Christmas

Christmas Day

December 25, 2006

Introduction:  The angel’s message to shepherds 2000 years ago comes to us this day. What would it say to us?  It is a message which has changed this world and in fact our very lives – It is a message of confidence and joy.

I.        It is a message of confidence – The angel says: “Do not be afraid!” 

There are many in our world living today in fear – What are the fears people are dealing with these days?

A.     Fear of the future.

1.      Terrorism – We watch nightly on the evening news reports from all over the world where violence is escalating. Many fear what might befall us in the new year where near calamity can come upon us suddenly - at any moment.

2.      Uncertainty of the future – what will befall us next?  The fact that we do not know the future makes some folks immobile, frozen in the present. This is what frustrates so many – we do not know the future. But one thing we do know – He who orders our past will direct our future. The God who entered time and space as a baby will order all of our days.

B.     Worries and disappointments of the past can also   cause some to fear. Each of us has had those moments of which we are not proud. It’s easy to say, “it’s in the past” yet so often our past has a habit of entering our present so that we relive our “times of yore” over and over again as if it were happening presently.

1.      The memory of past sins, failures and disappointments can leave us depressed and discouraged. Not wanting to look forward to the future.

2.      But God has given us Christmas – The Father’s gift of His Son is the solution to our problem with sin, and with guilt. Thus we take comfort in the words of the prophet who says: “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…”

Transition: The Angel announces to us, “Be not afraid!” When our fears subside we can truly worship the new born King with joy and peace.

II.     The angel’s message is one of true joy.

A.     “I bring you good tidings of great joy.” says the angel.

1.      These are good tidings – God has come to visit His people – He chooses not to leave us floundering in sin – no, He came to defeat sin and death and Satan’s power by becoming a curse for us.

2.      Having become a curse He exchanges our misery for His own righteousness. No other gift could fit us better. He knows what we need and has given us His best. This day we simply celebrate that God has acted for us – lying in a manger, hanging on a cruel and bloody cross, standing triumphant outside an empty tomb, at the font, in the cup. Real places for real sinners!

B.     These glad tidings are for all people. 

1.      The first Christmas sighting was in late August/early September - with a Christmas display and merchandize ready to be sold - at a Wal-mart store! From the day after Thanksgiving up to today a few local radio stations have played nothing but Christmas music which can leave some overwhelmed by Christmas wishing it would go away as soon as it arrives! 

Yet what an excellent time for us to witness to our family, friends, and neighbors that what the world has been so long expecting has in fact come to be – God and man are reconciled! If a few shop keepers and telecommunications executives want to prolong Christmas – so be it!  At no other time in the year are people talking about Jesus then this present Christmas season. Why shouldn’t we talk of Him whose birth we celebrate this day! 

2.      There is now peace on earth because the Father is at peace. He is at peace with the sending of His Son. He is at peace at what this Savior has accomplished at the bloody cross and empty tomb. He is at peace to bring us home on our last day into mansions glorious.

Conclusion: With confidence and joy we now live for Him who has saved us. Be with me Lord Jesus I ask Thee to stay. Close by me forever and love me I pray. Bless all the dear children in Thy tender care. And fit us for heaven to live with Thee there. Blessed Christmas!

Mid-week Advent 3

Advent Mid-week 3

December 20, 2006

Matthew 1:20-23

To Whom Does Jesus Come?

INTRODUCTION: To whom does Jesus come? He comes to people who struggle with their faith. So often in matters of life the issues are not always black and white. Sometimes there is a lot of gray. Often we are forced to struggle and wrestle as we grapple with the question, “Lord what should I do?”  At other times we know intuitively what we should do.  There is no needing to ask: “what shall I do now?” We know, in our gut, with every fiber of our being, what we ought to do. All we need to ask in such instances is for the strength and the will to act. To whom does Jesus come? He comes with enlightenment to him who does not understand.

We consider this evening Joseph. When he learned that Mary was bearing a child, he was understandably disturbed. He knew of two realities. First, Mary to whom he was engaged was expecting a child. He also knows he is not the Father!

Joseph, being a just man, tried to conform his life to the Jewish law. “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (v.19) Here we see Joseph’s dilemma. Whose reputation, he pondered, should be tarnished, Mary’s or his own? That was the issue with which he was wrestling. Joseph felt betrayed; he loved Mary, yet he didn’t want to “expose her to public disgrace.” To whom does Jesus come? He comes to people who struggle with their faith.  He comes with enlightenment to him who does not understand.

