3rd Sunday in Advent – B LSB #’s 811, 357:1 & 4-7, 349
Text – John 1:6-8 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, that all might believe through Him. He was not the Light; but came to bear witness about the Light. A WITNESS TO THE LIGHT Paul Tournier was a famous psychiatrist & Christian author of many insightful books. After he’d written his first, he returned to graduate school to visit his favorite professor. Granted an afternoon of the venerable old man’s time, Tournier read his new book to his former teacher. As he completed his reading, he looked up to find tears in the man’s eyes. Said the professor, “Paul, that is a wonderful book. Everyone of us Christians should read it.” Tournier was surprised, “I didn’t know you were a Christian? When did you become one?” His professor replied, “Just now, as you read your book.” Paul Tournier was a witness to the light, but most Christians are like rockets that sit, ready to be orbited yet never launched from the pad. We are often like Christmas trees that are not sold. We’re like paintings never hung, like bridges never crossed. We spend a lifetime seeming to study God’s Word, listening to His commands, fellowshipping in His church; but seldom doing what God has called us to do; witnessing to the Light. John the Baptist was different. He heard God’s call, & he responded. Are you a witness to the Light? Are your thoughts, words & deeds a witness to the light? When God has blessed you with healing, have you rejoiced at the opportunity to share that news with others? Or have you attributed your healing to being lucky? When you met the love of your life, did you want a church wedding to testify to God’s blessings? Or were you married in a church because that’s just the way it was done? As Christians, God gives us countless opportunities to be witnesses to the Light. Have they become bridges that you never crossed? John the Baptist crossed the River Jordan & lived in the wilderness. He totally devoted his life to being a witness to the Light. Literally, he devoted his life. King Herod had John’s head removed for it. Our English word martyr comes from the Greek word marturi, a which means witness. Therefore a martyr is basically the ultimate witness; one who would give his very life as a statement of his beliefs. Being a martyr isn’t something that many of us aspire to is it? It’s difficult enough giving up other activities on Sunday morning for our faith, let alone giving up our life. All the members of this congregation struggle with that problem, even before the virus hit & gave people some legitimate cover for not being here. John the Baptist must have known or believed something that most people today do not. John gave up his life. What have you given up? Anything? We don’t even aspire to being living witnesses, let alone martyred ones. Look at your lives, how filled are they with witnessing to the Light? Christ is God’s solution to all problems; the source of all peace, comfort & rest. Yet, each of us experiences emotional or physical pains that burden our days & paralyze our will. Prolonged problems, family fights, marriage mistakes, all types of human hurts, gnaw away our soul. Where is this peace, comfort & rest that the Light claims to bring? Our burdens drag us down, & have been our constant companion for what can seem like forever. The devil attacks precisely where we feel most raw. He would have us believe that we simply have to live with our pain. There is no hope. There’s nothing we can do to remove those fears or problems from our lives. Don’t even bother seeking out God. What’s the use? This talk about Jesus being the answer to all problems seems like nothing more than that. Talk! Talk is cheap. Aren’t you tired of it? Don’t you want something more concrete than that, like the power to change things; power to make things the way they should be? Jesus is the Light, born in a manger to suffer in our place. Yeah, that is such a cute story. How nice! It sounds like pie in the sky doesn’t it? I know it does, because I’m aware of your lack of activity here. You must be looking for peace & rest somewhere else, because I don’t see you looking for it in God’s house. Are you sure you believe Jesus is the answer? Your lives don’t show it! Could it be you don’t really believe Jesus is what He says? Many of you are familiar with hard work. Isn’t that because you believe in it? Many of you spend a lot of time relaxing. Isn’t that because you believe in it? Some of you spend a lot of time on sports activities. Isn’t that because you believe in them? How much time do you spend on your relationship with your Creator? Should that not be a focal point in your life, if you really believe in Him? PAUSE Maybe that is where your problems begin. Maybe you don’t believe, or at best you believe in a wimpy god who is not able to handle your problems & your needs. You don’t believe in an almighty God that can do all things. Or, maybe you’re too impatient to wait on Him. Again, lack of belief in the Light causes you to go off on your own, doing it your way & in your time. PAUSE Skeptics in every age have rejected God’s handiwork. 