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Prepared with the Armor of God – Ephesians 6:13-18

Looking at the story of David and Bathsheba, what is it that makes someone as close to God as David was jump as he did into adultery? We’ll leave that as a question and come back to it.

Coming back to Ephesians, Paul has been insisting on a couple important things. One, our enemies are not people, but spiritual forces – even when people, like the guild of craftsmen in Acts, sure look a lot like enemies. Second, in order to wage our battles against these enemies, we must be unified as a church.

And so Paul tells us to “put on the armor of God.” The tense here is immediate, not ongoing – implying this is something we should put on once, and then never remove (like Denethor!) Keep in mind that the Devil does not attack us when we are most prepared, but when we are least.

The first example is the “belt of truth.” Belts of the time were not there to hold up pants, but rather to gather in your tunic, giving you freedom of movement and giving you a place to attach your weapons.

What does that truth look like to us? In John 14:6, Jesus holds himself out as the truth that matters. By knowing this truth, we are prepared for the battle.

Next, the breastplate of righteousness – a breastplate was the last line of defense for a soldier’s vital organs, for anything that gets past shields and swords, often overlapping sheets of metal

We know, from Paul’s writing in Romans, that this righteousness comes from faith, and that Christ imputes His own righteousness to its.

Next, the “feet fitted with the gospel of peace.” Unlike today, shoes and feet were closely linked to messages in the ancient world, especially in the military world where couriers or runners often moved about on foot, like in the story of Pheidippides and the Battle of Marathon.

Likewise, we are fitted out to bring the good news of Christ, the promise of peace that He brings to mankind, the story of victory over sin and death.

Next, the shield of faith versus fishing arrows. Roman shields were large, built to defend against swords, spears, arrows and more. The “flaming arrows” referenced were built to kill even when they missed their target.

In Hebrews 11:1, we’re told that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” When we undergo attacks of all kinds, whether spiritual or just circumstantial (health, poverty, etc.), a head knowledge of the truth (even the belt of truth) is not sufficient. We need faith to truly protect both us and even, like a shield, those around us.

Next, the helm of salvation, protecting our most vital organs of all, not only the top of the head but also the face and the neck – while still managing to give freedom of movement to the soldier. It protects the brain, vision, hearing and speech.

Likewise, with assurance of salvation, we can go into battle with confidence whether the outcome of victory or death.

Next, the sword of the spirit. The Roman gladius was a very specific short sword built specifically for thrusting from a well defended shield wall. It was not a claymore used to bash obey people’s heads, but carefully and precisely. It was the core of a soldier’s offensive equipment.

Likewise, we must use the word of God offensively, like Jesus himself does against the tempter in the desert. We must be trained to use it properly and methodically. We do not use it as a blunt weapon or claymore to bash over people’s heads. But this means we must spend time getting comfortable and familiar with our weapon.

Paul’s last point in this passage doesn’t seem like it is continuing the military metaphor, but in fact communication is a vital aspect of any battle – we must keep lines of communication open so we can receive our orders.

This passage is largely about being in readiness, fitted with and prepared to use the gifts God has given us. It is also about heading into the fight – a key contrast with David, who stayed behind while his men went out to war and this fell into temptation.

This is a stark contrast with the story of Stephen, who stepped forward to serve the church as one of the first deacons. This ultimately led to his martyrdom in front of Paul, who wrote these words. Stephen was wearing the armor of God before Paul ever wrote the words, and your wonder how large the example of Stephen loomed in Paul’s mind here.

So why do we struggle? It may be less about the difficulty of putting that on, and more about the difficulty of taking off the bitterness, mistrust and despair that we often wear.

We do have both gatherings and people on hand to help you equip your armor and hone your capabilities.

– Sermon Notes, Aaron James, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, March 7, 2021

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Spiritual Warfare – Ephesians 6:10-13

Paul has been alluding to spiritual warfare and an unseen reality since early in the epistle, all leading up to this final section when he calls on the Ephesians (and us) to gird themselves for the struggle that they have ahead of them.

First, he instructs them to be “strong in the Lord.” This is much what he says he prays for the Ephesians:

…that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:16-19

This is what strength in the Lord looks like.

Paul is speaking into a community that had seen up close the way spiritual darkness could impact their community. In Acts 19, we see the story of the Sons of Sceva, ineffectually trying to cast out demons but in the process demonstrating the power held by those who are truly “strong in the Lord” and inspiring a mass turn away from occultism in Ephesus.

