Gaudete - The Third Sunday in Advent [Sunday School Christmas Lessons & Carols]

(Audio)

Sunday School Christmas Lessons & Carols: 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.

I think most people know that the Bible opens with the words, “In the beginning….” Indeed, Moses’ first book, called Genesis, begins, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” And the first thing God created in this formless void of darkness was light. With the creation of light, the Lord brought matter and energy into existence, and He shaped them by His own hand to bring all things into being.

But we, His rebellious creatures, often delude ourselves into believing that we are more than creatures, seeking to be gods ourselves. Our ancestors put us on a path that led us back into darkness, and by our sins, by choosing to be people of darkness, by preferring to have our evil deeds covered by the shadow of night – we shy away from the very Light that animated us, that gave us the breath of life.

But then, there was another book, a Gospel book, a Book of Good News written by the Apostle and Evangelist St. John that, likewise makes its beginning with the very same words, “In the beginning.” But in John’s beginning, we find something that precedes the creation of the heavens and the earth. We hear of the Logos, that is, the uncreated Word, the Son of God.

For the same Word that spoke light into existence is the very Word that “was with God” in the beginning, and yet, at the same time, “was God.” And “all things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

But so shortly after the time of the beginning, we chose darkness over light, we rejected the Word and chose our own wicked and pathetic words instead, poor imitations of the Almighty Word through which we were created and by which we have the Light of Life.

Instead of the Light of Life, we poor miserable sinners live in the constant shadow of death. As fallen men, we despise the light, for the light exposes our lawless deeds and our wicked thoughts. We live in the delusion that the darkness conceals our iniquity – but the one who created all things sees all things. Nothing is truly hidden.

But, as a father pities his poor children who wail out in the darkness, our Father has come to bring us light, to save us from the darkness of the grave and the decay of death.

The Word by whom all things were made became the Word by whom we were redeemed and re-created. Our darkness was to be yet again dispersed, as the veil was shred. The separation between God and man, the gap between the divine and the human, was to be forever bridged and occupied by the LogosHimself, for the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This Word, this Christ, this Savior, is He who is the “true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.”

And just as the Word, the Logos, commanded “Let there be light” and “there was light,” so too does the Logos– the Word of God Himself, the Light that is uncreated – burst into our dark world to illuminate us.

And yet He didn’t accomplish this by a mushroom cloud, by a nuclear blast, by a collision of atoms into a cosmic conflagration that would ignite all of creation into obliteration – but rather in the “still small voice” of a boy, a poor child lying in a feeding trough for livestock in the chill of a stable in the middle of the night – the King of creation reclining with His creatures, the Good Shepherd unto whom come shepherds from the countryside who have been given a sign from a holy angel of the LORD.

Indeed, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” here, in our toxic world, living in the midst of our sin, our selfishness, our suffering, our pain, and the death that we deserve, but which He was not obligated to taste. And yet He took that cup, He allowed the light of His life to be temporarily extinguished so that we could bask in the glow of His resurrection.

“And we beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.” We can behold His glory, because like the Glory of the Lord as manifested in the Tabernacle, this Glory shines forth as a Light, condemning the darkness into non-existence, and as the Word, serving as a “lamp to our feet and a light to our paths.” In fact, this Word made flesh is the path, He is the “way, the truth, and the life.”

And we gather here, as the Church has done since the Boy of the Manger became the Man of Sorrows, and we eat his flesh that once lay in the food trough, and we drink His blood that was shed by way of a cup not of His choosing. By the Light of our Lord, our eyes are illuminated by faith alone, and we see the manger become a cross, and a stable become an empty tomb. We see bread become His holy body and wine become His holy blood. We see death vivified into life and the darkness made lucid into light – a light and life that will have no end.

Dear friends, the Light is not our enemy, but our friend. This Light has not come to condemn, but to save. He has come to be a beacon, not as a lamp to expose us. The glow of the Light has come to warm our cold hearts, not to melt us into oblivion. For just as darkness becomes non-existent when a lamp is lit, so too do our sins cease to be when they come into contact with this Holy Light. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” But we, dear friends, comprehend it. We grasp it, cling to it, and hold on to it for dear life, knowing that this Light is our only way out of the dark pit of exile and separation in which we have been living these thousands of years.

And this revelation of Light was first manifest to us, the redeemed, at the manger. To us Christians, the manger is more than a feeding trough for livestock, it is the location of Eden itself.

May this blessing of the Word Made Flesh in His Light-bearing manger illuminate the Church and keep her safe from every form of darkness and evil, now and unto eternity.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Advent Evening Prayer - Wednesday in Populus Zion (Advent 2)

(Audio)

Luke 1:26-38; Revelation 14:1-5; Deuteronomy 18:15-18

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

Sometimes it’s tempting to think, “If only God would speak to me personally, then I’d be certain that He exists and I’d do what He says.” Don’t be a fool! Many experienced such a personal encounter with God, and, without exception, they were simply terrified! When God spoke with Moses on Horeb, His glory was accompanied by earthquakes and thunder and fire such that the Israelites cried out to Moses that he should speak to them instead of God, lest they die. They were right in what they had spoken, therefore the LORD gave Moses as an intercessor to the people, a prophet, to be His mouthpiece, to speak His Word to His people in His stead. And, the LORD promised that, after Moses, He would raise up a prophet like him from amongst the people. The LORD would put His Words into His prophet’s mouth and he would speak to the LORD’s people saying, “Thus saith the LORD.” And, so began the line of the prophets of the LORD, all the way from Moses to Isaiah to John the Baptist to Jesus, whom we may reckon the fulfillment of the Mosaic and prophetic line, even the New Moses who not only spoke the Word of the LORD, but who is the Word of the LORD made flesh and dwelling amongst us.

Each of the prophets was a foreshadowing and type of Jesus, even as each was rejected, persecuted, and killed so that Jesus wept over Jerusalem calling it “the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!” Likewise, Jesus warned His disciples that, as they did it to Him, so they would do them, and that the one who rejects them rejects Himself and His Father who sent Him. The prophets were intermediaries, if you will between God and man. Their calling was to proclaim God’s Word to His people in truth and purity, whether they liked it or not. And yet, they were but types, foreshadowing Jesus, who is the one intermediary and intercessor between God and man, in human flesh as a man, the Word of God made flesh.

