WEBVTT 00:01.000 --> 00:05.100 Our text is from First Kings, chapter 10 hearing again, verse 13. 00:06.000 --> 00:10.500 King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all her desire which she 00:10.500 --> 00:12.400 requested besides 00:12.400 --> 00:15.500 what he had, what he gave her according to his Royal Bounty. 00:16.300 --> 00:21.300 Then she turned went to her own land together with her servants. 00:21.300 --> 00:22.300 This is our text. 00:24.500 --> 00:28.500 Apparently, there is an unwritten rule when it comes to Chapel 00:28.500 --> 00:30.400 preaching in the offseason. 00:31.400 --> 00:34.900 Not only does one have the privilege of preaching to the faithful few 00:34.900 --> 00:38.800 populating the pews in the deserted weeks between regular courses. 00:39.400 --> 00:43.300 But one is also afforded, the rare treat of tackling a text that 00:43.300 --> 00:47.000 appears in no pericope system known to the LCMS. 00:49.700 --> 00:53.200 This doesn't do much to the chance of writing a sermon that might be 00:53.300 --> 00:58.500 repurposed at another event, nor does it enhance the possibility that 00:58.500 --> 01:01.800 your sermon might be of interest one day, to others, tasked with 01:01.800 --> 01:03.600 preaching, the same text. 01:04.300 --> 01:08.600 It's pretty safe bet that in our circles, no one preaches on the Queen 01:08.600 --> 01:10.200 of Sheba ever. 01:11.400 --> 01:12.600 But that's our text 01:13.000 --> 01:15.400 and here, we all. Or rather 01:15.800 --> 01:17.400 here we few are. 01:19.400 --> 01:23.400 The visit of the Queen of Sheba to the court of Solomon, has inspired 01:23.400 --> 01:26.500 the imaginations of, countless people through the ages. 01:27.400 --> 01:32.000 What we are told is more than enough to fuel so many questions. 01:33.000 --> 01:34.100 Why did she visit? 01:34.600 --> 01:40.800 Where is Sheba, both Yemen and Ethiopia claim the queen as their own. 01:42.100 --> 01:45.100 What exactly did she and Solomon discuss? 01:46.100 --> 01:51.600 Was there a romantic angle or was it purely statecraft? 01:52.400 --> 01:55.100 Or was it just a personal visit 01:55.100 --> 01:58.000 because the queen was bored and curious? 01:59.400 --> 02:02.300 And what was her name anyway? 02:03.700 --> 02:05.200 So many questions 02:05.800 --> 02:10.600 and so few answers. Which leaves plenty of room for the most 02:10.699 --> 02:13.600 amazing and tantalizing speculation. 02:14.700 --> 02:19.900 But since speculation offers little of real value, let's stick to what 02:19.900 --> 02:21.200 we've actually been given. 02:22.000 --> 02:29.200 Which as noted is it much. The queen arrives makes a big splash in 02:29.200 --> 02:30.000 Jerusalem. 02:30.000 --> 02:31.200 Spend some time 02:31.200 --> 02:35.600 watching Solomon in action, has some deep apparently. 02:35.600 --> 02:38.000 productive conversations with the King. 02:38.700 --> 02:41.300 Gushes over the Kings glory. 02:42.100 --> 02:44.400 Give some gifts, get some 02:44.500 --> 02:46.500 gifts and heads home. 02:47.800 --> 02:48.600 It's about it. 02:50.500 --> 02:56.100 I must admit that as I worked more and more of this text, the more, 02:56.100 --> 02:59.800 my reading of the story, conjured an image of the main 03:00.000 --> 03:05.600 characters that was at best ambiguous and probably heading in the 03:05.600 --> 03:08.000 direction of uncharitable. 03:09.300 --> 03:13.600 On the face of it and based on what we're told, there doesn't seem to 03:13.600 --> 03:19.800 be much going on here beyond two members of royalty celebrating one 03:19.800 --> 03:20.400 another's 03:20.400 --> 03:21.200 royalty. 03:23.600 --> 03:25.900 And giving each other very lavish presents. 03:26.700 --> 03:28.200 Royals are good at that. 03:29.000 --> 03:34.400 The queen gave boatloads of rare wood, rare rich spices. 03:34.700 --> 03:40.600 And about four and a half, tons of gold, which at today's market 03:40.600 --> 03:47.800 prices would, by Solomon for brand-new F-18s or 45 M1 Abrams tanks. 03:49.500 --> 03:54.600 Pretty generous, but for royalty, not life-changing. 03:55.800 --> 04:01.500 We're not told what the queen took home with her, but it was all that 04:01.500 --> 04:02.600 she desired. 04:03.800 --> 04:08.100 Whatever that was you don't know what she desired. 