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!

"Blessed Is He"

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

“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down... that the nations might tremble at Your presence!” (Isaiah 64:1, 2). Oh, that the Lord would indeed come! The whole earth groans in travail as it awaits the coming of the Lord of Hosts. Would that He come quickly, come now, and come to us! O Lord, we need you now more than ever!

Sometimes it seems like this is the extent of the world's prayers to whatever god might hear. When things are off track, when people are depressed, when money is short, there is a god for that. Everyone wants a savior, whether you want to put it that way or not. Just look around you today.

For the lack of, or suppression of, talk about God and religion in American politics and culture, there sure is a great deal of desire and talk about the need for a savior. But from what do you want to be saved? College students and recent graduates want to be saved from their student debt. Those in troubled marriages want to be saved either from divorce or from the stupid choices they made. The poor want to be saved from homelessness and starvation. The sick want to be saved from sickness and death. The rich want to be saved from taxes. Christians want to be saved from Islam. Muslims want to be saved from Christianity.

"The Lord Swore to Give"

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

“The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.” So we sang in the Psalm earlier. Indeed, the earth has yielded its increase. Harvest has taken place, the fruits of the labor have been stored away, and plans have been made for the profits. Things are good, and now it is time for a winter of rest, while you plan for next year. God shall bless us.

On the face of it, things seem rosy and cheery. Even the pagans around us stop and celebrate Thanksgiving, even if only by presidential proclamation. The people of our nation give thanks, even if they have no idea to whom they offer their thanks. American civil religion sees its holy day of obligation fulfilled. All is quiet on the home front, except perhaps on the football field.

However, to whom is thanks due? What good is a day of national thanksgiving if no one knows to whom we render it? Even Christians are tempted to fall into the trap of sappy, Hallmark-card sentimentality around this time of year. Things are great, and so God is happy with us. We like God, and so He likes us. He blesses us, while those other naughty people starve and go to hell. We give thanks for big turkeys, smooth gravy, and the caffeine that will power us through all the Black Friday insanity. At least for this week, God is an American, a capitalist, and a faceless, benevolent force.

Sheep or Goat?

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

When the Son of Man comes on the Last Day, He will come in all His glory, accompanied by the angels. He will come suddenly and unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. However, He will not come secretly. His coming will be no more hidden than lightning across the sky. Every eye shall see Him, and even the dead shall awake from their slumber. He will come on the clouds, surrounded by the heavenly host, and will take up His seat upon the throne of God to preside over the final judgment.

From the throne of glory, the Son of Man will judge the heavens and the earth, the living and the dead. He will separate one from another, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. Make no mistake – this is not a parable. While the image of the sheep and the goats is a metaphor for the righteous and unrighteous, the sorting to take place is no metaphor, analogy, or allegory. The Son of Man will without doubt sort the righteous and unrighteous persons and send them to their eternal destinations.

God Gathers the Increase

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

Restrain, O Lord, the human pride

That seeks to thrust Your truth aside

Or with some man-made thoughts or things

Would dim the words Your Spirit sings (LSB 585:5).

The kingdom of heaven is like a man preparing to go on a journey to a distant land. He calls three of his servants and gives them money – five, two, and one talent, each according to his ability. Then he goes off for a long sojourn. Finally, the master returns, and he calls the servants to present an account of what had been entrusted to them. Those with five and two both return them having doubled their money. However, the servant with one has nothing to show for his stewardship, because he simply hid it in a hole and did nothing with that which was entrusted to him. Therefore, the master welcomes the first two servants into bliss, but takes the talent away from the last, and has him thrown into the outer darkness.

The Endurance of the Saints

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

Our Confession approves honors to the saints. For here a threefold honor is to be approved. The first is thanksgiving. For we ought to give thanks to God because He has shown examples of mercy; because He has shown that He wishes to save men; because He has given teachers or other gifts to the Church. And these gifts, as they are the greatest, should be amplified, and the saints themselves should be praised, who have faithfully used these gifts, just as Christ praises faithful business-men, (Matt. 25:21, 23). The second service is the strengthening of our faith; when we see the denial forgiven Peter, we also are encouraged to believe the more that grace truly superabounds over sin, (Rom. 5:20). The third honor is the imitation, first, of faith, then of the other virtues, which every one should imitate according to his calling.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. XXI:4-6

On this day, we honor the memory of the blessed saints who have gone before us in the faith. So, it is only fitting that we should consider in what manner we ought to remember them.