WEBVTT 00:00.800 --> 00:04.400 Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and from our Lord and 00:04.400 --> 00:06.000 Savior Jesus Christ. 00:06.200 --> 00:06.800 Amen. 00:09.200 --> 00:16.800 There is a joy that happens when hearing turns to seeing. 00:18.400 --> 00:22.400 I saw it happen once at a baptismal party. 00:23.500 --> 00:27.300 Hattie and Floyd had moved up to Detroit left most of their extended 00:27.300 --> 00:31.600 family down in the Deep South and so they rarely rarely got to see 00:31.600 --> 00:36.500 them but when Hattie's granddaughter was baptized she threw a big 00:36.500 --> 00:43.000 party. And so there we wore in this small backyard in Detroit with this 00:43.000 --> 00:45.300 large gathering of people. 00:45.700 --> 00:47.400 People bumping into one another 00:47.400 --> 00:52.300 they hadn't seen in years and taking joy in seeing one another's 00:52.300 --> 00:53.100 company and 00:53.200 --> 00:55.900 there there in the back by the above ground pool. 00:55.900 --> 00:59.800 In this little, love this little chair, this white and green lawn 01:00.000 --> 01:05.000 chair sat Hattie's sister. And she kept saying bring the baby over here, 01:05.000 --> 01:10.600 bring the baby over here and Hattie, Hattie brought Diandra over to 01:10.600 --> 01:17.400 her sister and she looked at the baby and she said it is so nice to 01:17.400 --> 01:18.000 see you. 01:18.800 --> 01:21.200 I have heard about you for so long. 01:21.300 --> 01:28.100 It is so nice to finally see you and she took that baby and cradled 01:28.100 --> 01:29.800 her in love. 01:30.200 --> 01:38.800 There is a joy that happens when hearing turns to seeing. 01:41.000 --> 01:45.100 And that is the joy we celebrate today. 01:46.700 --> 01:50.400 Today is the dedication of these stained glass windows and these stained 01:50.400 --> 01:52.100 glass, windows are threefold 01:52.100 --> 01:54.000 gift. First, 01:54.000 --> 01:55.600 they are a gift from the Finke 01:55.600 --> 01:59.800 Family Eugene E. and Neil S. Finke Memorial Trust has 02:00.100 --> 02:04.700 generously provided the funds for the Seminary to purchase and install 02:04.700 --> 02:05.500 these windows. 02:05.500 --> 02:10.800 And we thank our donors for caring about the spiritual life of this 02:10.800 --> 02:11.400 place. 02:12.600 --> 02:13.100 Second. 02:13.100 --> 02:15.700 They are a gift from Rich Buswell. 02:15.700 --> 02:20.100 Rich Buswell was the senior artists and creative designer at Lynchburg 02:20.100 --> 02:25.300 Stained Glass who sat in on all of our meetings, and listened to our 02:25.500 --> 02:32.000 half-formed thoughts, and put them into beautiful pictures. But third 02:32.200 --> 02:37.000 and most importantly, these windows are a gift from God. 02:38.300 --> 02:42.700 He formed us to be visual creatures. 02:44.100 --> 02:53.700 People who not only here but see and today Jesus invites us to gaze on 02:53.700 --> 02:59.800 the beauty of the Lord that we might rejoice in his everlasting love. 03:01.300 --> 03:04.800 So as a sermon for the dedication of the windows, that will be my 03:04.800 --> 03:06.000 theme two parts. 03:06.000 --> 03:11.200 Jesus, invites us to gaze on the beauty of the Lord that we might 03:11.200 --> 03:14.600 rejoice in his everlasting love. 03:16.200 --> 03:20.200 Jesus invites us to gaze on the beauty of the Lord. 03:21.600 --> 03:23.000 And unfortunately 03:24.200 --> 03:26.100 we need that invitation. 03:27.700 --> 03:34.700 Because we are creatures who so often glance rather than gaze. 03:36.600 --> 03:38.900 Aria recently took up beekeeping. 03:39.800 --> 03:43.500 And so I have a whole bunch of pictures of my bee hives on my phone. 03:43.900 --> 03:47.600 And when we had the Symposium here in the fall, a friend of mine came 03:47.600 --> 03:49.200 and we were talking about what's going on. 03:49.200 --> 03:51.900 I told him I was be keeping his that I'd love to come see your hive 03:51.900 --> 03:55.000 and I'm like, hey I got a picture so I pulled up a picture of my bees 03:55.000 --> 03:59.300 on my phone, gave it to him and he glanced at the picture. 