1st Sunday after Christmas – C LSB #’s 353, 366, 380
Text – Colossians 3:15a And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. LETTING PEACE RULE YOUR HEART At 1 Samuel 16:23 we read, “And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre & played it with his hand. So, Saul was refreshed & was well, & the harmful spirit departed from him.” (ESV) Music can bring peace to a troubled heart, when that music is inspired by the Holy Spirit. “If Every Day Was Like Christmas” is a song popularized by Elvis Presley. It opens with these words: “I hear the bells saying Christmas is near. They ring out to tell the world that this is the season of cheer. I hear a choir singing sweetly somewhere & a glow fills my heart. I’m at peace with the world as the sound of their singing fills the air.” Especially for the season of Christmas, God’s Spirit has blessed us with many beautiful hymns to teach the spirit & the meaning of Christ’s birth. Those hymns can also bring us a few minutes of peace as the words & music take our minds off the sorrows & the fears of this world. That kind of momentary peace is a blessing from our Lord even though it be only temporary. The peace that Christ Himself earned – & gives to all who trust in Him – that peace is eternal. That peace is not fleeting or momentary, & it does not depend upon the quality of the singing, nor upon the lyrics of the hymn. Simeon spoke of that peace when he held the Christ child in his arms: “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation.” (Luke 2:29-30 ESV) Salvation is what every human being wants, even when they don’t know it. Salvation is what all of us are striving for each & every day. You are instinctively aware that your clock is ticking & the day of your end is swiftly on its way. And the older you get, the more aware of it you become! The realization grows that true peace is not something you possess so much as something you experience. You could be holding a thousand pounds of peace in your hands one moment & all of it can evaporate instantly – gone like the wind! Inflation, cancer, divorce, murder; peace – gone like the wind. The peace that surpasses all human understanding is not something you are able to corral or contain. It is not something that lives within you. The source of the peace that surpasses all human understanding is outside of you. It is a fact that has been declared by the same Creator who spoke you into existence: “Let there be… & there was!” Once you are made aware of that peace, every moment of every day you either believe it or you deny it. Consider the effects of your belief or denial in this way. I give you a shoebox that is covered with slime & mold. It is greasy to the touch & reeks to high heaven. Would you accept that gift & open it? If you don’t, does the check inside, for a million dollars, benefit you? The box & the check are entirely the same, whether you accept the gift or not. But only in one case does the check benefit you. Accepting the gift doesn’t earn you anything. The value of the check was determined by the giver. However, accepting it means you benefit from it. In the Gospel reading, Simeon accepted the gift & benefited from the peace of God. And what was it that brought Simeon peace? “…for my eyes have seen your salvation…” (Luke 2:30 ESV) Now, Simeon was more than a novice believer. It wasn’t merely that he had held the Christ Child in his arms. The peace Simeon received came from understanding what the Christ Child meant – God was reconnecting Himself to mankind in a way that had been missing since Adam & Eve failed to believe God’s Word when Satan questioned it. Adam & Eve sinned & forevermore their descendants need, & have been searching for, salvation. Christmas celebrates that Jesus has come to do everything that you & I cannot do. Who in their right mind would deny that? There’s the rub. All of us, you & me, deny what Jesus has done whenever we fail to put on “…compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, & patience.” (Colossians 3:12 ESV) Putting on four out of the five does not count – all five, all of the time. Jesus did that for us. He did it all the way to the Garden of Gethsemane, & finally to the cross: “…Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34a ESV) Every single day we struggle with not knowing what we are doing, but Jesus didn’t come to bring salvation & peace only for heaven. Jesus didn’t come to bring salvation & peace only for you or me. If it bothers you to be nice to others, if it bothers you to be nice to your family or coworkers, if it bothers you to be nice to ‘those’ people, you might ask yourself why that is. Dig into it. Don’t just rake over the surface. Get out the shovel & thrust it into your heart to learn why it bothers you to be compassionate, kind, humble, meek & patient. Christ came & has promised to change you in this life – not only in the next. He begins that process through erasing all of your sins. He doesn’t simply ignore your sin & tell you it’s okay. He takes whatever baggage from your past, you are still carrying, & He obliterates it in His holiness. Your sins, your baggage, your regrets – gone like the wind. Unless, of course, you deny that, & then His peace is of no benefit to you. Since your sins are already paid for, open that nasty, moldy, slimy, smelly heart of yours & let the light of Christ shine in. Let His salvation & peace enter there & bring the joy of your forgiveness out into the open spaces of your daily life. In that freedom, as one chosen by God, Paul is not talking about what we must do to be Christians. He is describing the life of faith that flows from the presence of God in your heart. Yes, all manner of evil still flows out of the hearts of God’s children, but at the same time the Spirit of God lives there & is working to clothe us with the righteousness of Christ. Isaiah wrote of that already in the OT: “…for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness…” (61:10 ESV) It’s in that context that Paul writes: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy & beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, & patience, bearing with one another &, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other…” (Colossians 3:12-13 ESV) Your Savior is the one trying to clothe you with those gifts. When Paul writes, “Put on then…” he is encouraging you to allow God to clothe you in those gifts. Paul is encouraging you to accept & not deny the blessings of your Lord & Savior. Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness & patience may look no more appealing than a moldy, slimy shoebox, but those are the characteristics of Jesus who died for you on the cross. Here’s what that can look like in real life. I was at the national youth gathering in 2001. One event was riding a paddlewheel boat up & down the Mississippi River from 11 PM to 1 AM. The top two decks were filled with over a thousand teenagers being fed pizza & caffeine while listening to loud music. After an hour, I needed some peace & quiet. I went below decks. Since I had served in the Navy, I thought it’d be interesting to see the engine room on this boat. After taking a look around, I noticed a young lady sitting by herself on a bench where the paddlewheel was going round & round. She seemed out of place, so I stopped & talked with her for 15 minutes or so. When we finished, she thanked me for taking the time to listen. At that moment, I had no clue, but looking back on it, Jesus was clearly there clothing those minutes with garments from His cross & resurrection. He gave me the opportunity, in real life, to wear compassion, kindness, humility, meekness & patience. I don’t know what opportunities Christ will give you to wear those clothes. What I do know is that God is preparing those moments in advance so that you might wear them to His glory & to the benefit of whomever Jesus brings into your path. If, at that moment, you are not allowing the peace of Christ to rule in your heart, it is very likely that Satan will steal that opportunity from you. He will blind you & distract you, to keep you from wearing the clothing of Christ. “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” (Colossians 3:15a ESV) Our hearts are filled with many things. Our thoughts are pulled in many different directions. We are confronted with decisions hundreds of times each day. Paul encourages us to allow the peace of Christ to act as judge or referee in our hearts. Satan wants anxiety to rule in your hearts. It’s more difficult to be nice to others when anxiety is ruling your heart. All of us know that from our own experience. Paul is not telling us what we must do to follow Jesus. Paul knows that he never did, until Christ entered his heart to claim him. Instead, Paul is showing us a picture of what life can be when the Holy Spirit is at work in our hearts. Even though we are mostly unaware of it, salvation is what all of us are striving for every day. And none of us can ever achieve it. We are sinful, corrupt & broken. Only the Creator can restore what He created. Simeon got to see that as he held the Child who would recreate the human race. God enabled the peace of Christ to be ruling in Simeon’s heart at that moment. The heavenly Father wants that peace to rule in all of us. Because we think of ourselves more highly that we do of God, we frequently deny that peace. We refuse to open the gift. Paul is calling believers to change their behavior, to live differently. That is always difficult. Our culture has elevated anger to the status of a moral virtue (“outrage” or “being offended”), & evil insults & shameful speech are the order of the day on social media. We, however, have a different life, one not created or preserved by our faithfulness, our consistency in living differently – even though we are called to such living. Our life is accomplished by Christ, & now hidden with Him in God. When our hearts are focused on what Christ has already done, & upon what He will one day do – the only response we can possibly make to the urgent call to full repentance is faith’s response, “Yes.” It is in that “Yes” that children of God find the joy & peace of perfect harmony with our Creator & Savior. If you ever make the effort to dig into, or thrust the shovel into your heart to learn why it bothers you to be compassionate, kind, humble, meek & patient, you will find that the reason is idolatry. When we idolize ourselves, when we make me, myself & I number one, it will always bother us to be nice to others. Jesus came to take that self from us & kill it on the cross. That is where anyone can find salvation. Jesus makes us right again. Lord, let us now depart in peace, according to your word; for our eyes have seen your salvation. Amen. It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old, from angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold: “Peace on the earth, goodwill to all, from heaven’s gracious king.” The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing. All you, beneath your heavy load, by care & guilt bent low, who toil along a dreary way with painful steps & slow: Look up, for golden is the hour, come swiftly on the wing, the Prince was born to bring you peace; of Him the angels sing. For lo, the days have come to pass by prophets seen of old, when down into the circling years came Christ as was foretold. His word of peace shall to the earth God’s ancient promise bring, & all who take this gift will hear the song the angels sing. Amen. LSB 366:1, 3-4. Christmas Eve 2024 TLH # 105:1-3, 6-8; LSB #’s 798:2-3, 6-7; 387
