Posted on

Candlelight – “Simple Things” (Luke 2:1-14)

A-11 Christmas Midnight (Lu 2.1-14)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.

It’s been a long pregnancy. This trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem was long, around 80 miles. Trying to keep a mild pace, it would take several days, if not a week to get there, and add to the fact that you’re pregnant. To say that this was a journey was an understatement, to say the least. After a long trip, especially one of this magnitude, all you want to do is find a nice warm and comfy bed. However, no bed would be found for them. If only that were the extent of their troubles. Now, the time for Mary to give birth was here. Full-blown labor has set in and there is no proper place for her to give birth. Our Lord would be born in very simple and crude means and laid in a simple manger.

The angel who announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds on the fields of Bethlehem was a messenger of few words: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 

The first Christmas sermon was a marvel of simplicity. In these simple words, everything that needed to be said was said. The sweet simplicity of Christmas and the Christmas Gospel has been lost somewhere along the way.

Listen to the words of the angel again. “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” That is where you will find Jesus.  You won’t find Him within the royal splendor of Jerusalem, but in the lowly unpleasantness and filth of Bethlehem. You won’t find Him in the palace of a king, but in a small Judean cattle cave. You won’t find Him in the incense perfumed presence of the high priest, but in the company of smelly shepherds and in the dense aroma of a cow barn.

Christmas is a simple wonder, and its message comes in simple words and in simple places. It is simple in its message, simple in its circumstance, simple in its characters, and simple in its faith. However, we lose the wonder of this holy season because we look in wrong directions. We seek its wonders in the beauty of our Christmas lights and in the thrill of Christmas pageantry. We seek the Christmas message in gifts and cards and all the pomp and circumstance that make up the season of Christmas but in the end, we often overlook what makes up Christmas day: “the babe, the Son of Mary.”

What should be a very simple account of the birth of our Lord has turned into something that has taken on a life of its own. No longer is Christmas focused on the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, but rather it’s focused on commercialization, on shopping and retail, on receiving gifts from one and all, and to a much-lesser degree, giving.

When we look at just how simple Christmas is, it boils down to this: Jesus was born in a manger, the most non-ideal conditions for a birth, especially for the birth of a King. The fact that the Savior was born in such humble surroundings and of such an unassuming mother was not meant to make us feel sorry for Him. Where do we have the time to feel sorry for Him anyways when we take the focus of Christmas from Him and put on worldly things, making the Christmas message complicated? The manner of His birth was in keeping with His mission: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” There would be no posh palace on earth for this King. His reign on earth would be marked by humility and Luke sets that up for us from the beginning, by focusing on where the Christ Child was born.

That is the work of this child that is born, to live in our place, to die in our place, and to rise again in our place so that all that is His will be ours. Because of what God has done for us, the only response should be that of rejoicing. Jesus is born and all the angels in heaven cannot restrain themselves from breaking out in rejoicing. Even poor shepherds in the fields hear them preach, praise God, sing, and pour out their joy in heaven and earth.

This Christmas message continues to get simpler and simpler, regardless of how complex we make it. The angel doesn’t just say, “There is born a Savior, Christ the Lord.” The angel says, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Unto you! This Savior is not here to save the world in general, but you in particular. He’s not your Savior if you manage to stay out of trouble and under the radar while He cleans up the place. He’s born to save you, specifically. Because He desires the death of no one – and earnestly desires that you have eternal life, He’s become flesh to die in your place on the cross.  That’s the reason for this birth. He’s been born to die for the sins of the world. Not just the generic world; He’s born to die for you.

For the millions of believers in Christ, tonight is the culmination of much wishing and hoping and waiting. Christmas means that what we yearn for has already come, is here right now: God is present, with us, with an everlasting love in each and every moment of our lives, whether we perceive those moments as good or bad.

