Gaudete - The Third Sunday in Advent (Advent 3)

(Audio)

Matthew 11:2-11; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Isaiah 40:1-11

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

“All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass.”

This word is truth, though, most of the time, we exert herculean effort to live our lives in denial of this truth. However, when evil strikes out nation, our community, our family, our children, and those we love, then the veil of denial is savagely torn away. Horror and grief are the only appropriate response.

Then, the question screamed into the heavens is “Why?” Then people ask, “Where was God?” Many more ask, “Is there a God?” While, some curse God, and others say He simply doesn’t exist. People are afraid. People are angry. People are filled with doubt. People have lost hope and are filled with despair. But, there is nothing new about any of this. Indeed, people of every time and every place have suffered and died and questioned and doubted, ever since Cain murdered his brother Abel and spilled his blood in the field. Men slaughter men, children die, and the forces of nature and warring tribes and nations destroy lives and livelihoods, and God permits it to happen – and, that is the truth.

Theodicy – that’s the fancy theological term for trying to make excuses for God’s permitting evil and suffering in the world. I say to you, give it up. It’s a fruitless effort. God doesn’t need you to justify Himself, but, on the contrary, you need Him to justify you. That’s because, sin, evil, and death – these are not God’s creation – but these are man’s choice, your choice, and my choice. In the beginning, God gave man one command, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,” and God attached His Word to that tree saying, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Then the serpent came, outside of man whom God created good and in His image and likeness, tempting him to doubt God’s Word and to fear something other than God, to love himself more than God. Still, that temptation was not sin, but it was seed. Man received the seed, the seed bore fruit, and man sinned, and so death entered the world.

Once man had introduced death into the world, it was immediate that blood began to spill and God’s creatures began to die. The first to die were animals at the hand of God Himself. To clothe our First Parent’s nakedness, their guilt and shame, God sacrificed animals and shed their blood, clothing man and woman in their hides. From that point forward men sacrificed animals – oxen, bulls, goats, lambs, and pigeons – to cover over their sins. Their sins were never removed, but by the promise of God’s Word, for the sake of His own blood that He would eventually shed, He overlooked their sin and counted them as righteous and holy. He didn’t have to, and by all rights He shouldn’t have, for He is God and He is righteous and holy. He could have left man to his fate – death and eternal separation from the gracious presence of His God and Creator. But, God is also good, loving, gracious, and merciful; it would be contrary to His nature, even impossible for Him to do as sinful man would, to permit man to reap eternally what he had sown. So, He did what was necessary. He set in motion a plan to become a man Himself, the perfect man, and to fulfill all that was necessary to redeem man from his sin, evil, and death. He sent His only-begotten Son to be born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law. Where He once shed the innocent blood of animals to clothe man’s nakedness, guilt, and shame, in time, He would shed His own blood and take away the sin of the whole world.

In the face of tragedy and violence we grope as in the darkness for peace and comfort, and all that we can find is nothingness, evil, and more death. Only the light of God’s Word can pierce the darkness of sin and death and provide us a path out. The wages of sin is death. It surrounds us as we live, and all who live must pass through its valley; but the Word of the LORD, which alone gives and sustains life, stands forever. His Word proclaims to you comfort and peace, not in place of your grief and sorrows, but in the midst of them.

John the Baptist pointed to the sacrifice that God would offer to take away the sins of all men. He pointed to Jesus saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” As Abraham confessed as he prepared to sacrifice his own son Isaac, “God will provide for Himself the Lamb.” Still, John, in prison, awaiting his own cruel death, questioned Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Did John have a moment of doubt concerning whom Jesus was and what he came to do? I don’t think so. But, surely we can imagine being in John’s position, looking at the horrible, dark, and evil circumstances he was in and wondering, “Where are you God? Aren’t you going to help me? Have I got this all wrong?” What did Jesus do? He directed John back to the Word of God: What do you hear? What do you see? “The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” The effects of sin, evil, and death are being undone all around you, every day. God’s Word has gone out into the world; it will not return to Him void, but it will accomplish that purpose for which it has been sent. Like a shepherd, I will face grim death before you, and I will lead you, not around it, but through it, into my Father’s house forevermore. It’s a done deal, even before it happens! Your warfare is ended. Your iniquity is pardoned. You have received double for all your sins. Though the grass withers and the flower fades, this is under the Lord’s control, and He works all things, even the horrible, wicked, and evil things, He works even death for your good.

Why is there evil in the world? Why do innocent children die horrible deaths? Why is there pain and suffering, sorrow and grief? Why doesn’t God do anything to stop it? The answer to all of those questions, except for the last one, is sin. The wages of sin is death. Why doesn’t God do anything to stop it? He has. And, He does. He sent His only-begotten Son to become a man that He might take sin upon Himself and earn its wage, death. Thus, He has destroyed, not death, but the power of death, so that all who die trusting in Him, pass through death into deathless life. In fact, those who believe in Him and are baptized have begun to live that deathless life even now, life that can never be taken from them.

Whence comes comfort for those afflicted by grief and sorrow? Whence comes comfort for those afflicted by sin, evil, and death? Comfort comes from the Word of God which was, and is, and ever shall be: The Word spoken into the darkness in the beginning. The Word made flesh and dwelling amongst us. The Word crucified, dead, and buried. The Word raised up to new life on the third day. The Word ascended, reigning, and ruling all things at the right hand of the Father. The Word making all things new. The Word coming in power and glory, bringing a new heaven and a new earth. The Word present amongst us now to comfort us in our sorrows, to restore us to holiness, to strengthen our faith, and to walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death, upon the path He has already blazed, into His Father’s house forevermore.

John didn’t get out of prison. Sometime later he was beheaded by Herod. But, John believed in the Word of the LORD, and he is amongst those souls in heaven who cry out “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” To them, as to you, has been given a white robe and the command “rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who will be killed as they were, is completed.” We are all sheep to be slaughtered. We pass, not around, but through death. But, let us fear no evil; for, the Lord is with us. He comforts us with His rod and staff. He feeds us in the presence of our enemies. He anoints us with His Spirit and fills us to overflowing with His grace, love, and mercy. And He leads us, through death, into life with His Father and the Holy Spirit forevermore.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Advent Evening Prayer in the Week of Populus Zion (Advent 2)

(Audio)

Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:57-80; Psalm 112

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

How difficult it is to comfort the comfortable. John the Baptist came preaching salvation. How odd that must have sounded in the ears of first century Jews and Gentiles who had grown comfortable in their benevolent slavery under their Roman occupiers. They had grown content and comfortable with their captivity, and they had grown content and comfortable in their sins and idolatries. How odd the Baptist’s preaching of salvation must have sounded to them. “Salvation from who?” they must have wondered. “Salvation from what?” they must have asked.

