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Exodus 3:1-14 2 Peter 1:16-21 St. Matthew 17:1-9 January 29, 2023 Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. What does it take to be a good listener? On the most basic level, listening is easy, passive, something you do without even thinking about it. Sound waves enter your ear canal and your brain interprets that input as speech, music, danger, or simply static. In our English language, though, we separate out listening from hearing. Hearing includes every sound that enters your ears. In fact, the human brain learns to tune out certain sounds it hears because those sounds are deemed unimportant ambiance. Listening is different though. Listening is a type of hearing that calls us to change our thoughts, words, and deeds: “Take out the trash;” “Have this report done by Tuesday;” “Come to the table;” “Repent.” Each one of these statements demand a listening ear. Going deeper into “good listening” is the stuff of marriage retreats and business seminars and our Gospel reading today. In our Gospel, Jesus stood with Moses and Elijah. Peter, James, and John heard their conversation, but they weren’t good listeners. Because of that, another authoritative and unmistakable voice spoke and commanded their attention. What were Jesus, Moses, and Elijah speaking about? How can we listen to their conversation still? And perhaps, most importantly, how can we be good listeners to that final and most authoritative voice of God the Father? Let’s work chronologically. God was the very first to speak. The book of Genesis tells he story of how God said, “Let there be” and there it was. Even before there were ears to hear, God’s voice was obeyed. It had to be listened to. But to paraphrase Genesis, people refused or failed to listen. God’s people became enslaved in more ways than one and cried to God for mercy – and He heard them! God listened to their prayers and moved to action. God called a man named Moses. We heard the story of this calling in our Old Testament reading today. While leading a heard of sheep, Moses came to a mountain, Mt. Horeb, to be exact. There, God called to him from the burning bush. God told Moses that he would lead the people out of slavery in Egypt. Following our reading, Moses put up a fight. “The people won’t listen to me,” Moses said, “I have a speech impediment. The people won’t listen to me. I don’t have the authority” (cf. Exodus 4). But God promised to give him the words, the wonders, and the authority to lead the Israelites out of slavery. God kept His promise. He delivered His people by Moses and brought them out of slavery, through the Red Sea, and to another mountain, Mt. Sinai. Moses ascended the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments. But while Moses listened to God directly, the people listened to their own sinful hearts. They told Aaron to build and idol, and he followed their commandments. People still listen to their own hearts rather than to God’s commandments. We still build our own idols. Sure, our idols may not be a golden calf figurine, we are too sophisticated for such a ridiculous idol. But every ancient deity, every clay figurine, every false idol embodied a desire for health, wealth, or pleasure. Our modern idols are not so different from those ancient things. Health, wealth, and pleasure still draw us away from the one true God. Think about it this way: a society shows its idols by the size of buildings it constructs. Hospitals, banking institutions, and sport stadiums build the skylines of cities and cast long shadows over decrepit steeples. Health, wealth, and pleasure. We build our idols and listen to their call. For this, we must repent. Elijah called people to repent from Mt. Carmel. He was the great reformer of the Old Testament. Roughly 500 years after Moses, the king and queen of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel, listened to and followed false gods. They built altars, employed priests, and made sacrifices. Ahab and Jezebel led the people away to idolatry. Finally, in 1 Kings 18, Elijah listened to God’s call and challenged 450 of the false prophets to a showdown at Carmel. Both Elijah and the false prophets would build altars, both would make sacrifices, and they both would pray to their respective deities to consume the sacrifices with fire. Of course, the false Baals and Asherim did not listen to the 450 prophets. Their stony ears were deaf to all prayers, no matter how ridiculous or pitiful. But when Elijah made his sacrifice, he covered it with water again and again and again. Then he prayed with a still, small voice – and God heard him! The fire of the Lord descended from heaven and consumed the sacrifice whole and proclaimed who the true God is. In the presence of the Almighty, the people fell down on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God” (1 Ki 18:39). Peter had a similar confession. In Matthew 16, just before our Gospel reading, Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Six days later, Peter followed Jesus up the mountain. While there, Jesus and all His clothing became bright and dazzling white. Moses, that stuttering prophet, and Elijah the reformer, appeared with Jesus in His glory and spoke with Him. What did they say? In the parallel passage in Luke 9, we learn that they were talking about Jesus’ ‘departure’, or more literally from the Greek, His ‘exodus’ (εξοδος). Jesus would descend from that glorious mountain to climb another mountain, Mt. Calvary. There He would suffer for every commandment that you or I have broken. There He would be crucified for every false idol you cling to. There He would be consumed as THE sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. That is what Peter, James, and John heard from Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Were they good listeners? No. And Peter expressed as much. “’Tis good Lord to be here. Let’s not go there. Here you are in glory. There you will be shamed. Here we see heaven. There you’ll suffer hell.” So Peter thought, and listening to his own sinful heart, he offered to build 3 tents, or tabernacles, so they wouldn’t have to leave that glorious place. But then God spoke. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matt. 17:5). When God speaks, we must listen. So what does it take to be a good listener? For Moses on Mt. Horeb, the ancient Israelites on Mt. Carmel, and Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, being a good listener began with humility. They fell on their faces. Maybe that’s something we should do when we confess our sins. What do you think? Should we listen to the Bible that way? It certainly would change how we listen. When Peter, James, and John fell down in terror, Jesus came to them, placed a hand on them just like the leper last week, and Jesus absolved them of their sin. They would not be consumed for their sinful speech. Jesus would pay that price. In return, He would say, “Consume this: eat my body, drink my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.” To be a good listener, then, is to follow Jesus to the cross, cling to that mountain, and consume that sacrifice. Because Jesus didn’t save anyone in the glory of His transfiguration. He saved everyone in the glory of His crucifixion. Through that cross, through that suffering, through that sacrifice, Jesus brings sinners into heaven, so that we may join with patriarchs and prophets, Moses and Elijah, apostles and evangelists, Peter, James, and John, angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven in singing God’s praises. Hear this promise. Listen to it and believe it, for all eternity. Now may the peace that passes all understanding guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen. *Click for Audio* Pastor Schultz Trinity Lutheran Church Paola, Kansas Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

