Revealing the One who Reveals (Part V) – Amazing is Something

Sermon Title: Revealing what is Amazing

Good News Statement: Jesus does amazing things for us

Preached: Sunday, February 9^th, 2025 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSVUE): Luke 2:22-35 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Luke who introduces us to a man named Simeon who not only presents the new born Christ to the Lord, but reveals him to all people. May we find ways in 2025 to reveal who Jesus is in our life. Our scripture reading is Luke Chapter Two, Verses Twenty-Two thru Thirty-Five. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.

 

Jesus Is Named

²¹ When the eighth day came, it was time to circumcise the child, and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

²² When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), ²⁴ and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

²⁹ “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word,
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹     which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”

³³ And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵ so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.”

 

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

Introduction:

The announcement has been made, Mary has given birth to her firstborn son and has wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger. The  heavenly host of angels have sung, “Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favors” (Luke 2:14). The shepherds have received “good news of great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10), they have traveled to Bethlehem to witness what took place, and they shared with Mary, before “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20), news that she treasured and pondered in her heart (Luke 2:19). Now the Magi have arrived and left gifts of gold, frankincense, myrrh, and have travelled home going a different way and avoiding King Herod. Christ has been born, in the city of David, to a people that need to be transformed.

To commemorate that special day, we lit the Christ Candle. That candle is more than just a symbol of hope, peace, joy, and love: it represents a source of light that no amount of darkness can prevail over nor cover. Through this Candle, Christ has entered our life: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us…” (John 1:14). With this candle we have been given a gift, a name above all names. With Christ now fully present in our life, we must not wait to reveal who Christ is to us. We must not wait to reveal who Christ is to our church. We must not wait to reveal what Christ is calling us to do. We must not wait to find ways to keep his light shining as we enter a New Year: a year filled with accomplishments, successes and failures, joy and pain, new beginnings and setbacks, and good news and doubt. We must not wait to pass along the “good news of great joy to all people” through what we do and what we say.

Today, we look forward to the future as individuals and as a church. Today, we find ways to reveal who Jesus is and what Jesus does for us and the church. Today, we think about how we will reveal Jesus Christ in 2025 by spending time with Simeon—actually several weeks—with a priest who waited his entire career for the day when he would bless the one who would in turn bless him. Luke is the only Gospel writer—writing about the year 85 CE, approximately 50 years after the death of Christ—to mention this moment in Jesus’ life. A moment that revealed the one who reveals us. We continue the story by simply asking ourselves, “What has been revealed to us?”

 

Body:

Have you ever been amazed? Have you ever heard something that left you amazed? Have you ever seen something that was amazing in your eyes? Have you ever done something that others would classify as amazing? Have you ever tasted something and said, “Now, that’s amazing”? Our life is filled with moments and opportunities that call for our amazement, but what does it mean to be amazed? What are we saying when we say, “Now, that’s amazing”?

Ever since I have been in Oblong, I make it a priority to attend the Christmas Concerts and Programs hosted by the Elementary School every year. I usually sit towards the top of the bleachers so I can see everything. Listening to those kids, kindergarten through fifth grade, I find myself amazed. The older children have speaking parts that are memorized, every song that is sung is from memory, and even the choreography has been well rehearsed and strategically placed along with the lyrics to bring the song to life. It is simply amazing! All that hard work—put in by the students and teachers—has left me amazed every year and I have no doubt that it will do that from year to year.

I also do my best to attend the band and choir concerts of the older kids, specifically the junior high students. The choir students sing their songs from memory as well; and the songs they sing range from two minutes all the way up to five minutes; and sometimes, the songs they sing are in other languages: French, Latin, and Spanish to name a few. Being a choir student myself, I understand how much work it takes to learn and memorize songs for performances. It’s amazing to hear them sing! It’s also amazing to hear the band students play their instruments. When they first begin learning to play, it sometimes sounds like chaos with a lot of extra squeaks and extra hits on the bass drum. However, when they practice and practice and practice, that chaos slowly begins to create melodies and distinguished rhythms. What they do, bringing music to life through dynamics, melodies, and harmonies, is truly amazing.