04:00.000 --> 04:01.100 He didn't gaze. 04:01.800 --> 04:03.200 How do I know? Well 04:03.200 --> 04:06.500 because I gave him my phone with the picture on it, and he looked at 04:06.500 --> 04:07.800 it and he swiped. 04:10.300 --> 04:17.100 And suddenly, beekeeping photo became a glass of scotch on a table. 04:19.000 --> 04:23.900 Another one of my hobbies, it was a rough week and he said, he kind of 04:23.900 --> 04:26.800 shakes and he's like, oh oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look at your 04:26.800 --> 04:27.800 personal picture. 04:27.800 --> 04:30.400 So now Scotch is a personal picture, right? 04:31.700 --> 04:33.700 I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look at your personal picture. 04:33.700 --> 04:37.700 I'm just so used to swiping through photos. 04:38.500 --> 04:43.100 We are accustomed to glancing rather than gazing. 04:43.500 --> 04:48.600 We swipe through our photos, we scroll through our posts, we skim 04:48.600 --> 04:48.700 through, 04:48.800 --> 04:54.300 our emails, we scan through our playlists and that's okay for a lot 04:54.300 --> 04:58.300 of the stuff that were covering. But it's not okay 04:59.000 --> 04:59.800 when you glance at 05:00.000 --> 05:05.200 people and it's certainly not okay to glance at God. 05:07.300 --> 05:12.000 Your friend calls you up and she starts talking to you about her 05:12.000 --> 05:12.500 daughter. 05:12.500 --> 05:16.700 And it's a, it's a conflicted relationship and you've, you've been 05:16.700 --> 05:22.400 down this road and it goes nowhere and it is a long journey and you 05:22.400 --> 05:25.400 just do not have time for it today. 05:25.400 --> 05:28.700 And so, you quickly change the conversation. 05:30.300 --> 05:34.600 God has brought a woman who has suffering into your life 05:35.700 --> 05:39.000 and you glance at her, rather than gaze. 05:40.900 --> 05:44.700 You're sick and you don't want to spread your cold so your you decide 05:44.700 --> 05:49.000 rather than go to in-person Worship, you'll worship online. And so you get 05:49.000 --> 05:52.100 the computer set up and you've got the service starting and there's 05:52.100 --> 05:52.800 this Prelude. 05:52.800 --> 05:56.200 But, for some reason is never-ending and so you figure, I'm going to 05:56.200 --> 05:57.700 get a bowl of cereal, right? 05:57.700 --> 05:59.800 So you get a bowl of cereal, you come back and you're 06:00.000 --> 06:04.000 eating your cereal and somebody text you and you start answering the text and 06:04.000 --> 06:07.900 while the people in worship are confessing their sins, you're 06:07.900 --> 06:10.300 committing yours, right? 06:11.400 --> 06:13.300 You're glancing at God. 06:13.900 --> 06:16.200 Rather than casing or worse yet worse 06:16.200 --> 06:18.800 yet you actually go to in-person worship and 06:18.800 --> 06:22.300 you're frustrated that it's so empty now after covid. 06:22.300 --> 06:23.600 And where are the people? 06:23.600 --> 06:24.700 Why haven't they come back in? 06:24.700 --> 06:26.000 You're glancing around at all 06:26.000 --> 06:29.800 the people who aren't there rather than gazing 06:30.000 --> 06:36.700 at the one who is. And who has come to forgive you, your sin, as 06:36.700 --> 06:39.700 people we glanced, rather than gaze. 06:39.700 --> 06:44.100 And it is a blessing this morning to have this text from Jesus because 06:44.100 --> 06:49.500 he invites us to gaze on the beauty of the Lord. 06:50.400 --> 06:54.400 You see, Jesus has caught his disciples in a glance. 06:55.900 --> 06:57.200 He has sent them out in Mission. 06:57.200 --> 06:59.800 72 of them, they've gone through out 07:00.000 --> 07:03.500 scattered places and they've been living in people's homes. 07:04.100 --> 07:05.500 They've been sharing the peace. 07:05.500 --> 07:07.100 They've been teaching about the kingdom. 07:07.100 --> 07:08.500 They've been healing people. 