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Epiphany 5 – “Christ Crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:1-12)

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon this morning is the Epistle, which was read earlier.

I’m afraid to ask the question, but here goes: What is your idea of the perfect pastor? Is it one who is a great speaker? Is it one who is a people-person? Is it one who gets his hands dirty with regards to the inner workings of the church? Is it one who has qualities I didn’t mention?

In looking at the history of the Church, we see throughout that the Church’s pastors were not what we would call the perfect pastor. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples and close friends, had denied Jesus not once, but three times. Following the resurrection, Peter was asked by Jesus three times whether or not he really loved Jesus. After denying Jesus three times, now Jesus invited him to declare his love for Him three times.

Paul was a staunch persecutor of the faith prior to his conversion. The number of Christians that Paul had put to death was astronomical in size. His sole purpose in life was to stomp out Christianity at any and all costs. The teaching was heretical and went against the core of Paul’s beliefs. And then suddenly, on the road to Damascus, Paul encountered Jesus Christ in the flesh and everything was changed. In the blink of an eye, Paul went from persecutor of the faith to defender of the faith.

God’s decision to save the world through the lowly message of the cross had been illustrated by His calling so many lowly people to form the Corinthian church. Paul introduces himself here as one who is not “showy” in his own preaching and personal bearing in the early days of his ministry among the Corinthians.

Regardless of the man, regardless of the pastor, there is only one thing that he should preach and that is what Paul tells the Corinthians: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” There could be any number of things that a pastor could preach. He could preach about how good we are at our core. He could preach about how wealthy you will be if you only pray to God hard enough. He could preach that all roads lead to heaven, regardless of what you believe. But those pastors are leaving something out of their preaching: “Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

Wouldn’t we all love to hear that we’d be rich? Wouldn’t we all love to hear how good we are, no matter the evil we commit? Wouldn’t we all love to hear that everyone is going to heaven and no one is going to hell? While all that is nice, it is unfortunately false. That is not found within Holy Scripture. That is not found in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

What is found in the Holy Scriptures? They tell us “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” They tell us, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” They tell us “the wages of sin is death.” Those are not Scripture teachings that we want to hear, but those are the teachings that we need to hear, regardless of how much it hurts, regardless of whether or not we believe it.

What was the teaching and preaching that Paul was doing? It could have been his own teaching, just like there were many teachings of the time. Instead, listen again to the words that Paul says: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” When Paul had his Damascus Road conversion, there was only one teaching that Paul would teach: Jesus Christ. There would be no other teaching that would come from the mouth of Paul, nor should there be.

This kind of preaching is the only kind of preaching that can save because it is centered on the saving work of Jesus Christ for us sinners. St. Paul was amazed that a sinner like him, in fact, the chief of sinners he says, could be saved. And if a sinner like he could be saved, then there is hope for salvation for all sinners. A message of salvation on account of Christ beats any message of earthly riches or prosperity, a gospel of niceness that does nothing for salvation, or some message that gives the false hope of eternal life for all in heaven, regardless of faith in Christ.

One can imagine how popular this message of Paul was. There were those who were adamantly opposed to such a message of salvation because it ran counter-cultural to the other religious ideas being taught. There were also those whose hearts were opened by the Holy Spirit and who heard the saving message of Jesus Christ and believed. They saw how their “wise” theology led them to a false sense of salvation. It was not Paul and his fanciful preaching that converted these souls to Christ, but rather the work of the Holy Spirit. Why did God do it this way? As Paul says, “that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

He wanted to make clear that faith doesn’t come by knowing or understanding, and that salvation doesn’t come by creating some intellectual ladder to God. He wanted faith to come, and faith is the work of the Spirit. Faith comes by hearing, hearing the Word of God. Man’s wisdom will always be foolishness, but Paul has made it clear that God’s wisdom is anything but foolishness for those who believe. Now he boldly states that it is true wisdom. This message of the Gospel is true wisdom. Those who are “mature” in Christ know that this wisdom far exceeds the wisdom of the Greeks of the day. Worldly wisdom, along with all things worldly, will pass away. However, the wisdom of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is something that will never pass away, something that can never be replaced, though that doesn’t stop us from trying to replace it with something we think is better.

There’s a huge lesson here for the Church in our present time: salvation is about hearing the Word of God and believing it. It’s not how clever the sermon or how witty the preacher. It’s about faith in Christ and Him crucified, not wisdom. That’s how Paul begins, but then he switches gears. The Gospel isn’t foolishness, though he’s called it that because that’s how the world views it. The Gospel is actually wisdom – the wisdom of God.

The Gospel is indeed sufficient to save. Rather than being wisdom of men, this is a wisdom that is revealed only unto faith – not a matter of intellect but trust in Christ. This is all a work of the Holy Spirit, not a work of man. It is that simple and it must be that simple. You are sinful and cannot save yourself. In order for you to be saved, Jesus becomes flesh and dies in your place and then rose again three days later. As simple as this is, you do not believe it because it is simple, but you believe because it is simply the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal this gift of faith to you. All the wisdom of the world is doomed, but you are not; for you know the simple wisdom of God that you are forgiven all of your sins on account of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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Funeral for + Duane Jurczewsky +

LSB Icon_040The text that I have chosen for Duane’s funeral comes from 1 Corinthians 15:51-58.

51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Here ends our text.

Phyllis, Todd, Beth, Sonia, in the last few weeks of Duane’s life, when I would see him, there was one thing that he did a lot of: sleep. Whether it was due to age, tiredness, pain or medication, he slept. Seeing him on Thursday, his sleep was anything but restful. With all of that being said, we rejoice because Duane did fall asleep; he fell asleep in Christ Thursday evening. There isn’t a better place to fall asleep than in the arms of Jesus.