John was sent at a time when prophecies were thought to be dead. No one had heard from a prophet for several hundred years. Entire generations of Jews and Gentiles had been born, had lived, and had died neither hearing nor believing in prophecy. Those few, but a remnant, who held the old faith, were surely thought to be out of touch, ignorant, unenlightened fools. While they prayed their prayers and made their sacrifices and tried the best they could to live according to God’s Word and will, their neighbors, even their brothers and sisters, at best, ignored them and considered them quaint and ignorant, and at worst, mocked and ridiculed and persecuted them. Additionally, the religious leadership of the Jews, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, interpreted God’s Word in a strict, legalistic manner that made it burdensome and oppressive, that served only to crush weak faith or to harden proud hearts. They did not teach repentance unto forgiveness, for they believed that a person could be right with the Lord by performing works according to the Law.

How would John’s preaching be received today? I believe that it would be, and that, in fact, it is, received in much the same way as it was in first century Israel. The message of salvation is largely rejected. How difficult it is to comfort the comfortable. The message of salvation is an objective message. In order for there to be sin and repentance, there must be an objective reality, truth, or law that is universal and absolute. Today, men reject both truth and absolutes – absolutely, I might add. And, in order for there to be absolution, there must be someone who has the holiness and the authority to decree, judge, and execute justice accordingly. Today, men reject holiness, righteousness, and universal authority, decree, judgment, and justice. For, today, as in John’s day, men reject God, but they supplant Him with a myriad of gods, goddesses, and idols, particularly, the god that is oneself.

How difficult it is to comfort the comfortable. You are to believe that you live in the most advanced culture and society ever to grace the face of the planet. Indeed, our technology is so advanced that families can be scattered all over the globe and still communicate in real time, even with video and audio. Of course, technology has also served to foster the scattering of families all over the globe. And our medical science and technology is so advanced that people are living much longer and healthier lives. Of course, our medical science and technology is so advanced that over 620,000 babies (conservatively) are aborted each year in the United States (that’s over 950 per day), and medical care has become so expensive, due to corruption and greed in the medical, pharmaceutical, and insurance industries, as well as in the government, that the families of elderly persons are increasingly forced to assign a monetary value to their loved one’s life in comparison to the cost of their care. And what remarkable, astounding freedoms we enjoy in our country and throughout the world! You are free to do almost anything you want, so long as it does not directly impinge upon someone else’s freedom, that is, again, unless you happen to have not been born yet, or you are elderly or incapacitated in some way and someone else has reckoned your life less valuable than the cost of your care. But, beyond that, you can do anything, because nothing is immoral, except saying that someone’s behavior is immoral; nothing is wrong, except saying that someone’s actions are wrong; nothing is sinful, except naming a behavior to be sinful. Indeed, all things are to be tolerated, except perceived intolerance. And, because there is no God, all things and all people are gods. And, because all things and all people are gods, there is no god.

Now, if you are comfortable with all this, then you must surely think John the Baptist’s preaching, indeed, you must surely think my preaching, to be quaint, ignorant, and utter foolishness. Perhaps you even think it to be judgmental, bigoted, hate speech. How difficult it is to comfort the comfortable, indeed.

Nevertheless, John the Baptist was sent to comfort God’s people by preaching repentance unto the forgiveness of sins. John proclaimed that man’s warfare with God was ended, and that all man’s iniquities and sins were pardoned and forgiven by our God and LORD in the one who was to come, the one whose sandals John was not worthy to untie, God’s Son, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. John came preaching in the wilderness of this world to people who had convinced themselves that this life and world, with its sin, suffering, and death, poverty, crime, corruption, and war, is paradise and the fulfillment of what it means to be human and alive. John came to proclaim the truth to a people who no longer believed in truth, but had come to believe the lies of the great liar and deceiver, Satan. Though they considered him mad and a fool, his wisdom and his authority were not in his person, his birthright, or in his material worth, but his wisdom and his authority were in his proclamation of God’s Word before priests and kings, before the poor and the widowed, before Jews and Gentiles, before prostitutes, lepers, tax collectors, and all the unclean. To all the world John proclaimed a baptism of repentance unto the forgiveness of sins – the greatest comfort imaginable, the greatest comfort there is.

The world was, and the world is still, perplexed by John and his message. He was prophesied to proclaim comfort, but his message was one of convicting Law unto repentance. Because men have believed the lies of the Liar, they do not know the comfort that comes from repentance and absolution. But there is comfort in looking outside of yourself. For, the world’s peace and comfort is no peace and comfort at all; it is always fleeting and never satisfying or sufficient to clear your conscience of the stain of guilt. John proclaims true comfort and true peace proceeding from a conscience that has been washed clean of the stain of guilt and sin with the innocent shed blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ blood comes from outside of you, but it is for you, and for the forgiveness of your sins.

Your LORD knew that you were too enmeshed in the lies of the Liar to receive and believe in the gift of His Son, so he sent John to go before Him to prepare the way for His coming. John did this by preaching repentance and by baptizing, symbolizing a rebirth and turning away from the ways of the flesh and the world to the ways of the LORD. John was sent “to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins” that they might receive “the sunrise from on high,” Jesus, who was soon to “visit [them] from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide their feet into the way of peace.”

In fact, John’s appearance was the result of a long series of strange interventions by God, as the Swedish Lutheran theologian Bo Giertz has observed, “Against all odds, Zechariah and Elizabeth have a son. Against every custom, Elizabeth wanted to name him John. To everyone’s surprise, the mute Zechariah writes the same name on a tablet they give him. Contrary to what is normal, the preacher’s son goes out into the dessert, and when they least expect it, he emerges with the message for Israel that the great day is at hand. God has taken care of His people and now He’s sending the Messiah. The kingdom of God is at hand.” And, all this has happened “because of the tender mercy of our God. All of the abundant wealth and beauty we see in nature and life at its best is nothing, and at last would be just a temporary ray of sunshine over those who ‘sit in darkness and in the shadow of death’, if God hadn’t in His mercy let ‘the sunrise … visit us from on high’ and given us knowledge of redemption so our sins can be forgiven.”

How difficult it is to comfort the comfortable. Thanks be to God, in His tender mercy, He has sought to make you uncomfortable. He has sought to make you uncomfortable with your sin and idolatry. He has sought to make you uncomfortable with injustice and immorality in your community, nation, and world. He has sought to make you uncomfortable with the notion that this life is all that there is – birth, life, and death – and that you are own god, and that pleasing yourself is the only good. Your God and LORD so loves you that He will not allow you to remain in darkness and the shadow of death. And so, He has shown the pure, bright, and holy light of His Son upon you so that no one should perish, but that all may repent, receive, and believe, and, believing, have life in His Name.

