First Sunday after Christmas (Luke 2:25-35)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father  (Col 1:2).  Amen.

Tomorrow it will be 2018.  That gives many the opportunity to mark the occasion by making some resolutions—what they are going to do to live healthier or happier in the next twelve months.  The mantra might be:  “New Year, New You.”  (I may have stolen that from somewhere.)  Maybe you have some in mind.
It seems as if many of those goals have to do with the scale or the diet in some way—to weigh less and to eat right.  That is fine.  Those are worthwhile objectives any time.
A stumbled across an article online that listed 50 suggestions.   I already mentioned #1 and #2.  #24 was “learn a new language.”  I doubt if they were thinking of Latin.  It is not going to help you out much if you plan to travel to some exotic vacation destination in the next calendar year.
But it can be helpful because we actually sprinkle in some words in the order of services that we use.  One of those is the song of Simeon.  It is the Nunc Dimittis  (CW pp. 24,61).  In that way, we follow what the apostle Paul encouraged:  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God”  (Col 3:16).
Simeon spoke as he got to hold Jesus in his arms and see him with his eyes.  As we continue to celebrate Christmas and get ready to change calendars, enter the new year with open eyes to see the Child in the present and in the future.  We read from …

Luke 2:25-35

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus, the Christchild, who delivers peace so we can depart in peace,
You have to be realistic with resolutions.  You are not going to be fluent in another language by January 2nd.  I am not trying to discourage you or downplay your intelligence.  It takes work and it takes time.  At first, when you hear people speaking in a foreign tongue, it sounds like one big word.  Then slowly you pick out phrases or sentences.  You know who the subject is and what is the verb.  That is exciting.  And finally you begin to communicate.
You have to understand that as you embark on the process.  Some say it this way:  “You have to have your eyes wide open.  The advice from a link was to learn a “word a day.”   And then use it—up to 150 times.  If I do the math on that though, you will only have a vocabulary of 365 years.  That hardly makes you bilingual.  (I would suggest starting with “hamburger” and “pizza.”  You don’t want to starve before you become an expert.  But that is just me.)
We can be overachievers today and learn two words:  Nunc Dimittis.  It translates as “Now you dismiss.”  Simeon saw Jesus clearly and spoke confidently.  As we transition from the old year, …

Enter the New Year with Open Eyes
1.  To see the Child in the present  (25-32)
2.  To see Child in the future  (33-35)

1.  To see the Child in the present  (25-32)
When determining a new year’s resolution, you have to be honest.  Where am I today?  How did I get here?  There were events that led up to right now.  It was that way with Simeon as he beheld Jesus as a baby.  Enter the new year with open eyes to see the Child in the present.
Luke draws our attention to this man—where he was and who he was.  “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon”  (Lk 2:25).  Instead of speculating at what we don’t know—like his age  (Was he young or old?), we can appreciate what we do.  He is described as …
 “righteous”  (Lk 2:25).  Like Abraham of old, Simeon trusted in the Lord, believed in the guarantee of the Messiah to come, and God counted Simeon as being right with him  (Ge 15:6).
 “devout”  (Lk 2:25).  He lived his faith in how he thought and how he acted.  He was pious and conscientious—God-fearing, devoted.
 “He was waiting for the consolation of Israel”  (Lk 2:25).  That is code for “he was expecting the comfort that the Messiah would bring.”  He was anticipating a Savior who would free him from his sin  (cf. Is 40:2) because he was mindful that “the LORD is gracious and compassionate”  (Ps 111:4).
Don’t miss the activity of the Holy Spirit in this account.
 “The Holy Spirit was upon him  [that is, upon Simeon]”  (Lk 2:25).  He had worked the sure and certain hope in the coming Christ  (He 11:1).
 “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ”  (Lk 2:26).  There was the Spirit’s special assurance that he would not taste death until he saw Jesus—the One whom the Lord promised to send.  It is unimportant how that happened, but that it would happen—sometime during his lifetime.
One day became that day.  The time of waiting and watching was over.  “Moved by the Spirit  [that is the third time we hear of the Holy Spirit being in action], he went into the temple courts”  (Lk 2:27).  This was not because of guessing, but because of guidance.  It was 40 days after the first Christmas Day.  Mary and Joseph, in keeping with Old Testament law  (Lk 2:27), came for Mary’s purification and Jesus’ presentation  (Lv 12; Ex 13:2,13).  Simeon walked up to the parents and “took him in his arms and praised God”  (Lk 2:28).   Mommies are pretty protective of their babies.  They get a little nervous when strangers grab their children.  But Mary didn’t stop Simeon as he started his hymn of thanksgiving.
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace”  (Lk 2:29).  He opens with an admission.  The Lord was his master; he was the servant.  Not a bad thing to keep in mind for us either.  The Lord is over us; we are under him.  And that is a good place to be as he uses his power and position to help us and not hurt us.  It was as if Simeon was now free to die because all was in order between him and God.  It was the same message from the heavenly messengers to the shepherds:  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests”  (Lk 2:14).  Jesus is the “Prince of Peace” who procured peace.  We can go in peace.  That doesn’t mean that Simeon died right after this encounter.  Or that we will either.  But we are ready—this day or this year.
Why?  We have seen Jesus.  Like Simeon sings:  “For my eyes have seen your salvation”  (Lk 2:30).  Simeon with his own eyes.  And we with our faith eyes.  We look at a Baby and understand he is more than just an infant a little over a month plus.  He is Jesus, Savior.  He has come to rescue us from the impossible situation of being captive to sin and Satan.  And he saves us  (Mt 1:21).  That is why we got excited about Christmas again last week:  a Savior has been born to us; he is Christ the Lord  (Lk 2:11).
And he is the Savior, not of some, but of all.  “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people”  (Lk 2:30,31).  You have no idea what I got for Christmas.  We opened presents at home after church on Monday.  God doesn’t keep the gift of Jesus for a select few  (Lk 2:10).  It is in the full view of all.  Isaiah issued that invite from the Lord:  “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other”  (Is 45:22).  He extends to them righteousness and strength  (Is 45:24).
God leaves no one out.  Simeon is clear on that:
 “a light for revelation to the Gentiles”  (Lk 2:32).  Those who walk in the darkness of sin, staggering in unbelief  (Is 9:2; 42:6; 49:6; 60:1-5), now witness the light of salvation, strutting in faith.  We live in Christ as we look at Christ.  It is like ripping off wrapping paper.  The gift is obvious.  We know what it is.  But in this case, we know who it is—Jesus.
 “and for glory to your people Israel”  (Lk 2:32).  Jesus was a Jew.  God had singled out that nation to be his covenant people and to give us a Savior from them  (Jn 4:22).  He is for them too.
Enter the new year with open eyes to see the Child in the present.  Simeon recognized him and rejoiced over the Baby.  And so do we.  This is the One who has come for us according to God’s plan.  We don’t want to shut our eyes to that.
2.  To see Child in the future  (33-35)
When deciding on a new year’s resolution, you have to figure out where you want to be.  What will this mean on December 31st?  There is a cliché that goes something like this:  “You will be glad next year of a change this day.”  Does that make me a motivational speaker?  Simeon looked ahead for Mary, for Jesus, and for us.  Enter the new year with open eyes to see the Child in the future.
It had not been a dull ten months or so for Mary and Joseph.  Think about it:  an announcement from an angel to Mary, a dream from an angel to Joseph—those had quite a bit of information from a virgin birth to faithful fiancée, and a trip to Bethlehem, a birth in a stable, a visit from some shepherds.  And now this with Simeon.  “The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him”  (Lk 2:33).  There was a sense of awe as they took this all in.  They were stunned, more so than those who stay up every year to watch a crystal ball descend in Times Square at 11:00 PM our time.
But there was more.  “Then Simeon blessed them”  (Lk 2:34).  He asked that God would continue to shower his favor on them.  Next Simeon turned to Mary because there was a special note for her:  “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against”  (Lk 2:34).  Sometimes a mother leans over the crib and wonders:  “What will my child be like when he is older?  What will he do when he is grown up?”  Simeon was making that plain as if to state:  “Listen up, Mary.”  There would be a dividing line between two opposite reactions.
 “the falling … of many in Israel”  (Lk 2:34).  There would be rejection  (Jn 1:11).  Not all, but for the most part, there were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the experts in the law.  Those religious leaders should have been looking for him, but they laughed at him.  People would trip on and over Jesus.  He was not the Messiah they had expected.
Jesus is still a disappointment to some—“foolishness”  (1 Co 1:18).  They refuse him and tumble because of him like when we fall over a rock because it is in the way  (1 Pe 2:8).
 “the rising of many in Israel”  (Lk 2:34).  There would be acceptance.  There were those like Nicodemus, or Elizabeth, the disciples, and others.
We would include ourselves in that number.  It is Jesus who lifts off our sin and lifts us to our God.  We go from spiritual death to life.
Add to that:  “and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed”  (Lk 2:34,35).  What one thinks about Jesus will be brought to light—either he is a lunatic or the Lord.  We confess him as Lord  (1 Co 12:3).
There was another detail for Mary.  “And a sword will pierce your own soul too”  (Lk 2:35).  No mommy likes to see her child suffer.  She feels it too.   It would be hard for Mary and it would hurt her as people mocked and made fun of her Son.  But nothing like the excruciating pain when she stood at the cross—her innocent Son condemned to death  (Jn 19:25).
This growing Baby of Mary would become the suffering Servant of the Lord  (Is 53).  In a month and a half, Lent is here.  We will again journey to Jerusalem with Jesus as he carries his cross to Calvary—what he came to do.  There he will endure the wrath of God against our sin.  There he will bring out why he was born—to overcome death and to open heaven for us.  Enter the new year with open eyes to see the Child in the future.  He will be executed on Good Friday, but he will be raised on Easter Sunday.  We don’t want to close our eyes to that.
I don’t know what the over or under is on how long a New Year’s resolution lasts.  Perhaps not past the first month of the new year or the first day.  I don’t make them.  It is ok if you do.  I have studied enough languages so that one may be out.  I have even had a few years of Latin.  You don’t need that because you probably are aware of the meaning of Nunc Dimittis.  “Now you dismiss.”  As we head from one year and head to another, enter it with open eyes to see the Child in the present.  Simeon holds your Savior from sin.  And enter it with open eyes to see the Child in the future.  There will be a Roman cross, but an empty tomb.  Merry Christmas.  Happy New Year.  Amen.