As much as we don’t like it, as much as we don’t understand it, Duane’s death had to take place. It leaves sorrow today in our lives, as it should. No longer is a husband, father, or grandfather present. We are left feeling lonesome. And while all of that is natural to feel, we must remember that this is what was necessary. Listen again to the words from St. Paul: “For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” That is what happens for every believer in Christ. That is the joy that we have on account of Christ and by His life, death, and resurrection. We have the promise from today’s Gospel reading: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” Christ understands our deepest of needs and does what no one else could do.

That is what happened to Duane. Thursday, when Duane breathed his last, he fell asleep in Christ. In that moment, everything changed for Duane. In the twinkling of an eye, his body was forever changed. There was no more cancer. There was no more sickness. There was no more disease. Duane has won the victory over all suffering and pain. He has even won the victory over death.

Duane did not win the victory by being kind or generous. He did not win the victory by being loving or hard working; though many here can testify to the fact that Duane was all these things. But that is not how a person wins the victory over suffering and death.

But when Duane faced death, he did not face it alone. Another stood by his side, one who was stronger than death. Through Him, through Jesus Christ, Duane has won the victory. Christ removed the sharp sting of death, which is sin, for He washed Duane clean in His precious blood. With all of Duane’s sins nailed forever to the cross of Calvary, no one could bring any accusation against him. Not even Satan could stand up and accuse Duane of anything, since the Lord God has already declared him innocent forever.

Resurrection is what Duane received and what you are receiving today in your ears; what you are saying and singing with your tongues; what you have had poured over your head; what you will receive in the bread and wine that is the very body and blood of our Lord. Jesus’ resurrection is Duane’s resurrection and it is your resurrection—but that is only because His death is your death.

While today is indeed a day of sorrow, it is also a day to rejoice. It is a day to rejoice in the fact that Christ has called Duane to be His beloved child through the waters of Holy Baptism. In Baptism, Duane received the forgiveness of all of his sins. Duane was not deserving of the mercy that God showed to him on account of Christ. In fact, none of us are deserving of God’s mercy, yet through His grace, He makes us to be His own.

Duane has what we desire, what one day will be ours – immortality. This is not immortality that we find in horror or science fiction movies, but this is immortality that is found in Christ. This is immortality that grants to the believer everlasting life in Christ Jesus. This is what is given to us freely by Christ, without any work on our part.

Sin and death have been forever ended because of Christ’s work for us on the cross. Because of His sacrificial death, the death that Duane died is only temporary and not eternal. He lives triumphant on account of Christ. Listen to these words from St. Paul and how they speak of the work of Christ for us: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Because Christ has joined us to Himself through Baptism, we are forever a part of Him. His death is our life. He dies the death that we are to die and we live eternally in Him. Duane knew this. This is what he confessed. He knew that he was a sinner, but because of Christ, he was made righteous. He knew that one day, he was going to die. But in that same thought, he also knew that he was going to live again in Christ.

Victory for Duane is sure and certain. Victory for the Christian is sure and certain. Because we are united in Christ’s death, we are united in His resurrection. There is no wonder as to what will happen when we breathe our last breath. There was no wonder in Duane’s mind as to what would happen when he would breathe his last breath. While he was fearful of dying, he knew that there truly was nothing to fear because he would be with Christ, and that is where Duane is, with Christ.

For us who are left this side of heaven, sorrow is indeed our song today. But beyond our song of sorrow, our song of joy rings out louder. With Christ, there is no more pain. There is no more suffering. Our song is forever a song of joy, for what Christ has achieved for Duane, for what Christ has achieved for all who believe and confess His holy name. Victory is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord. Today we rejoice that Duane has received that victorious crown of life and we look forward to that day when Christ calls us home with Him, for on that day we will receive that victorious crown of life, surrounded by the multitude of saints who have gone before us, of those who have fallen asleep in Jesus, as we gather and worship the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We continue to look to Jesus, for He alone can give victory, in the hour of sorrow and in the hour of death. Today, we abound in the work of the Lord, for it is that work that gives to Duane and to all believers eternal life. Amen.

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Purification of Mary & Presentation of Our Lord – “A Farewell Song” (Luke 2:22-32)

F-9 Presentation of our Lord (Lu 2.22-40)Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

Everyone loves a good song. Music seems to be quite memorable, often having to do with the beat, melody, or lyrics. Sometimes they are memorable because of the setting in which they are heard. Take for instance the song, “Bugler’s Dream.” The song has no lyrics but everyone knows it when they hear it. For those who don’t know what song I’m talking about, think the Olympics. Other songs, like “The Star Spangled Banner” elicit a great sense of pride. As we focus on the words from Luke’s Gospel, there is a song worth remembering that didn’t even start as a song.

When Jesus was 40 days old, the Holy Family made the short trip to Jerusalem for the purification of Mary and for the presentation of the Child in the temple. The law of purification of mother found in Leviticus 12 tells what was necessary. A poor person was required to bring two doves or young pigeons as her sacrificial offering. The law also required that a firstborn male was to be consecrated to the Lord. If the child was not given into the service of the Lord, the parents needed to redeem him by a payment of five shekels. Mary and Joseph did not make this payment since Jesus was consecrated to the Lord in the fullest possible way. On the 40th day of His life, Jesus is presented to the Lord for service to God.

How ironic this scene was. The Child Jesus is brought into the temple when He Himself is the very Temple of God. St. John writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” When John says that the Word “dwelt” among us, it literally means that Jesus set up His tabernacle or tent among us. This is a close tie-in to the temple. The people went to the temple because that is where the glory of God dwelled. Here is Jesus, who IS God in the flesh!

