Homily for The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord

(Audio)

Matthew 3:13-17; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Isaiah 42:1-7

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

Jesus’ baptism was different than both John’s baptism, which it fulfilled, and the baptism He Himself would institute after His death and resurrection. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, a baptism for sinners who hoped for their savior. Jesus’ own baptism by John was not a baptism of repentance, for He had no sin of which to repent, but His baptism was a consecration into His work of salvation, into His work of being their hoped for Savior by dying on the cross. Therefore, John was right, Jesus did not need to be baptized by him, but Jesus wanted to be baptized that He might fulfill all righteousness.

When Jesus was baptized, His Father proclaimed the acceptability of His self-offering saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” This was, and is, a remarkable proclamation, for countless men, women, and children had stepped into the Jordan’s waters before Jesus, and never once could God the Father proclaim that He was well pleased as He could and did with His own Son Jesus. Indeed, all those men, women, and children before Him brought their idolatries, adulteries, murders, thefts, and countless other sins into the water with them, and when they stepped out they were considered clean by God on account of the work His Son would do for them on the cross. However, when Jesus, clean, pure, sinless, and holy, stepped out of those waters, He took upon Himself their sins, your sins, and my sins, the sins of all men, women, and children who will ever have lived and died. Jesus’ baptism was His consecration as our Holy Prophet, our Great High Priest, and the King of heaven and earth. He was proclaimed to be righteous by His Father. He was anointed and chrismated by the Holy Spirit. And He was sent forth, bearing our burden of sin, to face temptation, suffering, sorrow, and death for us, in our place, as our substitute, with whom the Father was, and is, well pleased.

In His baptism, Jesus became the scapegoat for us. The Father placed upon Him all our sin, guilt, and iniquity and sent Him out into the wilderness to face all that Azazel, Satan, could throw at Him. This St. Matthew captures saying “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Stronger still, St. Mark says that “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.” There, Jesus was tempted by hunger and weakness, He was tempted by power and greed, He was tempted by pride and the desire to be a god unto Himself – just as all men are, just as you are. However, Jesus resisted and overcame all temptations by faith and trust in the Word of God, bearing with suffering, in love for His Father and for you. He suffered all for you, ultimately, even your death. The wages of sin that you have earned, Jesus bore in His flesh and suffered in His soul for you, that you might be the other goat, offered in sacrifice to the LORD, a living sacrifice which receives forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation.

Yet, despite His washing in the water of the Jordan, St. Luke records these words of our Lord indicating another baptism with which He would be baptized, “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!” The baptism to which Jesus was referring was His baptism into death on the cross. In the Jordan, Jesus had stood flesh and blood as our brother, taking upon Himself our sins and the sins of the entire world. As St. Paul puts it, “He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God.” In His baptism, Jesus took upon Himself our sin, and therefore, our death, for “the wages of sin is death.” When Jesus suffered and died upon the cross, He drank the cup of God’s wrath against our sin to the bitter dregs so that there was no wrath left, but it was finished.

Then, after His death and resurrection, Jesus commanded His apostles saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,” and He promised, “behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The baptism which Jesus instituted was, as John had prophesied, a baptism “with the Holy Spirit and fire.” The Spirit was His to give, for the Holy Spirit had descended upon Him and had anointed and chrismated Him for baptism into death for our sins, and the Father gave to Him “all authority in heaven and on earth.”

Now, that’s a fairly comprehensive authority. Truly, there is nothing in heaven or on earth that does not belong to Jesus, over which He does not have authority and control. And, the good news is that, through baptism and faith, everything that belongs to Jesus, belongs to you as well. “But, pastor, whatever do you mean?” you may be asking. To understand this truth you must understand the meaning of your own baptism. Your baptism, whether it be a sprinkling of water upon your infant forehead, or the total immersion of your entire adult body, or any other kind of washing, at any age or any time, when water was applied to you along with the words of Jesus’ command, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” – your baptism was, and is, as St. Paul teaches, a baptism into Jesus’ death and resurrection, so that His death is your death, and His resurrection is your resurrection. Therefore, just as the Father gave all authority over heaven and earth to His Son with whom He is well pleased, so has He given this and all things to you who are baptized into Him and who believe in Him. You are His own adopted sons and daughters, heirs with Jesus of all the blessings and joys of heaven. More than that, you are the Bride of Jesus Christ, His body, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone, in Holy Communion with Him so that He is yours and you are His. His perfect faith, trust, love, and obedience count for you. His perfect suffering and death count for you. His glorious resurrection and ascension count for you. And, He is coming for you to raise you from death to eternal life, with a new body and your eternal soul, like unto His own, to live and reign with Him and worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

And yet, your baptism is not only a guarantee of good things to come, but it is the guarantee of your possession of these good things now. For, when you were baptized, you died with Jesus and you were raised with Him in spirit. And, already, now, you have a new and holy spirit that loves the Lord, whose will is His will, who loves His Word and His Law and desires to keep it and do it. Already, now, you have a new and holy spirit, a new man, that will never die. Yes, the flesh will die, the body must die, but the spirit will never die. Your baptism is a powerful gift of God’s grace, it is a powerful means and channel of receiving God’s grace, made possible by Jesus’ own baptism, death, and resurrection, into which you have been baptized.

What does this mean for you and your life now? It means that you may take comfort and find confidence and strength in your baptism into Christ. For, as with Christ the Father is well pleased, therefore He is well pleased with you in Christ. And, as Christ is victorious over temptation, sin, death, and the devil, even now you hold the victory over these enemies. Be certain, however, that though the spirit is willing, your flesh is weak. Further, be certain that the baptized in Christ have a powerful enemy in Satan who will not rest from seeking to lead you astray into sin. When you suffer Satan’s attacks, when temptation is strong and sin is crouching at the door to devour you, remember your baptism, make the sign of the cross in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and pray to God for strength to resist the temptation, to persevere through suffering, to cast out doubt and fear, and to flood your soul with the Light of Christ in His Word. For, that is one of the great gifts of Holy Baptism – wearing Christ and His righteousness, being covered with Him, sealed in the Holy Spirit, named, claimed, and christened with God’s Holy Name. For, Jesus has promised He will never leave you or forsake you. The Father has promised that nothing can separate you from His love which is in Jesus Christ. And, again Jesus has promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord

(Audio)

Matthew 2:1-12; Ephesians 3:1-12; Isaiah 60:1-6

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

On Christmas Eve we chanted these words from Wisdom of Solomon, “When all was still and it was midnight, Your almighty Word, O Lord, descended from the royal throne.” In the darkest hour of man’s night of sin, when there seemed to be no help on the horizon, no hope for salvation, that was when God acted. That is when God acts. Once again He spoke His creative Word into the darkness saying, “Let there be Light”, and His creative Word accomplished that purpose for which it was sent: The Word became flesh and made His dwelling amongst us. Once again there was Light, and His Life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not, and cannot, overcome it.

