Month: December 2013

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The Fullness of Time

Text: Galatians 4:1-7
Date: Christmas I + 12/29/13

The light of God’s Word has once again led us with angels and shepherds and, soon, wise men to the remembrance of the miracle of the arrival of the Christ, the world’s savior from sin. Some criticize all the other things and thoughts and “meanings” that have cropped up over the centuries, some which may cloud, hide or even eliminate the one, true meaning of the Christmas season. Yet there are many levels of the true joy of Christmas. Consider the birth of a brand new son, daughter, nephew, niece, grandson or granddaughter, and dare I add great-grands? The emotions of joy and thanksgiving especially for a Christian cannot and should not be ignored, denied or avoided. So our joy over especially the gift of our family complete with the almost magical joy of children amid the lights and gift giving and receiving can all be expressions of the joy of God’s gift of salvation, redemption from sin and death and adoption into the grander family of the faithful, reborn to new life in Christ. It was just plain fun watching granddaughter Annika (soon a year old) take in all the unusual activity around the Christmas tree on her first experience of Christmas Eve. Continue reading “The Fullness of Time”

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Glory Appeared

Text: Matthew 1:18-25
Date: Christmas Eve + 12/24/13

It is Saint Luke that reports the detail of the Christmas Eve appearance of a heavenly host of angels singing the Gloria in Excelsis, “Glory to God in the highest.” He paints a dramatic picture of angels and shepherds responding to the birth of the Christ child. Saint Matthew, on the other hand, narrates a “quieter” scene, if you will, a relatively silent night. The glory of this night doesn’t need a multitude of colored strobe lights pulsating to a reverberating rhythm track of eighty beats per minute. In Matthew’s account is no decree of Caesar Augustus, no crowds of hometown sojourners, no innkeeper and, as we said, no angels or shepherds. Well, there was one angel! In the scriptures angels tend to show up when you need more information than you can possibly know by merely observing the situation at hand. Joseph certainly needed more information! And so do we. Continue reading “Glory Appeared”

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He Came Down from Heaven

Text: Matthew 1:18-25
Date: Advent IV + 12/22/13

Come let us walk in the light of the Lord.

We are going to take advantage of an interesting wrinkle in the lectionary for this year as the exact same Gospel reading is appointed for both today, the Fourth Sunday in Advent, and for Christmas Eve, St. Matthew’s account, as he calls it, of “the birth of Jesus Christ.” On Christmas Eve we will marvel together at the glorious event of the birth of the Savior. Today, however, let us contemplate (as the Name Day of our congregation) the doctrine of The Incarnate Word. It is summarized in the Nicene Creed in the words, he “came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man.” We say those words every Sunday at every celebration of the Mass. It is an article of faith, faith initiated, inspired and worked in us by God the Holy Spirit through the divine revelation of God’s Word, the Bible. We will see on Christmas Eve how important this revelation was for the virgin’s husband, Joseph. Today we need to see how important this doctrine of the two natures of the Christ is for us. Continue reading “He Came Down from Heaven”

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A Thrilling Voice

Text: Matthew 11:2-15
Date: Advent III + 12/15/13

Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord, for the once blind eyes are being opened to see it and the deaf ears to hear the thrilling voice announcing the coming of the kingdom of God. We need this light and this voice because they are like no other. This light, as our brother John said, “shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). Or has it? Continue reading “A Thrilling Voice”

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The Leather Belt

Text: Matthew 3:4; Isaiah 11:5
Date: Advent II + 12/8/13

“Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Is 2:5). For God is searching us out and calling us out of the darkness of our sin and the dark prospect of our grave, calling us into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). That search and that call began already in the garden of Eden after sin had entered the picture. God searched for Adam, saying, “Adam, where are you?” (Gen 3:9), and He called to both of them promising a Savior and clothing them with forgiveness. So to this day God searches for every soul of His creation lost in the darkness of sin and calls to all to repent, believe and be saved. Continue reading “The Leather Belt”

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Walk in the Light

Text: Isaiah 2:1-5
Date: Advent I + 12/1/13

Shall we start another new year? Shall we do this all over again? Shall we like a battle-worn army continue to march, limping and hobbling, not only because of physical ailments but with all the signs and effects of sin, all forgiven of course, bandaged and supported by God’s grace, sin still hampering and weighing down our progress? Is it worth it? Oh, yes it is, and oh, yes we shall! For on this first Sunday of telling the whole story of God and His world again we continue to be drawn to a light like none other. Especially in a day when it seems the world is increasingly antagonistic toward God’s people—the increased ancient attacks of Islam, the political correctness of many who would rather eliminate anything, any word, any mention of God from the public square—especially in a day when the Christian Church seems to be becoming weaker and smaller and poorer in the unbelieving darkness around us, the prophet Isaiah shines a light, a hopeful light of the great reversal of things waiting for the last day when (believe it or not) all nations shall be attracted to God and shall flow into His dwelling like a river. Sound too good to be true? Then, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord. Continue reading “Walk in the Light”