February 14-16, 2026 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Matthew 17:1-9 TRANSFIGURATION’S TIMELY TRUTH: “DO NOT BE AFRAID!”

 

TRANSFIGURATION

February 14-16, 2026

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Matthew 17:1-9

 

TRANSFIGURATION’S TIMELY TRUTH:

“DO NOT BE AFRAID!”

1.     If following Christ hasn’t seemed so glorious.

2.     If following Christ doesn’t seem so glorious.

 

The events described in our Gospel lesson are straightforward. Words cannot do them justice. Nor can pictures. Jesus was transfigured before Peter James and John. You are Lutherans. You are used to asking the good question, “What does this mean?” Matthew described it as best as he could. Jesus’ face shining like the sun. His clothing bright white. How many lumens is that? Moses and Elijah, great Old Testament prophets and leaders for God’s people. What did they look like? How did the disciples know it was Moses and Elijah? A bright cloud. What does that look like? God the Father’s voice from heaven. What does that sound like? Jesus’ Transfiguration has been described as a taste of heaven for Peter, James and John. If that is accurate it would certainly explain why they wanted to stay. “It is good for us to be here. Let’s make some shelters, some dwellings for us to live in.” Matthew describes the event as best he can. I guarantee you that whatever picture you conjured up in your mind if you are a creative person falls way short of how glorious it really was. I guarantee you that this artist’s rendering, as much as it tries to show the glory, falls far short of how awesome it was.

The events of Jesus’ Transfiguration are straightforward. He let his disciples see a glimpse of His true glory. The question we need to be asking is “Why?” Why did this happen when it happened? Why did the Holy Spirit make sure Matthew wrote it down, Mark and Luke too? The Transfiguration of Jesus did not happen in a vacuum. It was done on purpose by Jesus at a time His disciples needed it. Its message is just as timely for disciples of Jesus today. “Jesus approached and as he touched them, he said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” That is the truth, the lesson, that all believers get from Jesus’ Transfiguration. Do not be afraid.

Do not be afraid when you look back at your life and realize that following Christ has not been all that glorious. Matthew tells us that the Transfiguration took place “six days later.” If you let your fingers do the walking through the white pages of your Bibles, you will find that six days before Jesus’ Transfiguration the disciples had to deal with some tough truths. At first when Jesus called them to be His disciples it was, well, glorious. Jesus started doing miracles. People were amazed. Jesus taught Scripture with authority, not like the weaselly Pharisees and teachers of the law. People were amazed. Like the entourages of the famous folk today they got to bask in the glory and attention paid to Jesus. People came up to them to gain access to Jesus. Then things changed. Jesus’ message got more pointed. “Repent, all of you, or you will perish.” He started to refuse to do miracles because people wanted a show, not a Savior. He spoke in parables, only meaningful for the family of faith. Finally, Jesus helped them to come to grips with His real mission. “Who do people say that I am?” What is the word on the street? A great prophet. Nothing more. Nothing less. Not so glorious anymore. We are not told but we can certainly understand if doubts filled the disciples’ minds. Is Jesus really the Christ? If He is, why doesn’t everybody who’s been waiting for Him for forever love Him like we do? Where is the glory? So Jesus showed them. He gave them just a glimpse to help them wipe away their doubts and wipe away their fears. Do not be afraid if following me hasn’t always seemed so glorious, because glory beyond your comprehension is coming.

Good news for you and me too. Whether you have had the privilege of knowing Jesus as your Savior ever since you can remember or it’s relatively new for you, disappointment that comes from lack of understanding God’s wise ways is a part of life. You look back at the times you prayed for someone’s healing and God’s answer is not the one you wanted. You strive to live life God’s ways and friends and family can mock you instead of praising you. I know one sister in Christ whose nickname at work was June Cleaver. Those of you who don’t get the reference can use your google machine on your own to find out who she was Now, was that a compliment or an insult hidden behind a smile? Then there is the burden and hurt and disappointment borne by too many Christian parents. They raise their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. You did your sinful best but they have left the Lord behind. Lord, where are you? What about your promises? You apply yourself to the word. You feed your faith. Still that pet sin plagues you. Consequences of past sins don’t magically disappear. Where is the glory? Doubts and fears can fill our minds too. Sh!! Says Jesus. Do not be afraid. You think too little and too small. The Father’s plan is for glory beyond your imagination. Wait and you will see. Do not be afraid if you look back on your life and following Christ hasn’t seemed so glorious.