The time has come for us. In Jesus, God has entered our world where we are born and die, work and play, love and dream. Let this Christmas time fill our lives with the knowledge that all our days are in God’s hands. Since God joined us in our pain and disappointments, and knows our weakness and death, then let this Christmas time bring us strength, knowing that God’s love is stronger than death, and God is able to bind up all our wounds. Since the time has come and God has rescued us from the sin that enslaves us – from the destruction we do to ourselves, to others, and to creation itself as a result of our sin – let this Christmas time fill us with the will to love and care for all, just as God has come to show love and care for us sinners in our great time of need. Since the time has come and God has visited His people, let us join Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and angels, and all believers everywhere this night to glorify and praise God for the gift of salvation that comes in the form of a babe named Jesus. 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.

Posted on

Christmas Eve – “Prophecy Fulfilled” (Various texts)

A-10 Christmas Eve (Mt 1.18-25)Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The basis for our sermon is our texts for this evening.

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house….” These make great words for a great story to tell our children. In fact, I’ll read my kids this book tonight before bed, but these words are only a story. What is presented for us this evening is not a story, but it is the account of our Lord’s birth, something that is factual, not just a story to tell.

Everything begins some 2700 years ago. We have a great man of his day, a prophet by the name of Isaiah. Isaiah was a respected man, a wise man by many standards. He was tasked with a job that few were tasked with and Isaiah did his job exactly as God had desired. The job that was given to Isaiah was to proclaim a promise that was given hundreds of year before Isaiah lived. This promise had to do with the promised Messiah, the Savior who would defeat sin, death, and the devil.

The prophecy of Isaiah was this: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This was the promise that Israel had been living for for generations, ever since God made the promise to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This was their hope of salvation and it was what they clung to because they knew there was nothing they could ever do to earn their salvation.

Talk about waiting! We’re not talking a few years. We’re talking hundreds and hundreds and hundreds. And that was just until Isaiah speaks his prophecy of the Messiah. The Messiah hasn’t even arrived yet and yet, He is already here. That is the jewel about the promises of God. As soon as it is spoken, even though it has not yet happened, it has happened. While it may sound confusing, it really is not. When God declares something is going to happen, namely here, the sending of the Messiah to destroy sin, death, and the devil, then it is as good as done because if God says it will happen, then it will happen.

God’s promises are the complete opposite of our promises. When we make a promise, we may say that we intend to keep it, but there really is no guarantee that we will keep it. When God makes a promise, there is no doubt that God will keep His promise. Tonight, the promise is kept.

As we look at Matthew’s Gospel this evening, we see the prophecy from Isaiah come to fruition. An angel of God speaks to Joseph and declares, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” These words were spoken to Joseph to assure him that his betrothed wife had not committed adultery. These words were spoken to reassure all of God’s people that God would keep His promise that He made in days of old. And so Matthew ends his account with Jesus’ birth: “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

And so we have arrived here. We come to gather around Christ, our newborn King. We have this wonderful gift in Jesus Christ that should be our focus but yet we find ourselves focused on things of this world rather than on the gift of salvation that we have received in Jesus Christ. It’s ok; it’s to be expected because of our sinful nature. We turn to the world before we turn to God, thinking that the world will provide what we need the most – forgiveness from our sins and salvation. But the world cannot provide that. The only One who can provide salvation is God our heavenly Father, and He does so by His Son, Jesus Christ.

That’s where our text from 1 John comes into play. John writes, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

The sum of this evening comes down to love. It is the love of God that He has for us, His creation, that is the impetus for the birth of Jesus. Due to man’s sin, we could no longer stand in the presence of a sinless God. We were cast out of Eden, separated from God. But a promise was made. Salvation would enter God’s creation and creation would be restored to its rightful place as God’s beloved. To make that possible, God would send Jesus into the world, “so that we might live through him.” Because of Christ, it is possible for us to have life with God.

This little child that comes to two lowly parents named Mary and Joseph, is more than any could imagine, more than any would expect. God’s promise made back in the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve at man’s fall into sin has been fulfilled. It was fulfilled in a way that was in keeping with God’s divine plan.