Jesus said that “among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” That one is Jesus Himself, “who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

John understood his role as the forerunner, sent to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. He confessed Jesus’ holiness and divinity by, initially, refusing to baptize Him, but he relented upon Jesus’ insistence that it was fitting for them to “fulfill all righteousness.” John also confessed Jesus to be the Messiah of God by saying “He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.” And, lastly, John humbled himself before his disciples saying, “He must increase; I must decrease.” And so, we celebrate God’s sending of the forerunner of Jesus to prepare His way every Lord’s Day singing “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” For, He is present amongst you with His Word of Holy Absolution, true comfort and peace, and with His holy body and precious blood to commune with you that you have life in Him and give life to others to the glory of His Holy Name.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Populus Zion - The Second Sunday in Advent (Advent 2)

(Audio)

Luke 21:25-36; Romans 15:4-13; Malachi 4:1-6

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

“Signs in sun and moon and stars?” “Distress of nations” and “foreboding of what is coming on the world?” You’ve seen these signs. Indeed, every generation has seen these signs. And yet, the Lord has not returned. Surely it is rational to conclude that He isn’t coming, right? It may even be rational to conclude that He doesn’t exist at all. This, the world would have you believe. This, your culture would have you think. This, your enemy uses to deceive you and to lead you to either pride and self-righteousness, or to despair and hopelessness, or, simply, to unbelief – either way, he wins. However, there is an old saying: “What is long delayed is not yet abandoned.” Therefore, you must be watchful. You must watch for His coming, which is to say, you must have faith, you must have trust. And you must watch that you may be found doing the things you have been given to do; which is to say, you must produce works, the fruit of faith, you must love.

For, these days, and this delay, are given in mercy, that all might have opportunity to repent and be saved. For, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” But how are unbelievers to know the LORD and His mercy? They are to know the LORD and His mercy by the love of His Christian people, by your love. Let the Gentiles be thankful that there are Christians, let the Gentiles be thankful for you, and so glorify the LORD. But do you do this? What do unbelievers hear in your words and see in your deeds? Do you show the love and mercy of the LORD to others in what you say and do and how you live?

Sadly, too often, what unbelievers see in the words and deeds of Christians is judgment, hatred, and hypocrisy. For example, unbelievers today might conclude from what they see and hear from Christians that, to be Christian, is to hate homosexuals and those suffering gender dysphoria. Likewise, they might conclude that, to be Christian, is to have no mercy or pity for pregnant women in very difficult situations. Again, likewise, they might conclude that, to be Christian, is to hypocritically preach the sanctity of marriage, all the while practicing divorce at the same rate as non-believers.

Now, of course, the Holy Scriptures do prohibit and condemn homosexual acts. And the Holy Scriptures do prohibit and condemn killing and murder of any kind apart from the authority given governing authorities to punish the wrongdoer and to protect the good. And, again, the Holy Scriptures prohibit divorce except for unfaithfulness. However, all of those prohibitions and commandments are founded and are fulfilled in love. Nowhere does the LORD command His people to hate those who perform homosexual acts, who abort their children, or who divorce their wives. Nowhere does the LORD command, or permit, His people to hate anyone. On the contrary, your Lord Jesus actually commands you to love your enemies and to do good to those who hate you. Therefore, how are unbelievers to know the LORD and His mercy if His Christian people do not show forth His love to all people, regardless of their sin?

Perhaps the last prophetic voice to speak before the coming of John the Baptist, before which the LORD had remained silent for four hundred years, the Prophet Malachi wrote: “Remember the Law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.” The Prophet directed the people to remember the Ten Commandments, for the Word which had been given long ago still applied and was, in fact, the source of endurance and encouragement even in a time when the Word of the LORD was no longer heard. However, Malachi wasn’t merely preaching works to the LORD’s people, but obedience which is trust according to the spirit of the Law, love. The final words of the Old Testament come from Malachi: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” Notice the change of heart the Prophet promises: The hearts of fathers will be turned to their children, and the hearts of children will be turned to their fathers. They will actually look upon each other in love, without thought for the self. The right relationship between fathers and children will be restored, even as the right relationship between mankind and our heavenly Father will be restored.

Elijah, that is John the Baptist, came preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John prepared the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus. When He began His ministry, Jesus preached much the same message, but He proclaimed the Law fulfilled in His love for His Father and for men, His children, and in His obedience, which is faith and trust. While the Law is fulfilled, it has not passed away. No longer must you obey it out of coercion or fear, but now you obey it in freedom out of love and thanksgiving. And, since the Law is fulfilled, it is not your place to wield it like a weapon and judge others. Indeed, if you insist upon judging others by the Law, by the same Law will you be judged. No, your freedom is bestowed in love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. What you have freely received you must freely give, or you will lose your freedom and your life.

St. Paul teaches, “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Your hope lies in the fact that the LORD has loved you and has forgiven you in Jesus Christ. And, by loving and forgiving others you exercise and maintain your freedom through faith and obedience in Christ. You keep the lamps of your soul full of life-giving oil, trusting in the Word and promise of your LORD in and through all things and all times. In loving with the Lord’s love, you are always prepared, day and night, awake or asleep, for His return. Therefore, you need not fear the signs or His coming, but “straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The King is coming. That is certain. Judgment is coming upon “all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.” Do not fear. You are children of the light and the very Light of the World shines through you, the Light of our Lord Jesus Christ who is “Light of Light” and “very God of very God.” Let His light shine through you, and do not prevent it or inhibit it by fear of what is befalling this world. These are but signs of His coming, just as the trees bud forth and you know that summer is near. And do not prevent His light shining through you by failing to show love for all, even for the unbeliever and your enemy, even for sinners who appear to be unrepentant and secure in their sin. For, underserved grace, mercy, and love have been given to you without cost or merit. Therefore, give freely of what you have freely received, and you will remain free and without fear of judgment.

Yet, behold, the King is here now with His gifts of grace, mercy, love, peace, charity, kindness, and forgiveness to bind up your wounded souls, heal you, forgive you, restore you, and renew you. Hear, and be forgiven. Eat, and be satisfied. Drink, and be sated. Beloved, be loved. Then, go, and love with His love. And “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.”

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Advent Evening Prayer in the Week of Ad Te Levavi (Advent 1)

(Audio)

Matthew 21:1-9; Romans 13:8-14; Jeremiah 23:5-8

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” These words of the Prophet Malachi are the final words of the Old Testament, and then there was silence. For four hundred years no prophet spoke a word from God until John the Baptist.

