First Sunday Lent
Silas, Fellow Worker of Peter and Paul
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Matthew 4:1-11
Just when you think you know someone. Have you ever found out something about someone you knew well that shocked you? You might even have said, “I thought I knew you.” There is often more to people than meets the eye. We may think we know people very well and then find out differently.
Well, there’s someone we need to get to know better, because we probably don’t know him as well as we think we do. But let me immediately rephrase. Because this isn’t someone we want to get to know. But we do need to know who he is. So often we treat him as an afterthought.
He’s very real. He has some power. And he’s not afraid to come after us. After all, he came right up to Jesus in today’s Gospel reading. He’s the devil. And if you think you know him, or even who he is, think again. He’s not just a scary guy with horns on his head or even a being that comes to you in a more seductive way to harm you.
One reason why Jesus was tempted as He was is so that we can know exactly what we’re up against. In giving his account of the temptation of Jesus Luke refers to the devil as the “the devil” four times. Matthew does also. However, Matthew also refers to him as the “tempter” and as “Satan”. These different terms for the devil tell us much about him and what we’re up against.
Matthew first says that Jesus was tempted by the devil. We’re so used to referring to the devil as the devil that we might not think twice about what the word means and what it means that he is the devil. In English it simply means that he is the supreme agent of evil, God’s foremost enemy. We have almost come to think of it as a position. What is at the essence of who the devil is? The Greek word in the Gospel reading is “diabolos”. This is where we get our word diabolical from. It refers to one who engages in slander. The devil is very much a slanderer.
Jesus began His Ministry in celebration. He was commended by His Heavenly Father and anointed by the Holy Spirit. This was His commissioning. His ordination. His anointing. He was now ready and willing to serve and be the Messiah. But there was no time for any Ministry just yet, because He was thrown into the desert by the Holy Spirit in order to be tempted. So much for celebration. Here He was welcomed by the Father and the Spirit only to be attacked by the devil.
Matthew tells us how the devil attacked Him, too. He says that the “tempter” came to Him. We are all tempted. There are many people that tempt us. But none of them is the “Tempter” except this one. This is who he is. This is what he does.
Matthew has called the devil both the slanderer and the tempter. But Jesus gets personal. At the end of it all Jesus calls him Satan. The name Satan means “adversary”. And he is every bit that, using slander and temptation to attack Jesus. Jesus knows exactly who He’s dealing with. The devil has been a liar from the beginning. Jesus is also very aware that Satan knows what he’s doing. He himself uses God’s Word. This means that he knows the Word of God. But when Satan uses it, he twists it and distorts it.
He did this with Eve. He came up to her under the pretense of talking to her about the Word of God, but put doubt in her mind—“Did God really say?” He does the same thing with Jesus, starting off with the most recently heard Word of God, that of God the Father at Jesus’ Baptism: “This is My beloved Son.” So, the devil says to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, turn these stones to bread.” In other words, God said You’re His Son, so prove it! It’ll help You out a lot, too, as hungry as You are after not eating for forty days. And what’s the big deal, it’s just a little way of getting something out of this raw deal You seem to have gotten from God, Your Father. If You are His beloved Son, then why has He left You out here in the desert to practically starve?
So Satan had been listening. He had heard the Word of the Heavenly Father at Jesus’ Baptism. But it’s one thing to hear the Word of God, it’s another to believe it and take it as it stands. Satan rebels against it and slanders God. Jesus knows the Word of God also and uses it against Satan: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.” So He’ll stand with the Word He has just heard from His Heavenly Father, thank you very much. And every other one, for that matter. God’s Word may not satisfy His stomach, but Jesus knows it will sustain Him in His fasting and in His temptation from Satan.
But Satan is not deterred. This time he goes to the written Word of God. He says He loves You, He promised to protect You. Turning the stones to bread would help You but no one else would know that You have all these great powers. Why not show the people who You are and how God makes good on His promise to protect those He loves? If You were to jump off the temple and not hit the ground in death, that could only be a good thing for You and God—you’d get all kinds of followers. And isn’t this exactly what so many people want? Some kind of sign? Some spectacular display of power to show that Jesus is truly God? Satan knows exactly which buttons to push.
But if he knows the Word of God and how to twist it to his evil ends, Jesus knows it more so and exactly the purpose for which it was given. So He comes right back at Satan with the Word of God. Yes, what you say is true that God will protect those He loves. But you are not to test Him. He is the one who helps you in your need. You don’t go looking for trouble just so that He can rescue you.
At this point we see that it’s true that the Word of God sustains those who trust in God and flee to His Word for help in times of trouble and temptation. We tend to forget how human Jesus was. He was completely human. He was born a man, just like you and I have been born men and women. We are fleshly creatures in a physical world. What we see is as real as it gets. And when someone waves at you a whole lot of stuff you don’t have, well, that’s enticing for just about anyone. Including Christ.
He had stepped off His throne. Granted, He did it willingly. But when we choose to do something noble and the going gets rough, don’t we have second thoughts at times? Like when you embark on an exercise program. Things are going well, but after a while, sitting on the couch and eating chips is a lot more appealing than laboring on the treadmill. Or when you experience that excitement of volunteering at a nursing home and you feel rewarded at bringing joy to people who may not have much of it. But when your schedule gets crazy, and you’re getting a little run down yourself, the passion for helping out can vanish very quickly. Or what about when money is tight? Isn’t it more tempting to cut out giving your offering to God than other important items in your budget?
Jesus knew what He had chosen to do. He was God, and yet, very human. The Heavenly glory, the eternal power, the unearthly joy He knew must have seemed a distant memory now. He loved the world, but at what cost? Now where did He find Himself? In the middle of a desert. No food. No one to talk to. His Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit weren’t around anymore so they could celebrate like they did forty days ago. At least that was something. Here Satan was at least talking to Him. And offering things that would even put Him in a better position in the eyes of the world.
All it would take would be one simple act. And would it really be that big of a deal to bow down to Satan just once? Jesus could even do it without His heart being in it. That’s really all Satan was asking for anyway. Just like with Eve, just one little taste. It can’t do much harm and it sure will be satisfying.
This is what we’re up against, then. Death, lies, a diabolical adversary who will stop at nothing to bring us down with him for all eternity. But Jesus knows that it’s all or nothing. There is no little taste or simple act of worship and then you can go on from there with your allegiance back to God. His final quote of the Word of God is coupled with a command: “Be gone Satan! You shall worship the Lord God and Him only shall you serve.”
This is the one thing Satan didn’t do. It’s the one thing we are most tempted not to do. It is abundantly clear that it is all or nothing with God. Even in His salvation. He went all out to save us. He faced even further temptation as He headed to the cross. But He never veered, even though it meant His life so that we may have life. Christ’s temptation and overcoming of it is anything but an interesting story. Here is the battle between eternal life and death. We all know the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Well, Satan doesn’t need sticks, or stones, or anything else to hurt us. He often uses simple words. Even the Word of God itself. And had Jesus turned those stones to bread all would have been lost.
Jesus held firm on the Word of God and that will never fail us. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
What You Most Treasure
Ash Wednesday
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
During our midweek Lenten worship services we will hear the Words of our Lord as set forth in the Catechism. I say the Words of our Lord because it’s a misconception to think of the words of the Catechism as the words of a human being. I suppose the reason this is is because the title of the little book we know as the Catechism is Luther’s Small Catechism. The meanings Luther attached to the Catechism are indeed his words. But the words of the Catechism itself are straight out of the Bible, with the exception of the Apostle’s Creed, which is a compilation of phrases that are straight from the Bible or based directly on the Bible.
Think about what the Catechism consists of: The Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession and Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. These are all from God in His Word. If we think of them as only human made things it is easy to dismiss them. But if we recognize and believe and take to heart that they are given to us by God then we will hold them in the high esteem they deserve. This is one of the reasons we have Lent. We need times of reflection. We need times where we meditate on God’s Word. We are so inundated in our lives with human words that we may hear very little of God’s Word.
Jesus brings this home with His words in the Gospel reading:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What do we think of God’s Word? We Christians believe it’s the Word of God. That it’s entirely true and profitable toward salvation. But do we treasure God’s Word? Is it more valuable to us than earthly riches?
This is really brought home when we take a look at a portion of God’s Word such as the Ten Commandments. It’s hard to treasure words like these, isn’t it? Even though we know they’re fully the Word of God. It’s hard to treasure them because it’s hard to hear them. Even harder to take them to heart. It’s impossible for us to obey them perfectly. We try, but we fall short.
Yet treasure the Words of God is what God calls us to do. Even these. The ones that put demands on us. And you know something about God? When He makes demands, it’s as if that’s not even enough to put on us. It’s as if He makes it even harder. How does Jesus describe the kind of life He calls us to in the Gospel reading? When you do things that are pleasing to God, don’t do it in a way that people will know about it. In other words, we’re not to do them so that others can see how good we are. Holiness is not spectacular. It doesn’t seek the spotlight.
The only one getting the spotlight is Jesus Christ. And He set the example for us. He rightly belongs in the spotlight and yet He humbled Himself. He did this for us. He suffered and died so that we may have salvation. That we are called upon by God to be holy is an outgrowth of the salvation He has given us.
In the Gospel reading Jesus summarizes the second table of the Law with His words on helping others. Commandments four through ten describe how this looks. We honor our parents and those in authority. We do not seek harm against others and we don’t hate them. We honor the marriage bond, both in our actions and in our thoughts. We leave other people’s stuff alone and help them take care of it. We honor the reputation of others and do not drag it through the mud. We remain content with what we have and do not look upon the possessions of others as what we should have.
Though these things are hard to do, it’s pretty straightforward. What Jesus is getting at is why we do it. And that extends into how we do it. When we’re good boys and girls that makes us feel good. It makes us feel really good when other people notice. And if that’s the reward we want, that’s the reward we’ll get. But God gave us the Ten Commandments so that we may help our neighbor, not to be well thought of by others.
If there’s one thing the Ten Commandments drive home it’s that it’s not about us. Against the Ten Commandments we see just how much we fall short of God’s will. Do we always treat others the way we want to be treated? How often do we say things about others that are speculation and don’t build up their reputation? And why do we feel that it’s perfectly fine to talk back to our parents? But even if we were to convince ourselves that these things aren’t that big of deal, we are soon brought down to size, because Jesus once again ratchets things up a notch.
After He’s through talking about how we are to love our neighbor, He goes to the first table of the Law. Here is probably where we most see that we would like our righteousness to be known by others. We can do a fine job of convincing ourselves of how good we are. But there is no getting around the one thing that puts to rest our mistaken notions: you shall have no other gods. Ultimately, we want to please ourselves. We so often do not look to God for our highest good but seek to please ourselves. What we most treasure is ourselves.
But God has a treasure, too. He treasures us. He loves us. He has done all things to bring about salvation for us. And it is His gift to us. He offers it freely. He doesn’t demand that we obey the Ten Commandments first. He forgives our falling short of it. He placed His demand on His only-begotten Son. This is the greatest treasure of all. The abundance of blessing He pours out on us doesn’t end just with our salvation but also in the opportunity to serve others as He has first served us. Amen.
SDG
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
During our midweek Lenten worship services we will hear the Words of our Lord as set forth in the Catechism. I say the Words of our Lord because it’s a misconception to think of the words of the Catechism as the words of a human being. I suppose the reason this is is because the title of the little book we know as the Catechism is Luther’s Small Catechism. The meanings Luther attached to the Catechism are indeed his words. But the words of the Catechism itself are straight out of the Bible, with the exception of the Apostle’s Creed, which is a compilation of phrases that are straight from the Bible or based directly on the Bible.
Think about what the Catechism consists of: The Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession and Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. These are all from God in His Word. If we think of them as only human made things it is easy to dismiss them. But if we recognize and believe and take to heart that they are given to us by God then we will hold them in the high esteem they deserve. This is one of the reasons we have Lent. We need times of reflection. We need times where we meditate on God’s Word. We are so inundated in our lives with human words that we may hear very little of God’s Word.
Jesus brings this home with His words in the Gospel reading:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What do we think of God’s Word? We Christians believe it’s the Word of God. That it’s entirely true and profitable toward salvation. But do we treasure God’s Word? Is it more valuable to us than earthly riches?
This is really brought home when we take a look at a portion of God’s Word such as the Ten Commandments. It’s hard to treasure words like these, isn’t it? Even though we know they’re fully the Word of God. It’s hard to treasure them because it’s hard to hear them. Even harder to take them to heart. It’s impossible for us to obey them perfectly. We try, but we fall short.
Yet treasure the Words of God is what God calls us to do. Even these. The ones that put demands on us. And you know something about God? When He makes demands, it’s as if that’s not even enough to put on us. It’s as if He makes it even harder. How does Jesus describe the kind of life He calls us to in the Gospel reading? When you do things that are pleasing to God, don’t do it in a way that people will know about it. In other words, we’re not to do them so that others can see how good we are. Holiness is not spectacular. It doesn’t seek the spotlight.
The only one getting the spotlight is Jesus Christ. And He set the example for us. He rightly belongs in the spotlight and yet He humbled Himself. He did this for us. He suffered and died so that we may have salvation. That we are called upon by God to be holy is an outgrowth of the salvation He has given us.
In the Gospel reading Jesus summarizes the second table of the Law with His words on helping others. Commandments four through ten describe how this looks. We honor our parents and those in authority. We do not seek harm against others and we don’t hate them. We honor the marriage bond, both in our actions and in our thoughts. We leave other people’s stuff alone and help them take care of it. We honor the reputation of others and do not drag it through the mud. We remain content with what we have and do not look upon the possessions of others as what we should have.
Though these things are hard to do, it’s pretty straightforward. What Jesus is getting at is why we do it. And that extends into how we do it. When we’re good boys and girls that makes us feel good. It makes us feel really good when other people notice. And if that’s the reward we want, that’s the reward we’ll get. But God gave us the Ten Commandments so that we may help our neighbor, not to be well thought of by others.
If there’s one thing the Ten Commandments drive home it’s that it’s not about us. Against the Ten Commandments we see just how much we fall short of God’s will. Do we always treat others the way we want to be treated? How often do we say things about others that are speculation and don’t build up their reputation? And why do we feel that it’s perfectly fine to talk back to our parents? But even if we were to convince ourselves that these things aren’t that big of deal, we are soon brought down to size, because Jesus once again ratchets things up a notch.
After He’s through talking about how we are to love our neighbor, He goes to the first table of the Law. Here is probably where we most see that we would like our righteousness to be known by others. We can do a fine job of convincing ourselves of how good we are. But there is no getting around the one thing that puts to rest our mistaken notions: you shall have no other gods. Ultimately, we want to please ourselves. We so often do not look to God for our highest good but seek to please ourselves. What we most treasure is ourselves.
But God has a treasure, too. He treasures us. He loves us. He has done all things to bring about salvation for us. And it is His gift to us. He offers it freely. He doesn’t demand that we obey the Ten Commandments first. He forgives our falling short of it. He placed His demand on His only-begotten Son. This is the greatest treasure of all. The abundance of blessing He pours out on us doesn’t end just with our salvation but also in the opportunity to serve others as He has first served us. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Jesus Alone
The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Matthew 17:1-9
Have you ever needed a lawyer? Has someone ever taken you to court or brought legal matters before you you had to address? Or maybe in your business another party you were dealing with had different ideas than you and you weren’t equipped to address those things on your own. Especially if someone has falsely accused you or even wants you or your company to go in a different direction than you, it is a confidence builder to know that you’re legal counselor will be able to handle matters that you would get buried in. You don’t have to go into it alone.
Have you ever sat there in the hospital room waiting to hear the results of a test or surgery? So many people go through their lives never thinking about their health and even trying to avoid going to the doctor or hospital. But in times where you suffer from serious illness, you’re unable to get through it on your own. It’s scary sitting there in the hospital room. But can’t it be comforting to hear the doctor explaining what exactly is happening to you, what can be done about it, and that everything possible will be done to help you? Someone who has the knowledge and skill to hit your problem head on.
But even in simple things like having a bad day—isn’t it nice to be able to unload your burdens on someone else? It’s hard enough having a bad day. Going through it alone adds even more misery. There’s all kinds of suffering in this world. Being alone is suffering like no other. And that’s why we celebrate the way we do—we get together with others. We eat, we talk, we enjoy each other’s company. We feel good not just because of what we’re celebrating, but because we’re with those we love and who love us. Without that, even being with others can leave us feeling lonely.
Jesus’ Ministry began with celebration. At His Baptism God the Father was there. Glowing down in pride in His only-begotten Son. Speaking words of His pleasure in His Son and exhorting all to listen to Him. The Father making Himself heard, the Holy Spirit also present, making Himself seen, appearing as a dove. And Jesus was there, of course, taking it all in. It’s like the celebration a family has at graduation. The proud father, speaking to all who will hear, “This is my son! The graduate! He’s going to some fancy-schmancy university!” The equally proud mother, expressing her love with an arm around her son. The one at the center of it all, basking in the celebration. Heaven is going to be like that—one big party. We will be in the presence of the Triune God, we’ll take it all in.
At the Baptism of Christ we have this glorious celebration of the Triune God, three Persons in one God and one God in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the one true God. In His infinite wisdom the one true God chose to become a man. A human being. To step from His eternal throne and become part of His creation.