1.         In making decisions, of which we do not fully understand all of the circumstances remember it is God who is working behind the scenes to will and to do His perfect good pleasure. Such was the case in the birth of Jesus as Joseph understood it. An angel sent by God had to intervene.  Matthew 1:20  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

2.         Joseph also learned a second valuable lesson. When God is acting for us it is He who will act. Because man is blind, dead, and an enemy of God we need God’s saving work in our lives. This is exactly why Jesus was born in the first place. This is why He came. The angel explains to Joseph specifically why this birth means so much. Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  

And save us He has. God is at work working out your salvation. Nothing is left to chance. To the contrary He is shaping, molding and using ever circumstance in your life to bring about one reality. He was born to afford you salvation. That is why Jesus came to this earth. He came to save His people from their sins.

3.         Joseph also learned a valuable lesson. The Scriptures cannot be broken. Jesus’ birth was not a mistake, a miscalculation, an inaccuracy. To the contrary it was all mapped out in Scripture. The Savior’s birth had been foretold in sacred Scripture and to Joseph’s amazement these Scriptures were fulfilled in his lifetime. He lived to see them played out right before his eyes! Matthew 1:22-23 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”

CONCLUSION: When we must choose – choose wisely. Often we are forced to make decisions in life in which the outcome will not necessarily be pleasant.  When we have to choose “the lesser of two evils” as Joseph, we need to wrestle and pray. Actions do have their consequences. Joseph did not act rashly. Decisions reached hastily are often ill advised. Patience is needed when the situation is serious.            

Advent mid-week 2

Advent Mid-week 2

December 13, 2006

Luke 1:26, 31-33

To Whom Does Jesus Come?

INTRODUCTION: In the Gospel of Luke the birth of Jesus is foretold. The Lord sends a messenger who comes to Mary the very peasant girl who will give Him birth. To whom does Jesus come?  Jesus comes with comfort to him who waits.

In Luke 1:26  we read: “In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,”  The mention of Elizabeth's "sixth month" establishes a link between Jesus and the prophet John the Baptist. Nazareth was a small town off the main trade routes. Its insignificant size contrasts with Jerusalem, where Gabriel's previous appearance had taken place. Jn 1:46 records the negative Judean opinion of Nazareth. “What good ever came out of Nazareth?”  

Likewise, the region of Galilee contrasts with Judea. Surrounded as they were by Gentiles, the Galileans were not necessarily irreligious but many were somewhat lax regarding strict Jewish traditions. And what really is the point? Jesus did not come to the high and mighty, the religious. He came from a region of sinners and a family of sinners to redeem sinful people.

What can we say concerning this Savior? Let’s see what the angel has to say:

“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”  Luke 1:31-33

Mary’s Son was to be infinitely greater than John.

(a) His name was to be Jesus, ‘Jehovah is salvation’ (31).

(b) He would be great (32), a title which, unqualified, is usually reserved for God Himself.

(c) As heir to David’s throne He will reign over God’s people (33).

(d) His kingdom will be eternal (33).

CONCLUSION: To whom does Jesus come? He comes to comfort those who wait patiently for Him.

Advent 1 mid-week

Advent Mid-week 1

December 6, 2006

Luke 1:18-20

 “The Promised Savior”

To Whom Does Jesus Come?

INTRODUCTION:  To whom does Jesus come? Does He come only to those who are rich in faith? Does He come only to those who have everything figured out? Does He come only to those who are secure in their beliefs?  What about the Scrooges of this world? Does Jesus come to them also? These Scrooges…they want to believe. They want to get all caught up in the merriment of this holiday season and yet they are reserved… There are those people who simply haven’t finally gotten a full grasp of the Christmas story. Now don’t get me wrong, they know the story inside and out which might be their downfall. They don’t necessary doubt but they have questions. Could the Savior really be born in Bethlehem, in a stable, to a Virgin?  As we consider the question: to whom does Jesus come we will find that Jesus comes with proof to him who has questions.

Ah yes, there are plenty of questions in the Christmas story. The man we will focus on this night is an old man by the name of Zachariah.

We know a little concerning Zachariah the father of John the Baptist. We know that Zachariah was a priest, whose lot it had fallen to offer up prayers at the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Jewish exile into Babylon had interrupted the original lines of descent; so once returning to Israel the divisions were regrouped, most of them corresponding to the original in name only. Each of the twenty-four divisions served in the temple for one week, twice a year, as well as at the major festivals.

An individual priest, however, could offer the incense at the daily sacrifice only once in his lifetime since there were so many priests. Therefore this was the climactic moment of Zechariah's priestly career, perhaps the most dramatic moment possible for the event described to have occurred. God was breaking into the ancient routine of Jewish ritual with the word of His decisive saving act and nobody could believe it!

The suddenness of the appearance of the angel in the Holy Place is in agreement with other supernatural events in the Christmas story. Consider the heavenly host that visited the shepherds. (cf. 2:9, 13).