Then, when all hope was lost – Israel and Judah were under the control of the Roman Empire; the glory of David’s kingdom wasn’t even a faint memory anymore – the tree of Israel had been cut down, flush with the earth, burned and scorched with the fire of God’s wrath. No one hoped for a Savior, a Redeemer, or anything at all, but only for things to simply keep on keeping on. That was when God acted; that is when God always acts: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (the Roman Emperor), Pontius Pilate (the Roman Governor) being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee (a puppet King), and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis (another puppet king), and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene (still yet another puppet king), during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas (Jewish leaders who cared little for God’s word, prophecies, or truth, but only that the status quo was maintained), the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”

After four hundred years of silence, God was ready to speak once again. His message? “Repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand!” Even though John appears in the New Testament, he is truly the final Old Testament prophet. He is the one of whom Malachi prophesied saying, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” Over those four hundred years of silence Israel had made do. It was during this time that the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the Jewish Council (the Sanhedrin) came into power. They had built a comfortable empire for themselves in the space between Roman law and the law of God. Instead of calling the people to repentance that God might show mercy and forgive them and restore them, the Jewish religious leadership invented new laws in addition to God’s law and burdened the people with them, directing them away from God and His word, and securing their own positions of authority and privilege.

It was the Jewish religious establishment in particular whom John condemned as a “brood of vipers,” literally, offspring of the devil himself.  “He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Who warned you? The prophets had warned for over one thousand years that Israel and Judah must repent and stop their adulterous whorring after other gods and their loveless and godless treatment of the poor, widows, orphans, and sojourners and they didn’t listen, but they “killed the prophets and stoned those sent to her.” John exhorted them to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance” and not to rely upon their blood descent from Abraham. The people gave only lip service to God’s word and commandments, honoring Him with their mouths while their hearts were far from them. Their hope was in their blood descent from Abraham, in being an ethnic Jew, and not in God’s word and promise. Theirs was a false religion, and their gods false gods. “God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham;” this was an unambiguous reference to the Gentiles, whom the Jews regarded as dumb and lifeless as rocks. Suffice it to say, John the Baptist was a preacher of the law.

Still the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed that the Forerunner would “Prepare the way of the Lord” and “make his paths straight”; “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways.” That is what the preaching of the law does: It levels the playing field, for it condemns us all. Perhaps Paul has put it best: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”; “There is not one who is righteous, not even one.” To prepare the way for the coming of the Lord is to prepare hearts, by the preaching of the law, for the coming the of the Gospel, Jesus Christ. The image is of the king’s servants who go before him to prepare the road for the safe passage of the king’s chariot by filling in the potholes and by leveling the bumps and high places. The preaching of the law brings the mountains of human pride and self-righteousness down and it fills in the valleys of hopelessness and despair by turning men’s eyes and hearts to the King who is coming proclaiming the good news that the law has been fulfilled and that the righteous will now live by faith.

But faith is never alone. Faith is life-giving is and always fruitful. Thus did John warn, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance,” and “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” The crowds were troubled by these words and they asked, “What then shall we do?” John answered them saying, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” In other words, what blessings have you from the Lord? Share them with those whom God has given you to serve. Don’t do it in order to become righteous, but because you are righteous before God through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s a love thing: As God has so loved you, so must you also love your brother and your neighbor.

To tax collectors John said, “Collect no more than you ae authorized to do.” To soldiers John said, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” And so, we see how the fruits we are to bear, the works we are to do, are not foreign to us or unnatural, but they are borne through our Christian vocations, husband, wife; father, mother; son, daughter; butcher, baker, candlestick maker. Your good works are fruits, and they are borne naturally from faith and love in God and Jesus Christ.

The people began to wonder if John might be the Christ. But no, John was not the Christ, but he was the forerunner. The Christ must increase, John must decrease. John’s vocation was to prepare the way for the coming of the Christ. John prepared men’s hearts to receive Jesus by preaching the law unto repentance and then by pointing them to “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” Jesus. Christian preachers and pastors continue to do the same today, tomorrow, and to his final Advent. Then “you shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” Until then, hear the law and let it crush you, receive the Gospel and let it comfort you, love God and love your neighbor and share the Lord’s gifts. Keep your lamps full of the oil of faith. He has come, and He is coming, and even now He comes.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Ad Te Levavi - The First Sunday in Advent (Advent 1)

(Audio)

Matthew 21:1-9; Romans 13:8-14; Jeremiah 23:5-8

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

They were looking for a king. What they saw didn’t look anything like a king at all. Nevertheless, He was a king. He was the King. A King unlike any they had ever imagined since they first began to look for a king like the kings of the nations. Then they forsook their true King, the LORD, and received a devil of a man named Saul. And then David. And then Solomon. And then…. well, it pretty much went downhill from there, until it was so bad that Judah despaired of having a king at all. Then they were laid siege and were conquered by the Babylonians, and they were taken away into captivity. Jerusalem was leveled and their temple destroyed. Their fields were salted so that no herb would grow. The land was scorched and burned, and all hope was cut off.

Then, God spoke to His people of old by the prophets. God spoke of impending judgment for their idolatry and apostasy. But God also spoke of comfort and hope, in the most unexpected of places. To burned out, lifeless, and hopeless Judah, Jeremiah proclaimed: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as King….” The thought must have been preposterous and unthinkable. There was no potential for life in Judah. There was no hope for restoration and fruitfulness. They didn’t have a king. They weren’t certain they wanted a king any longer. They were a people without a land. They were no people at all. They were dead, and no one can bring life out of death.

We are not so different from them. We may have different idolatries and apostasies, or maybe not, but we are very much like them. Sin has made our hearts numb, just like them. We have become drunk on our foolishness, just like them. We need to be awakened from our sin-induced stupor to watchfulness that we might repent, just like them. We are dead in our trespasses and sins, just like them, with no hope for redeeming ourselves, for renewal, and for restoration. And, if we are going to live, then life is going to have to come from outside of us. And, if we are going to stand, then someone is going to have to raise us up. And, if we are going to be right with God again, then He is going to have to make that happen. And, He has. And He does: “And this is the Name by which He will be called: ‘The LORD is our Righteousness’.”

This is the message of Advent: The Lord has come. And the Lord is coming. And, the Lord comes, even now. This is the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our sight. Notice the subjects of the verbs in Jeremiah’s proclamation: “Iwill raise up for David a righteous Branch….” “The LORD is our righteousness….” Advent is the Gospel proclamation that a Savior is coming to save those who cannot save themselves. The King is coming to a kingless kingdom. Your God is coming to a godless people. The Bridegroom is coming to His harlot Bride. He is coming to redeem Her. He is coming to save Her. And He is coming to marry Her. But He does not come in the ways that you expect, or even desire. For, He comes in lowliness and humility. He comes in mercy and grace. He comes for all who will receive Him and not reject Him.