But God the Father did not walk the earth. God the Holy Spirit did not eat and sleep. Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, the Son, did. What would this look like? What would it be like? Would the Father and the Spirit say, “Don’t worry there, Jesus, we’ll be with you every step of the way. It’ll be just like all of us doing it together.”? Well, at the beginning of His Ministry there they were. Present. Celebrating. Glorying. Taking it all in. Being together.
But how did it play out? Was Jesus’ Heavenly Father always by His side? Was the Holy Spirit always ready to help Him, ever-present with Him in some form? Let’s jump ahead to the event we celebrate today, the Transfiguration. Who was there? Well, Jesus brought along with Him three disciples. Moses and Elijah showed up. Oh yes, and God the Father was there again, the Proud Papa. Speaking about His Son, glorying in His Son, giving exhortation to listen to His only-begotten Son. And it seems every bit as much of a celebration. Maybe even more.
Except. Except the Holy Spirit. Where was He? No descending as a dove. No manifestation of the glory that God brings. Was this another sign of God’s infinite wisdom, something that we’ll just never know; why the Holy Spirit decided no longer to be involved in the Ministry of God becoming a man?
God’s infinite wisdom, yes. Not having a clue as to what the Triune God, and notably the Holy Spirit, had in mind here, no. And for that we need to jump ahead to one more event and we see exactly what God is up to.
It is the one that is most known to Christians: the crucifixion. Jesus is present at the cross, of course. But this time there’s no celebration. The Holy Spirit is every bit as absent physically as He was at the Transfiguration. But perhaps the most surprising thing is that God the Father is seemingly nowhere to be found, either. He says not a word. At the cross, it’s Jesus alone. At the Baptism, God the Father speaks. The Holy Spirit gives His affirmation, as well, by descending as a dove. At the Transfiguration God the Father speaks again but the Holy Spirit isn’t present. Here at the cross, God is very present, but it’s Jesus alone.
At the cross God speaks once again, but this time we do not hear the Father speaking, only the Son. The Bible records Jesus speaking seven times on the cross. Whereas in His Baptism and Transfiguration His Heavenly Father speaks His pleasure with His Son, when Jesus cries out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”, there is only silence. No response from His Heavenly Father. No words of comfort. On the cross Jesus is alone. There is no Father. There is no Spirit. There is only Jesus.
At the Transfiguration, once God the Father speaks and the disciples cower in fear, Jesus tells them to get up. When they look up, they see Jesus only. And that is what the Transfiguration is all about. That is what the Ministry of Christ is all about. That is what God and His salvation are all about. It is about the cross. It is about Jesus. Alone, on the cross, suffering, dying.
At the Transfiguration it was glorious. On the cross it is wretched. At the Transfiguration His face shown brilliantly. On the cross His face was marred more than any man. His appearance was humiliating. There was no celebration, only sorrow, sadness. There was Jesus, alone. All our sorrows, all our infirmities, all our loneliness, was encompassed in the man Jesus Christ as He hung on the cross, giving up His life for the world. Jesus was alone on the cross so that we may not be alone for eternity. He was forsaken of His Father so that we may hear our Heavenly Father say to us, “This is My beloved son, this is My beloved daughter.” He was alone on the cross because it is in Him alone that we have salvation. It is in Jesus only that all our sins, our infirmities, and our loneliness may be forever put to death. He suffered scorn so that we may join in on the eternal celebration of heaven that Moses and Elijah were already enjoying.
If Peter thought it was great to be up there on the mountain, just the three of them with the two prophets and Jesus, he hadn’t seen nothin’ yet! Jesus knew that the true celebration would come only through the cross. And only He alone would suffer to make it happen. He has. And we are never alone for He is always with us. Amen.
SDG
Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Matthew 17:1-9
Have you ever needed a lawyer? Has someone ever taken you to court or brought legal matters before you you had to address? Or maybe in your business another party you were dealing with had different ideas than you and you weren’t equipped to address those things on your own. Especially if someone has falsely accused you or even wants you or your company to go in a different direction than you, it is a confidence builder to know that you’re legal counselor will be able to handle matters that you would get buried in. You don’t have to go into it alone.
Have you ever sat there in the hospital room waiting to hear the results of a test or surgery? So many people go through their lives never thinking about their health and even trying to avoid going to the doctor or hospital. But in times where you suffer from serious illness, you’re unable to get through it on your own. It’s scary sitting there in the hospital room. But can’t it be comforting to hear the doctor explaining what exactly is happening to you, what can be done about it, and that everything possible will be done to help you? Someone who has the knowledge and skill to hit your problem head on.
But even in simple things like having a bad day—isn’t it nice to be able to unload your burdens on someone else? It’s hard enough having a bad day. Going through it alone adds even more misery. There’s all kinds of suffering in this world. Being alone is suffering like no other. And that’s why we celebrate the way we do—we get together with others. We eat, we talk, we enjoy each other’s company. We feel good not just because of what we’re celebrating, but because we’re with those we love and who love us. Without that, even being with others can leave us feeling lonely.
Jesus’ Ministry began with celebration. At His Baptism God the Father was there. Glowing down in pride in His only-begotten Son. Speaking words of His pleasure in His Son and exhorting all to listen to Him. The Father making Himself heard, the Holy Spirit also present, making Himself seen, appearing as a dove. And Jesus was there, of course, taking it all in. It’s like the celebration a family has at graduation. The proud father, speaking to all who will hear, “This is my son! The graduate! He’s going to some fancy-schmancy university!” The equally proud mother, expressing her love with an arm around her son. The one at the center of it all, basking in the celebration. Heaven is going to be like that—one big party. We will be in the presence of the Triune God, we’ll take it all in.
At the Baptism of Christ we have this glorious celebration of the Triune God, three Persons in one God and one God in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the one true God. In His infinite wisdom the one true God chose to become a man. A human being. To step from His eternal throne and become part of His creation.
But God the Father did not walk the earth. God the Holy Spirit did not eat and sleep. Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity, the Son, did. What would this look like? What would it be like? Would the Father and the Spirit say, “Don’t worry there, Jesus, we’ll be with you every step of the way. It’ll be just like all of us doing it together.”? Well, at the beginning of His Ministry there they were. Present. Celebrating. Glorying. Taking it all in. Being together.
But how did it play out? Was Jesus’ Heavenly Father always by His side? Was the Holy Spirit always ready to help Him, ever-present with Him in some form? Let’s jump ahead to the event we celebrate today, the Transfiguration. Who was there? Well, Jesus brought along with Him three disciples. Moses and Elijah showed up. Oh yes, and God the Father was there again, the Proud Papa. Speaking about His Son, glorying in His Son, giving exhortation to listen to His only-begotten Son. And it seems every bit as much of a celebration. Maybe even more.
Except. Except the Holy Spirit. Where was He? No descending as a dove. No manifestation of the glory that God brings. Was this another sign of God’s infinite wisdom, something that we’ll just never know; why the Holy Spirit decided no longer to be involved in the Ministry of God becoming a man?
God’s infinite wisdom, yes. Not having a clue as to what the Triune God, and notably the Holy Spirit, had in mind here, no. And for that we need to jump ahead to one more event and we see exactly what God is up to.
It is the one that is most known to Christians: the crucifixion. Jesus is present at the cross, of course. But this time there’s no celebration. The Holy Spirit is every bit as absent physically as He was at the Transfiguration. But perhaps the most surprising thing is that God the Father is seemingly nowhere to be found, either. He says not a word. At the cross, it’s Jesus alone. At the Baptism, God the Father speaks. The Holy Spirit gives His affirmation, as well, by descending as a dove. At the Transfiguration God the Father speaks again but the Holy Spirit isn’t present. Here at the cross, God is very present, but it’s Jesus alone.
At the cross God speaks once again, but this time we do not hear the Father speaking, only the Son. The Bible records Jesus speaking seven times on the cross. Whereas in His Baptism and Transfiguration His Heavenly Father speaks His pleasure with His Son, when Jesus cries out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”, there is only silence. No response from His Heavenly Father. No words of comfort. On the cross Jesus is alone. There is no Father. There is no Spirit. There is only Jesus.
At the Transfiguration, once God the Father speaks and the disciples cower in fear, Jesus tells them to get up. When they look up, they see Jesus only. And that is what the Transfiguration is all about. That is what the Ministry of Christ is all about. That is what God and His salvation are all about. It is about the cross. It is about Jesus. Alone, on the cross, suffering, dying.
At the Transfiguration it was glorious. On the cross it is wretched. At the Transfiguration His face shown brilliantly. On the cross His face was marred more than any man. His appearance was humiliating. There was no celebration, only sorrow, sadness. There was Jesus, alone. All our sorrows, all our infirmities, all our loneliness, was encompassed in the man Jesus Christ as He hung on the cross, giving up His life for the world. Jesus was alone on the cross so that we may not be alone for eternity. He was forsaken of His Father so that we may hear our Heavenly Father say to us, “This is My beloved son, this is My beloved daughter.” He was alone on the cross because it is in Him alone that we have salvation. It is in Jesus only that all our sins, our infirmities, and our loneliness may be forever put to death. He suffered scorn so that we may join in on the eternal celebration of heaven that Moses and Elijah were already enjoying.
If Peter thought it was great to be up there on the mountain, just the three of them with the two prophets and Jesus, he hadn’t seen nothin’ yet! Jesus knew that the true celebration would come only through the cross. And only He alone would suffer to make it happen. He has. And we are never alone for He is always with us. Amen.
SDG
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
From the Heights to the Depths
In the month of February we will see the heights of glory in the Transfiguration and the depths with our observance of Ash Wednesday, the Temptation of Jesus, and the season of Lent. It’s popular in America today to minimize talk of suffering in the Christian life. Prosperity and good feelings about yourself are the standards for what it means to be a Christian and what it means for God to bless you.
It’s no wonder, then, that things like Ash Wednesday and Lent, somber reflection on our sinfulness and the need for repentance, aren’t all that popular. In fact, there are Christians who might even believe that it goes against the Bible. We are forgiven, aren’t we? We are a new creation, aren’t we? Jesus died, yes, but He also rose.
It’s commendable, of course, to make clear these things. We shouldn’t be moping around when we are in fact a new creation. It is indeed true that our sins have been forgiven. So why the need for going from the heights—the glory of Christ shown in His Transfiguration—to the depths—talk of being dust and ashes, utterly corrupt, and in need of mercy? Why not a more positive message of feeling good, of having a life in which we’re prosperous?
We shouldn’t confuse the depths with misery. We shouldn’t think that God wants us or calls us to be down or somber. What we need to see is that our life in Christ is exactly that—life in Christ. It is not one in which the barometer is how we feel or how well things are going for us or even what the world thinks of us. Our life in Christ means that we are wrapped up in Him—His life.
Christ Himself went from the heights to the depths. His Ministry began with a triumphant display of God’s power and grace in His Baptism. But what immediately followed was going to the depths: He was sent out into the wilderness (by God) to be tempted by Satan. Jesus certainly could have come to earth and carried out a prosperous reign as He is the King of Kings. But He chose the path of suffering.
On the Mount of Transfiguration He once again displayed His glory. But the Transfiguration wasn’t really about the glorious display of power but about once again going down to the depths. It was soon after He made His way down the mountain that He set His face toward the place where He would suffer and die.
So what does this mean? It means that we ought to be careful about how we view the circumstances of our lives. When we’re in the depths, does it mean that God has deserted us? Is God blessing us only if things are going well, we’re feeling good about life, we are prospering?
No, rather it means that what God has called us to is not necessarily what it seems. New life, forgiveness of sins, eternal salvation, don’t necessarily mean an easy ride in this life. His eternal blessings to us don’t necessarily mean we’ll prosper and always feel on top of the world. It does mean, though, that whether you’re at the heights or in the depths that He’s with you. “If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there!” [Psalm 139:8] Whatever you’re going through, He’s there with you because He’s already been there. He has gone to the cross. He has emerged from the empty tomb. The depths you find yourself in do not compare with the heights of eternal glory in heaven that He has already prepared for you.
It’s no wonder, then, that things like Ash Wednesday and Lent, somber reflection on our sinfulness and the need for repentance, aren’t all that popular. In fact, there are Christians who might even believe that it goes against the Bible. We are forgiven, aren’t we? We are a new creation, aren’t we? Jesus died, yes, but He also rose.
It’s commendable, of course, to make clear these things. We shouldn’t be moping around when we are in fact a new creation. It is indeed true that our sins have been forgiven. So why the need for going from the heights—the glory of Christ shown in His Transfiguration—to the depths—talk of being dust and ashes, utterly corrupt, and in need of mercy? Why not a more positive message of feeling good, of having a life in which we’re prosperous?
We shouldn’t confuse the depths with misery. We shouldn’t think that God wants us or calls us to be down or somber. What we need to see is that our life in Christ is exactly that—life in Christ. It is not one in which the barometer is how we feel or how well things are going for us or even what the world thinks of us. Our life in Christ means that we are wrapped up in Him—His life.
Christ Himself went from the heights to the depths. His Ministry began with a triumphant display of God’s power and grace in His Baptism. But what immediately followed was going to the depths: He was sent out into the wilderness (by God) to be tempted by Satan. Jesus certainly could have come to earth and carried out a prosperous reign as He is the King of Kings. But He chose the path of suffering.
On the Mount of Transfiguration He once again displayed His glory. But the Transfiguration wasn’t really about the glorious display of power but about once again going down to the depths. It was soon after He made His way down the mountain that He set His face toward the place where He would suffer and die.
So what does this mean? It means that we ought to be careful about how we view the circumstances of our lives. When we’re in the depths, does it mean that God has deserted us? Is God blessing us only if things are going well, we’re feeling good about life, we are prospering?
No, rather it means that what God has called us to is not necessarily what it seems. New life, forgiveness of sins, eternal salvation, don’t necessarily mean an easy ride in this life. His eternal blessings to us don’t necessarily mean we’ll prosper and always feel on top of the world. It does mean, though, that whether you’re at the heights or in the depths that He’s with you. “If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there!” [Psalm 139:8] Whatever you’re going through, He’s there with you because He’s already been there. He has gone to the cross. He has emerged from the empty tomb. The depths you find yourself in do not compare with the heights of eternal glory in heaven that He has already prepared for you.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
God Has Called You
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Matthew 4:12-25
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Matthew 4:12-25
Today’s Gospel reading teaches us about vocation. Vocation is what God has called us to. You may not think God has called you to anything spectacular. And, in some sense, you may be right. What you do need to know is that God has called you to something important and far greater than what it may seem. We can see this in the way God called the various people in our Gospel reading to.
John the Baptist was the last prophet God called to pave the way for Jesus. Think about the long line of great prophets God called to this task: Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel, among others. But here John comes along and Jesus says of him that no man born of woman is greater than he. That’s a stunning statement. Of all the great prophets, all the great people of history, he stands out as the greatest.
And yet, what do we see of him here? He has done his task, he has paved the way for Jesus, and now suddenly he finds himself in prison. Is this what he gets for faithfully carrying out the call God gave him? Yes, as a matter of fact, it is. But we shouldn’t think that God was ungrateful or didn’t care about him. Rather, we need to realize exactly what God has said about the kind of call He gives us. Since it is a call that is from above and regarding spiritual matters, it will not always fit in with the way we would like for things to work. This is why Jesus said that we are blessed when we are persecuted on account of Him. So far from giving up on John the Baptist, the fact that he was now in prison was evidence that God was faithful to him in his carrying out of his call.
It’s kind of ironic, actually, that we refer to those men of old—Moses, Elijah, Isaiah—as “great”, when really what God calls us to is a humble role and task. That John the Baptist was the greatest of all prophets is actually seen most clearly in the fact that there he sat in a dreary cell, with only the hope of God to rest on. His call from God was never about himself but only and always about Christ. Being holed up in jail really drives it home that this call is not about John but about the one he was pointing to.
It’s not that God had no use for John the Baptist anymore but that his call was no longer to be out in the mainstream, but in an unlikely place, a prison cell. God has plans for others, as well. But they aren’t the “great” ones like Moses, or Elijah, or John. They are ordinary people like you and me. They’re fishermen. People we would never have heard about had Jesus not called them to such a remarkable calling. But to put this in perspective, Moses himself was born of ordinary people also. God’s plans for him are what changed his life. They brought him into extraordinary circumstances. And you can find this time and time again in the Scriptures, where God calls ordinary people like you and me to great things. To become great leaders and people who make a huge impact on the world.
Here we find people like that. For all we know, Peter and Andrew and James and John would have ended out their days like their fathers did, out on the lake, fishing. But God’s plans were different for them. They would end up being apostles, and there were only twelve of those that Jesus called. But even here, we see that God’s call to us is according to His terms. Two of these men are among the most well-known men in Christian history, Peter and John. The other two, brothers of them, Andrew and James, didn’t have as spectacular of a role.
But does that mean it was any less of a call from God? Far from it. Whether a Peter, or a John the Baptist, or a Moses, or a lesser known Andrew or James, each of their calls from God were not about them but always about Christ.
