An Epiphany Devotion - Matthew 2: 1-12

A Devotion for Epiphany – January 6

Based on Matthew 2: 1-12

January 6 is the day of Epiphany, the day the Christian church celebrates the arrival of the wise men to the child, Jesus, and give homage to the newborn King. Epiphany means “revealing,” literally “to shine light upon,” and during the season of Epipany, Jesus is revealed as the Savior of the world. But, the season begins with the arrival of the Wise Men.

I say “wise men” – depending on the translation or the song, you might know them as wise men, Magi, sages, or even kings. Usually, they are described as astrologers, but the term used in the Greek New Testament implies an interest in dreams, stars, and perhaps even magic. They were from the East, presumably the area of Babylon, the region where the Israelites had been taken into captivity 700 years earlier. As to how many wise men there were, we simply don’t know. Traditionally, the story says there were three men – one for each gift. There is another story about a fourth wise man who gave his gift away, so that by the time he arrived at Jesus’ side, he was without a present and, thus, overlooked. Regardless, what we know is what Matthew tells us in chapter 2 of his Gospel: they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold, you know: a very expensive, precious metal, useful for the buying and selling of goods. You’re probably less familiar with the other two gifts. Frankincense is a tree resin that can be either dried into granules for burning or infused into an oil. If you know anyone who uses essential oil, there is often a scent called “Frankincense.” Myrrh is a spice, either dry or added to oils to be used for both perfume and for anointing. All three were expensive, special gifts that you didn’t just pick up at the corner market. These were gifts from kings; gifts fit for a king.

What gifts are you giving to Jesus this year? What kind of gifts have you brought that are worthy for the Newborn King? It’s tempting to tap our wallets and checkbooks, thinking we bring Jesus our gifts of finances. How about our prayers and our praises? That’s a good, sanctified answer. Perhaps we owe him good, Christian living.

He doesn’t want any of those things. Jesus doesn’t you to bring to His crib your gold-plated, incense-infused, myrrh-scented self-righteous life. He doesn’t want your money. He doesn’t want your goodness. All Jesus wants from you is your sins, your guilt, and your shame. This is the only gift Jesus wants from you this Epiphany day: your sins, because that’s the entire reason He came – to save you from those damned – I use that word deliberately – and damning sins.

That sounds backwards, doesn’t it? Why, the Wise Men brought gifts fit for a King – gold, frankincense and myrrh – shouldn’t we at least try to do the same, give Him our best?

If Jesus were an earthly King, an earthly ruler, then yes, this might be true. But Jesus is a different kind of King. The perfect, holy, sinless Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, announced by angels, witnessed by shepherds, whose name is Jesus, is a King who will save His people from their sins.

These gifts from the wise men also have a certain amount of foreshadowing to them. No one knew that day as Mary and Joseph oohed and aahed at the expensive treasures that one day the gold would be replaced by 30 pieces of silver that would be used to turn a disciple into a traitor. Mary certainly had no inkling that three decades later, she, along with some other women, would be carrying frankincense and myrrh and other spices to embalm her son after His crucifixion and His death for the sins of the world. Those events were far in the future, but in God’s plan of salvation – His heilsgeschichte, for you German lovers – they were already in place for the redemption of the world.

On this first month of the new year of a new decade, take all of the sins of the past and leave them with Jesus. Don’t carry them any further. Your sins of cursing and swearing, dishonoring your parents, speaking ill of our elected officials, hating the ex, yelling at the kids, gossiping, lying, stealing time from our employers, holding grudges; of having emotional affairs, alcohol and drug abuse, failing to love, honor and cherish your spouse; failing to fear, love and trust in God more than all other things; thinking that you can make yourself better all by yourself… There are many more…those sins you try to bury deep within, but the guilt keeps dragging them to the surface; those things you try to shove into the dark corner of your memory, but the shame – the devil’s favorite lie that you should know better because you are a Christian! – keeps shining a light into those corners and illuminates them for you to remember. Of these, of all of these, give them to Jesus. Bring them to the Infant King in repentance, confess them, and believe that Jesus came to take them from you.

Those are the gifts that Jesus wants. You don’t have to wrap them up pretty; they don’t need bows and ribbons; they don’t deserve pretty wrappings. Give them to Jesus with all their ugliness and nastiness.

Start the New Year fresh, free, and forgiven. Jesus gives you the gift of forgiveness, destroying sin’s damning power. He gives you the gift of joy, that you are no longer burdened by the weight of your griefs and shame. He gives you the gift of peace, that the relationship with God is restored and whole. He gives you the gift of salvation, that eternity with God is yours. He gives the gift of love, that you are able to share with those around you. He gives the gift of faith that enables you to say, “This is most certainly true.”

With Epiphany joy, peace and hope, amen.

Jesus' Christmas Gift for Moms and Dads - Luke 2:40-52

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The text is the Gospel lesson. Luke 2:40-52.

As a dad, this narrative is very frustrating. Let me explain.

If I was Joseph, I would have been furious with my son. For my son to have so completely disrespected me, to not follow obediently, to not travel with us, or at least be in the same group, without telling me what he is doing is just – grrrrr!!!! – unacceptable. Jesus seems to show complete disregard, not only for his dad’s authority, but his mother’s concern, for their joint parental responsibility, their fears, their angst. Overall, it seems Jesus doesn’t care one whit. As a parent, that is very frustrating. So, as a dad, as a parent, I empathize deeply with Mary and Joseph in their frantic search for their missing son.

