²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, ²¹ and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

The people who heard this knew exactly what He meant.  Jesus quoted the opening verses of what today we refer to as Isaiah chapter 61.  (Note the reference to finding His way around the scroll.  At that time there were no chapters and verses as we know them now; that was a convenience first added in the 13^th Century.)

The passage Jesus referenced would have been as well-known to any Old Testament believer as John 3:16 is to us today.  In majestic and poetic terms these words describe the person and work of the Messiah – the Savior.  What would the Messiah do?  The Messiah/Savior would preach good news to those who knew their spiritual poverty.  The Messiah/Savior would provide freedom from the bondage of sin.  The Messiah/Savior would open the eyes of the spiritually blind so that they could see and understand the life-giving message of salvation.

But Jesus did more than read a familiar Messianic passage.  He applied it to Himself.  The wait was over, said Jesus.  That long promised Savior had arrived, said Jesus.  And I am He, said Jesus.  "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

We know from the rest of Luke’s account that Jesus had more to say, and that it wasn’t taken very well, prompting Him to utter the well known words: "No prophet is accepted in his hometown." Or, as the Evangelist John puts it in chapter one of his Gospel: "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive Him."  And we are struck by the sadness of their unbelief.  But we are gladdened at the contrast between us and them...

Because we are here today on this Unity Sunday because we have received Him.  By the power of the Holy Spirit we understand who Jesus is and what He has done for us.  We are ones who rejoice in the fact that we are freed from the damning consequences of our sin.  We are ones whose eyes have graciously been opened to see the truth of the Gospel.  We are ones who live in the year of the Lord’s favor, now and forever.  And God has a name for people like us.  What is it?

For the answer we return to the quote from Isaiah that Jesus applied to Himself.  In the Book of Isaiah it goes on a little longer and gives further insight to the Savior’s work.  Then it ends with God’s own declaration and description of those who trust in the Savior.  He says: "They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord, for the display of his splendor."

That’s us.  Ponder that statement deeply and its scope will take your breath away.  Within that sentence God answers all the big questions in life.  He gives us an identity, a history and a purpose.  What are believers?  "Oaks of righteousness"  – strong and firm in the righteousness of Christ.  Who is responsible for making us what we are?  God is, because we are "a planting of the Lord." And why do we exist?  "For the display of his splendor" – in other words, to give Him glory.

Another way of putting this: Believers are ROOTED AND GROWING. And that description applies to us both as individuals and as a congregation of believers known as St.  John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Wauwatosa.  We, as God’s people, are

ROOTED AND GROWING

1. Spiritually – in Christ

2. Physically – in our community

What does it mean to be rooted in Christ?  Several things.  Perhaps you noticed the bulletin cover this morning.  If you didn’t, I can tell you it’s an image and a theme we’ll be seeing quite a bit over the next several months as we see where God leads us in our Building Fund appeal.

You’ll notice that central to the image is a cross with roots.  To be rooted in Christ means first and foremost to be firmly rooted in the Gospel message.  And the Gospel message is all about the cross of Christ.

Over the years we have sanitized it in our imagery and jewelry, but the fact of the matter is the cross represents something terribly ugly and offensive and painful.  Historically, the cross didn’t appear as a symbol of faith until the fourth century, and only after the first Christian emperor, Constantine, banned it as a method of execution.  (C.S.  Lewis pointed out that the crucifixion did not become common in art until all who had seen a real one died off.) Jesus hanging on a cross is not a pretty picture.

But you know what is equally ugly, offensive and painful to God?  Our lust.  Our greed.  Our self-centeredness.  Our unforgiving spirits.  Our sin.  That, too, we can sanitize, rationalize, minimize and, at times, even glorify – and the world certainly does that.  But the fact remains: sin is an abomination to God.