And that’s really why Matthew tells us these accounts of who John the Baptist was and what he did. And about the calling of the two sets of brothers. But notice who also we find out about. People we might just pass right on by because it may seem they’re not as important as the others. James and John were with their father. We’re not told about the family of Peter and Andrew, or about the rest of the family of James and John, for that matter.
But just because we don’t see much of them doesn’t mean they’re not important. Or didn’t have an important call from God. So where do we fit in to all of this? Maybe some of us will end up being like Peter, or John the Baptist, or Moses. Most of us, though, will be like the family members of the “famous” people God called. And while it may not seem spectacular, we pray that we will learn as Moses and John the Baptist and Peter and John did that this call from God isn’t about us. It’s about Christ. Whether our circumstances turn out the way we’d like or we find ourselves wondering what kind of a call God has called us to, we know that when God calls us, it concerns eternal things.
John may have been sitting in a jail cell to finish out his days, but he had the privilege of being the one who got to point to Christ and say, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” Moses may have been ridiculed by the pagan Egyptians and even by his own people the Israelites, but he was blessed by God to bring His people out of their bondage to the Egyptians and give us a wonderful picture God saving us from our bondage to sin. Peter was most likely martyred and John finished out his days in exile on an island, but they both were privileged to be servants of Christ as apostles.
But we’re missing the whole point of God’s call to us if we talk only about all these people that God called. And if we talk only about God’s call to us. Matthew wasn’t just telling us about John the Baptist, and Peter and Andrew, and James and John. He was first and foremost telling us about Christ. Jesus goes from His home town and into a new region. He is the light that they see. The people’s having seen a great light is the Gospel. It is the salvation Christ has come to bring. And here at the beginning of Jesus’ Ministry Matthew is anticipating the end of his Gospel account, the Great Commission. Here he shows us that Jesus comes into a land of Gentiles. In the Great Commission Jesus’ command is to make disciples of all nations. Jesus has come for you. He has called you. The mission statement of our congregation is to spread the Word of God outside our congregation, at home and in other countries.
Why is the coming of Jesus described as a great light for the peoples? Because we are in darkness. Being in jail would seem a pretty dark time in life, but we are in eternal darkness without the light of Christ. Matthew describes the work of Jesus in coming to be the Savior: he taught and healed; he came to bring light and life. If we ever wonder if God has called us or what He has called us to; if we ever wonder about God’s call when our lives seem dark; we may look to the cross where darkness reigned supreme. Jesus was called by His heavenly Father to suffer on behalf of the world. The darkness He endured was His act of love for a fallen world. This is where you look to see what God has called you to. Because of His death and resurrection He has called you to life and salvation. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, January 6, 2008
The Magic of Wisdom
The Epiphany of Our Lord
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Matthew 2:1-12
The wise men who visited Jesus are so often simply known as “the wise men”. These were people from a far country who came bearing valuable gifts to the baby Jesus. We’re so familiar with the angels and the shepherds and even the animals that were there at the birth of Jesus that oftentimes we don’t think twice about them. But how do these wise men fit in? Who were they? Why did they come? How did they know about the star?
Matthew doesn’t give us a lot of these details. But there’s something I wonder about even more: when they came to Jerusalem and talked to Herod about the “king” who had been born, I can understand why Herod was troubled, but why was all Jerusalem troubled with him? Herod wasn’t exactly a compassionate king. That he would be disconcerted at the news of a new king is understandable. But wouldn’t it appear that the people might want someone other hand the ruthless king Herod? He had no compunction about killing even his own sons at the thought that they might murder him to take over the crown.
We’re familiar with the traditional cast of characters of Jesus’ birth. But of the Epiphany, we know little about the wise men, Herod, the chief priests and the scribes. Even the common people of Jerusalem. Let’s start with the “wise men”. The Greek term for these men is magi. And that they’re called wise men so often is probably pretty accurate since they certainly were the wise ones in this whole episode.
So who were these Magi? Well, we know they were from a different country. We know they were Gentiles, in other words, they weren’t Jewish. They were also apparently men who used astrology to gain their wisdom. Another interesting thing with the term Magi is that we will recognize that our word magic comes from that Greek word. Now I’m not suggesting that these guys were magicians. But there is an aspect of magic to their type of occupation. Just think about how things were back then. With certain people seeking signs and wisdom from the stars, isn’t there a magical quality about that?
In fact, the mention of another king might not have been the only thing that disturbed King Herod. When these visitors from a foreign country come to his city with a mysterious message they got from the stars about a king, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was dealing with. Perhaps that had a little something to do with how the common people reacted as well. Herod, for all his cruelty, did provide many opportunities for them, especially with his rebuilding of their great temple. What was to happen to them if some new king came out of the blue that was designated by some star and foretold of by these mysterious men? The chief priests and scribes, of course, quoted to Herod from the Scriptures. But basically what we see in the rest of the four gospels from these religious leaders is opposition to Jesus.
In the Magi we see true wisdom. And what is that wisdom? Listening to the Word of God as opposed to the word of men, even if it is the word of kings. The Magi had their sights set on Jesus, even if they weren’t Jews, didn’t know the Scriptures, or put their stock in astrology. In all the characters of the epiphany story the wise men are the ones shown to be truly wise. And that is the magic in all of this. We wonder at times how God works. Here He worked in a truly mysterious way. But it was all grounded in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ Himself.
Herod was wise to bring in the religious leaders to get the details. But he was too blinded by his own power to seek true wisdom in the King that was born who would eventually die for him. I wonder if the chief priests and scribes thought that these men who had traveled so far were a bunch of crackpots, talking about a star pointing the way to a king.
But wisdom doesn’t look at what appears to be strange. Wisdom looks at the Word of God and the Otherly way God works in this world. Didn’t we hear in our Old Testament reading this morning of the prophecy of the coming of the wise men, with their traveling from far countries and bringing gifts of gold and frankincense? Didn’t that very same prophecy prophesy of the Light that will shine upon the people of this world, and the darkness of sin that envelopes it?
Paul speaks of this kind of magic, also, in the Epistle reading. It’s not in sorcery or spells or illusion, but in the mystery of God’s love being revealed in the flesh of His Son. That so many when Christ was born missed this magical moment, what it meant for the world, is understandable. We so often seek the wisdom of the world. That most missed the working of God in human history in the person of Jesus Christ in His life and Ministry, isn’t surprising. Shouldn’t God have made more of a splash than just the three years where He gained a few followers? That everyone missed it that God’s love for the world was revealed and displayed in Jesus’ sorrowful suffering and death makes sense, since a king would be expected to put up more of a fight than just willingly let his enemies run all over him.
But what do we see in the Magi? Wisdom. What does it say about these men who bore valuable gifts and bowed before this infant? What does it say about the joy they had and the decision to not return to Herod? It says that they found something better than astrology, stars, or whatever else they may have put their trust in in the past. It says they now saw the true king. They had just stood before a very powerful king in Herod who had proven his power. Now they knelt before a baby.
The magic of their wisdom is in God coming into their world. They were likely highly regarded in their country. What would their countrymen think of them as they knelt before a Jewish baby and gave Him gifts? They’d probably renounce their status as wise men. But in these wise men we are given a picture of wisdom. Of the mysterious and Other-worldly way God works in this ordinary world. He gives us His Scripture, ordinary words on a page, which bring forth life and salvation. In simple water He raises us to new life by Baptizing us. With ordinary bread and wine He comes to us again. Where the Magi asked where He was who was born king of the Jews, we might ask today, where is He who has been born, who has suffered, died, and risen from the grave? He is here at His altar, ready to give you His body and blood. It’s not magic by any means, but there is a mystery about it, God loving you so much that He will come to you where you’re at to give you life and salvation by His very hand.
Wisdom sees God’s love where it is to be found—in God born in the flesh. Wisdom rejoices in this very One dying and rising so that we may enter into the place where there is no more darkness and wisdom sees only Christ. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Matthew 2:1-12
The wise men who visited Jesus are so often simply known as “the wise men”. These were people from a far country who came bearing valuable gifts to the baby Jesus. We’re so familiar with the angels and the shepherds and even the animals that were there at the birth of Jesus that oftentimes we don’t think twice about them. But how do these wise men fit in? Who were they? Why did they come? How did they know about the star?
Matthew doesn’t give us a lot of these details. But there’s something I wonder about even more: when they came to Jerusalem and talked to Herod about the “king” who had been born, I can understand why Herod was troubled, but why was all Jerusalem troubled with him? Herod wasn’t exactly a compassionate king. That he would be disconcerted at the news of a new king is understandable. But wouldn’t it appear that the people might want someone other hand the ruthless king Herod? He had no compunction about killing even his own sons at the thought that they might murder him to take over the crown.
We’re familiar with the traditional cast of characters of Jesus’ birth. But of the Epiphany, we know little about the wise men, Herod, the chief priests and the scribes. Even the common people of Jerusalem. Let’s start with the “wise men”. The Greek term for these men is magi. And that they’re called wise men so often is probably pretty accurate since they certainly were the wise ones in this whole episode.
So who were these Magi? Well, we know they were from a different country. We know they were Gentiles, in other words, they weren’t Jewish. They were also apparently men who used astrology to gain their wisdom. Another interesting thing with the term Magi is that we will recognize that our word magic comes from that Greek word. Now I’m not suggesting that these guys were magicians. But there is an aspect of magic to their type of occupation. Just think about how things were back then. With certain people seeking signs and wisdom from the stars, isn’t there a magical quality about that?
In fact, the mention of another king might not have been the only thing that disturbed King Herod. When these visitors from a foreign country come to his city with a mysterious message they got from the stars about a king, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was dealing with. Perhaps that had a little something to do with how the common people reacted as well. Herod, for all his cruelty, did provide many opportunities for them, especially with his rebuilding of their great temple. What was to happen to them if some new king came out of the blue that was designated by some star and foretold of by these mysterious men? The chief priests and scribes, of course, quoted to Herod from the Scriptures. But basically what we see in the rest of the four gospels from these religious leaders is opposition to Jesus.
In the Magi we see true wisdom. And what is that wisdom? Listening to the Word of God as opposed to the word of men, even if it is the word of kings. The Magi had their sights set on Jesus, even if they weren’t Jews, didn’t know the Scriptures, or put their stock in astrology. In all the characters of the epiphany story the wise men are the ones shown to be truly wise. And that is the magic in all of this. We wonder at times how God works. Here He worked in a truly mysterious way. But it was all grounded in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ Himself.
Herod was wise to bring in the religious leaders to get the details. But he was too blinded by his own power to seek true wisdom in the King that was born who would eventually die for him. I wonder if the chief priests and scribes thought that these men who had traveled so far were a bunch of crackpots, talking about a star pointing the way to a king.
But wisdom doesn’t look at what appears to be strange. Wisdom looks at the Word of God and the Otherly way God works in this world. Didn’t we hear in our Old Testament reading this morning of the prophecy of the coming of the wise men, with their traveling from far countries and bringing gifts of gold and frankincense? Didn’t that very same prophecy prophesy of the Light that will shine upon the people of this world, and the darkness of sin that envelopes it?
Paul speaks of this kind of magic, also, in the Epistle reading. It’s not in sorcery or spells or illusion, but in the mystery of God’s love being revealed in the flesh of His Son. That so many when Christ was born missed this magical moment, what it meant for the world, is understandable. We so often seek the wisdom of the world. That most missed the working of God in human history in the person of Jesus Christ in His life and Ministry, isn’t surprising. Shouldn’t God have made more of a splash than just the three years where He gained a few followers? That everyone missed it that God’s love for the world was revealed and displayed in Jesus’ sorrowful suffering and death makes sense, since a king would be expected to put up more of a fight than just willingly let his enemies run all over him.
But what do we see in the Magi? Wisdom. What does it say about these men who bore valuable gifts and bowed before this infant? What does it say about the joy they had and the decision to not return to Herod? It says that they found something better than astrology, stars, or whatever else they may have put their trust in in the past. It says they now saw the true king. They had just stood before a very powerful king in Herod who had proven his power. Now they knelt before a baby.
The magic of their wisdom is in God coming into their world. They were likely highly regarded in their country. What would their countrymen think of them as they knelt before a Jewish baby and gave Him gifts? They’d probably renounce their status as wise men. But in these wise men we are given a picture of wisdom. Of the mysterious and Other-worldly way God works in this ordinary world. He gives us His Scripture, ordinary words on a page, which bring forth life and salvation. In simple water He raises us to new life by Baptizing us. With ordinary bread and wine He comes to us again. Where the Magi asked where He was who was born king of the Jews, we might ask today, where is He who has been born, who has suffered, died, and risen from the grave? He is here at His altar, ready to give you His body and blood. It’s not magic by any means, but there is a mystery about it, God loving you so much that He will come to you where you’re at to give you life and salvation by His very hand.
Wisdom sees God’s love where it is to be found—in God born in the flesh. Wisdom rejoices in this very One dying and rising so that we may enter into the place where there is no more darkness and wisdom sees only Christ. Amen.
SDG
Monday, December 31, 2007
Get Ready, Get Set, …and Wait
New Year’s Eve
Eve of the Name of Jesus
Wednesday, December 31, 2007
Luke 12:35-40
I love paradoxes. A paradox is something that appears to be contradictory but in actuality is true. In the Gospel reading Jesus exhorts us to be dressed for action and only a few words later says that we are to be like those who are waiting for their master to come. Action and waiting are two opposite things. But Jesus is telling us that the way we are to act is by waiting and the way we are to be waiting is by acting.
As odd as it sounds, it’s actually pretty easy to see what Jesus is getting at. The servants are to be waiting for their master to return, that’s easy enough to understand. But does waiting mean standing around doing nothing? Of course not. They are to be waiting by working. There’s stuff to be done before he returns! So they are to act by waiting and wait by acting.
But while that’s easy enough to understand as an analogy of a master and his estate, do we understand it as Jesus Christ’s Church? The purpose of His analogy is to talk about Himself and His Church. He is returning again in glory and we are to wait for Him. But we’re certainly not supposed to sit around and do nothing. We must act. We must work. There’s a lot to be done before He returns!
The last day of the year is a natural time to think about the fact that time is fleeting. That one day God will bring all this to an end. That we are like a puff of smoke in the scheme of things. It might seem like He’s a long time in coming back, but if we laze around we will be surprised by His return in judgment. Either that or our possible untimely death.
The paradoxical way the Scriptures guide us to live in this way, to get ready for action and to wait for our Lord’s Return, is to be in the very Scriptures themselves. Isaiah talks about they that wait upon the Lord—they shall renew their strength. The reason this is paradoxical is because we are acting, we are doing, it takes work. Being in the Word of God takes time and discipline. And yet, it is a passive thing also. We are receiving. We are being blessed by God. We are “waiting” upon the Lord. He is the one doing the actual hard work. He’s busy blessing us and strengthening us.
It’s also paradoxical that this is the business we’re to be about—being in His Word—while waiting for Him to return in glory, when, in fact, He is already coming to us in that very Word. And in His Sacraments. Yes, our Lord loves to deal in paradoxes. Maybe it’s fun for Him. Maybe He just doesn’t want us to get bored. Maybe it’s simply because paradoxes aren’t by nature untrue but true. When we see them for what they really are, we know that they in fact ring true. That they hit home.
We know, don’t we, that life is not one dimensional. God is much deeper than simply being a grandfatherly chap like Santa Claus. He’s rich in character and depth. He also has a mysteriousness about Him. He has a majestic quality. He is, in fact, holy. And yet, He became a man. A human being. A baby. It’s a paradox, but it’s good that He did this! That He’s God and actively accomplishing our salvation, and humble in passively receiving the punishment for our sin.
Paradoxically, though the servants are the ones called upon by the master to get busy, when he comes home and finds them having faithfully done so, he actually tells them to be seated. For he will now serve them. They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength because He will serve them. That is the paradox, the Lord of all waits upon us. He comes to serve us. So when we’re busy about the business of being in His Word we’re actually being served by the Lord Himself.
Tomorrow a new year begins. It’s a good time to get busy. Wait upon the Lord. Be in His Word. Renew your strength by being seated at His Table. He will serve you with His very Body and Blood. As you are served by Him you will see the many opportunities to serve others in your life. It will be in simple things, like helping someone out. Or in being there for them when they’re in great need. But most of all, you will see what a blessing it is to share what the world cannot offer—and that is Christ Himself.
When you point the way to Christ, you will be pointing the way to salvation. That Christ came not to be served but to serve. He gave His life so that all may have salvation. This is the kind of hope Jesus gives us for the new year, but especially for eternity. Amen.
SDG
Eve of the Name of Jesus
Wednesday, December 31, 2007
Luke 12:35-40
I love paradoxes. A paradox is something that appears to be contradictory but in actuality is true. In the Gospel reading Jesus exhorts us to be dressed for action and only a few words later says that we are to be like those who are waiting for their master to come. Action and waiting are two opposite things. But Jesus is telling us that the way we are to act is by waiting and the way we are to be waiting is by acting.
As odd as it sounds, it’s actually pretty easy to see what Jesus is getting at. The servants are to be waiting for their master to return, that’s easy enough to understand. But does waiting mean standing around doing nothing? Of course not. They are to be waiting by working. There’s stuff to be done before he returns! So they are to act by waiting and wait by acting.