They were looking for a king. They were looking for the King, the Messiah. But what they saw didn’t look anything like a king at all, and He certainly didn’t look like the Messiah of their imaginations. Nevertheless, He was the King. He was the Messiah. But, because their hearts were numb with sin, they did not see Him for the Messianic King that He was, the King prophesied of by Jeremiah, and Isaiah, and Zechariah, and all the prophets. He entered the Royal City in the same manner as generations of kings before Him, “humble, and mounted on a donkey.” They acclaimed Him as King, laying down their cloaks and palm branches before Him according to tradition. They even ascribed to Him Messianic praise: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!” But He did not come to do what they thought He would do, what they wanted Him to do. He did not proceed to Herod’s palace and take His place upon the throne. He did not raise up a Jewish army to force out the occupying Romans and establish glory to Israel once again. But He went to the temple, and there he began to overturn the tables of the moneychangers and those who sold sacrificial animals. For, that is the kind of King Jesus was and came to be, the King of Righteousness and Justice for all the people.

King Jesus would indeed take up His throne, not the throne of David, or even Herod, but the throne of the cross. While He was anointed King by His Father and the Holy Spirit in His baptism by John in the Jordan, Jesus would be crowned King in His suffering and death upon the cross. He was not the king they were looking for. And, when Jesus was tried before Pilate, the people cried out, “We have no king but Caesar.” For, they were a people sitting in the darkness of sin and death. But, what passions, desires, and lusts do we permit to be our kings, our idols, our gods? How often do we reject the divine gift for the purchased treasure? No servant can serve two masters, but he will love one and hate the other.

And so, like the end of the Church’s Year of Grace, its beginning is about waiting and watching for the coming of Her King, Her Lord, Her Bridegroom, and Her God. You cannot be waiting and watching if you are sleeping, if you are too occupied with material pursuits, the passions of the flesh, and worldly wisdom. You must not be incurvatus in se, curved inward on yourself, but you must forget yourself and find salvation in another, in the other, extra te, outside of yourself. The Gospel message of Advent is that salvation is coming to you. In fact, salvation unto you has come, and salvation comes to you now. Indeed, salvation is nearer to you now than when you first believed. Therefore, you must be waiting and watching. You must be prepared. However, you cannot be prepared if your hearts are numb with sin, if you are sleeping, if you are too occupied with material pursuits, the passions of the flesh, and worldly wisdom. “‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” Love is not curved inward, but is always focused outward, therefore “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; [and] love is the fulfilling of the Law.”

But the commandment to love is not a commandment of the Law. That is why Jesus calls it a new commandment. For, it is a commandment that has been fulfilled, by Him, in perfect obedience in His Passion. That is why love is the fulfilling of the Law: His love is the fulfilling of the Law. Jesus, your King and Bridegroom, your Lord and God, has fulfilled the Law for you, in your place – you are free. You are free to love with His love without cost or loss, but with joy and thanksgiving. Through trust in Him, you are well prepared to receive Him in His coming. No matter how long He may tarry, you remain prepared and ready. You do not have to worry about the when and the where or what time, whether you are awake or asleep, for your salvation comes to you from outside of you. He is the object of your faith and the substance of your salvation. He is near, even now; your salvation is nearer each and every day than when you first believed.

“Stir up You power, O Lord, and come,” we pray, “that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threating perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance.” The Lord has heard your prayer, and He has answered, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” The Lord has heard your prayer, and He has answered, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” Your King has come. Your King is coming. Your King comes. Cast off the works of darkness and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let Him clothe you and cover your sin. Let Him cleanse you and make you holy. Let Him fill you with His love, to overflowing, that you may abound in His love, an ever-flowing spring. “Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Last Sunday of the Church Year (Sunday of the Fulfillment)

(Audio)

Matthew 25:1-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Isaiah 65:17-25

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Every bit as much as the sheep and the goats of last Sunday’s Gospel lesson were both part of the Good Shepherd’s flock, so today all ten of the virgins, both the wise ones and the foolish ones, are invitation holders to the marriage feast of the Bridegroom. That is to say, they’re already in good with the Bridegroom. They’ve been chosen. It’s party time for the whole lot of them! All the young ladies need to do is, well, nothing at all, but wait…, wait for the Bridegroom to arrive.

But, waiting is boring, right? It certainly can be. And, this fact is probably best exhibited in children. Children often find it very difficult to wait. Think of the weeks and the days before a birthday or a visit from grandparents or a favorite cousin. Think of the months before Christmas or a trip to Disney World. Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Children often find it difficult to wait. And, adults, too, often find it difficult to wait. So, while we wait we fill our lives with distractions, a book or a movie, maybe a crossword puzzle. And, when young people get bored, well, there are temptations to do things that aren’t well thought out and are bad for them, things that get them into trouble or worse.

This was true for our ten virgins as well. In their waiting, no doubt they primped and they partied, they danced and they talked, all the while biding the time until the Bridegroom arrived. However, the Bridegroom was delayed. Indeed, we are often faced with delays in this life, are we not? And, we can empathize with the virgins’ exasperation as they cried out, “Oh no, how much longer do we have to wait?” Well, they partied and primped some more, they danced and talked some more, and, eventually, all ten of the young ladies fell asleep. Yes, all ten virgins fell asleep waiting for the Bridegroom to arrive.

And then comes the crux of the story, literally, the crisis, the judgment: At midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ And, a piece of information that we were told at the very beginning of the story bears fruit: Five of the virgins were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. Thus, when the delayed Bridegroom arrived in the middle of the night, the foolish young ladies realized that their lamps were going out and that they did not have any more oil. But, why was this piece of information given at the very beginning of the story? Likely, it was to show that it was neither the amount of oil that the virgins possessed nor their preparedness that merited their attendance at the wedding banquet, but it was the Bridegroom’s gracious invitation alone. No works or deeds, words, or even the thoughts of the heart get you into, or keep you out of, the kingdom of heaven, but the Lord’s gracious invitation alone, received and kept in faith alone or rejected.

And so, it is about having oil, but it is not about how much, for the oil is a symbol of faith and trust and it is a symbol of the presence of God’s Holy Spirit. Oil isn’t something that you do or think or speak, but oil is something that you have, or something that you don’t have. Faith is like oil, either you have it, or you don’t. It’s not about how much faith you have, after all, faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains, and I reckon that you don’t have faith like that, neither do I. But, faith in Christ saves, regardless of how big or small, strong or weak that faith might be. Faith in Christ saves because it receives what Christ has done and it clings to Christ for forgiveness, life, and salvation.

The oil represents faith and Christ’s gift of His Holy Spirit. There is no place and no one from which to purchase faith, and you cannot borrow or receive the faith of another, you have to have your own. Thus, the failing of the five foolish virgins was not that they didn’t have faith, they did, but rather that they allowed their faith to grow weak and thin. Oh, they thought they had enough to be prepared when the Bridegroom came. They were very practical, just like you, thinking that they would only bring enough oil to get them into the early evening when the Bridegroom was scheduled to arrive. But, they didn’t count on his being delayed. Does anyone count on a delay? But, delays happen, don’t they, and then it’s best to be prepared. The five wise virgins seemed foolish in carrying around extra flasks of oil. It was as if they overpacked for a one night stay. Nevertheless, when the Bridegroom was delayed, they had enough oil to wait Him out.

