’s no shortage of places where we run to quench our most deep thirst.

Or perhaps you’re more holy than the Samaritan woman. Perhaps your sins aren’t as public as hers. Maybe you bed down with your pride and your anger. Gossip – that’s easy to have an affair with, no one even knows it except God.

How about now, with our panicking? The whole world seems to be going out of control. The panic is spreading through this world, searching for God to save them. To cleanse this world. How quickly we as Christians even forget how vulnerable we are to death and financial collapse. How we have become like the woman at the well. Like Israel. Comfortably trusting that we have control over our sin, that we have control over this fallen world, control over finances. And God uses a virus to wake us up.

The Old Testament and the ancient church is familiar with words like quarantine and viruses and diseases. God uses these diseases to teach people about sin. Are you heeding God’s call to repent in all of this madness?

Jesus told the woman at the well, “stop sinning.” Her sin of adultery was like a sickness eating her from the inside. Jesus tells her to stop and He tells you to stop as well. To repent.

What sins do you harbor? Maybe it’s everyone else. Maybe you’re the only one who’s not sick. Your sin will rot you out. If you’re constantly blaming others you’re just like the woman trying to fool God. You’re sicker than you realize. When you’re sick, only a fool would spread their illness. Sin is like that – it spreads.

It effects other people’s spiritual walk. Like this woman, going from one man to the next. Or maybe each man using her and abusing her. Our request for a cure to Coronavirus could be just like the people asked for water. All we want is a cure.

A cure comes, the problem de jour ends, and you are off again, refusing to repent. Refusing to see who it is that tells you today to repent.

Jesus knows your thirst. He knows exactly what you need and that’s why He’s here. He is giving to you today, to the weary. Notice, He did not cast the woman out but called her to come even more unto Him. To trust Him even more. To forsake herself. To forsake her husbands. To trust in Him.

Jesus is the one who shows mercy, not to the proud, not to the angry, not to those who are satisfied. But He shows mercy to the thirsty. He knows what you need and at the font of your baptism He made a promise deeper than any marriage vow. A vow that continues so that death may not even part you from Him.

If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is speaking to you today, you would ask Him to nourish your thirst with His body and blood. Crucified for you. For there is our husband. The one who takes care of us. Who purchased us with His own blood.

So yes, God takes the blame for the lack of refreshment at Rephidim. He didn’t instruct Moses to strike the people, but he said strike the rock. And so yes, God takes the blame. Moses strikes the rock, but not the people. And St. Paul tells us that rock is Christ – not literally, but also not just figuratively. For ultimately, our Lord is struck. And what flows from His side for all people, especially sinners?

The water of eternal life. For you. For me. Yes, Christ takes the blame for the Israelites accusing God for not taking care of them. Christ takes the blame for your grumbling against God, your grumbling against one another. On His body and blood bear the marks of your sin. And He takes them and dies with them.

He is struck by the Father so that you would find Rephidim. Today, hear His absolution – your sins are forgiven. Drink deeply from this well. Let that same water flow from you.

And when your sinful flesh gets you thirsty for the things of this world, when your pride rears it’s ugly head, when you refuse to acknowledge your own sin, when you begin to grumble against the Great I Am, or grumble about your neighbor, return to Him. He will not strike you with His rod. Because what does He say? My rod and my staff, they comfort you.

Confess your sin, for His well never runs out of forgiveness. His body and blood always ready to quench you, even during a pandemic. He knows what you face. The journey is too hard to go it alone. So He will meet you at His well. He will give you what you need and quench your deepest thirst as we wander through this desert together as a congregation, as the people of God scattered throughout the whole world.

Our shepherd brings us into the promised land.

It is quite fitting today that we celebrate the baptism of Sawyer Ann. Baptism is when Christ puts his name on us and tells us, “You have been buried with me and raised to new life with me.” It is great to have a baptism on this day we hear of Jesus’ temptation because this is what happens to Jesus right before our reading today. Jesus is baptized in Matthew chapter 3 and the father says, “You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”

After you win at a game or some athletic competition your confidence is often very high and nothing can stop you. In war, soldiers who have won and gone through a battle to arrive at victory, it is they who are often motivated to fight harder. Losing does the opposite, it has a demoralizing effect on us. It makes you want to give up. What about when the game is rigged? Or what about when a team wins but someone comes and says, “You won but it was only because the referee was betting on you to win.” You thought you were successful but in reality it was a mirage, a fake. The Houston Astros have been dealing with this idea. They had won the World Series, many playoff games but now it comes out that they were cheating. Public relations nightmare. Everyone now wonders, were they really the champions? Many players came forward, some ran and hid.