Only a heavenly being had the right to appear in that place with the priest. Zechariah's startled and fearful reaction is not only a natural reaction to such an appearance but is also consistent with what the Gospels say about the response of the disciples and others to the presence of the supernatural. They are - startled and to say the least - apprehensive at best, - doubtful and the worst.

This is the first indication of prayer on the part of Zechariah. The specific petition probably refers to both his lifelong prayer for a child (probably a son) and his just-offered prayer in the temple for the messianic redemption of Israel. Actually, the birth of his child was bound up with redemption in a way far beyond anything Zechariah expected.

As he prays for a son his prayer will be answered. As he prays for the redemption of Israel through the coming of the promised Savior his prayer will be answered!

That the prayer included a petition for a son is substantiated by the further description of the child, beginning with his name "John" (meaning "The Lord is gracious"). John being named before his birth stresses God's amazing mercy and grace in choosing John to be His servant.

To question does not mean doubt! Mary’s question arises from faith (v.45). Mary simply inquired as to the way God would work; Zechariah questioned the truth of the revelation. Zachariah's question, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” Luke 1:18 seems oh so innocent, but  it was asked in doubt. In contrast to Mary's question- - "How can I be sure of this?" apparently was a request for a sign. Though we are told that Zechariah was devout (v.6), his quest for confirmation was perilously close to the attitude described by the skeptics, who in Luke 11:29 are searching for confirmation of Jesus’ ministry but find nothing to their satisfaction. “As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”  

In the midst of his skepticism, disbelief, uncertainty and doubt the Lord speaks to Zachariah through the messenger Gabriel. “The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.  And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.” Luke 1:19-20

There you have it! Zachariah is dumbfound by the news and staggers at the very thought that he would be a father in his old age. Thus he will live in silence until the child is born. Yet, the mighty acts of God will be fulfilled in Zachariah’s lifetime. He will have a son, and the promised Savior will be born. John will be His prophet and the holy one of Israel will come to deliver His people. It will happen all as Gabriel had promised.

The Christmas story is just as difficult to imagine as is the birth of John, born to parents well beyond years and yet it all happened as it has been recorded to us in sacred Scripture.

The fact that Zachariah had difficulty believing what his ears were hearing does not mean it is impossible. To the contrary, it reminds us that what is impossible for man is all God’s doing!  If an old couple could cradle in their arms their own son could not God give us His own Son to be conceived of a Virgin, to be born, suffer, be crucified, die and then rise from the dead on the third day?  If you have difficulties grasping the wonder of the Christmas story your in good company with the likes of Zachariah and Thomas and even Peter.   To whom does Jesus come? He comes with proof to him who questions.

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day
November 23, 2006

INTRODUCTION: Once again we have come to another Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving here at Zion is much more likened to a harvest festival in which we return thanks to God who has given us another year to serve Him in providing the people of this world food to eat.

We have again experienced the four seasons which are so critical and significant to our farming community. There is first, the dormancy of winter in which the world around us sleeps and enters hibernation. But with the emergence of spring comes the hope of another season. Planting leads to growth and maturation in summer which gives way to the harvest of autumn. Each year has its own challenges and this year has had its own.  How should we view this year’s harvest? Let us consider these realities.

Through the kindness of God we have again received the fruit of the earth in their season.

Our prayer should be that we rejoice in Christ’s mercy.

Our prayer should be that neither prosperity nor adversity would drive us from Christ’s presence.

CONCLUSION: Lord God heavenly Father, through whose kindness we have again received the fruits of the earth in their season, grant us ever to rejoice in Your mercy that neither prosperity nor adversity may drive us from Your presences. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen

Thanksgiving Eve

Thanksgiving Eve

November 22, 2006

As we gather this night to give thanks to the Lord for another harvest, for an opportunity to serve Him let us come to Him as He has invited us simply to come, for we come at Christ’s great invitation.

Christ’s Great Invitation

I.        Come – UNTO ME – For Rest. Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

A.     Are you burdened, weighed down by the load and cares of this life and the troubles of this world. Does sin hamper and consume us? Where can we find relief?

B.     The rest we find comes from the Lord Jesus who suffered, died and rose again to give us eternal rest and gladness. He bore our sins in His own body on the cross that we might die to sin and live unto righteousness.

Transition: We look to Jesus for rest from the burdens of sin and strife. We look unto Him for life. 

II.     Look – UNTO ME – for Life Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”

A.     The Lord is specific – turn to Me to be saved. There is salvation in no one else. Jesus is the only way to salvation. He desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. He desires all from the ends of the earth to come to Him and be His.

B.     Apart from Christ there is no other way of salvation. There is no other way! He is not just one among many. He alone is the only way.

Transition: As He comes to us for rest, as He comes to us for life He comes to us for us to be made whole.