Staying with the music theme, the last official concert I played as a college student before graduation took place in Centennial Hall at Augustana College on May 19, 2018. The piece we played was titled Symphony No. 4 composed by David Maslanka in 1993. The piece ranges from 27minutes to 30minutes in length. It has been performed by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, The United States Navy Band, The University of Texas Wind Ensemble, The University of Michigan Symphony Band, as well as many other universities, colleges, and renowned musical ensembles around the world. It took us several months to learn this piece of music: stressful rehearsals, many hours of personal practice, and plenty of moments for constructive criticism from the director. However, when it came time to put it all together for that May 19^th performance, everything clicked. It was truly amazing! More amazing than the Cubs winning the world series for the second time after over a hundred year drought. I am still speechless today when I hear it. Take a listen: Recording on phone: May 19, 2018 – 30:55-31:55; 43:18-44:46

Truth be told, we have all encountered something or someone amazing in our life. We have even done something that was amazing. Perhaps what you did wasn’t amazing to you but it was to someone else. Has God done something amazing for you? Has Jesus done something amazing for you? In life we spend a lot of time doing our best to check things off a list, to get from point A to point B so that we can get to point Z before the end of the day, and miss out on truly embracing those moments and instances that are amazing. This idea of amazement comes from Mary and Joseph’s reaction to witnessing their son, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, being blessed by Simeon, a stranger and a priest in the Temple who will be “dismissed in peace” (Luke 2:29). Our text specifically says that the child’s “father and mother were amazed at was being said about him” (Luke 2:33). God is always doing amazing things in our life, but how often do we stop and marvel at those amazing things?

Today, I simply invite you to think about the amazing things God has done in your life. Ponder them; cherish them; and let them be one of the reasons that you continue to have belief and faith in the One who did the most amazing thing for you so that you can be here today. How have you been amazed by the doings of God in your life?

 

Movement One: What does it mean to be AMAZED…

Besides being amazed by what a group of students can do with a lot of practice and determination, I have experienced other moments in my life that I would classify as being “amazing.” I remember riding my bike for the first time without training wheels: that was amazing. There was a sense of freedom in each pedal. I remember hitting my first homerun in baseball: that was amazing (maybe a miracle). I remember scoring my first touchdown during a Saturday morning football game and scoring my first soccer goal: those moments were amazing. I remember receiving my first snare drum in fifth grade: that was amazing. I remember holding my nieces and nephews for the first time: that was amazing. I remember receiving the keys to my first car, a 1995 Dodge Intrepid: that was amazing. I remember getting my first speeding ticket: that was not amazing but my dad not getting mad and not telling my mom was amazing. I remember taking Emily on our first date and getting lost: it was amazing (or maybe a miracle) that she decided to go on another date with me. I remember seeing Emily walking down the aisle and seeing her dress for the first time: that was amazing. I remember being accepted into a small community in Southern Illinois: that was amazing. And the list could go on and on and on… What sort of memories do you have that could be classified as being “amazing”?

What does “amazing” mean? Doing a little bit of research, I stumbled upon the etymology of the word “amaze.” In the early 1200s, the word amaze was defined as “stupefied, irrational, and foolish.” In the late 1500s, the word amazed was associated with words such as “stunned, dazed, and bewildered.” It wasn’t until the early 1700s that amaze became synonymous with the word “wonderful.” Today, the word amaze is defined as “causing astonishment, great wonder, or surprise.” Words such as astounding, eye-opening, jaw-dropping, shocking, stunning, and wonderful can all be used to describe something that is amazing.