Text – Hebrews 4:9 & 11 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. THE GOODLY LAND I SEE The holidays are rapidly narrowing down. That should bring some rest from all the busyness of this season. As these days & this year narrow down, I pray that your faith & hope in Jesus’ advents are not narrowing but expanding. For those who follow Jesus, rest is coming – not the worn-out, exhausted rest where we flop down in the recliner after the holidays. The eternal rest of heaven will be pure bliss, perfect contentment & communion with God. Revelation 21 is a vision of what is coming to us: “The dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, & they will be His people, & God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, & death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4 ESV) Is there anything more important to you than entering the eternal Promised Land? To get into that, let’s consider the mind-boggling greatness of Jesus Christ. When you think of Jesus, don’t just see the baby in the manger. St. Paul wrote: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven & on earth, visible & invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him & for Him. And He is before all things, & in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. (Colossians 1:15-19 ESV) Do we have any chance of comprehending the greatness of Jesus? How naïve are we to think Advent is only about Jesus being born long ago in Bethlehem! “All things were created through Him & for Him. And He is before all things, & in Him all things hold together.” Jesus Christ jealously wants you to be His, now & forever. That’s why He keeps coming to you, keeps making advents. He keeps coming to you week after week in worship, as His Spirit serves you word & sacrament. He keeps coming to you during the week when you have your devotions. He keeps coming to you when passages you’ve memorized & biblical principles of faith guide you in life. “The image of the invisible God” is coming, coming, coming ... to you! And all His comings are pointed toward a goal. All the advents of Jesus are leading to His decisive advent on the Last Day. We confess in the creed, “He ascended into heaven… From thence He will come to judge the living & the dead.” When Jesus appears in glory, you & I want to be on the right side of history! The OT reading was from Joshua, because the children of Israel were ready to enter the Promised Land. What does that have to do with us, here on Christmas Eve? That ancient history foreshadows our own entrance into the ultimate Promised Land – that eternal rest of bliss & perfect communion with God. Not every Israelite entered the ancient Promised Land; not everyone born into Christian families will enter heaven. The congregation of Israel did not trust God’s word. When they came to the Promised Land, they didn’t trust God’s promise to conquer the giants who lived there. At the border of the land of milk & honey, they refused to believe that God was faithful to the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac & Jacob. In hindsight, we can see how short-sighted they were. For such disobedience, God condemned them to wander in the wilderness for forty years. With the 1st chapter of Joshua, we have fast forwarded & the years of wandering are over. The generation that refused to believe has completely died; so has Moses. Joshua is going to lead them into the Promised Land: The Lord said to Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses’s assistant. “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you & all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. …Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong & courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong & very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.” (Joshua 1:1–3, 5b–6 ESV) Just as God promised, He was with Joshua as He had been with Moses. Just as God parted the waters at the Red Sea, as the people left slavery in Egypt, so God opened the Promised Land by stopping the water of the Jordan River. As God had given Moses & Israel victory over Sihon & Og in the wilderness, God gave victory when Joshua led them against the Hittites, the Amorites, Jebusites, & all the other -ites. God settled them in the land He had promised to Abraham, to Isaac & to Jacob. Would they be faithful to the God who had done so much for them? At the end of his life, Joshua said: “‘If you forsake the Lord & serve foreign gods, then He will turn & do you harm & consume you, after having done you good.’ And the people said to Joshua, ‘No, but we will serve the Lord.’” (Joshua 24:20–21 ESV) They did, for a while. “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, & all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua & had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.” (Joshua 24:31 ESV) As you may know, God’s ancient congregation forgot their Savior who brought them out of slavery. They polluted the land with idolatry & immorality. They brought shame to the glory of Yahweh, so, their promised land did not last forever. Their unbelief got them evicted & sent into exile, but God returned to them & carried a remnant back to Jerusalem. The Bible is the church’s Book of Advents. Century after century God’s comings, big & small, lead to Jesus Christ who is bringing us to a far better Promised Land, to one that is undefiled, imperishable, unfading. Since “Joshua” & “Jesus” are different translations of the same Hebrew name, Jesus is our Joshua leading us to the Promised Land He won for us. As St. Peter wrote: Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled & unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV) How amazing the love of God that comes to you! Before the creation of the world, the counsels of the Trinity ordained the advent of the Son into human flesh. The Spirit of Christ was active in the OT, appearing to the patriarchs & moving the prophets to write about the future sufferings & glory of Jesus. The Son’s advent in Bethlehem led to our redemption by His death on the cross, & through the resurrection of Jesus, the Father has given you new birth to eternal life. Today this Spirit of the Father & the Son rests upon you by your baptism into Christ. While we look back at all Jesus has done for us in history, we also look forward. Like the people of Israel ready to cross a river to an earthly Promised Land, our Joshua is leading us through the valley of the shadow of death to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In all the busyness of the Christmas season, is this in the forefront of your thoughts – the promised land before you? It deserves our greatest care. Your children do not earn the gifts you give them, yet you expect them to use those gifts responsibly. There is no more important stewardship than the stewardship of your eternal salvation. You have been saved totally by grace, not by your works, but you are responsible for what you do with God’s gifts. The ancient Israelites did not enter the earthly Promised Land because of their disobedience. So, you & I should have the utmost concern to enter the eternal Promised