It is Jesus, the Lamb of God, we see once again in Revelation, along with the terrible voice of God “like the roar of many waters, and like the sound of loud thunder” just as it was heard by Israel when Moses met with God on Horeb. And yet, there was something different about this voice. John describes it as a “new song” that only the faithful followers of the Lamb could learn. The new song is a song of victory for the Lamb and for God over the enemies of sin, death, and the devil, defeated in Jesus’ selfless, sacrificial death on the cross and in His glorious resurrection. All the prophets foretold this victory in many and various ways, but they all find their fulfillment in the Lamb and Son of God, Jesus Christ. It is this song that the angels sang at Jesus’ birth, proclaiming peace between God and man through in the Christ-child born of Mary.

Mary, too, was troubled at the Word of God spoken by His angelic messenger Gabriel, wondering what kind of greeting this might be. Thus Gabriel’s first words to her were an absolution and a word of peace, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Literally, Mary found herself in God’s grace and favor, not because of anything that she had done, but because of who God is and what He was about to do. But, the LORD’s grace, favor, and Word are not empty and void, but they are life giving, performative, and creative, bearing fruit. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his Name Jesus,” the angel continued.And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” It was not a question of doubt, but a question of means. And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” And, that was it. That was the moment of Jesus’ incarnation. Martin Luther famously said that the organ of conception for Mary was her ear, for as the angel Gabriel spoke, God’s Word brought into being what it said, and Mary conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit working through God’s holy Word.

The Word became flesh through the spoken Word of God heard in faith by a young Hebrew maiden. Not with earthquakes, thunder, fire, or smoke, but by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, salvation came to humankind. St. Paul wrote that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.” The Word of life that must be heard also bestows upon us the ability to hear it. Even faith itself is God’s creation and gift. God comes to us who could not come to Him, and He comes to us in a way in which we can receive Him: Veiled in the flesh of a newborn baby, in the humble appearance of carpenter, through Word and water, bread and wine, proclaimed and distributed by the sons of the prophets in these latter days. No, God does not speak to us directly and personally – thanks be to God! But, God speaks to us through Jesus, His Word made flesh.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Crumbling is not an instant's Act

Crumbling is not an instant’s Act

A fundamental pause

Dilapidation’s processes
Are organized Decays —

‘Tis first a Cobweb on the Soul
A Cuticle of Dust
A Borer in the Axis
An Elemental Rust —

Ruin is formal — Devil’s work

Consecutive and slow —
Fail in an instant, no man did
Slipping — is Crashe’s law —

Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830

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.

“Daughter of Zion, behold, your salvation comes!” But, what does that mean? What does salvation look like? How will salvation change how you live your lives from day to day? Those are good questions, for your lives will be indeed be changed. When your salvation comes, it will be like when Mom and Dad get home and turn the lights on in the basement where their kids and other teenagers have been partying while they were away. Whatever was going on will be exposed! There will be no time to cover up or clean up. Whatchya got is whatchya see. When your salvation comes, it will be like turning on the lights in a dark and filthy kitchen; the cockroaches will run for cover, but it will be too late – they will have been seen for what they are, dirty, disease carrying vermin.

This is what it will be like, for the day of your salvation is a day of judgment, for you and for everyone else. There is no escaping it, just as there can be no darkness where the light shines brightly. Yet, you need not be afraid of that day. For, “though the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble,” for you who fear, love, and trust in the Lord, “the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” Thus, the day of salvation, the day of judgment, will prove to be a very good day for you. Therefore, lift up your heads, for “you shall have gladness of heart.”

Yet still, you fear change. So do I. Indeed, all people do. You fear change because you have made idols of worldly and fleshly things: money, possessions, family, power, health, reputation, etc. You don’t want these things to change. You fear these things changing because you have placed your fear, love, and trust in them over and above, or in place of, the Lord. In some very real ways, you believe that they define you, they make you who you are. But, they do not last, and you know that to be true. You see the material things you own break, rust, and decay, become outdated and obsolete. You see and feel your own bodies become weak and frail; you don’t see as well, hear as well, or look as well as you used to; you are dying, a little more each day. You see your children age and marry and have children, and often move away, sometimes far away. But these things don’t define you. They don’t make you who you are. You came into this life having none of them. If you leave life without them, that doesn’t change who you are.

Then, who are you? You are the people, the Daughter of Zion, the New Israel, born from the side of the True Israel, God’s Son, Jesus Christ. It is to you that the LORD says the day of judgment will be a day of great joy for you! However, that does not mean that you will be left unscathed. No, not at all. You will be changed as all the idols you have oft placed your fear, love, and trust in are destroyed. Then the hearts of fathers will be turned to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers, for that most fundamental reality of your lives, the very source and origin of your lives, imperfect and corrupted by sin as it may be, and the imperfect love and faithfulness which accompany it, will be seen as an image of the perfect, holy, and righteous source and origin of all of your lives and the perfect and holy love and faithfulness of God, your Father and Lord.

This is a call to repentance uttered from the mouthpiece of God, John the Baptist. The LORD promised that he, Elijah, would come before this great and awesome day of the LORD. But, that was nearly two thousand years ago, you say? Yes, it was – for that was when the day of the LORD occurred, in Jesus’ crucifixion and death upon the cross. That was when the Light switch was turned on and the darkness of sin and death were scattered and overcome. That was the day of judgment, when Jesus was judged guilty in your place. That was the day when it was promised and guaranteed that the ways of the arrogant and evildoers will not last, that they will be left with neither root nor branch. That was the day when the Lord began to make all things new – the ushering in of a new first day of the new creation. That was the day that everything changed. The world has changed. Your life has changed. And, this change is good and nothing to fear.

One of the first things to be changed was how you relate to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, and to your neighbor in the world. Your heart is to be turned to your Father, and your children’s to their Father. Jesus introduced this new understanding of family in His last words to His mother and His disciple John:“Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”In those words, Jesus created a new family. Though John was not a true son of Mary, he became her adopted son. In the same way, you have been adopted into the family of Jesus Christ. Jesus had taught in this way throughout His ministry saying, “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”Look at one another.  This is your family.  This is your true family.  Yes, You were born into a family according to the flesh.  Nevertheless, here is the family God has adopted you to be a part of. You are the people of Zion, the Daughter of Zion, the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Daughter of Zion, behold, your salvation has come! Your salvation comes! And, your salvation is coming! The day of judgment has come for you, and you have been judged innocent in Jesus Christ. Therefore, you have a new family and a new life, and you need not live in fear of change or loss or of the Last Day when your King returns. “For whatever was written in former days was written for your instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures you might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Even now you are free to “go out leaping like calves from the stall” and to “tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet.” You are free from living like those who have no hope. You are free from the slavery of idolatry to the worldly and fleshly things the godless covet. The kingdom of God has come, it is near you now, and it is coming soon in it’s fullness, power, glory, and might. Its reign is mercy, forgiveness, grace, and love. It reigns upon you, it reigns to you, and it reigns through you into the lives of your brother, your sister, and your neighbor to the glory of God in Christ Jesus. Your Lord Jesus is the sun of righteousness, and His reigning scatters the darkness of sin and death, while it brings healing in its wings to the children of God.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Advent Evening Prayer - Wednesday in Ad Te Levavi (Advent 1)

