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

First Sunday of End Time - Reformation

Reformation Reality—Old and New – Grace Alone


You probably have seen the four letters—BOGO.  It may have been at a retail store referring to t-shirts or tennis shoes when you were at the mall.  I have spotted them at a gas station relating to candy bars or slim jims when I was in line.  (You can perhaps guess which one grabs my attention faster.)  It stands for “buy one get one (add the word ‘free’).”  [Apparently we can’t handle five letters.] I don’t want to scream false advertising, but is the second one really free?  You had to pay for one to get another one.  Free?

Do we really understand free?

And then God comes along with his grace.  It is important that we understand what that is exactly.  It means …
 To show someone an undeserved favor like shoveling your neighbor’s driveway in winter when he blew all of his leaves in your lawn in fall.
 To give someone an undeserved gift like if you give your wife a present today and her birthday isn’t until the end of the month.
Maybe “undeserved kindness” covers both of those thoughts.  That is God’s grace.  And it is unmerited, unearned—actually the opposite of what we deserve.  And yet he offers it to us.  Free.

That is because of who he is.  And he tells us as much like if I were to ask you to describe yourself—what you were like.  It could be:  “I am tall.”   Or “I am friendly.”  [That is not autobiographical.]

Moses was to present himself before God on Mt. Sinai with two new stone tablets.  Recall how he had smashed and shattered the ones when he descended the mountain the first time.  The children of Israel were dancing and prancing around the Gold Calf in worship.  Now the Lord was going to write again on the fresh tablets the words of the Ten Commandments.  He was also going to reestablish the covenant that Israel had broken.  He would still be their God and they his people.

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “‘The LORD, the LORD’”  (Ex 34:6,7).  Martin Luther once labeled these words “the sermon on the name of the Lord.”  That is a special name, his personal and proper name—to bless us and save us  (Nu 6:22-27; Acts 4:12).  And it has great significance.  He is ageless and timeless and changeless  (Ex 3:14)—not merciful one day and mad the next, not kind one month and cruel the next.

And his name is more than just some sounds and syllables.  The LORD is:
 “the compassionate … God”  (Ex 34:6).  This is a deep love based on and rooted in a natural relationship like between a mother and her son.  God has made us his children.  And that is what we are  (1 Jn 3:1).
 “the … gracious God”  (Ex 34:6).  There it is—gracious.  God’s love is free—for nothing.  We delight in it and enjoy it.
 “slow to anger”  (Ex 34:6).  We don’t have to guess when someone is irate.  Nostrils flare.  Veins pop.  But the Lord is patient even though he has every right to be upset with sinners.  The picture is that God’s nose doesn’t get red.  It doesn’t burn up right away.  He wants all to repent—turning from sin and turning to the Savior  (2 Pe 3;9).
 “abounding in love and faithfulness”  (Ex 34:6).  On a scale of 1-10, his love, his mercy, is an 11+.  And he is reliable and dependable.  And that will not ever stop or cease.

A self-description would also include what you do.  For me, it would be “I am a pastor, preaching and teaching. ”  As the Lord, he continues:
 “maintaining love to thousands”  (Ex 34:7).  Like an ancient watchman on a city wall, God constantly keeps that mercy and love to a huge number, 1000s—not numerically, but figuratively.  We would say billions just like a particular fast food restaurant claims that it serves.  It goes beyond counting.  And it goes on and on and on—all the way to us and for us.
 “forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin”  (Ex 34:7).  He lifts up all that is crooked, twisted, and bent and which brings guilt.  He takes away all the times that we have willfully rebelled and wrongfully revolted against God, breaking our association with him.  He carries off all that misses the mark.
Luther once put it this way:  “Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God.  Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free and will be saved.  Now choose what you want.  According to law and justice, your sins should no doubt remain on you, but grace has cast them upon Christ, the Lamb of God.  If God had it in mind to deal with us on other terms, we would be done for”  (Sermon on Nov. 3, 1539, on John 1:29).

That is the LORD—who he is and what he does.

The apostle Paul picks up the point of grace too.  Really he highlights two things before that:
 God’s profound love with which he loved us:  “because of his great love for us”  (Eph 2:4)—Jew, Gentile, Paul, us  (Jn 3:16).  God operates in the best interest of the individual loved.  His love is active and effective, one-way and one-sided.  He is love  (1 Jn 4:8).
 God’s ongoing mercy:  “who is rich in mercy”  (Eph 2:4).  He has mercy in abundance like a millionaire has loads of dollar bills.  Mercy is an attitude in the mind and heart of God that moves him to take pity on us when he sees our lost condition.  Think of what goes through your head when you see the suffering brought about by the recent hurricanes.  And you may have sent in some money for aid, showing concern for those in need, attempting to relieve the person and remove the problem.

