Text: Matthew 1:18-25
Date: Christmas Eve + 12/24/14
Christmas is the annual celebration and proclamation of the incarnation, the nativity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Because He is unique—unique in Person and in purpose—His birth needs to be explained, Christmas needs to be explained. It needs to be explained because the whole idea is wrought with human misunderstanding. It needs to be explained or rather enlightened because God is here revealing His truth, will and purpose. Finally, it needs to be explained in order that it might result in a faithful, trusting response from those who hear it. Continue reading “The Royal Birth”
We are approaching the great mystery of the incarnation of God. The mystery is that in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth resides two natures; of one with us in His humanity yet above us and at one with the Father in His deity. Many who dismiss this mystery as nothing but a myth have not and do not stop to ponder at all what was really going on here in the Son of Mary. Indeed, to what extent did even Mary herself understand? Nevertheless when the angel Gabriel announced to her that she would bear a son, a very special son by the power of the Holy Spirit without a human father, she does not say, “I can’t believe it;” she does not object but says, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And that response is as much a miracle as what was happening in her body at that moment. For, as Martin Luther maintained, the Virgin Mary conceived through her ears, that is, by the power of the Word spoken by the angel. She was still a virgin, yet in that instant she became Theotokos, the Mother of God!
So on this last Sunday in Advent we prepare for the celebration of Christmas. The true celebration, however, is in your response to the Word spoken into your ears. No, you will not miraculously conceive a child, but rather faith, the gift and creation of God through the Word in your heart and mind. How do we know you have this gift of faith? The apostle Paul today says that the good news, the gospel of salvation is given to you “to bring about the obedience of faith.”
Faith is not mere knowledge or even a vague hope based on only an emotional religious hunch. “Faith,” says Luther, “is an active, busy thing.” So what is your faith moving you to do?
If you said, “believe,” that’s the correct beginning of the answer. Paul speaks of God as “Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ.” Saving faith is given to those who hear about Jesus Christ. And what about Jesus Christ? Well, first and last, He is the Son of God. He was in the beginning and all things were created through Him. This is not a junior, minor or secondary god, but the one, eternal God Himself; God Himself now in the flesh. So He is also the Son of Mary of Nazareth, of the house and lineage of the great King David according to the promise spoken through Nathan the prophet, saying, “the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house…and your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.”
Well, David died as all mankind dies. But the promise of his kingdom did not die with
him but reached its goal and summit in the conception of Jesus who was not only the recipient of the throne of his father David, but the ultimate King who would rule forever, “and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But now He is not ruling over you with rules dictating certain acts or works to be accomplished which, of course, if you fail to accomplish them, you’re out! No, besides knowing His Person as fully human and fully divine you are also told why He took on our human nature.
I mean, why all the bother? Why all the angels and shepherds and manger and wise men, why all those years of silent childhood, why all that Bible study and bar mitzvah, why “confirmation”? Why all the teaching and preaching and healing, why apostles and disciples? Why all the bother? Because God was terribly bothered that His creation was being stolen from Him, was being destroyed by the enemy, was having His gift of eternal life turned temporary. Why all the bother? Because the only way for God to redeem, restore, reclaim His creation was by destroying the enemy and the last enemy is death. Why all the bother? Because on the one hand God’s Law must be kept, must be satisfied. Yet no sinner is able to do that. So He Himself became one of us. In a body just like ours He kept God’s Law so that He became the first man ever who did not sin and therefore would not die, as the wages of sin is death.
But why all the bother? You know. It was so that He could die our death for us, deliver us from the condemnation of God’s Law. Because of His sacrificial death, and more because of His mighty resurrection from the dead, now all who belong to Him, who confess and believe in Him as their Savior, we are freed from sin and death and are born anew to the eternal life God originally intended for us and the whole world. St. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria in the early 300s included you in this story of salvation when he wrote, “Whatever Scripture says that the Son has received, it understands as having been received with respect to His body, and that the body is the first-fruits of the Church. Accordingly, God raised up and exalted His own body first, but afterwards the members of His body.”[1] That’s you! That’s why all the trouble; to save, preserve and strengthen you in all your troubles.