This Son born to Joseph and Mary is the Son born to all creation, to you and to me. It is the Son born to live a sinless life in your place. It is the Son born to die in your place. It is the Son born to be raised from the dead. It is the Son “born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.” This Child whose birth we are preparing to celebrate is like no other child that ever has been, is, or ever will be. This is the very Son of God made flesh for you. This is the very Son of God who came to take your sins upon Himself.  This is Jesus, the Lord saves. Jesus came into the world not merely to save one particular people or race. He came to save the crowd, the whole crowd, all the people, the people as a nation. He came to save you. He is the Messiah that the prophet Isaiah had foretold hundreds of years before; He is Immanuel, God with us.

It is indeed a merry Christmas, not because of a jolly fat man in a red suit, but because of a little baby that is born with the name of Jesus, who comes as the gift of all gifts, whose very life grants everlasting life to all who believe. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Posted on

Advent 4 – “Jesus: He is Immanuel” (Matthew 1:18-25)

A-8 Advent 4 (Mt 1.18-25)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 comes from the Gospel, which was read earlier.

The wait is almost over. Soon will be the big day. Everything is falling into place.  Everything is going just as planned. Just a little more time of waiting and Mary and Joseph will be married. However, one problem just arose and it’s not a small problem either. Mary, Joseph’s wife-to-be is pregnant. What’s worse: it’s not Joseph’s Child! She cheated on him with another man. There is one thing and one thing only to do: divorce her quietly. While not married technically yet, they were married in the eyes of God because of their betrothal.

For Mary to have sexual relations with another man before she had them with her husband-to-be was inconceivable. The only way to make this right would be to divorce her so that she can become betrothed to the father of her Child and then marry him.

Joseph was a righteous and just man. This meant that Joseph was one who observed divine and human laws. Like everyone else, Joseph was far from perfect, but as a child of God he had used the law of God as a rule by which to live his life, to express his thankfulness for God’s blessings. Joseph knew what the law of God said about unfaithfulness on the part of a wife, but at the same time he was concerned about the welfare of Mary. He could have brought their situation before the proper authorities and demanded that the law take its course. According to Deuteronomy 22, the life of Mary, and ultimately Jesus, could have been in jeopardy if Joseph had wanted to press the issue; yet Joseph showed a deep concern for Mary and for the Child that she carries by an unknown man. We see that concern for Mary in that Joseph thought long and hard about what to do, for both his sake and for Mary and the Child.

While considering his options, an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Here we see how an angel served the Lord while He was still in Mary’s womb. The angel redirected Joseph’s intended course of action. The angel reminded Joseph that he was a son of David. It was implied in those words that if the Savior were to come from David’s line as promised, Mary and he needed to remain together as husband and wife. Joseph was prevented from jumping to any more false conclusions about Mary by being informed about the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit within her. Joseph’s unbelief is overcome by a dream, and he takes Mary as his wife and assumes the paternity of Jesus.

What a moving picture of the sanctity of life we have here. Not only is this the promotion of the life of Jesus, but of life as a whole. Life is superior above all other options, even those that would bring the least amount of shame upon a person. This shouldn’t go unnoticed. All life is created by God for God’s purpose. Of all of God’s purposes is summed up in two parts, with the first beginning in just a few days.

This child that was given to Joseph and Mary is given to you and me also. It is Jesus, the One who will save us from our sins. It is Immanuel, God with us; here with us in the flesh as true God and true man, who lived an earthly life. Jesus is the New Testament counterpart of Joshua, “the Lord saves.” Just as Joshua led God’s Old Testament people into the promised land of Canaan, so Jesus came into the world to lead His followers to the heavenly Canaan.

This is the true meaning of Christmas. It is not about receiving lots and lots of presents.  It is about receiving one gift: Jesus Christ. It is not about receiving Christmas cards. It is about the message which the angel proclaimed to Joseph: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Martin Luther, in his Christmas hymn From Heaven Above to Earth I Come, sums up what Jesus did for us: “You came to share my misery/That You might share Your joy with me.”  He came into this world because of our misery. That misery is sin. He came to take away all sin from you and I and all people. Jesus became flesh to fulfill God’s Law and redeem you. He came to live a life of perfect obedience to all of God’s commands so that He might be the sinless sacrifice in your place.