(Audio)

Luke 1:5-25; Revelation 5:1-14; Genesis 49:8-12

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

The aged Patriarch Jacob was dying. Under inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit Jacob called his twelve sons to his bedside that he might bless them. First he called Reuben, his firstborn and the rightful heir of the lion’s share of his wealth and property. It was expected that God’s covenant promise made to Abraham, and then to Isaac, and then to Jacob would now fall upon the eldest of Jacob’s sons. But no, Reuben would not enjoy preeminence amongst the Tribes of Israel, for he had taken his Father’s wife Bilhah and had incestuous relations with her, defiling her and himself and his Father’s name and house. Thus Reuben, Jacob’s eldest son, who should have received both the priesthood and the kingdom, received neither. Instead, the priesthood was given to his brother Levi, and the kingdom, and the covenant promise of God, was given to his brother Judah.

Now, this is a story and a pattern that repeats again and again throughout the Scriptures in many and various ways. The seemingly obvious choice is passed over and the blessing is given to an unlikely and unexpected choice. Jacob himself was the younger son and yet, deceitfully, received his father’s blessing instead of his firstborn brother Esau. When the LORD sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to select a king form Jesse’s sons, young David wasn’t even brought to Samuel for consideration. Son after strong, virulent, and mighty son paraded before Samuel before the Spirit settled upon the shepherd boy David. Even with the story we are considering this evening there are still more surprises. If not the eldest son Reuben, surely the blessing would go to Joseph whose story makes up over one-third of the book of Genesis. But, no. Then surely Benjamin, the youngest son by Jacob’s most beloved wife Rachel. Still, no.

Instead, the blessing fell upon Judah. Now, not only was Judah not the firstborn of Jacob, but his own life and deeds were far from spotless. Genesis chapter thirty-eight records the account of how Judah committed incest with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, who had disguised herself as a prostitute (so, if you were inclined to excuse Judah because he was deceived, still he had no problem soliciting the services of a prostitute!). Tamar conceived twin sons and, fascinatingly, as she was giving birth to the boys, one of them, Zerah, meaning “sunrise,” reached out his hand. Tamar’s midwife tied a piece of red yarn around his wrist, marking him as the first-born. But then the boy withdrew his arm and his brother Perez, meaning “bursting forth,” was born. After Perez was born, Zerah, bearing the red string tied around his wrist, was born. In great surprise at what had happened, Tamar exclaimed of her usurping son, “Is this how you burst into the world!” Perhaps more interesting still, Judah, Tamar, and Perez all appear in the genealogy of Jesus that begins St. Matthew’s Gospel.

Jacob’s blessing upon Judah was prophetic and was most immediately fulfilled in the glorious reign of his descendant King David. The prophecies, “your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you,” and “the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples,” each find their immediate fulfillment in the rise and reign of King David. Nonetheless, there was an even greater fulfillment to be realized in Jesus, descended from both Judah and David, over a millennium later.Whereas Judah would be Like a young lion in might and bravery, the mature lion of Judah would show his strength in King David, but ultimately in the coming of the Messiah Jesus the Christ. His garments of deep purple, reminiscent of wine and the “blood of grapes,” is a prophecy of Messianic royalty, that Jesus would be the King of kings and the Lord of lords. “His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk” is a metaphor for the fullness and the richness of Jesus’ kingdom and reign.

St. John was granted a vision of King Jesus, “the Lion of Tribe of Judah,” reigning over heaven and earth at God’s right hand in the Revelation. What John saw was “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes.” This was the coronation of King Jesus, the seven horns symbolizing the complete and total power and authority of His reign, and the seven eyes symbolizing His knowledge of all things. In glory and with power, Jesus bears still the marks of His atoning crucifixion and death, a permanent and glorified reminder that all that was necessary to restore humankind to a right relationship with God was finished, completed, and fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

In His conception, birth, adolescence and ministry, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed him not.” But, the ways of the LORD are not our ways, and the foolishness of the LORD is wiser than our wisdom. We must learn to look not on the outward appearance, but according to faith in the LORD and His Word that never fails. Part of our Advent preparation for the coming of our King is that we might repent of our foolishness and stubborn insistence that God act on our terms in order for us to believe, that we, like the Wise Men from the East might recognize how humbly our King came to us, that we might recognize and be ready to receive Him when He comes again, and that we might receive Him as He comes among us now through Word and Sacrament to forgive our sins anew, to strengthen our faith, and to send us bearing His gifts for the life of the world. Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come. Stir our hearts to bold and fiery faith in you that we may bear Your Light in this world of darkness to the glory of Holy Name.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

Homily for the Holy Marriage of Bruce Carl Balvanz & Ranae Lucia Clemen - November 30, 2018

(Audio)

Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:1-2, 22-33; Genesis 2:7, 18-24

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

God instituted marriage in the beginning, when He created the heavens and the earth and all that fills them. He made man in His image. He formed Adam from the earth and enlivened him with His own spirit-breath. Then He formed the woman, Eve, from a rib taken from Adam’s side. When God presented the woman to the man Adam proclaimed, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh,” for she literally was, “she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.”

After each of the six days of creation, God looked at what He had made and He declared it “good.” Thus, it is somewhat astonishing that following God’s creation of man in His image, God declared for the first time that something was not good – “It is not good that the man should be alone.” But, herein lies the answer to why there is something instead of nothing – because it is not good that the man should be alone, because it is not good that God should be alone. You see, God instituted marriage so that, through the one-flesh union of man and woman, husband and wife, we might know Him and the kind of love He has for us, and the kind of relationship He desires to have with us. Just as it was not good that God should be alone, so it is not good that man or woman should be alone. God’s solution to that problem was to make a woman for the man, out of his own flesh, that neither he nor she should be alone. This purpose of the LORD for marriage was stated a few moments earlier in the liturgy: “The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for the mutual companionship, help, and support that each person ought to receive from the other, both in prosperity and adversity.”