I suspect that all of you parents, you grandparents, you probably do as well because you’ve been there. You have had that experience of having a child disappear while you were at the grocery store or the mall or at the ballpark. Your son was right there a second ago, playing catch with a buddy at the end of the bleachers; your daughter was standing right next to you while you dug through the clothes rack trying to find her a new outfit for school, but but when you turn around it’s as if – poof – they disappeared. The frantic search, as concern quickly accelerates to angst and then fear; the terrible “what if” thoughts. Have you ever heard a “Code Adam” call over the loudspeaker in the store? It’s a store’s response to a panicked parent’s realization that the child is missing. Employees swing into action, guarding doors, asking shoppers with children if they are family. The police are called. Everyone searches frantically - scurrying down aisles, hunting under clothes racks, looking below the bleachers, to finally find them stretched out on the dog beds in Aisle 29, simply needing a nap, or to see them waddling towards you with two boxes of their favorite cereal under their arms, or standing in the toy aisle staring at the latest and greatest thing they saw at their friend’s house, or playing quietly with a couple other friends, totally oblivious to your frantic and panicked search. Thankfully, most of the time, these panicked searches end up well, but with a bag of mixed feelings: joy the lost child is found, frustration the child left in the first place, and shame that you missed the fact that your child disappeared without your knowledge.

Because you’ve experienced this, you can understand and imagine Mary and Joseph’s frustration, fear, and concern. Luke wants us to see this story through their eyes. He wants us to know their grief and pain, their frantic efforts to find their son. At the evening camp, after a day’s journey – fifteen to twenty miles – from Jerusalem, they discovered Jesus wasn’t there. A quick search among their traveling companions identified Jesus was not among them. Then, the frantic return to the city, swollen in population for Passover, growing and blossoming hour by hour, stretching into a three-day search for their son, their twelve-year old son, their only son.

The Temple was the center of Israel's life, in every sense of the word. It was a community center, a worship center, a political center, even an economic center. If you were looking for someone, it makes sense to start there. But, I wonder if their return to the Temple was motivated by spiritual, as much as physical and emotional, need? You know how it is – in times of great crisis, turning to the house of God for prayer, solitude and – perhaps – answers? A sense that they’ve tried everything else, so perhaps this was the final option? Or was it less spiritual, and simply checking the last place they remembered seeing Jesus?  

And, then, I can imagine – as can you – their mixed bag of emotions when they discover Jesus there, in the Temple, surrounded by the great teachers of the Law. It was apparently an incredible give-and-take between the boy and the men: Jesus both listening to them and asking questions, but also answering and demonstrating great understanding. Mary and Joseph, astonished at what was before them, both seeing and hearing this dialogue; frustrated at their son’s seeming lack of respect and concern; relief to find him safe.

And I have to wonder if she remembered the day she and Joseph brought Jesus to Temple for His circumcision, that strange day that the old man, Simeon, held the baby in his arms, sang the Nunc Dimittis – Lord, let your servant depart in peace – and then he looked at Mary and said:

This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Did she wonder if this moment was the first of more to come?

Was there understanding that in her Son, God deigned to dwell among man, not in a Tabernacle, or even in the Temple, but in human flesh? Did she have any inclination that the day would come when those same teachers  of the law would turn against Jesus, instead of sitting and engaging with Jesus in teaching and learning they engaged instead in plotting to kill Him? Could she have any idea that He would, in 30 years, make His own journey to Jerusalem for Passover? Was there any inkling in her mind that then He would be left behind again – this time not by parents but by everyone – including His Heavenly Father? Did she understand that there would be another three day period where she would be separated from her son who lay, dead and buried, behind a sealed stone and where she would finally find Him, but mistake Him for the gardener?

No…standing there in Temple, watching her 12 year old son with pride and curiosity, with frustration and anxiety, she didn’t have any idea of what lay ahead for Jesus and what was necessary for Him to fulfill His name and be Savior. What she knew is that it was time to go home, back to sleepy little Nazareth, and for Jesus to go with her. He did, Luke noting that He continued to grow in wisdom and in stature with God and man. She had found her Son, where He was most at home – in His Father’s house. But it was time to leave the Temple behind for another year.

I started this sermon by putting us parents in the shoes of Mary and Joseph. Whether you count your child’s lifespan still as weeks and months or by the decade, you have had those moments and experiences of anger and frustration at your children – some were righteously felt, but if we’re honest, others not so much. Parenting is one of God’s great gifts and children are a blessing. The parent-to-child relationship is the foundation of all mankind, one where grace and mercy is freely practiced, and love and compassion are exercised. And the devil cannot abide this. So, the devil loves to take the gift and fill us with frustration and hurt so that we call it a burden, and he loves to take the blessing and fill it with harsh words and broken hearts so that we call it a curse.  Love and compassion are surrendered to getting even and showing who’s boss; grace and mercy are given over to self-justification and self-righteousness. And then, when we realize our mistakes and our sins against our kids, the devil takes that all and wraps it up with a horrible, thorny bow and delivers it to us again either as arrogance, foolishly thinking we were right-as-rain in our sinful actions, or as shame and guilt, that Christian parents would never think such things, or feel such things toward their children. He leaves us parents in our own despair, seeing only our failures and our homes as anything but places where the Spirit of God dwells.

Parents – moms and dads of all ages – hear this Word of God. It's Jesus' Christmas gift to you. Christ comes for you, mom and dad. He, who descends to earth as a human boy, who in holiness perfectly submitted to earthly and sinful parents, is your Savior. For all of those parental melt-downs, fatherly conniption fits, and motherly tantrums, Jesus is yours. In repentance, surrender them to Him. Don’t let Satan continue to weigh you down with those moments. In faith, know, believe, trust and rely that you, too, are forgiven by Christ. In humility, confess your failing to your kids and ask them for their forgiveness, too, without excuses or condition (you know, the “I’m sorry I yelled, but if you would have cleaned up your room…”) and pledge to do better next time. When you do that, you give your child the wonderful opportunity to share the Word of God with you, the Word that says, “I forgive you, Mom; I forgive you, Dad.” You might have to teach them to use those words; that’s OK, and it’s worth teaching. Because there, in the family, united with Christ in Baptism and grounded in the Word, there is Christ.