Grace be with you  (Col 4:18).  Amen.


December 31, 2017

Christmas Day

The Light

It was last Thursday—December 21.  At 10:28 AM Central Standard Time.  The winter solstice.  That is code for the shortest day of the year.  Welcome to the bleak winter.  But every day gets it is lighter longer.

Someone at the Y asked me on Friday:  “So what are you going to do with the extra 20 seconds of daylight today?”   (Apparently he has calculated the exact time.)  My two thoughts were:
 I am here to get in shape not to get into conversation.
 It is still going to be dark a lot.
I am not as nice that early as I am the rest of the day.

Today is Christmas Day—December 25.  A much bigger and better observance.  The Christ has come.  True God from eternity became true man on earth  (Jn 1:1).  He came to be one of us and to dwell among us  (Jn 1:14).

It is during this stretch of the calendar that two things are in short supply—life and light.  There are no leaves on the trees.  It seems as if there are only 10 minutes in between sunrise and sunset with gray and gloom in between.  With that contrast, the reminder from John and the reality of Jesus stand out even more.

And so we go once more to Bethlehem, that little town.  But it was an important town.  The Lord had picked it and promised it to be the birthplace of the Messiah  (Mi 5:2).  And God never goes back on what he guarantees.

And then it happened.  A still night that became a significant night.  There in the town of David, a Savior had been born  (Lk 2:11).  That was good news of great joy—for Mary and Joseph, for the shepherds, and for us.

The Gospel-writer John points out why:  “In him  [that is, Jesus] was life”  (Jn 1:4)—from John’s day all the way back to eternity.  There is more to life than hearts beating and lungs breathing  (although that comes from God too  [Jn 1:2.3]).  In Jesus, and only in Jesus, is life  (cf. Jn 10:10).  From him comes life without end.  Our sin cuts us off from God.  That is death.  Our Savior connects us to God.  That is life.  We have life right now.  We have life forever.  Think of how Jesus made that clear:
 To Nicodemus:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”  (Jn 3:16).
 To Martha:  “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die”  (Jn 11:25,26).
 To disciples:  “I am the way and the truth and the life”  (Jn 14:6).

John connects life and light.  That is not a difficult concept to grasp because the two go hand-in-hand.  Where there is life there is light.  Where there is light there is life.  Simply put, all life—from plants to people—needs light to survive.  A lack of Jesus as the Light leads not just to seasonal depression, but eternal death.  “In him was life, and that life was the light of men”  (Jn 1:4).  That certainly doesn’t mean that Jesus shined.  The angel directed the shepherd not to look for a glow emanating from a newborn, but a baby wrapped in strips of cloth  (Lk 2:12).  And yet Jesus is “the light of the world”  (Jn 8:12).  As we follow him, he has removed the darkness of sin and destruction and replaced that with the light of salvation and deliverance.

As long as we have life and no matter how much light there is today, at Christmas we celebrate eternal life that is in Jesus and we see the everlasting Light who is Jesus  (CW 65:1).  Merry Christmas.

We read from John 1:4:
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.


The King

It is hard to miss.  At least we don’t.  It is right in the name of this day.  The word “Christ” is in “Christmas.”  That was part of the angel’s message to the men who were out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night  (Lk 2:8):  He proclaimed the holy birth this way:  “A Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord”  (Lk 2:11).  The Christ was born of Mary  (CW 65:2).

Whenever we recite that, we recall Jesus’ title—the Christ.  It means “the Anointed One.”  Jesus was appointed to be our prophet, priest, and king.  The angel highlighted that last one—king—with the term “the Lord.”

Jesus is above everyone and over everything.  King of kings and Lord of lords  (Re 19:16).  That is true right now and forever.  That has been at the center of our Advent preparation for Christmas Day.  Jesus is coming—as a baby in a manger of a stable and as a Judge on the clouds of heaven.  We looked forward to this day and now to that day.  For that reason we make it a regular request:  “Your kingdom come”  (Mt 6:10).  He rules in our hearts with his Word.  He will reign on his throne into all eternity.

John allows us to hear the loud refrain of the many singers in heaven.  “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ”  (Re 11:15).  The Baby in the feed box will be the Redeemer on a wooden cross.  There on Good Friday he would defeat the devil who could not harm him.  Three days later on Easter Sunday, he would demonstrate that death could not hold him.  We have peace with God through Jesus  (Lk 2:14; CW 65:2).  All is right between us and him.

On the Last Day, Jesus’ power will be evident to all.  “And he will reign for ever and ever”  (Re 11:15).  No wonder we end the Lord’s Prayer with “for thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever and ever”  (CW p. 20).

That always brings to mind when I was in high school.  Every year for the Christmas concert, the final song would be The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.  My buddies and I joked that if we got lost, we just had to repeat, “And he will reign forever and ever.”  That is a common sentence in that lengthy tune.  But ultimately it did end.  But not Christ’s kingdom.  Merry Christmas.

We read from Revelation 11:15:
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”


The Gift

My parents never made a big deal about when they placed the presents under the tree.  It seemed as if they just appeared  (of course, more for my siblings than for me—but that didn’t ever bother me).

The shepherds worshipped the baby Jesus and then they went, “glorifying and praising God for the things that they had heard and seen”  (Lk 2:20).  That was a very eventful night.  But that appears to be the extent of the fanfare.  There were no streams of visitors getting off of tour camels with someone sketching a portrait of them with the infant.  (It had to be that way before selfies and snaps.)

All of this is much more than a great story for us, but a special gift to us.  And just like when someone hands us a package covered with beautiful paper, we hold on to Jesus in faith.  We are the ones “who received him … who believe in his name”  (Jn 1:12).  It is a huge blessing to know all that Jesus reveals about himself, the One who saves us from our sins  (Mt 1:21).

And then this follows:  “He gave the right to become children of God”  (Jn 1:12).  We are part of God’s family—a child.  That is a term of endearment.  God gladly declares:  “You are mine.”  He oversees our everyday needs as he offers an eternal inheritance in heaven  (CW 65:3).  We have the power through the Holy Spirit to claim that  (1 Co 12:3).

And that is all from him—“born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will”  (Jn 1:13).  There was no biological cause of being a child of God—no certain bloodline, no fleshly urge, no person’s desire.  Just like we didn’t choose our mommies and daddies, we didn’t pick our heavenly Father.  He selected us.  We are “born of God”  (Jn 1:13).  God the Father’s love is great as he gives the gift of family  (1 Jn 3:1).  No present this year surpasses that.  Merry Christmas.

We read from John 1:12,13:
Yet to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.


The Prayer

Tomorrow Christmas will be over.  There will be cardboard boxes smashed in the recycle bin by the side of the house and evergreen trees stuck in the white snow at the edge of the street.  Another holiday come and gone.

Or will it be done?  Or has it past?  Can Christmas continue on?  I am not thinking about some vague Christmas spirit.  Or even Christmas giving.  I am talking about Christmas living.

There in the barn Jesus is born of Mary.  And there in our soul we are born of God.  Jesus is our life and our light, our King, who is ours by the gift of faith.  The holy Child of Bethlehem makes us holy ones  (CW 65:4).  We are separate from sin and set apart from it.  He has gotten rid of our guilt and has given us his holiness.  We now live who we are—beloved children of God.

It would be strange to take a new toy at Christmas and break it.  It would be odd to take a new shirt at Christmas and rip it.  All on purpose.  In a sense, that is John’s point.  “No one who is born of God will continue to sin”  (1 Jn 3:9).  We don’t keep on doing what misses what God wants.  Why?  “Because God’s seed remains in him  [that is, in us]”  (1 Jn 3:9).  We have a new life in Christ.

John goes on:  “He cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God”  (1 Jn 3:9).  We could copy the cliché:  “Like father like son.”  A boy exhibits the parent’s character because he shares the parent’s nature.  We are children of God.  Or to state it another way:  We live in the Light.  We grow toward the light; we do not gravitate to the darkness.  Who we are will show in what we do.  Instead of making excuses about sin—why it is right for us, we will move away from sin—since it is wrong for us.  We are aware of our own personal struggles.