However, some researchers have suggested that today’s culture uses the word “amazing” too much and should reserve the word for something that is truly astounding. In 2016, Jeannette Settembre wrote an article for the New York Daily News titled, “Why Celebrities and Millennials Should Stop using the word ‘Amazing’”. Settembre noted, “The word ‘amazing’ simply fails to amaze anymore. It’s high time for someone to put a halt on the most over-used adjective in the English language.”[1] She goes on to say, “The 1779 hymn “Amazing Grace” exemplifies the word. The subject of the song encountered an extraordinary transcendent experience. Former President Obama used the lyrics to console the grieving families from the church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015. Poet E.E. Cummings used “amazing” to describe a meaningful experience: ‘I thank you God for most this amazing day.’”[2] Settembre ends the article by stating, “The truth is, we should reserve ‘amazing’ for truly astounding moments.”[3]

Over the course of history, the word “amazing” has meant different things, has been used to describe certain emotions, and has been the word of choice to define particular moments and situations in our life that maybe aren’t truly astounding. I don’t think we should stop using the word “amazing” in our vernacular; but maybe we should consider how and when and why we use the word “amazing” because believe it or not the word “amazing” is associated with the works of Jesus Christ.

 

Movement Two: Being AMAZED in Scripture…

Did you know that some sort of variation of the word “amaze” appears in the New Testament at least 43 times depending on the translation of the Bible? In most instances, the Greek word used is thaumazo. Now, depending on the context, thaumazo can mean to admire, regard with admiration, and wonder in the case of Luke 7:9 and Acts 7:31; it can mean to reverence and to adore as it does in 2 Thessalonians 1:10; and it can mean to wonder, to be filled with wonder, admiration, or astonishment which is the situation in Matthew 8:10 and Luke 4:22.

For example, when Jesus is confronted by a soldier who’s servant is ill, Matthew 8:10 states “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.’” Jesus was in great admiration and astonishment of the soldier, who was highly ranked, because he cared for his servant. When Jesus calms the storm in Matthew 8:27, we read these words, “And the men were amazed and said, ‘What sort of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him?’” The men in the boat, most likely some of the disciples, were filled with wonder by what Jesus just did—controlling nature. When the time came to name the child of Zechariah and Elizabeth, we are told because Zechariah couldn’t speak, that he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John. And all of them were amazed” (Luke 1:63). The crowd was in great astonishment that Zechariah didn’t name his child after himself (Luke 1:59).

Taking this even further, we read in Luke 5:1-9 of an amazing story that changed lives. Luke informs us, “Once while Jesus was standing beside the Lake of Gennesaret and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken…”

All who were with Simon Peter were amazed: in great astonishment, filled with wonder. The nets that were once emptied were so full that they were sinking the boats. Simon Peter was so amazed by this moment that he confessed to Jesus that he was a “sinful man”—not worthy to be given such a blessing. The crowd was so amazed that something like this could even happen, especially from one who appeared tired and worn out and who had to sit down in a boat. And those in the other boat were so amazed because they found fish in the deep water—what the Jews identified as “chaos”—a place where not too people ventured to. Would you be amazed if Jesus told you to cast your nets into the deep water and out came so many fish that you didn’t know what to do with? I’m sure we all would be. And I’m sure Jesus is amazed every time someone comes to him and says, “I’m a sinful person.”

In the same chapter of the Gospel of Luke, the crowd is once again amazed at the work of Jesus. “One day while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem were sitting nearby, and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but, finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus.  When he saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you….’ [Jesus] said to the one who was paralyzed—‘I say to you, stand up and take your stretcher and go to your home.’ Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, ‘We have seen incredible things today’” (Luke 5:17-20, 24-26).

“Amazement seized all of them…” is what the text says. The crowd just witnessed something that they had never seen before: a paralyzed man walked, a paralyze man walked home, and a paralyzed man was forgiven of his sins. It’s no wonder that Luke says the crowd had “seen incredible things today” or in other translations “strange things today.” The crowd is stunned, astonished, and in wonder. What is amazing about this text is: first, a paralyzed man walks—is given hope again, life again, a restoration of faith; second, the possible strangers or acquaintances of the paralyzed man did whatever they could do to get him to Jesus—even destroying someone’s property; and third, before the paralyzed man was told to “stand up and walk” Jesus looks at him and says, “Friend, you sins are forgiven you”—suggesting that the man’s sins could have been the cause to him being paralyzed.