After being strong, we are called to stand firm, like an army resisting a charge. This term “stand” is used multiple times in this passage, and is in many ways the main theme.

Specifically, we are to stand against the “schemes of the devil,” which raises the question of “who exactly is the devil, who is our enemy?” The Hebrew terms for Satan intermingle seemingly incongruous concepts like serpents and seraphim and light and deception. The concept is not entirely clear, but what’s clear is that he is alluring despite being fundamentally opposed to God and His people.

We do see his strategies, though – deception, disunity, pushing us away from Christ and from each other. Psalm 1 shows the movement he seeks, from standing to sitting: walking in the counsel of the wicked, standing in the way of sinners, sitting in the seat of scoffers.

This means our response must be the reverse of that – coming closer to Christ, coming closer to each other. Our response is not mystical or esoteric, but the everyday Christian living that we know we must do, the prayer and fellowship and seeking of Christ’s will.

Spurgeon said, “The howling of the devil may tend to drive us nearer to Christ, may
teach us our own weakness, may keep us upon our own watchtower, and be made the means of preservation from other ills.”

Paul uses a wide variety of terms to describe the various forces of darkness: thrones, dominions, world-powers and so forth. There does seem to be some kind of relationship to geographic area, which comports with some of Daniel’s visions as well. What this means to us is not entirely clear – please don’t go on the internet to try to figure out which demonic kingdom you live in – but it does mean we should be zealous about making the places we control to be places of peace, live and prayer.

We can do this by doing as Paul instructs, to put on the armor of God and keeping in mind what Paul tells us in Romans 8:

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

We can also look to the promises made to those who overcome in the letters to the churches in Revelation – each one promised something to those who overcome. From the tree of life to hidden manna, to authority over the nations to sitting with the father. The specifics of what all this means is unclear, but it’s certainly exciting.

When feeling oppressed or attacked spiritually, we should be vocal – these “authorities” are not omniscient. We should sing, as called to in the Psalms and elsewhere. We should pray, and immerse ourselves in scripture.

– Sermon Notes, Bart Hodgson, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, February 28, 2021

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Servants of Christ – Ephesians 6:5-9

Off the bat, this passage is pretty uncomfortable for us. The term slave here is οἱ δοῦλοι – it’s important to understand that the systems of slavery discussed in the Bible were not the same as the racial-based chattel slavery of the United States. That doesn’t mean it was good or even defensible, but it was a reality throughout human history – and still is today in many parts of the world and even our own society.

The Bible is not silent on the evils of slavery – in Exodus, firm regulations are put around the practice, including limiting the time it lasts, strong penalties against kidnapping, and other instructions that stand in stark contrast to the society around them. This was the beginning of a longer term change that God was working. Why didn’t He just ban it outright? We don’t really know.

We see a similar story with polygamy, which God tolerates even though it clearly does not match His ultimate plan. Jesus addresses a similar concept when discussing divorce, where he says Moses’ allowances were “because your hearts were hard.”

Even in this chapter, we see Paul undermining the entire institution. We see the same thing in the book of Philemon, when Paul instructs a slave owner to accept back an enslaved person who had run away, not as a slave but as a brother.

There are instructions for slaves, as others put in a position of submission by the society around them, is to follow the material lines of authority, but to do so “as to the Lord.” This means behaving as if the work we do is done specifically for God, as is generally instructed elsewhere in the epistles.

Then he gives further details on how to obey – sincerely, in good will, serving as to Christ. That means we don’t just work in a way that is visible, but that actually accomplishes the tasks we have been given. In fact, we don’t even serve to please those in charge at all. Working for Christ should mean we are focused on outcomes, not on how we look in providing those outcomes.

And then, in a moment that is mind blowing even today, and must have been staggering at the time, Paul instructs those in charge to “do the same” to those under their earthly authorities. This means no threats, and a recognition that we are all equal in the eyes of God.

So how do we apply this? The most straightforward way is through a theology of work that both honors the work itself as God-ordained, and imbues us with respect for those we work with and for. The work we do for our employers is part of the good works we are called to, that those around us will see and praise our father in heaven. We should be praying for ways to be and share the gospel in our work.

More challenging, perhaps, is the theology of authority. Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew tells us “all authority has been given to Me.” But we see in Philippians that the One who has all authority has emptied himself of all that authority and made himself like a slave – δοῦλοι. In case we missed the point, Jesus acted this out by washing the feet of his disciples and insisting that they do likewise. If we do not, we are saying we are greater than Christ.