Amen.

 

God's Christmas Message: This Gift is For You! - Luke 2: 10-12

And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger – Luke 2:10-12.

They expected it to be a night like most others. The shepherds had gathered the sheep into their enclosures and prepared for a long, boring night. Boring was good – no excitement like thieves or wolves that might break into the sheep pen and cause a panic. That would not be good.

But it would not be a night like most others, nor would it be boring. God had a little surprise in store. Its rather interesting, I think, that God’s surprises like to come in the night, in the midst of darkness. The creation was in darkness when God spoke light into existence. The children of Israel were locked into their homes when the angel of death passed over their Egyptian homes marked with the Passover lamb’s blood. And before it was sunrise, while it was still dark, our Lord rose from the dead on the first Easter morning, ready to show Himself to the faithful.

Now, on this night, when most of Bethlehem was sleeping, a single angel appears to those shepherds with the announcement: And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. That announcement, and everything that followed, is what we and Christians the world over celebrate tonight. We celebrate because Jesus is the gift from God who comes for you.

Christmas celebrations have varied a great deal from time to time and place to place. Just consider the music, hymns and carols that are sung around the world. Or, in our Western culture, Christmas celebrations include elements like parties and plays, church and school celebrations, caroling and cards, lights and trees, candles and dinners – just to name a few. It would be hard for us to imagine our Christmases without some of these things.

It might be hardest of all to imagine Christmas without any of the gifts that will be given and received in the days ahead. Ever since the real story of St. Nicholas – the real pastor of the Church in the 4^th century who is said to have given gold coins anonymously so that poor, young maidens could marry, Christians have followed in his footsteps by giving gifts. Even where and where there is extreme poverty, parents try to find some way to give a little something to their children. It may be the simplest toys or hand-made clothes. My dad remembered getting an orange, and being excited because it was such a rare luxury.

But, gifts don’t make Christmas, any more than candles make it a birthday. Christmas is about Jesus. He is the one gift that truly matters. Without Jesus, we can have a holiday but we cannot have a HOLY day. We can receive good gifts without acknowledging that they came from God, but we cannot receive the perfect gift because He is the perfect gift.

So, who was this Jesus? You heard of him tonight. What makes him such a great and perfect gift? You heard that, too. This baby is the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. What God had promised to Adam and Eve, way back in the Garden of Eden, then repeated to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and again through all of the prophets, had finally come to pass. Jesus is born.

Stop and think about that one word: born. The eternal God is born. The Creator becomes creature. He enters a womb to grow and develop, to experience birth in the crying form of a baby. All the mess and pain that mothers and newborns know today, Mary and Jesus experienced 2000 years ago. But, God arrived in such a simple way the angel wanted to make sure the shepherds didn’t miss it. This Baby wouldn’t be born in a palace or surrounded by political and religious leaders. You will find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.  

Jesus is a gift. We did not create Him, or invent Him. We did not even deserve Him. His very name, Jesus, tells us what He will be. Jesus means “savior.” Jesus came to earth to be our Savior – to rescue us from our sinful condition that deserved condemnation.

Although the birth was in keeping with the promises, the promises were not yet fulfilled. There was more to come. Jesus would grow as a child into manhood. He would conduct His earthly ministry for about three years, finally culminating at the cross where He offers Himself as payment for the sins of the world. The old Christmas carol asks and answers the question that is most important: “What child is this who laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?... This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing.” The song continues, “Nails, spear shall pierce him through, the cross be borne for me, for you.” This carol reminds us of the reality of what Jesus is, and what He has come to do to save. He would again be wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid, not in a borrowed manger among the animals, but a borrowed tomb among the dead.

But, that would not be the end. As Christmas was the celebration of the birth of Jesus, Easter will be the celebration of new birth of resurrection. The death-payment, the debt-payment of sin would be paid in full by Him, God’s Son, Mary’s Son, born to be Savior, born to die, born so that we might live.

Forgiveness and life… purchased and won… so they can be given… as a gift… when God gives the gift of Jesus.

Of everything that the angels said to the shepherds, there is nothing more important than two little words: for you. If a gift isn’t directed to someone, it has no value, it has no worth. Everything Jesus did – everything from womb to tomb – was done for you: singular, individual, one person.

The gift of Jesus was for the shepherds – who resided near the bottom of the social ladder of the time. The same gift, the same Jesus, was there for the Wise Men who arrived to see the toddler Jesus some time later. The Wise Men were at the top of the social ladder, but they were from a foreign country – not even Jews! Today, the Lord assures us that the gift is FOR YOU – wherever you may be, whatever your situation might be. Whether you are home-bound or homeless, whether on welfare or well-funded, Jesus is for you. Jesus is there for the single mom who holds down two part-time jobs, just to almost make it through. He is there for the children who wear clothes that were hand-me downs from last year’s fashions. He is there for the man whose “grocery shopping trip” is done at the local food pantry. Jesus didn’t come to fill the closet or pantry. He came to fill you with peace and contentment because He is for you.

The gift is for you – whose heart is sad this Christmastime, surrounded by so much merriment, wondering why no one understands your pain. The gift is for you – who is chronically ill, tired of doctors tests and appointments. The gift is for you – who has only questions about “what next?” but never seem to find an answer. The gift is for you – who believes that Jesus is Savior, but struggles with what that means day in and day out when life is so hard. Unto you is born a Savior is Christ the Lord. He doesn’t necessarily take away your illness, but he gives you the strength to bear it, in faith. And, when you can’t bear it any more, He holds you in His arms so that you know nothing will separate you from His love. His power is perfect in your weakness.