Land that is before us. Hebrews teaches us to learn from those who did not trust God’s promises: Since therefore it remains for some to enter [eternal rest], & those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again He appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest… (Hebrew 4:6-11 ESV) Are you striving to enter that rest? I feel safe in saying that none of us devotes the zeal we ought as Jesus is leading us to the heavenly inheritance. In our own ways, we are like the disciples who fell asleep in the garden of Gethsemane when they should have been watching with Jesus. God is longsuffering. We are still in the day of grace. The God who came to Abraham, Isaac & Jacob keeps coming to you in His word & sacraments, in public worship & private devotion. He keeps making advents to you. Don’t allow God’s patience lull you into complacency. Yahweh is still a holy & righteous God. Richard Baxter, a Puritan minister in the 17th century, wrote, “A heart set upon heaven is no more but a heart set on God.”[1] Do you have any greater care, any greater devotion, than your Creator & Savior? The sermon hymn, “The God of Abraham Praise,” was written by the 18th-century poet Thomas Olivers. It describes our anticipation for Jesus’ final advent. Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father. When He comes in glory, He will raise our bodies to reunite them with our soul & with our Lord forever in heaven. The 6th verse of the hymn begins, “The goodly land I see...” Do you see it? Do your eyes of faith see it? Moses saw the earthly Promised Land from Mount Nebo. Joshua saw it as he led the people in. Hebrews urges us on: “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder & perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV) Are you trusting the promises of your Savior? Does your faith see? “The goodly land I see, with peace & plenty blest: A land of sacred liberty & endless rest. There milk & honey flow, & oil & wine abound, & trees of life forever grow with mercy crowned. He by Himself has sworn; I on His oath depend. I shall, on eagles’ wings upborne, to heaven ascend. I shall behold His face; I shall His power adore & sing the wonders of His grace forevermore. (LSB 798:6, 4) Advent is about Jesus being born & so, so much more! He who fills all things wants to fill heaven with us who follow Him. Jesus wants to fill heaven with you, me, & all His children. As the holidays wear down, & wear you down, I pray your anticipation of the glorious future will grow by the power of God’s Spirit. Amen. “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise & glory & honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him & rejoice with joy that is inexpressible & filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6–9 ESV) Amen. [1] Richard Baxter, The Saints Everlasting Rest (London: The Epworth Press, 1962), 108. 4th Sunday in Advent – C LSB #’s 341, 353, 348
Text – Micah 5:4 And he shall stand & shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. FROM BETHLEHEM TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH Start spreadin’ the news I’m leavin’ today I want to be a part of it New York, New York… What’s another iconic song about a famous city? I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Those two songs alone have been sung a million times over. How about songs touting less famous places – let’s say Onondaga or Potterville? They’re still waiting to make the charts. Bethlehem was nothing more of a town than Onondaga or Potterville, yet the hymn O Little Town of Bethlehem is famous across American Christianity. Its history changed when God sent the prophet Samuel there to find & anoint the next king. However, the line of kings that successively descended from David became entirely corrupt. No more kings from Jerusalem! Micah tells us that God would go back to Bethlehem to bring a new king into the world. This king would still be a descendant of David, yet He will belong to an order that predates David & the tragic decline of David’s line. This king will begin a new order that endures & triumphs where David’s line would fail. God’s judgment must run its course though before the new king arrives. The Creator surrenders to judgment His people until the birth of the new king. That doesn’t mean individual believers will not be saved, but it does mean that God’s kingdom on earth will not appear as we expect it to. Rather, God’s kingdom on earth will suffer & die just as His Son would. How that judgment on His people appears in our day is through the closing of churches & schools. It occurs when pastors leave the ministry because of ethical violations. It occurred in Wisconsin this past week as a student went to school intent upon killing a teacher & another student. We look at those things & wonder, “How can this be God’s will?” Don’t you think Adam & Eve asked that question when their firstborn son killed their second born? Christians throughout time have asked that very question in all manner of personal circumstances, “How can this suffering, how can my suffering, be God’s will?” While Jesus lived on earth, He addressed those questions when He told His followers, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33bc ESV) By tribulation, Jesus meant all the effects of sin. One of those effects is not having a prophet to speak the Word of God on Yahweh’s behalf. After the arrival of Micah, God would be silent with His people for 70 years, because His kings & His people would go so far astray. After the fall of Jerusalem, & God’s exile of His own people, God would be silent for another 400 years, until John the Baptist was sent. John would immediately prepare the way for the new ruler who was to come from Bethlehem. That is whom the prophecy of Micah is addressing: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days… And he shall stand & shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.” In the world that you & I live in, do you feel secure? On the surface of it, most of us would answer that question, “No.” It is not a secure world that we live in. Sin has seen to that. Yet, that very simple question, “Do you feel secure?” is the genesis for much of what is wrong in our world. It’s basically the