04:09.000 --> 04:14.700 Presumably she at least took home some sweet Court of Solomon, swag. 04:15.000 --> 04:16.399 Or is it merch? 04:17.200 --> 04:19.600 Perhaps a beautiful carving 04:19.600 --> 04:24.000 she could put on a bookcase. You know, a shepherd with the lamb, over 04:24.000 --> 04:28.900 his shoulders, carved from some wood from a genuine Mount of Olives 04:28.900 --> 04:29.500 tree. 04:30.200 --> 04:32.100 They're still seem to be a lot of those around. 04:33.400 --> 04:39.700 Or maybe she got a great graphic tee of the Israelite King Solomon 04:39.700 --> 04:44.500 looking wise with an enormous sword in his right hand while from his 04:44.500 --> 04:51.900 left hand dangles, a baby by the ankle and under the caption says, 04:52.200 --> 04:53.300 Live Generously". 04:55.800 --> 05:00.600 And all of it packed in a handy canvas string bag. 05:00.700 --> 05:04.600 Tastefully printed with the trademark Jerusalem, cross logo. 05:06.200 --> 05:08.600 You see now where speculation can take you. 05:10.300 --> 05:18.500 The queen talked looked around exchanged gifts and left with her itch 05:19.000 --> 05:19.800 scratched. 05:20.400 --> 05:21.600 She was satisfied. 05:23.800 --> 05:28.700 We could hope for a bit more, from a holy land Pilgrim, 05:29.100 --> 05:29.700 I think. 05:31.800 --> 05:35.700 The Epiphany connection to our text is obvious enough. A mysterious 05:35.700 --> 05:40.300 foreigner, bringing lavish gifts to a king of Israel and she's even 05:40.300 --> 05:41.200 got camels. 05:41.900 --> 05:48.100 But the far more significant connection is the one that links us to 05:48.100 --> 05:48.900 the text. 05:50.200 --> 05:56.100 We come to the Festival of Epiphany ready to marvel with the Magi and 05:56.100 --> 05:59.800 to revel in the radiance. Christmas was great 06:00.000 --> 06:01.400 but Epiphany kicks 06:01.400 --> 06:06.300 It all up a notch. The Messiah has come and the splendor of his 06:06.300 --> 06:06.800 appearing 06:06.800 --> 06:12.500 now, shines out to all people, displaying the majesty and glory of God 06:12.700 --> 06:13.700 everywhere. 06:15.600 --> 06:19.200 That is why we need to be careful. 06:20.800 --> 06:25.400 You need to check ourselves and make sure that we do not come to the 06:25.400 --> 06:30.100 Festival of Epiphany, just to be dazzled. 06:31.500 --> 06:37.000 We need to watch what we're doing so that we don't come to Jesus to 06:37.000 --> 06:40.500 get an itch scratched, a need met. 06:41.500 --> 06:42.900 A problem addressed. 06:43.500 --> 06:46.700 A dilemma solved a hurt healed. 06:47.800 --> 06:51.800 And then head for home with some fresh blessings from God. 06:52.000 --> 06:58.100 A book bag full of sweet swag, or marvelous merch to make our day a 06:58.100 --> 06:58.900 bit brighter. 07:00.900 --> 07:05.900 It's all too easy to instrumentalize Jesus. 07:07.000 --> 07:12.200 And this is not just the peculiar temptation of those all too obvious, 07:12.600 --> 07:16.900 theologians of Glory, who are obsessed with praying down the blessings 07:16.900 --> 07:19.900 of God, that he's certainly wants them to have. 07:20.700 --> 07:21.000 No. 07:21.200 --> 07:22.800 Even constrained 07:23.200 --> 07:26.900 careful confessional liturgical church 07:26.900 --> 07:29.900 goers can instrumentalize Jesus. 07:31.200 --> 07:36.700 Even Seminary students and staff and professors can do it. 07:38.100 --> 07:41.000 We love a perplexing text. 07:41.600 --> 07:47.400 A murky historical model of fuzzy doctrinal tenets or a complicated 07:47.400 --> 07:48.600 bit of casuistry. 07:48.700 --> 07:52.900 We love it because it lets us so easily dive headfirst into the 07:52.900 --> 07:56.300 distraction of a problem to be solved. 07:56.700 --> 08:02.900 And then we can devote an entire career or maybe an entire lifetime 08:03.200 --> 08:04.100 piously 08:04.100 --> 08:06.400 trying to problem solve. 08:07.700 --> 08:13.300 When in reality, it's all nothing but self-serving, identity 08:13.300 --> 08:16.900 preserving, curiosity satisfying 08:18.000 --> 08:18.800 busyness. 08:21.300 --> 08:25.100 We secretly delight in problems because they serve as a diversion. 08:26.000 --> 08:34.000 We encourage curiosity because it keeps our self intact and in 08:34.000 --> 08:34.799 control. 