In John 15 Jesus explicitly cites his foot washing as he instructs the disciples to prepare to serve, to be hated, but to bear fruit and above all to love.

Paul, likewise is about to talk about how we are to go out, kitted out in armor of God. We are being called to something very different than the world. We have all the greatness and authority we could ever want in Christ, but like Him are called to empty ourselves and to serve.

– Sermon Notes, Bart Hodgson, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, February 21, 2021

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Co-submission Between Parents and Children – Ephesians 6:1-4

Ephesians, as discussed, is broken into two parts. The first part is about Christ and who he is and what he has done for us. The second part is about our relationships between each other, both generally and in the specifics. This passage looks at children and parents but has implications for everyone who lives together in community.

It’s wild to think that, despite the difficulty and importance of the job as parent, there are no qualifications or applications for the role – and the same is true for kids!

We can use dogs as a good way to look at obedience. Some dogs are motivated by food or toys – they will do what you want as long as there is something in it for you. But other dogs obey because they want to please their master. That is the kind of obedience we want to achieve – pleasing not even those in charge, but pleasing God with our obedience to earthly authorities, particularly children obeying parents. Though children are not alone in having difficulty with obedience.

But note that the verse doesn’t just say “obey your parents” but to do so “in the Lord.” We use that kind of language a lot, but what does it really mean? Jesus describes it as the branches of a vine, calling us to “abide” in him, a relationship even deeper than obedience. We want to be branches that are fully connected to the tree, that do not break in the wind or under a lot of snow. So, children shouldn’t just obey their parents because they have power over you, but because it pleases them, who you love, and God, who you love, and because “it is right.”

But what’s more, Paul points out that there is indeed a dog treat involved here! The commandment to honor father and mother comes with a promise, that “it will go well with you.” This is general wisdom, not a guarantee that all good kids get rich and live long, nor that all bad kids get their just desserts, but it is still broadly and crucially true.

We discussed last week how a good marriage is a symbiotic relationship, like a clownfish and a sea anemone. That is true in its own way of parents and children as well. We see this in Proverbs – the teaching of parents are the lamp and the light

So when is it OK not to obey parents? What if they aren’t believers? Well, no – even in those circumstances you need to obey. There are extreme exceptions – situations like denying Christ or abuse, in particular. This includes emotional abuse from parents or authority figures, insulting or calling names, and physical abuse, touching, hitting and any violence or physical action that makes you uncomfortable. As adults, we need to be receptive to it when children talk us about this sort of thing. Jesus tells us in Mark 9:42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

Then the passage shifts to parents, fathers in particular. In that culture, fathers had absolute authority over their children even into adulthood. And while mothers can struggle with this as well, fathers have a particular tendency to react in anger or other exasperating ways. This includes self-righteous or prideful anger; unrealistic expectations about their maturity level and not allowing them to fail; caring more about their material success than their spiritual well-being; impressing our passions and desires on them; cruelty through sarcasm and jokes; and certainly disengagement from our children and their lives.

Instead, we are to raise up, nourish and instruct our children, especially in this time of pandemic when so much is being expected of them.

One of the most critical ways to do this is to pass on to them a love of God’s word, which provides what we and they need to live in relationship – perhaps most importantly, grace. We also need to consider that when our children come to Christ they become our brothers and sisters in Christ. We want them to build a faith independent of our own – abiding in Christ like the branches and the vine.

This is another in a list of ways Paul gives us to “co-submit” to each other. We see this co-submission instructed to husbands and wives, now to parents and children, later to masters and slaves. Paul gives specific instructions as to how to live out that co-submission in our various relationships. But this is not the only passage that gives us guidelines for living in co-submission – all of scripture is there to teach us to do this.

This means to accomplish our goal of co-submission to each other and abiding in Christ, we need to be marinating in the Word and letting the Holy Spirit speak through that and other people into our lives.

As Paul writes elsewhere in Ephesians, we are to put off the old self and put on the new self and be renewed – whether as parents or as children.

– Sermon Notes, John Lehigh, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, February 14, 2021

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Profound Mysteries – Ephesians 5:28-33

The first half of Ephesians is deep theology, while the second half goes into the application of this theology, the “walk” as Paul calls it – walking together in unity, humility and gentleness, taking off sin and putting on good works.

In the passage today, Paul has just walked through instructions for living out this theology in the context of marriage – and now he’s going to cycle back into discussion of theology by relating marriage back to our relationship with God.

He does this by introducing the new “mysteries” of the epistle. The first was the mystery of the church gathering together the gentiles as well as Israel into relationship with God.