Wise men from the East, Gentiles, caught a glimpse of that Light. They had only an inkling of what it might be, for they too, with all the world, dwelt in the midst of deep darkness. But they were looking for a light. They were searching the stars, reading the stories and searching the prophecies of wise men in other lands. They were searching for God in all the wrong places; they were searching for God in too many faces. Yet, still, they were searching; they were looking outside of themselves for help, for hope, and for Light. God permitted them to observe the star, but it was not the star that lead them to Jerusalem, but it was His Word which they had heard and read and searched as they groped around in the darkness. They had heard of a prophecy, of a great King, and, they came to worship Him, indicating that they expected this king to be more than an earthly ruler.

The wise men were most likely astronomers, perhaps even astrologers, who searched and read the stars of the heavens looking for guidance and direction in their lives. This may not be as bad as it sounds, for the stars were put in their place by our God and Creator, and they do indeed provide guidance and direction, marking north, south, east, and west; and, the movement of the constellations across the heavens mark the changing of the seasons. However, astronomy becomes astrology, and that is idolatry, in the same manner as anything else, when the creature is feared, loved, and trusted before and above the Creator. The wise men were most likely guilty of this, as are we all.

Yet, the wise men stand in unique contrast to both Herod and the chief priests and scribes of the people of Israel. Herod and the priests and the scribes did not search the heavens and look to the light of the stars for guidance and direction, but, moreover, though they were the keepers and the interpreters of God’s Word, neither did they look to it for light, guidance, and direction. Thus, when the wise men arrived in Jerusalem, at the palace of King Herod – for, where else would you find a king, but in a palace in a royal city, they thought – Herod remembered that there was prophecy in God’s Word about such a king, and he quickly inquired with the keepers and the interpreters of the Word where this child king was to be born. And, the priests and the scribes knew right where to look, the Prophet Micah, where it says “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” They knew right where to look, and yet, they weren’t looking! And, when Herod finally took an interest and sought to find the child, it wasn’t out of fear, love, and trust in God or in His Word, but it was out of fear, and hate, and jealousy for his throne and for the one he believed was prophesied to take it from him. Herod didn’t want to come and worship the newborn King, he wanted to come and murder Him!

Here we have an example of two kinds of people, both walking in the same darkness, but for different reasons, and with different results. The wise men from the east knew they were in darkness and they were searching for light, even if they didn’t fully know or understand what that light was or would be. In contrast, Herod, the scribes, and the Pharisees were actually keepers and interpreters of the source of all light, God’s Word, but they loved the darkness more than the light. They refused to be guided and directed by the light of God’s Word and they chose to live their lives and to conduct their deeds under the cover of darkness because their deeds were evil. When the wise men heard the Word, they made haste to Bethlehem to find the Christ child to worship Him. But, when Herod heard the Word, he was troubled and his heart was hardened. Herod burned with anger and jealousy, with fear and hate for this newborn King of prophecy, and for the Word of God which proclaimed Him.

The Light of God’s creative and life-giving Word entered into the world in the Incarnation of the Son of God, Jesus the Christ – and that has changed everything! Darkness has been penetrated and overcome by the Light of Christ, as it was first in the creation, and it shall never obscure, overcome, or prevail against the Light ever again. Wherever the Light of God’s Word, the Light of Christ, shines, there simply is no darkness. And yet, people still walk in darkness, in ignorance and unbelief. People still choose to dwell in darkness because their deeds are evil. But, not you, O Jerusalem, city on a hill. You are filled with, and you shine with, the Light of God’s Christ. You are not the Light, but His Light fills you like a lamp and shines out of you into the darkness of this world, and upon those who dwell in it, so that not only is your path illumined before you, but others may walk in safety through the valley of the shadow of death.

This is what the Prophet Isaiah declares when he says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” On your own, you have no light, but you dwell in deep darkness. But, when the Light of the LORD shines upon you and fills you, you shine with His Light, the Light of the world for all to see. This is what your Lord Jesus means when He says, "No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.” Likewise, Jesus teaches, “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.” You see, the eye is a receptive organ; it receives and responds to the stimulus of light. If there is no light, the eye receives and sees nothing. But, when there is light, the eye will receive it, unless it is not clear, or unless the eye is willfully closed. “Therefore,” Jesus warns you, “be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

My dear Christians, whether you were once searching for light in the darkness, or you were all too comfortable dwelling in darkness and were afraid of the light, the Word of God is spoken into you, “Arise, shine, for your Light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord,” writes St. Paul, “Walk, therefore, as children of Light.”

The wise men followed the light of the star, and the light of God’s Word, and they were led to the Christ child. There they worshipped Him and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, gifts fit for a king. For, Jesus is a King, but He is not like the kings of men. He reigns in selfless, sacrificial service, in humility and love. He rules, not with power taken from men, but with authority given by God, in righteousness, justice, and peace. The wise men had to be surprised at what they found, an infant child, helpless and humble, weak and vulnerable, and yet they believed the Word that they had heard, that this child was the King of the Jews. Even so, the light of the Word of God has guided and directed you, not the mountains of natural glory, not to the thrones of human power, but to the altar of sacrifice where your King Jesus is present for you in the humble and lowly forms of bread and wine, that you may present yourself before Him as a living sacrifice and receive His Light and eat His flesh and drink His blood, the flesh and blood of the only Son of the Father, begotten before the foundation of the world, the Word and Light of creation, made flesh and dwelling amongst you, Jesus Christ. In Him is life, and the life is the Light of men, that you may shine with His Light, illumining the way to Truth and Life.

While our resurrected and ascended Lord Jesus Christ now fills all things in heaven and earth, even the glorious mountains and the vast and deep oceans, even the expanse of the heavens with its billions upon billions of galaxies, stars, and planets, He is not in those places and things for your life, light, and salvation, but He is where He has promised to be, in His Word made flesh which He has attached to and fills the humble, the lowly, and the ordinary things of His creation – Bread, wine, water, and the words of a book read, spoken, and proclaimed to you – to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.