As the Holy Family enters the temple, they encounter an old man named Simeon. Not much is known about Simeon. Traditionally, he’s pictured as a wizened, elderly man who has led a good life of many years; but we don’t know. Is he married? Widowed?  Healthy? Ailing? Does he have kids? Grandkids?  Has he led a good life? Bad? We don’t know; the Bible doesn’t tell us. All that we know is his name is Simeon. The Bible also says that Simeon “was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”  That’s why he’s at the temple — he’s going to see the Messiah.

Suddenly, He appears. The long-awaited Messiah is there; not just a human being, but the Lord has suddenly come to His temple. The Son of God has become flesh to be the Savior of the world, and He is making His first incarnate visit to His Father’s house. The prophecy is fulfilled! The Messiah is on the temple grounds.

Simeon, within the story of Jesus, is parallel to Zechariah in the John story. Like Zechariah, he is aged, pious, and just and represents all that is best in Israel. Simeon has been waiting for the consolation of Israel. Like all the main characters of the infancy narratives, and like Zechariah in particular, Simeon has received a promise from the Lord.  In this case it is that he will not die until he sees the Lord’s Messiah. It is no surprise therefore that, like Zechariah, he will sing a particularly lovely hymn.

This hymn which Simeon sings, the Nunc Dimittis, is a fitting hymn for Simeon.  He has neared the end of his life, presumably a long life at that. He has seen the promised Messiah. Because of that, he is able to sing, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

Simeon has been waiting, waiting for death. The only way for this song to ring out is when the Law had been fulfilled. This song of Simeon rings through the ages, validating that now he is able to die because what had been promised had been fulfilled. Mary and Joseph act according to the Law by bringing Jesus to be presented for service to God in the temple. But the Law is also fulfilled because Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah comes to fulfill what is required on our part.

God is faithful, and the promises will be kept; that is why Simeon departs in peace. He doesn’t depart to peace; it is not that he faces a rosy, sublime sort of life because he has held the Savior. Whatever other trials lie ahead, he still faces death. He’s still in this sinful world. But he is at peace because God is faithful. He has sent the Savior.  He has not forsaken Simeon, but has come to redeem him. Whatever Simeon faces, he is at peace with God. The Lord has kept His promises, and Simeon knows the end of the story. The end of the story is life everlasting, because the Son has come.

God gives you faith, faith by and in a blessed truth that you know. Today, you stand with Simeon because you behold your Savior. The Holy Spirit has revealed this to you — not through some mystical vision or writing in the sky, but by His holy, inspired Word. His Word announces to you that the Baby in Simeon’s arms grows up and bears your sins to the cross. That same body is pierced and that blood is shed before He is placed in the tomb. That same Savior, with the same body and blood, is risen again on the third day. And before Jesus ascends into heaven, He speaks to His disciples of teaching and baptizing. He speaks of Word and Sacrament, and promises, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Great joy came to Simeon because he saw for himself the promised Savior. He took the newborn Babe in his arms and spoke the words which we know as the Nunc Dimittis, translated as “Now I can die in peace.” For Simeon, his life could now come to an end because he held God in the flesh. The reason why Simeon may depart in peace is that he has witnessed the Lord’s “salvation.” Simeon is holding “salvation” in his arms, salvation that was intended for him and salvation that is intended for you and for me.

The song that Simeon sings is the song of every Christian, past, present, and future. It is the song that begs to be sung by all of Christendom. Jesus comes to be Savior to all of the nations. He comes to bring light and glory.

Today, you sing with Simeon because the Savior has come to you, too; and then you depart in peace. You depart in peace, though not necessarily to peace. You stand to face some ridicule along the way. If Simeon looks strange as he sings to the Baby, you’ll draw some strange looks for looking for Jesus in, with and under bread and wine, water and Word. Some will tell you that you’ve lost your religious sanity, if not your salvation. But you know better: Christ is here because He promises, and He always keeps His promises. You have His Word on it, so you depart in peace. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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Epiphany 3 – “Out of Darkness” (Matthew 4:12-25)

A-19 Epiphany 3 (Mt 4.12-23)Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

I remember when I was on vicarage, we took the youth group camping for a week. One of the things we did was visit a cave in northern Kentucky, one that was dated “millions” of years old. It had beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, water running down the walls reflecting off of the artificial lights installed in the cave. We got to an area of the cave with benches and they had us sit. The tour guides warned us that they were going to turn out the lights and it was going to get dark, really dark. Once they turned out the lights, there was nothing but darkness, not a single bit of light shone in the caves. It was disconcerting to say the least. The reason you were seated was because your balance would be thrown off, and it was. To be thrown into utter darkness was not a comforting feeling.

As we look at our Gospel reading, we see a prophecy from Isaiah, from our Old Testament reading, fulfilled: “the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” Light appears to cast away the darkness. That is the joy of the season of Epiphany, the light appearing. The promised light of Jesus Christ rescues us from the darkness of death for the endless light of eternal life.

As Matthew records this account for us, Jesus retreats and lives in Capernaum, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. For those living in the Old Testament era, this was not the place to be living. This was the equivalent to the run-down and rough part of town, the place where no one likes to go, let alone live. This was due to the foreign kings living and reigning in that area. As Isaiah says, it was called the “Galilee of the nations.” Just so we’re clear, that’s not a compliment, but a derogatory statement. But as Isaiah points out, they did not remain in the darkness because they have seen a great light. We’re not talking about a bright light in the sky, but rather the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. They were given the promise of a Child to come who would restore God’s creation to Himself. If there were any doubts as to who the Light was going to be, we are given these words just after our texts, words that are familiar to us during the season of Christmas: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given….”

As we return to Matthew’s Gospel, we find Jesus withdrawing to this area following the hearing of John’s arrest. He returns to Galilee in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, becoming the light seen by those sitting in darkness. Darkness symbolizes wickedness, ignorance, and unbelief. Most of the people did not know the way of salvation. But then Jesus, the Light of the world, came to Galilee. He proclaimed the saving truth throughout that land. He attracted huge crowds of people who followed Him from place to place to hear Him preach and see Him perform miracles.