And so when we fall, we pray:  “Cast our sin”  (CW 65:4).  And the Lord “hurls all our iniquities into the depths of the sea”  (Mi 7:19).  They are nowhere to be found ever again.  And then we plead:  “Strengthen us”  (CW 65:4).  And our Lord Immanuel answers that by abiding with us.  He is with us  (Mt 1:23).  Nothing will ever disconnect us from his love—not in the present and not in the future  (Ro 8:37-39).  Merry Christmas.

We read from 1 John 3:9:
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.


December 25, 2017

Fourth Sunday in Advent/Christmas Eve (Luke 1:26-38)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ  (Ro 1:7).  Amen.

I am going to suggest two changes to a familiar Christmas hymn.  Before you get too excited, it is actually one of my favorites.  Maybe yours too.  The one that I am altering is What Child Is This  (CW 67).
I am not tampering with it because I am so talented.  I haven’t written too many hymns in my lifetime.  To be honest—zero.  And this song has been around much longer than I have.
I get what the author is asking us to do.  As we stand in the stable and stare at the newborn, we are to reflect and remember why the babe, the Son of Mary, came at Christmas.  The King would endure nails, spear, and cross for me, for you  (CW 67:2).  That is looking ahead 33 years from a shed for animals to a place of execution.
But this morning we look back nine months—to Gabriel’s announcement and Mary’s acceptance.
Here is what I am proposing:
 Adding a tiny word.  It really is only one letter.  “A.”  What a Child is this.”
 Switching a punctuation mark—from a question to an exclamation.  What a Child is this!
We consider this as we read from …

Luke 1:26-38

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, our Savior and King,
The one the Holy Spirit used to author the third Gospel was a doctor  (Col 4:14).  That was Luke’s profession.  He understood where babies come from—probably much better than we do, even if we have had one or two.  I could give a one sentence description.  More likely would be a phrase.  Someone in the medical field could go into a bit more detail with a paragraph.  Possibly a book.
It makes me wonder what he was mulling over when he documented this account.  I realize that makes us dive into the pool of speculation.  And the only thing we get as a result is wet.
No matter what was going through his mind, we know what comes out of our mouth …

What a Child Is This!
1.  Because of the messenger’s announcement  (26-33)
2.  Because of the mother’s acceptance  (35-38)

1.  Because of the messenger’s announcement  (26-33)
Timewise it is after the baby is born that the official notification goes out—whether a phone call or mailed letter, or the extremely personal touch of a text or tweet.  But this one comes in person.  And nine months early.  What a child is this because of the messenger’s announcement.
This was the second time God dispatched Gabriel with baby news.  Sixth months earlier  (Lk 1:26), he appeared to a priest on duty in the temple in Jerusalem.  Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, despite their old age, were going to be parents  (Lk 1:18).  The boy would be John the Baptizer, the forerunner of Jesus.  Certainly that was a remarkable birth.
But nothing like this.  Instead of heading to the capital city, the angel went to a quiet village in the north, to Nazareth  (Lk 1:26).  That was not a hot spot of activity, let alone a vacation destination in Israel.  But that was where Mary was living.  We learn that she was “pledged to be married to a man named Joseph”  (Lk 1:27).  That was more than just our engagement.  Those two had made their plans and spoken their vows.  Things seemed to in order and on track.
But that all shifted when Gabriel came calling.  The salutation was nothing special  (except, that it was an angel, of course):  “Greetings”  (Lk 1:28).  It was like the “Good Morning” that you wished people before church.
But that is where familiar stopped and phenomenal started.  “Greetings, you who are highly favored!”  (Lk 1:28).  She is the one to whom the Lord had been and continued to be gracious.  It is good for us to remind ourselves that Mary is on the receiving end of grace, not the giving side.  The emphasis is on God did/was doing; the focus is not on what Mary had done/would do.
Add to that “The Lord is with you”  (Lk 1:28).  That would be critical, especially in light of what would follow—both from the angel and in life.  This was not what she was expecting.  But now she was going to be expecting.  What next?  The grief of a frustrated fiancée and the gossip of nosy neighbors?  Not out of the question.  But God doesn’t forget his own  (Is 41:10).  Us either.  He is with us no matter what difficulty or decision that we face.
Do you blame her?  “Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be”  (Lk 1:29).  This was uncommon, but also unclear.  It is not every day that Mary had a visit from one of God’s holy ones.  It kept going through her head, “What is going on here?”
Gabriel was going to clear up the confusion.  But first the comfort:  “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God”  (Lk 1:30).  There was anxiety—not so still and serene as often pictured, worse than not having your Christmas shopping done.  But she could stop it.  God was giving her grace—underserved kindness.  Why?  Why would she have the honor that only one woman in the world could have?  Because.  Again, not her doing, but God’s.  It wasn’t that Mary was being groomed by the greats in Israel, pampered and primed.  Grace.  God offers that to us at Christmas too.  Why us?  Because.  Because of grace, not our goodness like our stellar church attendance or our strenuous efforts.  Grace forgives sins and opens heaven.  Thank God for that favor.  That is a great Christmas gift.
Grace—whether it is to her or to us, it is all because of the next sentence.  He grabs her attention and goes on with emphasis:  “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus”  (Lk 1:31).  That pronouncement is packed with information.
 “You will be with child”  (Lk 1:31).  There would be some jumping and jostling in her womb very soon.
 “You will … give birth to a son”  (Lk 1:31).  No ultrasound was necessary so Mary knew what color to paint the nursery or what clothes to buy the infant.  A boy.
 “You are to give him the name Jesus”  (Lk 1:31).  She didn’t have to sift through any baby books to come up with a clever or cute name.  Not even shake the family tree for possibilities.  Jesus.  And the meaning of that was not lost on her.  “The Lord saves.”  Mary captures that concept in her song, the Magnificat.  “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior”  (Lk 1:47).  We sing the same thing.  Our joy is because of Jesus, our Savior.
If that wasn’t enough, Gabriel mentions more mind-blowing things:
 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High”  (Lk 1:32).  Mary’s son.  And God’s Son.  True God.
 “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end”  (Lk 1:32,33).  And also David’s Son.  God sent Nathan because he was overruling David’s building plans with his own.  It wasn’t about a physical dwelling—David wanted to construct the temple, but physical descendants—God wanted to continue his line.  “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom [That is Solomon]  … Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever”  [That is the Savior.]  (1 Sa 7:12,16).  God assured David that the Messiah would come from his bloodline.  And Gabriel was making known that it was about to happen in Mary’s belly.  And this King was unlike any other in history.  His rule in hearts of faith, our hearts too, is unending, eternal—on earth and in heaven.  Our King conquered death for us.  He crushed the devil for us  (Ge 3:15).  And now he reigns and will rule.  All authority is his to care for his own  (Mt 28:18; Eph 1:20-22).  Once again we gaze into the manger to see a promise made is a promise kept.
We step back in amazement as we get ready to celebrate Christmas tomorrow.  Any birth is exciting.  Even more so this one that we commemorate year after year.  What a child is this because of the messenger’s announcement.  (Remember that is what an angel is—a messenger.)  And we got to eavesdrop.  But it is more about what he said than who said it.   Jesus is born of Mary.  But he is Jesus, Savior, Son of the Most High and from David’s line.  He is King.  We worship him as we exclaim because of the angel’s announcement:  “What a child is this!”  That is a marvel at Christmas.
2.  Because of the mother’s acceptance  (35-38)
I know when one of my buddies sends out the family Christmas card.  He will call before it hits the post office because he saves himself the foolish conversation.  He will alert me that the girl in the picture is his daughter.  My contention every year was that since I have never seen her, she doesn’t exist.  (You can question my logic, or just me, later.)  The angel’s announcement was incredible.  But there is more.  What a child is this because of the mother’s acceptance.
Can you sympathize with her?  This was a lot to take in.  The angel.  The announcement.  She was not a doctor like Luke.  But she wasn’t dumb either.  There were certain facts of life even if she didn’t have 10th-grade biology.  “How will this be … since I am a virgin?”  (Lk 1:34; cf. Is 7:14).  She had not had the experience of being with a man.  [Luke had mentioned that already twice in connection with Mary  (Lk 1:27).]
The response was more of absolute truth rather than a technical answer.  “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you”  (Lk 1:35).  That is more information than clarification, isn’t it?  It was just going to be.  And the Holy Spirit would be involved.  We leave it at that.  And so did Mary.  Is it so well-known that our head doesn’t spin?  Let it sink in one more time before tomorrow.
But the angel included more that fits under the category of astonishing.  “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month”  (Lk 1:36).  The formerly sterile family member just hit her second trimester.
And then there is the reinforcement.  “For nothing is impossible with God”  (Lk 1:37).  A double negative—“nothing” and “impossible”—highlights the positive.  “Every last thing is possible as far as God is concerned.”  Postmenopausal birth:  “For nothing is impossible with God”  (Lk 1:37).  Virgin birth:  “For nothing is impossible with God”  (Lk 1:37).  No matter is outside of God’s ability or capability.  For Elizabeth.  For Mary.  For us.  We would do well to imitate Mary’s acceptance.  “I am the Lord’s servant. … May it be to me as you have said”  (Lk 1:38).  Did she grasp the full significance of those sounds?  She was willing to serve as the Lord asked her—no matter what the outcome or aftermath.  Instead of complaining about what we have in front of us, we go with the Lord beside us—to do whatever he directs us.  We are the Lord’s servants.
We confess it often—perhaps without blinking or thinking as the words roll off our tongues:  “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary”  (CW p. 41).  Jesus had to be true man—to put himself under the law for us and to die for us.  But he had to be free of the taint of the sin that you and I are born with—passed to us from our mommies and daddies ever since Adam and Eve.
That is why Jesus didn’t have a human father.  So the angel could assert:  “The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God”  (Lk 1:35).  Jesus came into the world far from sin and free from sin.  And the Son of God kept the law in our place and his innocent death counts for us.  We are holy ones—saints.  The psalmist sums it up nicely when he inquires:  “O LORD God Almighty, who is like you?”  (Ps 89:8).  And then he instructs:  “You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you”  (Ps 89:8).  Like the mother’s acceptance, we believe it and belt it out:  “What a child is this!”  That is a miracle of Christmas.
I am not so full of myself that I assume that my two modifications are going to catch on.  We might have to include another musical note to chant “What a child is this.”  (And now that is way beyond my skill level.)  There also has to be that punctuation shift—instead of a curved line for a question mark, it has to be a straight line for an exclamation mark.  There is also the matter of fighting over a hundred years of tradition and even a copyright.  So we will leave it since the problems are piling up.  But at the same time, we don’t have to sing it.  We can say it:  What a child is this because of the messenger’s announcement and because of the mother’s acceptance.  We hear it—a son to be born of Mary, the Savior—and we hold on to it—faith trusts that it is so—our Saivor.  And it is.  Happy Advent.  Happy Christmas Eve.  Amen.