Dear Christians, let us also follow the Light of God’s Word to the place where it rests upon the altar of sacrifice in the House of Lord, where His Mother, the Church, gathers with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven around the throne of King Jesus, the Light of the world, God in flesh made manifest. Let us worship and bow down with all the children of the Light in praise and adoration, receiving His light, His love and forgiveness, and go out illumining the world and those walking in darkness and the shadow of death that they might walk in darkness no longer, but seek, find, and receive the Light of Christ and live, and thereby glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit forevermore.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Homily for The Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus (New Year’s Eve)

(Audio)

Luke 2:21; Galatians 3:23-29; Numbers 6:22-27

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

Your God always works through means. That is to say that, the God who made all the stuff that there is, who still sustains all that stuff, always works through the stuff of His making for your good. He attached His creative Word to the fruits of two trees in the Garden, to Aaron’s staff and Moses’ serpent of bronze. He attached His creative Word to the Passover, the tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering, the Ark of the Covenant, and to the Holy of Holies in the temple. And, he attached His creative Word to circumcision, that it might be attached to Holy Baptism and to the Supper of His Son’s body and blood.

God attached His creative Word to circumcision saying, “I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” There is something unique, particular, and personal about circumcision. In other Old Testament sacraments, God attached His Word to external, inanimate objects, to stuff. In circumcision, however, God attached His creative Word of promise to man’s flesh, literally. In circumcision, God’s benediction was not spoken over you by a priest, but into your own flesh. In circumcision, there was no ambiguity in God’s Word “this covenant is for you” – it was crystal clear who the “you” was, for you carried it in your own flesh. Though it was possible to be circumcised and be an unbeliever, it was impossible to be a believer and still reject circumcision and the promises God attached to it.

Nevertheless, circumcision did not remove sin, original or actual, but it was God’s promise that He would look upon you in grace and mercy and not in wrath against your sin. Circumcision was God’s work, in your flesh. The sign was irrevocable, for God would not go back on His promise, but faith in that promise was a necessity which men had the freedom to reject. Though only males were circumcised and bore the sacramental sign of God’s covenant, the promise was for all of the offspring that man would bear. This was not some sort of patriarchal prejudice, but it got directly at the root of man’s problem, sin. As we are conceived and born in sin, God’s covenant promise was attached to the very source and beginning of human life. No one was, is, or ever will be conceived and born without a human father – that is, except one, Jesus.

Yet, circumcision was but a sacramental sign pointing ahead to a future fulfillment. That fulfillment came in the circumcision of Jesus, eight days after His birth in Bethlehem. Jesus had no human father and, therefore, He bore not the corruption of original sin. Nevertheless, He submitted Himself to circumcision in His innocent flesh that His heavenly Father’s covenant promise might be given to His offspring by faith. Therefore, in the circumcision of Jesus, all people are circumcised once and for all, because He represents all humanity, as St. Paul writes to the Colossians, “In [Jesus Christ] also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.

Because of Jesus’ circumcision in the flesh, you are God’s child today, not by the shedding of your blood, but by faith in God’s creative Word of promise made flesh, Jesus Christ, who submitted to circumcision in your stead and became obedient under the Law and fulfilled it, dying in your place and rising from death to give new and eternal life to all who are born again with Him by baptism and faith. St. Paul writes, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

That new life began on the eighth day, the day of our Lord’s resurrection, reinforcing the connection between circumcision on the eighth day and Holy Baptism. In the Church, the number eight is symbolic of the fulfillment of God’s work of re-creating His sin-broken and fallen world and humanity. The new life begun in Jesus’ resurrection on the eighth day will never end. The eighth day is literally the day upon which the sun will never set. That is the day and the new life into which you are baptized. Therefore, to be baptized is literally to be born again, to a new life that will never die. That is why baptismal fonts, like this one, as well as pulpits and lecterns and other church furnishings are often eight-sided – they are symbolic reminders of God’s covenant and promise kept and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

As the world celebrates the beginning of a new year this evening and remembers the passing of the old, so the Church celebrates the new life and the new Name that She has been given in the innocent shed blood of Jesus Christ. In Holy Baptism and faith you are sealed in God’s Benediction, “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you: the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” His Name is not only proclaimed to you, but it is placed upon you, marking you as His offspring, His child, His heir, with and in Jesus Christ His Son, with whom He is well pleased.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Homily for The Feast of the Holy Innocents (observed)

(Audio)

Matthew 2:13-18; Revelation 14:1-5; Jeremiah 31:15-17

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

An angel of the Lord warned Joseph that evil was coming. He offered no explanation as to why there was evil, or why God would permit evil to happen, but only the stern warning stating the prescient reality of evil, “Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him.”

What is striking in this horrific account of evil in the first years of our young Lord’s life is not the fact that evil exists, but that God provided the Holy Family advance warning. The children and teachers in Sandy Hook Elementary School were not so fortunate. There was no advance warning that evil was coming, but, as one pastor put it, “Herod shot his way into the school two weeks ago. Well not the Biblical Herod, but the evil that he represents, that evil filled a person and shot its way into the classroom.” Evil came to Newtown on Friday, December 14, 2012. There was no advance warning. Twenty children, most about the age of six, and six adults were murdered, and two were wounded, and, seemingly, God permitted it to happen.

Yes, God permitted it to happen. That is the correct conclusion to draw. It is not that God is unable to prohibit evil, if it is His will to do so, nor is it that God is not good and does not desire to prohibit evil, and nor is it that God simply doesn’t exist. Rather, God is in control of evil, though He is not its creator or source, and He prohibits it, and He permits it, in accordance with His holy will.

The cry of the flesh into the heavens is, “How can a good and loving God ever permit evil, suffering, and death to befall His creatures?” Luther referred to this as God’s alien work. In His alien work, another pastor writes, “God destroys things, He creates calamity, and He lays waste to our idols and to us, because we have turned our own lives into idolatry. He lays waste to us and to all that we have placed before Him seeking to save us.” This is to say, Luther understood God’s alien work to be discipline, not punishment, meted out in love to destroy all our idols, all that we have raised up before and above Him, all that gets in between Him and us. Truly, it was idolatry that introduced evil and death into the world, something feared, loved, and trusted more than and above God by our First Parents, and by Satan himself. Since the fall, every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil.