2000 years ago they would have laughed at Mary’s vision, Joseph’s dream & the Magi’s star. If they had looked into the manger, they would’ve seen only a human child. Today, those same doubters say God’s Word is archaic, His Sacraments are powerless, & the message of the manger, the cross & the empty tomb are but myth – nothing more than ‘touching’ little stories to tell. Those who see with eyes of faith know better. They know the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men; & the weakness of God is stronger than men, even skeptical men. Like the shepherds, God’s true children worship that helpless looking – pie in the sky – Baby. Like the Wise Men they gladly present their gifts to the Light who is born King of the Jews, & Savior of our souls. Those who see with eyes of faith follow the advice of the book of Hebrews as they throw off everything that hinders & the sin that so easily entangles, & then, they run with perseverance the race marked out for them. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author & perfecter of our faith. God knows what’s holding you back. He knows what you are afraid to face, or what you are unwilling to give up. Christ knows the weaknesses you struggle with, because He also was tempted, hated, rejected, tortured, condemned & ruthlessly murdered. Being God, He would not have died for some pie in the sky theory. And how could that “scam” have lasted 2000 years without being changed, if there were no truth in it? If you get the opportunity to be at the bedside of a strong & faithful Christian as they die, you will see that their faith is not in vain. As you experience the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding, you’ll want to witness to that Light – the Light that gives peace even in the face of death – the Light that has lifted your burdens & removed your grief, in spite of hopeless or dismal circumstances. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, & it was He that Simeon sang of in the song the church calls the Nunc Dimittis. That’s Latin, for Now Dismiss us. We sing it when the Lord’s Supper concludes: “For my eyes have seen Your salvation; which You have prepared before the face of all people, a Light to lighten the Gentiles.” John the Baptist & Simeon were witnesses to that Light, & then they died. But John & Simeon, through their witness & deaths, only prepared the way for the true Light of the world. They only pointed to that Light. Jesus was & is that Light. He has completed & fulfilled their witness, as He Himself was the ultimate witness & martyr. John & Simeon pointed to Jesus as the Savior. Jesus died as the Savior. In fact, His very death IS our salvation. There may be nothing we can do to remove our own fears & troubles. But God’s Son has already done what is necessary. With His death He removed our reason to fear. Jesus bore our troubles for us on the cross, & He removed the sting of death with His resurrection. Eternal life is yours as a gift. You can’t pay for it with any amount of work or suffering. That news is called the Gospel, & according to Scripture it is the very power of God unto salvation. If you really want the power to change the world, it’s right there, waiting for you to share it, to be a witness to it. That message has the power to change the course of eternity for whomever you share it with. PAUSE John was martyred for his witness, & his witness testified to the One who would be martyred in our place. Have you been preparing for that One’s return? Have you helped anyone else prepare by witnessing to them? Advent is a reminder that you & I should be about preparation – preparation not only for Christ’s 2nd coming, but preparation for the message of His 1st coming as well: “For unto you is born, this day in the city of David, a Savior.” PAUSE Photography used to be a hobby of mine. I got a real sense of satisfaction in finding a beautiful scene, photographing it, & then having the opportunity to share that beauty with people who could not be there. The Bible is God’s photograph to us, showing you the beauty of the Light, the beauty of the news of our Savior’s birth, life, death & resurrection. That news alone, has the power to prepare hearts for salvation, even the cold, dead & indifferent hearts that we often reveal by our failure to seek out our Creator or to be lights in the darkness of a sinful world. Thank you Lord, for Your witness & Your light in the darkness of my own heart. Maybe you don’t believe, or at best you believe in a wimpy god who isn’t able to handle your problems & your needs. You don’t believe in an almighty God that can do all things. Or you’re too impatient to wait on Him. Again, lack of belief in the Light causes you to go off on your own, doing it your