To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ!  Amen  (Ro 16:27).


December 24, 2017

Third Sunday in Advent (Isaiah 61:1-3)

Grace and peace to you  (1 Thess 1:1).  Amen.

Maybe you have been asked or have asked the question.  “What do you want for Christmas?”  That inquiry comes from curious grandparents or clueless husbands.  The pressure is on now that we are in the single digits before December 25th.
That gives you the opportunity to fill in the blank—often with dreams.  “All I want for Christmas is ______ .  (I am sorry if that brought to mind a Christmas song—either the sappy one about a certain individual who is far away for the holiday or the silly one about two pearly whites that are recently gone from the mouth.  I hope that you can get either one of those unstuck from your brain before noon.)
I am not going to question my parents’ generosity.  But they often turned Christmas from “wish-based” to “need-based.”  “All you need for Christmas is _____ .”  Usually that included socks.  Those were necessary.  I understand.  Just not a priority for wrapping paper.  At least in my mind.
It actually doesn’t matter what is under the tree this year.  But it is absolutely critical who was in the manger long ago.  Christ is all you need for Christmas because of what he expresses and because of what he exchanges.  We read from …

Isaiah 61:1-3

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Servant of the Lord and the Savior of the World,
And then there are those who are difficult.  You try to enlist their help with the problem of a Christmas present or presents.  “What do you want, or even need, for Christmas?”  Our desire is to give.  And they respond with, “Nothing.”  Is that really true?  Or is that just trite?  Is that what they are expecting?  Nothing?
I am guessing that you could go google:  “What do you get the person who has everything?”  You might get some ideas from various websites.  According to them, they don’t have everything.  They need at least one more thing from you.
We don’t have to consult what the internet has to suggest.  We can consider Isaiah has to say.  And then we conclude …

Christ Is All You Need for Christmas
1.  Because of what he expresses  (1,2)
2.  Because of what he exchanges  (3)

1.  Because of what he expresses  (1,2)
The excitement builds when someone tells us, “I have a present for you in 8 days.”  We wonder, “What is it?”  700 years before Jesus, Isaiah quotes the Christ.  He has something essential for you.  Christ is all you need for Christmas because of what he expresses.
We don’t have to speculate who is speaking.  Jesus clears it up for us.  It happened after 7 centuries of waiting.  Jesus headed to Nazareth.  It was the Sabbath Day, Saturday, and he went to worship.  In the synagogue, he was handed the scroll of the prophet to read.  He turned to this very prophecy and then told them plainly:  “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”  (Lk 4:21).  In other words, “Your ears are hearing it.  This is about me.  I am the fulfillment.”  That announcement was alarming to them.  But it is amazing for us.  Knowing that makes this section noteworthy because of what the Christ contends.
Jesus was not self-chosen.  He was handpicked.  “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me because the LORD has anointed me”  (Is 61:1).  The God of endless might and the God of changeless mercy selected him.  It was at Jesus’ baptism that the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove and the Father declared:  “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased”  (Mt 3:16,17).  It was then that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power”  (Acts 10:38).
In the Old Testament, prophets were anointed into their office—appointed for their work.  So was Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ—both of those titles signify, “the Anointed One.”  Jesus carried out his work as a prophet—one who speaks God’s Word to God’s people.  That is apparent from what he announces:
 “The LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor”  (Is 61:1).  He has news, good news—gospel, to publicize.  He does it to those who realize that they are broke, not financially, but spiritually.  They realize that they have nothing to offer to God like a beggar—to bribe him or buy him off  (Mt 5:3).  But a Savior has been born to us and for us—Christ the Lord  (Lk 2:11).  He died on the cross and defeated the devil.  He was victorious and gives that victory to us  (1 Co 15:57).  Sin no longer can trouble us and Satan no more can torment us.  There is no better news for us.  Christ is all you need.
 “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted”  (Is 61:1).  God dispatched Jesus on an official mission.  He bandages our weak and wounded hearts like a mommy does when her son gets rug burn on his knees.  (Next time he shouldn’t play football in the living room.)  Jesus picked up the weight of our sin and put it on himself and paid for it all.  Our hearts are no longer crushed, but cleansed.  We hear that encouragement often:  “Go in peace.”  Christ is all you need.
 “To proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners”  (Is 61:1).  The Babylonians would one day swoop down and carry them off to captivity because of their idolatry.  But they would not rot there because the Lord would rescue them.
But there is more.  Much more than that.  Satan held us as a prisoner of war.  But Jesus holds out the light of salvation.  It was John the Baptist who pointed to that light.  As John the evangelist reported:  “He  [that is, John the Baptist] came as a witness to testify concerning that light  [that is, Jesus], so that through him all men might believe”  (Jn 1:7).  Christ is all you need.
 “To proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God”  (Is 61:2).  Those who reject him, the Lord will remove them from his presence forever  (Mt 25:41).
But the Lord is full of love  (Ex 34:5-7).  God pictured that in a powerful way in the Old Testament.  Every 50th year on the calendar was the “Year of Jubilee.”  That was when the farmers were not to plant and the land was to revert to its original owner.  All slaves were freed and debts canceled (Lv 25:8-55).  That is what God has done for us.  Because of Jesus’ death, the Lord has wiped away all of our sins.  Christ is all you need.
 “To comfort all who mourn”  (Is 61:2).  God wipes away our tears on earth and will do that in eternity  (Mt 5:4; Re 7:17; 21:4).  That is because things like despair or even death will no longer be a part of life when Jesus comes again.  Christ is all you need.
At Christmas we who need so much get so much.  Christ is all you need for Christmas because of what he expresses—the good news that he bandages our busted hearts with freedom from our sin.  Tears of sorrow turn to tears of joy.
2.  Because of what he exchanges  (3)
On December 26th people traipse to the store because the sweater is the wrong kind or the shirt is the wrong color.  They find something that is their style or size.  Some thoughtful individuals wrap the receipt in the box to make that process of a swap or a switch a whole lot easier.  Isaiah shares a similar concept.  Christ is all you need for Christmas because of what he exchanges.
Isaiah instructs us about that being part of Christ’s work to “provide for those who grieve in Zion”  (Is 61:3).  That is because of what is traded.  And it is not like Christmas when I was growing up.  My siblings and I would exchange names so that we only had to buy one present and not three.  (I have been frugal for a long time.)  My two brothers and I never wanted to draw my sister’s name.  Who knows what to get a girl?  (Still one of my problems.)  She didn’t like football cards.  Jesus doesn’t have that issue.  He knows exactly what to replace with what.
 “to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes”  (Is 61:3).  Ashes were a symbol of distress.  A turban was a mark of delight.  That is what we wear.
 “the oil of gladness instead of mourning”  (Is 61:3).  A person would pour on oil on happy occasions like we spray on perfume or cologne for a date  (Ps 23:5).  That should not bring about any weeping.  Water no longer runs down our faces.
 “a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair”  (Is 61:3).  It is like donning a black tuxedo or a formal gown.  Those are festive garments and not for when there is fear.  We dress ourselves like that.
Christ is all you need for Christmas because of those great exchanges.  He became sin for us so that we would be right with God  (2 Co 5:21).  And we are.
And Isaiah highlights that result.  “They will be called oaks of righteousness”  (Is 61:3).  In a sense, we could compare it to the evergreen tree in your family room.  It is an image of strength and stability.  Everything is in line or in order between us and God.  We are not feeble, but firm.  The Lord answers the prayer of the psalmist:  “Deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me”  (Ps 71:2).  And he does.
And he gets the credit.  We are “a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor”  (is 61:3).  The angels had it right:  “Glory to God in the highest”  (Lk 2:14).  We repeat it too.  Christ is all you need for Christmas because of what he exchanges—happiness instead of sadness.  We can be what Paul commands:  “Be joyful always”  (1 Thess 5:16)—at Christmas and at Christ’s return.  We are blameless this day and that day.  God will keep us that way because he is faithful  (1 Thess 5:23,24).
What you want for Christmas is one thing.  What you need for Christmas is another.  Christ is all you need for Christ because of what he expresses—there is forgiveness—and because of what he exchanges—there is enjoyment in place of misery.  And we have Christ.  Then we do have everything.  Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you  (1 Thess 5:28).  Amen.


