No sermon to post today as we were privileged to have Seminarian Brett Witmer as our Guest Preacher today. We'll be back next Sunday for the Epiphany of Our Lord.
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Christmas Day Sermon
Jesu Juva
“The Word Is Everything”
Text: John 1:1-14; Hebrews 1:1-6; Isaiah 52:7-10
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
In the beginning was the Word. In the end will be the Word. And in between is the Word. For the Word is God. The eternal God who is without beginning and without ending. The almighty God through whom all things are made, exist, and are upheld by the word of his power. The living God who gives life to all things. If He did not, they would not be. We would not be.
And today we remember, celebrate, and rejoice that this God, this Word, became flesh. Our flesh. The God of all entered our world, our story, as one of us. Because if He didn’t, life would have no meaning, no purpose. We would have no hope. The sin which consumes us here would consume us forever.
But our loving Father would not have that. His Word tells us so. His Word that is spoken to us, yes, but also His Word made flesh - the baby lying in the manger. They say that actions speak louder than words. That a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, look at the action of God in the manger. Look at that picture. And hear God saying to you how much He loves you. Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but all those ways pale in comparison to this one. That in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. And the message is loud and clear: the Lord has bared his holy arm. That is, He has rolled up His sleeves to fight for us. To fight sin, to fight death, to fight the devil. To fight these enemies that are too powerful for us. And win.
Now usually, we don’t think of winning and losing at Christmas. Or if we do, it’s about who gets the best gifts! Well, the winner is you. For as we heard last night, unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11). Today, you have received the greatest gift of all: the Son of God. This gift that makes men and angels sing, shepherds and wise men worship, and demons rage.
Oh, you didn’t think it was going to be all good news, did you? John told us today that there are those who do not receive Jesus, do not welcome Him, want nothing to do with Him. Perhaps they simply ignore Him, think Him irrelevant, or find Him annoying. But not the demons. They rage. For them, Christmas is D-Day - the day the enemy has invaded their territory. And they are not going to stand idly by. They’re going to get the big guns out against Him. But they will fail. He will do what He came to do. Not only be born for you, but shed His blood for you, making purification for the sin of the world on the cross. All your sin included. That you receive the gift not only of Him, but of His forgiveness. That you be a child of God.
Which is good, right? Except as a child of God, the devil’s guns are now pointed at you. And this time of year, the weapon he often uses with great effect is disappointment. Disappointment with how Christmas has turned out. Disappointment with how this year has turned out. Disappointment with how your life has turned out. Just look at all those other people and how happy they are. God must not love you as much as you think. You must be a disappointment to Him. You must not really be a child of God after all. And how easily disappointment can turn into despair and hopelessness.
That’s one of the reasons why Christmas is so important. That you see again how much God does love you! That you see again the action of God in the manger for you. That you look again at that picture of His love for you. That you hear the song of the angels again, and hear the testimony of John - that the Word was made flesh. Your flesh. Because your Father is not disappointed in you. The Son of God really becomes a child of man so that you can really be a child of God. He descends to you so that you will ascend to Him and dwell with Him forever.
And so the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He dwelled. Lived. Grew. Learned. Just like us, only without sin. But He dwelled with us. Jesus’ incarnation wasn’t like going to the dentist - get it over with as fast as you can! - He dwelled with us. He wanted to be here. And with those the world would consider disappointments and burdens - the sick, the weak, the outcast, the sinner, the low and despised. He wanted to be with them. To save. The devil uses that as proof that He’s not much of a God if that’s who He hanging out with. But in reality, it’s proof that He is a greater God than we could imagine. A God not just for the high and mighty, the rich and popular, the easy-to-like-and-love - but for you and me and all people.
And this doesn’t demean Him - this is His glory. This is the glory John and the others saw. A glorious God who doesn’t glory in His glory! But who comes to the least and the lowest to serve. To bare His holy arm and get to work. He comes full of grace and truth - His gifts. For you.