But while that’s easy enough to understand as an analogy of a master and his estate, do we understand it as Jesus Christ’s Church? The purpose of His analogy is to talk about Himself and His Church. He is returning again in glory and we are to wait for Him. But we’re certainly not supposed to sit around and do nothing. We must act. We must work. There’s a lot to be done before He returns!
The last day of the year is a natural time to think about the fact that time is fleeting. That one day God will bring all this to an end. That we are like a puff of smoke in the scheme of things. It might seem like He’s a long time in coming back, but if we laze around we will be surprised by His return in judgment. Either that or our possible untimely death.
The paradoxical way the Scriptures guide us to live in this way, to get ready for action and to wait for our Lord’s Return, is to be in the very Scriptures themselves. Isaiah talks about they that wait upon the Lord—they shall renew their strength. The reason this is paradoxical is because we are acting, we are doing, it takes work. Being in the Word of God takes time and discipline. And yet, it is a passive thing also. We are receiving. We are being blessed by God. We are “waiting” upon the Lord. He is the one doing the actual hard work. He’s busy blessing us and strengthening us.
It’s also paradoxical that this is the business we’re to be about—being in His Word—while waiting for Him to return in glory, when, in fact, He is already coming to us in that very Word. And in His Sacraments. Yes, our Lord loves to deal in paradoxes. Maybe it’s fun for Him. Maybe He just doesn’t want us to get bored. Maybe it’s simply because paradoxes aren’t by nature untrue but true. When we see them for what they really are, we know that they in fact ring true. That they hit home.
We know, don’t we, that life is not one dimensional. God is much deeper than simply being a grandfatherly chap like Santa Claus. He’s rich in character and depth. He also has a mysteriousness about Him. He has a majestic quality. He is, in fact, holy. And yet, He became a man. A human being. A baby. It’s a paradox, but it’s good that He did this! That He’s God and actively accomplishing our salvation, and humble in passively receiving the punishment for our sin.
Paradoxically, though the servants are the ones called upon by the master to get busy, when he comes home and finds them having faithfully done so, he actually tells them to be seated. For he will now serve them. They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength because He will serve them. That is the paradox, the Lord of all waits upon us. He comes to serve us. So when we’re busy about the business of being in His Word we’re actually being served by the Lord Himself.
Tomorrow a new year begins. It’s a good time to get busy. Wait upon the Lord. Be in His Word. Renew your strength by being seated at His Table. He will serve you with His very Body and Blood. As you are served by Him you will see the many opportunities to serve others in your life. It will be in simple things, like helping someone out. Or in being there for them when they’re in great need. But most of all, you will see what a blessing it is to share what the world cannot offer—and that is Christ Himself.
When you point the way to Christ, you will be pointing the way to salvation. That Christ came not to be served but to serve. He gave His life so that all may have salvation. This is the kind of hope Jesus gives us for the new year, but especially for eternity. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Those Who Seek Life
First Sunday after Christmas
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Matthew 2:13-23
At Christmas we celebrate life. We celebrate the life of the Christ Child. We celebrate the life we receive through the Christ Child. One of the great blessings of the Church Year is that we get to celebrate life no matter where we’re at in the Church Year, no matter what festival we’re celebrating or season we’re in in the Church Year. That’s because the life we celebrate in the Christ Child is the life we celebrate in Christ the Man, Christ the Savior, Christ the Conqueror of the grave.
It’s in our nature to want life. Not only to want to be alive but to live life to the fullest. The question is how we seek that life and life in its fullness. It pains us to see our loved ones suffer in such a way that their quality of life is severely diminished. Our grief is intense when life ends prematurely.
No one should ever say that the Bible is removed from reality. Listen again to these words from the Old Testament in prophecy of those who lost their infants to the brutality of Herod: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” Those who have suffered such loss can certainly identify with such pain. And those of us who haven’t can certainly imagine this kind of grief.
There’s also the questions. Why do our loved ones have to suffer? Why do infants have to die? Why did God allow all those infants to die at the hands of Herod? These questions aren’t easy; no one should pretend that they are. But nor are they off limits. There aren’t 150 Psalms in the Bible for nothing. Many of those are prayers to God asking why. Prayers to God in the throes of grief and pain.
While the answers may not be as easy as the questions, the answers are something we can actually hang on to because they are from God. The questions arise from our hearts, which are not always reliable. But God’s Word is reliable. You see, the questions we ask, though reasonable-sounding to us, are actually quite limited in that the life we seek and its fullness is limited by our perception. When we see someone with a severe disability we think it’s a shame for them because they aren’t able to experience life in its fullness as we are. But who says that’s true? Our perception is that it is, but the reality could be very different. Perhaps they have a much fuller life than those who don’t have disability. Perhaps they have a greater awareness of the wonderful blessings God gives His people than those who have no disability.
In any case, no matter who we are our perception is distorted by our sinful nature. Who always trusts in God fully? Who every turn seeks life in its fullness in accordance with God’s will? Who never seeks fullness of life through their own sinful desires rather than the Ten Commandments? Yes, we all seek life but are so often misguided in our search.
Our distorted perception seeks life in its fullness in this life. God has so much better of a plan! But we’ll get to that in a moment. At the present we need to go back to addressing the matter of suffering and why God allows things like the sad and horrible event of the infants being murdered by Herod. In the Psalms and the rest of God’s Word the way God answers the cries and the pleas of His people is by pointing them to His salvation. Yeah, you may say, okay, that sounds like a standard doctrinal reply. But how is that practical? How does that really help the people of God in their suffering? How are the mothers of the lifeless infants comforted with that answer?
In this way: when God points you to His salvation, He doesn’t direct your attention to glory, or power, or wealth, or the removal of the horrible circumstances. No, He points you to something you would never expect. To something you would never even think would be helpful or comforting at all.
He points you to more suffering. But we have to be specific here. Not just more suffering. A certain suffering. Namely, His own. His own grieving of giving His only-begotten Son up to death. God doesn’t sit up in heaven with no earthly idea of what you’re going through when your pleas ascend to Him. He has every earthly idea. He knows what you’re going through even more than you do. You experience grief—He knows grief like you could never imagine. You endure suffering, your Lord understands suffering as you will never know.
What Christ Himself endured goes far beyond any physical or even mental or emotional disability any of us experience. It surpasses any suffering we would experience. Jesus endured humiliation and physical torture, but that was the tip of the iceberg. What He really came to do was to suffer in such a way that He bore our sin. He bore every evil thought, every sinful action, every selfish motive. He bore every ounce of our guilt for our sin. But if that alone were the extent of His suffering then it would have been all for naught. We are guilty for our sin, but we also receive the punishment for that except that Christ endured that also. He suffered in that He not only bore the burden of our sin and guilt but also the punishment for it.
None of this takes away the pain we feel. It doesn’t remove the hurt or the emotions. But it does put our suffering and pain in perspective. It is of course devastating that Herod murdered those poor children. But that God allows horrible things like that to happen really is not the question. The question really is, why did He allow us to remain on this earth after we fell into sin? It’s purely by His mercy. And we must remember that it was Herod who chose the horrible action of murdering those children, not God. And in this very act we see brought home the very real necessity of God’s action in coming to earth and placing Himself in the hands of murderous men. Sin is not just a theological topic. It’s real. And it damns. Even so, God doesn’t just love us, He does something about it. He comes and saves us. He comes and suffers and dies for us!
Jesus had just been born, and already His life was sought. At the beginning of His life and at the end of His ministry there were those who sought to murder Him. But while murder is solely the work of the murderer, Jesus’ death was actually on His terms. He chose to receive it. He chose to be born in the place where Herod would try to stamp Him out. He chose to go to the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas would know where He was. He chose to walk that path toward crucifixion. But though He chose to endure suffering even unto death He didn’t stay in the grave. He rose from the grave and lives forever.
What does the angel tell Joseph about Herod and his men who tried to kill Jesus? “Those who sought the child’s life are dead.” You see, they’re dead. Herod thought that by getting rid of Jesus he’d be okay. But he wasn’t. The religious leaders that sought to kill Jesus didn’t learn a thing from Herod. They thought exactly the same way and tried the same thing. Actually, they were successful in that they actually got Him killed. But the they’re dead now also, just like Herod. And Jesus remains alive.
It will be true of us one day, also. We will die. It’s true even now. We’re spiritually dead. We seek life, just like they all did. But in our seeking we gain death, not life. Jesus came to bring life by dying in our place. Only in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection do we gain life. So we really ought not to seek life so much as we ought to seek Christ. For in Him is life. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Matthew 2:13-23
At Christmas we celebrate life. We celebrate the life of the Christ Child. We celebrate the life we receive through the Christ Child. One of the great blessings of the Church Year is that we get to celebrate life no matter where we’re at in the Church Year, no matter what festival we’re celebrating or season we’re in in the Church Year. That’s because the life we celebrate in the Christ Child is the life we celebrate in Christ the Man, Christ the Savior, Christ the Conqueror of the grave.
It’s in our nature to want life. Not only to want to be alive but to live life to the fullest. The question is how we seek that life and life in its fullness. It pains us to see our loved ones suffer in such a way that their quality of life is severely diminished. Our grief is intense when life ends prematurely.
No one should ever say that the Bible is removed from reality. Listen again to these words from the Old Testament in prophecy of those who lost their infants to the brutality of Herod: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” Those who have suffered such loss can certainly identify with such pain. And those of us who haven’t can certainly imagine this kind of grief.
There’s also the questions. Why do our loved ones have to suffer? Why do infants have to die? Why did God allow all those infants to die at the hands of Herod? These questions aren’t easy; no one should pretend that they are. But nor are they off limits. There aren’t 150 Psalms in the Bible for nothing. Many of those are prayers to God asking why. Prayers to God in the throes of grief and pain.
While the answers may not be as easy as the questions, the answers are something we can actually hang on to because they are from God. The questions arise from our hearts, which are not always reliable. But God’s Word is reliable. You see, the questions we ask, though reasonable-sounding to us, are actually quite limited in that the life we seek and its fullness is limited by our perception. When we see someone with a severe disability we think it’s a shame for them because they aren’t able to experience life in its fullness as we are. But who says that’s true? Our perception is that it is, but the reality could be very different. Perhaps they have a much fuller life than those who don’t have disability. Perhaps they have a greater awareness of the wonderful blessings God gives His people than those who have no disability.
In any case, no matter who we are our perception is distorted by our sinful nature. Who always trusts in God fully? Who every turn seeks life in its fullness in accordance with God’s will? Who never seeks fullness of life through their own sinful desires rather than the Ten Commandments? Yes, we all seek life but are so often misguided in our search.
Our distorted perception seeks life in its fullness in this life. God has so much better of a plan! But we’ll get to that in a moment. At the present we need to go back to addressing the matter of suffering and why God allows things like the sad and horrible event of the infants being murdered by Herod. In the Psalms and the rest of God’s Word the way God answers the cries and the pleas of His people is by pointing them to His salvation. Yeah, you may say, okay, that sounds like a standard doctrinal reply. But how is that practical? How does that really help the people of God in their suffering? How are the mothers of the lifeless infants comforted with that answer?
In this way: when God points you to His salvation, He doesn’t direct your attention to glory, or power, or wealth, or the removal of the horrible circumstances. No, He points you to something you would never expect. To something you would never even think would be helpful or comforting at all.
He points you to more suffering. But we have to be specific here. Not just more suffering. A certain suffering. Namely, His own. His own grieving of giving His only-begotten Son up to death. God doesn’t sit up in heaven with no earthly idea of what you’re going through when your pleas ascend to Him. He has every earthly idea. He knows what you’re going through even more than you do. You experience grief—He knows grief like you could never imagine. You endure suffering, your Lord understands suffering as you will never know.
What Christ Himself endured goes far beyond any physical or even mental or emotional disability any of us experience. It surpasses any suffering we would experience. Jesus endured humiliation and physical torture, but that was the tip of the iceberg. What He really came to do was to suffer in such a way that He bore our sin. He bore every evil thought, every sinful action, every selfish motive. He bore every ounce of our guilt for our sin. But if that alone were the extent of His suffering then it would have been all for naught. We are guilty for our sin, but we also receive the punishment for that except that Christ endured that also. He suffered in that He not only bore the burden of our sin and guilt but also the punishment for it.
None of this takes away the pain we feel. It doesn’t remove the hurt or the emotions. But it does put our suffering and pain in perspective. It is of course devastating that Herod murdered those poor children. But that God allows horrible things like that to happen really is not the question. The question really is, why did He allow us to remain on this earth after we fell into sin? It’s purely by His mercy. And we must remember that it was Herod who chose the horrible action of murdering those children, not God. And in this very act we see brought home the very real necessity of God’s action in coming to earth and placing Himself in the hands of murderous men. Sin is not just a theological topic. It’s real. And it damns. Even so, God doesn’t just love us, He does something about it. He comes and saves us. He comes and suffers and dies for us!
Jesus had just been born, and already His life was sought. At the beginning of His life and at the end of His ministry there were those who sought to murder Him. But while murder is solely the work of the murderer, Jesus’ death was actually on His terms. He chose to receive it. He chose to be born in the place where Herod would try to stamp Him out. He chose to go to the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas would know where He was. He chose to walk that path toward crucifixion. But though He chose to endure suffering even unto death He didn’t stay in the grave. He rose from the grave and lives forever.
What does the angel tell Joseph about Herod and his men who tried to kill Jesus? “Those who sought the child’s life are dead.” You see, they’re dead. Herod thought that by getting rid of Jesus he’d be okay. But he wasn’t. The religious leaders that sought to kill Jesus didn’t learn a thing from Herod. They thought exactly the same way and tried the same thing. Actually, they were successful in that they actually got Him killed. But the they’re dead now also, just like Herod. And Jesus remains alive.
It will be true of us one day, also. We will die. It’s true even now. We’re spiritually dead. We seek life, just like they all did. But in our seeking we gain death, not life. Jesus came to bring life by dying in our place. Only in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection do we gain life. So we really ought not to seek life so much as we ought to seek Christ. For in Him is life. Amen.
SDG
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
God Born of Woman; Man Born of God
The Nativity of Our Lord
Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25, 2007
John 1:1-18
Usually the best way to tell someone something amazing is to tell them the thing. And if it is indeed amazing, then they’ll be amazed. They’ll probably say themselves that it’s amazing. You don’t even need to tell them that it’s amazing, you can just tell them the thing.
Have you ever noticed how you can hear the Scriptures and not be amazed? True enough, there are things in there that are pretty straightforward. But there’s also some amazing things in there that sometimes go right past us.
Today’s Gospel reading is one such passage. It’s amazing. Okay, now that I’ve done what I said is generally not the best way to do it, let me say again, that what John the apostle says about Christ is amazing. In fact, what he says about us is amazing.
God is born of a woman. Born of flesh. Why? So that we could be born of God. We were born of flesh but because Jesus, God, was born of flesh we may be born of God.
Maybe that’s why John goes on to say that we have received grace upon grace. Maybe that’s why he says that grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. Maybe that’s he why stops short of saying, Let me tell you something amazing and he just goes ahead and tells us the thing.
In the beginning was the Word. And you know what, or rather, who, that Word was? Christ. The Word made flesh. The One in whom and through whom all things came into being. Because the Word is God. Jesus Christ, the eternal God became flesh. Born of a woman. Born under the Law. Born into the confines of this world that is inhabited by mosquitoes and roaches. By pain and suffering. Hunger and thirst. Sin and temptation. He is God. He was born into that.
We were born into it. We don’t know what it’s like to live apart from the frustrations, the aggravations, the things that make us say, Why does it have to be this way? Why do we have to deal with bugs and pain and sin and sorrow? Why do we have to be under the Law? Jesus didn’t, but He chose it. He chose it so that we could have a new birth. A birth in which we are born not of flesh but of God.
Look back two thousand years ago and see that little baby all gooey and purple from just coming out of His mother’s womb. When you do, you will see an amazing thing—you being born of God. That’s why He came. That’s why He went through all that He did. That’s why He chose to become flesh. To be born of a woman. To suffer. To die. To take upon Himself every sin. The sin of the world. The burdens. The guilt. The pain. The sorrow. The questions.
What is amazing is that we miss this. That it goes right past us is sad. It’s pathetic. We shouldn’t have to be told that it’s amazing. But here we are. In the flesh. Sinful. Curved in on ourselves. Always looking around the corner for something exciting; something amazing.
When all we have to do is look at that little baby. The Word made flesh. Born of a woman so that we could be born of God. All we have to do is see in Him that the blood and goo that clung to Him as He came out of Mary’s womb was but a brief glimpse of what He would ultimately do. For He was born of woman so that He could die at the hands of men. And if we are in any doubt as to who really killed Jesus we should be very clear that it was us. Every sinner. Every person who has breathed on this planet took His life.
Amazing then that we are born of God. Born anew because He was born of flesh and died in our place. It’s really amazing that there’s so much talk during Christmas about peace and love and joy and that it’s so often separated from the simple yet profound circumstances of Jesus’ birth. And the reason for His birth. It’s wonderful that He was born!, there’s no doubt. Is it so wonderful why? Do people like to hear talk of the brutality of the cross, the blood and sweat that clung to Him in His crucifixion? None of that sounds very peaceful or joyful.