The devil does this to Adam and Eve. They have everything. God had promised them their lives were not just good, but very good. What does the devil do, “Hey things aren’t so great. God cheated you! You can’t trust what God said to you.” They wondered, “Did God cheat us?” Thinking God was not trustworthy Adam and Eve now questioned God’s promise to them and they fell for the temptation. The human race is now plunged into defeat. Adam and Eve ran and hid.

Elijah after he had defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel was victorious. God had sent fire from heaven to burn up the offering even burn up water. The prophets of Baal were slaughtered. Jezebel said, “Let this be done to you Elijah by me.” Elijah ran and hid.

Moses witnesses the crossing of the Red Sea and he doesn’t trust God’s word and strikes the rock instead of following God’s word to speak to the rock.

How about you? Would you run and hide from God after he has given you so much?

Or maybe you don’t have reason to run and hide from God. That’s a common problem in our society now. There is no shame over sin. Adam and Eve had the decency to try and cover their sin our world today so often is proud of their sins. Pride parades they’re called and those who cheer them on are no better. Consider the people who sought Jesus out. They knew shame. The knew they didn’t deserve Jesus. The woman of the flow of blood who would try to sneak just to touch Jesus. The woman at the well only came out at noon when no one would be at the well. The quarantined leper bowed down to Jesus’ feet. Faith sees sin for what it is wicked. This is repentance. Knowing that we deserve the discipline God sends.

Christ now in Matthew 4 has no sin no reason to be ashamed. No reason that his heavenly father would keep anything from him, unlike you he’s done nothing wrong.

Well the devil comes to Jesus after he is baptized, after the Father promises Jesus, “You are my son” what does the devil do? The devil says, “If you are the son of God turn these stones into bread.”

Immediately after Jesus has been told, “You are my beloved son” the comes and says, “Oh yes the father said that but you can’t trust his word. If you really are the son then make bread for yourself.” As soon as Jesus has his victory a the Jordan river the devil tries to take it away. If you really are the son of God you shouldn’t be suffering this way. The devil like an enemy of God comes and tries to steal away the certainty of God’s word.

Jesus was hungry. The devil wanted Jesus to listen to his stomach more than God. But Jesus refuses. Jesus refuses to use his power as true God for his own benefit.

Meaning, Jesus will not make his own bread, he will trust God to give to him when the father sees fit to end Jesus’ fast. This always makes me think about that supposed dilemma when someone says, “If you are starving is it ok to steal food?” Here Jesus teaches us no. You see the world is just like the devil. Most people say, “Yes it’s ok for you to steal bread if you’re hungry because sinning is not as bad as dying of starvation.” The devil tells Jesus, “You can use your power for yourself, don’t trust God.” Jesus though here world rather starve than sin! Jesus sees sin for what it truly is, the wages of sin is death. So would you rather have a full belly and enter hell or an empty belly and go to heaven?

This is the temptation of the devil to Jesus, don’t trust God. That’s his temptation to you as well. Explain away your sins, “I was hungry.” I didn’t know. I was tricked. It was the woman, it was the serpent. All the ways you try to excuse your sins. Have you lost your patience and blamed someone else? Have you cursed and figured they deserved it? Have you been lazy and said, “I’ve worked hard all day, I deserve a break.” Have you excused your sin instead of confessing?

When you blame others or make excuses for your sins of thoughts, words or deeds, you are blaming God. This is why Jesus’ temptation is so wonderful. Jesus doesn’t deserve to be led out to the wilderness and to be deprived of food but he does it anyway because the Holy Spirit led him out there to succeed where we have failed.

Jesus goes out to be tempted so that he may succeed where we have sinned. Where Adam and Eve, Elijah, Moses, you and I have sinned, Jesus doesn’t. as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for fall men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Where we buckle and fold just because we experience a little uncomfortableness Jesus endures. This is what is so important for us to understand about the temptation of Jesus, he endured as our substitute. In a sports game when one team member gets injured another substitute comes in. When that team wins even the player who was injured gets credit for the teams win even if he didn’t even participate in the game. Jesus is our substitute. Everything he did he did for us. Even facing down the devil’s temptations so that we would not be held accountable for our falling for temptations.