Jesus comes to shine His light into our world of darkness, our world of sin and death. He comes preaching the same message that John the Baptist was preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This repentance that Jesus preached implied a radical change of heart and mind, followed by a corresponding change in behavior. As we saw with the Pharisees and Sadducees when John was baptizing, there was no change in heart or mind, nor was their a change in behavior. That kind of change wasn’t necessary because of their own righteousness which they had earned. But for everyone else, people started to take Jesus’ word seriously, and so they should. Jesus’ call to repentance was an invitation as well as a command.  The people could not respond positively to that invitation unless the Holy Spirit prompted such a response through the power of the Gospel. To repent and believe the Gospel is not a decision anyone can make on his own. Unfortunately, the initial enthusiasm of Jesus’ words did not last long and the people would ultimately turn against Him, leading Him to the cross.

Following His encouragement to repent, Jesus encounters two fishermen doing what they do best, fishing. He extends an invitation to them, as strange as it sounds: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Now let’s look at what Jesus is saying and not saying. He isn’t talking about going fishing for mermen or mermaids. He invites Simon Peter and Andrew into His inner circle of twelve to bring others into His kingdom. He invites us to become a part of Him, to be connected to Himself. After finding Simon Peter and Andrew, Jesus stumbles upon James and John and extends the same invitation to them as well.

The interesting part of Jesus choosing these four men to be His disciples is that He was the one who sought them out, not the other way around. Being the Son of God, we might imagine that Jesus would choose those who were of like-mind or well-trained to be His disciples. Instead of choosing the seminary graduate, Jesus chooses the everyday common man. Jesus does not ask them to prepare themselves for their new calling. He rather promises to make them into workers for God’s kingdom. He would teach them what they needed to know. They would see His miraculous power. They would witness the crucifixion and the empty tomb. The Holy Spirit would provide them with the gifts they needed to become fishers of men. These men had, however, met the first and foremost qualification for service to the Lord: they knew him as their personal Savior—the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

That same invitation to follow Jesus is extended to us. He bids us to come unto Him, to become a part of Him and He a part of us. He invites us to find rest for our souls in Him. Jesus comes looking for us to give to us what we can’t get for ourselves: His forgiveness, life in His name, salvation imparted to us by His life, death and resurrection.

What made the four disciples deserving of Jesus is the same for you and I as well — nothing. There was nothing worthy of them and there is nothing worthy of you and I either. We are not worthy of our status as redeemed children of God. We are what we are solely by the grace of God.

As Matthew ends this account, he says what the ministry of Jesus is: “teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” While the teaching and preaching of Jesus was important, it was His healing that made all the difference. I don’t mean the earthly healing but the healing that He accomplished on the cross. It was the healing from sin and death that is needed the most. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” His command to repent holds within it the promise to deal with the punishment of our sins. He dealt with the punishment of our sins by taking them onto Himself and carrying them to the cross. At the cross He endured the punishment of our sin with His suffering and death. There our sins died with Him. In this way, He triumphed over sin, death, and the power of the devil. As Jesus calls His disciples and begins His ministry, it is done with you in mind, to come to you, to call you, to forgive and to heal you. In the name of Jesus, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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Epiphany 2 – “Lamb of God” (John 1:29-42a)

A-18 Epiphany 2 (Jn 1.29-42)Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

Have you ever had that “a-ha moment,” that moment where everything just seems to click and you get it? If you’re like me, those moments are few and far between. When they happen, it’s like a great epiphany, that now all of a sudden, everything is crystal-clear. For John the Baptist, he has such an “a-ha moment” today in our text.

Just preceding our text for today, John is questioned regarding baptizing people if he is not “the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet.” Of course, the ones asking the question were the Pharisees. They were, in fact, the holy ones of the day. If any person could be called holy, surely it must be a Pharisee. They didn’t seem to be opposed to baptizing, but wondered if John had the authority to do it. In reply, John again turned the spotlight away from himself and onto Christ. He says, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

John could not have been more right when he said, “one you do not know.” The Pharisees didn’t care to know who Jesus was. Why would they want to know Jesus? They did all that they could throughout Jesus’ ministry to discredit Him, to trap Him, to prove Him wrong. Yet the very promised Messiah stood before the Pharisees and they did not know Him because of their blind ignorance.

The following day, John sees Jesus coming to Him. While that isn’t too out of the ordinary, it’s what John says that sets the stage for everything that Jesus does: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” What a bold statement to make on John’s part! Jesus is that Lamb of God who came to give Himself as the sacrifice to win forgiveness for a sinful world. He is the Passover Lamb whose blood saves us from death. He is the Lamb of the daily offering, the burnt offering, the fellowship offering. He is the sin offering through which we receive forgiveness.

Jesus lived in the flesh without sin, “a lamb without blemish or spot,” thus fulfilling God’s Law in our stead. How does He do this? He does this through His bloody sacrifice on the cross. There, the Lamb of God, who came from God and who was God, satisfied God’s wrath against the sin of the world, against your sin. This is done to fulfill all righteousness, to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for the sinner.

What insight John had! However, the Pharisees of the day did not have that insight. Many people of the day did not have that insight, comparing Jesus to Moses, Elijah or a prophet. And still many today do not have that insight that John had, looking to Christ as nothing more than a moral example to follow, but definitely not the Son of God.

John goes on to further state whom Jesus is, by recounting what He saw at Jesus’ Baptism. He says, “And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” Up until now, no one has made that claim except one person: God the Father at Jesus’ Baptism. Not even Jesus Himself has made that claim. So how is John able to make such a claim? John can make such a claim because He was in the presence of the Trinity at Jesus’ Baptism. He saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus. He heard the voice of the Father declare that Jesus is His beloved Son.