This gift is for you – who celebrates tonight and tomorrow with an empty spot at the table because a loved one isn’t there any longer. Nothing will replace the loss of a wife or husband, mother or father, brother or sister, son or daughter. Jesus doesn’t suddenly raise the one who has died, but He does comfort you with the assurance that those who die in the Lord continue to live in the Lord. For that reason, you will see your loved one again, and you will also live forever with your loved one in the presence of Christ and all others who are His. You can trust that to be true because of the angel’s message: unto you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

The gift is also for you – who have everything your heart could desire: health, family, home, food, employment, and joy-filled peace. Thanks be to God for these gifts. These are symbols that point to the greatest gift of all, Jesus, who is yours forever.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever your circumstance: the gift of Jesus is for you. Say this with me: Jesus is for me. Jesus is my gift. Jesus has your name on Himself. Whether you are rich or poor or somewhere in between, He is your true treasure. Whether you are young or old, He is the one whose days are without number. Whether you are overwhelmed by loneliness or caught up with the crowd, He is the one who is your true friend and companion.

Wherever you are tonight or tomorrow – at home, at a hospital, at a nursing home, or somewhere between; whether you have gifts under the tree, or even if there is no tree in sight let alone a present; whether you are alone or surrounded by loved ones – here is one gift that does not fail, one gift that does not disappoint. Tonight, receive the greatest gift in the world. Truly, this gift is heavenly, divine, perfect, and just the right size. This gift is the precious, life-giving gift that God has given you. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 

This is God’s gift. Unwrap it. Embrace it. Love it. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. He your greatest gift – for you. Amen.

The Impossible Possibility of Advent - Luke 1: 39-45

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The time between Thanksgiving thru New Years usually brings families together. It’s a time to visit with family perhaps not seen for months, coming together around the dinner table and the Christmas tree to celebrate, remember, tell stories and give thanks to God for the time together. For those of us whose families are scattered, these times are treasured because we get to see in person those whom we love from afar.

This morning’s Gospel lesson sets the scene for us with a very unlikely family reunion when the young mother Mary goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that house when Mary arrived. It’s been my experience that it’s not that unusual for women who are pregnant to share their stories, their mutual joys and their mutual struggles. I suspect this is particularly true for first-time mothers to seek out this kind of mutual companionship and support. A younger mother, wanting and needing the wisdom and assurance that can only be provided by mothers who have given birth previously, seeks out an older mother to serve as a mentor, companion and friend in the journey towards giving birth.

But this was a most unusual gathering of two mothers-to-be.  Two first-time mothers, but one quite elderly and the other – at least according to tradition – young enough to be her granddaughter.

First, consider Elizabeth. Earlier, Luke noted she was advanced in years (1:18b). That’s Luke’s polite and genteel way of saying she was an older woman, no longer biologically capable of having a child. You remember the story. She and her husband Zechariah wanted a child desperately, but the Lord did not allow this blessing to come to them. The inability to have a child was, in the early Jewish world, a demonstration that you were in disfavor with God. No child – especially no son – led to the conclusion that either the husband or wife had done something to cause God to be so displeased that they would have no heir and the family name would die with them. But miraculously, by the grace of God and according to the angel’s message, Elizabeth was carrying the child who would be the forerunner of the Messiah. Her husband, not believing the angel’s message, was struck mute. I’m speculating here, but for that reason alone – to have someone to talk with - Elizabeth must have enjoyed the company of her fellow mother-to-be, Mary when she came to visit.

Mary was much younger than her relative. Truthfully, her age is irrelevant. What matters is that she, by the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit, is carrying in her womb the son of God. She had been told of this news by the angel, Gabriel. Hearing this remarkable news, she simply declares herself a servant of the Lord; may it be according to the word of the angel. Likewise, her fiancée, Joseph, was told by an angel of Mary’s pregnancy but, unlike Zechariah, who simply could not believe the news of Elizabeth, Joseph obeys the angel’s command and takes Mary into his home as his wife.

Have you ever wondered why Mary went to visit Elizabeth? Perhaps there were whispers in Nazareth about Mary and Joseph, her being pregnant already before their wedding consummation. Perhaps she was tired of the community’s negative attention; maybe Joseph was too and readily agreed. Perhaps she heard of Elizabeth’s joyous news that she, too, would be a mother and Mary wanted to share the excitement with her relative. Whatever the reason, Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. Wonder of wonders, the joy is so great that Elizabeth, upon hearing Mary’s greeting, experienced John’s leaping in her womb and blesses both Mary and the unborn Baby Jesus.

In this visit, you see the miraculous power of God.

He does the impossible: Elizabeth is too old to bear a child; Mary is a virgin. By the power of the Spirit of God, both women conceive – Elizabeth by natural means, Mary by Divine action. Elizabeth’s son will be the forerunner of Mary’s Son. Elizabeth’s son, who will be named John, will be the culmination of the Old Testament prophets to proclaim “The Messiah is coming,” and the first of the New Testament evangelists to proclaim, “Behold the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.” Mary’s Son will be God enfleshed, the sinless Lamb who will be sacrificed for the sins of the world.

But, perhaps the greatest albeit most hidden miracle is this: by the grace of God, enabled by the spirit of God, they are given the gift of faith, both believing what would be otherwise unbelievable news about their pregnancy. Even greater is Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaims that Mary is to be the mother of God.