07:08.500 --> 07:12.300 And when they come back, when they come back, what do they say? 07:13.500 --> 07:18.500 They say, Lord, the demons are subject to us in your name. 07:19.400 --> 07:24.000 They are gazing at themselves and glancing at God. 07:24.000 --> 07:27.700 I mean, it's understandable that they're excited that the demons could 07:28.000 --> 07:29.600 obey them in Jesus name. 07:29.600 --> 07:31.900 I mean, after all, remember, when Jesus was on the Mount of 07:31.900 --> 07:35.800 Transfiguration, he comes down and there's an argument at the bottom. 07:36.100 --> 07:39.700 A man has brought his son whose demon-possessed to the disciples, the 07:39.700 --> 07:42.600 disciples can't cast out the demon. Right? 07:42.600 --> 07:43.200 So they 07:43.300 --> 07:45.400 have learned that they can't control the demons. 07:45.400 --> 07:49.900 And now now they go out and they come back and these demons are 07:49.900 --> 07:54.200 obedient to them in Jesus name and so they are gazing at themselves 07:54.200 --> 07:56.100 and what they are able to do. 07:57.400 --> 07:59.000 But they're not celebrating that 08:00.100 --> 08:04.800 some poor child's life has been changed 08:05.800 --> 08:08.000 because a demon has been cast out. 08:09.600 --> 08:13.000 And Jesus looks them deep in the eye 08:15.300 --> 08:25.700 and he says I was watching Satan fall like lightning and with those 08:25.700 --> 08:32.700 words Jesus invites them to enter into a much larger story. 08:32.900 --> 08:37.299 Jesus takes these scattered places where they had been visiting and he 08:37.299 --> 08:43.600 suddenly weaves them in to this ever-present working of the kingdom of 08:43.600 --> 08:44.800 God. Jesus 08:45.000 --> 08:46.500 helps the disciples see that 08:46.500 --> 08:54.100 now is a moment when hearing is turning into seeing. For generations 08:54.100 --> 08:59.500 they have heard that there will come one, one who will 09:00.000 --> 09:01.900 stomp on Satan's skull. 09:02.000 --> 09:05.800 They have heard it but now they're starting to see it. 09:05.900 --> 09:11.000 It's right there in their midst with Jesus and Jesus invites them, 09:11.100 --> 09:18.300 invites them to see how they are part of God's greater story. 09:21.500 --> 09:25.400 That's what Jesus does in this text inviting disciples to see the 09:25.400 --> 09:26.900 beauty of the Lord 09:26.900 --> 09:30.600 and that's, that's what these windows do in 09:30.600 --> 09:35.300 this place. These windows are based on the Te Deum, right. 09:35.300 --> 09:39.700 An ancient him of the church, we've sung it since the fourth Century, 09:40.600 --> 09:44.600 Since the fourth Century, we've been singing and hearing those words. 09:44.600 --> 09:45.300 And now 09:46.500 --> 09:51.700 what we here, we begin to see surrounding us. And when you come into 09:51.700 --> 09:58.300 this Chapel, it is hard, not to see how you are woven into a much 09:58.300 --> 09:59.700 greater story. 10:00.000 --> 10:04.900 These windows are filled with the saints of God, you have Apostles and 10:04.900 --> 10:09.300 Prophets and martyrs and the whole Christian Church on Earth gathering 10:09.300 --> 10:15.000 and praising God, and Jesus calls you to gaze on the beauty of the 10:15.000 --> 10:20.500 Lord because he has brought you into a greater story. 10:23.500 --> 10:29.500 There was a woman I used to visit at Fairview Baptist Nursing Home. And 10:29.500 --> 10:34.300 there was this bureau in her room and on that bureau she had five or 10:34.300 --> 10:41.800 six photos and there was always one photo that haunted me. It was a 10:41.800 --> 10:43.100 photo of Easter. 10:44.100 --> 10:46.700 It was her childhood photo. 10:47.400 --> 10:51.700 Her dad, and her mom and their two daughters were sitting on what 10:51.700 --> 10:54.700 looked like the stoop of a house, something. 10:54.700 --> 10:55.900 You'd see in South St. 10:55.900 --> 10:59.800 Louis. Her dad was wearing a suit with a really thin tie. 11:00.200 --> 11:03.900 Her mom was in a dress with this big corsage on her shoulder. 11:05.300 --> 11:07.200 And Marie was was in front of her 11:07.200 --> 11:12.000 father, she was wearing a dress, she had her hands in gloves and they 11:12.000 --> 11:15.900 were folded and perfectly positioned on her perfectly positioned 11:15.900 --> 11:16.600 knees. 11:17.400 --> 11:22.300 But her sister, her sister was wearing a dress, but her her legs 11:22.300 --> 11:24.800 were awkwardly skewed. 