Ephphatha--Be Opened! Series

Do you love God with your whole heart? Anyone disobey their parents this week? Anyone drive too fast? Anyone get angry, loose their temper? Anyone shout? Anyone call someone else “stupid”? Anyone speak anything untrue? How about half-true? Hat’s what sin looks like. And its effects we can see in this man.

He can’t hear. He can’t speak. Jesus is God. God enfleshed is before Him. And to this man, God may as well as be non existent. Because unless God intervenes, He cannot so much as hear Him. He cannot hear Jesus say, “Love God with all your heart.” Or “Love your neighbor as thyself.” To God this man is dead. He cannot hear Him—nor can he speak and say, “Let me hear!” Sin’s work would seem to have destroyed him. Unable to hear or to speak, if “faith comes by hearing”—and it does—this guy is bad shape. How can he be saved? He cannot hear, nor can he beg for help; just like these your babies. Yes, like him, to our eyes they look alive. But they, too, cannot hear nor can they speak. Sin in them has taken its’ toll. God says it this way: “your [sins] have separated between you and your God…” “your sins have hid His Face from you, that He will not hear.” Even if you could speak, God says on account of sins He will not listen. In another place God says, “If I regard [sin] in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

You see, you and me—and all these little babies—are just like this man. Unless God does something, we’re lost. So why am I so excited? Why are these family members come from out of town? Why have we even bothered to be gathered together?

I said when I started, *that day* of our Gospel is *this day* in the Church. In our Gospel Jesus speaks to one who cannot hear, “‘Ephphatha… ‘Be opened.’” He did *that* day, but *that* day is *this* day because the Same Lord has *this* day again come near. *That* day is *this* day because the same Lord is here.

Jesus “looking up to heaven… sighed…” He breathed and spoke, “Be opened.” And it was so. It happened at creation. It happened in our Gospel. So what does this tell you? It happens also hear? What does it mean that you are baptized?

God sighed on you too! To your ears He said, “Be opened” And to your tongues He said, “You make praise… but for now be still.” Be still for I am speaking. I am baptizing you with water, but not water only; but the water comprehended in God’s command and connected with God’s Word…” But what does that mean? “It’s not the water indeed that does…” anything, “but the Word of God whish is *in* and *with* the water, and *faith* which trusts such Word of God in the water…” And Who I ask you is the Word of God?

He shall be called for He shall save His people from their sins. “Be opened!” That is the Word of God *this day* sighing over you. “Be opened!” not “Choose God today!” But receive from Him, “forgiveness of sins,” deliverance “from death and the devil,” and “eternal salvation.”

“Be opened!” This is not man’s work anymore than the man heard or spoke by himself. But it was God who sighed and said, “Be opened!” And the heart that believed came into being. Yes, again God breathed, and from His Breath came forth living soul—so then now let us get on with it. Our celebration of His coming—His holy Feast.