Jesus told this parable to His disciples in the days preceding His crucifixion and death. He knew that they would understand His coming again to mean that He would come very soon. And so, Jesus is both warning them and comforting them, and us, for a delay in His coming. He tells them not simply to wait for Him but also to watch for His coming at a day and hour they do not know. They are to not simply believe, but they are to trust and wait in eager expectation – that is what faith does. They are to take the example of the five wise virgins and bolster their faith, feed their faith, strengthen their faith for the waiting and the watching so that, no matter when Jesus returns, they will be ready and prepared, not by their thoughts, words, and deeds, but because they have faith. But, how do they do this? Where do they go to bolster, feed, and strengthen their faith? You cannot buy faith from vendors. You cannot borrow the faith of others. You have to have and receive faith for yourself. Where then is faith given, fed and strengthened, replenished, and sustained? In and through the means that Christ has appointed during this time in which He is delayed in returning: The preaching of the Gospel. The gift of the Spirit in Holy Baptism. The forgiveness of sins in Absolution. And communion with Jesus in His body and blood in the Holy Eucharist. Through each of these means of grace Christ has promised to be present with you for the forgiveness of your sins and the strengthening of your faith. There is no better way to be prepared for His coming than remaining in His gifts. And, these gifts are not something that you must do for Him, but they are the fruits of what He has done for you in His suffering and death upon the cross. He promises you that if you remain in Him that He will remain in you and that through these means He will be with you always, even to the end of the age. Believe it, for Jesus’ sake.

For, this is what the kingdom of heaven is like. The kingdom of heaven is a gift of God’s perfect and uncompromising grace for all people regardless of their thoughts, words, and deeds for the sake of His son, the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. He has prepared everything for everyone and He has called all the world to the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom. You are invited. You are in good with God because of Jesus. Do you believe this? If so, then keep on believing this. Keep your faith alive and strong, even if He is delayed in His coming. Wait for His coming. Watch for His coming. Be prepared for His coming by bolstering, feeding, and strengthening your faith. Yeah, I know it’s hard to wait. God knows it’s hard for you to wait too. He knows that you will be distracted. He knows that you will fail at times. He knows that you will fall asleep, that you may even be asleep when Jesus returns. But faith is like oil in a lamp. If you have faith, and if you are sustained and kept in faith by His gracious gifts, then you are well prepared for His coming, even if you fall asleep. For the trumpet will sound, “Here is the Bridegroom! Wake up! Wake up!” Then, all you virgins, made pure, spotless, innocent, and holy in the blood of the Lamb, will come out to meet Him and will enter the marriage feast of the Bridegroom Jesus Christ and His Bride, the Church. But, for now, while we are waiting and watching with eager and hopeful expectation, we gather around and receive this foretaste of that feast to come in Holy Communion with our Lord who has come, who comes to us now, and who is coming for us at a day and an hour we do not know. Therefore, with the Church of Christ of all times and of all places we cry out, “Maranatha,” come, Lord Jesus, come quickly, come.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Eve of the National Day of Thanksgiving

(Audio)

Luke 12:13-21; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Deuteronomy 26:1-11

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord be with you.

And with thy spirit.

 

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up unto the Lord.

 

Let us give thanks unto the Lord our God.

It is meet and right so to do.

 

How often do we speak or chant those words to each other? Each and every Lord’s Day and on Feast Days throughout the Church’s Year of Grace. Eucharistasomen to kyrio. Let us give thanks unto the Lord. Let us give thanks.

Each and every time we gather together to receive the Lord’s blessings, we also return to Him thanksgiving. Not only on the fourth Thursday of each November, but each and every time we gather. The Lord gives, and we receive. The Lord gives, and in receiving His gifts, we acknowledge Him to be the Lord. The Lord gives, and we receive, and we return to Him thanksgiving and praise. It is meet and right so to do.

It is truly meet right and salutary that we should at all times, and in all places give thanks unto you, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is meet and right, it is salutary, it is good for us to give thanks. When? – At all times, in all places. In times of joy and in times of sorrow, give thanks. In times of sickness and in times of health, give thanks. In times of lean and in times of plenty, give thanks. There is never a time, never a place, where thanksgiving is inappropriate or out of order. For God has given you the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, and that gift is forever, a gift that truly never stops giving.

Thus, St. Paul exhorts you “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” “And,” Paul promises you, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heats and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Jesus is the only possible peace, and He is all the peace you need. For, the Lord knows what you need and He graciously provides you all that you need for your body and your soul. Even in times of want, sickness, and sorrow, the Lord continues to provide for you and keep you. For, your life is a spiritual pilgrimage, not unlike that of the children of Israel, a pilgrimage from captivity to sin, death, and the devil unto the promised land with God in heaven. And, as He did with the children of Israel, so He tests you to humble you and to see what is in your heart, whether you will keep His commandments or not, that you may know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. In the land to which He is bringing you there will be no hunger, nor thirst, no sickness, no sorrow, no death. But, even now, as you dwell in the midst of all these things, you can be content, for you, like Paul, have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need: I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

That one, the one who strengthens you, is Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior. He is the pure and holy gift of the Father, whose flesh is given as the true bread that gives true life and whose blood is given as true drink that a man may truly never thirst again. I can do all things through him who strengthens me, for He is my strength, He is my everything. Filled with Him I lack no thing and I am content.

Returning thanks and praise to God is meet, right, and salutary, for, it is an acknowledgment that He is God and that you are not. It is an acknowledgment that He is the giver of all needful things as well as the giver of the one thing needful. It is an acknowledgement that God is the Creator and provider of all things, to all people and creatures, at all times and in all places wholly apart from our deserving His gifts. Thus, returning thanks is a confession of our unworthiness of the gift and the grace and generosity of the giver. It is a public confession of the goodness, mercy, and grace of our loving God. And, recognizing that we have received all things from God in Jesus Christ, so do we confess our gratitude by readily sharing with others, especially those of the brotherhood of faith, all things.

To God alone be all glory, praise and thanksgiving, through + Jesus Christ, in His most Holy Spirit. Amen.

Second-Last Sunday of the Church Year (Trinity 26)

(Audio)

Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Peter 3:3-14; Daniel 7:9-14

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Take note of how Jesus describes the Judgment on the Last Day: “He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” You see, the people are already either sheep or goats. In a very real sense, they have been judged already. For, as the preacher to the Hebrews proclaims, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Therefore, what Jesus describes in Matthew 25 is, in actuality, the sorting and the rendering of the sentence – eternal life in heaven, or eternal damnation in hell. For, as St. John proclaims, the Good Shepherd knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him. He gives them eternal life, and no one can snatch them out of His hand.