same question Satan has been asking since the beginning. “Did God really say…?” & “Do you feel secure?” each lead us in the same direction = “Can I trust God to care for me?” As I was studying the commentaries on the Bible reading from Micah, it was clear that many scholars are not certain that Micah is speaking about Jesus Christ. Even though Matthew cites this text in his Gospel, to show where Jesus would be born, people are unconvinced. And the reason seems to boil down to the last sentence in V. 4, “And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.” Do you feel secure? Does Jesus appear to be great in the nation you live in, let alone to the ends of the earth? You can be honest. Your answer is probably “No!” That’s how our sinful nature functions. We use our physical senses to give us information about our world. Our emotions then interpret that information. We do it effortlessly, millions of times each day. The problem is, faith in Jesus as Lord & Savior is not normally part of that very instantaneous process. We see that we’re running late & we hit the accelerator. We see our team making a bonehead play & we scream out boneheaded words. We wake up to a cold & dreary day & feelings of depression take over. One of the relatives says something rude at the Christmas party & we take offense. A child leaves cookie crumbs on the floor & we yell at them to clean it up. Those are all relatively minor issues in the struggle of living in a sinful world. At other times, we lose our job, or a spouse files for divorce, or the doctor speaks the “C” word, or a car accident causes major injuries. Then we feel really insecure & our fears cause us to choose a direction far more problematic than a few boneheaded words. Whether we are interpreting Holy Scripture, or interpreting the circumstances of our lives, it is extremely important to understand, or at least recognize, upon what foundation we are making that interpretation. If the foundation is our feelings, then we are in a very precarious position. Do you know what the foundation should be? The words of Elizabeth in the Gospel reading give us a clue: “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (Luke 1:45 ESV) Elizabeth is encouraging Mary by helping her to realize how blessed she is because Mary believed the promise the Lord had given to her through the angel Gabriel. In Matthew 8:26, Jesus makes a clear connection for us, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (ESV) The foundation upon which all of our interpretations should be based is that of faith in Jesus as our Lord & Savior. Our emotional nature, though a gift of God, has been corrupted by sin. Our faith in Jesus, & our ability to believe the Word of God, are gifts to us, & they are part of the new creation that Jesus has come to bring. However, they are still impacted by the sinfulness of the old creation. The text from Micah begins with the insignificance of Bethlehem & the suffering in this broken world. It ends with the joy, peace & security of heaven. The ruler who is bringing this to us is Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem & yet ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God. Right now Jesus is great to the ends of the earth, even though you & I can’t see that with our physical eyes. And Jesus sits at the right hand of God in order to guide & direct all the circumstances of this world to the good of all God’s children. If we try to interpret Micah’s words from the foundation of our feelings, he’s preaching nothing more than pie in the sky. If we interpret Micah’s words from the foundation of the faith God’s Spirit created in us, then we find rest & hope for our future, no matter what we see. When our emotions say, “How can this be God’s will?” our faith says, “God is beginning something new.” Growing in faith is often about holding our emotions at arm’s length, so that our faith can come into play, as we interpret the circumstances of our lives. God is at work through all of them, always working to create something new. That something new is the holy & perfect child of God that you will be in heaven. Amen. Jesus came, the heavens adoring, came with peace from realms on high; Jesus came to win redemption, lowly came on earth to die; Alleluia! Alleluia! Came in deep humility. Jesus comes again in mercy when our hearts are worn with care; Jesus comes again in answer to an earnest, heartfelt prayer; Alleluia! Alleluia! Comes to save us from despair. Jesus comes in joy & sorrow, shares alike our hopes & fears; Jesus comes, whate’er befalls us, cheers our hearts & dries our tears. Alleluia! Alleluia! Comforts us in failing years. Amen. LSB 353:1-2, 4. Advent Midweek 3 LSB #’s 341, 765, 350
Text – Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And He said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” I AM HAS SENT ME TO YOU Henry Ward Beecher was a famous preacher back in the 1800s. He wrote a prayer that makes a good introduction for tonight, even if it’s in the King’s English. We beseech of Thee, O Lord our God, that Thou wilt grant to every one of us the special mercies which he needs – strength where weakness prevails, & patience where courage has failed. Grant, we pray Thee, that those who need long-suffering may find themselves strongly upborne & sustained. Grant if any are heart-weary & sick from hope deferred that they may find rest in Thee.