way, & in your time. Jesus has paid for those sins. Do not allow His payment to go to waste. Put it to use. Cling to it. Turn back to Him in repentance & allow the Holy Spirit to make you pure again, & again, & again. Seek out Jesus, not in the Christmas aisles at Menards or Kohls. Seek Him out here in His house built so that you can meet Him here & receive the blessings He offers. Those blessings do not need batteries & there is no assembly required. The blessings of God do not need WiFi or 5G. His blessings come in Word & water, in bread & wine. His blessings come to broken hearts that they might know peace & joy. Look at your lives, how filled are they with witnessing to the Light? They aren’t filled with it are they? So Jesus came to fill His life with witnessing to the Light of heaven & He did that because He knew you would not. He came to ransom you & me because He knew we were captive to the sin of failing to be witnesses to the light. He did that so that you could claim His witness as your own & thus receive the welcome to heaven of the Father in heaven. May the words of today’s closing hymn be on your lips throughout this coming week. Amen. Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes, the Savior promised long; let every heart prepare a throne & every voice a song. He comes the broken heart to bind, the bleeding soul to cure, & with the treasures of His grace to enrich the humble poor. Amen. LSB 349:1, 3. Advent Midweek 2 LSB #’s 338, 696:1-4, 862
Text – Luke 10:38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. PRAYING, COME LORD JESUS, TO HIM WHO COMES TO LEAD US IN DAILY LIFE “Oh, man! How many days until Christmas? I don’t see how I’m going to be ready! Can’t you do more to help? Do I have to do all of the shopping myself?” “No, I can’t make it to church. I have to get that this project done for work. Plus, I have to get to the store. They are open on Sundays & if I get there early, I can beat the crowds.” “What? Join you for devotions this morning? Are you kidding! I don’t have time! How can you take time for that when we have so much to do around the house?” Am I being too cynical by suggesting that we have made such comments? Perhaps, but there are many cares & things that upset us, & sometimes they are worse during the so-called hap-happiest time of the year. On top of the usual pressures, like job stress, monthly bills, struggles with relationships; there are now the holiday pressures of extra events, presents to buy, & gatherings to plan. Who would have thought that activities which are meant to be focused on Christ, could be so stressful? Well, it was true for Martha. Jesus was actually at her house. Should not that have been a joyous time? But Martha was concerned about getting things ready for Jesus & she was stressed out. Jesus had come to be a guest in her home & she was not meeting her expectations for hosting Him. So she cries out in frustration. She’s actually annoyed with Jesus, the one she was supposed to be hosting: “Don’t you care,” she says, “that my sister has left me to serve alone?” She demands of her Lord, “Tell her to help me!” But what was Mary doing? She was in her home listening to the words of Jesus. Martha was not able to do that right away. Her heart was sealed up with cares & worries that were resisting the word of God. This past Sunday we heard Jesus telling the parable of the Sower. It described obstacles to our hearing the word of God, obstacles to receiving the “one thing needed.” We call them the unholy trinity – the devil, the world, & our sinful nature. Jesus reminded us that constantly Satan is working to snatch away the word of God, as a bird gobbles up a seed before it can take root. Today we are facing another planting problem described in the parable. Jesus said, “A sower went out to sow.” Some of the seeds “fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil. Immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.” (Matthew 13:5-6 ESV) This planting problem was caused by rocky ground with shallow soil. He said this is what happens when the word of God fails to penetrate into your heart. It does not develop deep roots to sustain us under the scorching heat of pressure or persecution. If this can happen with one of Jesus’ close personal friends, like Martha, who dearly loved Him & wanted to serve Him, then it can be a challenge for any of us on any given day. Replying to Martha’s outburst, Jesus gives her something that she really needs. He lovingly speaks a word of law to gently rebuke her & redirect her attention to the “one thing needed.” “Martha, Martha, you are worried & upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part & it will not be taken from her.” In other words, “Stop. Be still, & listen.” Yet into these words of law, Jesus also weaved words of gospel hope. He talks of the “one thing needed” & the “better part.” We can observe that Jesus was giving her hope in Himself through His