Here we have two mysteries, directly related. First, the mystery of the communion between husband and wife, making two into one, and the resulting truth that husbands should be loving their wives as they love themselves. After setting the bar so high, at Christ’s sacrificial love for the church, Paul boils it down into maybe a more accessible target. Though it is plenty difficult in and of itself!

We can see it, though, in couples living out the vow of “in sickness and health,” as spouses care for and nurture their ill or dying partner. And Jesus does this for us as well, as Paul points out.

It is vital for a healthy marriage that we come together as one team, because we are one flesh. This outlook, this mystery, sets us up for success when we have conflict in our marriages. To do this, though, does require self-sacrifice – giving up our individual identity and desires in order to attain a new identity, and even new desires. Like so much in Christian life, we must be constantly “dying to live.”

And Paul points out that this is true of our relationship with Christ, and each other, as well – “we are members of his body,” just as “the two shall become one flesh.”

And this is the second half of the mystery, a great mystery, the single Paul calls it, that the marriage relationship, properly undertaken, is the most beautiful picture of God’s love for us that we are likely to see in the world. The very nature of sexual reproduction in some ways exists in order to point the way to Christ.

Both the submission and the love that Paul calls for are facets of the selfless self-giving we are called to when we seek to imitate Christ. It is hard, because of sin, because vulnerability is hard, because conflict is real. But every conflict is an opportunity for a strengthened, more beautiful picture of Christ and the church.

If that concept is attractive but elusive, the first step is meeting God through the Christ who transforms us.

– Sermon Notes, Bart Hodgson, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, February 7, 2021

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Be Filled with the Spirit – Ephesians 5:17-21

In the passages preceding, Paul has been walking through ways in which we are to “imitate God as dearly loved children.” He has addressed speech, sexuality and deception versus truth so far. Each one has examined both the action and their consequences closely.

Today he addresses two more items. First, drunkenness. The verb is present imperative, implying that this was an ongoing issue – and the result is “debauchery” or “dissipation,” an indulgence in pleasure that ignores the end results. It’s not that alcohol is innately bad – Jesus served up some tasty wine – but we should not be giving it control over us. And it may not be alcohol that does this for us – entrainment, leisure, money, power selfishness. Any of these can lead to bad fruit.

The next part of this command is to be “filled with the Spirit” as an alternative to drunkenness. On the one hand this means that, to begin with, we need to make sure we are connected to the Holy Spirit through the justification offered through the way created by Jesus Christ. But it also means to be open and yielding to the prompting and direction of the Holy Spirit.

The verb again indicates that this is an ongoing command – another tense of “filled” was used by Jesus during the wedding at Cana, to command the filling of jars with wine. So this is not a one time thing but an ongoing, constant filling.

There are then five results from this filing of the Holy Spirit: addressing each other with songs, singing, making melody, giving thanks and submitting to one another. One of the purposes of “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” is to address each other, as both encouragement and exhortation. Another is to take it to God in our hearts.

Lots of people see singing as a take-or-leave hobby or preference. But God seems to see it as a far more vital piece of our relationship with Him. From the hosts of Israel to Paul and Silas in prison to the people of God into eternity in Revelation, we are created to sing to God.

Next, and related, being filled with the spirit results in giving thanks, even for difficult things.

Then Paul ends this section taking about the result of submitting to one another – a transition to the next section where he will walk through applications in different relationships.

This mutual submission is difficult to navigate in many relationships. But if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be far better equipped to accomplish that navigation. If we are truly filled with the Holy Spirit, the specifics will work themselves out, as the spirit works through us.

So the command, at the end of the day, is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Everything else flows from that.

– Sermon Notes, Bart Hodgson, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, January 24, 2021

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Light vs. Deception -Ephesians 5:6-16

In the previous part of the chapter, Paul encouraged the Ephesians to imitate God as children imitate their parents. Our relationship with God should be like that of a family, not a transactional one. He called our two areas where we are to imitate him in particular, in our sexuality and our words – both creative forces that can do great harm if misused.

In the section we’re discussing today, he addresses deception. Deception is a subtle and dangerous thing. If you know you are being deceived, then you really aren’t being deceived at all. It is when you don’t know that you are being deceived – that’s when your are at risk. We can be deceived by others or by ourselves, and once we have been deceived our is difficult to pull ourselves out of it, because we do not want to admit that we were wrong, or that we are gullible.