[1] Old words – still true today. Aren’t there times you find yourself needing the will to endure? Days when you can’t find the strength within to persevere? “God, I need patience & I need it now!” All of us go through stretches when we need, as Henry Ward Beecher prayed, a greater spirit of long-suffering. Maybe you’re going through such a time now. Your heavenly Father knows what you are going through. Immanuel is with you, not just at Christmas but every day. Society will put baby Jesus away on December 26th. Is the birth of Jesus just a seasonal holiday? This Advent message is a plea: Trust that God is coming to you all year long, especially when you are going through rough times. With intentional devotion, through Scripture & prayer, the Spirit will indeed give you long-suffering, & Beecher’s prayer will be answered. You will find yourself “strongly upborne & sustained.” The Bible reading from Exodus tells how God answered the cries of His children when they were suffering in Egypt. Here’s the background. When the land of Canaan experienced severe famine, Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt. He took his family there, refugees treated perhaps as refugees are often treated. However, when it was revealed that Jacob’s son Joseph was the 2nd most powerful man in Egypt, those refugees settled there permanently under most favorable conditions. But on this side of heaven, good things don’t last forever! We pick up the story generations later: “There arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people: ‘Behold, the people of Israel are too many & too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply... Therefore, they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens… So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves, & made their lives bitter with hard service…’” (Ex 1:8–11a, 13-14 ESV) I can’t imagine! What do you do in your times of severe suffering? The people of Israel groaned because of their slavery & cried out for help: “Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, & God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, & with Jacob.” (Exodus 2:23b–24 ESV) God saw the people of Israel & God knew. Jesus tells us, ‘Your heavenly Father knows’ (Matthew 6:32), but – this is important – the children of Israel did not know that God was coming to their help. From what they could see & experience, God was not answering their prayer, even though He most certainly was. Unknown to them, God was preparing a great advent for their rescue. “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.” (LSB 765:2) Whether we see it or not, in our times of suffering, we can trust that our prayers to God are heard & being answered in His best way. As the Holy Spirit inspired Isaiah to write: “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24 ESV) Unbeknownst to those suffering people, God was sending someone to rescue them. Moses, an Israelite, was one of them, but he’d gotten into trouble with Pharaoh. So he fled from Egypt to the land of Midian. One day, while tending the flock of his father-in-law, Moses saw the famous burning bush: “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” (Exodus 3:3 ESV) Yahweh spoke to Moses out of the bush: “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt & have heard their cry because of their taskmasters… & I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 3:7–8 ESV) All well & good, but then God gets personal: “I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10 ESV) Whoa, thinks Moses. Could we talk about this? “If I come to the people of Israel & say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ & they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” God answers with a most solemn pronouncement, “I AM who I AM.” (Exodus 3:14 ESV) Their prayer for help, our prayers for help when we need long-suffering, are heard by the God who is “I AM who I AM.” Everything in this life is transitory. Your suffering is for a time. We are mortal. Only God always is, present tense – forever. “‘To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him?’ says the Holy One.” (Isaiah 40:25 ESV) “I AM who I AM.” “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14 ESV) “I AM has sent me to you.” Who is the “me” God sends? Obviously, it’s Moses. With signs & wonders, he brought promises of deliverance. Those promises sustained the people with long-suffering as they hoped for deliverance. So, yes! I AM sent Moses, but there is another who is sent. Decades later, at the end of his life, Moses said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers – it is to Him you shall listen.” (Deuteronomy 18:15 ESV) There is another prophet, a prophet greater than Moses, the ultimate “I AM” who will be sent. Seven times in the Gospel of John, Jesus solemnly says, “I am.” In John 6, “I am the bread of life.” (6:35, 41, 48, 51) In John 8, “I am the light of the world.” (8:12) At John 10, “I am the door of the sheep,” (10:7, 9) & “I am the good shepherd.” (10:11, 14) In John 11, “I am the resurrection & the life.” (11:25) At John 14, “I am the way, the truth, & the life.” (14:6) Finally, in John 15, “I am the true vine.” (15:1, 5) It wasn’t just ‘some god’ who spoke to Moses at the burning bush. It was the Triune God speaking – the Father, the Son, & the Spirit of the Father & the Son. The Triune God is a sending God. The Triune “I AM” sends Jesus to you & to me. He says, “…the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.” (John 5:36 ESV) “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (John 6:29 ESV) “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, & Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3) Greater than the exodus Moses led out of Egypt is the exodus Jesus is leading out of this evil world that is corrupted by sin. “…you were ransomed ... not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was known before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead & gave Him glory, so that your faith & hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:18-21) Moses had done signs & wonders to point ancient Israel to God’s promise of deliverance. When Jesus did signs & wonders, the crowds exclaimed, “…This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” (John 6:14 ESV) It is to Him you shall listen. Faith means living your daily life aware that “I AM” comes to you as your “…very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) Jesus promises, “…I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 ESV) He encourages, “…I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5 ESV) Even though you may still be deep in suffering, trusting the promise of Jesus’ presence will bear you up. “When all things seem against us, / To drive us to despair, / We know one gate is open, / One ear will hear our prayer.” (LSB 915:4) “The practice of the presence of God” said 17th century monk Brother Lawrence, “is to find joy in His divine company & to make it a habit of life, speaking humbly & conversing lovingly with Him at all times, every moment, without rule or restriction, above all at times of temptation, distress, dryness & revulsion, & even of faithlessness & sin.”