words. After all, “the one thing needed” is His dying & rising to save sinners. The “better part” is the hope of eternal life that Christ came to bring. Martha doesn’t know it but she will be facing some scorching stress & pressing persecution in the days ahead. Her brother Lazarus will die. Her dear friend Jesus will be crucified. Through encounters like this God’s Word broke up the hard ground of her heart & put down deep gospel roots. After Lazarus died she confessed faith in the “one thing needed,” the resurrection of her Lord, Jesus Christ. Then, with a much smaller degree of anxiety in a much worse situation, she confidently confessed: “I know that Lazarus will rise again on the last day,” & “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God. You are the one we hoped would come into the world.” (Jn 11:27) It would not be long before the basis for that hope was realized as God’s plan of salvation took final shape. Once He raised Lazarus from the dead, His opponents came to the house in Bethany looking for Jesus to crucify Him. Eventually, they would be successful. However, it was revealed as Jesus rose from the dead that all of this was God’s plan to provide the “one thing needed” to save sinners. Today, that leads us to desire “the better part” as well. It is a “better part” than the expressions of the holiday stress that I shared earlier. The better part involves a word of repentance & faith to focus on the “one thing needed.” As I shared last Sunday, a function of our Advent sermons this season is to encourage the practice of daily household devotions. Just as Jesus came to the home of Mary, Martha & Lazarus, we desire that He come to be present with us. He does so by His word. That is why we are encouraging one another with the practice of daily devotions. The 1st priority is simply to invest time daily in the word of God, moving from Martha’s frantic & misguided activity to Mary’s focused listening. Whatever helps you develop a habit or routine to do that, do that! Then, the 2nd goal for daily devotions is to let the word of God address us as Jesus did Martha, calling for repentance & faith in “the one thing needed.” In service to that goal I’ll share a way that is simple yet reliable for carrying out devotions. Other approaches are good, too. This is just one way to do so. It is the plan for morning & evening prayer in Luther’s Small Catechism. This plan provides a word of law from the Ten Commandments. Besides giving God’s guidance, this also breaks up your heart in repentance as you recognize your sin. The catechism then presents the Apostles’ Creed as a summary of the saving gospel. Those words plant in our heart the “one thing needed” for life & salvation. The final part is the Lord’s Prayer where Jesus teaches us to talk with God in ways that strengthen us to face the daily realities of life. Those realities include the stresses of the holidays & much worse, as was true for Martha. Last Sunday, I suggested you envision a scenario where members of a family, be it a household of one, two, three or more sat down for a short 15-minute daily devotion. Think of it as being like Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet. Now, add to that vision someone who has something distressing going on in life – a character like Martha. But because the daily devotion is now a habit, this person & their stress encounter Jesus & His word. That word will redirect you to the one thing needed to find hope in the promises of God’s Son, those confessed by Martha at the grave of Lazarus. What could have been a bad day, what could have led to being scorched by despair, now handles the heat. There are roots laid down by the word of God, so that even the hottest of stresses cannot cause this life to whither but rather to flourish. Therefore, we continue to pray daily “Come Lord, Jesus” & deliver to us the “one thing needed.” Amen. Grant me strength to do with ready heart & willing whatever You command, my calling here fulfilling; that I do what I should while trusting You to bless the outcome for my good, for You must give success. Amen. LSB 696:2. 2nd Sunday in Advent LSB #’s 349, 352, 375
Text – Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, be strong in the Lord & in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. Praying, COME, LORD JESUS, to Him Who Has Come to Defeat the Devil “Come, Lord Jesus be our guest & let Thy gifts to us be blessed. Amen.” So goes the common table prayer sometimes referred to as the “Come Lord Jesus” prayer. Perhaps you’ve been in a group at church getting ready to eat when someone says, “Ok, let’s pray ‘Come, Lord Jesus.’” The intent is for Jesus to come & bless our food in service to Him. But this Advent we will pray “Come, Lord Jesus” in another way. Advent literally means “coming,” &, of course, refers to the Lord Jesus. It is important that we focus on these words because “Come, Lord Jesus” is the final message of Holy