In Christ

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

As we review the year coming to a close – how have we used it? “Is there one commandment we have not transgressed? Is there one day in which we have not sinned?” Is there one gift for which we have been perfectly thankful and used always and only as God intended? Is there one day where our mouths have poured forth only prayer and praise? “Is there one rescue from trouble for which we have offered the proper praise to God” (Walther)? Is there one sermon we have heard (or preached) that we have fully applied and taken to heart? Is there one neighbor whose needs we have seen to completely and joyfully?

As this year comes to a close, we can only cry out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” And for those good things we have done, we can only say, “We are but unprofitable servants; we have only done what was our duty.”

“His Own Received Him Not”

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

He came unto His own and His own received Him not. It is not merely wicked Herod, but all of Jerusalem with him, that is deeply troubled at the coming of the wise men from the East. The wise men want to know where the King of kings, that Prince of Peace, is to be born. These wise men are wise by virtue of Daniel who prophesied in their country. And yet, they have more of the Scriptures, more of God’s wisdom, than merely Daniel. By God’s Grace they also have Moses. From Moses they have Balaam’s promised sign of a star. They have seen it fulfilled and with faith, with trust that the God of Moses has fulfilled these things and provided a Savior, they come to worship the One thereby announced.

But they do not have everything.

The Christmas Gift

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

Today is opened before you a gift of inestimable worth. It is a gift spoken of from in many and various ways, by prophets and patriarchs, by kings and poets. But it is not a new and strange thing. The New Testament contains this great gift. For the New Testament is nothing more than a revelation of the Old Testament. It is as though someone had sealed a letter long ago, and it is just now broken open. So the Old Testament is the testamentary letter of Christ, which He has commanded broken open after His death and proclaimed to the whole world through the preaching of the Gospel.

The fulfillment of the Scriptures is brought forth today, wrapped in swaddling cloths. What was formerly wrapped in shadows and mysteries, known only to seers and prophets, is now revealed to the whole world. The mystery is broken open, the gift is given, the will is read. God is no longer hidden in cloud and smoke; He is present in flesh and blood.

Unto You

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

This evening we gather to hear the words of St. Luke, recording the birth of our Lord, and the angel's proclamation to the shepherds of the great tidings. Listen again:

Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

One might say that this was the first Christmas sermon ever preached. It was delivered from heaven to earth by the angelic messengers of the Lord Himself. And the angel's message continues to be preached year after year, because we can never get enough of hearing it.

Emmanuel Shall Come

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

Today is the day in the Church Year, every year, when we get the privilege of adding our voices to the ancient choirs who sing throughout the ages the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” We sing the haunting melody and the words of the supplications to the God who is coming to us. So let us take a moment to consider the supplications we offer:

Come and teach us the way of prudence.
Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.
Come quickly to deliver us.
Come and rescue the prisoners who
     are in darkness and the shadow of death.
Come and enlighten those who sit
     in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Come and save us all, whom You formed out of clay.
Come and save us, O Lord our God.

God Gives His Divine Service

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

If there is one thing that all religions have in common, it is the notion of sacrifice. Something or someone must offer or be offered as a sacrifice to appease the deity or universe or nature, or whatever. Sacrifice is a concept so familiar, one might almost say that it is ingrained in the human psyche.

Therefore, one often does not stop long to consider the meaning of the sacrifices, and what God is commanding, in a passage like Deuteronomy 12. God commands the Israelites to destroy the pagan worship sites in their land, left over from the Canaanite peoples they have conquered. Then, they are to go to the place which God will choose, and offer there the sacrifices, offerings, and tithes, which the Lord has commanded.

So that would make it seem as though the Lord is appeased by the slaughter of domestic animals and the incineration of pantry staples. That is the end of the thing, right?

Or is it?

Witness to the Light

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

Last week we heard the preaching. Today we consider the preacher. “There was a man sent from God, who name was John.” Who was he, this strange man of the wilderness, dressed like an Old Testament prophet, subsisting on wilderness food? In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, John is a prophet, sent in the spirit of Elijah. In fact, he is Elijah, says Jesus, if you believe that Jesus is the Christ. He is Elijah come to prepare the way of the Lord.

But it is different in the Gospel according to St. John. John puts the question right up front in the opening verses. Why? Many think that it is because John was written at a time when disciples of John the Baptist were still around, even claiming that he was the messiah, or at least one of the messiahs, a prophetic one. That would kind of make sense. But John sets the record straight. The word that describes John in the Gospel according to St. John is not prophet but witness. John was sent from God as a witness, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him.

God Gives the Church

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

Why does the Church exist? What is the driving force behind this institution? Every institution exists for some purpose, some underlying cause – whether it be social interaction, support of a common cause, shared belief, or whatever – and if it does not, or ceases to, then the institution crumbles.

In the 19th Century, the German theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher asserted that the Church is “a fellowship created by the voluntary actions of men.” That is, men and women come together and form this sociological body that we call the Church for purposes of mutual assurance and affinity. And of course, if the mutual assurance and/or affinity changes or ceases, then the assembly is free to mutate in order to restore it, or else simply to disband – whatever is most expedient for the group.

But is that really what the Church is all about?

Funny-Looking Angel

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

This time of year seems to bring out all kinds of stories about strange-looking characters. There is the kid's story that now seems like a classic, the Elf on a Shelf. Now, someone has come up with a Jewish counterpart – the Mensch on a Bench. St. Nicholas Day was yesterday, so children around the world have have a round of presents delivered, if they were good little boys and girls. In some countries, St. Nick is a rather bizarre, wizened character. And, if the children were not good, on 5 December Krampus came around to do all manner of mischief and mayhem. We still have Santa Lucia Day coming next week, when those of Italian or Scandinavian extraction celebrate the eyeless young maiden who comes with a wreath of candles on her head.

Legend and history is not the only source for funny-looking characters. Today's Gospel lesson introduces us to John the Baptist, the Forerunner of our Lord. Mark introduces him by quoting from the prophet Malachi, who says, literally, “Behold, I send My angel before your face, who will prepare Your way.” John is a funny-looking angel.

God Gives His Word

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

Advent is a season of preparation. For much of society, it is simply a pre-Christmas; it gives an excuse to put up the tree, spend gobs of money, and go to parties. A preponderance of the talk, thought, and advertising this time of year is devoted to giving gifts. You must find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. You must determine the best place to buy said gift. You must beat the rush, the crowds, and your own budget to get the best deal. And you expect everyone else to do the same for you.

But this Advent, we will take some time to meditate upon the Gifts that God gives to us.