St Thomas

Almighty and ever living God, who for the more confirmation of the faith didst suffer thy holy Apostle Thomas to be doubtful in Thy Son’s resurrection; grant us so perfectly and without all doubt, to believe in Thy Son Jesus Christ,. That our faith in thy sight may never be reproved. Hear us, O Lord, through the same Jesus Christ, to Whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost., be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen

O Key of David

O Key of David and Scepter of the house of Israel, who closet portals and no one can open them, come thou and from his cell lead forth the captive who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Come, O Lord, and make no tarrying;

Loosen the bonds of the people Israel.

Stir up we beseech Thee, O Lord, the wills of Thy faithful people that they. Plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works may of Thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

O Come, Thou KEY OF DAVID Come,

And open wide our heav’nly home

Make swift the way that leads on high

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

O Come, O Come Emmanuel stanza four, Lutheran Service Book © 2008 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use

O Root of Jesse

O Root of Jesse, who standest for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall keep silent, to whom the nations shall offer their petitions, come to deliver us, wait not any longer.

Rejoice greatly, O Zion.

Behold, Thy King cometh.

Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy power and come and with great might strengthen us that by the help of Thy grace whatsoever is hindered by our sins may be speedily accomplished through Thy mercy and satisfaction; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

O Come, Thou ROD OF JESSE’S STEM,

From every foe deliver them,

That trust Thy mercy to save,

And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel stanza three, Lutheran Service Book © 2008 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use

mid-week Advent 3

To Whom Does Jesus Come?

Matthew 1:20-23

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.                 

+ Soli Deo Gloria + 

O Lord

O Lord, eternal and leader of the House of Israel, who didst appear to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and didst give the law to him on Sinai, come to redeem us by Thine outstretched arm.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Alleluia!

Make His paths straight. Alleluia!

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Thine only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve Thee with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.

O Come, O Come, Thou LORD of Might,

Who to Thy Tribes on Sinai’s height,

In ancient time didst give the law,

In cloud, and majesty and awe,

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel stanza two, Lutheran Service Book © 2008 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use

O Wisdom

The First Antiphon

O Wisdom, who comest forth from the mouth of the most high, reaching mightily from one boundary of the world to the other, and pleasantly ordering all things, come, teach us the way of prudence.

Behold the name of the Lord cometh from afar

And let the whole earth be filled with His glory

Stir up we beseech thee, Thy power, O Lord, and come, that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, One God, world without end.

O come Thou WISDOM from on high

Who ord’rest all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show.

And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

O Come, O Come Emmanuel stanza one, Lutheran Service Book © 2008 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Schnorr Von Carolsfeld woodcuts © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use

Advent 3

Philippians 4:4 
O Rejoice Ye Christians Loudly

The theme of rejoicing for this the third Sunday of Advent reminds us that Advent is not all sorrow, solemnity, and seriousness. For example, the much-loved carol “Joy to the world” is an Advent hymn, not Christmas. The focus of this Sunday is that you and I as Christians are to rejoice for Christ is coming to visit His people. You and I rejoice for we anticipate Christ is coming. Today is a time of excitement over who is coming. 

1.      What to do – Rejoice – under all kinds of circumstances – even in the midst of suffering.  The prophet Habakkuk tells his hearers that he will rejoice regardless of the circumstances, which surround his life. We have just come off a challenging growing and harvest season. It is easy for circumstances, especially difficult conditions, to dictate our rejoicing and the reasons for us to rejoice. Recall however, what the Prophet tells us:“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (Vv. 17-18)

Transition: The prophet’s rejoicing is not dictated by circumstance, a difficult as they may be. The target of His rejoicing is in the Lord.

2.      Why should we rejoice – We rejoice in the Lord – We live in a dark and sinful world. Circumstances and factors beyond our control can bring us low. But what is truly at the root prohibiting our rejoicing is our sin. And to break the bondage of sin Jesus has promised to come.

Jesus is for those who feel bad. They look to their lives and see failure. Their sins rise up against them in a flood of accusations. Jesus has come for people whose faith is battered and weak. He has come for those who want to enjoy the Christmas cheer and join in the holiday celebration, but often feel less than joyous this time of year, so they feel bad about that, too, wondering is Scrooge wasn't right after all.       

To these people comes the Child of Bethlehem. He gives them what they need. He is not content to make them "feel" good. Soothing words are not His to give. Sentimental tripe never comes from His lips. For He is areal Savior who saves real sinners. He didn't come into this world to be cute and adored. He came to us to be abandoned. He was born to die, not a noble death applauded by the religious, but a death of loneliness engulfed in scorn and shame. And that miserable death saved us. For it was our sin which He took, away. The reason for our rejoicing is that we focus our rejoicing in the Lord Jesus.

3.      When do we rejoice? –  We rejoice Always!  This is what prompted Paul to write  “I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,  who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:4-8)

You and I have the peace and presence of God, which sustains us regardless of circumstance. Not the peace of mind, not the peace of heart, not the peace of men, but the people of God. This divine peace passes all understanding, and keeps the heart and mind focused on Christ. Surely this is good reason for us to rejoice.  Rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say, rejoice!