And this Word that became flesh and dwelt among us is dwelling among us still. No longer wrapped in swaddling clothes, but in things just as humble today - water, words, and bread and wine. To wash you, absolve you, and feed you. With Himself and His blood-bought forgiveness. That your sin separate you from Him and from others no more. That the darkness of death hold no fear for you who live in His light. And that the attacks of the evil ones fail. Their lies extinguished by His truth. Their sorrow overcome by the joy of His forgiveness and life. Their temptations foiled by His strength. The strength of the baby lying in the manger. The glorious strength of a God who is born as one of us.
So perhaps you have some sadness this Christmas. Maybe it isn’t all joy and gladness for you this year. Maybe the troubles and struggles of life just won’t go away. That happens in this world and life. And Christmas can’t make it go away. Or for at best, just a couple of days. But that’s been true of every Christmas, even the very first one. It wasn’t easy. The good news is: that’s exactly what Christmas is for! An imperfect world and imperfect people. To receive the gift of Christ, and know that with Him, we need nothing else.
We’ll sing that in just a moment, actually:
The world may hold Her wealth and gold;
But Thou, my heart, keep Christ as thy true treasure.
To Him hold fast Until at last
A crown by thine and honor in full measure (LSB #372 v. 6).
In the beginning was the Word. And in the end will be the Word. And in between is the Word. For the Word is everything. Jesus is everything. The love of God in action for you. Which come to think of it, is a pretty good definition of Christmas: the love of God in action for you. Love that we receive, and love that we get to share. The love that Merry Christmases are all about.
In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Christmas Eve Sermon
Jesu Juva
“Singing with the Angels Songs of Great Joy”
Text: Luke 2:1-20; Titus 2:11-14
(A gentle re-working from yesteryear . . .)
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Tonight we remember something that is very simple and that happens everyday – the birth of a baby.
Tonight, however, we also remember and celebrate something very profound, that has only and will only happen but once in the history of our world – that this night, the almighty and eternal God was born a man.
For it was not just the birth of another baby that caused the heavenly host of Angels from the Realms of Glory (LSB #367) to sing out in joy. It was the birth of the Son of God. It was the working of God in fulfillment of His promises. His promises that He would not abandon His creation to the ravages of sin and death, but would come to take those very abominations upon Himself. That in order to save us, He would sacrifice Himself.
And so He comes, all the way down to our depths. Coming from the highest bliss Down to such a world as this (LSB #373 v3). Far as the curse is found (LSB #387 v. 3). To Royal David’s City (LSB #376), the Little Town of Beth-lehem (LSB #361), which when translated from the Hebrew means “House of Bread,” for He is the Bread of Life. He is laid in a manger, the animals’ feed trough, for His body and blood will be our food. And all this He does not consider humiliating or demeaning, but the greatest honor. For He has not come to be honored by us, but to honor us. Not to be served by us, but to serve us. To lift us up and exalt us. To make us sons and daughters of God.
And so we, tonight, take our place – beside the animals, the shepherds, and the angels – and wonder. Wonder what kind of love would do this for you and me? That the Creator would become a creature. The Ancient of Days has become a child. The One who feeds all creation must be fed by His mother. The Law-giver becomes the Law-fulfiller. And the One who sought out Adam after his sin, now seeks us out – not as sovereign ruler, come to accuse and punish, but as brother and friend, come to comfort and give peace. Come to take our condemnation and in exchange give us His forgiveness. To take our death in exchange for His life. And to take our cross in exchange for His salvation.
That is why the angels sang that night - the choirs of angels singing in exultation (LSB #379 v. 3). And that is why we Sing We Now Rejoice (LSB #386) this night. The carols and hymns that we love so much. The carols and hymns that speak of the wonders of His love (LSB #387 v. 4) and tell the story of our Saviour’s birth. The story that we know so well, and yet never grow tired of hearing. Which is good, for on this story rests eternity. For had not this birth taken place, then also His death would not have taken place. And had not His death taken place, then His resurrection would not have taken place. And had not His resurrection taken place, then neither would our resurrection. This short and sinful life would be all there is for us. Death would be the end, the grave our final resting place, and the only thing living on about our life what we chose to put on our tombstone.
But because of tonight, because of this new life wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, we have new life. This life is not all there is, but only a prelude to the life of eternity in Heaven. Death now is only sleep, the grave now only a portal, and Paradise is open. Open to sinners like you and me. Open to the unworthy made worthy. And the angels who in tears and sadness had to evict the man and woman from Paradise in the beginning, now return in joy and gladness to announce the good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For God is doing wonder-full things! And He is doing them for you.