Neither Mary nor Elizabeth know, at this point, what is in store for their sons – at least, not completely. Yes, the angel had spoken prophetically to Zechariah about how John would be a great servant of the Lord, Spirit-filled, and in the footsteps of Elijah, he will turn the hearts of many to the Lord and prepare the way for the Lord. And, yes, the angel had also spoken to Mary, telling her that she will miraculously conceive the Son of the Most High, in the line of David. No ordinary child, this baby will be the holy Son of God.

A moment ago, I said that without an heir, a family line will die. Without a male heir, a family name will cease. These are as true today as it was then. In the Biblical age, this was considered a curse of God. But because of a curse of God, spoken in the Garden long ago, this heir was infinitely more important. When God’s first son and first daughter, Adam and Eve, ate of the forbidden fruit, God spoke a curse upon them, and all of their sons and daughters, for their sins: they would die after a lifetime of toil, sweat, and tears. But, God also spoke a blessing: that His seed, His own child, would come to crush satan’s head underfoot. A second Son, a second Adam was needed – one who would perfectly fulfill God’s Law for us, and take our place under that Law, to redeem us from this curse of sin. The redemption price would be high – terribly high – and cost this Son his very life-blood, trading His holiness for the sins of the world. But in this death He would save. This Son, this fulfillment of God’s promise, was in Mary’s womb. His name would be Jesus, because He will save His people from our sins. Through Eve, sin came into the world and through Eve’s womb, hers and Adam’s sins are still passed on from generation to generation still today. But through the child of Mary’s womb, Eve’s sins, and Adam’s sins, and your sins and my sins, will be forgiven.

Visits last but a short time. A wise guy once said both family and fish start to stink after three days. Another wise guy said, you know Mary and Elizabeth were both blessed by the Spirit of God because two pregnant women were able to stand each other for three months. In all seriousness, I wonder if there weren’t moments that the two of them just sat, in silence, staring at each other, watching their babies squirm in their bellies, and giggling at the joyous thing that God was doing in and through them.

The joyous news of this visit continues today, even here among us. Did you catch the two words Elizabeth used to describe the baby in Mary’s womb? They are easy to miss. Let me read this again: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” There it is: my Lord. Elizabeth identifies Jesus as her Lord, her Savior, Her Messiah who would rescue her into eternity.

You share that confession. You said it a minute ago in the Creed, albeit in the plural: “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.” You, along with Elizabeth, empowered by the Spirit of God, know, believe, trust and rely that this Jesus who, even in Mary’s womb, was already then, and still is now, our Savior. From His conception to His life, death and resurrection, Jesus was and is entirely for you, children of God. And, so you have no doubt that Christ is your substitutionary sacrifice, you have been Baptized into Christ, clothed with Christ, and given the name of Christ - Christian.

Blessed is he and she – blessed are you - who believes that there was fulfillment of what was spoken to Mary from the Lord.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

Rejoice! The Advent Countdown Continues... Zephaniah 3: 14-20

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.  

Today is the third Sunday in Advent. The old, Latin name for this Sunday is “Gaudate.” You can hear our English word, “gaudy,” hiding in “Gaudate.” Think bright, celebratory, joyful and you got it. Today is Gaudate Sunday – the Sunday of rejoicing.

Traditionally, Advent was a somber season, almost along the lines of Lent. The Baptist’s preaching, calling the people to repent and branding them “a brood of vipers,” certainly set the stage for that understanding. Physically, the northern hemisphere is in the throes of winter with darkness coming earlier each day. With the somber tone of the season thus far and the physical darkness pressing in, the third Sunday of Advent provided a welcome contrast. The Advent wreath, which leads us through the season, gives us our first clue something is different today. Instead of the traditional purple or blue color, today’s pink candle stands out. And then, as we get into the liturgy with the hymns, the Introit and collect, and the readings, we are surrounded with joy and called to rejoice best summed up in the first verse of today’s Epistle lesson, “Rejoice in the Lord, always; again I will say, Rejoice.”

Joy is a spiritual fruit; it is a gift of God. A Christian’s joy comes from outside of us. You’ve heard me say it before; we are beggars with empty sacks – how could we create joy on our own? So, Jesus fills us up with joy. Christian joy is different than happiness; isn’t merely a feeling or an emotion. It is a state of being. Filled with the joy of Christ, what else can we do, what else can we be other than joyful, for we are joy-filled!

And there should be rejoicing in Advent. Christ’s advent is nigh – first, in time as a child in Bethlehem; second, in eternity when He returns in glory to judge the living and the dead. The day is soon approaching. We are a mere nine days away from the celebration of His Nativity; we are a day closer to the day of His return. We, as His people, live in His grace and mercy, trusting that in Him our sins are forgiven. What great news!   This is what allows Paul to say in this morning’s Epistle, “Rejoice in the Lord always!”

Ah, there’s the rub – isn’t it? “Always.” How on earth are we supposed to rejoice always? Turn on the news for thirty minutes; flip through the paper; scan the internet. How are we supposed to be joyful when there are so many things that are going on around us that are anything but joy-full? Three words are repeated over and over, “it’s the economy,” in many contexts, to justify pink slips, the price of the Christmas ham, and the volume of gifts purchased. An airplane literally fell out of the sky, sending unsuspecting drivers to the hospital. The late-season hay cutting was wonderful, but will it be enough to get through what could be a dry winter and spring?  Suicide rates escalate this time of year for both senior citizens and teenagers; one can’t take the loneliness, the other can’t stand the pressure. The budget is screaming, things are so tight. Do we put gifts under the tree or tires under the car? There’s family pressure: Mom and Dad are fighting again. Health challenges arise, and we sing the modern Christmas song, “Four new prescriptions, three medical tests, two new appointments, and a whopper of a medical bill.”