11:26.100 --> 11:29.900 And if you look closely in the corner of the photo, I don't think it 11:29.900 --> 11:33.700 was supposed to be there, but the in corner of the photo was a brace 11:34.400 --> 11:35.400 and a crutch 11:36.700 --> 11:39.800 that our sister who had Polio used. 11:43.500 --> 11:51.300 And they took away their daughters brace, and crunch to celebrate 11:51.400 --> 11:52.100 Easter. 11:53.500 --> 11:57.100 Why would you just glance at the suffering? 11:58.400 --> 11:59.800 Why not gaze? 12:01.400 --> 12:07.600 For Easter is about how Jesus has conquered, conquered sin and death and 12:07.600 --> 12:11.000 brought all suffering into his reign. 12:11.100 --> 12:16.500 That is the day, that is the day to gaze on suffering and proclaim 12:16.500 --> 12:20.700 Jesus as Christ, and Lord. I wish Marie was alive today. 12:20.700 --> 12:21.800 I wish Marie was alive. 12:21.800 --> 12:24.900 I'd invite her and her sister to come into this Chapel. 12:24.900 --> 12:29.000 I'd invite them to sit over there by that Feast of Nations window. 12:29.000 --> 12:30.800 Because if they sat over there, 12:31.500 --> 12:34.900 they might glance and if they glanced they might gaze. 12:35.400 --> 12:39.200 There you have a picture of people gathering around the Lord's table 12:39.200 --> 12:43.500 and they're on the right hand side is a man in a, in a brown tunic, 12:43.500 --> 12:43.900 right? 12:44.100 --> 12:48.200 And his right hand is reaching up receiving body and blood of our 12:48.200 --> 12:52.700 Lord, and his left arm is leaning on a crutch. 12:54.500 --> 12:59.800 Because the beauty of the Lord is that he brings all people, 13:00.200 --> 13:05.500 all people, regardless of their ability into his kingdom. 13:06.000 --> 13:10.200 Jesus, invites us to gaze on the beauty of the Lord. 13:10.600 --> 13:16.200 So that we know, there is always a place for us at his table. 13:18.700 --> 13:19.700 So that's the first point. 13:19.700 --> 13:21.800 Jesus invites us to Gaze on the beauty of the one. 13:21.800 --> 13:23.500 I do have a second, sorry about that. 13:23.600 --> 13:24.400 It's going to be long. 13:24.400 --> 13:25.300 It won't be too long. 13:25.800 --> 13:32.100 Second point is that we might rejoice in his everlasting love. 13:34.000 --> 13:40.000 There is a joy that happens when seeing turns into hearing. 13:41.100 --> 13:47.900 But there's also a joy that happens when seeing turns into someone 13:48.200 --> 13:49.800 seeing you. 13:51.700 --> 13:54.700 I know a woman who taught me that I was teaching, a Bible class 13:54.700 --> 13:59.400 dealing with stained glass and art. And she was telling the Bible 13:59.400 --> 13:59.800 class how 14:00.400 --> 14:05.600 stained glass can change over the years. She had her window, right, 14:05.600 --> 14:07.000 it was window of the Good Shepherd 14:07.000 --> 14:08.000 they didn't donate it. 14:08.000 --> 14:09.600 She just always sat there, right? 14:09.600 --> 14:12.600 So, she hogged to the Good Shepherd window for all of her life. 14:12.700 --> 14:14.400 So, she's got the Good Shepherd window. I'm sure 14:14.400 --> 14:15.100 you've seen it. 14:15.200 --> 14:18.000 Jesus holding a lamb, other Lambs around his side. 14:18.800 --> 14:23.100 And she said, you know, when I was younger and a mother and sitting 14:23.100 --> 14:26.700 there with my daughter in my arms, I used to see myself in that window. 14:26.700 --> 14:29.600 I used to see how I was caring for my daughter 14:29.600 --> 14:29.800 like 14:30.000 --> 14:32.200 Jesus was caring for that lamb. 14:33.200 --> 14:36.600 And then one of the other members said to now, and she said, well, and 14:36.600 --> 14:38.700 now my husband is gone. 14:38.700 --> 14:42.600 My daughters have moved away and I sit alone in that Pew. 14:43.600 --> 14:47.800 When I look at the window, I see Jesus holding on to me. 14:49.100 --> 14:56.000 There is a joy that happens when seeing turns into someone seeing you 14:56.900 --> 14:59.800 and that's the mystery of this gospel 15:00.000 --> 15:05.600 reading. Jesus takes his disciples from seeing this larger Kingdom to 15:05.600 --> 15:09.600 suddenly, seeing someone seeing them. 15:09.600 --> 15:13.600 He says, to them do not rejoice, do not rejoice 15:13.600 --> 15:18.800 that you are able to cast out demons in my name, but rejoice in this, 15:18.800 --> 15:24.900 that your names have been written eternally in heaven. Rejoice 15:24.900 --> 15:30.000 that there is a God who sees and saves 15:30.000 --> 15:30.800 you. 15:31.200 --> 15:35.800 Jesus is a Lord who sees, and who saves. 