Jesus was crucified and died but was raised. This one act is the defining victory for us. He gives that victory to you over and over again. Greater than any team victory greater than any military conquest. Greater than staring down Pharoah and seeing the Red Sea part. Greater than slaying hundreds of prophets of Baal and seeing fire fall from the sky. Greater than seeing the Garden of Eden, your Savior places his body and blood on your lips for the forgiveness of your sins. This fruit reverses the curse of your sin. Where Satan cause the fall with food so now by a new food Christ reverses our death and feeds us life. His baptism is your baptism, God is well pleased with you.

Jesus undergoes his own 40days of Lent to bring you into an eternal Easter. So also we should walk with him through this wilderness disciplining our bodies for the benefit of our neighbor. So that we would change from blaming our neighbor for our sin to helping our neighbor avoid sin. That is in the end what Jesus has done, by his suffering temptation shows us how to escape temptation, knowing and trusting the promises of God.

We have the victory of Jesus and Jesus shows us what to do when the devil tempts us to think we have to give into temptation. The scriptures say, “When you are tempted God will always give you a way out.” Jesus teaches us what the way out is. It is the word of God. Jesus could’ve just used one word to make the devil explode into a million little pieces. If you remember in the gospel when the soldiers come to arrest Jesus, Jesus just says “I am he.” And they are all knocked down to the ground. Jesus doesn’t do that with the devil. What does Jesus do? He says, “It is written…”. Jesus uses what we have. Jesus doesn’t use his power and authority to his advantage even against the devil. This teaches us what a great and powerful thing the word of God is for us. When you are tempted, seek the word of God. Amen

Every once in awhile when traveling I like to grab a memento or artifact from a location I am visiting and want to remember how good it was to be there. Whenever we would travel to Mexico, my grandparents would always buy the Mexican gum from the poor kids in the streets chic-le. I never really liked the gum because it wasn’t as sweet and full of artificial coloring as our American gums. Every time though we went down there we always had the chic-le.

Now when I see that gum, I’m immediately taken back to those trips in Mexico and all the memories. It was good to be there. I still don’t like the gum so much, but it’s chewable in a pinch.

Today Jesus gives us, Peter, James and John a memento, an artifact, a souvenir of sorts, “he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” But what trip were they about to embark on and why would they need this memento?

The Transfiguration of Jesus is the memento for the disciples because Jesus is about to look anything but godly. Jesus is about to suffer at the hands of men and die for sinners. Jesus will not look like any sort of god we might want to follow. He will bleed. He will be scorned. He will die, naked and alone.

Would you like to follow this god? Is it good to be there with him? Is this a trip you would like to go on with the disciples? We know the end of the story. We know Jesus is raised, but consider what they saw. What would they take from Good Friday and the Saturday that followed?

Their only memento or souvenir was certain death themselves. They will hide to save their own lives. No matter how glorious life is sometimes even seeing miracles is not enough to sustain your faith.

Life this side of heaven will never be perfect but every once in a while we see glimmers of joy. God many times in our lives peels back and gives us a reminder of what his promises are. Every so often maybe on vacation or a day when you realize how blessed you really are. A good day at work. A sudden realization that we are blessed by God beyond measure and what did we do to deserve these things?

Every so often God gives a peak, we see that our kids are truly blessings. Our spouses are a great helpmate to us. Even folks we sometimes disagree with, there are moments when all in life is great. Our Lord is on his way to his cross and he gives Peter, James and John a peak into his promise that he is truly God.

Peter of course is willing to speak up. Peter is like the one in the tour group always wanting to impress the tour guide with his knowledge and dedication to the subject at hand. At the top of the mountain Peter isn’t ready for the trip to continue, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Peter knows the world down on the bottom of the mountain is not as good. Peter wants to stay. Can you blame him?

Cant we stay a little longer Lord? That last day on vacation or the last day of summer and there looms the next day. Dad, can we stay here on vacation forever? Our Lord will not stay on the mountain and neither will Peter. They both need to pick up their crosses and lose their lives. Only then will true glory be seen. Not with eyes that cry and lament. Eyes that see pain and suffering and fear the threats of politicians and wicked people but eyes that see by faith.