December 17, 2017

Second Sunday in Advent (Mark 1:1)

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord  (2 Pe 1:2).  Amen.

A title is meant to create interest and give you an indication of what is to follow.  Think of the last internet article you recently skimmed or your favorite TV show that you regularly watch.  The heading provides a clue of the content so that you were not unaware of what is to come.

The caption is also to grab your attention so you keep scrolling down paragraph after paragraph on your screen or tuning in week after week in your living room.  Mark’s gospel is like that.  He lets us know right away what he is going to cover.  It’s all about Jesus.

We don’t have to get too excited that in the weeks before Christmas people don’t greet each other with “Happy Advent.”  We still can.

And we still can appreciate the importance of the weeks leading up to Christmas.  It is a time of preparation for Jesus’ coming as a baby.  John the Baptist did that for the people along the banks of the Jordan River, making straight paths for Jesus as he is about to begin his ministry.  He did it by filling in the ditches of despair  (like the sinkhole on 694) and tearing down the peaks of pride  (Mk 1:3).

It was a message of repentance—a change of mind that leads to a change in life  (Mk 1:4).  That is what God wants—that “everyone to come to repentance”  (2 Pe 3:9)—turning from our sin and trusting in our Savior.  As we join those in the wilderness in confessing our sins, we are comforted.  Like the prophet Isaiah indicated to God’s people and to us:  “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her … that her sin has been paid for”  (Is 40:2).  Our debt from all the crooked and crummy things that we have done God pardons.  All through Jesus.  Or as John once pointed to Jesus, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  (Jn 1:29).  It was in their baptism and ours that God sends sins away.  The psalmists had us sing so confidently:  “You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins”  (Ps 85:2).

So without skipping over Advent too much, we want to celebrate Christmas a tad early.  (The choir is helping with that too.)  As we get ready to stop in the stable at Bethlehem, Mark allows us to look into the manger early.  We get a chance to see who is there.

Almost every word of Mark’s introduction is important.  “The beginning”  (Mk 1:1).  Finally you have to start somewhere.  A movie has to have an opening scene and a book an initial sentence.  But there is a bit more with Mark.  We go back to the first book of the Bible.  When God created the heavens and the earth, it was perfect  (Ge 1:31).  That included our first parents—Adam and Eve.  But when they believed the lie of the devil and ate of the forbidden fruit, they introduced sin into the world and its ugly companion death.  But God promised that one day, one of Eve’s offspring would crush the devil’s head  (Ge 3:15).  That happened on Good Friday.  Jesus finished him off for good  (Jn 19:30).  That was good news.

And that is what “gospel” means—good news.  Since “news” is a neutral word—news can be good or bad—we are glad that Mark records “The beginning of the gospel”  (Mk 1:1).  This is information that is exciting and enjoyable.  It is interesting that we refer to all four of the accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as “the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.”  They are all filled with good news.

That is because of the content of Mark’s biography.  “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God”  (Mk 1:1).
 “Jesus”  (Mk 1:1).  That is his personal name.  It means “the Lord saves.”  That is what Jesus did just as the angel taught Joseph when he told him:  “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins”  (Mt 1:21).  Look into the manger early with Mark and see Jesus—Savior.
 “Christ”  (Mk 1:1).  That is his professional office.  It is the same as “Messiah.”  Both translate as “the Anointed One.”  Jesus Christ was appointed to be …
 our prophet.  Just as Christ went around “from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God”  (Lk 8:1), we hear him speak to us in the Word, “words of eternal life”  (Jn 6:68).
 our priest.  Christ “sacrificed for [our] sins once for all when he offered himself”  (He 7:27).  Jesus will go from the cattle shed to a Roman cross.
 our king.  Christ, the One who rose from the dead, rules as “the Lord of both the dead and the living”  (Ro 14:9), operating as the Head in the best interest of his church  (Eph 1:20-20).
Look into the manger early with Mark and see the Christ—the Anointed One.
 “the Son of God”  (Mk 1:1).  Jesus, true God, took on flesh and became true man  (Jn 1:1,14).  He did it so that he could live under the Law perfectly for us  (Ro 5:19) and to destroy the devil  (He 2:14).  Look into the manger early with Mark and see the Son of God.

Even as we have a happy Advent, we can have a merry Christmas.  Look into the manger early with Mark.  There is good news.  It is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

We read from Mark 1:1:
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever!  Amen  (2 Pe 3:18).


December 10, 2017

First Sunday in Advent (Mark 13:32-37)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ  (1 Co 1:3).  Amen.

It is good to review the definitions of words that we use only on certain occasions.  That way we remember them.  “Advent” might be one of those worthy of recalling.  It derives from a Latin word which translates as “coming.”
As we enter a new year on the church calendar, we encourage one another for the next four weeks with Jesus’ coming—soon with the celebration of his birth as a baby and someday with the realization of his return as the Judge.
Jesus is coming.  Since that is the case, Advent also means waiting, working, and watching.  We read from …

Mark 13:32-37

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the coming Christ,
The church does not have sole rights to the word “advent.”  A dictionary entry or a computer search will not uncover that it a term used only by Christians for the time between the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I will give you an example.  It is hard to recollect a time before the age of cell phones.  They are so much a part of daily life.  And with every other commercial on TV about the latest device and greatest service that you have to have, who can forget about them?  But there was a time when there was no such thing.  As they were becoming popular, there may have been an article in the paper or in a magazine entitled, “The Advent of the Smartphone.”  (Now it is just the advent of a new number behind the iPhone.  [I think that letter “i” stands for “indispensable.”])
Advent does suggest a coming in general.  But we want to be a bit more specific.  We wait for Jesus’ arrival, his advent.

Advent means …
1.  Waiting  (32,33)
2.  Working  (34)
3.  Watching  (34-37)