And then there is God’s grace.  “God … made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved”  (Eph 2:4,5).  He took those dead in sins  [That is an accurate portrayal—unable to respond to anything or reply to anyone like a corpse in a coffin.  And not half-dead or sort of sick—dead.]  (Eph 2:1)—because of all the times that we have stumbled like a circus performer falling from a tightrope above—and gave us life together with Christ.  Once spiritually dead, now spiritually alive—creating faith, giving life.

What was the means?  Grace.  By grace he saved us.  He rescued us from an impossible situation like a hotshot firefighter snatches you out of a ring of fire as you are coughing from the smoke and collapsing to the ground in the woods—no hope whatsoever of getting out alive.  And he restores you to safety.  God does it all, no help or hand from us.  “It is by grace you have been saved”  (Eph 2:5).

That is the Reformation Reality that we celebrate—grace alone saves.  Happy Reformation.

Exodus 34:6,7
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

Ephesians 2:4,5
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.


Reformation Reality—Old and New – Faith Alone


Finish the sentence:  It is easy to have confidence in someone when …  Maybe it is too simple to state:  It is easy to have confidence in someone when he or she is trustworthy.  It is right in the word—worthy of trust.  Then we put our confidence in or our faith in that one  (He 11:1).

That is what the Lord trained Abram to do.  He had just freed his nephew Lot who had been captured by a coalition of 4 kings.  God came to Abram to bolster his trust in him.  In a vision, the Lord reassured and reminded him:  “Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield  [that is, your source of protection], your very great reward  [that is, your source of blessing]”  (Ge 15:1).

But there was something bothering Abram.  He had no son.  And therefore no Savior.  The Messiah was to come from him.  Abram was going to take matters into his own hands.  He would adopt Eliezer, his servant, as his heir.  God’s reply in a word was:  “No.”  He took Abram outside and told him to count the stars—if he could.  That is how many offspring he would have.

Abram’s response:  “Abram believed the LORD”  (Ge 15:6).  God caused Abram to be sure and certain that if God said so, it would be so.  In a sense, Abram said “amen.”  That is because of the object of his faith—the LORD—was unfailing.  And that even if and when his wife was beyond childbearing years  (Ro 4:19-21).  If God can fill the sky with stars, he can fill a womb with a child.

“He  [the LORD] credited it to him  [to Abram] as righteousness”  (Ge 15:6).  God considered him right with him—in line with a standard, blameless.  And it wasn’t because of what Abram had done, but what Abram’s descendant would do.  The Lord credited Jesus’ righteousness to him like a teller deposits a check in your account.  In the words of Luther:  “Lord Jesus, I am your sin, you are my righteousness.  I made you what you were not and you made me what I was not.”

The apostle Paul has that incident in mind when he writes to the Christians in Rome.  The Jews held their forefather in pretty high regard  (Ro 4:1).  So do we.  He is “the father of all who believe”  (Ro 4:11; cf. 16).  And that faith is what Paul zeroes in on as he puts Abraham on the stand like a lawyer does with a witness.  “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?”  (Ro 4:1).

What about Abraham?  How did God declare him “not guilty?”  By the many good things he had done?  And the list is lengthy.  Like leaving his homeland and moving to where God would show him.  Like being willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac.  “If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God”  (Ro 4:2).

No.  The Bible gives the answer.  “What does Scripture say?  ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness’”  (Ro 4:3).  That is accountant lingo.  God entered in his balance sheet, “free of any and every charge.”  That is what God does for us as he takes us into a courtroom.  He acquits us.  Faith grabs ahold of that and accepts it as true.  It is the instrument that receives Jesus’ righteousness.  Not what I do for God, but what God does for me in Jesus.  Luther once commented:  “We define a Christian as follows:  A Christian is not someone who has no sin or feels no sin; he is someone to whom, because of his faith in Christ, God does not impute his sin”  (AE 26:133).

Paul takes us to the workplace to illustrate that.  “Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation”  (Ro 4:4).  When I was younger, the neighbor paid me to mow his lawn.  When I was done, he didn’t hand me a 5 dollar bill  (I don’t know what that would translate into today with the rate of inflation) and contend, “Here is a little gift for you.”  No with my sweating and straining, I gained that.  And he owed that to me.  Now if my brother who sat in the house, lounging on the couch and sipping lemonade, was handed a five spot, that would be a gift.