The Ephesians were dealing with a specific form of deception by a group of gnostics, teaching lies about who Christ is, His relationship with His creation, who we are and how we find a relationship with God. Paul calls these people “sons of disobedience” who were bringing on God’s wrath through their lies about Him.

Paul wants his readers to have nothing to do with those people, because in contrast, they are “children of light” – this echoes the first chapter of John. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men… to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

He calls us to walk as those children of light – live out the declaration that God has made about us. This is the fifth time in this letter that Paul has used this term to urge Christians to a holy life. And it is this walk that sets us up to combat deception.

One example that is particularly prevalent among us today is fear and anxiety – at the end of the day, these are deceptions, because we know the sovereign God of the universe, and know that he holds all things in His hand.

We have God’s word to guide us – it will not necessarily give us the direct answer in specific circumstances, but by immersing ourselves in the word of God, we better understand His character and better form our desires into His desires.

We are called to use this to first discern what is pleasing to the Lord, and then avoid those things that displease Him. And more than that, to expose them.

In fact, Paul connects the exposure of evil behavior to the salvation offered by Christ. It is the recognition of where we are being deceived that we have the opportunity to change course.

Paul also warns the Ephesians to be wise in how they use their time, “because the days are evil.” This is worth applying to our times, as well, even if the specific evils of the days may be different.

Let us walk in that wisdom and walk in that light this week.

– Sermon Notes, Bart Hodgson, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, January 17, 2021

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Imitating the Father – Ephesians 6:1-5

In verses 1 & 2, Paul gives a positive encouragement. In the next two verses, he gives direct instructions of what not to do. He then wraps in verse 5 with the explanation of why.

This follows on chapter 4, where Paul describes our life with Christ and each other as a “walk,” in which we bear each other up and support each other with our different gifts, but not walk in the ways of the world – taking off the old ways and putting on the new life we have been given. Instead of lies, we speak truth. Instead of anger forgiveness. Instead of stealing, hard work and generosity. Instead of bitterness and malice, encouragement. God works in us for our sanctification, but we have our part as well.

That’s the context in which Paul gives instruction to imitate God, “as dearly loved children. ” How does it motivate us to behave, in the midst of the awesome, immense love of God. We don’t need to earn His love, but rather return it in our imitative behavior.

That means, per verse 2, we are to “walk in love” in the same way God loves us. That means, like God, we are not here to excuse sin but to give ourselves up to overcome it. The sacrifices we make are like the sacrifices of the Old Testament, “a pleasing aroma” to God. But we must keep in mind what the prophets had to say about sacrifice – meaningless without the heart of love behind them. Our sacrifices, imitating Christ’s, are to unify that heart and action.

Next, within that context, he moves on to the negative prohibition section. But as you go through this, don’t forget that context, the context of the Father’s great love for us.

Paul’s warnings are like the warning labels on medication or cosmetics: “use as directed.” Both sex and speech are great gifts, fundamentally creative acts that, in their own way, are both imitative of God’s creative power – and both have great power to destroy if used improperly. Paul reiterates the Old Testament’s prohibitions on sexual immorality, behavior outside God’s design.

Next, he warns against impurity – something that feels more difficult to avoid these days of graphic TV and an internet that seems entirely obsessed with sex.

And then speech – James writes strongly about the untamable “strong poison” of the tongue. When considering how to use our words, again we should be imitating God. Are our words the words that Christ would use?

Then he comes to the biggest reason for all of us. This sin cuts us off from God. His kingdom cannot contain impurity or immorality. Our response to those things is, we are shown elsewhere in the scripture, directional: “flee from sexual immorality.”

So our part is to reorient our direction when it points away from God, as ever, to confess and repent and return to the arms of the Father to whom we are dearly loved children.

– Sermon Notes, Bart Hodgson, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, January 10, 2021.

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The Messenger of Love in the Wilderness

We’ve walked through Christ as Hope, Peace and Joy, through the lens of the prophecies foretelling His birth. Today, we look to “the greatest of these,” – the Messiah as Love, the presence of the God who is Himself love, incarnate.

In Matthew 3, we meet John the Baptist in the context of the prophecy in Isaiah of a “voice crying in the wilderness” – a mirror of the story of God bringing the Israelites out of the wilderness and into the promised land. John’s story from the beginning was the same as it is for us – repentance and forgiveness of sins.

There are three key prophecies about this messenger that we will cover in the Old Testament. Isaiah 40 is cited specifically by Matthew.

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Isaiah 40:3-5

This return of the presence of God is necessary because the presence of God departed, moving on from the connect point that was the temple as described by Ezekiel in the era of exile. Even though the temple is eventually rebuilt, God’s presence never returns as described in the historical books.