Ever amazing, though, that’s exactly why Jesus born. Born to die. Born so that we may be born again, born of God. If we think that we should put a damper on Christmas spirit, well, that’s the farthest thing from the truth. That would be the most amazingly ridiculous thing to do. We rejoice in the true peace, love, and joy of Christmas, because we know that His birth means our birth. His death means our life. His resurrection means our eternal celebration. He born of woman so that we may be born of God. Amen!
SDG
Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25, 2007
John 1:1-18
Usually the best way to tell someone something amazing is to tell them the thing. And if it is indeed amazing, then they’ll be amazed. They’ll probably say themselves that it’s amazing. You don’t even need to tell them that it’s amazing, you can just tell them the thing.
Have you ever noticed how you can hear the Scriptures and not be amazed? True enough, there are things in there that are pretty straightforward. But there’s also some amazing things in there that sometimes go right past us.
Today’s Gospel reading is one such passage. It’s amazing. Okay, now that I’ve done what I said is generally not the best way to do it, let me say again, that what John the apostle says about Christ is amazing. In fact, what he says about us is amazing.
God is born of a woman. Born of flesh. Why? So that we could be born of God. We were born of flesh but because Jesus, God, was born of flesh we may be born of God.
Maybe that’s why John goes on to say that we have received grace upon grace. Maybe that’s why he says that grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. Maybe that’s he why stops short of saying, Let me tell you something amazing and he just goes ahead and tells us the thing.
In the beginning was the Word. And you know what, or rather, who, that Word was? Christ. The Word made flesh. The One in whom and through whom all things came into being. Because the Word is God. Jesus Christ, the eternal God became flesh. Born of a woman. Born under the Law. Born into the confines of this world that is inhabited by mosquitoes and roaches. By pain and suffering. Hunger and thirst. Sin and temptation. He is God. He was born into that.
We were born into it. We don’t know what it’s like to live apart from the frustrations, the aggravations, the things that make us say, Why does it have to be this way? Why do we have to deal with bugs and pain and sin and sorrow? Why do we have to be under the Law? Jesus didn’t, but He chose it. He chose it so that we could have a new birth. A birth in which we are born not of flesh but of God.
Look back two thousand years ago and see that little baby all gooey and purple from just coming out of His mother’s womb. When you do, you will see an amazing thing—you being born of God. That’s why He came. That’s why He went through all that He did. That’s why He chose to become flesh. To be born of a woman. To suffer. To die. To take upon Himself every sin. The sin of the world. The burdens. The guilt. The pain. The sorrow. The questions.
What is amazing is that we miss this. That it goes right past us is sad. It’s pathetic. We shouldn’t have to be told that it’s amazing. But here we are. In the flesh. Sinful. Curved in on ourselves. Always looking around the corner for something exciting; something amazing.
When all we have to do is look at that little baby. The Word made flesh. Born of a woman so that we could be born of God. All we have to do is see in Him that the blood and goo that clung to Him as He came out of Mary’s womb was but a brief glimpse of what He would ultimately do. For He was born of woman so that He could die at the hands of men. And if we are in any doubt as to who really killed Jesus we should be very clear that it was us. Every sinner. Every person who has breathed on this planet took His life.
Amazing then that we are born of God. Born anew because He was born of flesh and died in our place. It’s really amazing that there’s so much talk during Christmas about peace and love and joy and that it’s so often separated from the simple yet profound circumstances of Jesus’ birth. And the reason for His birth. It’s wonderful that He was born!, there’s no doubt. Is it so wonderful why? Do people like to hear talk of the brutality of the cross, the blood and sweat that clung to Him in His crucifixion? None of that sounds very peaceful or joyful.
Ever amazing, though, that’s exactly why Jesus born. Born to die. Born so that we may be born again, born of God. If we think that we should put a damper on Christmas spirit, well, that’s the farthest thing from the truth. That would be the most amazingly ridiculous thing to do. We rejoice in the true peace, love, and joy of Christmas, because we know that His birth means our birth. His death means our life. His resurrection means our eternal celebration. He born of woman so that we may be born of God. Amen!
SDG
Monday, December 24, 2007
Are You Just Along for the Ride?
The Nativity of Our Lord
Christmas Eve
Wednesday, December 24, 2007
Luke 2:1-20
Well, you’re here tonight. There’s a lot of people who are celebrating or spending Christmas Eve in some other way. You have at least some sense of what it’s all about. Or you might be wondering why you are here. You might be wondering with a lot of people what Christmas really is all about. Or perhaps you’re here knowing full well what Christmas is all about but still wondering what God is up to; at least, what He’s up to in your life. You know the Christmas story, you know who He is, you believe in Jesus as your Savior, but maybe you feel like you’re just along for the ride.
God is all-powerful—why then is there so much difficulty in your life? God loves you, why then do you struggle with so many problems? Maybe you’re wondering if God really is guiding you and there for you or if you’re just along for the ride.
Well take comfort. I think there was a lot of wondering that night Christ was born. First of all, Luke tells us that Joseph and Mary wondered at everything the shepherds had told them about their newborn son. The shepherds themselves were wondering what in the world was going on when heavenly visitors descended upon them. No, they not only wondered, they were scared half out of their wits! Mary and Joseph must have wondered about the timing of the census declared by Caesar when Mary had just become pregnant. Pregnancy can be difficult enough, let alone when Mary had to make a trek all the way to Bethlehem. They were probably really wondering what was going on when there was no place for them to stay at their destination. God sure had funny ways of bringing about His eternal plans.
It must have seemed for them that they were just along for the ride. They believed in God. They trusted in Him that this miraculous conception was by the hand of God and therefore He would take care of them through the whole ordeal. Well, they made it. Probably not what they had hoped for. But there they were, in a stable. God was born there. Of course, He didn’t look very much like God to Joseph and Mary. Maybe they wondered about that too. God, are You sure you know what You’re doing? Are you sure this is the way it’s supposed to be? You’re going to bring about salvation for the world in this way?
And then some shepherds showed up. What were they doing here? How’d they even know to come here? And then things got really strange! Here they’re telling them all kinds of amazing things about their little baby that had just been born. What was that all about? What was going on? They might have felt even more so that they were just along for the ride and wondering if God would ever provide any direction or at least make some sense of it all.
Of course, at the center of it all was the baby Jesus. And that’s probably where most of our wondering is directed. Jesus, a baby. Jesus, God. God knows everything, and yet, there He was, a baby lying in a manger. Happily oblivious to all that strange stuff going on around Him, because He was, after all, a human being, just like the rest of us. And we human beings when we’re babies have no concrete understanding of what is going on around us. And so our wondering continues—how could God be God and also be in a state where He didn’t know what was going on?
Think about a certain event when He was an adult in full use of His rational capacity. In the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed three times, didn’t He? Father, if there is another way, make it so. If there is any way other than suffering for the sins of the world to bring about salvation, bring it about. Do you think there was some wondering going on there with Jesus? And yet, this wondering was never divorced from the will of His Heavenly Father. His prayer three times concluded with “not My will but Yours be done.” How Jesus remains God even though in a state where He is a man and limited to the things humans are limited to is that He chose to humble Himself to become a man.
Are we wondering why this is so? As a man He placed Himself under the Law. Not just the law that governments establish. God’s Law. The Ten Commandments, which He demands we keep fully. Think about Caesar’s decree. Here he told everyone to go to their hometown to be registered and so God has to go. Not because He had no choice. Because He did choose to submit to this pagan ruler’s decree. Joseph and Mary had no choice, but Jesus did. He chose to become a man and submit not only to the law of the land but to God’s eternal Law.
Though tempted as we are, He kept God’s Law perfectly. He chose also to suffer the consequences of not keeping God’s Law perfectly. He chose this because of His vast love for us. There’s actually no wondering at all on His part, only the wonder on our part of seeing His gift to us in coming as our Savior. Jesus was most certainly not just along for the ride.
But if we nevertheless wonder, we can know that we’re in good company. Joseph and Mary wondered at what the shepherds told them about Jesus. And in the quiet moments she had, Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. It’s not a bad thing to wonder at the work of God in bringing about our salvation through a little baby in Bethlehem. Or in a suffering, bleeding servant on the hill of Calvary. While we will always wonder at how God could love us in such a way we may also see that the wonderment gives way to this: “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
They had wondered along with the rest of them. But they also came to see that they weren’t just along for the ride. And even if they were, that’s a pretty good one to be on. It all goes back to what has been told us. For the shepherds, the angels had pointed the way to Jesus, and they found it just as the angels had said. If we ever feel like we’re just along for the ride, we may see the same thing in the Scriptures. It is all just as God has said it is in His Holy Word.
We will have times in our lives where we wonder where God is going with everything we’re dealing with in life. Does He really know what He’s doing? Is this really the way it’s supposed to come about? Or are we just along for the ride? Well, for Joseph, and Mary, and a few shepherds outside of Bethlehem it was a ride that ultimately took them to heaven. Because God does have a plan. Our wondering is met with the message of God that Jesus has been born. He has suffered and died. And He has risen that we may have life in heaven with Him forever. If this is being along for the ride, then thank God He has brought us along! Amen.
SDG
Christmas Eve
Wednesday, December 24, 2007
Luke 2:1-20
Well, you’re here tonight. There’s a lot of people who are celebrating or spending Christmas Eve in some other way. You have at least some sense of what it’s all about. Or you might be wondering why you are here. You might be wondering with a lot of people what Christmas really is all about. Or perhaps you’re here knowing full well what Christmas is all about but still wondering what God is up to; at least, what He’s up to in your life. You know the Christmas story, you know who He is, you believe in Jesus as your Savior, but maybe you feel like you’re just along for the ride.
God is all-powerful—why then is there so much difficulty in your life? God loves you, why then do you struggle with so many problems? Maybe you’re wondering if God really is guiding you and there for you or if you’re just along for the ride.
Well take comfort. I think there was a lot of wondering that night Christ was born. First of all, Luke tells us that Joseph and Mary wondered at everything the shepherds had told them about their newborn son. The shepherds themselves were wondering what in the world was going on when heavenly visitors descended upon them. No, they not only wondered, they were scared half out of their wits! Mary and Joseph must have wondered about the timing of the census declared by Caesar when Mary had just become pregnant. Pregnancy can be difficult enough, let alone when Mary had to make a trek all the way to Bethlehem. They were probably really wondering what was going on when there was no place for them to stay at their destination. God sure had funny ways of bringing about His eternal plans.
It must have seemed for them that they were just along for the ride. They believed in God. They trusted in Him that this miraculous conception was by the hand of God and therefore He would take care of them through the whole ordeal. Well, they made it. Probably not what they had hoped for. But there they were, in a stable. God was born there. Of course, He didn’t look very much like God to Joseph and Mary. Maybe they wondered about that too. God, are You sure you know what You’re doing? Are you sure this is the way it’s supposed to be? You’re going to bring about salvation for the world in this way?
And then some shepherds showed up. What were they doing here? How’d they even know to come here? And then things got really strange! Here they’re telling them all kinds of amazing things about their little baby that had just been born. What was that all about? What was going on? They might have felt even more so that they were just along for the ride and wondering if God would ever provide any direction or at least make some sense of it all.
Of course, at the center of it all was the baby Jesus. And that’s probably where most of our wondering is directed. Jesus, a baby. Jesus, God. God knows everything, and yet, there He was, a baby lying in a manger. Happily oblivious to all that strange stuff going on around Him, because He was, after all, a human being, just like the rest of us. And we human beings when we’re babies have no concrete understanding of what is going on around us. And so our wondering continues—how could God be God and also be in a state where He didn’t know what was going on?
Think about a certain event when He was an adult in full use of His rational capacity. In the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed three times, didn’t He? Father, if there is another way, make it so. If there is any way other than suffering for the sins of the world to bring about salvation, bring it about. Do you think there was some wondering going on there with Jesus? And yet, this wondering was never divorced from the will of His Heavenly Father. His prayer three times concluded with “not My will but Yours be done.” How Jesus remains God even though in a state where He is a man and limited to the things humans are limited to is that He chose to humble Himself to become a man.
Are we wondering why this is so? As a man He placed Himself under the Law. Not just the law that governments establish. God’s Law. The Ten Commandments, which He demands we keep fully. Think about Caesar’s decree. Here he told everyone to go to their hometown to be registered and so God has to go. Not because He had no choice. Because He did choose to submit to this pagan ruler’s decree. Joseph and Mary had no choice, but Jesus did. He chose to become a man and submit not only to the law of the land but to God’s eternal Law.
Though tempted as we are, He kept God’s Law perfectly. He chose also to suffer the consequences of not keeping God’s Law perfectly. He chose this because of His vast love for us. There’s actually no wondering at all on His part, only the wonder on our part of seeing His gift to us in coming as our Savior. Jesus was most certainly not just along for the ride.
But if we nevertheless wonder, we can know that we’re in good company. Joseph and Mary wondered at what the shepherds told them about Jesus. And in the quiet moments she had, Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. It’s not a bad thing to wonder at the work of God in bringing about our salvation through a little baby in Bethlehem. Or in a suffering, bleeding servant on the hill of Calvary. While we will always wonder at how God could love us in such a way we may also see that the wonderment gives way to this: “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
They had wondered along with the rest of them. But they also came to see that they weren’t just along for the ride. And even if they were, that’s a pretty good one to be on. It all goes back to what has been told us. For the shepherds, the angels had pointed the way to Jesus, and they found it just as the angels had said. If we ever feel like we’re just along for the ride, we may see the same thing in the Scriptures. It is all just as God has said it is in His Holy Word.
We will have times in our lives where we wonder where God is going with everything we’re dealing with in life. Does He really know what He’s doing? Is this really the way it’s supposed to come about? Or are we just along for the ride? Well, for Joseph, and Mary, and a few shepherds outside of Bethlehem it was a ride that ultimately took them to heaven. Because God does have a plan. Our wondering is met with the message of God that Jesus has been born. He has suffered and died. And He has risen that we may have life in heaven with Him forever. If this is being along for the ride, then thank God He has brought us along! Amen.
SDG
Sunday, December 23, 2007
The Picture-Perfect Christmas?
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Matthew 1:18-25
The well known Christmas story is from Luke 2. It’s got all those details we know and love so well. The swaddling clothes, the glory of the angels, the joy of the shepherds, and of course the baby Jesus. The account Matthew gives us, that we heard moments ago, isn’t as well known. It also has some memorable parts to it. But it also has some details that don’t seem to fit with the cozy images we have of Christmas. Think about what Joseph and Mary were dealing with 2000 years ago. Even the Luke account gives us things that don’t seem to fit into the comforting picture we have of Christmas, like a pagan ruler who considered himself to be a god. And then of course there’s the difficult conditions Joseph and Mary struggled through in their trek to Bethlehem and their stay in a stable with animals. Not ideal conditions for the birth of their baby. But we have almost come to romanticize even those details.
What we have in the Matthew account are details that not only don’t seem to fit in with the pleasant scene of Christmas, but things that we normally don’t like to deal with at all: a child out of wedlock, divorce, and an almost cryptic message from an angel. What is Matthew trying to do here, ruin our Christmas? Hasn’t society already done a good enough job of that? Can’t we just stick with the cozy and comfortable picture of Christmas Luke gives us?
We deal with family issues enough in our lives, why do they have to be inserted in here in the joyous event of the birth of the Savior? We deal with unpleasant issues enough throughout the week—do we really have to engage them here on Sunday morning where we’d expect to have sanctuary from them?
I’m sure Mary didn’t want to have to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. God only knows how she dreaded telling her husband-to-be that she was pregnant. I doubt she was mentally or emotionally ready to go through nine months of pregnancy since she and her fiancé were faithfully waiting until their marriage to begin having children.
What do you think Joseph was experiencing? Anger? Betrayal? Depression? We do know that he felt he had to break off the marriage. And we also know that, though he may have struggled with the decision, he resolved to do it in a way to protect Mary.
But then there was more for Joseph to deal with—this crazy dream occurred. What was this all about that what was happening was actually all from God? That Mary was indeed as faithful to him as he had been to her. That he would have a son but in a way he never had dreamed of!
Joseph and Mary were just two ordinary people. Caesar Augustus told them they needed to go to Bethlehem, so they went to Bethlehem. They were told the only place they could spend the night when her delivery was imminent was a stable, so they went in with the sheep. They were told by angels that though the bearing of children is reserved for marriage, this was one conception and birth that would be different.
As much as we have romanticized them, the circumstances of Christ’s birth couldn’t have been more strange. Why would God choose to come to us in this way? If Joseph and Mary were wondering what in the world was going on in their brief life together, what do we possibly think of God that He would enter into such a crazy world that we have? With as many issues we deal with, as many problems we go through, why would God want to become a part of this craziness?
The angel’s quoting of the Scriptures to Joseph says it all: “‘they shall call His name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” Crazy as it seems, God wants to be with us. He wants to come to us. And that didn’t mean sending His angels down to earth to tidy things up first. Straighten out all the political messes. Sweeping up the tragedy of broken families, divorces, arguments, grudges. He sent them instead to simply tell people that He was coming. He would come to deliver us.