And you see, that’s the most important thing about Christmas. That the Son of God is here for you. He didn’t just come for the world; He didn’t just come for “sinners” in general; He came for you. That you might be His own. To restore you to the place of dignity and honor for which He created you. Your fall into sin is great, but His salvation even greater. That, as we heard in the reading from Titus, you might live no longer the old way of life – which is really not life at all, but the way of sin and death – and now live a new life. A life not of selfishness and shame, but of faith, hope, and love. A life with purpose and meaning. Life as a child of God. That just as the Son of God was born this night as a child of man, so we children of men might be born again as sons of God. Born again in Holy Baptism. Born again, never to die.
And so it is not only the birth of Jesus, Son of Mary and Son of God, that we gather to celebrate this night, but also our new birth that His birth made possible. For we celebrate this night not just because of what God did – but what He did for us. Because He didn’t have to, but He really, really wanted to.
And so the angels sang, and so we sing. How can we not?
Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the sun of righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give us second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
(LSB #380 v. 3)
In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
The Congregation at Prayer
For the Week of Advent 4 (December 23-28, 2019)
Invocation: In the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Speak the Apostles’ Creed.
Verse: Galatians 4:4-5 - “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
Hymn of the Week: Lutheran Service Book #389 “Let All Together Praise Our God”
Readings for the Week: [The readings for Thursday-Saturday are the Scriptures for this coming Sunday.]
Monday: Titus 3:4-7
How is the entire Christmas story about “the goodness and loving kindness of God?”
Tuesday: Luke 2:1-20
How did the shepherds act like the angels after they saw Jesus? How about you?
Wednesday: John 1:1-14
Jesus is born of man that we might be born of God. Ponder that wonder today.
Thursday: Isaiah 63:7-14
How is God always saving His people? Why?
Friday: Galatians 4:4-7
How are you a son of God? What were you before? What changed? What can you now do?
Saturday: Matthew 2:13-23
Who’s in charge of history – God or man? Why is this a good reminder for us in our challenging times?
The Catechism - The Lord’s Prayer: The Sixth Petition – And lead us not into temptation. What does this mean? God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, or other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.
The Prayers: Please pray for . . .
+ yourself and for all in need (remembering especially those on our prayer list).
+ a blessed and joyous celebration not just of Christmas, but of Christ’s birth, for all people.
+ God’s blessing, wisdom, and guidance for our congregation’s Deaf Ministry Advisory Committee.
+ the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Paraguay, for God’s blessing, guidance, and provision.
+ God’s blessing, guidance, and provision for Lutheran World Relief and Human Care.
Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer and Luther’s Morning or Evening Prayer from the Catechism.
Now joyfully go about your day (or to bed) in good cheer, child of God!
Advent 4 Sermon
Jesu Juva
“God with Us”
Text: Isaiah 7:10-17; Matthew 1:18-25; Romans 1:1-7
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
God with us. That’s how it was meant to be. How God created things. For Him to be with His children. That’s what He expected as He walked in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). But something had gone horribly wrong. His children no longer wanted Him there with them. They hid from Him. They were scared of Him. They had ruined everything. They had sinned. And so God with us . . . that was no longer good news.
Except it still was. They just didn’t know it. Adam and Eve didn’t know, couldn’t yet comprehend, how great God’s love for them was. There were consequences for their sin, yes. Things would be difficult now, yes. There would be strife in their marriage, strife in their family, strife between them and God - yes, yes, and yes. But God was not leaving, or giving up on us. God with us was still good news. For when He found them, He made them a promise - of a Saviour.
There were times, though, when it didn’t seem like it - that God was still with us. All those years Abraham was waiting for a son. All those years Israel had to live in Egypt, many of them as slaves. When David had to flee for his life when his king and then his son wanted to kill him. When foreign nations and their armies came in and conquered Israel in battle. When they were hauled off as prisoners of war. Was God still with them? It sure didn’t seem like it.