Do the same with whatever comes next! Right before the Transfiguration, after Jesus asked his disciples what other people thought about Him, he turned to them. “Who do you say I am?” “The Christ, the Son of God!” Good answer. The truth! Then Jesus told them what the Christ would do. He will go to Jerusalem, (Ooh, we like that! Probably getting ready to set up His royal palace. I wonder what my room will be like?) But Jesus went on. He would not set up an earthly kingdom, instead he would be betrayed to the chief priests. He would suffer many things and be put to death. Wait, what? Where is the glory in that?

And then everything happened just as Jesus said it would. The arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, the suffering of many things at the hands of the chief priests. His death on Calvary. The Gospel writers do not tell us all of the thoughts of the disciples. Just what they did. The fled in the Garden, but John followed. Peter denied but wept bitterly after seeing Jesus. The disciples ran, but they did gather together on Easter Sunday. Do you think at any time they remembered the Transfiguration? Did it give them comfort in their time of trauma? I think so. Jesus Transfiguration had a purpose. Do not be afraid. When things look the worst, when following me does not seem so glorious just wait, great glory is coming. That happened for the disciples too, just as Jesus said. He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven. The disciples became bold witnesses for Jesus as you heard Peter proclaim in the second reading. The Transfiguration of Jesus enabled them to live without fear when following Christ would not seem so glorious.

Same thing for you and me. There is not a lot about our earthly lives following Jesus that we know for certain.  Will we live in a country that will become more Chirstian or keep becoming less? Will our family hold together or fall apart? Will I have easy financial times or are hard times coming? Will my health hold or is a physical or mental landmine about to explode? We don’t know. Jesus has told us to expect times when following Him will not seem so glorious. Think of the Beatitudes we heard a couple of weeks ago. “Blessed are you when people persecute you, mock you, insult you because of me,” said Jesus. Think of the testimony of the Apostles. “We must go through many tribulations to enter the kingdom of God.” Well, that won’t seem so glorious! “Do not be afraid,” says your Lord Jesus. Don’t be afraid when following Christ doesn’t seem so glorious in the future.

Why not? Real glory, eternal glory is coming. Glory so awesome words cannot not do it justice. Glory so awesome pictures cannot do it justice. Glory so awesome that when you get it, like Peter James and John, you will not want to let it go. Because of what Jesus has done for you, you won’t have to. Your sins are forgiven so the glory of heaven is coming. And it won’t just be Moses and Elijah that you will see with Jesus. Noah and Adam and Eve and the Apostle Paul, they will be there. Everyone of your loved ones who has entered heaven through Jesus will be there too. And many of your little ones that you didn’t get to know here on earth, they are waiting too. No picture or words can describe what that will be like when Jesus says, “Come you who are blessed by my Father, who sneered at earthly glory for the joy of this glory. Come and enjoy your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” But until that happens, no matter what happens, these are Jesus’ words for you, “Do not be afraid!” Amen.

 

Jan. 24-26, 2026 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Matthew 4:12-23 “ON LETTING YOUR LIGHT SHINE…”

 EPIPHANY 3

Jan. 24-26, 2026

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Matthew 4:12-23

 

“ON LETTING YOUR LIGHT SHINE…”

1.     By upholding the Scripture.

2.     By really obvious repentance.

3.     By being purposeful with people.

 

“Rise and Shine!” Some of you may remember we kicked off the Epiphany season of the Church Year with that theme. God’s Word encouraged us that because Jesus is with us we can rise above our circumstances and shine for the glory of Jesus. We did not get a lot of time to spend on how we can shine for Jesus so we will today and what better to help us do that than by looking at the words and works of our Lord Jesus who is the Light of the world.