In both of these accounts drawn from Luke, did you notice that sins are forgiven? Simon confesses that he is a sinful man, but Jesus still invites him to fish for people. The paralyzed man has committed some sort of sin that potentially caused him to be paralyzed, but yet Jesus forgives him. It’s amazing how when we ask for forgiveness of our sins how our life can change: how we all of sudden have the will and faith to cast our nets into the deep water and how we have the belief and strength to stand up and walk. Jesus is always amazed when we seek forgiveness because it suggests to him that we need him in our life. According to Ephesians 4:9-10, Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth and then ascended into the heavens so that our doubt and suffering and sinful nature would be turned into amazement and belief. God sacrificed his only Son, “so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16) filled with the amazement of constantly being saved. It’s through the belief of amazement that our life is changed.

This leads to our scripture passage for today. In Luke 2:33, after Simeon has blessed Jesus and confessed that God can now dismiss him in peace, we read these words, “And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.” Mary and Joseph were amazed! In this account the word amazed can be translated to mean astonishment or wonder. May and Joseph were astonished as they witnessed the blessing of their child. Mary and Joseph were filled with wonder as they pondered what this moment means. Now, I have to be honest with you: why is it that this moment is when Mary and Joseph are amazed?

According to Charles R. Swindoll, a biblical scholar, “[Both Mary and Joseph] had received a personal visit from an angel bearing astounding news [before the moment in the Temple],”[4] but they didn’t say they were amazed. Matthew 1:20-22 tells us, “An angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The next set of verses doesn’t say, “And Joseph was amazed by this news.” It simply says that Joseph woke from his dream and did as the angel of the Lord commanded (Matthew 1:24). As a matter of fact Joseph doesn’t say anything.

In the case of Mary, Luke 1:30-37 tells us, “The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.’” Remember, right after the angel greets Mary—“Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28)—we read that Mary was perplexed. She wasn’t amazed, even though she should have been considering that an angel of the Lord came to her and told her such amazing news. But yet, it’s in the Temple where both Mary and Joseph are amazed!?

Swindoll goes on to say, “They had experienced a virgin conception and birth. They knew they held the Messiah in their arms and had heard the report of the shepherds, how a host of angels split the heavens and filled the night sky with their praise, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors’ (Luke 2:14). Yet Simeon’s song astonished, amazed, both Mary and Joseph.”[5] Why? Why did that moment in their life cause them to be amazed, while nothing up to this point had?

Besides Mary and Joseph still trying to put the pieces together, trying to figure out how they were going to raise and protect their child, I am under the belief that in the Temple they received some sort of epiphany—a vision, a manifestation of God—that brought them assurance. For whatever happened within Mary and Joseph at the Temple, had now begun to change their life in such a way that left them amazed: amazed at who their son was and amazed at what their son will do. What Mary and Joseph have been told so far about Jesus was now hitting home. The things that Mary pondered in her heart from the angel, from the shepherds, and later from the moment when Jesus was found in the Temple teaching the elders, was beginning to make sense. The child she will raise will be amazing.

The child she holds will be amazing. The child she constantly worries about will be amazing. The child she hugs and kisses and wipes away tears from his eyes will be amazing. The child she swaddled in bands of cloth will be amazing. The child that will walk on water, cast out demons, and heal those with leprosy will be amazing. The child that will make people walk again, the blind see, the deaf hear, the mute speak, and the dead rise again will be amazing. The child that has just been blessed and given peace to Simeon will be amazing. And the child that will bless, save, and love all peoples from all nations will be amazing. It’s in the Temple, the very thing that Jesus describes as his body (John 2:19, 22), that Mary and Joseph finally understand that amazement of their son, of Jesus Christ.