[2] Nothing is better for you than the safety & surety of knowing you are in the presence of God. “The eternal God is your dwelling place, & underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27a ESV) Let me close, or almost close with a joke you probably have heard. Flood waters are rising. A man is forced up to the roof of his house. A boat comes to rescue him, but the man says, “No, God will rescue me.” A helicopter comes; again the man says, “No, God will rescue me.” The waters keep rising & sweep him away. He dies. In heaven he asks God, “Why didn’t you rescue me?” God answers, “I sent the boat & the helicopter. Why didn’t you go with them?” As Moses was sent by God, as the Father sent Jesus, they now send you & me to bring our Lord’s rescue to others. Jesus says, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:21 ESV) Yes, that means evangelism to people who don’t yet know that God sent Jesus into the world to bring us forgiveness & everlasting life. It also means us encouraging one another at all times, especially when a fellow believer is going through hard times. We share our mutual woes, / Our mutual burdens bear, And often for each other flows / The sympathizing tear. (LSB 649:3) The Bible is God’s Book of Advents to encourage us. When we pray for long-suffering in our times of trouble, God comes to bear us up & sustain us. The I AM at the burning bush, the I AM who is the Son of God – Jesus Christ, is still coming to us through His Spirit & word. Advents abound. “…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, & endurance produces character, & character produces hope, & hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Roman 5:3–5 ESV) “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:18 ESV) Amen. God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea & rides upon the storm. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace; behind a frowning providence faith sees a smiling face. You fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy & will break in blessings on your head. Amen. LSB 765:1-2, 5. [1] For All the Saints, ed. Frederick J. Schumacher (Delhi, NY: American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, 1996), vol. 4, 488. [2] Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1981), 68. 3rd Sunday in Advent – C LSB #’s 349, 842, 412
Text – Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus. THE PRINCE OF PEACE Then the eyes of both of them were opened & they realized they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together & made coverings for themselves. Then the man & his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden, & they hid from Him among the trees. But the Lord called to the man, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:7-9 NIV) When Adam & Eve fell into sin, the peace of the Garden of Eden was shattered. Adam & Eve & God were no longer in harmony as when God created them. Ever since the shattering of that peace, God has been calling to men & women, to you & to me, “Where are you?” Overcome with fear because they knew they were no longer at peace with God, Adam & Eve hid among the trees. Doesn’t that sound silly? Whenever I hear that verse, I picture a small child playing hide & seek, by covering his eyes. Hiding from God can be no more effective than that. He sees & He knows all things. Here’s an illustration of the childish ways in which we, as sinful human beings, play hide & seek with God. On an exam I gave during vicarage, I asked the 7th grade class if Jesus wants them to trust in Him & pray to Him when they are being tempted. I asked if forgiveness is available when we do the wrong thing. Everyone easily wrote yes to both questions. Then, I asked if anyone had ever cheated on one of my exams or quizzes. This, you might say, is where the rubber met the road. Here was the written response of several of my students, “Like I would tell you!” These two students had the same answer, word for word, & one sat right in front of the other. Now, it was probably just coincidence, but do you think that one of them might have cheated & copied the other on that very question? How would you have responded? If you had cheated, would you have placed your trust in Jesus & answered honestly, even though it was obvious that you had not been caught? Doesn’t human logic & reason tell you instead, that it would be foolish to admit to cheating when you have not been caught in the act? My sinful nature tells me it would be very foolish, because Satan goes by the rule of thumb that it ain’t illegal if you don’t get caught. How often have you fallen for that line of reasoning? Have any of you exceeded the speed limit without getting a ticket? If you’re not sure about something on your tax return, do you normally give yourself the benefit of the doubt? Even if it were true that it ain’t illegal if you don’t get caught, Satan is not telling you the whole truth. Remember, God sees & knows everything we do. With God we’re always caught, & we are always guilty. And we look mighty foolish pretending to hide our sinful actions from God, by covering our own eyes. The world would have us believe that we’re best off if we never admit that we’re wrong. Don’t admit that you’ve sinned & no one will be able to prove it, or punish you because of it. Only a fool would admit that he did something wrong, when no one caught him in the act. That’s how life in a sin filled world trains us to think. When you get caught, you get punished, so don’t ever admit to anything. The paradox in this story is that all the students taking the exam knew – if you fall to a temptation, forgiveness is available. Yet, when asked if they’d fallen to a specific temptation, some of them said they would not be so foolish as to admit it. The paradox is that common sense tells us, “If we haven’t been caught & don’t admit our sin, we will not be punished.” The truth is God does catch all sinners. Therefore, the only way to be forgiven is to admit that we are sinners, even when we think we have not been caught. Sin brings anxiety & worry into our lives because we’re always wondering if & when the other shoe