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Exodus 3:1-14
2 Peter 1:16-21

St. Matthew 17:1-9

January 29, 2023

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen.

What does it take to be a good listener? On the most basic level, listening is easy, passive, something you do without even thinking about it. Sound waves enter your ear canal and your brain interprets that input as speech, music, danger, or simply static. In our English language, though, we separate out listening from hearing. Hearing includes every sound that enters your ears. In fact, the human brain learns to tune out certain sounds it hears because those sounds are deemed unimportant ambiance. Listening is different though. Listening is a type of hearing that calls us to change our thoughts, words, and deeds: “Take out the trash;” “Have this report done by Tuesday;” “Come to the table;” “Repent.” Each one of these statements demand a listening ear. Going deeper into “good listening” is the stuff of marriage retreats and business seminars and our Gospel reading today.

In our Gospel, Jesus stood with Moses and Elijah. Peter, James, and John heard their conversation, but they weren’t good listeners. Because of that, another authoritative and unmistakable voice spoke and commanded their attention.

What were Jesus, Moses, and Elijah speaking about? How can we listen to their conversation still? And perhaps, most importantly, how can we be good listeners to that final and most authoritative voice of God the Father?

Let’s work chronologically. God was the very first to speak. The book of Genesis tells he story of how God said, “Let there be” and there it was. Even before there were ears to hear, God’s voice was obeyed. It had to be listened to. But to paraphrase Genesis, people refused or failed to listen. God’s people became enslaved in more ways than one and cried to God for mercy – and He heard them! God listened to their prayers and moved to action.

God called a man named Moses. We heard the story of this calling in our Old Testament reading today. While leading a heard of sheep, Moses came to a mountain, Mt. Horeb, to be exact. There, God called to him from the burning bush. God told Moses that he would lead the people out of slavery in Egypt. Following our reading, Moses put up a fight. “The people won’t listen to me,” Moses said, “I have a speech impediment. The people won’t listen to me. I don’t have the authority” (cf. Exodus 4). But God promised to give him the words, the wonders, and the authority to lead the Israelites out of slavery.