“However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness”  (Ro 4:5).  Each one of us doesn’t give to God to get from God.  He gives and we get.  He frees us of our sin.  And note what Paul labels us—“the wicked”  (Ro 4:5)—those who would rather spit in God’s face than stand by his side, no reverence of him or respect for him.  Those are the ones God “credits as righteousness.”  To the believer.  To us.  Faith accepts that righteousness that is already there like a gift placed in our hands.  We right with God.  Faith says “Amen” with Abraham.

That is the Reformation Reality that we celebrate—faith alone believes.  Happy Reformation.

Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:1-5
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?  2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.  3 What does Scripture say?  “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.  5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
 

Reformation Reality—Old and New – Scripture Alone


Note the significance of each sentence:
1)  A man just has to be good with his word.  We can lament that the days of your word and handshake were good enough to seal the deal are long gone.  But it is still the case.  Your word is all that you have.
2)  A man can’t just be good with words.  There has to be follow though.  Otherwise, they are just words.  Words are just not enough.
I guess that we could summarize that with the cliché:  “Say what you mean and mean what you say.”  A promise made is to be a promise kept.  That is how the Lord operates.  Always.

There was the time when King David had a great and grandiose plan.  He was living in a beautiful, cedar palace.  And the temple was still a tent  (2 Sa 7:1).  He decided to remedy that by constructing a house for the Lord.  The prophet Nathan agreed until that night when the Lord announced:  “David is not going to build me a house—a physical structure.  I will build his house—a Messianic dynasty.”  Jesus would come from him.

When David heard that, he poured out his heart in prayer.  One of his statements was:  “And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house.  Do as you promised”  (2 Sa 7:25).  To paraphrase:  “Cause it to happen, Lord—this thing that you have spoken.  Accomplish it.  Fulfill it.”

And the Lord did.  God says what he does and does what he says.  That is what the angel Gabriel assured Mary when he asserted that she was going to be a virgin mother:  “He will be great and will be called the Son of the most High.  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).  Christmas is right around the corner when we will commemorate that again.

Those two disciples on Easter Sunday afternoon were grappling with the events the last few days.  They were discussing them when that unknown visitor merged onto the walkway like we do on the freeway.  That is when Jesus, the Risen Savior, gave that gentle rebuke and giant reminder:  “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and enter his glory?”  (Lk 24:26).  Yes.  Yes, he did.  There was that divine necessity—suffering and death, but victory and glory.  And he did.  Christmas and Easter go hand in hand.

But Jesus didn’t stop there:  “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself”  (Lk 24:27).  Jesus interpreted the Old Testament for them like someone translates Luther’s German into English since it is not our first language.

We can bemoan the fact that Jesus didn’t leave us a written handout, a printed outline, or a flashy PowerPoint.  While that might be nice, we can get our noses in the Old Testament for the things about Jesus.  We can search the Scriptures because they testify of him and give eternal life  (Jn 5:39; 20:31).

 It was Moses who recorded that first gospel promise: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”  (Ge 3:15).  And there on the cross of Calvary, Jesus cries:  “It is finished”  (Jn 19:30).
 Moses predicted the Prophet who would come and who would be like Moses  (Dt 18:15).  And it was Philip who proclaimed to Nathaniel:  “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph”  (Jn 1:45).

Speaking of the prophets.
 Micah foretold of Bethlehem as Jesus’ birthplace  (Mi 5:2; Luke 2:1ff.).  The angels burst out into song the night by that little town.
 Zechariah has Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey  (Zech 9:9; Mt 21:5).  There is Palm Sunday.
 Isaiah almost camps under the cross as if he reports right under it as he describes the details that Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities—all to bring us peace  (Is 53:5; Gospel accounts).
 Jeremiah was right when he relates that he will be called “The LORD Our Righteousness”  (Je 23:6; 2 Co 5:21).

It is these Scriptures alone, and many more, that make us wise for salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus  (2 Ti 3:15).  We hold on to them as tightly as Martin Luther as he stood before the Diet of Worms and utter that famous speech:  “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God.  I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.  [Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise.]  God help me.  Amen  (Diet of Worms).

That is the Reformation Reality that we celebrate—Scripture alone reveals.  Happy Reformation.

2 Samuel 7:25
“And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house.  Do as you promised.”

Luke 24:27
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.


November 5, 2017