But He was. Abraham receives his promised son. Israel is preserved and then rescued from Egypt. David is protected. God’s people are disciplined, but never forsaken. God is hidden, maybe. But God is with them.
You know what that’s like. The wondering, the doubting, the guilt, the fear, the but-its-taking-so-long . . . the maybe God’s not with me anymore . . . Maybe I’ve done too much, gone too far, left Him for my sin too much, used up my chances . . . But as God is in the past, He is with you and for you. It is satan who wants you to think God is not with you or for you; that you’re too far gone, that you’re too sinful. But Christmas is the story, the message, the proof, that what satan wants you to believe is just wishful thinking on his part. For at Christmas we hear again that God is not far away, but near. That He, in fact, joins Himself to your very flesh and blood. And that He does so exactly because you’re too far gone, too sinful - so He come to do something about that. To go to the cross for that. So God is with us, as the angel told Joseph, to save you from your sins.
And so a virgin conceives. Joseph, her betrothed, wants to divorce her; has actually resolved to do so. The decision has been made. It is just the carrying out that needs to be done. A matter of time. A matter of just days or perhaps hours. Maybe tomorrow. And maybe Mary herself is wondering: Where is God when you need Him . . . ? But He is there. Of course He is there. He is inside her. But also watching over her.
So an angel comes to Joseph that very night. And explains to him God with us. This conception is from the Holy Spirit. And the child is God with us. So you shall call his name Jesus for He is the promised Saviour. You see, Joseph, you are not being asked to bear your wife’s sin; she, rather, is carrying the one who will bear your sin! Who is now here to save you and all the world. The fulfillment of the promises made to Adam and Eve, Abraham, David, and through the prophets. He is here, Joseph! In Mary. And you will care for Him who cares for you.
A reasonable man might have just chalked up such a dream to too much drink or hot food the night before - gave me some messed up dreams! But a man of the Word, who knows God’s Word and promises, who knows that what God says, God does, believes. He takes his wife. And though Matthew doesn’t say so, I think he does so filled with joy! I don’t know if we give Joseph enough credit. Mary gets most of the press. But if he believed, which he did, how could he not but be filled with joy? True, this wasn’t going to be easy, but God is with us. With him, Joseph. Here, in Mary. And soon, lying in a manger.
So Joseph is a good teacher for us, as a man of the Word. To be people of the Word. People who know the Word, believe the Word, rely on the Word, and rejoice in the Word. And not just the Word written and preached, but as we remember especially this Christmas season now almost upon us, the Word made flesh. Which is also what the written and preached Word is all about. This birth at the center of time and history. This birth that changed everything. Not just for Mary and Joseph, but for the world. This birth the proof not only that God is with us, but that He will never divorce us. If He were going to, He would have! Instead, He became one flesh with us. He takes our body and blood. This child conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and named Jesus by His legal-but-not-biological-father Joseph, is God and man in one flesh. United. Forever.
United to you, that you be united to Him. For so the Word of God teaches us. For so has God promised us. That Jesus is here for you. That you are loved by God and called to be saints. And so, as Paul told the Romans, there is grace and peace for you. In Jesus. In His Word. His Word that forgave your sins and made you His child in Holy Baptism. Where by water and His Word you were born in Him, born again, born from above. And so God with you.
God with you when everything is going well.
God with you when everything is going not so well.
God with you in joy.
God with you in sadness.
God with you at the beginning of life.
God with you at the end of life.
God with you when you’re strong.
God with you when you’re weak.
God with you when you’re confused.
God with you when you think you know.
God with you when He seems close.
God with you when He seems a million miles away.
God with you when you have much.
God with you when you have little.
God with you in danger.
God with you in ease.
God with you in times of blessing.
God with you in times of adversity.
God with us. There may not be a better phrase that sums up Christmas than that. Take away the gifts, the family, the joy, the lights, the carols, the trees, the cards, and you still have God with us. Not to scold us but to save us. Not to teach us about life but to give us life. Not to demand from us but to give to us. To give Himself to us.
That meant something for Mary. She was now going to be a mother. That meant something for Joseph. His life was forever changed, with a wife and son to now care for. And it means something for you, too. For your life.