God kept His promise. He delivered His people by Moses and brought them out of slavery, through the Red Sea, and to another mountain, Mt. Sinai. Moses ascended the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments. But while Moses listened to God directly, the people listened to their own sinful hearts. They told Aaron to build and idol, and he followed their commandments.

People still listen to their own hearts rather than to God’s commandments. We still build our own idols. Sure, our idols may not be a golden calf figurine, we are too sophisticated for such a ridiculous idol. But every ancient deity, every clay figurine, every false idol embodied a desire for health, wealth, or pleasure. Our modern idols are not so different from those ancient things. Health, wealth, and pleasure still draw us away from the one true God. Think about it this way: a society shows its idols by the size of buildings it constructs. Hospitals, banking institutions, and sport stadiums build the skylines of cities and cast long shadows over decrepit steeples. Health, wealth, and pleasure. We build our idols and listen to their call. For this, we must repent.

Elijah called people to repent from Mt. Carmel. He was the great reformer of the Old Testament. Roughly 500 years after Moses, the king and queen of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel, listened to and followed false gods. They built altars, employed priests, and made sacrifices. Ahab and Jezebel led the people away to idolatry. Finally, in 1 Kings 18, Elijah listened to God’s call and challenged 450 of the false prophets to a showdown at Carmel. Both Elijah and the false prophets would build altars, both would make sacrifices, and they both would pray to their respective deities to consume the sacrifices with fire. Of course, the false Baals and Asherim did not listen to the 450 prophets. Their stony ears were deaf to all prayers, no matter how ridiculous or pitiful. But when Elijah made his sacrifice, he covered it with water again and again and again. Then he prayed with a still, small voice – and God heard him! The fire of the Lord descended from heaven and consumed the sacrifice whole and proclaimed who the true God is. In the presence of the Almighty, the people fell down on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God” (1 Ki 18:39).

Peter had a similar confession. In Matthew 16, just before our Gospel reading, Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Six days later, Peter followed Jesus up the mountain. While there, Jesus and all His clothing became bright and dazzling white. Moses, that stuttering prophet, and Elijah the reformer, appeared with Jesus in His glory and spoke with Him. What did they say? In the parallel passage in Luke 9, we learn that they were talking about Jesus’ ‘departure’, or more literally from the Greek, His ‘exodus’ (εξοδος). Jesus would descend from that glorious mountain to climb another mountain, Mt. Calvary. There He would suffer for every commandment that you or I have broken. There He would be crucified for every false idol you cling to. There He would be consumed as THE sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

That is what Peter, James, and John heard from Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Were they good listeners? No. And Peter expressed as much. “’Tis good Lord to be here. Let’s not go there. Here you are in glory. There you will be shamed. Here we see heaven. There you’ll suffer hell.” So Peter thought, and listening to his own sinful heart, he offered to build 3 tents, or tabernacles, so they wouldn’t have to leave that glorious place.

But then God spoke. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matt. 17:5). When God speaks, we must listen.

So what does it take to be a good listener? For Moses on Mt. Horeb, the ancient Israelites on Mt. Carmel, and Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, being a good listener began with humility. They fell on their faces. Maybe that’s something we should do when we confess our sins. What do you think? Should we listen to the Bible that way? It certainly would change how we listen. When Peter, James, and John fell down in terror, Jesus came to them, placed a hand on them just like the leper last week, and Jesus absolved them of their sin. They would not be consumed for their sinful speech. Jesus would pay that price. In return, He would say, “Consume this: eat my body, drink my blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.” To be a good listener, then, is to follow Jesus to the cross, cling to that mountain, and consume that sacrifice. Because Jesus didn’t save anyone in the glory of His transfiguration. He saved everyone in the glory of His crucifixion. Through that cross, through that suffering, through that sacrifice, Jesus brings sinners into heaven, so that we may join with patriarchs and prophets, Moses and Elijah, apostles and evangelists, Peter, James, and John, angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven in singing God’s praises. Hear this promise. Listen to it and believe it, for all eternity.

Now may the peace that passes all understanding guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.

Amen.

Click for Audio

Pastor Schultz
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas

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