And not just from the crud we experience, the difficulties, the struggles. From the sin. The guilt we can’t escape. The angel told Joseph to name His bride-to-be’s son “Jesus”. Why? “He will save His people from their sins.” This is why Jesus came to us, right where we’re at. This is why He chose to be born in, shall we say, less than picture-perfect conditions. This is why He chose anything but a glorious exit, choosing the rejection, humiliation, and even crucifixion of men.
So, yes, this is the place where you come to escape the craziness of your life. But it’s not by ignoring it. Bring it all here with you. Confess your sins where you have done wrong. Bring your petitions to God for others where they have wronged you. Hear the words spoken here to you. They are clear. They are authoritative. They are eternal. They are powerful. They are rich in comfort, grace, and mercy. They are profoundly simple and simply what you need, no matter who you are or where you’re at.
Remember, Christ didn’t get everything fixed up before He came. He just came, in the midst of all the craziness, the crud, and the sin. Here today He comes again. He comes in His Word. His Word is spoken to you: I forgive you all your sins. His Holy Gospel is read and you hear and receive the blessings spoken therein. His Gospel is preached to you and the Holy Spirit enlivens you. At this altar, you receive His very Body and Blood given you for your forgiveness and the strengthening of your faith.
He doesn’t tell you to get everything fixed up in your life before you come here. He simply tells you to come. To receive. To hear. To be blessed. To be comforted. It’s not picture-perfect. It never is. When you get to heaven, yeah, then you will know what perfection is. But not even Christ tried to fix things up when He came to save us. He just came. And He just saved us. He did what needed to be done, though in less than ideal conditions. Good news, actually, as your life is in many ways similar to Joseph and Mary’s. Not always quite what you’d expect, and at times less than ideal. But He came right in the midst of it. So He does with you. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Matthew 1:18-25
The well known Christmas story is from Luke 2. It’s got all those details we know and love so well. The swaddling clothes, the glory of the angels, the joy of the shepherds, and of course the baby Jesus. The account Matthew gives us, that we heard moments ago, isn’t as well known. It also has some memorable parts to it. But it also has some details that don’t seem to fit with the cozy images we have of Christmas. Think about what Joseph and Mary were dealing with 2000 years ago. Even the Luke account gives us things that don’t seem to fit into the comforting picture we have of Christmas, like a pagan ruler who considered himself to be a god. And then of course there’s the difficult conditions Joseph and Mary struggled through in their trek to Bethlehem and their stay in a stable with animals. Not ideal conditions for the birth of their baby. But we have almost come to romanticize even those details.
What we have in the Matthew account are details that not only don’t seem to fit in with the pleasant scene of Christmas, but things that we normally don’t like to deal with at all: a child out of wedlock, divorce, and an almost cryptic message from an angel. What is Matthew trying to do here, ruin our Christmas? Hasn’t society already done a good enough job of that? Can’t we just stick with the cozy and comfortable picture of Christmas Luke gives us?
We deal with family issues enough in our lives, why do they have to be inserted in here in the joyous event of the birth of the Savior? We deal with unpleasant issues enough throughout the week—do we really have to engage them here on Sunday morning where we’d expect to have sanctuary from them?
I’m sure Mary didn’t want to have to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. God only knows how she dreaded telling her husband-to-be that she was pregnant. I doubt she was mentally or emotionally ready to go through nine months of pregnancy since she and her fiancé were faithfully waiting until their marriage to begin having children.
What do you think Joseph was experiencing? Anger? Betrayal? Depression? We do know that he felt he had to break off the marriage. And we also know that, though he may have struggled with the decision, he resolved to do it in a way to protect Mary.
But then there was more for Joseph to deal with—this crazy dream occurred. What was this all about that what was happening was actually all from God? That Mary was indeed as faithful to him as he had been to her. That he would have a son but in a way he never had dreamed of!
Joseph and Mary were just two ordinary people. Caesar Augustus told them they needed to go to Bethlehem, so they went to Bethlehem. They were told the only place they could spend the night when her delivery was imminent was a stable, so they went in with the sheep. They were told by angels that though the bearing of children is reserved for marriage, this was one conception and birth that would be different.
As much as we have romanticized them, the circumstances of Christ’s birth couldn’t have been more strange. Why would God choose to come to us in this way? If Joseph and Mary were wondering what in the world was going on in their brief life together, what do we possibly think of God that He would enter into such a crazy world that we have? With as many issues we deal with, as many problems we go through, why would God want to become a part of this craziness?
The angel’s quoting of the Scriptures to Joseph says it all: “‘they shall call His name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” Crazy as it seems, God wants to be with us. He wants to come to us. And that didn’t mean sending His angels down to earth to tidy things up first. Straighten out all the political messes. Sweeping up the tragedy of broken families, divorces, arguments, grudges. He sent them instead to simply tell people that He was coming. He would come to deliver us.
And not just from the crud we experience, the difficulties, the struggles. From the sin. The guilt we can’t escape. The angel told Joseph to name His bride-to-be’s son “Jesus”. Why? “He will save His people from their sins.” This is why Jesus came to us, right where we’re at. This is why He chose to be born in, shall we say, less than picture-perfect conditions. This is why He chose anything but a glorious exit, choosing the rejection, humiliation, and even crucifixion of men.
So, yes, this is the place where you come to escape the craziness of your life. But it’s not by ignoring it. Bring it all here with you. Confess your sins where you have done wrong. Bring your petitions to God for others where they have wronged you. Hear the words spoken here to you. They are clear. They are authoritative. They are eternal. They are powerful. They are rich in comfort, grace, and mercy. They are profoundly simple and simply what you need, no matter who you are or where you’re at.
Remember, Christ didn’t get everything fixed up before He came. He just came, in the midst of all the craziness, the crud, and the sin. Here today He comes again. He comes in His Word. His Word is spoken to you: I forgive you all your sins. His Holy Gospel is read and you hear and receive the blessings spoken therein. His Gospel is preached to you and the Holy Spirit enlivens you. At this altar, you receive His very Body and Blood given you for your forgiveness and the strengthening of your faith.
He doesn’t tell you to get everything fixed up in your life before you come here. He simply tells you to come. To receive. To hear. To be blessed. To be comforted. It’s not picture-perfect. It never is. When you get to heaven, yeah, then you will know what perfection is. But not even Christ tried to fix things up when He came to save us. He just came. And He just saved us. He did what needed to be done, though in less than ideal conditions. Good news, actually, as your life is in many ways similar to Joseph and Mary’s. Not always quite what you’d expect, and at times less than ideal. But He came right in the midst of it. So He does with you. Amen.
SDG
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Messengers and Their Words
Advent Midweek 3
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Luke 1:26-38
The Gospel reading for tonight is more like what we would traditionally use for Advent, being as it’s a text which points toward the birth of Christ. The ones we’ve looked at so far were of what happened after His birth. And yet both have been very helpful in our preparation of our celebration of Christ’s birth. They have given us a better grasp of why Jesus was born. This is helpful in this season of preparation.
Now tonight we have the announcement to Mary of the coming birth. The angel Gabriel is the one bringing the news. The word angel actually means messenger. But there are many kinds of messengers. In the Gospel readings for our Sunday worship services we’ve been hearing a lot about one of the most famous messengers, John the Baptist. Last week we heard about some very interesting people bringing the news of the birth of the new king to the current man in power, Herod. The Magi had themselves heard the message and made their way to see the newborn king. And of course before that we had angels again, the well known messengers of the Good News to the shepherds. After they saw Jesus, the shepherds themselves became messengers.
Gabriel has something in common with all the others and that is the words that he speaks. He speaks words that have been given to him by God. That’s what messengers do, they bring a message from one and speak it to another. In the case of these messengers, the one that gave the message was God. Look at all the different places and the people the messengers were sent to.
John was sent to the masses. The Magi came to the king. The angels came to shepherds out in the fields. The same shepherds then went out and told people. Gabriel was sent to Mary. God’s message is sent out to all kinds of people in all kinds of places. The messengers may vary, but the message remains the same. That’s why Mary could say to Gabriel, “let it be to me according to your word.” What she was saying was, “let it be to me according to the Word of God. (In other words, I believe that the message you are speaking to me is the very Word of God.)”
And this what this Advent has been all about. It has been about Christ. Every season of the Church Year is about Christ. Every message in the Scriptures is about Christ. The word Advent means “coming”. In Advent we prepare for our celebration of the coming of Christ. The messengers we’ve heard about were preparing the people of God for the very coming of Christ. He has now come. He came at Bethlehem.
And now that He has, what do we do? What is the significance of our preparation now that He has come? Well if we go back to the messengers and their message we will see. They not only spoke that Christ was coming, but why He came. It was to forgive sins. But He never intended to come at Bethlehem, to live, suffer, die, rise, and ascend into heaven only to leave us be. When He forgives sins He does it completely. And that’s why when the messengers say that Christ is coming, they mean that He’s coming and that He’ll keep on coming.
He came at Bethlehem, He continues to come today. John the Baptist foreshadowed this in His preaching that Jesus would come to Baptize. That’s exactly how He comes to us today—He comes to us in our Baptism. When Gabriel spoke the message to Mary he was giving us words which direct us to much more than just the conception, nine months of being in the womb, and birth of Christ. He was declaring the very message of God coming in the flesh. Living on this side of the ascension, we see how Christ continues to do that today, in His Holy Supper. He comes in the flesh, His very body and blood bound up in that bread and wine of the altar.
Mary spoke the words of humble faith to Gabriel: “let it be to me according to your word.” We are like Mary, we speak words of humble faith to our Lord: “let it be to me according to Your Word.” When He tells us that He comes to us in the flesh in that bread and wine, we might respond like Mary and question, “how can this be?” But by the grace of God, and according to His Word, we respond in faith, believing that the very Son who gave His life on the cross gives Himself to us in the Supper.
We have seen that all the messengers have something in common: they speak the Word given to them by God. They have something else in common: when they speak their message it is never about them, it is always about Christ. Because while messengers deal in words, the messengers sent by God deal in the Word, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. The messengers of Christ proclaim a message of the Word, Christ, given and born for us; suffered and died, for us; risen and ascended, for us. Always coming to us in His Holy Word and His gracious Sacraments. We rejoice God has sent these messengers to us so that we may hear them again and again, hearing more and more of Christ and His salvation. Amen.
SDG
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Luke 1:26-38
The Gospel reading for tonight is more like what we would traditionally use for Advent, being as it’s a text which points toward the birth of Christ. The ones we’ve looked at so far were of what happened after His birth. And yet both have been very helpful in our preparation of our celebration of Christ’s birth. They have given us a better grasp of why Jesus was born. This is helpful in this season of preparation.
Now tonight we have the announcement to Mary of the coming birth. The angel Gabriel is the one bringing the news. The word angel actually means messenger. But there are many kinds of messengers. In the Gospel readings for our Sunday worship services we’ve been hearing a lot about one of the most famous messengers, John the Baptist. Last week we heard about some very interesting people bringing the news of the birth of the new king to the current man in power, Herod. The Magi had themselves heard the message and made their way to see the newborn king. And of course before that we had angels again, the well known messengers of the Good News to the shepherds. After they saw Jesus, the shepherds themselves became messengers.
Gabriel has something in common with all the others and that is the words that he speaks. He speaks words that have been given to him by God. That’s what messengers do, they bring a message from one and speak it to another. In the case of these messengers, the one that gave the message was God. Look at all the different places and the people the messengers were sent to.
John was sent to the masses. The Magi came to the king. The angels came to shepherds out in the fields. The same shepherds then went out and told people. Gabriel was sent to Mary. God’s message is sent out to all kinds of people in all kinds of places. The messengers may vary, but the message remains the same. That’s why Mary could say to Gabriel, “let it be to me according to your word.” What she was saying was, “let it be to me according to the Word of God. (In other words, I believe that the message you are speaking to me is the very Word of God.)”
And this what this Advent has been all about. It has been about Christ. Every season of the Church Year is about Christ. Every message in the Scriptures is about Christ. The word Advent means “coming”. In Advent we prepare for our celebration of the coming of Christ. The messengers we’ve heard about were preparing the people of God for the very coming of Christ. He has now come. He came at Bethlehem.
And now that He has, what do we do? What is the significance of our preparation now that He has come? Well if we go back to the messengers and their message we will see. They not only spoke that Christ was coming, but why He came. It was to forgive sins. But He never intended to come at Bethlehem, to live, suffer, die, rise, and ascend into heaven only to leave us be. When He forgives sins He does it completely. And that’s why when the messengers say that Christ is coming, they mean that He’s coming and that He’ll keep on coming.
He came at Bethlehem, He continues to come today. John the Baptist foreshadowed this in His preaching that Jesus would come to Baptize. That’s exactly how He comes to us today—He comes to us in our Baptism. When Gabriel spoke the message to Mary he was giving us words which direct us to much more than just the conception, nine months of being in the womb, and birth of Christ. He was declaring the very message of God coming in the flesh. Living on this side of the ascension, we see how Christ continues to do that today, in His Holy Supper. He comes in the flesh, His very body and blood bound up in that bread and wine of the altar.
Mary spoke the words of humble faith to Gabriel: “let it be to me according to your word.” We are like Mary, we speak words of humble faith to our Lord: “let it be to me according to Your Word.” When He tells us that He comes to us in the flesh in that bread and wine, we might respond like Mary and question, “how can this be?” But by the grace of God, and according to His Word, we respond in faith, believing that the very Son who gave His life on the cross gives Himself to us in the Supper.
We have seen that all the messengers have something in common: they speak the Word given to them by God. They have something else in common: when they speak their message it is never about them, it is always about Christ. Because while messengers deal in words, the messengers sent by God deal in the Word, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. The messengers of Christ proclaim a message of the Word, Christ, given and born for us; suffered and died, for us; risen and ascended, for us. Always coming to us in His Holy Word and His gracious Sacraments. We rejoice God has sent these messengers to us so that we may hear them again and again, hearing more and more of Christ and His salvation. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Hear and See
Third Sunday in Advent
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Matthew 11:2-15
There are times you come to a Scripture passage and you see good reasons to interpret it one way but also good reasons to interpret it another way. What makes it especially difficult to determine is that both interpretations have value to them. Today’s Gospel reading is one of those passages. Either way you go you’ll be well served because neither interpretation goes against the rest of Scripture. So what do you do?
With today’s Gospel reading you have the question, Is John the Baptist having doubts holed up in that prison and so asks his disciples from Jesus Himself if He really is the one? Or is John holed up there in prison but the consummate teacher of his disciples, having them go to Jesus to find out for themselves that Jesus is in fact the one? There is so much here for us either way. On the one hand, it’s comforting to know that even someone like John falls into times of spiritual crisis and that Jesus is always there for him. How much more so for us! On the other hand, it’s a comfort to know that even when someone like John is in dire straits even that can be used to point to the one who is our only hope. How much more will our Lord continue to send us leaders who will point our way to Jesus!
But there may be a third option. Why can’t it be both? Or maybe another way of saying it is, Maybe God put it in the Scriptures this way so that we are enriched beyond just seeing a passage of Scripture, hearing the interpretation, and learning the lesson of it. Maybe God put it that way so that we must wrestle with it. So that when we come to the conclusion of what the interpretation is we’re forced to see that there’s a lot going for the other one and that we ought to study it more.
But not just study the particular Scripture passage more—study the Bible more. What’s really happening here is that we’re seeing that we need to be in God’s Word, ever more, ever deeper. If John is having doubts and can’t quite see straight, he’s at least sending his disciples to the right place. If he’s more convinced than ever, despite his situation, he’s seeing for himself and guiding his disciples to get into the Word of God, going straight to the source. Each interpretation accomplishes the goal, just from a different perspective. What the third option does is move us beyond just looking at this passage on its own and coming to a decision and moves us to the rest of the Scriptures.
I can’t tell you how many times I have been preparing for a sermon and in my own personal devotions or in studying for something else I have come to an insight on the particular passage I’m going to preach on. That’s because the Word of God is the Word of God. He’s the Author and He’s got it all working together.
He didn’t just give us a simple little booklet that shows us the path to salvation and we’ve got it all figured out, thank you very much. He gives us the Bible that is challenging and at times difficult to understand. But isn’t that exactly what was going on when John was in prison? Whether with John or with his disciples. Or maybe a little of both? John was as certain Jesus was the One as he was that he was in prison; even as there may have been some nagging doubts in the back of his mind there. On the other hand, John may have been genuinely in spiritual distress. It all seemed so clear. He knew Jesus was the One. And yet, now things weren’t seeming quite so clear. Nevertheless, in the back of his mind, there was that still small voice of clarity, of peace, of certainty. He did know that Jesus was the one.
Haven’t there been times when we ourselves have felt one way and at other times the other way? Aren’t there times when we’re not even sure which way we feel? This passage is for you, right where you’re at. Because you don’t necessarily have to have it all figured out. But you do need to keep studying. You do need to go directly to the source. And this is why you need to hear Jesus’ answer to the question: “Tell John what you hear and see.”
The question was asked of Jesus, but the question was asked in doubt, whether by John or his disciples. You know what Jesus does when we’re approaching Him in doubt? He points us to what we hear and see. And what is it we hear? What is it we see? We hear Him. We hear Him when His Holy Word is read. We hear Him when we read it ourselves. We hear Him when the absolution is spoken by His servant. We hear Him when His Gospel is proclaimed or taught by His servant.