You see, from the Old Testament to the New Testament, from BC to AD, there was continuity, but also a great change. From before the angels came to Mary and Joseph to after, there was continuity, but also a great change. From Jesus crucified to Jesus resurrected, there was continuity, but also a great change. So too from your old to new, from not baptized to baptized child of God, there is continuity, but also a great change. Your life is the same, yet different. You are still a child of man, but now also a child of God. God with you. And that means something. Your life is now changed.
So the same old sins? Not who you are. God is with you. The same old fears? Not who you are. God is with you. The same old loves? Not who you are. God is with you. The same old story of your life? Not who you are. God is with you. You’re the same, but different. God is with you.
So now maybe you don’t fit in with the world and its thinking. Maybe your life isn’t easy or convenient. Maybe that’s a good thing. So how is it - God with you? How is He working in you? How is He using you? How is He changing you? How is He blessings others through you? How is He loving the old out of your life, so that you be who you now are? New. God with you.
I’m sure, as you look at your life, there’s plenty of room for repentance, and plenty of need for forgiveness. I’m sure, too, that there’s plenty of room for praise. As I’m sure there has been and continues to be a lot of grace and peace, too. For that’s how it is with God with you. That’s how it is as you come to the altar - there is repentance, there is forgiveness, there is gift, there is grace and peace, and there is praise. For God is with you here. God is for you here. The Body and Blood of God placed into you, fed to you. How could you not be changed?
And so how it was meant to be, God has made it again. God is with us. In Adam there was a great change. In Jesus, an even greater one. And what was lost has been restored, and more. More than you could ever imagine.
This Christmas, think about that. God with us. God with you. God one of us, now and forever. Things the same, yet forever different. The same you yet different you. You baptized into Jesus. Jesus fed into you. God is man, man to deliver (LSB #360 v. 2). Or an the angels said to the shepherds (and as we will hear on Tuesday night): Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).
Good news and great joy indeed! Promise fulfilled. God with us.
In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Advent 3 Midweek Sermon
Jesu Juva
“The Redemption of God in the Manger”
Text: Isaiah 52:7-10; Luke 2:25-38; Ephesians 1:1-10
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
In this world, you redeem yourself. You mess up, you make it right. The husband who forgets his anniversary brings home flowers. The child who disobeyed brings mom breakfast in bed. And even if the action isn’t equivalent to the infraction, love accepts the gesture and things are good again. But if love is not there, it won’t work. The wronged one will demand much more in return. And likely will not forget what happened, in case it is useful in the future.
Redemption is hard. It is humbling. It is admitting that you were wrong and trying to make things right again. Easier - and so the path more taken - is denial, or excuse. I didn’t do it! or, She made me do it! seems better. For me at least. But not for the wronged one. So Adam blames Eve . . . and God. And Eve blames the serpent . . . and God. And the serpent just smiles at the destruction he has caused: the breakdown of love.
God could have demanded redemption. Adam and Eve messed up - make it right! But they could not possibly do so. Their efforts would be too small, and their sin was too great. Its consequences earth-shattering. Literally. Besides, a world created in love could only be redeemed by love. A love Adam and Eve no longer had. But the God who is love, did.
And so God, instead of demanding redemption, promised it. In a stunning turn of event, the wronged one would pay the price for the wrong-doers. The wronged one would make things right again. Because He was the only one who could. And His love would let Him do no less. The alternative was to lose His children forever. Give them over to their sin and death. Something a heavenly Father could not do.
So God promises a Redeemer. At first, the promise was quite vague. But over the years, it became more and more clear. A descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. From the tribe of Judah. A son of David. Born in little town of Bethlehem. And when, finally, the angels sang to the shepherds, they pointed to the child in the manger. There is the love of God. There is the Redeemer - your Redeemer - in the manger. You messed up, but He is making it right - making you right - with God again.
No wonder the prophet Isaiah gushes as he does in the words we heard tonight. These are not the calm, measured words of a news reporter - these are the excited words of one who has seen and received a gift greater than he could have ever imagined. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings [this] good news! The watchmen are singing! Singing for joy! (Not something watchmen usually do!) Even the waste places of Jerusalem he tells to sing. Because the Lord has bared His holy arm. He has rolled up His sleeves and did His work. He has redeemed Jerusalem. But not just Jerusalem. All the nations, all the ends of the earth, he says, shall see the salvation of our God. For all throughout the Old Testament, God was watching over Israel for this reason: for the Redeemer of the world to come from them, as He had promised. And when Isaiah catches a glimpse of it, a prophetic vision 700 years before it happens, he cannot contain himself!