It was God’s will to spare the infant Jesus from Herod’s murderous evil. However, it was God’s will also to surrender His Son unto evil on Good Friday that, through death, He might destroy the sting of death. But, what about the Holy Innocents in Bethlehem? What about the innocents in Newtown? Why did God permit them to be overcome by evil and slaughtered, without advance warning or seeming purpose? Here the answer, once again, is God’s alien work, that He permits evil, that He even sends evil, though He is not the source of evil, to save us all from evil.

One of the best passages from Scripture to illustrate this truth comes from the Prophet Isaiah: “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.” From man’s perspective, there is evil, and then there is Evil with a capital E. We look at the wanton slaughtering of young children, both in Newtown, and in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, and we call it Evil with a capital E. However, the fact that over 16,000 children worldwide die each day from hunger-related causes, we blithely consider to be evil, not to mention the fact that 3,200 babies die each day from abortion – that’s a child every 32 seconds and 54 million children since 1973 when abortion was legalized in the United States.

Truly, sinful man has no sanctified ground from which to judge evil, with or without a capital E, but only God does, and He prohibits evil and permits evil according to His divine and holy, proper and alien will. He worked to prohibit evil from befalling Jesus in the slaughter of the Holy Innocents, but in His alien work He gave Jesus over to death on the cross. Surely diseases, natural disasters, and wars do not have their source in God, but they are according to His permissive will, His alien work, under His control and according to His divine goodness, holiness, and righteousness. Even those horrors which have their unquestionable source in man’s sinful corruption, abortions, murders, massacres, and wars, God permits, controls, limits, and directs as His alien work for a good we cannot usually see, know, or understand.

What about those innocents in Newtown? What can we possibly say about that? What good could God possibly bring from permitting evil to happen in such a way as that? My dear Christians, I will be the first to tell you that I do not know what good God in His infinite wisdom sees and will bring from this horror, but that He has certainly knocked down and destroyed many a man’s idols. For too many, life itself is an idol, separating us from God, stealing our fear, love, and trust which belong to Him alone. If such sudden and horrific evil and death can fall upon such young and innocent souls as those in Newtown, or in the shopping mall in Oregon, or the movie theater in Colorado, then it can certainly fall upon us as well. Your God is a jealous God. He is not jealous as you are jealous, envious, and covetous of your neighbor’s material goods, spouse, and blessings, but He loves you with a perfect and holy love that will not share you with any other thing that He has made, which you have fashioned into a god of your own design. He will have you for Himself every day of your life, and He will have you for Himself for eternity, which is greater by far.

When calamity, horror, and evil death befall you and those you love, or your neighbor you do not know, we have God’s Word that “the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.” What evil? Is not being slaughtered by a crazed gunman at the age of six an evil to be spared from? No, for there is a greater evil than even horrific and untimely death, eternal death in hellish separation from God’s gracious presence and life. This, your heavenly Father will permit many evil things to happen to you to preserve you from, because He loves you and will never leave you or forsake you for the sake of His Son, whom He gave over unto evil death to secure for you salvation and eternal life.

Interestingly, a related theme emerges in the propers appointed for The Feast of The Holy Innocents which might seem to run against the grain of orthodox Christian doctrine concerning our justification and reception of the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. In our Old Testament reading the Prophet Jeremiah actually speaks of a work which will be rewarded. He says, “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country.” These words of comfort and hope were spoken to Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, who had died a thousand years earlier. Speaking prophetically of the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities in 722 and 586 B.C., Jeremiah pictures Rachel weeping bitterly for her distant offspring, the children of Israel, refusing to be comforted as though they were dead. Jeremiah tells Rachel to not weep, for there will be a reward for her labor of bringing her children into the world. They would come back from the land of the enemy, to their own country. A remnant would return.

In his Gospel, St. Matthew writes that this prophecy was fulfilled in the slaughter of the Holy Innocents, thereby connecting the return of the remnant, not only the children of Israel’s return to the promised land, but the spiritual children of Israel’s return to the promised land of heaven. The work, of which Jeremiah prophesies, which will be rewarded, is much less the labor of childbirth than it is the work of martyrdom for the sake of Jesus. The Holy Innocents of Bethlehem were slaughtered, not because of anything that they had done, but because of Herod’s murderous attempt to kill the infant Jesus. They died because of Jesus, the result of evil they had not committed, so that the Holy Family would flee back into the land of Israel’s historic enemy, to Egypt, that the prophecy would be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I have called my Son.” As through Moses, God long ago called Israel, His son, out of bondage and slavery in Egypt, into the good land of promise, so through His Son Jesus, the new Moses and the new Israel, God would once again call His children forth out of slavery and bondage, not to Pharaoh, but to sin, death, and Satan. All God’s children must pass through death. But, God’s own Son, Jesus, has suffered evil and death in our place and has passed through death, destroying its sting, into free and eternal life for all who trust in Him and follow Him in the way that He has blazed.

God does not spare you death, for His own Word of warning has made it a necessity, “In the day that you eat of [the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil] you shall surely die.” However, He has suffered death for you, in your place, and He has given you His Word of promise, “[you] shall come back from the land of the enemy,” “your children shall come back to their own country.” When death comes, all Christians die as martyrs, for death is an enemy, your enemy and God’s enemy, and you too are His Holy Innocents, made innocent, holy, and righteous in the blood of His Son, Jesus, whom He has called out of Egypt, the land of the enemy, death, hell, and Satan.

Your life in this world is like everything else in this world, a gift of God over which He has made you managers and stewards. Therefore, your life belongs to Him alone. The best that you can experience or imagine in this life is but a dim shadow of the life that is to come in communion with God, in the presence of His holiness and glory. Likewise, the worst that you can experience or imagine in this life is but a dim shadow of the death-like life that is separation from God’s gracious presence. Thus, Jesus has taught you to refrain from making your life in this world an idol saying, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

What good comes from evil? Your idols are shattered, even those you didn’t know you had, and Christ alone is revealed as the one thing certain, the one thing needful and necessary, and God is glorified. Today He provides you the fruits of His death that, in the midst of death, you may have life – a foretaste of true and eternal life, on the other side of death, in communion with God in Christ Jesus.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Day)

(Audio)

John 1:1-18; Titus 3:4-7; Exodus 40:17-21; 34-38

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

Finitum non capax infinitum – The finite cannot contain the infinite. With this saying, also known as the extra-calvinisticum, the French theologian John Calvin hoped to rebut Luther’s teaching concerning the Lord’s supper, insisting that God, who is infinite, filling heaven and earth, the Creator of all things material and immaterial, cannot possibly be contained within the finite and limited bread and wine in Holy Communion. Truly, one wants to sympathize with Calvin in so stridently attempting to preserve God’s sovereignty and utter transcendence, and to not attempt to limit God or to put God in a box, so to speak. However, if we are to take God at His Word, and surely we are, then has He not revealed to us that He has in fact limited Himself and placed Himself into a box, so to speak, because it was both necessary for our justification and for our reception of Him in faith and trust?

