"He Undertakes A Great Exchange"

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

“All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” Today, in your hearing, this Scripture is fulfilled. Today Christ is born. Today the Light of the World is become flesh. Today the God of heaven is made man and is born of a virgin. The Light has pierced the darkness and the darkness is destroyed. The Creator has become creaturely, has become a man. God becomes man, and all flesh shall see the salvation of our God.

For the children of man have sat in darkness for untold ages. Since the Fall, man has been engulfed in deep darkness and the shadow of death. Formerly, you were alienated from the Lord and His grace. You forsook His gifts, and sat in darkness and bondage. You chose to do what is best for yourself in your own eyes, and isolated yourself from others, even those who would attempt to love you. Even your love for others has been tainted by the poison of sin, which turns love into misuse.

Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

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

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” Thus sang the multitude of the heavenly host who appeared to the shepherds on the occasion of our Lord's birth. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Thus said John the Baptist when our Lord came to him at the Jordan River. These exclamations are indeed fitting for the glory and splendor of the Lord of Hosts, who comes in glory.

God is indeed seated in glory upon the throne of heaven, encircled by the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. It is He who is and who was and who is to come, the First and the Last. He is worthy of our praise, worship, glory, and thanksgiving, for He has done marvelous things. After all, it is the Lord of Hosts who created heaven and earth and all that is in them. It is He who created you and me, and every living thing. It is He who keeps the heavenly bodies in their proper motions, and keeps the earth spinning aright.

"Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates"

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

“The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” The Lord is the author and Creator of all things. He is above all creation, and yet He fills every bit of the cosmos with His Word and Spirit. By His Word the universe was made, and His gracious hand sustains all that is and all that shall ever be. From the tiniest subatomic particle to the largest star, the Lord has formed each and every one according to His design.

Who can declare the things of God? Who can do what He has done, or even speak of all the wonders of His works? No one. The Scriptures proclaim that the glory of the Lord is beyond description, beyond compare. The Lord is God, and there is none other. Confess, and do not deny, but confess the glory of the Lord, in all His overwhelming splendor and majesty.

"How Can This Be?"

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

Sometimes there are things that make you stop, cock your head, and say “Huh?” Maybe it is a situation that you do not understand. What is going on is beyond your ken, and so you stand, mystified and silent. Or perhaps it is that something so glaringly ridiculous happens that you are caught in your tracks. You look, furrow your brow, and wonder what in the world brought this on. We have all experienced these “Huh?” moments.

Today's Gospel lesson is perhaps one of the biggest “Huh?” moments in all of history. But before Mary, there was one such moment even longer ago. In the Garden, Eve was tempted to ask, “How can this be?” As she was left alone in the midst of the Garden, she came face-to-face with the tree whose fruit was the only thing forbidden to man. The serpent whispers in her ear, “How can this be?” How can it be that the Lord God would put this here, then forbid you eating it, upon pain of death? The Lord wants to give us all good things, so why would He keep this beautiful gift from us? How can it be that simply eating a piece of fruit will kill me?

"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"

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

The human race spends untold millions of dollars and man-hours on the business of preservation. This church's mailbox is regularly littered with offers from tuckpointing companies offering their services. The home-improvement industry is a massive force in the American economy. Even more behemoth is the market for anti-aging creams, pills, potions, and products. We are a culture saturated and infatuated with preservation.

Preservation is a natural instinct, it may be argued. For the good of the individual and the of the species, we are driven toward acts of self-preservation and toward things that will ensure the continuation of the human race. Two things drive a great deal of the decisions the average person makes: food and procreation.

Not the Christ

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

Who are you? That is the question posed by the Jews to John the Baptist on the bank of the Jordan as he preached a baptism of repentance. Who are you, that you say these incredible things, that you condemn the establishment, that you ignore the way things are supposed to happen around here? Tell us, what makes you think you're so special?

After all, no one upsets the apple-cart just for the fun of it. John must have a reason. Perhaps he is the Christ. Perhaps he is Elijah, or Isaiah, or one of the prophets. Perhaps he is just plain crazy. Who is he, that he would choose to live in the desert, shouting at people about their sins, and living on locusts and honey?

So the Jews send envoys to John. Who are you? What should we put on the form so that we can report back to our superiors? Can we see some identification, some credentials? The answer – No. No, you may not inquire as to John's background. No, he is not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor one of the prophets. You can condemn John as a kook. You can whisper about him from the back row. You can denounce him to Herod and get him thrown in prison. But you cannot shut him into some pre-defined box.

"Prepare the Royal Highway"

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

“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Harsh words from St. Paul to summarize the human condition in former times. You were separated from Jesus Christ, having no hope, without God, alone and isolated by your sins and trespasses.

Sin separates you from God. It always has, ever since the serpent first tempted Eve. It must be so, because God is holy and just and righteous, and you are not. Sin makes communion between God and man impossible. Whereas before Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the Garden and talked with Him openly, now they, and all their children, have been cast out of paradise, out of the presence of God. The way back to God is barred by the flaming sword of the eternal Law, brandishing the wrath of God unto death for any that dare approach.

Keeping Promises

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

We all make and receive promises on a regular basis. Some are relatively innocuous, like “I promise to take out the trash after supper.” Some are more serious – “With this ring, I thee wed.” Some promises seem of little consequence – “Yes, I will get you that for Christmas.” Others are a matter of life and death – “First, do no harm.” However great or small, trivial or grave, promises are made to be kept, and so we expect people to keep their word.

Likewise, the people of God expect God to keep His Word. He has promised certain things, and has done them in the past. Therefore, He ought to keep His promises to us now. Upon this premise, the Psalmist cries out, “Lord, You were favorable to Your land, You restored the fortunes of Jacob... Restore us again, O God of our salvation!” (Psalm 85:1, 4) The Lord had governed His people for generations, preserving them in the midst of trials and leading them with His mighty hand. He had given a son to Abraham and had preserved Jacob against the tricks of his uncle and the wrath of his brother. Therefore, if the Lord did all that for the patriarchs, should He not do it for His people in need now?

"Comfort, Comfort Ye My People"

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

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked” (Ephesians 2:1). So St. Paul gives this gloomy assessment of the state of man without the grace of God. Dead and buried. Gone from the world. Locked in darkness and the shadow of hell. You were worse than dead – in bondage to sin, death, and the devil. And so you would have remained forever.

But then dawned the Light of Life. The Lord called out, “Comfort, comfort My people!” The Word of the Lord went forth from heaven and scattered the darkness, giving light and life to all mankind. The Son of David came into His own, and He won for us salvation. He shined the light of God's love into our dark hearts and brought us out of death into life. The restoration of man is accomplished!