Let us stop and think about what it means that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This means that the Lamb takes the load, the curse, the damnation of the total massive amount of sin onto himself. He lifts the awful burden from us and carries it to the cross. There our sin is crucified with the Lamb. There our sin is put to death. This one act of lifting and carrying away our sin is good for all time.

When John said these words, he considered the taking away to already be a done deal. The forgiveness of sins that comes as a result of the Lamb’s sacrifice was already available to all. All the saints of the Old Testament received salvation because this Lamb’s sacrifice is good for all time and all places and all people. God’s promise is as if John had already heard Jesus declare his victory from the cross with the words, “It is finished.”

Jesus is the Savior, and the Savior is the Lamb of God. The Lamb is destined to suffer and die. Who’s going to follow a Savior like that? By faith, John’s disciples do. Trusting in the Word of the Lord proclaimed by John, they are willing to abandon all and follow Him. They don’t keep it to themselves, either: right away, Andrew is telling Peter. It doesn’t seem to make sense: They follow a Savior who will never amount to much in worldly terms, a King who will never gather an army to fight and conquer. They’ll put their trust in the Son of God who will allow Himself to be arrested, beaten, spat upon and killed. And after He is risen, what will happen to His disciples? They’ll tell others of Jesus, and they too will be arrested, beaten, spat upon and killed. Not real attractive to the world.

But that is how Jesus saves. He doesn’t save through worldly means, but with His shed blood on the cross. The only way to make peace between God and man is for Jesus to sacrifice Himself. And so He does what is required of you and I. He does what is necessary and He goes to do what only He can – He gives Himself as a sacrifice. He is the perfect Lamb who goes to slaughter.

So Jesus has forgiveness for you, which leads us to the second thing for us to address: rejoice! The Lord is present with you to give you forgiveness! No one at the Jordan recognized Jesus until John the Baptist pointed Him out. When John’s disciples heard the Word about the Lamb of God, though, they believed it. Thus, they went to Jesus, came into His presence, to hear more and be strengthened in that faith.

The same has happened to you. You cannot see your Savior in remarkable glory, but you have heard the Word; you have heard your Savior take bread and say, “This is My body, given for you.” You have heard Him take the cup and say, “This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

All of this was done for you, with you in mind. We are able to echo the words of Andrew, “We have found the Messiah.” We have found Him doing what he John says He will: taking away the sins of the world. The Son of God is with us to give us life, both now and forever. Behold. The Lamb of God declares to you that you are forgiven for all of your sins. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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Baptism of Our Lord – “Baptism is Christ’s Work” (Matthew 3:13-17)

A-17 Epiphany 1 (Mt 3.13-17)Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

St. Matthew gives us a very abbreviated history of Jesus’ early life. Matthew records that Jesus is born, the wise men come and visit Jesus, and then Jesus is taken to Egypt for protection from Herod. All of this occurs before Jesus is 5 years old. Then there is no recorded history of Jesus from that point on until we get to our text.

Our account takes place after John the Baptist was performing baptisms a plenty at the Jordan River, for those who confessed their sins and were repentant and refusing to baptize the Pharisees and Sadducees for their lack of repentance. Now we find Jesus around 30 years old. Suddenly, He bursts upon the scene with little fanfare. Jesus is a grown man and makes a trip from Galilee to the Jordan River. Our Lord comes to John in order to be baptized.

Before we go any further, we need to ask a question. Why? Why would Jesus need to be baptized if He is the Son of God who is sinless? Is there a reason why Jesus needs to be baptized?

Jesus arrives at the very place where the people have been confessing that from which He has come to save them: their sins. As they confessed their sins, John was baptizing the people in response to his message, “Repent!” But what about Jesus? What does He need to repent of? Does Jesus need to be converted from unbelief to faith? The answer is clear to John – no.

Imagine the scene that is set before you. You have John the Baptist preaching a message of repentance. You have a crowd of people coming to be baptized, while at the same time confessing their sins. You have the Pharisees and Sadducees who saw no real need for repentance and yet desired John to baptize them, their true intentions unknown. And to top everything off, here comes Jesus desiring to be baptized. What is John supposed to do? He did what he knew to do – he tried to prevent Jesus from being baptized. He said, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

It seemed to be a reasonable request from John. You have sinners and then you have Jesus. One obviously needs to repent, confess, and be baptized while the other clearly does not. Everyone seems to get it except one person, Jesus. Jesus insisted, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” We are left with a question. How has righteousness been fulfilled if Jesus is already righteous?

Here is the crux of the disagreement. It is not for Christ’s righteousness but it is for your righteousness. In order for sinful man to come to righteousness and receive salvation, Jesus must be baptized. He stands in the place of and for the sake of the sinner to fulfill that which God requires of the sinner – perfect obedience to God’s Law.

Here Jesus begins His ministry. Here He stands in the place of the sinner. He takes the place of John. He takes the place of those gathered. He takes the place of the Pharisees and Sadducees. He takes your place and mine. He takes upon Himself the sin of the entire world, offering us His holiness. He becomes the greatest of sinners, not with His own sin, but with our sin.

St. Paul expands on this in today’s Epistle reading from Romans: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Our baptism joins us to Christ and His baptism. Our sin becomes His and His perfection becomes ours. His innocent suffering and death are credited to us. The eternal life and salvation that He earned becomes ours. It is this great reversal that fulfills all righteousness. It is Christ taking our sin and giving us His perfection. It is Christ taking our death and giving us life.

Jesus’ baptism identified Him with the world of sinners. Paul describes Christ’s substitution for sinners by telling us, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Even though Jesus never sinned, God made Him to be sin. Paul then takes us back to today’s Gospel. Through baptism, we are joined to Christ. His life is for us. His death is for us. His resurrection is for us. Jesus came to John to be baptized for us.