For, what does it mean that the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle, but that the infinite fullness of the Godhead took up residence within the finite four walls of the tabernacle which God Himself had commanded Moses to construct according to His precise specifications? And, what does it mean that God’s Word of creation, who was with God from the beginning, and who was God, by whom all things have been made – what does it mean that the infinite Word became flesh and dwelt among us, but that the infinite God has limited Himself and has placed Himself into a box, so to speak, that is, into finite human flesh, born of a woman in lowliness and humility?

Truly, it was not the doctrine of the real presence of our Lord’s body and blood in the Supper that was at stake so much as it was orthodox Christian doctrine and faith itself as Calvin claimed that “the Word is fully united to but never totally contained within the human nature [of Jesus] and, therefore, even in the incarnation is to be conceived of as beyond or outside of [extra] the human nature.” What then did St. Paul have in mind when he wrote of Jesus, “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”? Likewise, what did the Nicene Fathers have in mind when they formulated the Creed saying that Christ is “very God of very God, … being of one substance with the Father”? Did Calvin not see that, not only did God deliberately and intentionally limit Himself in becoming a finite man, but that God’s becoming man was absolutely necessary and essential for man’s justification?

Now, perhaps I am not being charitable to Calvin who, at least, had good intentions. For, he was not the first, and he certainly wasn’t the last, to attempt to use human reason and philosophy to understand and to demystify that which is truly a divine mystery beyond human understanding and reason – The mystery of the Incarnation of our Lord. That specific mystery, the Incarnation, is truly what we are celebrating this Christmas morning, of which St. John writes so profoundly in his Gospel Prologue, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son form the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The Incarnation is the divine mystery to which God had been pointing mankind since He walked with our First Parents in the Garden. Our Creator and God deigns to dwell and commune with us, His finite creatures. Therefore, when our First Parents rebelled and fell into sin and death, God put into action the plan He had established before they sinned, before their creation, even before the foundation of the heavens and the earth themselves: He would give us a son. He would give us His Son. And, in His Son, our God and Creator would become one of us, His finite creatures, and He would do all that was necessary to restore us, not only to stand in His holy presence, but to commune with Him forevermore – flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone.

Why didn’t Calvin get it? Charitably speaking, he probably did. It’s more likely, however, that he simply wouldn’t believe it could be that easy, that God would do such thing, condescend in such a way as to take on finite human flesh and be born in lowliness and humility, to suffer and die. But, again, Calvin’s not alone. Gnostics had denied, and still do, that the infinite Divine Logos could take on finite and corruptible flesh, or could suffer and die. And, today, it is fashionable to blend New Age mysticism with Christianity, and maybe throw in a little Oriental philosophy, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Zoroastrianism to boot. Is not the cliché of our day “I’m spiritual, but not religious”? By this, people mean that they believe in some sort of infinite spiritual reality, but they won’t be pressed to define it or confess it in any particular or finite way. That is, they won’t limit their gods or goddesses, or attempt to put them in a box.

Why is this so difficult for us to apprehend? Perhaps it is simply because of the fact that men are finite, because our minds are finite and limited, we simply cannot conceive of what God in His infinite wisdom and power might do. For, in truth, in our striving to protect and to preserve God’s sovereignty, are we not limiting Him and boxing Him in saying, “No God, you can’t mean that you are really and truly present in the Supper. That’s impossible! You must mean something else.” We shouldn’t be surprised that we don’t understand. This the writers of the Lutheran Confessions confessed of the Incarnation in the Formula of Concord saying, “In this personal union the two natures [of Christ] have such a grand, intimate, indescribable communion that even the angels are astonished by it.” Even the angels of heaven are astonished and mystified by God’s Wisdom and Power and Grace. We are so bound up in this material world and materialism, that we think more of the stuff of this world than we do the Creator of stuff, world, and all things in it. Because of the finite limitations of matter, we disbelieve the Word of our divine and infinite God.

Our problem is always a First Commandment problem – idolatry: Worshipping the creation instead of the Creator. We do this in two ways: Placing our fear, love, and trust in material things above and before God, or disbelieving God’s Word that He limits Himself and places Himself, where He has promised, in the stuff of His creation.

God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. The closest experience to that kind of love that we can experience this side of heaven is the birth of a child. As a child is conceived and born of your own flesh and blood, so that his existence and life is both from you and sustained by you, so God’s creation was brought forth from Himself. And, just as loving parents would not abandon or destroy their child who disobeyed and rebelled against them, but would discipline them and sacrifice their own right for love of the child, so God would not and could not destroy His creation or consign it to damnation, but He lovingly and mercifully, selflessly and sacrificially did what His justice and righteousness required to restore man to a right relationship with Himself.

The Incarnation of Our Lord is the re-creation and rebirth of man from the inside out. God has not merely spoken His Word to us, but He has spoken His Word into us. Where, before, there was God and man, separated from one another, now, in Jesus, God and man are in communion with one another. Our divine and infinite God has condescended to dwell within finite and limited man. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling amongst us. Jesus took His sinless body and soul to the cross, where He earned in His body and soul the wage of our sin and rebellion. He died and was buried, and on the third day God raised Him from the dead. He ascended into the heavens and sits at the right hand of God the Father. Now, our divine and infinite God, not only has taken up our human flesh and blood, but in our human flesh and blood He now, mysteriously, and without limitation, fills all things. Thus, He is really and truly present in the Holy Supper, in His resurrected and glorified body and blood. And, thus, we commune with the living Christ, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. On the Last Day, He will come again in His human flesh and blood body and He will raise our flesh and blood bodies from their sleep and glorify our bodies like His own glorified body to live with Him and the Father and the Holy Spirit in heaven forevermore.