And that is the gospel-word which saving faith hears, believes and hangs on to. The obedience of faith is to believe what God has done to save you, to believe that He is strengthening you by forgiving all your sins and creating a new heart within you, and to respond in thankful worship as Mary did, saying, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
“According to your word.” Indeed everything in life from now on must be according to God’s word, God’s saving, life-giving word. So says St. Paul, this is how God is able to strengthen you, to strengthen you to persevere and to believe even and especially in the face of everything and everyone who speaks against the claims of the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ.
In the obedience of this faith we sing, in the words of today’s psalm, “I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.” In the obedience of faith we say of everything God has promised to us, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” So faith says in all of us, “let it be, let it be to me according to your word.” After these words spoken by Mary, “the angel departed from her.” But God did not! And He will not depart from you! For this same incarnate God, this same brother, the man Christ Jesus, says to you, “I am with you always to the end of the age.”
Text: John 1:6-8, 19-28
Date: Advent III + 12/14/14
Today, for the second Sunday in a row, we hear about John the Baptist. But as soon as St. John mentions him at the beginning of his Gospel the Baptist immediately deflects all attention from himself onto the coming Savior. John was sent from God his sole purpose to be a witness. A witness testifies on behalf of someone or something else than self. Three times the Evangelist uses the word “witness.” One thing we take away from this today, therefore, is that this is also the task of the Church and of every Christian, to bear witness. Continue reading “Joyous Light of Glory (Phos Hilaron)”
At the beginning of a new Church Year St. Matthew says the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is His incarnation as the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Luke says that the beginning of the gospel is with the conception and birth of John the Baptist, then Jesus. St. John says the beginning is in the mystery of the Word become flesh dwelling among us full of grace and truth. But this year we hear not from Matthew nor Luke nor John but from St. Mark, the writer of the second and shortest Gospel. And if all we had is Mark’s Gospel we would not have our present Christmas at all! For Mark says that “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” happened when John the Baptist appeared on the scene. John is the angel or messenger prophesied by the prophet Isaiah. Dressed in a coat of camel’s hair and leather belt John is obviously to all who saw him the new Elijah promised through the prophet Malachi. Which is one reason everyone got so excited. Continue reading “Be Prepared”
Today, November 30, is the day every year holy church commemorates St. Andrew, the first to be called by Jesus to be an apostle. A disciple of John the Baptist, one day he heard his master pointing to Jesus saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Andrew first went and found his brother Simon and together they began to follow Jesus. The tradition is that the new church year season of Advent is determined to begin on the Sunday closest to St. Andrew day. Well, you can’t get any closer than this! So today is also the first Sunday of our new year, the beginning of the season of Advent. Continue reading “Who's Calling?”
Text: Matthew 25:31-46
Date: Pentecost XXIV (Proper 29) + 11/23/14
On the last Sunday of the Church Year, the last word is about judgment day. We have spent three Sundays in Matthew chapter 25. All of this resulted from the disciples’ question back in chapter 24, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” Jesus began to answer by saying, “See that no one leads you astray” because many false prophets, preachers, predictors of the future will come. Many people today have questions about a so-called judgment day and of the second coming, the return of Christ. It is a common mistake that people race to the Book of Revelation thinking that’s what this mysterious book is all about. Today we urge people rather to “race to” this chapter of Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus gives the clear answer. Continue reading “Eternal Life”
“Be silent.” “Be silent before the Lord God! For near (very near) is the day of the Lord.” St. Paul wrote, “we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped” (Rom 3:19). Jesus concludes the Parable of the Talents with the words, “cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt 25:30). And thank you for not giggling as we then said, “This is the Gospel of the Lord.” For the Gospel of salvation through the forgiveness of sins to be applied to anyone the Law of God must first say, “Be silent” “so that every mouth may be stopped.” For you have nothing to say, no worthiness or righteousness in yourself with which to bargain with God.