III.   Turn – UNTO ME – for Restoration Nehemiah 1:9 “but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.”

A.     The Lord has a plan, to gather all men to Himself. He desires us to return back to Him. How do we come to Him? We come to Him with humble and thankful hearts. We come at His bidding, at His urging, at His calling.

B.     We come to the place He has chosen. It might be this service tonight. It might have been at a moment in your life when you realized God’s call. It comes daily as He speaks to us clearly through His Word and in His Sacraments. His calling, urging, prompting, is His Holy Spirit at work in you.

Reformation

Reformation Observed

October 29, 2006

John 8:34-36

Made free

Introduction: How are we to perceive ourselves? Some believe we exist to be free. That seems to be the American mantra, “I was born free, I live free, and I will die, free!”  The truth is we are born slaves to sin, for each and every one of us has been born into sin. We are in bondage to the power of the Devil.

Fortunately, this bondage was broken by a man who suffered on a cruel and bloody cross and then stood at the mouth of an open tomb. Christians are now declared to be slaves of Christ, but in Christ we are now slaves who are set free. The Emancipation proclamation is what will be remembered as one of Lincoln’s greatest acts as president. . Jesus’ death on the cruel, cruel, cross is what has guaranteed our freedom. The Reformation was the event that called for religious freedom – freedom of a burdened conscience, freedom from false teachings. We are declared to be free in Christ – free to live and love and serve.

As Christians we are

Born, destined to be slaves of sin –

Yet, we have been made free by Jesus Christ  the only-begotten Son of God –

I.        Each is born a slave to sin. (V. 34) “Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”

A.     Because of our first parents Adam and Eve we have all been made slaves to sin.

1.      One of the hymns we teach our students in Morning Prayer at Wyneken expresses this truth so well.  “In Adam we have all been one, One huge rebellious man; We all have fled that evening voice That sought us as we ran.” [1]

2.      We remain in this state of slavery and bondage until the day we draw our last breath. Yes, we have been redeemed by Christ the crucified. Yes, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law. But at the same time, there is the “Old Adam [lurking] within us, {who} should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil lust so that a new man can daily come forth and arise who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” [2]  

St. Paul writes, in Romans, the sixth chapter, “We were buried with Christ by Baptism into death, that, like as He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”[3]

B.     Daily we fall short of the perfection the Father demands of us.

1.      We confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have not loved the Father with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors and ourselves. We justly deserve the Father’s present and eternal punishment.[4]

2.      We confess both sins of commission and sins of omission. This is what we mean when we say to God, “We have sinned by thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.” [5]

3.      Specifically, we plead guilty before God in everything. In Individual/Private Confession we pray, “I have lived as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most. My Lord’s name I have not honored as I should; my worship and prayers have faltered. I have not let His love have its way with me, and so my live for others has failed. There are those whom I have hurt, and those whom I failed to help. My thoughts and desires have been soiled with sin.” [6]

Transition: By being human we are born slaves to sin. Yet there is in us a “new man” which has made us a new people.

II.     We are made free by God’s Son. (V. 36) “So if the son has made you free you are free indeed.”

A.     You are made free because of the action of Jesus Christ.

1.      He is the one who entered this world. John in his Gospel will tell us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.[7] But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.[8] 

2.      He is the one who bore your sin. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”[9]

3.      He is the one who offers you new life.  St. Paul would remind us, “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”[10]

B.     This freedom can not be taken from you.

1.      Satan may howl and shriek. This is what he enjoys and he’s so good it! He’s so good at what he does. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 9 “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” [11] He’s always accusing, always judging, always condemning. He’s so critical. He does not approve of Christ and what He is doing in you. So He will continue to bellow and shout his accusations at us.

2.      But in a clear small voice someone speaks even louder - it is Christ your Savior who speaks His word of peace, “I forgive you” “I love you” “I care for you.” This is what moved the Evangelist John to write, “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”  [12]

Conclusion: How are we to perceive ourselves?  As humans we are born slaves of sin – Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. That’s the Law. Yet, by the grace of God we have been made free by the Son – So if the Son has made you free you are free indeed. In Jesus Christ you are free indeed. Believe and trust in this reality. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.  

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

[1] “In Adam We Have All Been One” from Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO

[2] “The Significance of Baptizing with Water” from Luther’s Small Catechism Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO pg. 303

[3] Romans 6:

[4] Confession of Sins from Divine Service II Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO p. 158

[5] Ibid

[6] Individual Confession and Absolution Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO p. 310

[7] John 1:14

[8] Galatians 4:4

[9] 1 Peter 2:24-25

[10] Romans 6:3-4

[11] 1 Peter 5:8-9

[12] 1 John 3:19-20