08:35.799 --> 08:37.900 We're the ones checking things out. 08:39.600 --> 08:44.400 We pile on the learning so that we can marvel some more and how 08:44.400 --> 08:45.800 brilliant and amazing 08:45.800 --> 08:48.000 all this theology stuff is. 08:49.200 --> 08:53.400 We immerse ourselves in liturgy because it's also very meaningful and 08:53.400 --> 08:55.200 so beautiful to us. 08:57.600 --> 08:59.800 We make Jesus and his Epiphany 09:00.400 --> 09:07.300 one more object of curiosity, another subject to be studied a marvel 09:07.300 --> 09:10.400 to be admired a spectacle to be praised. 09:11.700 --> 09:12.200 And we're done. 09:13.700 --> 09:17.100 And we had four home with our itch 09:17.100 --> 09:18.000 scratched. 09:19.800 --> 09:24.100 Our needs met our curiosity, satisfied. 09:25.600 --> 09:26.600 And Jesus 09:27.800 --> 09:28.700 we leave behind. 09:31.700 --> 09:34.300 Don't do the Queen of Sheba thing on Epiphany. 09:35.100 --> 09:37.300 Don't just be dazzled by Jesus. 09:37.900 --> 09:43.000 Don't instrumentalize him to meet your needs or to preserve your life. 09:43.900 --> 09:49.600 He has come to do more then satisfy your curiosity or pass out a few 09:49.600 --> 09:50.700 sweet gifts. 09:51.800 --> 09:54.700 He has come to claim you. 09:55.800 --> 09:56.900 To change you. 09:58.100 --> 09:59.000 To save you. 10:00.400 --> 10:07.000 None of that happens when you just watch, talk, study, marvel and then 10:07.000 --> 10:07.500 leave. 10:08.800 --> 10:16.000 Jesus has come to make you his own, all of you, all of the time 10:16.300 --> 10:22.200 for all time. You don't use him for your purpose. 10:22.500 --> 10:25.500 He chooses you for His purpose. 10:26.600 --> 10:30.500 Don't miss what He is doing on this Festival of Epiphany. 10:30.600 --> 10:33.700 Don't pull a Queen of Sheba. 10:36.400 --> 10:39.100 Our text doesn't offer much hope for our Queen. 10:39.500 --> 10:44.700 Yes she blesses the name of Yahweh who loved Israel, enough to give 10:44.700 --> 10:48.900 them a king like Solomon who would do justice and righteousness. 10:49.200 --> 10:50.400 We like those words. 10:51.300 --> 10:58.300 But her focus is all Solomon and not God or God's grace. 10:59.400 --> 11:04.200 The last we hear of the queen is that she turned and went to her own 11:04.200 --> 11:04.700 land. 11:05.600 --> 11:10.200 There is nothing to indicate that she left with anything more than 11:10.400 --> 11:13.700 whatever goodies she wanted from Solomon's Court. 11:14.800 --> 11:17.700 Did she go home with the new God? 11:18.400 --> 11:23.700 A new Faith, a new way of life, a new Eternal hope? 11:25.500 --> 11:27.100 There's no indication of that here. 11:29.400 --> 11:34.700 But then Matthew or rather Jesus throws us a curveball. 11:35.900 --> 11:40.100 The queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the 11:40.100 --> 11:45.600 judgment and will condemn it because she came from the ends of the 11:45.600 --> 11:48.700 Earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. 11:49.800 --> 11:52.200 How could this nameless 11:52.200 --> 11:59.500 Queen, not be our nameless Queen and who but God Saints will be 11:59.500 --> 11:59.900 rising 12:00.000 --> 12:02.800 be rising up to judge on the last day. 12:05.100 --> 12:10.200 It might be nothing but a bit of sentimentalism but maybe it's not too 12:10.200 --> 12:15.400 much of a stretch to believe that on the day when Christ appears in 12:15.400 --> 12:21.600 his full and complete Glory we will get to meet the ultimate mystery 12:21.600 --> 12:22.100 woman. 12:23.000 --> 12:28.000 And finally even learn the name of the Queen of Sheba. 12:30.600 --> 12:33.100 I think it's more than my curiosity 12:33.900 --> 12:34.900 that would like to know. 12:36.100 --> 12:40.100 There's something more than curiosity at work here and there's 12:40.100 --> 12:46.800 something more than a queen indeed, something greater than Solomon is 12:46.800 --> 12:47.100 here. 12:48.700 --> 12:56.400 Jesus is here, not a solver of problems or a giver of gifts. 12:57.500 --> 13:06.600 But Jesus, the glory of God. Jesus, the savior of Sinners. Jesus 13:06.600 --> 13:08.200 changer of lives. 13:09.200 --> 13:18.800 Jesus, the one who claims queens and you and me and binds us to Him 13:19.800 --> 13:20.800 and to one another 13:21.800 --> 13:22.400 forever. 13:23.800 --> 13:24.300 Amen.