Now, to be sure, with just a casual hearing, it may sound as though, on the Last Day, that you will be judged on account of your works. Truly, we confess as much in the Athanasian Creed, which I know brings many of you consternation each year when we confess it together on Trinity Sunday saying, “And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire.” However, you must understand that there is only one hope for your works to be counted as good, and that hope is that God the Father views your works through the purifying lens of Jesus’ holy, innocent shed blood. For, good works do not, and cannot, justify, for they are produced, only and always, by fallen, sin-corrupted men and women. Thus, even the Prophet Isaiah confessed of himself saying that the very best of his works were but filthy rags.

And so it is that the goats will stand before the Lord on the Last Day with only the filthy rags of their sin-corrupted works. And, because of this, the Lord will judge them cursed and will sentence them to “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” However, the sheep, too, will stand before the Lord on the Last Day with only the filthy rags of their sin-corrupted works. And, yet, they will be judged “blessed by [the] Father” and they will “inherit the kingdom prepared for [them] from the foundation of the world.” So, if both the sheep and the goats stand before the Lord with their sin-corrupted, filthy-rag-like works, then why are the sheep judged blessed and why are the goats judged cursed? Well, it’s not the works, but it’s the way in which the Lord looks upon the works and upon those who perform them. For, they are, both the sheep and the goats, fallen, corrupted sinners. And, if they were to be judged by their works alone, naked, in and of themselves, then they would all be damned. However, the sheep have something that the goats don’t have; the sheep have the sprinkled, purifying blood of Jesus, which speaks a better Word than the accusing blood of Abel. The holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus does not make their works to be good or holy, and neither does it make the person to be righteous or holy, but it does change the way God the Father looks at you and at your works. For, in the holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus, the Lord looks at your sin-corrupted, filthy-rag-like works and He sees only goodness and holiness and righteousness. And, in the holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus, the Lord looks at your goatish self and He sees only His precious, holy, righteous, and beloved sheep. Therefore, on the Last Day, if you are a sheep, you are a sheep, not because of your works, but you are a sheep because of the holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus. You are counted as a righteous sheep because you trust not in your works for justification before the Lord, but your faith and your trust is in Jesus Christ and in His meritorious work alone. The goats will be those whose fear, love, and trust for justification before the Lord is in something, or someone else, most typically in themselves.

Still, you do not suddenly become a sheep or a goat on the Last Day, but you are a sheep or a goat now. Yet, you are a sheep or a goat now in the same way, and by the same means, that you will be recognized as a sheep or a goat on the Last Day – by the holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus. You see, we all start out as goats. The Holy Spirit calls you to be His sheep by the Gospel, gathers you and enlightens you with His gifts, and sanctifies and keeps you in the true faith. Thus, your being a sheep is objective. It comes from outside of you. While you were still a sinner, Christ died for you. However, once you became the Lord’s sheep, then you began to do truly sheepy things. In your God-given sheepishness, you began to desire to do the sheepy things your Lord desires and commands you to do. You began to do works that are truly good – good, not because they are good in themselves, for no filthy-rag-like work of a corrupted sinner is good in itself, – but good before the Lord because of the holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus. This, the Church calls sanctification, and it flows out of, and is the fruit of, your justification. When the Holy Spirit called you by the Gospel, and gathered and enlightened you with His gifts, He also sanctified you – He declared you to be holy in the holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus. But then, the Holy Spirit continued, and He continues still, to actually make you to be holy.

The Holy Spirit makes you to actually be holy, not all at once mind you, for you could not endure such a thing, but gradually, over the entire time of your life. He makes you holy through the trials and tribulations you face and endure. He makes you holy through the selfless acts of love and mercy and compassion with which you serve others as you have received the same from the Lord yourself. He makes you holy when you suffer and endure ridicule and persecution for the sake of Jesus. In all these ways, and in many more, the Holy Spirit sanctifies you, He makes you to be holy, even as He has already declared to you be holy in the holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus. However, you will not be fully holy, perfectly holy, until the Lord raises you from death on the Last Day. Therefore, throughout your life, from its new beginning in Holy Baptism until your death, you live in the grace of being declared holy before the Lord by the holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus in which you trust solely and completely for justification before the Lord. That is what makes you sheep, even if you are far from a perfect sheep and sometimes, even frequently, do goaty, rather than sheepy, things.

The truth is that, when you are doing the sheepy things you have been called to do, you typically are not aware that you are doing them. You are unaware because you are simply doing what sheep do – eating, drinking, following your Shepherd, lying down and resting, etc. More than that, however, you are doing what you have been called and given to do in all the relationships you have with other people. The Church calls this your vocation. Are you a husband or a wife, a father or a mother, a son or a daughter, an employer or an employee, a teacher, a preacher, a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker? Your vocation(s) is where your Lord has called you to live and serve as His sheep, to do the sheepy things He has called you to do. And, on the Last Day, the Lord’s sheep do not recall serving Him when He was hungry and thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, or imprisoned because they were simply doing what they were given to do, to those whom the Lord had given them to do them to. Moreover, they did not keep a tally of their good works, for they knew that their works were not good enough to merit anything, but that the Lord counted them as His sheep, not because of their works, but because of the holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus.

In contrast, the goats were busy doing what goats do – and, frankly, that often doesn’t look a whole lot different than the sheep! – foraging for food, wandering off on their own, seeking to satisfy their every desire and amusement, etc. While they may still serve their neighbor in various ways, they do not do it with the awareness and intentionality of their God-given vocations, but they do it for the praise they receive from men, with the expectation of a return, or perhaps from a purely humanitarian sense of what is right to do towards one’s fellow man. However, the reason that they are goats is not because of their works, but it is because they have refused, or failed to receive, the Lord’s gracious gift in Jesus’ holy, innocent shed blood.

So, what is the point of today’s Gospel? Very simply, it is this: You are justified, you are a sheep, by faith and trust in the holy, innocent shed blood of Jesus – period. If your faith and your trust are in Jesus, if you are baptized into His death and resurrection, if you regularly receive His gifts in Word and Sacrament, then you are a holy and righteous sheep before the Lord and you can take comfort and be secure in your justification and salvation, for it is not by your works that you are justified and saved, but it is by Christ’s work for you in which you trust. And, because you are a sheep, you will do sheepy things – period. Don’t bother to count them, and most certainly do not succumb to the temptation to put your trust in them. Don’t boast about them, but give thanks to God for them, that He has given them to you to perform for the sake of others to the glory of His Name.

