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!
How often, though, do you feel buried again? And how much of that
coffin surrounding you is of your own constructing? At this time of
year, it is easy to feel as though you are about to be buried with
the trappings and trimmings of the season. The shopping ads hawking
trinkets and treasures. The lists of “perfect gifts” to purchase.
The get-togethers and parties competing for an appearance. The big
dinners and rich foods straining against your self-control and your
waistline.
Other things can cause this
feeling. Juggling the responsibilities of work and family. Always
another truck to be loaded up. Always another chore to be done.
Always another problem to be fixed. And yet, the children clamor for
your attention. Your wife would like to see more than your shoes or
the back of you on the way out the door. Friends and relatives want
you to travel hither and yon to share holiday experiences.
You even construct your own coffin when you become buried in thoughts
and memories of the past. Opportunities missed, tempers flared,
unkind words and unloving actions – all these come back to haunt
you at the most inopportune times. How often are you plagued with
regret or guilt for the things that might have been? For the words
you might have said? For the forgiveness you might have offered? Past
anger and grudges serve only to bury the joy of the Lord.
How easy it is, no matter the time or season, to become buried under
the mountain of self. Self-aggrandizement, self-praise,
self-inflation, self-deprecation, self-centredness. All these labels
mask what the thing really is – the idolatry that flows out of a
sinful heart. Your flesh would have you think that you and your
wishes and desires are the greatest thing ever, the highest good.
Whether that drives you into mad ambition, stepping on the backs of
others, or whether that drives you to self-deprecation in an attempt
to make yourself look more sanctified in the eyes of others; the
result is the same. You become the prime operator in your life and
the primary purpose. And so you bury yourself in the cloak of
self-fulfillment.
But the Lord does not leave you this way. For the Lord's messenger
cries out, “Your warfare is ended, your iniquity is pardoned, you
have received from the Lord's hand double for all your sins!” The
comfort of the Lord is spoken to you. He has forgiven your sins. He
has freed you from the coffin of your sin and death. He has sent His
Savior to you to end your warfare and redeem your life from the pit.
“God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which
He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised
us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-6).
You formerly were exiled from your homeland by being consigned to the
grave. But God sent His Son to end your warfare by giving Himself as
the price for your iniquity, that you may have the forgiveness of
your sins. He has received the punishment due for your sins, so that
you might receive the double portion of the Lord's mercy. He has been
crucified so that you might be comforted.
The Son of Man was sent to preach repentance of sins in the presence
of the kingdom of heaven. He comes to preach comfort and peace to
you, by the forgiveness of your sins and the restoration of your body
and soul. He was sent to speak tenderly to you, to call you out of
darkness and into the light. He was sent to comfort you with the call
out of the grave, out of exile, and into the kingdom of heaven.
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent,
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever!
Psalm 30:11-12
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
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