Just Another Manic Sunday

Most pastor's wives wake up sunday morning knowing the exact location of where they will go to church, some even walk out there front door and across the driveway to their church.  As a Missionary Pastor's Wife I don't usually know where we will be till maybe friday but most of the time is Saturday night.  We travel around the greater Philadelphia area and part of NJ to different churches each sunday.

This Sunday we were at Nazareth Lutheran Church in NE Philly.  Josh gave a wonderful sermon this morning on transfiguration and below is some of what I liked from it:

All men are liars.  We'll make things up for the story to sound more interesting, which is how we get strange tales from backwater towns, and conspiracy stories about old, shadowy organizations.  We'll do what it takes to seem like we're more than we are.
Jesus is here transfigured among two historical hypocrites: Moses and Elijah.  Moses killed a man and weak like us and didn't trust God's call.  He was hot headed and made some really bad choices the entirety of his life.  Elijah had similar doubts and similar fears.  But though imperfect, God used them to declare his truth.
And you...Jesus knows about you.  You can hide your true self from your coworkers and friends.  But Jesus knows your lies and he loves you in spite of yourself.  He knew your ways when he redeemed you; he could see the real you beneath all the posturing as he died for even the things you kept from him.  The lipstick on the pig doesn't fool Our Lord.  As Jesus died on the cross he knew all your sins, took them from you, and gives you a new heart by bringing light to all darkness.
This is a Savior who loves the real you, not just the one you show to the people at your church.  Jesus loves the person you are afraid to show people, the one you hide from our sight, and even try to hide from God.

Jesus came to bring to reality those things he promised through his imperfect prophets, and declare that reality through an equally flawed preacher.  But though the vessel is weak, Jesus is not a liar.  Wisdom comes from the mouth of infants and truth from fallible people.
This is that truth: death would die and we will live.  Our Lord promised you would have trouble, but by his death you will see life.  He promised to bring everything to light, as painful as that is for us who so often love darkness.  And he promised that you would live with him.  Life overcoming death, light in into darkness, truth to liars--you are the one made new, you are the one Transfigured.

Katharina

Zechariah

Ok so thats a lot but, It's not everything his sermon said.  It's just at least the parts I heard through cleaning up my coffee that was spilt by my 2 year old, handing out snack after snack to both of my kids, keeping cars from crashing into myself and the older lady sitting in front of us, keeping my daughter from singing out loud, and wait... what's that smell, it smells bad....yep that'd be my 2 year old filling his pants, right now during the sermon, and saying "OCK! Mama! OCK!"



So I hope you enjoyed it just as much as I did and the other ladies at church did.  I hope you all have a great Sunday.  I'm now off to do some cleaning, laundry, and maybe fit a walk in on this wonderful day we are having today here in Philly.