Now, that first marriage was perfect and holy, “instituted and blessed by God in Paradise, before humanity’s fall into sin.” However, we know the rest of that story, and we know that temptation and sin, and the fruits that they bear – guilt, resentment, anger, hurt, etc. – are a real part of our lives, and they are a real part of our marriages as well. We know all too well how what God has joined together in holy marriage is too often put asunder by man in divorce. And yet, chief among God’s purposes in marriage is that we might know the meaning of true love – love that is selfless and sacrificial, giving and forgiving – love like the love God has for us that moved Him to give us His life in the first place. Thus, it is possible that love that has been hurt and broken in the past can be redeemed, rekindled, renewed, and restored. And, it is possible that marriages that have been broken can be repaired, and that love can be even stronger and more pure and holy than before. For, God is gracious and merciful, and He delights in forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Jesus taught that there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. Well, my brothers and sisters in Christ, there is rejoicing in heaven today over the re-union and re-marriage of Bruce and Ranae. They have asked that God would bless their marriage once again. He has, and He will, and He will make their marriage fruitful and a blessing to others as well to the glory of His Name.

Were mistakes made in the past? Surely there were. Now you are older and wiser. Moreover, you’ve come to see, to know, and to believe that God is merciful, gracious, and forgiving. The God who is love loves you, and He invites you to love each other with His love. God’s love is all those things that St. Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient and kind; it does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” Such love is selfless and sacrificial. It always sees the best in the other and covers their sinful and hurtful failings. Such love readily forgives, drawing from the deep well of God’s forgiveness they themselves have received.

Bruce and Ranae, you have the makings of a wonderful and God-blessed marriage – not because of how good, how loving, how faithful, or how forgiving you are, but because of how good, loving, faithful, and forgiving your God is in Jesus Christ, and because you have honored Him by obeying His commandments and submitting to His will for your lives and for your marriage, and because you have made Him the center of your marriage and your life together. In this regard I exhort you to keep on doing what you’re doing. Keep on coming to the Divine Service together regularly to hear the Gospel and to receive the forgiveness of your sins in the Holy Absolution and in the Lord’s Supper. Pray together before meals and before bedtime and when you awake in the morning. Study the Lord’s Word together and console and encourage each other with it. Continue to remember the third partner in your marriage, your Lord, Savior, and Bridegroom Jesus Christ. He will continue to fill you with His love, His mercy, His grace, and His forgiveness. And, He will fill you to overflowing with these, His gifts that you will have an abundance to share with each other, and with others, to the glory of His Name. You have asked His blessing upon your marriage, and He will bless it, and He will make you a blessing to others to the glory of His Name. He who has begun this good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

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.

Dearly beloved, the Church of Jesus Christ is so out of step with the world that She speaks a different language, She sings a different song, She values and reveres different qualities and traits in Her members, She sees glory in weakness, lowliness, and humility, She even follows a different calendar – Happy New Year! Whereas Black Friday was the official kick-off of the secular holiday season that many call “Christmas,” though they do not fear, love, and trust in Christ or follow in His Way, the Church will observe a month-long penitential season known as Advent, a time of repentance and humble and hopeful expectation, a time in which we prepare for the Christ Mass, the annual celebration of Jesus’ incarnation, as we watch and wait for His Second Coming, even as we celebrate and give thanks for His coming among us now in the Holy Eucharist. And so, out of step with the world once again, we will refrain from singing Christmas hymns and songs, we will refrain from Christmas trees and wreaths and ribbons, from gifts, and feasts, and from Yuletide cheer. And, when Christmas finally comes as we gather in darkness and celebrate the coming of the Light of the World Jesus Christ, when the world has already chucked their trees to the curb and have taken down their decorations and have resumed their godless striving for material and fleshly pleasures, we will still be celebrating Christmas for twelve more days and nights.

The temptation to comply with and to acquiesce to the expectations of the world will be simply enormous. And, that is why you must devote yourselves even more earnestly this Advent season to hearing the Word of the Lord and to receiving His gifts. For, this is how you keep your lamps full of the oil of faith and brightly burning that those dwelling in darkness might see the Light of Christ shining in and through you and come to Him. Even as Jesus is God’s gift to the world at Christmas, so are you a gift of the Creator’s light and love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness to your neighbor. You will be tempted to follow in the path of the world dwelling in darkness, but to do so is to fail to be the world’s light. No, the Church of Jesus Christ is not like the world. Though She is inthe world, She is not ofit. She is holy, sanctified, set apart – She is different, just as Her Lord and King Jesus is different.

And so even our Gospel reading today seems out of step and out of place. What has Palm Sunday to do with Advent and Christmas, after all? Well, quite a lot actually. In fact, today’s Gospel reading coalesces a number of Scriptural themes into one – one man, one Christ, one Lord. The days were fairly dark for Israel in the first century, nationally and culturally speaking. Their present occupation by the Romans followed immediately upon the coattails of their preceding Greek occupation. God had been silent for 400 years. For 400 years, no prophet of the LORD had spoken to Israel. The last Word of the LORD came by the Prophet Malachi, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” And, not long before that, Zechariah had prophesied the Word that St. Matthew quotes in today’s Gospel lesson, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden’.” There was a time when the children of Israel were full of joyful hope and expectation because of these words, however, for the vast majority, that time had passed. Now there remained but a faithful remnant who continued to watch and to wait in hopeful expectation even as they lived out their vocations, doing what they were called to do, what was necessary to do, as they waited. The hope they clung to in tenacious faith was what sustained them through the dark days, months, and years. Their hope made their sorrows less bitter and their joys more sweet.

Therefore, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on the first day of the week, on Sunday, the 10^thday of Nisan, the day in which the Passover lambs were chosen for sacrifice, the faithful remnant had ears to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of the prophecies of Zechariah and Malachi and many others. However, the vast majority of Israel’s citizens had all but lost hope entirely. They were hardened in their anger and hatred against their Roman oppressors and they were divided as a people by religious sects and political parties. Their minds and hearts were closed to the idea of a humble, gentle, and kind Messiah. What they were looking for, hoping for, and demanding was a powerful king girded with power and might who would lead the people in overthrow of their oppressors and restore to Israel the power and the glory of King David’s reign. The manner of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was just like many kings of Israel before Him, most particularly Jehu. Jesus rode upon a colt of a donkey, on an animal that had never been ridden before, as was typical for sacred processions. And, the crowd, seeing these signs and remembering the prophecies, though interpreting them according to their faith or hardness of heart, received Jesus that day as their King. They laid down their cloaks before Him in humility and reverence and they waved palm branches in the air as He passed while singing “Hosanna,” that is, “Save us,” “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!” All received Him as their King that first day of the week, Sunday the 10^thof Nisan, the day in which the Passover lambs were chosen for sacrifice. But, by the end of the week, there was no one who stood by Him except His mother and John, and even they had lost hope.