will drop. Sin brings guilt into our lives because we know, no matter how much we deny it, our sinful nature is opposed to our Creator. Sin brings sorrow & grief into our lives through all manner of tragedy, illness & death. Yet, our sinful nature loves it. That last point sounds harsh, but listen to the Gospel of John, “…people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” (John 3:19 ESV) Before God destroyed the world with the flood, He said, “…that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” (Genesis 6:5 NIV) All of us are still hiding among the trees & covering our eyes. And in response to God’s call, “Where are you?” we, in our arrogance say, “Like I would tell you!” Putting ourselves at the center of our own world is the essence of what sin is. It’s also an easy thing to become comfortable with. Nations often make out as heroes, people who are willing to die for their country. Yet, the high rate of divorce reveals that many people are unwilling to actually live for their spouse or children, let alone for their Lord & Savior. It’s easy to enjoy the comfort of being the center of my world. That’s something we do very well. You could say it comes naturally to us. God is still calling, “Where are you?” How are you answering that question? Are you blaming your wife or God, as Adam did? As Eve did, are you blaming outside forces, like the devil? And if you think you’re innocent, why are you not at peace? Why do so many things in this world disturb you? Why do you worry & why do you ever feel weak or insecure? John the Baptist told the truth very well: “…You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down & thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:7, 9 ESV) The reality is this; the day you die might as well be Judgment Day. Once you take your last breath, there is no more turning back. There’s no more repentance. Your fate is sealed. Every time someone dies, they are being cut down. Those who don’t believe are being cast into the fire. “Where are you?” The Creator is calling to you because He loves you. After hearing the law that sharply, the people whom John the Baptist was preaching to asked a question of their own: “What then shall we do?” (Luke 3:10 ESV) To sum up John’s answer, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.” (Luke 3:8a ESV) What he means is this, live your lives like you are no longer the center of your own world. Sounds simple enough. But the illustration about people never admitting that they’ve cheated reveals that it’s much easier to say, “Bear fruit,” than it is to actually live that way. The problem is John’s answer to the crowd is simply more law. Do this, & do this & do this. Our sinful nature does not want to do anything for anyone else. Our sinful nature wants to serve only ourselves. That is why our lives are not peaceful. That’s why peace in the Garden of Eden was shattered. It was destroyed because Adam & Eve did not want to trust God. They wanted to trust themselves. In effect, they wanted to be god; to be the center of their own world. The only true answer to this problem is Jesus. He’s the only way, the only truth & the only life. “He is the Prince of Peace.” He’s the source of peace with God. Whether cheating on an exam, whether failing our spouse or children, when putting only ourselves at the center of our universe, the Holy Spirit still, always is calling us to turn back to Jesus in repentance. We need only look to the cross of Christ for our forgiveness & healing. There He said, “It is finished.” Do you believe those words? Then you are forgiven. You are at peace with God, whether you feel that way or not, & there will always be times in life when we do not feel at peace with God. But our feelings do not determine our salvation. Only faith in Christ does that, & God Himself has created that faith in us, at baptism & through His Word. It’s Satan who comes to us & says, “Did God really say that you are His child? Did God really say that He will provide for your every need? Shouldn’t you worry just a little?” And that’s where the sermon text from Philippians comes in. The Apostle Paul tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus.” That peace is something deep within us, yet it is not from us. That’s because it comes from the faith which Yahweh created in your heart. That faith & peace are alien to us. Their source is from without rather than within. Martin Luther put it this way. Worldly peace consists in removing the external evil that is creating the unrest in our lives. For instance, there’s no worldly peace when poverty & sickness surround you. There’s no worldly peace when your career or family are failing you. Only when these problems go away do outward peace & quiet return. Spiritual peace works in the opposite way. It works against human logic & reasoning. That’s why scripture says it surpasses all human understanding. Though outwardly our senses tell us to grab all we can get in order to survive, inwardly, by faith, we know that we can trust God to care for our every need. Though outwardly nothing but anxiety & sadness meet the eye, inwardly, Christ is present as He was in the manger. Meek & mild, looking helpless & completely vulnerable, He was also God almighty, the Creator of the universe. Everything was in His hands that day, & all things are still in His hands today. With that kind of peace, the kind which comes from the presence of Christ in our hearts, we are enabled to live our lives producing works that show our repentance. We are enabled to take our eyes off of ourselves as the center of our world & instead, we look upon others with compassion & love. It’s that spiritual peace that causes us to say with Zephaniah, “Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! …Rejoice & exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies.” (Zephaniah 3:14-15a NASB) With that kind of peace, when God calls to us, “Where are you?” we don’t respond with “Like I would tell you!” Rather, we say, “Here am I Lord. Send me.” Amen. The peace of God that surpasses all human understanding will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. |
AuthorPastor Dean R. Poellet Archives
February 2025
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