Some will say that Christmas is all about receiving. However, Christmas is more about giving than it is about receiving. It is about God giving to us His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. It is about God giving to us the Savior of our race. It is about God giving to each and every one of us the right to be called sons and daughters of God and be seen through the eyes of God, sinless, because of what His Son has done for us.

But Christmas is also about receiving, though we continue to receive from God each and every day, not just on Christmas Day. It is about receiving the greatest gift, the only gift that we could ever need. It is about receiving all that God has to give to us: forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. It is about receiving that gift of Holy Baptism that saves us as Peter says. It is about receiving the very body and blood of Jesus Christ, which strengthens our faith and keeps us in our faith. It is about receiving that Word of God, preached to us, where we hear that we are indeed sinners but that all of our sins have been forgiven.

Lives were turned upside down because Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Joseph almost divorced Mary. Both Joseph and Mary had to endure the condemnation of the community.

At the same time, these words are necessary for our salvation. These words tell us that Jesus is both God and man. Because Jesus is both God and man, when Jesus died, God died. Because Jesus is both God and man, His death paid for the sins of the entire world. Because Jesus is both God and man, He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Because Jesus is both God and man, a human being rules both heaven and earth. Because Jesus is both God and man, His human body and blood are available on altars everywhere at the same time for us Christians to eat and to drink. The Son of God took on our human flesh so that we may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom.

As we anticipate the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we focus on the message of the angel to Joseph: “that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit…he will save his people from their sins.” The Lord speaks His saving truth, which remains true even when all appearances point to the contrary. His Word is sure. No matter the humble manger: the Infant born to Mary is your Savior. No matter the ordinary appearance of Word and Sacrament: they still deliver forgiveness, life and salvation. No matter the whispers of the devil, the world and your own sinful flesh: your Savior declares that you are forgiven for all of your sins. In the name of Jesus, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Posted on

Advent 3 – “Are you the one?” (Matthew 11:2-15)

A-6 Advent 3 (Mt 11.2-15)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.

Last Sunday, we heard of the last of the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist, and the message that He proclaimed: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand…. I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.” Everything was pointing to Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah of old. Today, we find John the Baptist again; not preaching and baptizing, but in prison.

While in prison, John heard about Jesus’ activities and he was somewhat puzzled or confused. He sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Was it possible that John really was unsure about Jesus at this time? If not, why would he send two of his disciples to ask Jesus this question? There are two possibilities. The first: it was possible that John’s disciples were discouraged at the fact that Jesus had done nothing to get John out of prison. They might have wondered whether John really was God’s special messenger. If they had doubts about John, they would have doubts about Jesus, whom John had pointed to as the promised Messiah. It is possible that John wanted his disciples to go to Jesus for reassurance, even though John himself had no doubts about Jesus.

The second possibility was that John himself was troubled and unsure of whom Jesus was. It was, after all, John who was asking the question, albeit indirectly through his disciples. Doubt could have plagued John following our account last week. John gives a rather vivid account of the work of the coming Messiah, that is, gathering the wheat and burning the chaff. In other words, separating believer from unbeliever. However, that has not happened yet and could make John wonder whether or not he had the Messiah right.

In either case, can you really blame John or his disciples? John had done what he was supposed to do. He was already a prophet in his mother’s womb as he leapt for joy when Mary approached bearing Jesus in her womb. He had baptized thousands for repentance in anticipation of the coming Messiah. He had done everything he was supposed to do and yet, he ended up in jail. You can’t blame him for looking back over his ministry and wondering if it was all worth it. The disciples of John followed his teaching but when their leader ended up in prison with the Messiah doing nothing, it would be easy to doubt.

The question that was asked of Jesus so long ago is still asked today. “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Well, it’s not really asked so much as an answer is given to Jesus: “We’ll look for another.” We can thank the world for that answer. The world has perfected that answer to the point that Jesus need not even be considered for salvation. The world won’t go so far as to say Jesus is the Messiah because that would assert that there is a single means of salvation and the world doesn’t want that to happen, lest we offend someone.