Scripture. This revelation reminds us that the Advent prayer for Jesus’ coming should always be on our lips. Revelation 22:20 records Jesus’ parting words, “Yes, I am coming soon!” & then St. John provides our response, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” During this season of Advent, we will pray “Come, Lord Jesus” in relation to the 3 different “comings” of Christ – His past, present & future comings. Today, we focus on what Jesus accomplished in His 1st coming. On Wednesday, our attention will be aimed at His present coming in Word & Sacrament. After that, we will look toward His future coming when He returns on the Final Day. Prayer for Jesus’ presence is not only for church services but is something needed every day, not only as a brief meal prayer but as a time of daily devotion. Advent devotions are quite popular. You can find them in many places. There are Advent devotion booklets, or you can set up your email to receive an Advent devotion every day. “Come, Lord Jesus” on the internet! This is such an important practice. Especially in today’s world where we & members of our families are bombarded by so many non-Christian messages, hearing God’s word every day is critical. Therefore, in each of our Advent sermons I will be encouraging daily devotions. People who do them tell me what a blessing they are! Consider this scenario: Members of a family, be it a household of one, two, three or more, sit down every day to hear a devotion on the word of God & to enter into a time of prayer. The word they read helps shape their lives in the strength & hope of the Lord, instead of the bitterness & dissatisfaction of the world! Daily devotions also lead to engaging God in personal conversation, thanking Him for blessings while seeking His help & guidance for the day’s work. It is only for a brief time of perhaps no more than 15 minutes, but it is a daily practice. They don’t want to live without it! “Ok, pastor, I hear you, but have you tried to do daily devotions?” someone might say. Some people have this down pat, but for a lot of folks, it is a real struggle. Let’s be honest. It is not as easy as it sounds to dedicate time to daily devotions, even if it’s only during Advent. Logically, you might think, “It sounds like no problem. There are 1,440 minutes in a day. I don’t see anything hard about taking 15 of those minutes, about 1 percent of my day, to do a reading & say a prayer.” But more than logical calculations are required. This is a spiritual activity. When we have devotions we are praying, “Come, Lord Jesus” into our day. There are spiritual forces that do not want Jesus to come to us. That spiritual opposition is why daily devotions, & also weekly church attendance, can be difficult. Worshipping one or two hours a week, taking 15 minutes daily for a devotion, would not be so hard if not for the spiritual battle. What is sometimes called the “unholy trinity” is working against us. The devil, our sinful flesh, & the world are all bitterly opposed to our receiving the Word of God & praying, “Come, Lord Jesus” into our daily lives. Consider this: “Hey, it’s time for devotions.” “Oh, I can’t today. I have homework to finish before school.” Or, “I’m so tired. I just can’t pay attention. Let’s not do devotions today.” Comments like those sound innocent, but they fulfill the devil’s schemes & they reveal our natural resistance to the Word of God. If we do manage to sit down & have a devotion, the evil one will scheme even more to prevent the planting of God’s Word in our heart. “Hey honey, I’ve got a big project due at work & need to get going. Can we skip the Bible reading & just say a really short prayer?” Or, after the devotion you realize, “Wow, I have no idea what I just read! My mind was elsewhere.” Or, consider this common family devotional distraction, “Can you kids please sit still while we read the Bible story!” So says the exasperated parent as a toddler runs to grab a toy. One place in Scripture where opposition to God’s Word by evil forces is revealed is in the parable of the Sower. As Matthew records it, Jesus has been experiencing growing opposition to His preaching & teaching. The religious sect of the Pharisees was actively resisting Jesus’ words & the crowds were showing they did not comprehend. Jesus uses the parable of the Sower to explain the opposition, describing the unholy trinity as the sources of resistance to God’s word. “A farmer went out to sow seeds for his crop. Some fell along the path & birds ate them. Other seed fell on rocky ground but the plants had no roots & withered in the hot sun. Some fell amidst thorns that grew & choked the young plants.” Jesus explains that the seed represents His message. The images of birds, rocky ground & choking thorns represent the devil, our sinful hearts & the fallen world. These evil forces are opposed to God’s message for us. Jesus teaches that the birds who ate up the seed represent the evil one