 

I think the Baptizer would have empathized. After all, he had spent his entire ministry preaching a message of preparation and repentance. But the Jesus that he is seeing and hearing about isn’t the Jesus he was expecting. It causes John to question, to wonder, perhaps even a measure of doubt, “Are you the one, or is there another one coming? Did I misunderstand? Did I miss the signs? John expected a winnowing fork, a fuller’s fire but what Jesus does is the exact opposite. Yet, that’s where Jesus points John: to the signs and wonders, to the blind receiving sight, the deaf being able to hear, and the lame walking. These demonstrate that Jesus is God in flesh – who else could do such a miracle? And, if Jesus is able to do these things, then surely He is able to do even more: to save His people.

So, where do you find joy on this third Sunday of Advent, this Joy Sunday, when we are surrounded by these things that suck the joy right out of our lives?

With Chris in the Navy, I joined a Facebook group that supports sailors and their families. I can tell you, life has been coming a little harder and heavier for those folks, too. The other day, someone posted that a sailor had lost both his parents this year and he needed a little Christmas cheer. Well, that one kinda got my attention, so I volunteered to write the sailor. The other day at the grocery store, I looked for a special Christmas card. I thought about going with something goofy to try to cheer him up, or something sappy and sentimental, but that seemed like a slippery slope. No - I needed something that conveys the hope and joy that we have as Christians. Finally, I found one that had several Bible verses printed across the front. Good start. As I read through the first three verses, I thought, “This is nice…” But then, I got to the fourth verse and stopped. I read it; and then I re-read it. Where have I seen that before, I wondered…and then I looked at the reference. It was from a seemingly obscure book in the Old Testament. Now, we generally don’t spend much time in the Old Testament, so we are less familiar with it than the New Testament, and that’s particularly true of the so-called minor prophets in the end of the Old Testament. By the way, they’re called “minor” due to their literary size, not because of having a less important message. But what we call the Old Testament is what John, or Peter, or Mary or Joseph for that matter, it’s what they would have simply known as their Bible, the Scriptures. The New Testament wasn’t written until a generation after Jesus’ ascension, remember? So, back to this card… The reference was from Zephaniah 3:17 – the last verse of this morning’s first reading. “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by His love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

The prophet is reminding God’s people of old, held captive in the heathen land of Babylon, that even in that foreign place, even in their seemingly joyless circumstance, God is still among His people. He will not abandon them. The prophet turns the people back to God: His gladness, His love, His rejoicing, His singing, His saving work for them.

This is what Zephaniah would do for us as well, God’s 21^st century people. He gently turns us from all of those things that would distract us, from those things that would drain the joy from our lives, and instead turns us back towards Jesus, Who came into our midst as a Immanuel, God with us, in flesh, to be as us in every way, but without sin. The Mighty One, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross and scored it’s shame does, indeed, save. This Jesus rejoices with every sinner who repents and trusts in His death and resurrection. He quiets the troubled conscience with His mercy and grace and fills them with His joy, His singing, His love.

So, I told you about the card and Zephaniah 3:17 being there and how those words were written roughly 2600 years ago. Now, I want to share something Luther wrote on this verse 500 years ago. He said:

These things signify that their consciences would experience that fatherly sweetness of the Kingdom of the Lord. The sense is this: You will feel joy. You will feel in your conscience that the Lord is kindly disposed toward you, that he surely is a kind father to you in all things. You see, the Lord is said to rejoice over us when he causes us to sense his favor. He has expressed the nature of the Kingdom of Christ very aptly and emphatically. For thus it happens for the righteous that he allows them to be attacked, in various ways, and to be troubled by many evils, so that they may be comforted to their King. Yet he adds that feeling of joy, that security of heart, so that all things may become sweeter, so that nothing is able to separate them from the love of God. (Citation: Harrison, Matthew. Little Book of Joy, p. 16; CPH © 2009)

On this Third Sunday in Advent, if there are things in this life and this world that are troubling you, weighing your heart and conscience down, follow the words of Zephaniah who leads you back to Jesus. In Christ, rejoice in the Lord always. And on those days when you can’t rejoice, those days when your heart is too heavy, or your mind is too troubled, or your soul is almost overwhelmed, then bring your empty sack to Jesus. His rejoicing is full; His rejoicing is complete; His rejoicing is perfect and He fills your empty sack for you so that His joy overflows in you.  

Come, Emmanuel, Come - Luke 19: 28-40

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Once again, the season of Advent has arrived and, with it, the pre-Christmas excitement. There are Christmas trees, garlands, tinsel, wreaths, and inflatable Santas and bending reindeer everywhere you turn and Christmas music fills stores and airwaves.

The church tries to tap the brakes on Christmas. We’re not Scrooge McDucks, stomping on the brakes and coming to a complete halt. We just want to slow down a bit and savor where we are. Advent doesn’t mean pre-Christmas, even though Christmas is close-at-hand. The name Advent means Coming. The season is two-fold: to remember Christ's coming in time 2000 years ago, God hidden in flesh as a baby in Bethlehem, while also reminding us that Christ will come again, as we say in the Creed, in glory to judge the living and the dead. Meanwhile, the church waits in the middle, with Advent expectation, as Christ continues to come to us, hidden-yet-revealed, in Word and Water, in Bread and Wine. Traditionally, it was a season of repentance, recognizing that it was our sins that caused the Father to send His Son and take on human flesh to dwell among us. The colors of the season are either blue or purple, colors of royalty, symbolizing that Christ is the King. While we do give a nod to Christmas, with the tree up, we don’t jump in with both feet. The Advent Wreath serves as our anchor, keeping us from speeding too soon to the Manger. The Church resides in this in-between time, this Advent time, of watching and waiting, anticipating the day that Jesus fulfills his promises and returns to take His church to be with him into eternal glory.