As we do that we see one great way to let our light shine is to uphold the Scriptures.          “When Jesus heard that John was put in prison, he withdrew into Galilee. ¹³He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴He did this to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ¹⁵Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, ¹⁶the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and on those dwelling in the region and the shadow of death a light has dawned.”  Why did Jesus go to live in Capernaum? Was it because he had heard John was put in prison and he was afraid he would be next? No. Was it because Mary said, “I don’t want any boomerang children! You can’t live with me!” No.       So why did He do it?” He did this to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah.” There we see it. One reason only. He was fulfilling the Scriptures. Every word of God was so important that even when it came down to itinerary Jesus carefully upheld every word of Scripture.

As we reflect the Light of the world by letting our lights shine we can do no better and must do the same. Your family needs you to. Your congregation needs you to. Your community needs you to. Your nation needs you to. Your God tells you to. I speak to all of you but especially you younger Christians here who will be the next generation of soldiers of the cross who will stand up, stand up for Jesus. If our nation continues on the trajectory it is in, you will face pressures to compromise God’s word. The pressure to accept the unscientific lie of evolution and give up the truth of creation has been around for a long time. The pressure to forsake the truth of one man and one woman marriage and God’s gift of sexuality reserved for marriage has also been around a long time. So has the lie that there is really only one god whatever you call him--or her and all religions lead to heaven. Newer is all the gender gibberish. Also newer is you. I know you don’t always believe it but your parents love you and your grandparents love you and in our desire to make life better for you or easier for you we may unintentionally have made you soft. Courageous and committed Christian faith is not for wimps. Letting our light shine for Jesus takes work, sometimes hard work and difficult decisions. I want to encourage you. First for your sinful nature if you think it is OK for you personally or to let your church compromise on Bible teaching. Who are you to tell God what part of His word is unimportant? Who chose you to write the Bible? No one did. God got written down what He wanted written down and the only right response of all the created is “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Now for your Christian nature that loves the Lord and loves people. Who are you to speak God’s words of truth in love? You are His child. You are lights for the world and here is why letting your light shine by upholding every part of Scripture as God’s truth just as Jesus did is so important. “Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” God’s word is God’s tool to transfer the gift of faith from His hand to people’s hearts. Rise and shine, brothers and sisters, by upholding every part of Scripture.

And by really obvious repentance. “From that time, Jesus began to preach: “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near.” The kingdom of heaven is the ruling of Jesus in the hearts of His followers. It begins when faith takes root in our hearts so we want to live for Jesus here and will extend throughout our eternity. Repentance is that complete change of mind in our hearts from only sinful nature thinking to new creation, follower of Christ thinking. By very definition this takes place in our hearts. So in reality, only God can see repentance. Changes of heart on the inside can show up with changes of action on the outside. I have reminded people of this truth, often when there is a rift in a relationship. I say, “Only God can see your heart. He knows if you are repentant. Everyone else is going to make their judgement based on what they see from you and hear from you. Now, you can make it very easy for people to believe you are repentant, or you can make it very hard. I suggest you make it very easy.”

 A similar truth as we let our lights shine brightly for Jesus. How winsome it is when the people of God own up to others the fact that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. How attractive it is when others seeing us striving to live the Christian life willingly, not out of guilt or compulsion. That repentance change of mind in the heart isn’t just about turning away from sin. It goes to our priorities and how we choose to manage our time or how we go about decision making. God knows your heart. He knows you belong to Him. Other people are going to make their judgement based on what they see from you and what they hear from you. Now you can make it very easy for people in your life to believe you are a follower of Jesus or you can make it very hard for people to believe you are a follower of Jesus. I suggest that in word and deed you make it very easy. Let your light shine by really obvious repentance.