Are you amazed at what Jesus has done in your life? Are you amazed by the blessings he has given you? Are you amazed by the amount of times he has forgiven you of your sins? Are you amazed by how he is constantly casting nets into the deep water to pull you to shore? Are you amazed with how easy it is for him to calm your storms? Are you amazed with what he is doing in your life: saving you and loving you unconditionally? Are you amazed? If not, then what are you waiting for to witness to change your mind?

 

Movement Three: You Are AMAZING…

I think we are much like Mary and Joseph at times. God continually performs amazing things in our life—moments that change our life—but yet it’s not until something specific happens that we realize that he has been doing amazing things in our life for as long as we can remember. I’m inviting you today, to really think about all those moments in your life that have left you astonished, filled with wonder, and amazed. Think about those moments; and as you think about those moments, think about how God was present. God was present because in that moment your life was changed somehow and in some way.

People often say that it takes a tragedy to bring people together, to get people thinking about their own life. I’m telling you today that sometimes in life it takes the amazing work of the Lord to get us thinking about our own life. Just like the crowds who pressed upon Jesus, the disciples who were questioned for their faith, the woman who touched the cloak of Jesus, and Mary and Joseph; our lives are changed by the amazing things God does for us.

We are amazed by His healing power. We are amazed by how with two words Jesus created a following. We are amazed how Jesus can find the lost, set free the oppressed, and break hearts of stone. We are amazed by the unconditional love he gives to everyone. We are amazed by how he can move mountains, calm the storms, and feed thousands of people with very little. We are amazed that every day he grants us the opportunity to feel loved, to be saved, and to be forgiven of our sins. We are amazed by the blessings he continually gives us. We are amazed by what he does in our lives, the opportunities he gives us, and the strength he bestows upon us. We are amazed by how he always sees us and hears our prayers. Never stop doing amazing things, Lord. And the best part is that through those amazing things, we become amazing people no matter what others say about us. You are amazing!

 

Conclusion:

Church, friends, it’s never too late to be amazed by what Jesus is doing and has done in your life. It’s never too late to begin remembering all the amazing things he has done. But, when will you acknowledge those moments in your life? When will you be like Mary and Joseph and become amazed at what Christ is doing? Will it be today? Will it be tomorrow? Will it be some time in the near future? I bet Jesus has done something amazing in your life already, but you haven’t noticed because you are waiting for something specific to happen. Don’t wait for something to happen. Instead, realize that amazing things are happening right now in your life because Jesus is always with you.

At the beginning of this message, I shared with a sound recording of a song that I played my last year in college. And now I want to share with you the ending of that song. For the first time, for multiple reasons, I cried as we played the closing to Symphony No. 4 by Maslanka in front of a packed auditorium. The only way I can describe the ending is by saying “It was amazing!” Take a listen to how this song ends: Recording on phone: May 19, 2018 –ending 44:48-48:30.

I don’t think we are overusing the word “amazing.” I think when we use it we are forgetting what it truly means. It doesn’t just mean wonder, astonishment, to be filled with wonder, admire, or shocked: it means that we have witnessed something or been a part of something that has changed us. What Jesus does is amazing because what he does, does in fact, change us to be amazing ourselves. In the words of James Broughton, “Amazement awaits us at every corner.” Don’t wait for amazement to find you, instead find or be the amazement that Jesus has put in your life.

Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Let us pray: Dear God, you are amazing in every way imaginable. You are amazing in what you do, in what you say, and how you lead us. Thank you for all the amazing things you have done and continue to do in our life. May we not overlook those amazing things but instead live into them seeking to be amazing disciples for you. In your precious name we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

This week, I encourage you to notice the amazing things and people in your life that God has given you. Be thankful for them as they change your life for the better. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth seeking ways to reveal Jesus Christ in your life. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] https://www.nydailynews.com/2016/01/19/why-celebrities-and-millennials-should-stop-using-the-word-amazing/

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012. Pg. 73

[5] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012. Pg. 73