So in Malachi we see another prophecy about a messenger and the return of God to the temple:

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.

Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

Malachi 3:1-4

We see this in Matthew as well, this difficult teaching and the warning of refining fire from John the Baptist to the Pharisees and Saducees:

Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew 3:10-12

But Malachi has more to say about the messenger who will come before the Messiah:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.

Malachi 4:5-6

Elijah was a key figure in Jewish history, and was taken up into heaven by a chariot of fire, leading naturally into this notion that he would return. A seat is still set for Elijah at every Passover meal. He and Moses both saw the face of God, and Elijah was seen as the one who restores the Law, as counterpart to Moses who gave the Law. And of course Moses and Elijah are the two who again see God in the person of Jesus Christ during the Transfiguration.

Jesus clearly points to John the Baptist as this return of Elijah – like Elijah, living in the wilderness, like Elijah wracked at times with doubt, like Elijah preaching repentance to those who do not want to hear it.

Immediately after the Transfiguration, Jesus said, “I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.”

God fulfilled these prophecies in ways no one could have expected. Elijah returns as a crazy guy in the desert. The glory returns affixed to one man, voices speaking at Baptism and Transfiguration. And the Lord returns to the temple – first as an infant, dedicated by his earthly parents. Then as a child, speaking with the teachers. Finally, as a “king, riding on a donkey,” before the once for all sacrifice that would reconnect all of lost humanity with the presence of the God who is Love.

What is our response to this? Do we sit around in complacency, or do we center our lives around the presence of God in the person of Christ as John the Baptist did? Do we respond to the message of repentance that John held out? Do we serve as messengers as John did? Do we hold out the difficult truths like he did? Do we prepare the way for Christ like he did?

– Sermon Notes, Bart Hodgson, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, December 20, 2020

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Lasting Joy from Bethlehem – Micah 5:2-5

At Christmastime we speak and sing a lot about joy. CS Lewis writes about joy this way:

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Our passage today is from Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah who was sent to the kings of Judah, while Micah was sent to the common people.

The book of Micah is broken into three sections. Chapters 1-3 are called “The Book of Doom.” Chapters 4-5 are “The Book of Vision,” and chapter 6-7 is “The Book of Judgement and Pardon.”

In the Book of Doom, Micah, like Isaiah preaches about the coming war and Babylonian captivity and preaching against the false prophets who insist that peace will continue.

In The Book of Visions, it echoes Isaiah 2 in foretelling the reign of the Lord – this is where the prophecy about Bethlehem comes. And finally, the Book of Judgement and Pardon is a promise of God’s steadfast love in the midst of judgement. It is where we find the most famous verse in Micah, Micah 6:8 – “He has shown you, oh man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you–to do justly, live mercy and walk humbly with your God.” This admonishment comes in response to those who want the easy way out of ritual and sacrifice in response to God’s judgement.

But back to Micah 5:2-5. He calls out the town of Bethlehem as small and unimportant, but nonetheless the origin of the coming messiah, which Matthew confirms during the story of the Magi who come seeking a prophesied king. But Bethlehem plays a vital role throughout the Old Testament in ways that point ahead to the story of Christmas.

We first come to the area of Bethlehem in Genesis when Jacob’s wife Rachel is buried in that area. In Jeremiah, the prophet speaks of “Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more,” calling ahead to the Slaughter of the Innocents that would come following that story of the Magi. But that chapter also holds the promise of the New Covenant:

I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

We also see Bethlehem in the Book of Ruth – when Ruth and Naomi are redeemed from poverty by Boaz, the “Kinsman Redeemer” in a clear type of Christ.

And Ruth in Bethlehem leads to the birth of David in Bethlehem, Israel’s greatest king, making it the Corsica of Israel. This leads to a number of stories, including when David and his men are holed up near his childhood home and out of water. David’s men scheme to battle their way into Philistine-controlled Bethlehem to get him a drink of water. Upon receiving it, David pours it out as a drink offering – again, a symbol of the coming Christ.

As the hometown of David, Bethlehem is also referenced in other prophecies – Isaiah speaks of the “shoot [that] will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch will bear fruit from his roots.”

Bethlehem can be translated either “House of Bread” or “House of Flesh”, calling to mind the words of Jesus in John 6: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

This is where our joy is, our lasting joy that Lewis speaks of, the joy prophesied by Micah, Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Savior “whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

-Sermon Notes, Bart Hodgson, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, December 13, 2020