For as much as the world puts forth that salvation can be found in anyone or anything other than Jesus, the Church should be the one place where you should be able to find the right answer to John’s question, but unfortunately, even that is not always the case. You will get the prosperity preaching that says believe hard enough, have enough faith and God will bless you. But notice who the subject is: it’s not Jesus but it’s you. You are the one doing the work. But as soon as you are the one doing the work, then you have a problem. It has to be, it must be Jesus who does the work and not us.

When John’s disciples came to Jesus, He answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see.” Jesus understood John’s doubts. He understood the doubts of John’s disciples. He understands the doubts that we have. He understood that John needed assurance. He understood that John’s disciples needed assurance. He understands that we need assurance. Dear saints of God, that assurance is coming for you. The promise that God made so long ago is to be fulfilled in the birth of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

For all those times when God’s people wonder whether or not God will keep His Word regarding the Messiah, the time is soon to be fulfilled. When we have our doubts, we return to Jesus’ Word. We return to Jesus’ life. From birth to death, there was a singular mission that He was focused on: the redemption of God’s creation. Everything that was done was done with you in mind. He sends people to proclaim the wonders He has done so that we can hear about them. By this proclamation of His deeds, He sends the Holy Spirit to bear us up and strengthen us as we travel through this sinful world, especially as we travel through those darker times of doubt.

Here is the true antidote for doubt: the proclamation that Jesus forgives sins. We may think that we can take comfort and certainty in the many supernatural attributes of God; His power, His knowledge, His wisdom, His holiness, and so forth, but that is not the case. Without forgiveness, those other attributes only serve to terrify us. If there is no forgiveness, then God’s holiness only sets Him apart from sinful people like us. If there is no forgiveness, then God’s total knowledge reveals our every sin. If there is no forgiveness, then God’s power is there to punish our sin. Without forgiveness, God is simply the ultimate terror.

When there is forgiveness, then God is comfort and assurance. When there is forgiveness, God’s holiness is for us. When there is forgiveness, God’s power protects us. With forgiveness, God is the ultimate comfort. He is the ultimate re-assurance.

One thing that we must remember is that forgiveness does not come cheap. The one who earns forgiveness must satisfy God’s justice and God’s justice requires the punishment of sin. That is exactly what Jesus did. Jesus took your sin into Himself. Then, when God punished your sin, the punishment fell on Jesus and not on you. When Jesus hung on the cross, He took your place as the target of God’s just punishment of sin. This is nothing other than God’s perfect love enduring God’s perfect justice for you. This is Jesus earning forgiveness for you.

We celebrate the coming of our Savior in the manger at Bethlehem because it is through Him that our sins are forgiven and the gates of heaven are opened. Through His atoning death He conquered your death, and raises you to a new life. By faith granted through the Holy Spirit, we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He came to His people, He now comes to you, who are His people by faith, and He will come again, that you would need and expect no other. 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.

Posted on

Advent 2 – “Crazy Times” (Matthew 3:1-12)

A-4 Advent 2 (Mt 3.1-12)Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon is the Gospel, which was read earlier.

Today’s Gospel account is brought to you by crazy. Everything about today’s account is crazy. The first part of the account focuses on a man named John the Baptist. The message that he comes proclaiming is one that is pure crazy talk: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That is pure crazy talk! Whatever could he mean that the kingdom of heaven is at hand? He appeared rather abruptly in the desert areas of Judea. It was as if he appeared out of nowhere. He was not trained by the accepted religious teachers. He had no credentials. He simply appeared and began preaching. Who did he think he was? John was somebody, somebody important. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets. The Lord sent John out into the desert. He did not appear in the synagogue or in the temple where the other religious teachers were to be found. He was to carry out his ministry in a place apart. The present system was corrupt. The Lord wanted His people to take a fresh look at their relationship with Him. The wilderness was to become a fruitful field.