Which makes the cross not a pretty picture, but a necessary picture.  Jesus was the solution for our sin.  And so on the cross the great exchange took place.  His holiness for our disobedience.  The cross is the culmination of His living perfectly in our place so we would not die eternally.  The cross is the altar where God’s perfect sacrifice took place in our behalf so we might live forever.  "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." God planted Jesus on the tree of the cross so we might become "oaks of righteousness," standing firm in our salvation.

So we understand the cross.  The cross means our forgiveness.  Our redemption.  Our new life.  As individual Christians and as St.  John’s Lutheran Church, we are steeply rooted in the cross of Christ.

And as we stay rooted in that Gospel message, we will grow.  The Christian life is often equated with a plant – it’s never in a holding pattern but either growing or dying.  Since we are "a planting of the Lord," how do we keep our roots nourished?  By drinking deeply from the Word.  A new series of Bible Classes begin next Sunday.  If you have not been in the habit of attending, I hope you will give doing so serious consideration.  Because these are our opportunities for spiritual nourishment.  These are our opportunities for sinking our roots down even farther than they are.  These are our opportunities for drawing into a closer relationship with Jesus than we already have.

Then, as we grow deeper and deeper in Christ, we increasingly fulfill the purpose for which God put us here on earth: to display his splendor.

I could give you any number of illustrations of Christians quietly going about their lives, making a difference, glorifying God through their words and actions.  I’m sure you could give me illustrations as well.  Such saints may not attract a lot of attention, but people notice as they display God’s splendor on a daily basis.  Such is the fruit of being rooted and growing.  Such is the desire God has for us.  And such is the desire we have, out of love for God.

Allow me to now take this theme to another level.  Let’s move from the spiritual to the physical.  The idea of rooted and growing also has application for us as church in the Wauwatosa Community.

Some of you may know the story.  Desirous of doing mission work and encouraged by several pastors, it was late in 1881 that a seminary student by the name of William Rader began to visit Lutheran families in the village of Wauwatosa.  Things developed quickly, and on January 22, 1882, the first service was held in a room above the old city hall.  After that service ten men declared their willingness to organize a congregation.  The Sunday after, 14 more were ready to join them.  And so on January 29, 1882, St.  John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Wauwatosa was born.  Recognizing the importance of Christian education, a school was started shortly thereafter.

Think about this.  For almost 120 years now, St.  John’s Lutheran has been deeply rooted in the Wauwatosa community.

And under God’s grace and guidance, St.  John’s grew.  By 1889 the membership was reported at 188, making it probably the largest church in town at time.  The first school was built and quickly outgrown, so another one was built.  In 1929 – in the heart of the depression – our St.  John’s forefathers erected the beautiful church building we worship in to this day.  In 1957, another school was built...

And now, as we grow in our own spiritual community as well as reach out to the community in which we’ve been planted, the Lord presents St.  John’s with another challenge.  Soon we will be embarking on another journey of faith...  Soon the Lord will provide us who are rooted and growing in Him the blessed opportunity to show our love, our commitment, our understanding of the importance of preserving the Gospel history handed down to us to the generations that will follow us...  In short order, the Lord will give us – His oaks of righteousness, His planting – the chance through a building project to display his splendor to a watching community...

And if we are unified in our resolve, and if we respond with even the slightest corresponding amount of passion toward Him that Jesus showed toward us, God’s splendor will be displayed among us.

So I ask that we pray for the effort we are about to mount.  Pray not that we’ll raise a certain amount of money or that people will be generous; pray mostly that God will be glorified.  Pray that as God’s people at this place and time we understand our place in history and seize the opportunity to do for future generations what past generations have done for us.  Pray that we will not just accept the mission God is placing in front of us, but embrace it.

Above all, pray especially that we as individuals and a congregation will always remain rooted and growing in the Gospel message, because then everything God wishes to accomplish through us will come easily and naturally.

We can boil it down to this, and on this note we will conclude on this second Unity Sunday.  Simply pray that we always see ourselves as God sees us: "Oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord," who exist "for the display of His splendor." Amen.