Perhaps you feel that way today. In many respects, these are dark times. There is instability and uncertainty, conflict and strife all around us – politically, economically, religiously, socially, morally, ethically, etc. Many respond to uncertainty and fear by looking for a king, someone with power and authority, be they good or evil, who will restore order and certainty. Be careful what you ask for. The LORD has at many times permitted the people to have precisely what they asked for, to reap what they sowed. Sometimes the LORD permits us to have precisely what we have earned, merited, and deserved. Preserve us from this, dear Father, for Jesus’ sake!However, we are not like those without hope. Indeed, if Advent is about anything at all, it is about hope. But, what is hope? We commonly use the word hopein order to express a desire for something to happen in the future. However, our hope is undermined by an unspoken sense of uncertainty and doubt. For example, “I hope that I don’t get sick before Christmas.” “I hope that I’ll have enough money to pay my taxes in April.” “I hope that the economy will improve in 2017.” All of these expressions of hope are tainted with uncertainty that they will actually happen. But, this is not how the word hopeis used in the Scriptures, and this is not what I mean when I say that Advent is a season of hope. In the Scriptures, hope not only desires something good for the future; it expects it to happen. And, it not only expects it to happen; it is confident that it will happen. There is a moral certainty that the good we expect and desire will be done.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a Righteous Branch, and He shall reign as King and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” There is no sense of uncertainty in this prophecy. In fact, it is stated with the sense that it is a done deal, that, in the providence and wisdom of the LORD it is already accomplished. “Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” No “ifs,” “ands,” or “buts” about that! That is hope, a desire for something good and the full expectation and certainty that it will happen. That is the hope we express and confess and take comfort in during Advent, and throughout all of the Church’s Year of Grace. We do not worship a God who is far off, but a God who is near and present, a God who does precisely what He says and promises, then, now, and always. This Advent we watch and wait in expectant hope for Christ’s coming on the Last Day even as we remember that He has come in the flesh as our brother the Son of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. And, we are just as hopeful, certain, confident that the Lord Jesus comes amongst us now in His Word and Blessed Sacraments to forgive our sins anew, to strengthen our weak and struggling faith, to nourish and sustain us that we may persevere and endure as we wait and watch, and to equip and send us full of the oil of faith to shine brightly with His Light in this world of darkness that others may see and know that He is the Lord.

Do you see how even our hope, the hope of Christ’s Church, is out of step with our world and culture? However, that is precisely the way it is supposed to be. The temptation Christ’s Church faces, the temptation that each of you members of Christ’s body face every day of your lives, is to accommodate and to acquiesce to this world and culture. That is why Advent is a penitential season, as is Lent. Advent is a penitential season, a time to reflect upon your sin and to repent, albeit in hopeful expectation and in certain, confident faith and trust that Christ has come, that Christ comes even now, and that Christ is coming again soon. It is the humble and the broken, the poor in spirit and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness that are able to have this hope and receive their Lord in all the ways He comes to them. It is those who confess their sins that are able to receive absolution and live. It is those who bring nothing to the Lord except themselves who receive Him as their King and all His kingdom along with Him. It is you, who believe and trust and hope in Him, who are Christ’s children, the true children of Israel and of Abraham his father, children of God.

And so, St. Paul’s exhortation is as true, valid, and relevant today as it was in the first century: “The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” You “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” precisely by doing what you are doing right now – hearing His Word, receiving His gifts, dying to your flesh and its desires, and walking in the Light of Christ. All of these things enable and equip you to live freely, even now, in faith and hope and in love. As St. Paul famously wrote to the Corinthians, “so faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law.” Our hope is in God’s gift of love, Christ Jesus. Come now and receive your King who comes to you, humble and hidden within bread and wine, which is His absolving, sustaining, and life-giving body and blood. He who is the love of God incarnate will fill you with His love that you may love others without fear, that you may be His gift of hope and love to the world.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.

The Last Sunday of the Church Year (Trinity 27)

(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.

Today is the Last Sunday of the Church Year. Next Sunday is the First Sunday in Advent, the beginning of a new Church Year. It is no coincidence that the end of the Church Year is similar in theme and tone to the its beginning, for both are concerned with your being prepared for the Lord’s coming, His Advent, as King and Judge on the Last Day. You are well prepared when you have taken care to maintain the oil in your lamps, your faith, by receiving the Lord’s gifts – His Word, Absolution, and Supper – regularly and frequently, and you are actively watching and waiting for His arrival at a day and hour you do not know.

For, the reign of Jesus Christ is like this: Ten virgins took their lamps to meet the Bridegroom. Five were wise and five were foolish. The wise virgins were careful to take extra oil for their lamps; the foolish virgins were complacent and took no extra oil. All ten virgins fell asleep and their lamps went out. When the call came unexpectedly that the Bridegroom was near, they all arose. The wise filled their lamps and lit them and entered the wedding hall; the foolish went in search of oil for their lamps, and when they returned the Bridegroom had arrived and the door to the wedding hall was shut. The foolish virgins pleaded in desperation, “Lord, open to us.” But the Bridegroom answered, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

What does this mean? This means that true faith, faith that clings to Jesus Christ alone and receives forgiveness, life, and salvation is not just any ol’ faith, but it is a living, active, and fruitful faith, a faith that is not merely received once and neglected, but a faith that is actively watching, expectantly waiting, and is being regularly and frequently maintained through reception of the Lord’s gifts in Word and Sacrament. You see, if the temptation for Roman Catholics is to have faith in their works, so, in contrast, the temptation for Protestants is to have faith in their faith. But, I tell you that faith in your faith is no better than faith in your works; both are idolatry and neither will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

But you, my Lutheran brothers and sisters in Christ are not Protestants any more than you are Roman Catholics. In fact, you are considered too Catholic for the Protestants, and also too Protestant for the Catholics. And, that’s just fine; that’s where you should be. For, you confess that you are saved by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ, and not by your works, but you also confess that your faith is itself the work of God the Holy Spirit through His Word, maintained and sustained by regular and frequent reception of His Word and Blessed Sacraments, His Word made visible, tangible, and edible. If you do not maintain your faith by regular and frequent reception of His Word and Blessed Sacraments, it will grow weak, it will become sick, and, in time, it will die. And yet, look around you. You can see all too clearly the absent saints, the empty spaces where they used to sit. I’m not speaking of someone or a family that are absent every once in a while, but those you haven’t seen in months, years, not even on Christmas and Easter. I am telling you that they are in grave danger and that you are your brother’s keeper! And, do not quote to me the Satanic lie that you do not have to go to church to be a Christian. That is no different than saying that you do not have to eat and drink and be clothed in order to live! Yes, reading your Bible at home is a good and proper thing to do, but it is no substitute for hearing His proclaimed Law and Gospel and for communing with your family of faith in the one body and blood of Jesus Christ.

