Pentecost 13 (Proper 16) Rev. Darrell Debowey Immanuel Lutheran Church, Springfield, IL August 23, 2015 Ephesians 5:22 33: 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Beautiful in the Eyes of Her Lord TEXT Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The text for today s message is the Epistle reading from the Ephesians the 5th chapter, focusing on verses 25-27: 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. INTRODUCTION If the Church and by Church I mean the whole body of faithful believers in Jesus Christ throughout the world if the Church was a woman, what would she look like to the world? Page 1
Would she look young and attractive elegantly dressed? Or, would she look old and haggard dressed like a homeless woman? Would she look like a working girl dressed in a way that turns heads for the wrong reason? Or, would she be just plain ugly someone who turns heads the other way? Honestly, the true Church on earth isn t the least bit attractive to the world she s the enemy of those in power, out-of-touch with reality, and in the way of progress. To the world, she s downright ugly. The world hates the true Church and always will. Because the world, allied with the devil, hates the church, it persecutes the true Church of Christ. The Church isn t pretty or attractive to the world, but she is beautiful in the eyes her Lord. The Church is made up of sinners you wouldn t expect her to be beautiful at all. But in our text, the apostle Paul writes, Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. The Church belongs to Christ she is His Body, His Bride, His Wife. He loves her He died for her and He cleansed her of all her sins and filth in the waters of holy Baptism. Paul says that Christ did all this so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. The picture here is of a bride on her wedding day, gloriously attired for her bridegroom. The attire that the Church wears for all the world to see given to her by Christ; the attire that makes her beautiful in the eyes of her Lord, is the teachings of His Word. The Church is gloriously attired with the very thing that makes her The Church the teachings of His Word. And in order for Jesus to nourish and cherish His Church, like a faithful wife, she must submit to His authority that is she must submit to His teachings. Page 2
As the Church bears the teachings of Christ as her attire, she is His Body she is the Christian Church. If you follow the teachings of Buddha, you re Buddhist. If you follow the teachings of Muhammad, you re Muslim, and if you follow the teachings of Joseph Smith, you re Mormon. As the Church follows the teachings of Christ, she is the Church and she is beautiful in the eyes of Her Lord. Beautifully attired by the true teachings of Christ, the Church bears the love of God in the world. For example, attired with the glorious doctrine of the sanctity of human life, the early Church was known to rescue and adopt unwanted babies left to die in the elements, a common practice in pagan Rome. Today, the Church rallies to bring an end to abortion on demand. Attired with the glorious doctrine of the sanctity of marriage, the early Christians were known to share a common table, but not a common bed. Ancient Roman women were infamous for their infidelity, but Libanius, a Roman philosopher, said, What women these Christians have! when he heard about the chastity and piety of a Christian woman named Anthusa [the widowed mother of John Chrysostom]. Attired with the glorious doctrine that there is but One, True and living God, the Church refused to participate in idolatry and emperor worship. Attired with the glorious doctrine of that God created all people equal, early Christians redeemed slaves from slavery with their own money. Clement of Rome comments on the number of Christians that sold themselves into slavery in order to fund the emancipation of slaves. And it was the Church that was instrumental in bringing an end to slavery in our modern times. And gloriously attired by this same doctrine, Christianity is responsible for the emancipation of women. Page 3
Attired with the glorious doctrine of Creation, believing scientists throughout history sought to uncover the secrets of a universe that was created and sustained by the ordered and intelligent mind of God. And attired with the glorious doctrine of salvation in Christ alone, the Church has carried the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Despite the great good that the Church has done for the world in the Name of God s Love and in the Name of Jesus Christ, faithfully bearing the glorious attire of Christ s teachings is what makes the Church ugly in the eyes of the World. Speaking figuratively of the Church, John says this in the Book of Revelation: Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 12:17). This is what the Church must face when she is faithfully attired in the garments of Christ s teachings. Another ancient Roman noted the following about the Church: They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred. Things haven t changed. Attired by the glorious doctrines of the Virgin Birth, the perfect life, the atoning death and the bodily resurrection of Christ, the Church continues to be hated by the world ugly to those whose prince is Satan but beautiful in the eyes of Her Lord. Page 4
Another thing that is true, though, is that throughout history both in Old Testament and New Testament times the members of the body of Christ haven t liked the way Jesus has adorned His Church. So, we ve tried to put off what Jesus has put on us and put on something else something we think is more appealing to the world. We ve come to look at the Body that Christ has washed of sin and adorned for Himself as something out-of-date and out-of-touch, and stuck in an age long past like the crazy aunt no one wants to sit next to at the family reunion. We think we need to fix her up for the modern age. We ve done our best to re-dress the Church to make her more attractive to the world to reinvent what Holy Scriptures call, Our Mother (Gal. 4:26). This is especially true for the last 50 years. Prior to the 1960s, churches and their pastors saw their most important calling was to be faithful to God s Word and walking by faith they acknowledged that it is the Holy Spirit who grows the church when and where He pleases. But with something known as the Church growth movement, church growth became a human endeavor. At first, church growth meant being friendly to visitors, adding more worship services, improving church access, and so on. But soon there were calls to change what the Church stood for, to change what the Church teaches, to change how the Church worships God. It became a desire to give the Church a more worldly appearance to make her more attractive to society. Gone were teachings that were unscientific, like miracles, the Flood, and creation. Gone were teachings that were offensive, like sin, hell, and a male-only pastorate. Gone were teachings that were politically incorrect, like the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of marriage. Gone were teachings that were controversial, like baptismal regeneration and the Body and Blood of Christ. But as the Church has tried to shed it beautiful attire like so many unwanted pounds, so she could look slim and trim and modern and appealing to the world, she isn t so appealing to Christ. Page 5
In the Book of Revelation, Jesus condemns several of the churches of Asia Minor for doing just that putting off His teachings. For example, to the Church of Sardis, Jesus said, I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent (Rev. 3:1-3). There are no wiser words for the Church today: Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. Embracing the attire that Christ gives His Church is what makes the Church beautiful in His eyes. But it means that the Church and her people will be ugly, ugly to the world haters, bigots, narrow-minded, backward, enemies of progress, enemies of the state. No matter how much good the Church does for the world, the labels aren t going away, for those who are friends with God will be enemies of the world (James 4:4). But Jesus knows how vital it is for His Church to wear Her glorious attire boldly He knows that the world, our children and our grandchildren need a Church that doesn t waver from the truth for the true Church is the light of Christ a shining beacon of truth in the darkness of a sinful world. The Church s calling isn t to look like the world, but to look like Christ. Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis likes to say, I would rather trust the infallible Word of God than the fallible Word of man. But trusting God s Word isn t something we are born to do we must be reborn to it. Submitting to our Lord s authority isn t something we are born to do we must be reborn to it. Rejoicing in the glorious adornment of Christ s teachings isn t something we are born to do we must be reborn to it. And that s what Jesus has done. He told His disciples in John s Gospel, Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you (John 15:3). The Words of Jesus make you Page 6
Church the body of Christ. As Christ s Body, He loves you, cleanses you of your sins even when those sins include trying to change what it means to be Church cherishes you and desires to nourish you with His Word and Sacrament all so He may call you own His beloved, His beautiful bride. Long after this ugly world is gone, you, the Bride of Christ, adorned with the true teachings of His Word, will be beautiful in the eyes of Your Lord. In the Name of Jesus. Amen. Page 7