And, because you are the Lord’s sheep, continue to follow your Good Shepherd and to receive from Him the good things He gives you to forgive yours sin, to strengthen your faith, and to sustain and equip you for the sheepy good works He has called and given you to perform. That is to say, continue to gather here on the Lord’s Day and on each and every Feast Day, with the rest of the flock the Spirit has called, gathered, sanctified, and kept in this place around the Holy Word and the Blessed Sacraments of Christ. The Spirit gathers you here as He gathered Noah and his family in the ark to save you from the destroying flood of God’s wrath against sin. That Ark was Jesus in whom you have died and have been raised. Remain in Him, and He will remain in you, and you will bear much, and sheepy, fruit to the glory of His Name.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Third-Last Sunday of the Church Year (Trinity 25)

(Audio)

Matthew 24:15-28; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Exodus 32:1-20

 

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The theme of these last three Sundays of the Church Year is very similar to that of the beginning of the new Church Year in Advent: The faithful are to wait and to watch for Jesus’ return. Now, the return of Jesus means many things, but primarily it means two things: Judgment and redemption. Thus, Jesus’ return will be a fearful thing for those who have rejected Him, for it will mean their judgment and condemnation. However, for you who place your faith and trust in Him, even though the world itself is passing away, there is no need for you to fear, for the coming of the Lord means your redemption is complete. Your Lord Jesus Himself says to you: “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lord is coming. That is a promise and a fact. The Lord is coming at a day and an hour you cannot know. Therefore, you must be prepared for His coming at any time. However, this is not a new situation, indeed this has been the situation for Christians ever since Christ’s ascension into heaven, when God’s holy angels promised, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.” Now, if this seems like a long time to be waiting and watching, be grateful, for “the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

And so, even when you hear a Word of judgment from the Lord, like today, and the next several Sundays, the Lord’s Word of judgment is typically mixed with words of mercy and compassion. For instance, in today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus mercifully provides an advance warning for the faithful to watch and to flee. The judgment that was coming was specifically upon Jerusalem and Judea, namely, the siege and destruction of that city by the Romans that would occur less than a generation later. In 66 A.D., the Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus laid siege to the city until the Roman army finally invaded and destroyed Jerusalem and her temple in 70 A.D. The suffering and the horror were beyond imagination, as the Romans had prevented food, water, and fresh supplies from entering the city for more than three years while also preventing garbage and waste, and the sick and the dead, from leaving the city. Thus, when the Roman army finally entered Jerusalem in 70 A.D., they found entire families dead within their homes, the dead decaying in the street, evidence of cannibalism, and horrors beyond imagination. And anyone who remained alive, they ran through with the sword without mercy until the streets of Jerusalem ran with blood.

However, Jesus’ words of warning concerning judgment are also filled with compassion for His people: “Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.” These words of our Lord parallel those in St. Luke’s Gospel as Jesus wept over Jerusalem because of her impending judgment: “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Additionally, Jesus warns the faithful of false christs and false prophets who will arise in those days to lead the faithful astray. Such figures always arise in times of stress, and, in desperation, people follow them to their own destruction. This is true in the twenty-first century even as it was in the first. Such false prophets and false christs will often sound prophetic and inspired, perhaps they will appeal to reason and appear full of wisdom, some may even have powers of prophecy, hidden knowledge, and may perform wondrous signs and miracles. How will you know if they are true or false? You will know them by their fruits: Do their preaching, teaching, and works accord with the Holy Scriptures? If they do, then there is nothing to fear. However, if they do not, the Spirit cannot lie or contradict the Word of the LORD; therefore, you will know that they are false. Beware of them and flee from their poisonous doctrine.

The judgment upon Jerusalem and Judea was the result of their apostasy. For fifteen centuries God patiently dealt with Israel. But most of that time Israel was stiff-necked and hard hearted. After many warnings, the northern ten tribes were taken into captivity by the Assyrians. Then, after many further warnings, the southern two tribes were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. While many of the people repented and were allowed to return years later, the people soon proved to be impenitent once again. Finally, the Savior came unto His own, but His own received Him not. God became a man and tried again and again to call His covenant people to repentance. Most of them refused. Even after Jesus ascended into heaven, God granted the covenant people another forty years of grace. But then the time of mercy was gone.

Interestingly, and comfortingly, Jesus says that the judgment upon Jerusalem would be tribulation “such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” This means that neither the Great Flood, nor the end of the world, nor any other judgment in history was, is, or ever shall be as severe and awful as was the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Jesus also says that “if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” Thus, whatever tribulation you may face, you can be certain that it will not be greater than your strength to persevere in faith. St. Paul teaches the same when he writes: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” The faithful, the elect of the Lord, you – you will face temptation, trial, and tribulation. That is a promise and a fact. However, do not be afraid. Your Lord Jesus will see you through it if you trust in Him. He will see you through financial problems, problems with your children, health problems, marital problems, wars and terrorism, the death of your loved ones, and through your own death if you trust in Him. He is your Good Shepherd, and He will Shepherd you through the valley of the shadow of death into His Father’s house. He has already passed that way Himself, and, in His death and resurrection, He has knocked down the gate that would keep you in suffering and death. Now that gate is an open door to eternal life. It is your life even now, through faith in Him. No one can take His gift from you. Only you can reject it.

Therefore, do not permit your Enemy Satan to make use of a good crisis. When you face trial and tribulation, suffering and death, do not be anxious and fearful, but turn evermore to your Lord and to His Word. Do not listen to the voices of false prophets and false christs. While they may impress with their rhetoric and charisma, their works, power, and wealth, and their great number of followers, you will know them to be false prophets and false christs by the fruits they bear – their teachings and their works. Do they accord with God’s Word in the Holy Scriptures? Do they proclaim the Law and Gospel of the LORD? Do they proclaim Christ and Him crucified, God’s free gift of forgiveness, life, and salvation for all who believe? Make no mistake, when the Lord returns there will be no mistaking and no second-guessing of who He is, from whence He has come, or of what He has come to do. “For as the lighting comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” On that day, every eye shall Him, every tongue shall confess Him, and every knee shall bow before Him in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and God the Father will be glorified. That is a promise. That is a fact. Believe it, for Jesus’ sake and for your own sake.

Therefore, as we near the end of another Church Year in God’s grace, let us strive to be more vigilant and watchful for Jesus’ Second Advent and Parousia, His coming on the clouds as King and Judge. Let us not live like those uninformed brothers who have no knowledge, no faith, and no hope. For we have heard the Word of the Lord and have been raised from the death of sin to life in the Spirit. Therefore, as the vultures of false prophets and false christs gather around us as a corpse, let us gather like eagles around the corpse, the body and the blood of the Son of God who died, who is risen, and who lives and reigns at the right hand of His Father in heaven, who will return at a day and an hour only the Father knows to raise our bodies from their graves to be reunited with our eternal souls and live with Him forever in His kingdom in heaven. Let us put no trust in our own merits but let us trust in the Word and promise of our Lord fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is the true temple, built without hands. He is our rock and our fortress that cannot be moved. In Him we have hope and plenteous salvation. “Have no fear little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.