Very much like Simeon and Anna in the Temple in Jerusalem. Simeon had been promised that he would not see death before seeing the Lord’s Christ - the promised Redeemer; the one who would set things right with God again. And so when he does, he cannot contain himself. He takes up Jesus in his arms - from His probably-very-startled mother! - and breaks out in praise. Anna, too, from that very hour begins to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. And not just Jerusalem, but beginning at Jerusalem and going out into all the world.
To you and me today. That is why for us, for the church, the path taken is not one of denial or excuse for our wrongdoing, for our sin, but confession. I did it. It is my fault. For God’s love has changed things. It has changed everything. So we need no longer blame or deny, or think that we have to somehow, some way, redeem ourselves and make ourselves right with God again. It is finished, Jesus said. And it is. Because of the Redeemer in the manger, who went to the cross for your sin and shed His blood for you. Which is what Paul told the Ephesians and reminded them of in his letter to them, that in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us. Lavished indeed. Grace upon grace. Gift upon gift. Forgiveness that never ends. The redemption of God for the sin of the world, from the beginning of time to the end of time. For you. To, as Paul went on to say, unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. To unite. To overcome and restore the divison cause by sin and the breakdown of love.
And so like Isaiah, and like Simeon and Anna, and I suspect Paul, too - now it is joy for us! Not denial and blame, but thanks and praise. That what we could not and could never do, the Son of God did for us. From manger to cross, from life to death to life again. A world created in love has been redeemed in love. The love of God. His perfect love. There it is on display for all the world to see.
Or this is how one Lutheran Pastor put it, writing in the early 20th century:
What an exceptional proof of Your love You have given me by such a gift! For my sake, You caused Your only-begotten Son, the Son of Your love, Your only Child, to become a human man, that as a man He might be able to suffer torture, scourging, stripes, and even death, and thereby render satisfaction to You . . . and redeem . . . me. If some great man of this world were to sacrifice his most beautiful ring, his most valuable jewels, his choicest treasure, to save some wretched human being from his misery and make him happy, such an act would be admired and praised everywhere as an instance of the highest dgree of man’s love for man. If a king were to deliver one of his sons into captivity to obtain release of some prisoner of lesser rank from his chains and dungeon, people would imagine that they could not sufficiently extol and praise the love of such a monarch for his subjects. And yet, all this is as nothing in comparison with the love that You have shown to the children of men by clothing Your beloved Son in [our] flesh and blood, by sending Him in the fullness of time as a man into this world. . . . Your love has no equal - it passes all understanding! We can do nothing but humbly thank You, praise You, and magnify You.*
Like Isaiah, Simeon, Anna, Paul, and countless Christians across the centuries, upon seeing with the eyes of faith, the promise fulfilled, redemption accomplished, and the waiting done. Yes, God is in the manger.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
[* Starck’s Prayer Book: Revised Concordia Edition, trans. and ed. by W.H.T. Dau, rev. by William Weedon (Saint Louis: Concordia, 2009), p 52-53.]
Sunday, December 15, 2019
The Congregation at Prayer
For the Week of Advent 3 (December 16-21, 2019)
Invocation: In the Name of the Father and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Speak the Apostles’ Creed.
Verse: Psalm 130:5 - “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”
Hymn of the Week: Lutheran Service Book #357 “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
Readings for the Week: [The readings for Thursday-Saturday are the Scriptures for this coming Sunday.]
Monday: Psalm 24
Who is this King of glory? How do both answers tell us something different about Jesus?
Tuesday: Luke 1:39-56
How did Mary “magnify the Lord” in her life? How might you?
Wednesday: John 20:24-29
Commemoration of St. Thomas, Apostle. Why is remembering Thomas right before Christmas so appropriate?
Thursday: Isaiah 7:10-17
The Lord promises deliverance to Israel. How did Jesus fulfill this promise and sign?