And by being purposeful with people. “As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. ¹⁹He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  ²⁰They immediately left their nets and followed him. ²¹Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. ²²Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” How brilliant is our Lord Jesus to call into service these simple fishermen! See what He teaches us! Serving Jesus is not for the high and mighty. Everyone can do it. Fishermen. They were used to being purposeful. Their vocation was daily. Sometimes in preparation, getting their nets ready. It took work on their part. Some planning and wisdom. They had to know fish and when and where to lay down their nets. They understood that after you caught the fish you still had to clean them.

What a lesson for us on letting our lights shine! Translate fishing men into fishers of men. Be purposeful. It’s a daily task to remember I get to represent Jesus. Know your people. There is a time and a place for conversation and a time and a place to keep your mouth shut. After you catch ‘em you got to clean them. I said recently in a Bible Class that the best way to picture St Jacobi is a hospital for the sin sick but in this hospital the doctors are sick too! Only the Holy Spirit can clean us. Don’t look for what you consider good people. Look for people! Are you being purposeful? Do you live each day and pause before every person interaction to think about how it will affect your ability to shine for Jesus? I can’t help but get a little nervous every time another major issue happens in our country that lights up the internet. Will I or another Christian get tricked into be a light for whatever social issue we are facing next instead of a light shining for Jesus? Be purposeful in your postings and responses. Will this help me in my most important role as an ambassador for Jesus or will it disqualify me? Prepare yourself to let your light shine with time in the word daily like fishermen mending and cleaning their nets. Think about who you are going to be fishing for. Find joy in fishing whether you catch anything or not.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus is the Light of the world. You are I are lights too reflecting Him. So rise and shine! No, I mean it. Rise. You’ll shine when you leave!

 

January 3-5, 2026 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Isaiah 60:1-6 (EHV) “RISE AND SHINE!”

 

EPIPHANY

January 3-5, 2026

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Isaiah 60:1-6 (EHV)

 

“RISE AND SHINE!”

1.     Rise above the darkness.

2.     Shine to dispel the darkness.

 

Rise and shine! If you are not a morning person, those are words you do not want to hear. You know how it goes. You are a teenager. It is Saturday morning. You are looking forward to another 16 hours of sleep and then Mom sweeps into the room. “Rise and shine!” she says with a cheery voice. And your teenage body just wants to roll over and sleep. “Rise and shine!” the parent announces on the Monday after Christmas vacation. “Time to get ready for school.” Rise and Shine! Even when we are a little more mature those are not always welcomed words. But there are times when they are. When you are going on an awesome vacation next day. When you open presents on Christmas morning and your parents say you can’t get out of bed until it is light outside. Then you can’t wait to hear the words “Rise and Shine!”

          And when your Lord says those words. Someday, when your earthly life ends your Lord Jesus will wake you from the sleep of death with His “Rise and shine!” welcome into heaven. And today in His word we hear the same welcome words. Today we once again celebrate the Church Festival of Epiphany. Often called the Gentiles’ Christmas, Epiphany celebrates the many different ways God revealed that the Savior born to the Jews is the Savior for all people and how that changes their lives. And yet the word of God we turn to this morning was written about 700 years before Jesus was born. It served as needed comfort and encouragement to God’s people then. It does the same now.

          If you were a believer that lived in the time of Isaiah you needed comfort and encouragement. God acknowledged that when He had Isaiah tell the people, ² Look, darkness covers the earth, and deep darkness covers the peoples.” Then and now darkness was a word that brought to mind bad times. Doom and gloom. You looked at your fellow citizens. They were a blessed people, a people chosen by God but so many did not care. If they even bothered to worship God it was lip service, going through the motions. Morality had slid into the sewer. Under the cover of darkness, sexual sinning, murders, stealing had become a way of life. God had tried to help them numerous times with numerous prophets including Isaiah. They all warned that bad things happen when God’s people turn their back on Him but the people wouldn’t listen. Now enemies would come and conquer them and carry the people away, believer and unbeliever alike. Who would blame these believers if they just wanted to roll over and stay in their spiritual bed?