15:36.000 --> 15:38.800 He sees Nicodemus late in the night. 15:38.800 --> 15:42.600 He sees Zacchaeus in, a sycamore tree, and invites himself into his 15:42.600 --> 15:42.900 home. 15:42.900 --> 15:46.200 He sees Matthew in a tax collectors booth and brings him into the 15:46.200 --> 15:47.500 company of his disciples. 15:47.600 --> 15:51.900 He sees Peter, remember, he sees Peter in that boat the boat is 15:51.900 --> 15:56.500 sinking because of this miraculous draught of fish and Peter is on his 15:56.500 --> 15:59.700 knees and the water with his heads covered in his hands. 16:00.000 --> 16:01.500 Crying out depart from me 16:01.500 --> 16:08.000 Lord, for I am a sinful sinful being, and Jesus does not leave. 16:08.700 --> 16:09.200 Why? 16:10.300 --> 16:16.400 Because he has come to see sinners and to save them. 16:17.100 --> 16:22.200 He has come to drink the wrath of God's Cup of Wrath for the 16:22.200 --> 16:23.300 punishment of our sin. 16:23.400 --> 16:27.900 He's come to die, our death and defeat death by rising from the 16:27.900 --> 16:28.200 grave. 16:28.200 --> 16:29.900 He's come to rule over all things. 16:30.000 --> 16:31.300 And he promises 16:31.300 --> 16:36.000 He promises to come again and bring about a new creation. 16:38.200 --> 16:41.800 And this is what we can see 16:42.300 --> 16:48.700 in one window that I'd like to close the sermon by gazing at. It's the 16:48.700 --> 16:55.100 front window and it's one detail that is found in only that window. 16:56.200 --> 16:59.800 Notice how the face of Jesus has him 17:00.400 --> 17:03.000 looking at you. 17:04.700 --> 17:09.599 All of the other windows, nobody is looking at you. 17:10.700 --> 17:14.400 The angels are desiring to look into the story of Salvation they're 17:14.400 --> 17:18.500 looking at figures. Moses is looking out into the Wilderness. 17:18.500 --> 17:22.000 Ruth is looking at David. David is looking up to God and angels 17:22.000 --> 17:23.300 looking at Isaiah. And Angels 17:23.300 --> 17:27.300 looking at Daniel. Phillip, is looking at the text and the Ethiopian 17:27.300 --> 17:28.700 eunuch is looking at the water. 17:28.700 --> 17:33.100 Nobody, nobody is looking at you in any of these windows until you 17:33.100 --> 17:38.600 look at this one and Jesus is gazing at you. 17:40.100 --> 17:42.300 That is so important. 17:43.400 --> 17:45.000 Because there are some days. 17:46.200 --> 17:48.300 There are some days that you swear 17:48.400 --> 17:50.800 nobody sees you. 17:51.900 --> 17:57.900 Nobody, you are so, so tired of fighting. 17:58.800 --> 17:59.800 So tired of fighting 18:00.000 --> 18:03.700 that you just want to lay down your arms and walk away and you don't 18:03.700 --> 18:05.600 think anybody will notice. 18:06.400 --> 18:11.000 You're so tired of hurting and you you hate the way you're hurting is 18:11.000 --> 18:13.200 causing you to hurt people. 18:14.000 --> 18:17.000 When you look at the things you say the things you do you can't even 18:17.000 --> 18:23.300 look in the mirror at yourself and when that happens come here into 18:23.300 --> 18:24.200 this Chapel. 18:25.500 --> 18:33.300 Because here, you will see, Jesus, risen ruling and always always 18:33.700 --> 18:35.700 watching over you. 18:36.600 --> 18:41.600 He is your savior who sees and who saves. 18:43.900 --> 18:48.400 These windows are overwhelming in their beauty. 18:49.500 --> 18:54.400 But the true beauty of the windows is that they overwhelm us with 18:54.400 --> 18:55.900 Christ's love. 18:57.000 --> 18:59.800 Jesus, invites, you to gaze on the beauty of the Lord 19:01.000 --> 19:04.600 that you might rejoice in his everlasting love. 19:05.500 --> 19:06.000 Amen.