If you don’t believe that, hear the word of the Lord, for the day of the Lord is near. What is that day? “On that day I will punish all who have sinned and fallen short of my glory; I will punish those who are complacent” who do not really take my word to heart, both for good and for ill. “The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast,” a day of wrath (dies irae), a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry.” “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
On that day, says our Lord, “it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.” God the creator has entrusted His creation to mankind, to have dominion over it, “to work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15). So what do we do with it? What have we done?
The parable is about God’s people, His Christians who work and keep what He has given bringing forth good fruits of their labor. These receive the praise and honor and benediction, “Well done, good and faithful servant…. Enter into the joy of your master.” Because you have allowed God to change you, to cause you to repent, to see your real need and to despair of your own powers or abilities (blessed are the poor in spirit), that Day of the Lord, the last day will not be one of punishment, of darkness and gloom, distress and anguish, weeping or the gnashing of teeth, but will be bright with the light of the grace and glory and salvation of God. Remain faithful over the little He has given you and you will receive the crown of life.
Those who hear only the Law of God, however, who consider God to be only a wrathful judge will hear just what they expect, “You wicked and slothful servant!” and will be cast into the outer darkness, eternal separation from God with no hope of return. So the Law and the Gospel together speak today saying there still is hope. Turn from your proud, spiritually blind ways and turn to the Lord God who is merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
Notice that neither of the first two servants in the parable were invited to enter “heaven” or “the kingdom,” but to “enter into the joy of your master.” In other words they were already citizens and members of the kingdom of heaven here by faith in their Savior, enjoying His provision and gifts just like you are albeit through tears and struggle. What they longed for, what we are to long for, is the final joy of being rid of sin which hangs on until sin itself is ended and we attain the fullness of salvation.
Dear fellow baptized and redeemed by Christ, we are ready every day to enter the joy of our master. Until then let us joyfully use the gifts God has given us to His glory and the benefit of our neighbors, however impressive or however simple they may be, according to our particular vocation or station in life. It is our witness and works of mercy in our life together, the fellowship of the faithful that our Master and Lord and gracious God desires from you and for you. May you live in the joyful hope of hearing that final benediction on that day of the Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your master.”
Text: Matthew 25:6
Date: Pentecost XXII (Proper 27) + 11/9/14
I always remind people, “God is in the business of blessing.” Most often I say this to a pastor who is considering whether to accept or return a new call. When you remember that God is in the business of blessing, this means you are freed to choose either one for whatever reasons. So it is for young people trying to decide which direction, which school or which vocation in life to pursue, or for one of the many other decisions we are called upon to make as we wend our way through and to an unknown future. Now certainly it is easier to believe that God is in the business of blessing when times are good, when things are going well, when you are happy with your circumstances. It is a little more difficult, however, to see God’s blessings when things go wrong, when troubles increase or when death approaches and seems to be the final, unavoidable winner. Continue reading “Midnight Voices”
Text: Rev. 7:13-14
Date: All Saints’ Day (Observed) + 11/2/14
Let me draw your attention to the picture on the front of your ordo, your service folder. It is a picture of the worship of the saints in heaven gathered around the throne of the Lamb of God, our Savior Jesus Christ, surrounded by those reported to us in the gospels and from the vision or revelation granted to St. John. There appear to be the prophets and apostles, priests and pastors in the upper left corner; various Christians on the right side and people of the book, that is, believing Jews on the lower left side, and angels around the throne, the altar of God. Notice that appears to be an eight-sided baptismal font in the middle. My question this morning is, can you see yourself in that picture? Continue reading “Election Day”
Text: Romans 3:19-28
Date: Reformation Day (Observed) + 10/26/14
On the eve of All Saints Day, “all hallow’ds e’en” 1517, Martin Luther nailed to the door of the Castle Church the “Ninety-five Theses or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” in Latin inviting scholarly and Christian debate on his discovery of the Gospel, the good news of the free forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life as pure gift of God. It began: Continue reading “The Free Gift”