          “Rise and shine!” came the voice of God! Rise above the darkness. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is dawning upon you. ² Look, darkness covers the earth, and deep darkness covers the peoples, but the Lord will dawn upon you, and his glory will be seen over you.” Were times tough? Yes. Did things look dark? Yes. Did that matter? No! Why not? They had the glory of the Lord. This was God’s way of saying He was with them. He would take care of them. They could rise, live above their circumstances because God was in control and would work things for their good.

          So can you! Like it was at the time of Isaiah I think we have to say darkness covers our land and darkness covers our people. Shootings, murders, carjackings. Polarization and division among families and coworkers. The inability most people seem to have to disagree without getting disagreeable. You are told to follow the science when it comes to medical advice but ignore when it comes to when a baby is a baby or what sex people are.  That kind of foolishness happens when spiritual darkness covers the land. But all these issues and many more are really just symptoms of the bigger problem, the darkness of unbelief. People of America who have received so many obvious physical blessings have turned their backs on God. Most don’t even bother to pay lip service to Him. Jesus is rejected as Savior. Darkness covers the land. Add to that things going on in our personal lives. We see some of our children and grandchildren blinded by the Devil, swallowing hook line and sinker, his lies about who they are and what God made them to be. Things with addictive qualities are so accessible and bring into our homes the hurt and heartache of a family member who is caught in one of them. Kind of makes you just want to stay in bed all day. “Rise and shine!” says your Lord. Rise above the darkness. Get your chin up and put a smile on that face! You only get to give up if Jesus is dead. He is not! Jesus lives, Jesus rules. We have the glory of the Lord with us. He will not leave us or forsake us. He will work all things for the good no matter how dark things appear. You can rise above the darkness because your Lord is with you. Rise and shine!

          Not only does God’s presence among us enable us to rise above the darkness of unbelief all around us it also helps us to dispel that darkness. “Nations will walk to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. ⁴ Look up. Look all around and see! All of them have been gathered. They are coming to you. Your sons will come from far away, and people will carry your daughters on their side.” Light dispels darkness. Isaiah told of a time when people from all around the world would be coming to God’s people. That happened big time when the mystery of Epiphany that Paul talked about in his letter to the Ephesians was revealed. Jesus is Savior for all people. The Gentiles, or non Jews, were attracted to the Jews who believed in Jesus who shared the wonderful news. As they let their lights shine for Jesus they dispelled the darkness of unbelief in their time.

          You and I can do that too! The best thing you and I can do for our nation and its unbelieving people is to be who we are. The best thing you can do for your children and grandchildren is to be who you are. The Lord Jesus said “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before people so they can see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” This is why striving to deliberately live as Christians is so important. We all know that our good deeds don’t get us to heaven but they do show others we are going to heaven and they can attract others to us so we can tell them why we are different. Our lives become a voiceless testimony to what it means to have Jesus as Savior. We are His lights. And you know what light does? It dispels darkness! What a different nation we would be if there were more and more believers in it. We can’t make people believe. That is not our lane, our job. But we can talk in such a way, work in such a way, act in such a way, that people see our light, notice our difference and are attracted to a life that has the glory of Jesus. Shine to dispel the darkness!

          Rise and shine! Welcome words from our God. They not only tell us what to do but give the power and are filled with promise. ^“Then you will look and be radiant. Your heart will race with excitement and burst with joy. For great riches from the sea will be delivered to you. The wealth of the nations will come to you. ⁶ Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels from Midian and Ephah. All those from Sheba will come. They will carry gold and incense ,and they will announce the good news of the praise of the Lord.” These words found their first fulfillment in the visit of the Wise Men from the East. They have continued to be fulfilled as throughout the centuries millions to billions of people have offered their wealth as a way of honoring Jesus. But the best is yet to come. The riches of heaven belong to you because you belong to the Lord. So get up Christians. This is no time for pessimism and doom and gloom! It’s time to rise and shine! Amen.