But all around us in the secular world. Out there, it’s simply called the Christmas season or, a more nebulous holiday season. The other day I heard someone on TV say that he loves this time of the year. After all, he said, it's all about family and friends and giving gifts of love to each other. They're missing out on the entire purpose of what Advent is about, let alone Christmas. It's ultimately not about family, or friends, or food, or presents, or who got the fruit cake from last year, It's about Christ and his coming as a child in Bethlehem.

Theirs was a commentary of the times and a window into the mindset of the world in which we live. But when you have a misunderstanding of what Advent is about, and you have a misconception of who Christ is, of course you're going to completely misunderstand what both Advent and Christmas is about. And when that happens, you miss the whole reason that Christ came in the first place.

It may seem odd that this morning's gospel reading is the Palm Sunday narrative, Jesus entering the holy City of Jerusalem heading toward his passion, death, and crucifixion on the cross. But the reason that this is the first Sunday of Advent reading, is that it demonstrates the whole purpose of Christ's Ministry. He was coming into Jerusalem, entering into the City of David so that he could take his rightful place at his throne.

His throne would be unlike any other throne that any other king had ever sat upon, a throne not for splendor and majesty and power and awe, but a throne for suffering. It wouldn't be a throne made from precious metals and adorned with stones and jewels, but a throne of rough hewn wood. There wouldn't a raised upper throne room, but there would be a hill outside of the city walls, a place where the worst of the worst would reside instead of kings and queens. It was called Golgatha, the Place of the Skull, a place where murderers, criminals, insurrectionist's, the very worst that society has to offer. This is the place where His throne would be found. Is a place where this King of Kings and Lord of Lords would reign, where His glory would be seen, among the worst of the worst, the sinners of all sinners. That is where Jesus throne was to be found. 

But on that Palm Sunday morning, that's not what the people were expecting. They were expecting a king’s king to come in glory with power, pomp and circumstance. They were expecting a king along the lines of King David who rode into Jerusalem with crowds shouting his praises. They were expecting a king who would throw out the Romans, put Israel back on the map and re-establish Jerusalem to be the holy capitol city of an Israelite empire as it was under David and Solomon centuries earlier. Even the disciples were thinking that this was going to be some kind of a power play. Perhaps they too would join in some kind of cabinet where they could be the secretary of abundance, the under-secretary of bread and wine and the minister of healing and miracles.

When you have a misunderstanding of who and what Jesus is all about, then, there is also a misunderstanding of what Jesus has come to do.

Jesus riding into Jerusalem is God’s way of literally interrupting the world’s plans. It’s Jesus way of saying, “I’m here to do something unexpected.” On this first Sunday of Advent, this first day of a new Church year, it’s worth pausing, slowing, and re-centering our eyes on Jesus.

If all you think Christmas is only about family and friends, presents and trees, then you are as misguided as the ancient citizens of Jerusalem who lined the streets to welcome the King they expected. Then you forget the whole purpose of Jesus coming. The name Jesus tells us who and what he is: savior. Jesus means savior. The Angel would tell Mary and Joseph to name him Jesus because he's going to save his people from their sins. He's not going to take the lives of many. Rather, he will give his life for many.

God the Father has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bear your sin and be your Savior. The suffering of Jesus was not an accident. It was not just what happens to a nice person who loves in a world filled with hate. It was purposeful. God the Father sent His Son into the world to defeat all the forces that oppose His Kingdom. Jesus came to bear sin and bring forgiveness, to defeat death and bring life, to conquer Satan and bring salvation.

No matter where you are in the Church Year, no matter what texts of Scripture you are reading, no matter what hymns you are singing, this is the reason why God is here: To bring you forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Jesus comes to take us to what lies at the heart of the matter: God’s love for His creatures. It may not take away the anxiety, but it sets you on solid ground. You are a child in a kingdom where God, your Father, loves you. At the heart of His love is the person of His Son. Though it leads to His death, Jesus will do the work of His Father. He will come and bear what needs to be borne, fight what needs to be fought, and die to put to death what needs to end, so He might rise and bring the beginning of life, eternal life to you.

So, in this secular world of pre-Christmas, I invite you to rest in Advent for just a moment. Jesus has come. Not in Jerusalem, but here. Not on a colt but in His Word. Not surrounded by crowds throwing cloaks on a road, but still surrounded by disciples. You and me. Here, in this place, Jesus comes to remind and assure us. Grace is the reason He is here.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Mysterious Certainty: The End of the Church Year - Mark 13: 24-37

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

This morning’s Gospel reading leaves you a bit unsettled, doesn’t it? “This is the Word of the Lord,” yes, ergo: “Thanks be to God!” But at the same time, listen again: “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth, to the ends of heaven.” We’re to respond with “thanks be to God”? I’ve spent the week with these words and, truth be told, I’m a bit uncomfortable. Do you feel like that, too?

It doesn’t help much to go back and pick up the context, the verses between last week’s Gospel and this morning’s reading. “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And, alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in the winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been seen since the beginning of creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.”

Oh, my… These are hard words, difficult words that Jesus spoke to the disciples on the top of the Mount of Olives. Last week, Jesus warned of the destruction of the temple’s magnificent structure. Now, in this explanation, the temple seems to be small potatoes. The entire city, the entire nation of people will experience terrible devastation and loss – so much so that even people’s faith will be challenged.