1.  Waiting  (32,33)
This past week there was an issue with the toner in the photocopier.  This may come as a surprise to you, but that is not an area of expertise for me.  It required a call to a specialist to fix.  But he didn’t drive over immediately.  It wasn’t until a day after the problem was reported.  It is often that way with a repairman.  There is a wait.  Advent is like that.  Advent means waiting.
That is what Jesus relayed to his disciples.  It was Tuesday of Holy Week, three days before Jesus would hang on the cross.  It had been a busy day for him, fending off attacks from his enemies who were looking to trap him in his words and freeing up moments for his disciples who were trailing behind him to learn from him.  They had remarked about how big the temple was:  “What massive stones!”  (Mk 13:1).  And how beautiful it was:  “What magnificent buildings!”  (Mk 13:1).  After they found a spot on the Mount of Olives, Jesus took the opportunity to educate those men about the demolition of that temple and the end of this world.
But he didn’t pin it down for them—exactly when.  “No one knows about that day or hour”  (Mk 13:).  That includes the angels.  And even the Son according to his human nature.  As true man, Jesus laid aside the full and complete use of his divine abilities like knowing all things  (Php 2:6-8).  “Only the Father”  (Mk 13:32).  Only he has that information.  And he is going to keep that for himself.  It is not like when you put a pizza in the oven and set the timer.  You can pace by the oven 73 times, impatiently anticipating the delicious pie as the digital timer slowly counts down the minutes and even seconds.  You are aware of the precise moment when the buzzer will sound.  “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”  (Mk 13:32).  That should keep us or anyone else from inventing days or imagining hours.  It is not possible  (even as some have done it in the past).  Nor is it proper  (even though some will do it in the future).
The question is not in the coming, it is in the timing.  It is not like Christmas.  We are definite that it is in 22 days.  So since the Father has not apprised us, Jesus advises us:  “Be on guard!”  (Mk 13:33).  “See to it constantly.”  “Be alert!”  (Mk 13:33).  Be on the lookout continually.  Why?  “You do not know when that time will come”  (Mk 13:33).  And so we wait for that specific event like a fireman who anticipates the bell to go off during his shift at any time.
That lack of information of Jesus’ reappearance may be a bit frustrating, especially for those of us who are time conscious.  We set the alarm by our beds so that we awake in time to tackle a new day.  We even make sure that it is AM and not PM.  Then we check one or two more times.  When it is something important like school, we need to get up.  And not simply “in the morning.”
But God does it not to prank us, but prepare us.  Anytime Jesus could come.  So we don’t want to put off our readiness for him or push back our relationship with him as if to say, “I have time for that later.”  To those who might be tempted to postpone or procrastinate, “Be on guard!  Be alert!”  (Mk 13:33), Jesus insists.  Not tomorrow.  Today.  Jesus came once to give his life for your sins—even the ones of apathy and lethargy—so that he can give a place to you in heaven when he arrives again.  Jesus is coming.  Advent means waiting attentively for that.
2.  Working  (34)
The fact that the service on the copier didn’t happen for 24 hours didn’t stop all activity.  It did slow it down some.  But like you, there was plenty to do around the office.  Advent is like that.  While we wait, Advent means working.
Jesus drove that point home with a parable—another one of his illustrations from daily life to instruct a heavenly truth.  A man had left on a journey.  But before going out the door, he got things in order.  “He … puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task”  (Mk 13:34).  He gave each individual the authority to carry out his particular work and personal assignment.  They were to busy themselves with that.
Jesus is the One who departed.  He ascended into heaven after completing his purpose on earth.  He assured us that he will not stay away  (Jn 14:2,3).  It is comforting to understand that we are not far from his thoughts because he is not going to be gone forever.  So we stay awake.  And he doesn’t want us to sit on our hands, but to serve with them.  What the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, he reiterates to us:  “You do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed”  (1 Co 1:7).
Those abilities are diverse and distinct.  And no one is left out.  Each of us.  It as if Jesus points directly at us.  “Yes, to you.”  To which we do not respond, “No, not me.”  He has fashioned and formed us to be unique as Isaiah informed us:  “We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand”  (Is 64:8).  Instead of dodging our responsibilities, we devote ourselves to them—however it looks and whatever it is—whether husband or wife, child or student, boss or employee, and anything and everything in between.  It might be helpful to dig out your catechism and review Luther’s “Table of Duties” to see where you fit in.  We are not idle, but active.  Jesus is coming.  Advent means working faithfully until it.
3.  Watching  (34-37)
You are familiar with the drill.  “The technician will be there between 10:00 and 10:30.”  (You have to admit that timeframe is better than the 2 to 4-hour window of many companies.)  By the way, he showed up at 10:12.   I checked the clock.  But until then, I didn’t have a firm idea.  Advent is like that.  While we wait and watch, Advent means watching.
There is a significant detail in Jesus’ parable.  There was one special order from the man who was absent:  “He … tells the one at the door to keep watch”  (Mk 13:34).  The person at the entrance was to tell the members of the staff to keep at it while he stayed awake for when the lord of the house knocked unexpectedly.  It didn’t matter what time of the night, during any of the four watches from 6:00 in the evening until 6:00 in the morning—“whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn”  (Mk 13:35).
As we wait, we are not ignore the one who stands guard at the door.  It is easy to be spiteful as God’s representative highlights our sin.  But we can be grateful that he spotlights our Savior who rescues us from it and removes it from us.
Once again Jesus cautions.  “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back.  … If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping”  (Mk 13:35,36).  Sleep is good for our bodies.  It gives us drive.  But slumber is not good for our souls.  It makes us dull like when your eyelids droop while watching TV.  You become oblivious to what is going on around you.
So instead of being careless, we are careful.  We take to heart what was intended, not just for the 12, but for everybody.  “What I say to you, I say to everyone:  ‘Watch!’”  (Mk 13:37).  That is to you.  To me.  How do we do that?  By going back to our baptisms, by growing in the Word, by getting honest with our guilt.  All so that our eyes are open to welcome the King of glory, “The LORD Almighty”  (Ps 24:10), with clean hands and a pure heart  (Ps 24:4).  And not in fear, but by faith.  That is because our faithful God will keep us strong and blameless up to the last day  (1 Co 1:8,9).  Jesus is coming.  Advent means watching attentively for it.
You may or may not walk out of here with the significance of the word Advent in mind.  It does stand for “coming.”  But there is more to this four-week stretch starting this day.  Advent also means waiting, working, and watching.  Jesus is coming.  “Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus”  (Re 22:20).  Amen.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you  (1 Co 16:23). Amen.


December 3, 2017

Fourth Sunday of End Time - Christ the King (Matthew 27:27-31)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ  (1 Co 1:3).  Amen.

There are some things that seem out of place.  Like if I stood before you this morning, wearing a flowery Hawaiian shirt, tan cargo shorts, and worn out flip-flops.  That attire is not wrong.  Maybe just not in the setting of church or during the season of fall.  At least, not for me.  (Actually, that might go for any time of the year.)  You might concentrate on what I am sporting rather than consider what I am saying.  (Plus I hardly have a tan to show off.)

Did the gospel lesson feel like that?  Here we are at the end of the church year.  It appears as if we have skipped over Christmas and gone straight to Lent.  Add to that the emphasis is on Christ the King and we head to Praetorium, Pilate’s official residence in Jerusalem  (Mt 27:27).  And it is anything but royal or regal.  Hands and mouths raised in mockery, not in flattery.  That might not fit our picture of a king with an immense castle and an ornate throne.

But it is critical that we contemplate what we regularly confess in the Apostles’ Creed:  “I believe in Jesus Christ, … who … suffered under Pontius Pilate”  (CW p. 41).  That is quite clear in this section.

And it can be that it comes down to a matter of inflection, or tone of voice.  (It is hard to reproduce in writing.  That is why we have to resort to emojis when we email.)  Think back to last Thursday at your Thanksgiving feast.  You could push yourself away from the table, not completely satisfied with the fixings, and complain:  “You are a great cook.”  Or you could waddle away from the meal, feeling pleasantly bloated from the food, and contend:  “You are a great cook.”  The difference is one is in sarcasm, the other in sincerity.

Which is it with Jesus?  “Hail, king of the Jews!”  (Mt 27:29).  Ridicule or reality?

It is not hard to figure out with the Roman soldiers on Good Friday.  They had been stationed there to keep the peace.  (That tour of duty was hardly a dream assignment for them.)  Pilate had already condemned Jesus  (Mt 27:26).  Now it was their turn to have some fun at Jesus’ expense.  This particular entertainment is not easy to watch.  We almost want to cover our eyes to their perverse amusement.  It if were a movie, there might be a warning that it contains violent and graphic scenes.

And this is no minor embarrassment like when you trip on the sidewalk for no apparent reason.  This is all out humiliation.  The verbal, physical and psychological abuse was almost as if to express, “Look at him who claims to be king.  How puny.  How powerless.  How pathetic.”  This was no king to them.  More like a criminal.

There was Jesus, “the whole company of soldiers around him”  (Mt 27:27).  That was a cohort, consisting of up to 600 men  (cf. Ps 22:16,17).  And before Calvary, there was definitely cruelty.

Jesus, a king?  Well, he had to look the part.  So they made sure of it with a bogus coronation ceremony as a vulgar joke.  All along they failed to grasp how right they were in all of this.
 A king needs a mantel—a sign of the office.  “They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him”  (Mt 27:28).  They took off his clothes and took away his dignity at the same time.  The weight must have pressed into his back already shred in bloody ribbons by the earlier flogging  (Mt 27:26).  The color red replacing the majestic purple.
 A king needs a crown—a symbol of honor.  “They … then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head”  (Mt 27:28,29).  This was not made out of bright gold, but braided with sharp points.  They were probably not gentle as they jammed it on his skull, drawing blood and causing pain.
 A king needs a scepter—an emblem of monarchs.  “They put a staff in his right hand”  (Mt 27:29).  It might have been a thick stalk.
 A king needs a following—an entourage of supporters.  “They … knelt in front of him and mocked him.  “Hail, king of the Jews!”  (Mt 27:29).  Their intentions were obvious.  They fell to the ground in false and fake reverence.  That form of greeting was anything but a wish for happiness.  If we paraphrase it to “Long Live the King,” they were well aware that the King would not live long.

Included is a huge demonstration of disrespect.  “They spit on him”  (Mt 27:30).  It may be hard to think of many more things that are that demeaning as far as an indication of disapproval.  “My saliva is all that suitable for you.”  And “They … took the staff and struck him on the head again and again”  (Mt 27:30).  Not once.  Not twice.  Repeatedly.  Repetitively.

And what do you do with a counterfeit king?  “After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him.  Then they led him away to crucify him”  (Mt 27:31).  Now they would carry out the order of execution.

“Hail, king of the Jews”  (Mt 27:29).  The soldiers shouted it in mockery.

All of that dishonor is disgusting.  No different today as the world continues its hatred of and hostility against Jesus as they reject and refuse him.  But we need to be careful.  We drag Jesus off the throne of our hearts when we promote people or pleasure or possessions ahead of him.  Or we choose lust instead of purity or coveting rather than contentment and worry in place of trust.  There is disgrace from us too.  Or there is disappointment with the way he runs our life.  We get the idea that there are more failures than successes.

But we don’t want to dwell on the gory details so that we feel sorry for Jesus.  (In a way, it is hard not to.)  But we focus on this to be amazed at him.  Jesus did it.  And no surprise.  The prophet Isaiah had foretold it 700 years before, quoting the Messiah:  “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting” (Is 50:6).  And Jesus foresaw it, preparing his disciples:  “We are going to Jerusalem, … and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law.  They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him”  (Mk 10:33,34).  Jesus didn’t miss much, did he?