The Incarnation of Our Lord is the true and perfect gift of Christmas. This is most certainly true.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Homily for The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Eve)

(Audio)

Luke 2:1-20; Titus 2:11-14; Isaiah 9:2-7

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

When the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary, the Evangelist tells us that she was greatly troubled and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. Truly, Mary’s response to an angelic greeting was not unique. In fact, St. Luke, alone records no less than three angelic appearances in the first two chapters of his Gospel, beginning with the appearance of Gabriel to Zechariah, the soon to be father of John the Baptist. Zechariah was serving as priest in the temple at the hour of incense when Gabriel came to him in a vision. Luke tells us that he was troubled when he saw him, and that fear fell upon him. Later, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, an angel of the Lord appeared to some shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke tells us, in the old King James translation, that they were sore afraid.

Outside of the infancy narratives, even in the Old Testament, whenever an angel from heaven visited God’s people, they were filled with fear. Perhaps the most well known instance is that of the prophet Isaiah who, when he beheld, in a vision, the angels of God surrounding His throne, famously confessed, “Woe is me! I am undone! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” In this, Isaiah’s confession, we hear the reason that God’s people are so very afraid in the presence of God’s holy angels – it is because of their unclean lips, the guilt of their sin which makes them and all men unholy. Isaiah was right, of course; he should have been undone. He should have died.

But, that’s not what happened. Instead, an angel of heaven flew to him, having in his hands tongs holding a live coal taken from the altar of sacrifice. The angel touched the burning coal to Isaiah’s lips and said to him, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” Our sin separates us from God. His holiness can only consume and destroy sin, guilt, and unholiness. Such things have no place in God’s holy presence. But, besides being perfectly holy and just, the very standard and definition of these, He is also the standard and the measure of goodness, love, mercy, and grace. Therefore, instead of destroying unholy man, He did what was necessary to justify him, to make him to be right and clean and holy in His presence. God forgave and atoned for Isaiah’s sin and guilt and made him clean. And, the fact that the purifying coal came from the altar of sacrifice demonstrates that His forgiveness comes at a cost – holy and innocent sacrificial blood, blood shed for those who are unholy.

The first words from the angels’ lips are always “Do not fear.” The justification? “You have found favor with God.” In other words, there is no need for you to be afraid, not because you are sinless and holy, but because God has chosen to look at you that way, because God has sacrificed Himself to make that possible. You have found favor with God. It almost sounds as though you tripped over it, or that it fell into your lap. Do not think that it was your work, or your will, your choice, or your decision; you weren’t even looking for God, let alone for His favor. But, He has found you, and He has decided and chosen to have favor upon you freely, apart from your will, decision, or choice, because of the goodness, the mercy, and the love that He is.

Fear. That is something that you and I are more in touch with this Christmas than in years past. With the shocking, sudden horror of the Newtown massacre fresh in our minds, and that grief and sorrow heavy on our hearts, we are afraid. We are afraid for our children. We are afraid for others we love. We are afraid for ourselves, for our security, and for our way of life. In fact, you are seemingly surrounded by fear and uncertainty, horror and tragedy, everywhere you turn, every moment of your life. They say we are heading for a fiscal cliff. Sounds ominous, doesn’t it? An ancient calendar has had us wondering for over a year whether we’d be here tonight or not. I almost didn’t write this sermon. If you’re near retirement age, you’re probably wondering if anyone will look after you and care for you when you are no longer able to care for yourself. You’re probably wondering how you will pay for all the things you will need as you get older and have little or no income. If you’re parents of young children, you’re probably wondering if your children will be safe when they go to school, will they learn what they need to be successful adults, what kind of America will your children live in, what kind of world will it be? There are a lot of things to cause you to be fearful. And there are a whole lot of people, organizations, and institutions, not to mention the media and the government, that seemingly want you to be afraid, and that are all too eager to use your fear to control you and make you buy and believe whatever it is that they’re selling, pushing, or advocating.

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” There is no need to be afraid. God has heard your cries in the darkness of sin and death and He has responded. “When all was still and it was midnight,” in the darkest hour of your night of helplessness and fear, God’s “almighty Word […] descended from the royal throne.” When you least expected it, when you were certain your situation was hopeless and there was nothing that you or anyone could do – you were right, by the way – that was when God acted, that’s when God acts, that’s when you can see that God has been acting all along. All that’s been threatened is your idols, those things, those people, those emotions that you have put your fear, your love, and your trust in instead of God. God will permit them to be knocked down, undone, taken away, or destroyed, or He will simply do it Himself, so that you will see that your fear, love, and trust in them is misplaced.

Fear not. God is in control. And, He is not unsympathetic to your fears, your worries, your concerns, and your anxiety, for He shares your flesh and blood and He has suffered through many of the same fearsome happenings as you. He was born in conditions of want and need, exposed to the elements with no defense. He was the would-be victim of murderous Herod as he slaughtered the innocent babes of Bethlehem in his fear-driven insanity to hold onto his power and throne. He was ridiculed and mocked by the intellectuals of His day, and He was hunted by the government as an insurrectionist, and by the Church as a blasphemer. But, He permitted Himself to be taken captive, and He willingly submitted to mocking, spitting, and blows, and, ultimately, to the cruel and tearing whips, thorns, and nails of hatred and evil, even death on the cross, to sanctify all suffering and to defeat the power of sin and take away the sting of death – that you need not fear any longer.

God is in control, and He works all things – even the bad things, even the evil things – He works all things for the good of those who love Him, through Jesus Christ. Jesus came to absolve you of all your fear: Fear for today; fear for tomorrow; fear of death; fear of God. He says to you “Do not be afraid. I know your fears. I know your worries. I know your anxieties. I have faced them all, and yet I remained faithful, trusting in the Word of my Father. I have faced and suffered even death, your greatest enemy, for you, in your place, and I have destroyed its power and sting; death cannot hold you; already you are its victor through me. Because of this, my Father is your Father. Because of His love for me He loves you as His own dear son or daughter.”

Already at His birth the choirs of heavenly angels broke forth in song, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” Tonight we join them singing, “Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!” Jesus Christ is born! No more shall we be afraid!