For in this life our sinful nature doesn’t want to journey with Jesus. Sure we like it when being a Christian is easy. When we don’t suffer. When it doesn’t cost us anything to faithful. But that is not Christianity. You are fooling yourself if you think picking up your cross and following Jesus means not having to swallow your pride and apologize to someone even when you know you are right.

It is foolishness to think life in this world will not come with heartache and difficult times. But does it have to be so hard sometimes? Yes. Yes it does. This is how God conforms you into the image of his son so you will learn to despise your sinfulness and this world, which is the kingdom of the devil and begin to see the glory that it is to lose your life for your neighbor and Christ.

I think we have fallen in love with the kingdom of the devil. We don’t want to face hardship because we don’t want to fall out of love with the devil’s kingdom. We’re like Peter, we’re afraid to live by faith. We’re afraid of coming off the mountain. We’re like children on vacation that suggest to mom and dad, “Hey let’s live here on the beach every day!” No. I’m sorry that’s not real. We are to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus.

But how can we desire to die to our selves when we think the devil is offering us life here in this fallen world? How will you die to yourself if you are in love with yourself?

So it is when God shows us little peaks into glory it so that we might see He will deliver to us so much more if we remain faithful. He who gives up his life will find it. Jesus had to come off the Mt. of Transfiguration because a glorious god who doesn’t pick up his cross doesn’t save us. The devil won’t die for you. Your sinful nature won’t die for your sins. They are content to leave you with your sins as long as you enjoy a few minutes in this fallen world. The transfiguration tells you who it is that is willing to die for you. It is God himself. The unapproachable light takes human flesh so that he might approach us and be killed for our love of self and the devil’s world. Jesus came born of Mary, it was no vacation but he picked up your sins as his own. The devil offered him everything but he would rather purchase you. And he did, with his own precious blood.

In the midst of what hurts us and causes to suffer here, Jesus is with us. Jesus doesn’t forsake us. In a way the Transfiguration was a memento an artifact that reminded the disciples of something greater. The transfiguration was great but it was never meant to be the end all of how God desired his people to see him.

We can’t travel to the cross, we can’t go to the Mt. of Transfiguration, well I guess we could attempt to find the mountain but we can’t go back to the event. We can’t tour and witness the event. Peter now recognizes this in his epistle. He knows the Transfiguration can’t happen again. He knows the cross won’t happen again. We don’t need to re-crucify nor re-transfigure Jesus. Peter says we have something more sure, “the word.” That’s where Peter directs us, the word of God.

This Sunday is the marking of the end of Epiphany and the notice that this Wed Lent begins. Today as you ponder the light of Christ consider also how you might fast this Lent. Following Lent is a spiritual discipline. A discipline of receiving righteousness from God. We often pick up things from the world in sin that make us less receptive to the Holy Spirit. Lenten fasting is an opportunity to fast from something so you might desire Jesus more.

Lent is a chance for you to let go of some of the souvenirs you’ve picked up from the devil’s kingdom and be forgiven. That Jesus might call you to his mountain here and put his body and blood in you. It is good to be with Jesus. It is good to remember all the souvenirs he gives us, baptism and his body and blood. These are not of this world but is Jesus reaching down to you forgiving you and saying, “Rise and have no fear.”

We long for the fleeting things of this world and here is Jesus, his body his blood, more than a faint memory but real presence. We desire and fight for our opinions and possessions more than Jesus and what does he do? HE forgives us with the most glorious gift, his body and blood. He strengthens us to stay faithful, he says rise and have no fear. He shines his love in us by cleansing us from all sin.

This is where other churches get the Lord’s supper wrong. They think it only a souvenir from a long ago memory, “Wouldn’t it be great if Jesus was here but he’s stuck in heaven.” No. The Lord’s Supper succeeds where every souvenir, memento fails. Jesus is actually here bringing the forgiveness of his cross to you. Jesus is here, the very same one who shines brighter than the sun. Jesus the bright and morning star is placed on your lips, his body and blood to strengthen you. His flesh concealed the mystery of the incarnation, the bread and wine conceal the mystery of his presence with us. So that you may daily hear him say, “Rise and have no fear.”