And Jesus took it.  Every bit of it.  Willingly.  Gladly.  Lovingly  (Eph 5:25,26).  For us—the innocent One for the guilty ones  (1 Pe 3:18).  As Peter put it, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. … by his wounds you have been healed”  (1 Pe 2:23,24).

The concept of Jesus as king runs through Matthew’s Gospel …
 from the wise men who came to worship the Christ-child, “the king of the Jews”  (Mt 2:2),
 to the ones who welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”  [Israel’s great king]  (Mt 21:9),
 to the one who wrote the inscription on the cross, “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS”  (Mt 27:37).  It is there and it was then that God took out his anger on our sin so that he could take the guilt of it away.  And now it is gone, all gone.

Jesus is the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise through Ezekiel:  “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd”  (Eze 34:23). Jesus came to preside over the house of Jacob forever.  His kingdom will never end  (Lk 1:32,33).  Because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down his life and took it up again  (Jn 10:17), we joyfully add our songs as we chanted with the psalmists:  “Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises”  (Ps 47:6).

And that is because we know the rest of the story.  Jesus had predicted it too.  “Three days later he will rise”  (Mk 10:34).  And Jesus did.  The apostle Paul makes it plain:  “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead”  (1 Co 15:20).  The King, our King, has conquered death, our last enemy  (1 Co 15:26).  Right now he manages all things for the good of his church  (Eph 1:22,23).  One day he will return for us, raise up all those who have died, and relay the blessings of heaven to us.  He is the firstfruits, and we will follow  (1 Co 15:23).  He lives and so will we—eternally.

“Hail, king of the Jews”  (Mt 27:29).  God shows it in reality.  And it is not out of line from our lips:  “Hail, King Jesus.”

We read from Matthew 27:27-31:
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.
28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head.  They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him.  “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.
30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.
31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him.  Then they led him away to crucify him.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you  (1 Co 16:23).  Amen.


November 26, 2017

Thanksgiving Eve (1 Chronicles 29:10-13)

We praise our God with thankfulness … because he is the Source of all good


On this Thanksgiving Eve, I don’t mean to dismiss what the early pilgrims did at Plymouth after a good harvest.  Nor do I intend to disregard which US President declared the official date after some variation.  But that is of historical or national importance.  I will let to your own scholarly research on wikipedia.org for the pertinent details.

Instead, it is good for us to consider the personal and congregational significance of this holiday since it doesn’t fall on the church calendar like Christmas or Easter or Pentecost.

It is valuable that Thanksgiving falls near the end of November.  We have had almost 11 months to see and celebrate how the Lord has been with us and has blessed us.  And he has—in different ways and at distinct times.  It is useful to carve out some moments to reflect on that in the coming days—in between the scarfing of food and shopping for presents.

It was just about the close of his life that David stood before his people  (1 Chron 29:10).  With the eyes of all on him, he burst out in praise of the Lord with a wonderful prayer.

It was not something spontaneous.  It was scripted.  We need to reconstruct the setting.  Recall how God had said “no” to David’s building project.  (It may be hard to believe, but earthly fathers struggle with that word.  Our heavenly Father doesn’t.)  David had wanted to put up a house of worship for God.  David was residing in a lovely palace of cedar while the Lord’s ark was resting behind the curtains of a tent.  That seemed a bit out of place or out of proportion.

Despite David’s good intentions, God declined.  But he determined to something better.  God relayed his construction goals.  David would not build the Lord a house, but the Lord would build David a house  (1 Chron 17:4,10-14).  That is a play on words.  David was thinking of a dwelling place.  God was referring to a perpetual dynasty.  Solomon was the partial fulfillment.  Jesus was the final person  (Lk 1:32,33).  When David heard from Nathan the pledge that the Savior would come from his line, he did not throw a royal temper tantrum.  He rejoiced.

Solomon would soon succeed David on the throne of Israel.  This man of peace would erect the temple  (1 Chron 29:1).  David spent the rest of his life helping his son to carry out that enormous task.  He pledged his own personal fortune—to the tune of “three thousand talents of gold  [that is, 110 tons]  … and seven thousand talents of refined silver”  [that is, 260 tons]  (1 Chron 29:4).  That is no small change.  And that is leading by example.  And then David encouraged the heads of Israel to join in the freewill offering.  When they responded in an overwhelming fashion, David poured out his heart to the Lord, thanking God for his goodness and his greatness, the One who is changeless in his love and timeless in his nature.

He begins:  “Praise be to you, O LORD … from everlasting to everlasting”  (1 Chron 29:10).  And he is not just the LORD, but “God of our father Israel”  (1 Chron 29:10).  The One who has all power had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that the Messiah would be from them.

We know that God has kept his word.  The Christ has come.  We join David speaking words of the excellence of the Lord, who is eternal—no beginning and no end.  He has guarded us in the past, he guides us in the present, and guarantees our home in the future.  We praise our God with thankfulness for he is good.

But before David gets to the “what” of thanksgiving, he goes on with the “who” of thanksgiving with five terms.  “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor”  (1 Chron 29:11).  He heaps up a number of terms as if he is consulting a thesaurus for synonyms.  The Lord is deserving of that high status ascribed to him.  Think of Israel’s history—from selecting them as his own to saving them from Egypt.  When we think of our own record, it is no wonder that we echo those thoughts often when we say the Lord’s Prayer:  “For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever.  Amen”  (CW p. 20).

And then David passes along the critical reminder:  “for everything in heaven and earth is yours”  (1 Chron 29:11).  The temptation is to put the word “my” in front of things—my family and fortune, my car and computer, my money and minutes.  Those are just some of the good and perfect gifts that come down from our heavenly Father  (Ja 1:17).  He holds all things and hands some to us to use and not abuse.  We are dependent on him for everything.  As the hymn writer puts it  (and many of us sang growing up):  “We give thee but thine own, whate’er the gift may be; all that we have is thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from thee”  (CW 485:1).

David moves from God’s glory to God’s grace:  “Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all”  (1 Chron 29:11).  That is not a real estate on a map, but his everlasting rule in our hearts with his Word and sacraments.  He demands and deserves the first place in our hearts as he controls and commands all things for our good  (Ro 8:28).  God has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his Son through whom we have the forgiveness of all of our sins  (Col 1:13,14).  We praise our God with thankfulness for he is good.

David continues as he comments on how the Lord deals with people.  “Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.  In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all”  (1 Chron 29:12).  What we achieve comes from his hand—not just our hard work.  What we accomplish is from his hand—not just our wise head.  Moses had warned the Children of Israel before they entered the Promised Land not to forget the Lord.  “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’  But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth”  (Dt 8:17,18).  We don’t look inward—to ourselves, but outward—to our God.  He offers us the status of being his children and the skill to earn a living, serving him who is over us and those who are around us.  We boast in the Lord  (1 Co 1:31).  To him be the glory!

We praise our God with thankfulness because he is the Source of all good.  Happy Thanksgiving.

We read from 1 Chronicles 29:10-12:
10 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.  11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.  Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.  In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.


We praise our God with thankfulness … because he is the Center of all gratitude


I don’t know what was on the table of the pilgrims or presidents of days gone by.  Again, that is what google is for.  You more than likely have an idea of what you are going to prepare for tomorrow.  There are the side dishes—from candied yams to mashed potatoes, from cranberry sauce to pumpkin pie.  (I didn’t mean to make your mouth water, especially if you have not had supper, or make you panic if you haven’t even started thinking about it.)  But the highlight of the day is probably turkey whether it is fried in oil or roasted in the oven.

The highpoint of our thanksgiving is our God.  David draws our attention to that.  “Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name”  (1 Chron 29:13).  It is worthwhile to note whose God he is—your God, my God, our God.  He belongs to us as we to him.  We acknowledge it and appreciate it.  We praise our God with our own “hallelujah.”  The Lord has given us his splendid name—to bless us  (Nu 6:22-27) and to save us  (Acts 4:12).

There is one more page on the calendar of this year.  Already tonight we can look ahead to Christmas.  We will again go to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus whose name signifies “Savior.”  As the angel instructed Joseph, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins”  (Mt 1:21).  And Jesus did just that as he lived perfectly in our place, doing what we couldn’t, and died willingly on the cross, delivering us from Satan.  To God be the glory!

We praise our God with thankfulness because he is the Center of all gratitude.  Happy Thanksgiving.

We read from 1 Chronicles 29:13:
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.


November 22, 2017

Second Sunday of End Time - Last Judgment

Grace and peace to you  (1 Thess 1:1).  Amen.

Waiting is hard if it is something frightening like a visit to a dentist’s office.  (I apologize to that profession.  It is honorable.)  And then the comment:  “When is the nurse going to call my name?”
But it is also true if it is something fun like a matinee in a movie theater.  And then the question:  “When is the film going to start?”
So we encourage.  “Sit still.  It won’t be much longer before your mouth is sore.”  (That might not be very compassionate.)  Or “settle down.  It won’t be much more before the lights are dim.”
What about Jesus’ return?  He is coming.  We can be patient because we have that promise.  The apostle Paul writes to remind us of our responsibility to each other.  Encourage one another about Judgement Day with caution, with confidence, and with comfort.  We read from …

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, who will come to judge the living and the dead,
It is kind of ominous, isn’t it?  End times.  Judgment Day.
And we are in the end times—both on the calendar of the church and in the history of the world.  There are definite signs.  All you have to do is look at the bulletin to spot the heading in bold print or log on to the internet to see something like another mass shooting—this time in Texas.  It is sad, if not sickening.  And there will be a final and last day of judgment.
But how do you regard it when all stand before him  (Da 7:9)?  A day of reckoning to be afraid of like a long root canal or a day of rejoicing to be glad about like the latest action flick?  Moses had us pray to our eternal Lord:  “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”  (Ps 90:12).
Paul gives us some direction as the day nears.