When we hear Him in these ways it may not seem as dramatic as when He spoke to the deaf and the blind and the lame. But we hear the same message. We are healed of our infirmity. We are forgiven our sins.
What do we see? We see people at this font before us being Baptized. We see at this altar the bread and wine that is given to us by our Lord Himself, in which He also gives to us His very self, His body and blood. We see our Lord at work. We see our Lord coming to us in His Sacraments.
What was proclaimed in the wilderness in the Old Testament reading is a description that fits us today, with what we hear and see: “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Your God… will come and save you.’” Jesus pointed John and his disciples to what they were hearing and seeing, His marvelous acts of compassion and healing. When we hear Him and see His work in His Word and Sacraments we too are strengthened and comforted and healed, forgiven of our sin.
We are feeble. We are weak and often falter. Why did James in our Epistle reading have to say this to Christians: “Do not grumble against one another”? It’s because we’re prone to not see Jesus for who He is and live like it. We have heard and seen, and yet we grumble and doubt. We act as if Jesus isn’t really who He says He is. As if he really didn’t do all those things promised in the Old Testament and accomplished by His own voice and hands. As if He really hasn’t Baptized all those people we’ve seen Baptized. As if the bread and wine on the altar and that we receive is only bread and wine and not the life giving and sustaining Body and Blood of Christ.
What we need to do is what John did. Whether out of doubt or the confident showing of his disciples, we like him need to go to the source. To Jesus Himself. This is where we hear and see. It’s not just stuff we hear “out there”. It’s not just what we see in our day to day life. It’s what we hear and see of Jesus as He is in action. The one who healed the sick is the one who carried our sickness of sin upon Himself in His suffering and death. He continues to act, to do, to deliver His healing to you in His Holy Word. In Holy Baptism. In His Holy Supper.
So hear and see. Your Lord comes to you. You receive Him because He gives you ears to hear and eyes to see. Even when your body is decaying in the ground this hearing and seeing will remain. And when that very body is raised in glory you will hear and see face to face. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Matthew 11:2-15
There are times you come to a Scripture passage and you see good reasons to interpret it one way but also good reasons to interpret it another way. What makes it especially difficult to determine is that both interpretations have value to them. Today’s Gospel reading is one of those passages. Either way you go you’ll be well served because neither interpretation goes against the rest of Scripture. So what do you do?
With today’s Gospel reading you have the question, Is John the Baptist having doubts holed up in that prison and so asks his disciples from Jesus Himself if He really is the one? Or is John holed up there in prison but the consummate teacher of his disciples, having them go to Jesus to find out for themselves that Jesus is in fact the one? There is so much here for us either way. On the one hand, it’s comforting to know that even someone like John falls into times of spiritual crisis and that Jesus is always there for him. How much more so for us! On the other hand, it’s a comfort to know that even when someone like John is in dire straits even that can be used to point to the one who is our only hope. How much more will our Lord continue to send us leaders who will point our way to Jesus!
But there may be a third option. Why can’t it be both? Or maybe another way of saying it is, Maybe God put it in the Scriptures this way so that we are enriched beyond just seeing a passage of Scripture, hearing the interpretation, and learning the lesson of it. Maybe God put it that way so that we must wrestle with it. So that when we come to the conclusion of what the interpretation is we’re forced to see that there’s a lot going for the other one and that we ought to study it more.
But not just study the particular Scripture passage more—study the Bible more. What’s really happening here is that we’re seeing that we need to be in God’s Word, ever more, ever deeper. If John is having doubts and can’t quite see straight, he’s at least sending his disciples to the right place. If he’s more convinced than ever, despite his situation, he’s seeing for himself and guiding his disciples to get into the Word of God, going straight to the source. Each interpretation accomplishes the goal, just from a different perspective. What the third option does is move us beyond just looking at this passage on its own and coming to a decision and moves us to the rest of the Scriptures.
I can’t tell you how many times I have been preparing for a sermon and in my own personal devotions or in studying for something else I have come to an insight on the particular passage I’m going to preach on. That’s because the Word of God is the Word of God. He’s the Author and He’s got it all working together.
He didn’t just give us a simple little booklet that shows us the path to salvation and we’ve got it all figured out, thank you very much. He gives us the Bible that is challenging and at times difficult to understand. But isn’t that exactly what was going on when John was in prison? Whether with John or with his disciples. Or maybe a little of both? John was as certain Jesus was the One as he was that he was in prison; even as there may have been some nagging doubts in the back of his mind there. On the other hand, John may have been genuinely in spiritual distress. It all seemed so clear. He knew Jesus was the One. And yet, now things weren’t seeming quite so clear. Nevertheless, in the back of his mind, there was that still small voice of clarity, of peace, of certainty. He did know that Jesus was the one.
Haven’t there been times when we ourselves have felt one way and at other times the other way? Aren’t there times when we’re not even sure which way we feel? This passage is for you, right where you’re at. Because you don’t necessarily have to have it all figured out. But you do need to keep studying. You do need to go directly to the source. And this is why you need to hear Jesus’ answer to the question: “Tell John what you hear and see.”
The question was asked of Jesus, but the question was asked in doubt, whether by John or his disciples. You know what Jesus does when we’re approaching Him in doubt? He points us to what we hear and see. And what is it we hear? What is it we see? We hear Him. We hear Him when His Holy Word is read. We hear Him when we read it ourselves. We hear Him when the absolution is spoken by His servant. We hear Him when His Gospel is proclaimed or taught by His servant.
When we hear Him in these ways it may not seem as dramatic as when He spoke to the deaf and the blind and the lame. But we hear the same message. We are healed of our infirmity. We are forgiven our sins.
What do we see? We see people at this font before us being Baptized. We see at this altar the bread and wine that is given to us by our Lord Himself, in which He also gives to us His very self, His body and blood. We see our Lord at work. We see our Lord coming to us in His Sacraments.
What was proclaimed in the wilderness in the Old Testament reading is a description that fits us today, with what we hear and see: “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Your God… will come and save you.’” Jesus pointed John and his disciples to what they were hearing and seeing, His marvelous acts of compassion and healing. When we hear Him and see His work in His Word and Sacraments we too are strengthened and comforted and healed, forgiven of our sin.
We are feeble. We are weak and often falter. Why did James in our Epistle reading have to say this to Christians: “Do not grumble against one another”? It’s because we’re prone to not see Jesus for who He is and live like it. We have heard and seen, and yet we grumble and doubt. We act as if Jesus isn’t really who He says He is. As if he really didn’t do all those things promised in the Old Testament and accomplished by His own voice and hands. As if He really hasn’t Baptized all those people we’ve seen Baptized. As if the bread and wine on the altar and that we receive is only bread and wine and not the life giving and sustaining Body and Blood of Christ.
What we need to do is what John did. Whether out of doubt or the confident showing of his disciples, we like him need to go to the source. To Jesus Himself. This is where we hear and see. It’s not just stuff we hear “out there”. It’s not just what we see in our day to day life. It’s what we hear and see of Jesus as He is in action. The one who healed the sick is the one who carried our sickness of sin upon Himself in His suffering and death. He continues to act, to do, to deliver His healing to you in His Holy Word. In Holy Baptism. In His Holy Supper.
So hear and see. Your Lord comes to you. You receive Him because He gives you ears to hear and eyes to see. Even when your body is decaying in the ground this hearing and seeing will remain. And when that very body is raised in glory you will hear and see face to face. Amen.
SDG
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Giving Gifts to the Giver
Advent Midweek 2
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Matthew 2:1-12
The Gospel account of the Magi is always designated for the festival of Epiphany, which comes after Christmas. The event occurred after Christ was born, so that makes sense. But since our Midweek Advent worship services are based on the Quempas Carol, we have this passage before us now.
It’s actually a very helpful thing for us to take a look at it before Christmas. One of the foremost things on people’s minds at this time of year is gift giving and receiving. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course. But it can be a distraction. If presents become more exciting than what we’re celebrating at Christmas then we’ve got a problem.
We learn from the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus about gift giving and receiving. There are two key ideas here which help us understand what gift giving and receiving is all about. The first is “worship” and the second is “gifts”.
Both of these ideas seem pretty straight forward, and I suppose, when it comes down to it, they really are. What makes them stand out in the Word of God is who is doing the giving and who is doing the receiving. Or maybe another way of saying it is, why is there giving and receiving going on?
When the Magi come to Jesus to worship Him they are giving something to Him, right? They are worshiping Him. They are in a sacrificial position, of kneeling, of bowing down before Him as King. When they give Him the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they are giving Him gifts, right? So Jesus is the one receiving here. He’s the recipient of worship and gifts.
So far so good. They recognized that He was a very special king and so they acted accordingly. They paid homage to Him and presented Him with gifts.
The problem is that we tend to think of this whole situation in the same way that we do with our giving and receiving of gifts at Christmas. It’s completely different. There are similarities. But we’re giving gifts to people that are just like we are, ordinary human beings. The Magi were honoring and giving gifts to a human being who was God. He was not even just a king but the very King of Kings.
The Magi weren’t the primary gift givers here. Sure, their gifts were more immaculate than what most of us could give. But the point in all of this isn’t what the Magi were doing, but what they had received. They were first and foremost the recipients of a gift from the very one they were honoring. It might seem odd that the baby Jesus would be able to give a gift to these men. He, after all, was truly a newborn human being; in need of a lot of care and attention from His parents. But the gift was there in the flesh—Jesus Christ is Himself His gift to all people.
While here at the beginning of His life Gentiles recognized the Gift that was before them, so at the end of His life, while hanging on the cross, another Gentile, the Centurion, also worshiped Him, proclaiming at Jesus’ death: “Truly this was the Son of God.” And there’s your gift, all wrapped up in this one package of the flesh of Jesus Christ. Born and suffering. Laying in a manger and hanging on a cross. Receiving the worship of men because they received His life-giving Spirit.
We are first and foremost recipients of the Gift of Gifts. Jesus is the King of Kings and does deserve our worship and honor. But He didn’t do what He did because we have honored Him so. He did what He did because He is the Giver of good gifts. He gave life at the creation of the world, He gave new life at the cross. He gives us sustaining hope, even as He has risen from the grave, in our Baptism, in His Supper, in the spoken Absolution and the proclaimed Gospel.
In our giving of gifts to each other we can get a sense of what we receive from God. When someone who loves you gives you something you have a tangible measure of that in the gift they gave you. And that hopefully is why we also give gifts to those we love. So our gift giving and receiving is a good thing because ultimately it’s a reminder to us of the tangible way God loves us. He gives us His Son. He gave us His Son at the first Christmas, He gives us His Son in our Baptism, and He gives us His Son in His Holy Supper.
This is why we worship Him. We know who Jesus is. The Magi knew He was a king. We know that He is the King of Kings. We know He is the King of every good gift, especially of Himself. The Magi had spectacular gifts to bring Him. So do we. Ourselves. He created us, after all. He, after all, gave us new life. In Him we live and move and have our being. We love because He first loved us. So also whatever we offer Him is because He has first offered Himself to us so that we may live with Him forever. Amen.
SDG
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Matthew 2:1-12
The Gospel account of the Magi is always designated for the festival of Epiphany, which comes after Christmas. The event occurred after Christ was born, so that makes sense. But since our Midweek Advent worship services are based on the Quempas Carol, we have this passage before us now.
It’s actually a very helpful thing for us to take a look at it before Christmas. One of the foremost things on people’s minds at this time of year is gift giving and receiving. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course. But it can be a distraction. If presents become more exciting than what we’re celebrating at Christmas then we’ve got a problem.
We learn from the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus about gift giving and receiving. There are two key ideas here which help us understand what gift giving and receiving is all about. The first is “worship” and the second is “gifts”.
Both of these ideas seem pretty straight forward, and I suppose, when it comes down to it, they really are. What makes them stand out in the Word of God is who is doing the giving and who is doing the receiving. Or maybe another way of saying it is, why is there giving and receiving going on?
When the Magi come to Jesus to worship Him they are giving something to Him, right? They are worshiping Him. They are in a sacrificial position, of kneeling, of bowing down before Him as King. When they give Him the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they are giving Him gifts, right? So Jesus is the one receiving here. He’s the recipient of worship and gifts.
So far so good. They recognized that He was a very special king and so they acted accordingly. They paid homage to Him and presented Him with gifts.
The problem is that we tend to think of this whole situation in the same way that we do with our giving and receiving of gifts at Christmas. It’s completely different. There are similarities. But we’re giving gifts to people that are just like we are, ordinary human beings. The Magi were honoring and giving gifts to a human being who was God. He was not even just a king but the very King of Kings.
The Magi weren’t the primary gift givers here. Sure, their gifts were more immaculate than what most of us could give. But the point in all of this isn’t what the Magi were doing, but what they had received. They were first and foremost the recipients of a gift from the very one they were honoring. It might seem odd that the baby Jesus would be able to give a gift to these men. He, after all, was truly a newborn human being; in need of a lot of care and attention from His parents. But the gift was there in the flesh—Jesus Christ is Himself His gift to all people.
While here at the beginning of His life Gentiles recognized the Gift that was before them, so at the end of His life, while hanging on the cross, another Gentile, the Centurion, also worshiped Him, proclaiming at Jesus’ death: “Truly this was the Son of God.” And there’s your gift, all wrapped up in this one package of the flesh of Jesus Christ. Born and suffering. Laying in a manger and hanging on a cross. Receiving the worship of men because they received His life-giving Spirit.
We are first and foremost recipients of the Gift of Gifts. Jesus is the King of Kings and does deserve our worship and honor. But He didn’t do what He did because we have honored Him so. He did what He did because He is the Giver of good gifts. He gave life at the creation of the world, He gave new life at the cross. He gives us sustaining hope, even as He has risen from the grave, in our Baptism, in His Supper, in the spoken Absolution and the proclaimed Gospel.
In our giving of gifts to each other we can get a sense of what we receive from God. When someone who loves you gives you something you have a tangible measure of that in the gift they gave you. And that hopefully is why we also give gifts to those we love. So our gift giving and receiving is a good thing because ultimately it’s a reminder to us of the tangible way God loves us. He gives us His Son. He gave us His Son at the first Christmas, He gives us His Son in our Baptism, and He gives us His Son in His Holy Supper.
This is why we worship Him. We know who Jesus is. The Magi knew He was a king. We know that He is the King of Kings. We know He is the King of every good gift, especially of Himself. The Magi had spectacular gifts to bring Him. So do we. Ourselves. He created us, after all. He, after all, gave us new life. In Him we live and move and have our being. We love because He first loved us. So also whatever we offer Him is because He has first offered Himself to us so that we may live with Him forever. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, December 9, 2007
How Do You Like Your Christianity?
Second Sunday in Advent
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Matthew 3:1-12
If Christianity were like a buffet you could go and pick and choose. You could go back for more of what you like and ignore what you don’t like. Out in the desert John the Baptist was delivering a Christianity that was anything but a buffet. He was the cook serving up three items on the menu: repentance, Baptism, and Jesus Christ. He didn’t ask them what they would like. He didn’t ask them how they would like the items prepared. He simply dished them out.
To be certain, there were some who showed up that didn’t like the way this restaurant was operating. Maybe they didn’t like the cook, or what was on the menu, or simply how it was being served. What is clear is that they would have nothing to do with what John was offering out there in the desert.
This points out to us something very important. How do we want our Christianity? Do we prefer buffet style, where we can pick and choose? Or do we go to the restaurant and simply receive what is dished out? There’s a sharp contrast drawn between those who took the menu as it stood and those who would just as soon have stayed at their own restaurant in Jerusalem. Maybe that’s why John delivered the items on his menu out in the desert—away from Jerusalem and the restaurant of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
There’s no doubt the religious leaders wanted to have their religion their own way. But did all the people who came out to John accept the Christianity John served up exactly as it was on the menu? Three years of Ministry of Jesus show us that they either rejected Him themselves, or simply ignored Him, or at the very least didn’t fully grasp exactly what Christianity was.
Assuming we’re in the category of the crowds and not the Pharisees and Sadducees, we shouldn’t simply assume that we can relax because we don’t fall under the judgment pronounced on the Pharisees and Sadducees. We’re always in danger of falling under it because our Old Adam is always hungry. Our sinful flesh is never satisfied with only what’s on the menu. It always sees something else at the buffet table that looks more appealing.
That’s why the words of John to all the people there—the crowds and religious leaders alike—are words we need to hear for all time. How is this? Because his words never come to a point where they’re no longer applicable in this life. When John said, “Repent”, he meant that this is something we’re continually in need of doing.
We can see how this is so when we look at another command in the Bible: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We don’t hear that and say, “Oh good, I just have to love my neighbor this one time God tells me to love him.” No, we hear it and realize that He is calling us to love our neighbor and keep on loving him. Same here with repent: we don’t just repent the one time we hear this command of God—we repent and keep on repenting. That’s because we’re in continual need of repentance.
John was pointing people to Christ. He was paving the way for the Savior. While John was still out in the wilderness Baptizing and preaching Jesus came on the scene. It’s telling that when Jesus began His Ministry He preached exactly the same thing John did: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom of heaven is always at hand. The good new is that it is always at hand in the wilderness, the desert. In other words, the spiritual desert of our lives. “Heaven” comes to earth in the midst of the wilderness, our spiritual need; right in the middle of our sin and guilt.