I am not saying that such persons are not Christians, but I am saying that they are fools and that they are putting their salvation at risk – and if you do not reach out to them, you are letting them do so and you will be held accountable. And, do not quote to me the Satanic lie that this is solely the work of the Pastor; it is not. But, Christian, loving care and concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ, absent or present, is what it means to be a Christian. Likewise, just because you are in church regularly and frequently does not necessarily mean that your lamps are full and you are not at risk. No, but your faith must be active and living, bearing Christ’s fruits of love for one another, mercy, grace, charity, and forgiveness. You know what happens to the fruitless branch; it is cut off and burned in unquenchable fire. Your Spirit-created, given, and sustained faith must be cared for and maintained actively, intentionally, with fear, love, and trust in God. When Christ returns He will know if you are a sheep or a goat, for this will have been displayed in your lives in the sheepy and goatish deeds you have done to your brothers and sisters in Christ and to your neighbors in the world.

Look, all ten virgins had lamps full of oil; they were all Christians. Moreover, all ten virgins fell asleep; they were all sinful and in need of forgiveness, and their works could not save them. There was no distinction between them save this one fact: The five wise virgins actually cared enough about their faith and salvation, actually loved their Lord enough to take care of their faith, to maintain it, to bring extra oil not knowing when the Bridegroom would appear. In this regard St. Paul exhorts you saying: “Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” “Encourage one another and build one another up.”

No man is an island. You were not created to be alone. In fact, the LORD has spoken, “It is not good that man should be alone.” Think about it: When you were born, you had a mother and father, you had grandparents, and likely siblings. This is God’s design, His intention; it is natural. You were created and designed by God for a relationship with Him and with others – for both, one is not exclusive of the other. So, when you were born again in Holy Baptism you were born into a family, the Church, born anew for a right relationship with God and with your neighbor in Christ. If you cut yourself off from the Church you do harm to yourself and to your family. And, if you do not care about your absent brothers and sisters in Christ your faith is no faith at all.

Do not put off for tomorrow what you must be about today! The LORD has not promised you a tomorrow, therefore today is the day of salvation. You must live each and every day that is given you as though it might be your last – indeed, it truly might be. Each and every day you awake, give thanks to the LORD. Consider your sins and repent that you may receive His absolution anew. In your life today, do not cling to material and worldly things that are passing away, that are stored up for fire when Christ returns, but cling to Christ alone and love your neighbors as Christ has loved you. Be at peace with one another, and do not hate them because they have strayed, but love them and reach out to them – they are your family, they are your brothers and sisters, and you are your brother’s keeper.

That is what I am doing for you here today, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. Not only am I my brother’s keeper, but I am your Pastor, a called, ordained, and accountable undershepherd given the oversight and care of your souls. I will do neither you, nor myself, any good by sugar-coating the Truth and appealing to your itching ears preaching “Peace! Peace!” where there is no peace. I promise you, I will not do that. And, you must not do that either. Therefore I say to you, “Wake up! The Bridegroom is coming! Light your lamps and keep them burning. Do not be persuaded that because He is delayed that He is not coming! That is a Satanic lie and your sinful flesh wants to believe it!”

Yet, still, there is Peace with God, and it is a Peace that exceeds our human understanding, a Peace that the world cannot give, and you may bask in that Peace and commune with Him right here, right now in this place where Christ is present with His Words and His Wounds to forgive and to renew you, to strengthen you, to fill you will the oil of faith, His Holy Spirit. But, He does not fill you for your sake alone, for you were not made and designed to be alone, but He fills you to overflowing with His forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love that you will have oil to spare to share with your brothers and sisters in Christ and with your neighbors to the glory of His Name. Come, now, and clothe yourselves in the blood of Christ who is your Peace, who has made you clean that you may be His Bride, spotless, pure, holy, and righteous. Wake up! The watchmen are calling! The Bridegroom is here! Oh, where are His virgins wise? “Now come, thou Blessed One, Lord Jesus, God’s own Son, Hail! Hosanna! We enter all the wedding hall to eat the Supper at Thy call.”

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.

Psychological Egoism is the unpleasant theory that human beings are incapable of performing purely altruistic acts, but that they are always motivated by self-interest. What this means is that, when we act altruistically, that is, when we give to charity, when we help someone in need, when we speak kindly of someone, or even when we think good thoughts about others, our thoughts, words, and deeds are always, inescapably, tainted by some degree of egoism or selfish concern for the benefit of ourselves and our selfish interests. For example, one who volunteers in assisting the poor, the elderly, or those who are physically or mentally handicapped may, albeit subconsciously, focus upon the needs of others in order to forget about or to dismiss their own painful neediness and vulnerabilities. Similarly, one who comforts another who is hurting or praises someone who has done well may, albeit subconsciously, do so, in part, for the sake of the good feelings it gives them or for the public acclamation and praise such actions elicit from others. Now, I know that you will undoubtedly consider this an overly negative and pessimistic way of viewing things, and that you most likely will deny that your charitable giving and service, and your praise of those who do good and perform well, is in any small way motivated by self-interest. I assure you that I feel the same way! Nevertheless, this is in concord with the teaching of Scripture, that even the best of our works of thought, word, and deed are but filthy rags, tainted and corrupted by sinful concupiscence that enslaves our fallen flesh and its desires, passions, and motives. This concupiscence is generally referred to as Original Sin and it is all-encompassing and enslaving. Concupiscence is what St. Paul wrestled with when he confessed that the good he desired to do according to his newborn spirit and faith, he did not do, while the evil that he desired not to do, he continually found himself doing. This is also what Jesus had in mind when he rebuked his disciples saying, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