who desires to snatch the word of God away from us. The devil knows that the truth of God’s word is his undoing. The last thing that the “father of lies,” as Jesus calls him elsewhere, wants you to know is the truth that God has saved you & defeated him. Satan will use every scheme possible to prevent our hearing of God’s Word. For emphasis – he will use every scheme possible to prevent us from hearing God’s word! That’s why daily devotions can be such a struggle; indeed, a spiritual battle. It is nothing less than spiritual warfare for us to daily pray “Come, Lord Jesus” in regular devotion. It was in order to defeat the evil one that Jesus first came. Our focus today is: “COME, LORD JESUS,” who has overcome our arch enemy – Satan. We say this confidently because our Lord has already come & defeated him through His completed work of redemption. That was His 1st coming, & it was quite a battle! From the moment of Jesus’ birth, the devil was on the attack. As the so-called god of this world he was inspiring Herod to kill baby Jesus. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry Satan met Him directly in the wilderness to tempt Him away from His mission. Our Lord defeated him with the word of God. During his ministry, Jesus would silence & cast out evil spirits that knew who He was. When the devil tempted His disciples, especially Judas & Peter, Jesus overcame the power of the evil one. While Jesus Himself was attacked & tempted by the devil in every way, He did not sin. He did not sin & thus absorbed God’s judgment on our sin. In dying for our sins, Jesus erased the hold that Satan had on us. The accuser can no longer make a claim on us. After he died, before rising from the dead, Jesus “descended into hell,” as we say in the Apostles’ Creed, to announce victory over the forces of the evil one. Therefore, we confidently pray: “COME, LORD JESUS” who has come & defeated the devil. With the parable of the Sower, our Lord unmasks & exposes the devil. He defeated him at His crucifixion & resurrection. And, he has defeated Satan for us! That is why we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus,” & desire to do so daily. In a great passage about Jesus protecting us from evil forces, St. Paul says that Christians are to put on the “armor of God.” In Ephesians, he writes that we do not wrestle with mere flesh & blood but against “the spiritual forces of evil.” Then the Son of God says to “take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand the evil day.” This divine protection is described as a gift of Jesus’ righteousness that protects our hearts. It is our shield of faith – trusting in His blood-bought forgiveness – that extinguishes Satan’s flaming arrows of accusation. It is Jesus’ resurrection that gives hope instead of despair as we wear a helmet of salvation. These gifts are promised by God’s word & declared to us personally in our baptisms in the name of the Triune God. Yes, because Jesus has defeated the devil, we daily desire to pray, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” Along with the spiritual armor of Christ that we wear, St. Paul also describes a specific weapon that is used against the spiritual forces of evil. It is, & I quote, “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Jesus used it to defeat the devil in the wilderness temptations. We too are invited to use His word to frustrate & defeat the devil in our lives. This is why we encourage one another to practice daily devotions. As I said before, this is not easy because it is a spiritual battle. So we need to encourage one another! Some of us may already be doing devotions. Others of us may never have done them. Still others tried but have not continued. We fell out of the habit, gave up in frustration, or simply felt too busy. I’m simply asking you to consider doing a very SHORT daily devotion. We provide the Portals of Prayer & some copies of Daily Bread. Many others are available, such as a daily devotion emailed by the Lutheran Hour Ministries. One thought is simply to start reading the Bible & having a prayer. In the future we can discuss more about what you can choose to do. For now let’s focus on praying to Jesus to come & help us in this task. None of us can defeat the devil. Jesus already has. So with His help this Advent season, we join in praying “Come, Lord Jesus,” not just to bless our food but all of life each & every day. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Let the earth now praise the Lord, Who has truly kept His word & at last to us did send Christ, the sinner’s help & friend. As Your coming was in peace, quiet, full of gentleness, let the same mind dwell in me which is Yours eternally. Then when You will come again as the glorious king to reign, I with joy will see Your face, freely ransomed by Your grace. Amen. LSB 352:1, 3, 6. |
AuthorPastor Dean R. Poellet Archives
April 2024
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