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

To my devoted reader in France…

Sitemeter tells me that I have a regular reader in Ile de France, Paris. I would love to know who you are! Please feel free to identify yourself in a comment, or send me an email.
Joyeux Noël!  Pr. J. Ellingworth

Homily for Rorate Coeli (The Fourth Sunday in Advent)

(Audio)

John 1:19-28; Philippians 4:4-7; Deuteronomy 18:15-19

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

“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you.” “The Lord is at hand.” “Among you stands one you do not know.” “The LORD is near to all who call on Him.” Do you notice how the unseen, real, and true presence of our Lord now permeates our liturgy this day? For the past several weeks you have been exhorted to prepare for His coming. Now, it would seem, you are to contemplate that, not only has He come, but that the Lord is amongst you right now. So, I ask you, do you see Him? Do you hear Him? Do you recognize His presence? If not, then perhaps we should extend Advent a few more weeks. For, indeed, tantamount to your being prepared for His coming on the Last Day is that you recognize and receive Him while He is present among you right now.

The priests and the Levites who were sent to question John had been waiting, watching, and seeking the coming of the Lord for centuries. They searched the Scriptures and they trusted in the Word of the Lord proclaimed by the Prophets that God would raise up a prophet like Moses and that He would send forth Elijah before the coming of the Messiah, the Christ. They had good reason to believe that John might be the Christ, or Elijah, or the Prophet, for he lived in the stark, ascetic manner of the prophets and he spoke with an authoritative word in accord with the Word of God. But, when they asked him if he was the Christ, he said “No.” And when they asked him if he was Elijah, he said “No.” And when they asked him if he was the Prophet, again John replied “No.” Indeed, all that John would confess concerning himself was that he was a voice.

Israel had not heard the voice of God for four hundred years. Though they had returned to the Promised Land following captivity in Babylon and had rebuilt the temple and reinstated the priesthood and the sacrificial system, the hearts of the people were far from the Lord, the priests did not teach the people the ways of the Lord, and they did not honor God with their lives, words, and deeds. The last prophetic utterance was given by Malachi who prophesied, “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.” Then there was silence for four hundred years, until the coming of John the Baptist. During this time the people of Israel were hardened and Judaism became more rigid and legalistic under the Pharisees and more liberal and politically driven under the Sadducees. By the time John appeared, the hearts and minds of the people could not imagine a Messiah who would come in humility and lowliness to suffer and die as a sacrifice for the people’s sins.

Part of John’s role in preparing the way for the coming of Jesus was to break up the hardened hearts of God’s people that they might be turned in repentance to receive the one who was coming, not in power, great might, and glory, but from amongst them, as their brother, in lowliness and humility. John was a voice crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” as the Prophet Isaiah had said. John carried out his task by preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins and by baptizing with water, a visible sign of the spiritual change affected in a person by the workings of the Holy Spirit. God was about to visit His people, but He was not going to appear to them as He did on Mount Sinai, striking terror of death into the hearts of His people, but He would come in the manner of Moses, Elijah, and the Prophets, as one of His own, amongst His own, for the sake of His own.

Our God has always been a God who is present in the midst of His people. He walked with our First Parents in Eden. He visited Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He called to Moses from the burning bush and encamped in the tabernacle in the Holy of Holies amongst His people. Then, in Jesus, the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. And so, He is not a God who is far off, but He is a God who is near – very near, in fact, come into our own flesh and blood, conceived and born of a woman like all men, so that He is our brother, one of us, knowing in His flesh our joys and sorrows, our pain and tears, the torture of our temptations, but humbly and obediently and selflessly resisting these by faith.

Though He comes to us in such familiar ways, men are scandalized by the incarnation of Jesus. Thus it was necessary that John direct our attention to Him and call us to repentance that we might see in Him God’s presence and our salvation from our sins. The very next day after the priests and the Levites questioned him, John pointed to Jesus and proclaimed “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” There He is, God’s sacrifice, Isaac’s substitute, the true Passover Lamb who’s blood will mark the doorposts of your heart that the Angel of Death might pass over. Who? The carpenter’s son from Nazareth? Who? That lowly rabbi with His band of misfit disciples? Who? The itinerant preacher who hangs about tax collectors and prostitutes and lepers? Yeah, that’s the one. That’s the Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah. Yeah, that’s Him, the Word of God made flesh, abiding in your presence as one of you, as you brother, just as the prophets said.

So, I ask you, do you see Him? Do you hear Him? Do you recognize His presence? If not, well, it’s still Advent for a few more hours. Indeed, it is Advent until He comes on the Last Day, and today your salvation is nearer to you than when you first believed. For, indeed, tantamount to your being prepared for His coming on the Last Day is that you recognize and receive Him while He is present among you right now. He is present for you now in His forgiving and life-giving Word. He is present for you now in Holy Absolution. He is present for you now in Holy baptismal regeneration. And He is present for you now in His holy body and precious blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins that the Angel of Death might pass over you.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Homily for Sunday School Lessons & Carols - Rorate Coeli (The Fourth Sunday in Advent)

(Audio)

Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7; Luke 1:26-35, 38; Luke 2:1, 3-7; Luke 2:8-16; John 1:1-14

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

Of the many good, wonderful, and miraculous things we celebrate at Christmas – the Incarnation of God and the Virgin Birth, Peace between God and man, a spirit of reconciliation, peace, joy, and good will between men and women of every creed, race, and clan – one good, wonderful, and miraculous thing that often gets overlooked is God’s Divine Providence, His guiding and directing of all things toward His own holy, good, and wise ends.

For example, consider only the events of which you have heard this morning from God’s Holy Word. First, there was Isaiah’s prophecy, spoken to the people of Judah nearly seven-hundred years before Jesus’ birth. Isaiah prophesied to a people who were continually vacillating between faithfulness and idolatry. Isaiah warned that God’s holiness could not bear with sin and that His righteousness could not permit sin to go unpunished, therefore His judgment was coming. But, Isaiah also showered Judah with the beautiful and comforting Gospel of God’s compassion, mercy, and love, foreshadowing His sending of the Messiah born of a virgin who would be a Light to those walking in the darkness of sin and death, a Great Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.

Then you heard of the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, nearly seven-hundred years later, in the Archangel Gabriel’s announcement to a young Judean virgin named Mary. Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, and that He would be given the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob forever, just as Isaiah had prophesied.