John wasn’t just a crazy man running around preaching anything he wanted to. He was the one whom Isaiah spoke of: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” However, when you saw John in the flesh, he looks every bit the part of crazy, acts every bit the part of crazy. Here is a man who walks around in “a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” Needless to say, this was not normal attire for anyone, nor was this the food of the everyday person. The clothing was reminiscent of the prophets, of which John is the last. It would have been very easy to write John the Baptist off as crazy based upon his looks. However, the people didn’t write John off as crazy. Instead, they went out to him in order to be baptized by him and to confess their sins.

For someone who looks like a crazy man, the people come to him in large numbers from all over the place. When John calls the people to repent, he is calling them to not only repent of their sins, but also to repent of all of their misconceptions and wrong ideas about the Savior. If they have the wrong idea of who the Savior is supposed to be, then they’re not going to like the Savior for who He truly is. If they’re looking for the wrong things in a Messiah, then they’re not going to recognize Him when He makes His appearance. John prepares the people by teaching them the true nature of their sinfulness, so that they see the need for the Savior; he prepares them by teaching them who the Savior is and what He will come to do.

John called the people to repent and invited them to be baptized so that their guilt might be washed away. Many responded to the call. They confessed that they were sinners and received baptism. He baptized in anticipation of Jesus’ saving work.

As we prepare for the Nativity of our Lord, are we eager to do as John says, to repent? It’s not something that comes easy to us. It’s not something that we like to admit, that we did something wrong, that we are a sinner and that we need to repent, to ask for forgiveness. However, that is exactly what we are supposed to do.

Repentance involves a change of mind and heart and a change of direction in daily behavior and life. The full definition of repentance includes recognizing your sin as disobedience to God’s commandments, feeling truly sorry for your sin, having the sincere desire to amend your sinful ways, and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation. Repentance is not a one-time act. In his famous Ninety-Five Theses, Martin Luther declared that the entire life of a Christian is to be characterized by repentance. In his Small Catechism, Luther tells us that our baptism should remind us to drown our old Adam by daily contrition and repentance. Repentance includes all our sins, even those of which we are not aware of, and Jesus’ forgiveness is total.

For as many who came to John in order to be baptized, there were also those who came for another reason. Matthew records that while John was baptizing, Pharisees and Sadducees were also coming to be baptized, though he did not baptize them. He commanded those who desired to be baptized to repent and bear fruit in keeping with repentance. The Pharisees and Sadducees did neither. The Pharisees believed they were righteous in God’s sight because they kept the Law. Repentance was fine for others, but not for them. The Sadducees, on the other hand, did not believe in any resurrection. They were concerned only about this life and this world. They had no interest in the kingdom of heaven that John was proclaiming.

The message was stern to them: “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” In other words, those who are not repentant have no place in the kingdom of God.

That same message applies to us today. If we insist on going our own way or trying to get into heaven on our own terms, God will reject us and find plenty of other people to populate heaven. We must not imagine that God needs us, but we would be wise to remember that He wants us and that Jesus has done everything necessary for our eternal salvation. The only thing that is necessary on our part is repentance.

As far as some are concerned, we believe that we are right with God. We can do no wrong. We are not sinners. But where do we get that notion? We don’t get it from Scripture because Scripture says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We can deceive ourselves into thinking that we are not sinful, but that is all that it is, a deception. As a result, our lives are unfruitful, are sinful. We do not do the works that God requires; in fact, we cannot do them. God’s righteous judgment comes down upon Israel and it comes down also upon us.

Instead of leaving us with judgment, doom and gloom, John the Baptist also promises something beyond our wildest imaginations: the coming of the Savior. John the Baptist is the one crying in the wilderness of the coming Messiah. He is making the paths straight by preaching a message of repentance to the people, to prepare them for Christ’s arrival. John the Baptist comes to lead people to repentance, to baptize with water. When Jesus arrives, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” He is coming to do something far greater than John the Baptist, the Pharisees, Sadducees or we could ever do: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

While everything about John seems to be crazy, the message he preaches is anything but crazy. It is a message that draws the people from all over, drawing them to repent of their sins and to be baptized. For as much as John the Baptist seems out of place in the coming Nativity of our Lord, the message is very much appropriate: He comes with grace – to forgive your sins, to strengthen your faith, to prepare you for everlasting life. Even now in Word and Sacrament we feast upon Christ as our tree of life. He is the vine and we are the branches. By Word and Sacrament, we bring forth the fruit of repentance and live in trust and obedience. He declares to you even now, “Repent, because I am at hand; and because I am here, you are forgiven for all of your sins.” 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.