However, our concupiscence effects more than merely our ability to show true altruism, truly selfless love, mercy, and compassion to others, it also affects our ability to be truly grateful and to truly offer, give, and show thankfulness. There is always a small part of us that believes that we have earned, deserved, and merited the good things that we have. After all, we work hard to earn money with which to purchase our homes, cars, clothing, food, education, comfort, reputation, retirement, health, and everything else we have. No doubt, our western American worldview and values of independence and freedom foster and perpetuate in us this sense that we have no one to thank but ourselves. Now, I am not making a case for socialism or any political mechanism that would force you to give and to share. Indeed, if the contradiction in such thinking is not obvious, charity by force is not charity! No, but the point I am trying to make is that you must freelygive of what you have freelyreceived, without compulsion, resentment, sorrow, or any such thing. Neither must we offer up thanks and show gratitude under compulsion, but such is the natural faith-response of one who recognizes and confesses that all he has comes to him as a gracious gift of God through Jesus Christ. This is, in fact, what we confess in the First Article of the Creed when we say, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” Luther explains this article in terms of the First Article gifts we receive from God because of His true and pure altruism and goodness: “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.” Under a system of Socialism or some other tyranny, it would be the government that grants all these things to you, for which you, by fear of law and compulsion of punishment, must submit and oblige. Not so with your gracious and merciful Creator, God, and LORD who gives all these things even to those who do not fear, love, and trust in Him.

I think we often consider giving thanks to God as a debt that we owe to Him. Therefore, we do it reluctantly and under compulsion in fear of punishment or in the false belief that we earn and merit His favor by showing mercy and by giving thanks. This is the work of the devil who, with his lies and deceit, takes your concupiscence and corruption and uses it to twist your heart and minds to think in such a way. In this way, the devil tempts you to self-righteousness, that you do well and have merited, earned, and deserved His favor and blessings, or into despair that you have not, and cannot have, done enough.

In our Old Testament reading tonight, the LORD tells the children of Israel how they should consider all the things they possess, by means of a confessional creed. Before they make their thank offering they are to confess, “A wandering Aramean [Jacob] was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. And He brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Only then, following this confession, were the Israelites to present their offerings of the first fruits of the land and the harvest the LORD had given them. Truly, we continue this worship of the LORD in our Divine Service still today. We still make confession of our sins and of our unworthiness before we are able to return to the LORD thanksgiving and praise for all that He has done. Indeed, before we return to the LORD thanksgiving and praise, we are first forgiven, restored, refreshed, nourished, and strengthened by Him with the gifts of Christ in Word and Sacrament. Only then do we have something to return to the LORD in thanksgiving and praise, a portion of the goodness and blessing He has poured out upon us.

Such is our Lord’s teaching in tonight’s Gospel reading as well. In response to a man who desired to use the force of Law to make his brother share his inheritance, Jesus told a parable about a foolish man who selfishly put his fear, love, and trust in his labors and the material wealth he had stored up for himself in perishable grain. The LORD had blessed him with such a tremendous harvest that he could not store all his grain. Rather than give thanks to the LORD and share from the abundance to help others and glorify the Name of the LORD, the fool decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to house the grain, and then rest in comfort and peace upon his works. But then, the rug is pulled out from under him, and the LORD called back what he had given, even the man’s life. Then, what became of his grain and wealth in which he trusted? It spoiled, or it fell into the hands of others who did not earn it. The lesson being this: All wealth and health and even life come to you by the grace, love, and mercy of your LORD. It is all His, given to you that you may be a faithful steward of the goods entrusted to you in service of your family and your neighbor to the glory of God. When you freely share and give of what the LORD has freely given you, you make a confession of your faith in Him and you glorify Him. When you return thanks to Him, again you confess that He is your LORD and God, the Creator and Giver of all things, and you glorify Him. In a very true sense, returning thanks to God is obedience under the First Commandment, “You shall have no other Gods.” For, we must confess that we too often put our fear, love, and trust in material possessions and wealth, in reputation and health, and in fleshly and worldly things that do not, will not, and cannot last. Too often we make the gifts of God’s grace to be our gods.

Truly this Divine Service is catechetical, teaching us and reminding us that all we have is a gift of God’s grace, and that He fills us to overflowing with His abundant grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness so that these overflow in our lives, words, and deeds towards others to the glory of His most Holy Name. In this Holy Eucharist, a word which means “Thanksgiving,” we both receive His gifts and return thanks to Him, reminding, reinforcing, and equipping us for the proper stewardship of His gifts as we live daily in our vocations. “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.” Let us give thanks unto the LORD our God for He is good and His steadfast love endures forever.

In the + Name of Jesus. 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.

“With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” What does this mean? This does notmean that when the Scriptures state that God created the heavens, the earth, and everything in them in six days that we are to understand the word dayto mean millions of years. That is a clever sophism of the devil who delights in twisting and misapplying God’s Word in order to deceive you and to lead you into unbelief. Christians who are quick to appease the world and human reason are all too ready to embrace this Satanic teaching in order to somehow make evolutionary theory appear compatible with the Word of God so that they might not feel so uncomfortably out of step with the world and our culture. However, evolutionary theory and the Word of God are not compatible. In fact, to embrace evolutionary theory is to do extreme violence to God’s Word. It is, in fact, to overthrow it completely, insisting that the word daydoesn’t mean an ordinary 24 hour day, which, consequently, means that the word incarnationdoesn’t mean that God became a human man, that the word virgin birthdoesn’t mean that a virgin miraculously conceived and bore the Son of God, and that the word resurrectiondoesn’t mean that Jesus really and truly rose from the dead in a glorified flesh and blood body and that you will, likewise, be raised from the dead in a glorified flesh and blood body. No, that, to the Lord, “one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,” does not mean that all of God’s Word is metaphorical and is not to be taken literally. Quite the opposite, these words mean precisely and exactly what they say.