Friday: Romans 1:1-7
According to these verses, who is Paul? Who is Jesus? Why do both do what they do?
Saturday: Matthew 1:18-25
Why do you think the angel reminds Joseph that he is “son of David?” What would this put in Joseph’s mind?
The Catechism - The Lord’s Prayer: The Fifth Petition – And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. What does this mean? We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, not have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.
The Prayers: Please pray for . . .
+ yourself and for all in need (remembering especially those on our prayer list).
+ safe and easy travel for all on the road for the holidays.
+ God’s blessing, wisdom, and guidance for our congregation’s Building Committee.
+ the Lutheran Synod of Mexico, for God’s blessing, guidance, and provision.
+ God’s blessing, guidance, and provision for the Higher Things youth organization.
Conclude with the Lord’s Prayer and Luther’s Morning or Evening Prayer from the Catechism.
Now joyfully go about your day (or to bed) in good cheer, child of God!
Advent 3 Sermon
Jesu Juva
“Yes! He Is the One”
Text: Matthew 11:2-15; Isaiah 35:1-10;
James 5:7-11; Philippians 4:4 (Introit)
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?
The Jewish leaders said no. You, Jesus, are not the one. The Romans said no. We have our own gods. Philosophers and scientists through the ages have said no. We have our own answers to the questions of life and death. But for twenty centuries now, the Church has answered yes! Jesus is the one. Jesus is the one who was, who is, and who is to come. The eternal God. The promised Saviour. Come to save us.
And the Church has taken this message into the world. To the Jew, the Greek, and the Romans. To the people of the North. She went to the cultures of the East and the people of Africa. With just this message. One message for all peoples of every age. Unchangeable, as He is unchanging.
The world changes though. Races come and go, people come to life and people die. Philosophies change, worldviews change, new religions arise, science makes new discoveries. And it seems like change is happening now more rapidly than ever before. But the message of the Church is always the same. Jesus is the one. He came and is coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and whose kingdom will have no end. Some scoff at that message, some accept it, but that is the message.
Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?
This is a question that you, too, must reckon with, must answer. It is a matter of life and death. How you will live now and die now, and whether you will live forever.
It is the question asked in the Holy Gospel today by, perhaps, a most unexpected man: John the Baptist. John, the great forerunner of the Christ. John, who baptized the Christ. John, who saw the heavens opened, a dove descend upon Jesus, and heard a voice from heaven proclaim: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17). So . . . is John now wavering? Second guessing? Doubting?
If so, we could understand that. We waver, second-guess, and doubt for a lot less in our lives than the prison John was languishing in. Or perhaps John was asking this question for the benefit of his disciples - so they would know and not doubt. Or maybe it was for both them and him. He does ask, after all, shall WE look for another? Are you the one . . . ?
And who else is asking that very question today? Surely many people. A homeless person crying for help. A struggling single mother. The mourner who just lost a loved one. The cry of the one in prison. The wounded soldier suffering from PTSD. The elderly in a nursing home. The lonely in a barren and empty home. The child suffering the physical and emotional scars of abuse. The spouse whose marriage is falling apart. The addict losing his fight against his addiction. And who else? Who would you add to this list? People and places the church needs to go today? And where are you in it?
Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?
This is an important question. And not just the question of Advent, but the question of our lives. The question of life and death.
Jesus answers with the words of Isaiah the prophet: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. These were the signs, according to Isaiah, that God had come to save. They weren’t the saving, but the signs. That God had come with venegance and recompense - or in other words, payback. To afflict what afflicts us. To ravage what ravages us. To slay what slays us. The overcome the sin and death in us and in the world.
And so it must be. For where God is, there is life. And so in Jesus, life is breaking into this world of sin and death. A new world is beginning . . . but is not yet.
But that’s what we want. Now. That’s what we hope for. Now. A new world. Now. New life. Now. No more sin and death. Now. Progress, perfection, peace on earth. Now. Now!
But if all we’re looking for are the answers to the problems of the world now, science will do. If all we’re looking for is how we can make things right among us, perhaps some philosophy can do that. If all we’re looking for is wisdom and answers to what we want to know, there are lots of teachers and wise men in this world to turn to. If all we’re looking for is peace, then we’ll just try to coexist and not offend anyone.