And, if we are honest, it leaves us uncomfortable, left with uncertainty and with questions – questions like, what is Jesus talking about? Is He talking about an historical event, like the destruction of Jerusalem that will happen about 40 years later, or is he talking about something that hasn’t happened yet? Is he talking about the various temporal conflicts that have happened – like what’s happening now with Israel and Hamas or with the Ukraine and Russia now – or is he talking about something eternal, like His second coming? For that matter, why doesn’t Jesus seem to have better data, better intel? First, He said “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place,” but he kinda missed that one…didn’t he? How many generations has it been since His ascension, anyway? Was he talking about the age of the disciples or something else? And then He said, "no one knows...not even the Son." If even He doesn't know, how on earth - or under heaven, for that matter, what are we supposed to do? 

These words of Jesus are tough. They are hard words to understand. Much ink has been spilled in PhD dissertations, commentaries, sermons and Bible classes across the world. Pastors, theologians, and Bible scholars – both professional and laymen – have tried to discern and dissect and determine the meaning of these words. They are visionary and apocalyptic – a microcosm of Daniel and Revelation, if you will, which are notoriously difficult in and of themselves to understand. It’s so much, so intense, that I could easily imagine the disciples sitting at Jesus’ feet, mouths open and agape, stunned into silence and inaction.  Remember: what we read last week is continued this week, so this is a long culmination for them. The Temple destroyed? That’s bad, but if they were honest, it happened centuries earlier; it could happen again. Wars and rumors of wars, and all that. But this – the sun being darkened, the moon’s brilliance being dimmed, stars falling… What does this mean?  I see them sitting there, with hearts beating heavily in their chest, looking at each other in wonder, uncertainty – and fear – at what Jesus is all describing. 

If we are serious about our 21^st century Bible study and Bible reading, these words interrupt our world view with the cosmological changes and challenges that they describe. After reading these words of Jesus, it almost makes the reader want to murmur, “Yes, this is the Word of the Lord,” and then to gently close his or her Bible and be silent in awe.

If you feel a little bit like that, Jesus does not leave you in angst. Instead, He points you to a living parable. He speaks of a fig tree. Now, given the way He had been speaking, you might anticipate He would illustrate a fig tree losing its leaves and going dormant as if dead. Instead, Jesus speaks of a tree that is blossoming with life as the branches swell with the spring sap flow and leaves popping out in radiant green. It’s something that you see every year, every spring, as the weather warms, and your peach, pecan, and citrus trees come out of the dormancy of winter. In the new growth of the tree, new life, new beginning, another microcosm representing the fulness of the new creation to come.

It's a parable of the certainty of Jesus’ return. In the middle of what we might perceive to be the chaos of the end times – which, by the way, creation has been in since Jesus ascended into heaven – in the middle of all these things that are going on around us that leave us unsettled and uncertain, Jesus speaks a word of simple encouragement: new life will begin out of the ending of what we know.

That’s what Jesus wants you to know in this morning’s Gospel lesson. There is a certain tension, to be sure, between the first picture of darkness and chaos ending, and the second picture of springtime and order and light and life. It’s a bit of a mystery, really, how the first picture plays over and against the second, but at the same time, there’s a measure of certainty to it. While the first picture leaves us with unknowns, the second lays out certainty. You can call it a certain mystery or a mysterious certainty, but either way, you do not need to be afraid. Instead, watch and be prepared for when the fig trees start to bloom; be prepared for when Jesus does come.  

The summer after I finished high school, a friend of my dad’s, who was a small businessman in Walburg, hired me to work in his car garage and gas station. It wasn’t your typical job, though. He wanted me to quickly learn how to operate and manage the business so he, his wife, and their son – who also worked in the shop as mechanic – could all go to a family reunion out-of-state. Over the course of about six weeks, I soaked up as much as I could until the day came that they left. For the first few days, when I got off work, I kind of left things where they lay. About mid-week, I had a sudden realization: what if they came home early and found things a mess? Every evening before I closed, I cleaned and tidied things up. If there was slow time during the day, I stocked the shelves and organized the cooler. I swept and dusted, organized and cleaned. I think I even did the windows. I was prepared just in case they came home early to demonstrate that I did my best to care for their business and that I was worthy of their trust. They came home when promised, not a day earlier, not a day later. But, had they come home sooner, I was prepared for their arrival. Had they been delayed, I was prepared to keep doing what I had been doing.

That’s the point of the second brief parable. You do not know exactly when. Neither does the Son, according to His human nature. Yes, that’s a mystery as well – how can Jesus both know and not know at the same time. The answer is “yes.” In the mystery of Divine attributes, His human nature was ignorant of when He would return again. At that time, the return was not as important to Him as what was ahead. There would soon be a time when the sun would be darkened at noon, when the powers of heaven and earth would shake, and when the Son of Man hung in glory, absent all power, at the cross. Absent both angels and His Father’s presence, Jesus would die alone – another mystery, how God can die. Yet, the certainty is that Jesus died for the sins of the world, the perfect payment price to redeem the imperfect. Even creation paused in awe as the voice of the Creator breathed his last.

Jesus had to be man so He could live under the Law, be tempted as we are, suffer and die. Jesus had to be God so He could be the perfect sacrifice, perfectly obeying the Law, perfectly resisting temptation, and rising to new life. He died in human weakness and shame, but that was His glory: to be the Savior of the world. In His resurrection, He rose in power and glory, and then ascended where He remains, sitting at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the day of His return.    

We’re preparing to enter the season of Advent. As this church year closes and we stand on the threshold of the new, we live with advent expectation: standing firm in the faith today with one eye looking back to the promises of God fulfilled in Christ’s first Advent in Bethlehem and one eye looking forward to the day He returns. In the meantime, we wait.  Jesus will return. This is the certainty. The when and the how (albeit to a lesser degree) is the mystery. The mystery leads us to be grounded in the certainty of the promise. The certainty of the promise lets us live with the mystery still unanswered.