The LORD does not experience time the way we do. How could He, for the LORD is the author and creator of time? The LORD is not part of time, or bound up in time, the way we are, but He stands outside of time and He views every moment of time at the very same time. That is what it means that He is “the Alpha and the Omega,” “the First and the Last,” “the Beginning and the End” – and truly He is everything in between as well. This is the LORD our God who has revealed His Name to be YHWH, “I AM,” which means something like, “I AM He who exists, or I AM He who is existence.” The LORD is the source and origin, the Creator and sustainer of all things. All things that areare, and continue to be, because of the ongoing creative and upholding activity of God through the power of His Word which has gone out from His mouth and will not return until He has completed all for which He was sent. This means that the LORD knows you intimately. It is He who created you and formed you and redeemed you, who knit you together in your mother’s womb, who has numbered the very hairs upon your head, who knows your sitting down and your rising up, in whose Book were written every one of the days formed for you when as yet there were none of them. Before you were conceived and born, the LORD knew you and loved you and set in motion a plan of redemption to purchase you back from sin and death and the devil in the holy, innocent shed blood of His Son Jesus. The LORD can do this because he sees all time at the same time, because to the LORD, “one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

And so, let us keep this in mind as we consider today’s lections concerning judgment on the Last Day when Jesus returns in the flesh, in glory and with great power as King. In a very real sense, this judgment has alreadyoccurred. The LORD sees it now, before it happens, and He saw it beforeyou were made. Before you were conceived and born in sin, before you committed your first actual sin of thought, word, or deed, the LORD had redeemed you in Jesus. That is why Job could confess over 2000 years before Jesus’ birth, “I knowthat my Redeemer lives.” That is why Abraham was called and Israel was chosen – they were called and chosen in Jesus who, alone, is the Chosen and Elect One. All who are called and chosen, predestined and elect are called, chosen, predestined, and elect in the Called, Chosen, Predestined and ElectOneJesus Christ. That is why, when you show mercy and love and compassion to the least of your brothers you do it to Jesus, for they are called, chosen, predestined, and elect in Him even as you are. Likewise, if you refuse to show your brother mercy and love and compassion, so you refuse, neglect, mistreat, and reject Jesus who dwells in them. To reject your brother is to reject Jesus, and to reject Jesus is to reject His Father, your LORD and God, who sent Him. The end for those who reject their brother in whom Jesus dwells, who reject Jesus and who reject the LORD is eternal punishment in the “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Truly, the LORD’s judgment was rendered in Jesus’ death upon the cross. There, the LORD judged Jesus guilty and condemned Him to death for your sin, and my sin, for the sin of all people of all times and all places, for the sin of the world. Jesus satisfied that debt and its punishment until it was finished and was no more. Jesus’ death was God’s judgment of “Not guilty!” upon humanity in Jesus Christ, but onlyin Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Book of Life. Those whose names are written in Him were written there before the foundation of the world and will never be blotted out. Some falsely devise a doctrine of eternal securityor “once saved, always saved,”from this truth, but that is the result of rationalism and of man’s fallen reason. Eternal security and confidence are not to be found in your name being written in the Book of Life, but eternal security and confidence are to be found in Jesus Christ alone received through faith. Many who once had faith and believed nevertheless rejected Jesus and believe no more. Many others who did not believe were brought to faith in Him or will be brought to faith in Him. Either way, the LORD knew His own before the foundation of the world, and He called, chose, predestined, and elected them in His called, chosen, and elect One, Jesus Christ. Their names were written in Him, the Book of Life, and they will not be blotted out.

Thus, you are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. And, this is true freedom. Nothing is required of you. It is all grace, all gift, free and without strings or condition. Therefore, you are free to love and to serve your brother. Therefore, you must love and serve your brother, for the love and mercy, grace and forgiveness of Jesus has been given to you and fills you and flows through you. Loving and serving your neighbor should not even be something you have to think about, but it should be natural, flowing from you and through you because you are filled with more love and mercy, grace and compassion than you can possibly contain. But, there is a great temptation to be greedy and selfish, to be only self-interested and not selfless and sacrificial, because the deceiver deceives you into believing that the Lord is not coming, at least not soon, and that this life and its pleasures and pursuits is all there is. Don’t you believe it! It is a lie, and you know it! St. Peter warns you that scoffers will come in the Last Days with scoffing. They will say, “Where is the promise of His coming? Things only continue on as they have before.” And, you know that this is true. But, “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.” Likewise you must be patient with your brother and your neighbor. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”

What “will be exposed” are your works. But, you need not fear that embarrassment anymore than you should put your trust in your works, for your works are not meritorious, but they are the fruit of your faith in Jesus. Your works are, in fact, the work of the Lord performed through you. For, you are a branch grafted into the True Vine Jesus, and it is His lifeblood that flows through you to make you fruitful with His fruits, the fruits of faith which are all good in the eyes of the LORD. And, because your works are the fruit of the True Vine Jesus borne in you and through you, oftentimes you are not even aware that you are performing and bearing them, no more than an apple tree is aware that it is producing apples. It is simply what you do because you are a branch of the True Vine Jesus, because you are a Christian. That is why those on the right, the sheep, in Jesus’ prophetic parable do not recall feeding their hungry Lord or giving Him drink. They do not remember welcoming Him, clothing Him, or visiting Him. Yet the Lord replies that, whenever they did these things to the least of His brothers they did it to Him.

The point is that, when the Lord returns in glory on the Last Day to judge the sheep and the goats, they, we, are already sheep and goats. This is easily discernable to the Lord, though it is difficult for us to discern. The Lord will know His sheep by their works of love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness – sheep do sheepy things. However, the sheep are simply being sheep, doing what sheep do. Therefore, they are surprised when the Lord praises them and rewards them for simply being sheep. This is how it is for those in Christ: Doing good works, loving and serving your neighbor, forgiving and bearing with and enduring one another – this is simply what you do, without thinking of it, without counting the cost, without resentment or sense of loss. For, there truly is nothing to lose, for this world and life are passing away and are “stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” Just keep doing sheepy things, all the while being cared for and protected, fed and nourished and equipped by your Good Shepherd in the pasture of His Church.

The LORD sees you and He knows you. He sees and knows your works and your fruit. He sees and knows your faith and your trust in Jesus that make you fruitful. It is your faith that He sees and knows, which His Holy Spirit created in you and sustains even still, but the LORD did not predestine, call, choose, and elect you in view of your faith, but, rather, you have faith because you are predestined, called, chosen, and elect in the LORD’s Elect One Jesus Christ. For, once you were a goat, but the LORD has called you to be a sheep. And, the LORD’s sheep do sheepy things. They are meek and humble, they are selfless and sacrificial, they are gracious and merciful, just like their Shepherd. And, they are cared for and nourished, strengthened and protected in the goodly pastures of Christ’s Church, in which they are washed clean in holy water and His precious blood, are fed, nourished, and strengthened by His holy Word and body, and are equipped and sent by His Holy Spirit to be His hands and His heart, His mouth and His voice inthe world, but not ofthe world. Indeed, you have been predestined, called, chosen, and elect to dwell in His kingdom now, and to inherit it in Jesus Christ as an heir when the King comes in power and great glory on the Last Day. Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. Come.

In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.