So how do you like your Christianity? Do you want to check out what else is on the menu when you are served up a strong dose of Law? When you are called on your sin, do you want to pile on heaping portions of rationalization? When you are called to repent of gossiping and saying things of people that will harm their reputation, do excuse yourself to make another trip to the buffet so that you can find some good reason why you need to talk about people behind their back? This is really the kind of Christianity we prefer, isn’t it? Maybe we’re not so far different from those Pharisees and Sadducees.
Our Old Adam is ravenously hungry for anything that’s not on the menu. Our sinful nature feeds on its own desires. We truly are dead in our trespasses and sins. What can be done? John shows us: Baptism. The old man needs to die. In Baptism our Old Adam is drowned. The Holy Spirit gives us new life in Baptism. While repentance is a continual need, Baptism, like birth, is a one-time occurrence. It’s very much like birth, in fact, in that when you’re born you then grow. We grow in faith by repenting of our sins and being forgiven of them.
Notice how immanently practical John is. He’s not giving some sweet mush that’s palatable to them, but concrete actual stuff. Repentance, Baptism, and what it all is wrapped up in, Christ. What Christianity really is is the serving up of Christ. The Old Testament reading did exactly what John the Baptist was doing, turning our vision toward Him: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” This is a promise of the Messiah, the Savior, in whom we have forgiveness and life. John’s calling us to repentance is repentance that is in keeping with bearing fruit. How this happens is through Jesus, He is the vine and we are the branches. We can do nothing apart from Him.
Our Savior Jesus, as the Old Testament reading also shows us, judges us with righteousness. This is the promise to the Christian. Why would we want anything else served us? We are too often caught up in our version of Christianity that we at times engage in things like gossip and not putting the best construction on other people’s actions. A very different picture of the Christian Church is given by Paul in the Epistle: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is nothing less than a description of the “bearing fruit in keeping with repentance” of the Gospel reading.
The kind of Christianity served up in the Word of God is Christianity that is centered in Christ and comes from Christ, as Paul further goes on to say:
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.
It was to the glory of God that Jesus took on human flesh in His birth. What results in this, our God and Lord serving us by becoming a man, is Paul’s concluding thought in the Epistle: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
You are a child of God. You are a member of His Household. You dine at His Table. You receive abundant portions from His hand. Never think that it is because you are holding on to whatever brand of Christianity you have. John’s warning to those who think they’re in apart from what’s on the menu is sobering: “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”
Repentance is not something we can bring about of our own will or power. That God can raise up children from stones shows us that He can raise us up from our stony unbelief. “He separates the chaff from the wheat and gathers His wheat into the barn.” This is pure Gospel. It is Jesus serving up what only He can serve. He calls to repentance so that He can make alive.
So how do you like your Christianity? How about the way Jesus serves it up to you? He doesn’t give you what you want or what you think you need. He simply gives you what He has: Himself. And that, dear friends in Christ, is Christianity. Amen.
SDG
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Matthew 3:1-12
If Christianity were like a buffet you could go and pick and choose. You could go back for more of what you like and ignore what you don’t like. Out in the desert John the Baptist was delivering a Christianity that was anything but a buffet. He was the cook serving up three items on the menu: repentance, Baptism, and Jesus Christ. He didn’t ask them what they would like. He didn’t ask them how they would like the items prepared. He simply dished them out.
To be certain, there were some who showed up that didn’t like the way this restaurant was operating. Maybe they didn’t like the cook, or what was on the menu, or simply how it was being served. What is clear is that they would have nothing to do with what John was offering out there in the desert.
This points out to us something very important. How do we want our Christianity? Do we prefer buffet style, where we can pick and choose? Or do we go to the restaurant and simply receive what is dished out? There’s a sharp contrast drawn between those who took the menu as it stood and those who would just as soon have stayed at their own restaurant in Jerusalem. Maybe that’s why John delivered the items on his menu out in the desert—away from Jerusalem and the restaurant of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
There’s no doubt the religious leaders wanted to have their religion their own way. But did all the people who came out to John accept the Christianity John served up exactly as it was on the menu? Three years of Ministry of Jesus show us that they either rejected Him themselves, or simply ignored Him, or at the very least didn’t fully grasp exactly what Christianity was.
Assuming we’re in the category of the crowds and not the Pharisees and Sadducees, we shouldn’t simply assume that we can relax because we don’t fall under the judgment pronounced on the Pharisees and Sadducees. We’re always in danger of falling under it because our Old Adam is always hungry. Our sinful flesh is never satisfied with only what’s on the menu. It always sees something else at the buffet table that looks more appealing.
That’s why the words of John to all the people there—the crowds and religious leaders alike—are words we need to hear for all time. How is this? Because his words never come to a point where they’re no longer applicable in this life. When John said, “Repent”, he meant that this is something we’re continually in need of doing.
We can see how this is so when we look at another command in the Bible: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We don’t hear that and say, “Oh good, I just have to love my neighbor this one time God tells me to love him.” No, we hear it and realize that He is calling us to love our neighbor and keep on loving him. Same here with repent: we don’t just repent the one time we hear this command of God—we repent and keep on repenting. That’s because we’re in continual need of repentance.
John was pointing people to Christ. He was paving the way for the Savior. While John was still out in the wilderness Baptizing and preaching Jesus came on the scene. It’s telling that when Jesus began His Ministry He preached exactly the same thing John did: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom of heaven is always at hand. The good new is that it is always at hand in the wilderness, the desert. In other words, the spiritual desert of our lives. “Heaven” comes to earth in the midst of the wilderness, our spiritual need; right in the middle of our sin and guilt.
So how do you like your Christianity? Do you want to check out what else is on the menu when you are served up a strong dose of Law? When you are called on your sin, do you want to pile on heaping portions of rationalization? When you are called to repent of gossiping and saying things of people that will harm their reputation, do excuse yourself to make another trip to the buffet so that you can find some good reason why you need to talk about people behind their back? This is really the kind of Christianity we prefer, isn’t it? Maybe we’re not so far different from those Pharisees and Sadducees.
Our Old Adam is ravenously hungry for anything that’s not on the menu. Our sinful nature feeds on its own desires. We truly are dead in our trespasses and sins. What can be done? John shows us: Baptism. The old man needs to die. In Baptism our Old Adam is drowned. The Holy Spirit gives us new life in Baptism. While repentance is a continual need, Baptism, like birth, is a one-time occurrence. It’s very much like birth, in fact, in that when you’re born you then grow. We grow in faith by repenting of our sins and being forgiven of them.
Notice how immanently practical John is. He’s not giving some sweet mush that’s palatable to them, but concrete actual stuff. Repentance, Baptism, and what it all is wrapped up in, Christ. What Christianity really is is the serving up of Christ. The Old Testament reading did exactly what John the Baptist was doing, turning our vision toward Him: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.” This is a promise of the Messiah, the Savior, in whom we have forgiveness and life. John’s calling us to repentance is repentance that is in keeping with bearing fruit. How this happens is through Jesus, He is the vine and we are the branches. We can do nothing apart from Him.
Our Savior Jesus, as the Old Testament reading also shows us, judges us with righteousness. This is the promise to the Christian. Why would we want anything else served us? We are too often caught up in our version of Christianity that we at times engage in things like gossip and not putting the best construction on other people’s actions. A very different picture of the Christian Church is given by Paul in the Epistle: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is nothing less than a description of the “bearing fruit in keeping with repentance” of the Gospel reading.
The kind of Christianity served up in the Word of God is Christianity that is centered in Christ and comes from Christ, as Paul further goes on to say:
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.
It was to the glory of God that Jesus took on human flesh in His birth. What results in this, our God and Lord serving us by becoming a man, is Paul’s concluding thought in the Epistle: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
You are a child of God. You are a member of His Household. You dine at His Table. You receive abundant portions from His hand. Never think that it is because you are holding on to whatever brand of Christianity you have. John’s warning to those who think they’re in apart from what’s on the menu is sobering: “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”
Repentance is not something we can bring about of our own will or power. That God can raise up children from stones shows us that He can raise us up from our stony unbelief. “He separates the chaff from the wheat and gathers His wheat into the barn.” This is pure Gospel. It is Jesus serving up what only He can serve. He calls to repentance so that He can make alive.
So how do you like your Christianity? How about the way Jesus serves it up to you? He doesn’t give you what you want or what you think you need. He simply gives you what He has: Himself. And that, dear friends in Christ, is Christianity. Amen.
SDG
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Our Preparing Is Our Preparation
Advent Midweek 1
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Luke 2:8-14
Some things need just as much effort in preparation as they do for the thing itself. If you’re going to mop the floor, you first need to move everything out of the way and then sweep the floor. If you’re going to play a sport you can’t just go out onto the field and play, you first have to practice and work hard. If you’re going to make a presentation at work it’s best not to wing it. Preparation will go a long way toward a good presentation.
Have you ever wondered why we have midweek worship services during Advent and Lent? It’s because they are seasons in the Church Year that are seasons of preparation. We don’t just up and celebrate Christmas because the date on the calendar says December 25. We prepare for our celebration of it. We don’t suddenly rejoice in the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday. We prepare our hearts and minds for the observance of Holy Week and the suffering and death of Christ before we celebrate the Resurrection.
We know the story. We know the events of Christ’s life. We know what He has done to accomplish our salvation. Is all this extra preparation necessary? Well, it would be easy to never show up to practice, but playing in the game would show you that you’re not ready to be there. You might know all about your sport. You might know everything you need to do. You might even have tremendous skill and be able to get by to a great degree on that. But ultimately you would find that you really don’t know what it’s all about after all. It’s in the preparation that you are formed for what you do on the field.
In our preparation during Advent we are being prepared. Our preparing is our preparation. This is shown to us in the Gospel reading. Why is it that we need to know about the birth of Jesus? Why didn’t God just have His Book, the Bible, be short and sweet? He could have simply told us that God came down to earth and suffered and died in our place. Why is it necessary to go through the details of His birth and even his Ministry? Why not go right to the heart of things?
Because in giving us these things He’s preparing us. When we are in Advent to prepare for our celebration of Christmas we are actually being prepared by God. He’s doing something a little like what the angels did for the shepherds. The angels were preparing them. Giving them the firsthand news that there was a Savior and He was for them. Could those shepherds just have waited like everyone else until Jesus died and rose and then they’d know they had a Savior? Yeah. But God doesn’t operate that way. He doesn’t just do things for us. He prepares us for them.
That way we don’t just go along thinking we know what we need to know, and isn’t that just dandy? Can you imagine a coach telling his team how excited he is to have guys like them on his team so practice isn’t necessary? The coaches I know expect the team to be there for practice and to work hard. But the athletes aren’t just preparing. They are being prepared. The coach is preparing them. He’s guiding them. He’s stirring them on. He’s giving them the big picture. He’s pointing out small but important things they might have missed otherwise. Their preparing is their preparation.
The collect for the First Sunday in Advent focuses us on this preparation: “Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds.” We ask Him to stir up our hearts. It is by His coming we are enabled to serve Him with pure minds. Our prayer is not simply that we would have the mind to prepare for the celebration of His first coming and that we would continue to prepare for His second Coming in glory. But that He would prepare us through this so that we may see and hear and know what the shepherds did: there is salvation wrapped up in that baby of Bethlehem. There is life in that suffering and death of the Suffering Servant. There is deliverance from all our sins in that Savior who loves to keep coming to us.
Your life in Christ has been one of preparation. Because in your preparing you are being prepared. In your Baptism you are living a new life, one in which you are sustained by Christ Himself in His Word. You confess your sins. You examine yourself. You see where you have fallen short of His glory and His will. You long to receive again and again the food that forgives you and sustains you. And in His Holy Supper your Lord prepares you for new and trusting life in Him by feeding You with Himself.
Just think about it—if you simply rest on “what you know” you’re content to rest in that knowledge. Now, that might sound like a good thing, but it’s really not. It’s really resting in your knowledge. You might think this is splitting hairs, but listen to what the angels were telling the shepherds: Christ has come to you. He is your Savior! It’s not about knowledge, it’s about Christ preparing our hearts and minds for His amazing work of salvation. There can never be enough preparation that takes place. We can never be prepared too much.
That’s a good thing. Because Jesus loves to give. He loves to work for you. He loves to serve you. That’s why we see that the more we sin the more we need Him. The more we live in this world and in our flesh the more we’re tempted to delight in our wants and desires. Spending time in the Word of God; meditating on your Baptism and what it means that you have new life in the midst of this sin-filled world and your Old Adam that hangs on; pondering the mystery that God, who cannot be contained, has chosen to box Himself into the packages of human flesh and bread and wine so that we know exactly how He comes to us.
These are not only the glorious things we prepare for, but are also and always the very things God uses to prepare us for eternal life with Him. Amen.
SDG
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Luke 2:8-14
Some things need just as much effort in preparation as they do for the thing itself. If you’re going to mop the floor, you first need to move everything out of the way and then sweep the floor. If you’re going to play a sport you can’t just go out onto the field and play, you first have to practice and work hard. If you’re going to make a presentation at work it’s best not to wing it. Preparation will go a long way toward a good presentation.
Have you ever wondered why we have midweek worship services during Advent and Lent? It’s because they are seasons in the Church Year that are seasons of preparation. We don’t just up and celebrate Christmas because the date on the calendar says December 25. We prepare for our celebration of it. We don’t suddenly rejoice in the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday. We prepare our hearts and minds for the observance of Holy Week and the suffering and death of Christ before we celebrate the Resurrection.
We know the story. We know the events of Christ’s life. We know what He has done to accomplish our salvation. Is all this extra preparation necessary? Well, it would be easy to never show up to practice, but playing in the game would show you that you’re not ready to be there. You might know all about your sport. You might know everything you need to do. You might even have tremendous skill and be able to get by to a great degree on that. But ultimately you would find that you really don’t know what it’s all about after all. It’s in the preparation that you are formed for what you do on the field.
In our preparation during Advent we are being prepared. Our preparing is our preparation. This is shown to us in the Gospel reading. Why is it that we need to know about the birth of Jesus? Why didn’t God just have His Book, the Bible, be short and sweet? He could have simply told us that God came down to earth and suffered and died in our place. Why is it necessary to go through the details of His birth and even his Ministry? Why not go right to the heart of things?
Because in giving us these things He’s preparing us. When we are in Advent to prepare for our celebration of Christmas we are actually being prepared by God. He’s doing something a little like what the angels did for the shepherds. The angels were preparing them. Giving them the firsthand news that there was a Savior and He was for them. Could those shepherds just have waited like everyone else until Jesus died and rose and then they’d know they had a Savior? Yeah. But God doesn’t operate that way. He doesn’t just do things for us. He prepares us for them.
That way we don’t just go along thinking we know what we need to know, and isn’t that just dandy? Can you imagine a coach telling his team how excited he is to have guys like them on his team so practice isn’t necessary? The coaches I know expect the team to be there for practice and to work hard. But the athletes aren’t just preparing. They are being prepared. The coach is preparing them. He’s guiding them. He’s stirring them on. He’s giving them the big picture. He’s pointing out small but important things they might have missed otherwise. Their preparing is their preparation.
The collect for the First Sunday in Advent focuses us on this preparation: “Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds.” We ask Him to stir up our hearts. It is by His coming we are enabled to serve Him with pure minds. Our prayer is not simply that we would have the mind to prepare for the celebration of His first coming and that we would continue to prepare for His second Coming in glory. But that He would prepare us through this so that we may see and hear and know what the shepherds did: there is salvation wrapped up in that baby of Bethlehem. There is life in that suffering and death of the Suffering Servant. There is deliverance from all our sins in that Savior who loves to keep coming to us.
Your life in Christ has been one of preparation. Because in your preparing you are being prepared. In your Baptism you are living a new life, one in which you are sustained by Christ Himself in His Word. You confess your sins. You examine yourself. You see where you have fallen short of His glory and His will. You long to receive again and again the food that forgives you and sustains you. And in His Holy Supper your Lord prepares you for new and trusting life in Him by feeding You with Himself.
Just think about it—if you simply rest on “what you know” you’re content to rest in that knowledge. Now, that might sound like a good thing, but it’s really not. It’s really resting in your knowledge. You might think this is splitting hairs, but listen to what the angels were telling the shepherds: Christ has come to you. He is your Savior! It’s not about knowledge, it’s about Christ preparing our hearts and minds for His amazing work of salvation. There can never be enough preparation that takes place. We can never be prepared too much.
That’s a good thing. Because Jesus loves to give. He loves to work for you. He loves to serve you. That’s why we see that the more we sin the more we need Him. The more we live in this world and in our flesh the more we’re tempted to delight in our wants and desires. Spending time in the Word of God; meditating on your Baptism and what it means that you have new life in the midst of this sin-filled world and your Old Adam that hangs on; pondering the mystery that God, who cannot be contained, has chosen to box Himself into the packages of human flesh and bread and wine so that we know exactly how He comes to us.
These are not only the glorious things we prepare for, but are also and always the very things God uses to prepare us for eternal life with Him. Amen.
SDG
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