Posted on

Advent 1 – “He’s Coming!” (Matthew 21:1-11)

A-1 Advent 1 (LHP) (Mt 21.1-11)

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.

One of my favorite Christmas movies to watch is the movie “Elf.” When Buddy the Elf finds out that Santa is coming to the department store, he exclaims, “Santa’s coming! I know him! I know him!” That seems to the focus right now, isn’t it? It’s all about Santa coming. But the season of Advent isn’t about the coming of Santa Claus; it’s about preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ.

In Advent, we look forward to the coming of the King, and we remember how He came. We look forward by looking back. It doesn’t matter that the crowd was small, or large. The crowd proclaimed the truth that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the promises of the prophets. Their testimony tells us that we are awaiting the coming of He who will fulfills the promise to us. We aren’t looking forward to His death, or the work of redemption. They were, but we do not look forward to that because we can see by looking back that He has already done it. Rather, we focus on the words of the prophet Zechariah, “Behold, your king is coming to you.”

In these weeks leading up to Christmas, the world will offer us, with a vigor that is unique to this season, what we should be doing between Black Friday and December 25: shop!  New toys for both young and old will be dangled before our eyes, each one promising to make us better or happier. That’s the focus of the world in this season of Advent – the coming of great deals and bargains for Christmas gifts. But there is more to the season of Advent than deals and bargains. Advent is a season of preparing. We prepare for the remembrance of the first coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When we hear that our King is coming, this message is the call to prepare by opening our hearts to His grace. We need not fear, for He comes in meekness and lowliness. But He comes as King, mighty to save, full of grace and truth.

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, Jerusalem was poised for the celebration of the Passover. This annual remembrance of God’s act of deliverance of His children from Egypt would have swelled the streets of Jerusalem with holiday crowds. The day of the slaughter of the Passover lambs was fast approaching. People were anticipating the delight of being with family for the Passover feast. But when King Jesus comes into Jerusalem, it interrupts the sort of celebration people are expecting.

We see much the same with Christ at this time of year. We begin celebrating the “real” reason for Christmas: gift giving, parties, but most importantly, gift receiving. We are doing our own thing, enjoying what Christmas is all about, and then Christ comes to ruin everything. For all who think like that, just remember one thing: you can’t have Christmas without Christ, no matter how hard you try.

When Christ does make His appearance in this earthly life, it isn’t with great pomp and circumstance. He is born to lowly parents in very circumstances. It should be no surprise that when Christ enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He does so in a very unexpected way. He doesn’t enter with trumpets blaring behind a large processional. Rather, He comes riding on a donkey. This is done also to fulfill what the prophet wrote: “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” You see, whatever perception the people had of the Messiah and what He would look like and what He would do, Zechariah puts them to rest several hundreds year before the Messiah first graces us with His presence. He comes into Jerusalem, the city of the temple – the place of sacrifice – to suffer and to die as God’s ultimate Passover Lamb. His sacrifice interrupts the monotonous routines of sin and death. Here is a King like no other, for this King comes not in royal splendor or with military might, but in the humility of the Servant who embraces the cross for you.

Today, we begin preparing ourselves for Christ’s entry into this world, coming into this world by being born in a stable in the small town of Bethlehem. We prepare our hearts for what Christmas brings: it brings the Savior of the Nations, the Virgin Son who makes His home amongst the chosen people of God, as sinful as we are. God came to His people and lived among them as one of them. As God came to us in flesh and blood, He experienced all the things we experience – gestation and birth, childhood, weeping and laughter, pleasure and pain, and all the other things that make up the human experience. He even experienced temptation, but He never gave in to it.