The opening of the heavens after Jesus’ baptism was much more than the parting of clouds so that the sun could shine through. It was more like the experience of the prophet Ezekiel, “the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” Immediately following Jesus’ baptism, we now see the Trinity present. What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus? The Holy Spirit manifests Himself as a dove descending upon the Son. As the symbol of peace, it is a reminder to us that, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. At this time, the Holy Spirit bestowed upon Jesus the special gifts He would need to carry out the responsibilities of His office as the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah had foretold what these gifts would include: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

When the voice of God from heaven speaks, He says something very simple, yet very profound: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  The Son has been obedient to the Father’s will. Here the Father acknowledges that the Son is indeed living a life of perfection and fulfilling the promises given through the prophets. The Father tells us that Jesus is the cause and target of His good pleasure. He tells us that Jesus is His beloved Son. Since Jesus stands in our place, the Father’s pleasure with His Son is also His pleasure with you and me. Because the Father is pleased with His Son, Jesus, He is pleased with us. We are now the Lord’s beloved children because of the work of Christ.

The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan points us forward to all the work Jesus did for us –

His perfect life, His suffering, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and the work He still does among us as our risen and ascended Lord. It points us forward to our own baptism as a means for the Holy Spirit to deliver Christ’s salvation to us. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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Christmas 2 – “My Father’s House” (Luke 2:40-52)

A-15 Christmas 2 (LHP) (Lu 2.40-52)Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

I’m sure everyone has heard the phrase, “Out of the mouth of babes.” It has origins in Psalm 8:2: “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.” That psalm has always seem to been the case, because kids, namely little kids, tend to say the darndest things. Looking at today’s text from Luke, we see that case proven once again.

The last we saw of Jesus, He was brought to the temple to be circumcised and dedicated. Today when we see Jesus, He is 12 years old. The Holy Family is off to Jerusalem for their annual celebration of the Passover festival. Everything was like it had always been for as long as they had come to Jerusalem: celebrate the Passover and return home. Why should this year be any different?

The Feast had ended and the Holy Family had packed everything up on the means of transportation and joined the caravan of family and friends and departed Jerusalem. People would peel off along the way, returning to their respective towns and would resume their daily lives. For Joseph, that meant he would return to his work as a carpenter. You can imagine that there was a fairly large number of people in the caravan, people traveling with other friends and family, as this might be one of the few times a year that you would see everyone. For you to be traveling with another part of the caravan wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. And so Joseph and Mary travelled home a day’s journey and discovered that Jesus was nowhere to be found. Back to Jerusalem they go.

Even after the Passover busyness had ended, Jerusalem was still full of people and that meant because of the crowds, it would take a while to find Jesus. After the first day of searching, no Jesus. After the second day of searching, no Jesus. Surely their luck was going to improve on the third day. Luke doesn’t record when on the third day they found Jesus, other than the fact He was found. Where He was found might have seemed like an unlikely place for some, but the obvious place for others. He was found in the temple.

While Jesus was in the temple, just what was He doing? According to Luke, Jesus was “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” Now, the first part of what Luke says wasn’t surprising. Jesus was 12 years old. That meant He would have been of the age of study so listening to the teachers of the law and asking questions would not have been out place. However, it’s the second part of Luke’s account that is out of place. Everyone who heard Jesus was amazed at His understanding and answers. Jesus was nothing more than a mere child. He had no right to be doing anything other than listening and definitely not doing anything resembling teaching.

What Luke does offer is a glimpse of Jesus beginning to make the break from some familial claims in order to commit Himself more closely to God. Here is the successful movement of Jesus out of the crib and into the world. He leaves the circle of His parents and the protection of His mother’s arms and enters a great big world of need. It might have been easier to stay sheltered in the warmth of parental attachment than to enter the world of sin and death. But Jesus has come of age. He has found His voice and taken His place. And that voice and place, we learn, are “in my Father’s house.”

Remember earlier when I said “out of the mouth of babes?” That’s Jesus at the temple. When Mary makes a fuss of looking for Jesus and how they were treated, He responds, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” In these short utterances of Jesus we see the beginning of His break away from familial attachments in order to identify more intimately with God the Father. He is doing so in the immediate presence of His parents, presumably for the first time. His commitment to the Father now transcends His love for the family. Jesus knows that He is here for a purpose – to do the Father’s will.

Jesus’ words not only convict Mary and Joseph, but they also convict us. We too try to search for Jesus and can’t find Him. We find ourselves with Mary and Joseph in that we too are looking in the wrong places. Jesus said, “ I must be in my Father’s house.” Never the less, we look among the things of this world. We look to earthly security, wealth, power, popularity, and so forth. We look for Jesus everywhere He is not.

Today, we must be our Father’s house looking for Jesus. We need to look for Him in worship, where His Word is proclaimed, and His gifts are given – in the absolution, in the waters of Baptism, and in the Holy Supper which He lays before us every Sunday for our refreshment, and for our forgiveness, and for our blessing, and our strengthening. Here, in His holy Word. Here, in His body and blood is where you need to look. Here in the fellowship of His people – His holy body – is where He is to be found, and nowhere else.

All the work that Christ does for the Father culminates on the cross. That’s where the true intersection takes place between God and man. It takes place in Christ on the cross. Holy, perfect, and almighty God Himself gave up all of heaven in order to come down to this fallen and sinful world and take on our fallen and sinful flesh. However, Christ—in the flesh—did what fallen and sinful man can never do, no matter how hard we try. Christ Jesus lived the perfect life. He kept every one of God’s laws perfectly. He did this for us, in our place, precisely because we cannot do this. Christ Jesus took every single sin of the entire world upon Himself, taking every single one of those sins to the cross so that they would be put to death, once and for all.