Encourage One Another about Judgment Day
1.  With caution  (1-3)
2.  With confidence  (4-8)
3.  With comfort  (9-11)

1.  With caution  (1-3)
We are not in doubt when it comes to an appointment because we have an email confirmation or a show because we have a ticket stub.  The same is true of Judgment Day.  While we might not be able to pinpoint it, we can prepare for it.  Encourage one another with caution.
And the apostle addresses the issue with his “brothers”  (1 Thess 5:1)—those with the same Father in heaven and the same faith in their hearts.  [In fact, Paul uses that designation two times in this section of Scripture.]  That is not fake or false, but serious and sincere.  They belonged to the same family.  That was how they were to view one and all.  We can have that same attitude.  Look around.  Brothers and sisters.  Not to fight with, but to firm up.  To encourage.
We know that Jesus is coming.  We don’t know when Jesus is coming.  God decided that it is not necessary for us to have that information.  It is pointless then to speculate.  Jesus said as much:  “No one knows about that day or hour”  (Mt 24:36).  And yet some try.  It is useless.
That was part of Paul’s teaching the few weeks that he was in the city of Thessalonica.  He simply summarizes:  “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you”  (1 Thess 5:1).  There is a specific and significant moment that only God has on his calendar.  We don’t have the necessity to have knowledge of exactly when like a child is unaware of when supper will be on the table.  But from his comfy rocker in the living room, he can smell the microwave lasagna being nuked in the kitchen.  It is soon that he will shovel it into his mouth.  The uncertainty of the time doesn’t diminish the certainty of the meal.
Paul repeats the illustration that Jesus employed:  “For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night”  (1 Thess 5:2; cf. Mt 24:42,43).  Paul had detailed that carefully for them so that there was no confusion.  It will be unexpected like when a robber sneaks in to steal.  He doesn’t call or text:  “I hope that Thursday at 3:07 PM is open for you.  I was thinking of stopping by for a few things that might interest me.”
It will catch many off guard.  They will be proclaiming, “Peace and safety”  (1 Thess 5:3).  There is an outlook of false tranquility as they go about life.  In other words they claim, “It is all good.  No cause for concern.”  But there will be no such calm or quiet.  “Destruction will come on them suddenly”  (1 Thess 5:3).  Paul provides a picture of how quickly that will occur.  Some of us understand it from experience—up close and personal.  [That is why we have Mother’s Day.]  Others of us only have observed from beside the hospital bed:  “as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape”  (1 Thess 5:3).  Once the first contraction hits, there is no turning back as if she can reschedule or rethink.  There is no way to change her mind or her condition—“But I don’t want to be pregnant.”  She had nine months warning.  And now it is here.  It is unstoppable and irreversible just like Judgment Day.
There is no avoiding or evading the “day of the Lord” when he comes to divide believers and unbelievers like a shepherd easily and efficiently does with sheep and goats  (Mt 25:32).  Encourage one another about Judgment Day with caution.  We don’t want to get caught up with the cares and concerns of life on earth that we forget about the pleasures and perfection of life in heaven that Jesus has prepared.  Jesus is coming.  We pray:  “Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus”  (Re 22:20).
2.  With confidence  (4-8)
We are not in danger.  A dentist is to help when there is a tooth issue and a movie is to entertain when there is free time.  We don’t have to shy away from Judgment Day.  Encourage one another with confidence.
Instead of a phony sense of security, the Thessalonians had a firm status of safety in view of Jesus’ entrance on earth again.  Paul is emphatic:  “But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief”  (1 Thess 5:4).  None of this would shock them.  They were informed and enlightened.
He calls attention to what they are:  “You are all sons of the light and sons of the day.  We do not belong to the night or to the darkness”  (1 Thess 5:5).  There is a tremendous difference.  Believers have a close relationship with the light and with the day.
We are in the light too as we follow the “Light of the world”  (Jn 8:12)—Jesus, who removes our sin.  And there is no connection with the opposite—darkness and night which separate us from God.  Light is the direct opposite of darkness and day of night.  There is nothing in common.  That is a bit more apparent as it seems to be getting darker earlier.
And it will show in our conduct.  “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep”  (1 Thess 5:6).  Sleep is a good thing.  But Paul uses the idea that when a person is snoozing, he is unaware of what is going on around him.  Such is an unbeliever.  He or she is totally ignorant of what is coming.  That is spiritual slumber.
Instead Paul urges us:  “But let us be alert and self-controlled”  (1 Thess 5:6).  We are to stay awake—eyes open.
• Not like a napper.  That one is oblivious to her surroundings.  We are to be clear headed.
• Not like a drunk.  That one is out of his senses.  We are to be completely sober.
That is the way many try to get rid of the reality of problems—dozing off or drinking up.  But that only creates more trouble.  We want to be on the watch constantly for Jesus’ arrival again because Satan would have us look down at things like our hurts or our happiness.  Our Savior would have us look up at things like forgiveness and freedom.
But our Lord does not leave us alone to fend for ourselves.  We can be attentive and sober—not active in nighttime pursuits, but energetic in daytime interests.  “For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night”  (1 Thess 5:7).  That is when most crimes and carousing occur—under the cover of darkness, when people assume that no one is watching.  Not us—Paul, you, or me.  “But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet”  (1 Thess 5:8).  [We just celebrated Veteran’s Day.  Thank you to those men and women who have served.]  No soldier would head into battle semiconscious or slightly liquored up.  That would be dangerous, if not deadly.  We have God-given body armor, dressed for combat against the old evil foe and the evil in us and around us.
 The breastplate covered a soldier’s chest against blows and arrows.  Fling what the devil will—from despair to disbelief, we are safe and secure.  Faith grabs ahold of God’s promises, confident that what he declares, he does.
And we respond with love—faith in action, expressing our thanks for all that he does like those on the king’s right—“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me”  (Mt 25:35,36).  None of those are above or beyond us, too difficult or demanding.  That is the evidence of faith in our hearts.
 The helmet shielded the legionnaire’s head from fatal hits.  God guards our minds as we have the definite realization that heaven is our home, guaranteed to us in Christ.
Dressed like that, we take our stand  (Eph 6:11) for all of the 70 or 80 years that the psalmist mentioned  (Ps 90:12)—or more, for some.  And we will not fall.  Encourage one another about Judgment Day with confidence.  We will not be overwhelmed, but we will overcome with Christ by our side.  Jesus is coming.  We pray:  “Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus”  (Re 22:20).
3.  With comfort  (9-11)
We are not in denial.  Leaning back in that chair or lounging in that seat makes it clear of our intent—to have clean teeth or to have a good time.  We know the reality of Judgment Day.  Encourage one another with comfort.
Paul recalls for us God’s desire—to live with him, not without him.  “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ”  (1 Thess 5:9).  He never wanted us to experience the pain eternal separation from him.  But to those who reject him, he reacts with those chilling words:  “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”  (Mt 25:41).  And that severe punishment will never end  (Mt 25:46).
But God has rescued us from that impossible situation of being lost in our sin—through the Lord—who is over all, Jesus—whose name means Savior, Christ—who shed his blood for us, speaks to us in his Word, who sits at God’s right hand.  Or as Paul put it:  “He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him”  (1 Thess 5:10).  Jesus offered his life in our place and for our benefit—along with all people of all time, whether they are on the lookout for his reappearance or not.  (Of course, there are those who refuse that.)  He sends our sins away and will never send us away.  Instead we will hear the sweet invitation:  “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world”  (Mt 25:34).  And that life is eternal  (Mt 25:46).
That was to be the topic of conversation among the Thessalonian brothers and sisters as if they put their arms around one another—as it was from brother to brother.  “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing”  (1 Thess 5:11).  We can definitely talk about the weather or work, but there is more—one on one, whenever or wherever, as we gather for worship or as we chat on the phone or as we send notes over email or as we study together in class.  It could be a gigantic hug or a sympathetic tear.  Find those opportunities and occasions to strengthen each other with the good news that Jesus died.  And that Jesus rose.  And because he did, we will too.  Encourage each other about Judgment Day with confidence.  Jesus is coming.  We pray:  “Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus”  (Re 22:20).
And so we wait, not out of weariness like at the dentist’s office or movie theater, but with willingness to see the “Ancient of Days” take his seat and open his books where he has recorded our names  (Da 7:9,10).  But we do not fear.  There is none of that when you walk into a courtroom and you are innocent.  We are right with him—through Jesus.  We greet Judgment Day happily, not groan about it heavily.  We will be with the Lord forever  (1 Thess 4:17).  Encourage each other about Judgment Day …
 with caution—be set,
 with confidence—be sure,
 with comfort—be certain.
Yes, come Lord, Jesus.  We are ready.  Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you  (1 Thess 5:28).  Amen.


November 12, 2017