Luke’s Gospel also records for us how God utilizes even earthly governments and human laws, institutions, and machinations, both good and bad, to accomplish His good and holy will. This time, through the Prophet Micah who prophesied, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” In fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy, Joseph and Mary, great with child, found themselves in Bethlehem for a census ordered by Caesar. The fact that the city was crowded with people from all over Judea registering for the census made it so that Mary delivered her son in the lowliest of conditions, in a rough outdoor shelter, and lay him in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. In God’s wisdom and providence, even these seemingly insignificant elements were in fulfillment of prophecy of the kind of King His Son would be: mild, humble, selfless, and sacrificial.

In like manner, the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy was proclaimed first, not to the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Sanhedrin, the religious leadership of Israel, not to Herod or Pilate or Caesar, and not to those of wealth, power, or great reputation, but the proclamation of the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy, the proclamation of the Gospel, was given first to those of low estate, to poor and humble shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. Even still today, the chief responsibility of Christ’s undershepherds, His pastors, is to proclaim the Gospel and to guard and keep His sheep in the darkness of this world’s night of sin and death.

And then, in our final reading from the Gospel of John, you hear that this was God’s will and design before man’s fall into sin, before the creation of man, indeed, before the foundation of the world. John’s Words “In the beginning…” take you back, well, to the beginning of God’s revealed Word, to Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth….” John proclaims to you that the Word of God was with God in the beginning, and that, in fact, the Word of God was God, and that all things that God has made have been made by the speaking of His life-giving and creative Word. What we celebrate at Christmas, especially, is what John proclaims in the last verse of today’s reading: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

At Christmas, we must remember that, though we may see darkness and sin and suffering and death all around us, though wars and rumors of wars dominate the headlines, though natural disasters destroy lives, homes, and livelihoods, though diseases take the lives of those we love, and though even children are not spared the horror of evil at the hands of broken, corrupted, and sinful men, we must remember that God is in control, before sin, before man, before the foundation of the world, and that He has worked, and He is working, and will continue to work all things, even the bad things, the horrible things, and the evil things, for the good of those who love Him, whom He has called in His Son, His Messiah, our Savior, His Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.

At Christmas, we remember that God did not turn a cold shoulder in judgment against His rebellious creation, but He did the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the impossible, and the miraculous – He penetrated His fallen and broken creation and became one of His creatures, being born of the flesh of a woman in weakness, lowliness, and poverty that He might be everything His holiness and righteousness required for you, in your place, as your substitute, that He might bear in His own flesh the necessary wage of sin, death, and shed His own holy and innocent blood to wash away your guilt, that He might be at peace with you, and you with Him, and live in His holy and righteous presence in holy communion with Him – flesh of His flesh, bone of His bone – evermore and evermore. This Peace is God’s gift to you at Christmas, and every day of the year, every day and year of your lives. Remember and treasure His Word, His Gift, and enjoy His Peace and live His Love, every day of the year.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The “O” Antiphons of Advent

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” Isaiah 11:1-2

In response to the Scriptural exhortation to “pray without ceasing,” (1 Thess. 5:17) the ancient Church developed the Canonical Hours – fixed hours of prayer at which Scripture would be read and Psalms would be sung. From about the 4^th century on, these hours, in the West have traditionally followed this order: Matins (midnight), Lauds (3 a.m.), Prime (6 a.m.), Terce (9 a.m.), Sext (noon), None (3 p.m.), Vespers (6 p.m.), and Compline (9 p.m.).

As you can well imagine, this was an extremely difficult and challenging discipline to maintain; only the monks, nuns, and some clergy were very successful at it. Sensing the value of such disciplined daily prayer, however, Martin Luther did not wish to abolish the Hours but simply to condense them into the more manageable and recognizable Hours of Matins (morning prayer) and Vespers (evening prayer). To this day, these Hours of daily prayer are a part of our tradition and piety.

As we begin a new Church Year with the season of Advent, I thought it appropriate to share with you an especially beautiful and poignant part of our catholic tradition which has become all but forgotten amongst Lutheran Christians, The “O” Antiphons. Traditionally, the last eight days of Advent form a little liturgical season unto themselves. As the Church prepares to celebrate the birthday of Christ, the liturgy gets somewhat more intense, freighted with all the hopes of an expectant church.

The “O” Antiphons are a series of “Holy Titles” for Christ by which the Church calls on Him to come. Beginning at Vespers on December 17, each night gives him a new name: “O Wisdom,” “O Sacred Lord,” “O Flower of Jesse’s Stem,” “O Key of David,” “O Radiant Dawn,” “O King of All the Nations,” and the greatest of them all, “O Emmanuel,” a name which means “God is with us.” The great and wonderful Advent hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (LW 31) is based upon The “O” Antiphons – check the seven titles against this hymn’s seven verses.

An antiphon is a small portion of a Psalm, or some other appropriate words, which is sung at the beginning and at the end of a Psalm or a canticle. The “O” Antiphons were sung specifically before and after the Magnificat (Mary’s Song) during the Hour of Vespers the last week of Advent. These seven Holy Titles for Jesus are appropriate “book ends” to Mary’s beautiful and reverent hymn of praise.

As The “O” Antiphons were originally sung in Latin, when considering the Latin titles an interesting acrostic (word puzzle) appears. When the Latin titles are arranged last to first and the first letter of each title is read consecutively, Christ’s answer to the cry of His Church “Come” is revealed: “Ero cras,” which means, “I shall, tomorrow.”

Emmanuel                  Emmanuel

Rex Gentium              King of the Nations

Oriens                          Dawn

Clavis David                Key of David

Radix Jesse                 Root of Jesse

Adonai                          Lord

Sapientia                      Wisdom

 

Ero cras. I shall, tomorrow.

 

“O Come, O come Emmanuel,” cries the Church. “I shall, tomorrow,” Jesus answers. And so, the Church awaits. Waiting is what Advent is all about. Even as we celebrate the birthday of Jesus, we await, looking expectantly for His second coming. And as we await, we prepare by repenting of our sins and receiving holy absolution, by remaining in His Word, and by receiving His body and blood. The Bride, the Church, awaits and looks expectantly for the coming of Her Bridegroom – Her lamp in hand, she prepares and awaits.

 

“Come soon to save us,” cries the Church,

“From sin and death and sorrow.”

Our Lord’s reply is “Ero cras,”

Which means “I shall, tomorrow.”

The Lord Continue to bless you in the Peace that is Christ Jesus until He comes.