This account of Jesus today gives for us a wonderful illustration of Jesus and His dedication to the work of His Father, even from the earliest of ages. He is about the Father’s work from the very beginning of His life until His death. In today’s Gospel, we might be tempted to say that Jesus was lost. In fact, Jesus was exactly where He was supposed to be. It was really Mary and Joseph who were lost. In a similar way, we are also lost – lost in our trespasses and sins. It is God who finds us and places us among the things of the Father. There the Holy Spirit works faith and makes us people of the Father. Since Jesus said, “ I must be in my Father’s house,” that means we are with Jesus. That is exactly where we are supposed to be. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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Pastoral Year in Review – 2013

It’s 2014 and that means it’s time to post my pastoral year in review. As always, 2013 was a busy year for me in the ministry. Then again, when is the pastoral ministry not busy? Without further ado, here’s the breakdown:

Sermons: 59 (not counting midweek Advent and Lent sermons)
Weddings: 0
Funerals 2
Baptisms: 10
Junior Confirmation: 15
Adult Confirmation/Affirmation of Faith: 4

2013 also had a couple of other eventful experiences for me. First, our daughter Maizie was born. Finally, I can say that I have daddy’s little girl. Who doesn’t want daddy’s little girl?

In October, I was contacted by KFUO to do a radio Bible study. It was at 9:00 am St. Louis time, so that meant 7:00 am my time. It started a bit later due to technical difficulties at the radio station and that resulted in a bit shorter of a Bible study than normal. Also, there was a sermonette based on the text as well. You can listen to it here.

That pretty much sums up my end of year post. Nothing too exciting, save the birth of my daughter. Tomorrow means cleaning my desk and trying to start 2014 off on the right foot.

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Christmas 1 – “Flight” (Matthew 2:13-23)

A-14 Christmas 1 (Mt 2.13-23)Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

Everything seemed to happen so quickly. The trip to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, the angels, the shepherds, and the star; then after a short time, the wise men who like the shepherds before them, fell down on their faces to worship the baby Jesus, the Lord of all creation, the promised King. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. The angel of the Lord appeared again in a dream and warned the wise men to return to their homes without going back to Herod and for Joseph to take the Holy Family to Egypt right away.

That evening, Joseph took Mary and Jesus and fled to Egypt. In the morning, the wise men and the Holy Family were simply gone. No one in Bethlehem could tell where they were because no one knew.

After all the trouble and suffering the Israelites had endured in Egypt before the Exodus, it might seem like a strange place for Joseph and Mary to go with Jesus. But it was not strange at all. First, we need to know that Egypt had been a traditional place of refuge. Abraham had gone to Egypt during a time of famine. Jacob and his family of 70 souls took refuge in Egypt for the same reason, and they became a mighty nation there. They remained in Egypt until God led them out under Moses some 400 years later. Jeroboam fled to Egypt when Solomon tried to kill him, and Uriah also fled to Egypt. If you needed to get away and find protection, Egypt was the place to go. But there was another reason why the Holy Family fled – to fulfill what the prophet Hosea wrote: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

When King Herod realized that the Magi were not coming back, he reacted in a way typical of his murderous reign. According to the report of the Magi concerning the time they saw the special star in the sky, Herod calculated how old the Christ Child must be. To hedge his bets, Herod gave himself plenty of leeway and commanded his soldiers to kill all the baby boys in and around Bethlehem up to two years old. While an exact number is not known, estimates put the total number slain between 15 and 20.

A great tragedy occurred in Bethlehem because of Herod. It is a day that the Church recognizes as the Holy Innocents, for the children who were killed by Herod are martyrs just like St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, for they died for the faith that Herod persecuted. However, through all of this, the mighty hand of God was at work.

Here we are presented with the new Moses. Just as Moses’ life was threatened at a tender age and he had to be hidden in a reed basket to be protected, so too was Jesus’ life in danger before He was two years old, and had to be hidden away in another land so that His life would be spared until His time had come. Moses led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt; now Jesus had come to lead all people out of their spiritual slavery to the Law. There was about to be another exodus, though this time it wouldn’t be plagues, but a cross and thorns and nails. This time it wasn’t going to be one nation that would be freed from slavery, but it would be every tribe, nation, and people.

Out of Egypt, at just the right time, God called His Son. At the death of Herod, an angel appeared to Joseph instructing him to take the Holy Family back to Israel. Once in the land of Israel, plans would change for Jesus. Upon hearing that Archelaus, son of Herod was reigning, Joseph feared going to Judea. Archelaus’ reign was so bad, it would lead to his eventual banishment. Things were not going to get any better with the descendant of Herod and so an angel revealed to Joseph to go to Galilee. Again, this was not just by simple chance, but it was done according to the words of the prophets of old. Once again, at just the right time, God called His Son.

As we look at the ministry of Jesus, for as faithful as Jesus was, the Jews of Jesus’ day rejected God’s plan of salvation. They didn’t want to abandon their traditions, their man-made laws. It was difficult to accept that God had sent His promised Messiah, but that He would come in the form of a carpenter’s Son. They preferred to remain in bondage to the Law where they were comfortable in their sin rather than trust that God had sent the Messiah to free and deliver them. They didn’t trust what Jesus was offering was far greater than anything they could earn or provide for themselves.

Nothing has changed that much since the time of Jesus. Why rely on Jesus to do something for you when you can easily do it yourself? Who needs a Baptism for the forgiveness of your sins when you don’t really sin, or at least not bad enough to warrant forgiveness? Who needs Christ’s body and blood if it really is nothing more than simple bread and wine and it gives you nothing in return?

It’s easy for us to doubt God’s plan of salvation or to question why God allows things that are unpleasant or evil to happen in our world, the old “why do bad things happen to good people” question. We never have to look very hard to find an example of something unpleasant or evil, and the world is always quick to ask, “Where was God in all this?”