But if you’re looking for life, real life, a new life, a life not in the things of this world but a life that transcends them, and the hope of a life that continues through death, there’s one only who can do that. Who came to do that. And who did that. Who, as Isaiah said, ransomed us from all that is afflicting us and holding us captive.
Now, that word ransom . . . whenever I hear that word I think of dramas I’ve seen on TV where someone is kidnapped or held captive and a ransom is demanded to get them back. The person being held hostage is scared and frightened and maybe even being knocked around a bit. And sometimes, one hostage is exchanged for another; a substitute goes in and the captive is set free.
Are you the one, Jesus, who is coming to do this for us, or shall we look for another?
The answer to that question is ultimately given us on the cross. For there we see our substitute. There we see the Son of God exchanged for us. To become captive for the captives. He is knocked around more than a bit - He is crushed with our sin and death, and we are set free. What Jesus did before this, with the blind, the deaf, the lame, the leper, the dead, and the poor - all were signs of this that He had come to do. They weren’t the saving, the rescuing. They were smaller freedoms to point to the greater ransom He had come to pay. With Himself. His own born of a virgin, laid in a manger, flesh and blood.
Sometimes, all we are looking for, though, are the smaller freedoms, the smaller gifts. The things we can see. The things that we want here and now. But Jesus has come to provide the greater. A good life now, a Merry Christmas, is not enough for Him. If that is all you want, Jesus is not the one. Look for another.
But if you want more than that . . . something greater, there is no other who can give that to you. In this world, there is a ceiling. There is only so high you can climb, so much you can have; you can only be so great. And among those born of women - that is to say, all of us! - there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist, Jesus said. That’s your ceiling. He is the greatest. And he is in prison.
But the one who is born again, born from above - that is to say, all who are baptized! - is greater. For you there is no ceiling. For the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John; is greater than any greatness we see or can have in this world. For Jesus traded His life for yours, which makes you pretty valuable and great. Greater than any great you could ever achieve.
And that is yours now. You are a citizen of heaven now. But traveling still. On a pilgrimage. You’re traveling in a world with war, with great and grievous sin, with prison, impeachment, with hatred and violence. A world that is often harsh, frequently unfair, and not easy to live in. But though in this world, you are not of this world. Your baptism is your passport. That is who you truly are. A citizen a heaven. A child of God.
For God judges great very differently than we do. This we must learn. And when we know the great of heaven and not just the great of this world, then there is joy. The joy of sins forgiven. The joy that death is not the end of a short and sorry life. Joy in good times and difficult times. The kind of joy Isaiah described. Joy that not just people have, but all of creation has. Because of the coming one. Who comes into this world of death with His life. This world of sin with His forgiveness. This world of darkness with His light. This world of sadness with His joy. And He says: for you. Take, eat, and drink. Hark the Glad Sound! (LSB #349) Be washed. Fear not.
That is our joy this day. And so we lit the rose-colored candle on the Advent Wreath - the joy candle. To remind us that the answer to John’s question - Are you the coming one? - is a resounding, yes! And He is our coming one. Coming again, in glory, when our pilgrimage ends.
But even now He comes. For, Jesus’ brother James tells us, the coming of the Lord is at hand. Near. As near as the preaching that hits your ears, the water that splashes on your head, and the bread and wine placed into your mouth. Hidden, here and now, as He was in the days of John. But the signs were there. And the signs are here. And He is coming soon.
Until then, James says, be patient. There is growing still to do. The Word is still at work, in you and in the world. Establish your hearts in Him, in His Word. Deep roots in His Word, so that the storms of life cannot uproot you. Do not be offended by Jesus, or embarassed by Him. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Not because your life is easy or you have what you want now, but because your Lord rejoices in you. And is coming for you. See Him in the manger, on the cross, and here (altar). Look for no other.
In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[Some of the thoughts and words in this sermon from Herman Sasse, “Sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent” (1933) in Witness: Sermons Preached in Erlangen and Congregational Lectures, trans. by Bror Erickson (Saginaw, MI: Magdeburg Press, 2013), p 56-68.]
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