With all that the month of December brings with its preparations for Christmas, it’s very easy to forget the true purpose in the coming of Christ. He comes to establish peace between God and man, to restore what once was. God works all things for His glory, including the death of the innocents. In all things evil, God works to bring about His plan of salvation for the world.

Once Herod heard the words “King of the Jews” uttered from the wise men’s lips and realized that his reign might be threatened, he knew that this baby Jesus had to die. The irony of all of this was that Herod was right. Jesus did have to die, but not at a child’s age. He would die when the fullness of God’s time had come. He would have to die for Herod’s sins. He would have to die for your sins. He would have to die for my sins. He would have to die for the sins of all people. He would have to die in order to restore creation to God.

Since it was not Jesus’ time to die, the baby Jesus was protected from Herod by God’s interventions. When the time was right, the Holy Family would return to Israel via Nazareth and the ministry of Jesus would begin – the bringing about of salvation for God’s people. All of this done according to God’s divine schedule, just as St. Paul says in our Epistle: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Salvation has been accomplished for us, for our Lord has declared, “It is finished.” Salvation has been won for you because of Jesus Christ, who came into this world through Mary, and gave His life as a ransom for many. In the name of Jesus, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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Nativity of Our Lord – “Beginnings” (John 1:1-14)

A-13 Christmas Day (Jn 1.1-14)Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

“In the beginning….” Those are famous words. Those are words that have been used for movie promotions, words to describe epic battles and matchups between opponents. These are words that transcend all of these examples because they are the very first words of Holy Scripture. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This morning, we hear words like that again: “In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Both those words from Genesis and John share something in common: Jesus.

At creation, Jesus was present. He has always been present though we didn’t see Him. Today, Christ makes His presence known in His birth. The words from St. John in our Gospel give to us a description of Christ and His presence among us that cause us to think differently about Him.

When we reach Christmas Day, things take on a different feel than they did the day before. Here we are, fewer in number. The Christmas hype is gone, yet the world around us has shut down. And that’s an advantage for us, I think. We are not caught up in the hectic countdown that started weeks ago; we are not distracted by the secular approach to Christmas; we are able to focus on something we perhaps could not have last night due to what we have made Christmas all about: gifts. We are better prepared today to deal with the central affirmation of the Christian faith, which probably is also the central offense of the faith, namely, that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

In some ways, this is almost the reverse of what we were about last night. Christmas can very easily become an escape from the world as we know it—a flight into unreality. By means of all the traditions and symbols and activity we can translate ourselves into a world that is beautiful and fanciful, a world of dreams and emotions; a happy, harmonious world, even if it lasts only for a few hours. We are, then, in the world of fantasy, while the truest meaning of Christmas has to do with the world of the flesh.

That is exactly what happened, the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus Christ took on human flesh and blood and came into this sinful world. In God’s time, the time when God’s Word became flesh, when it was time to bring in the kingdom, Adam’s times, Moses’ times, David’s times, and all our times were reconciled and restored by this newborn child, Jesus. He is God’s flesh and blood promise to save sinners. God’s promise takes on flesh for you and for me.

Christians—and other people for that matter—have always had a problem with the flesh, in this case, with the humanity of Jesus. Notice how quick we are to defend the divinity of our Lord, often at the expense of His humanity. The creedal statement, “Jesus is Lord,” forms on our lips easier than the assertion, “Jesus is our brother.” The truth is that we are more comfortable with a Jesus who promises us everlasting life, a heavenly home, an escape from a world that is filled with sin and pain—a Jesus who is not really part of our blood and sweat and tears. However, Jesus is one of us in every sense of the word.

Jesus was born, just as you were born. Jesus lived an earthly life, just as you live an earthly life. Jesus died an earthly death, just as you will die an earthly death. Jesus is as much a living and breathing human being as you and I are. What makes Him different is He the perfect Son of God who came into this world to restore it to be God’s beloved once again. The only way for His death to happen is if He is born, and so He is born to two earthly parents named Mary and Joseph.

Thus we focus on Bethlehem and that tiny infant who illumined the whole world with a love that never pales. We see the Virgin tenderly holding her child, and Joseph keeping a watchful eye in that cramped stable, filled as it must have been with barnyard animals. The shepherds arrive with the excitement of children to marvel at what the angels had said and to tell their wondrous story of hearing the heavenly hosts praising God and revealing the birth of the Messiah. Through Bethlehem’s dark fields they stumbled toward the one glowing light, that baby called Jesus, whom Isaiah named Immanuel, “God with us.”

And so the light is shining in the darkness. The Savior is born this day, revealing to all His purpose: for the world to receive Him in order to become children of God. However, John doesn’t record that everything worked out that simple. He says, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” Did the world rejoice that its creator came for a visit? Was there dancing in the streets? Was there a proper welcome for the Lord? Sadly, no! In fact, this very Gospel account will go on to tell us that God’s creation reacted to God’s arrival by resolving to kill Him.

But that is what Christmas is all about—God among us. That is what informs the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection—that He is God manifest in the flesh. Without the incarnation, there is no Gospel to hear or tell. But John begins his Gospel by immediately affirming that the Logos, the God who created all things in the beginning, now joins His creation by means of the flesh, the humanity of Jesus.

The love of God is an incarnate love; a love our God lived out in flesh and blood. It is among us; it is here, a reality. Love is not an emotion floating around. It is present in Jesus, who reached out to people—even unlovable people. He drew near to sinners; He touched people who were hurting. He touched them and brought them the forgiveness of God. That love of God has touched us and is in us.

Here is the glory of God. Here is where grace and truth are found: in the lowly One who is born of Mary, who identifies with sinners, who blesses ordinary things, who calls us to be His servants. Not to see that glory of God is to miss out on Christmas, no matter what we do on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. To see, with John and all God’s people through the centuries, the true glory of Christmas is to recognize that God is among us in the person of Jesus, now and forever. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.