All of this, He did for you. He is the Blessed One, for in His saving death, He brings all the blessings of heaven – forgiveness of sins and peace with God – down to earth, down to you. It is no wonder that during the season of Advent, we especially hear that Jesus is indeed Immanuel, God with us. Even as God lives with us, He still comes to us. He comes to us as we read and hear His Word. He also continues to come to us in His flesh and blood as we eat and drink the bread and the wine of His Table.

Later on this month, we will remember how the Kingdom of God came to a virgin named Mary as the Son of God took on human flesh in her womb. We will remember how the Son of God came as a baby in a manger. This is God’s Kingdom coming to restore peace. Today’s Gospel reminds us that the Son of God took on human flesh in Mary’s womb in order to come to Jerusalem and die. His death is the way He makes it possible for the Kingdom of God to come in peace.

That is what Advent is really all about. It is a season of repentance and belief while Jesus serves us with His coming. Just as Lent is a season of repentance and belief in preparation for Good Friday, so also Advent is a season of repentance and belief in preparation for the coming of Jesus, not just as He came at Christmas, but also as He comes to us now and will come to raise us from the dead and live with us forever.

Consider God and His coming during this Advent. Consider His coming at Christmas, but don’t limit your consideration just to Christmas. Consider the love that God shows in His coming in that even while sin causes terror and hatred, He continues to come with His love. Consider how He came to save us with His suffering, death, and resurrection. Consider how He now comes in Word and Sacrament. Consider how He will come to take His people home with Him. Consider the blessings that He once gave, that He now gives, and that He will give when He comes again. In Jesus name, amen. Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Posted on

Thanksgiving Eve – “Unclean to Clean” (Luke 17:11-19)

F-30a Thanksgiving

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.

“Unclean! Unclean!” That’s the shout of those who were lepers. It was their warning to others to stay away from them, lest a person were to contract leprosy as well. This was a most unpleasant disease to have, as it would require a person to be considered an outcast and made to live outside of the general populous. Numbers records the command of God to Moses, “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead. You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.”

Our text lays out an interesting encounter. Jesus is entering a village and is met by ten lepers, at a distance, of course. Their request was simple: “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Who did they think they were addressing? Obviously they must have thought highly enough of Jesus to think that He might be able to do something about their leprosy. Early in His Galilean ministry, Luke records how Jesus healed a single leper. The leper was healed and given a single and simple task: tell no one but show himself to the priest and make a cleansing offering. However, that task seemed too hard and Jesus finds great crowds coming to Him to hear and be healed of all their various ailments. Now ten lepers come to Him asking for mercy. In the case of the one, He sends him to the priests to verify the cure. Here, Jesus sends them off to the priests, and they are cleansed enroute.

What takes place for these men is indeed a miracle. Now they can rejoin the regular populous and stop being outcasts because of their leprosy. They can now return to work and provide for their needs and those of their families. In other words, everything is back to normal for them. Praise be to God, or rather, praise be to Jesus! Well, not really.

What was Jesus expecting to happen? He had only commanded them to show themselves to the priests. He didn’t tell them to return to Him to give thanks. But one does return, praising God for his healing. He falls as Jesus’ feet, giving thanks. This is true thanksgiving! He returns to Jesus, not out of obligation of what had been done, but of sincere thanks and praise for his healing and the right to return to the general population. He is no longer considered an outcast. He no longer has to live outside of the people for fear of contaminating them. What makes this even more incredible of an account is that the one leper who returns is a Samaritan. The assumption is that the other nine were Jews. Though Jews and Samaritans usually had no fellowship, misery loves company. You can see this ragtag group of ten lepers gathered together because they were the only ones to keep company with.

Jesus commends this “foreigner” for his act of worship and asks in disappointment about the other nine. He asks, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” You see, for these lepers, thanksgiving was the furthest thing from their minds. After Jesus cleansed them, all ten departed. There was only who returned and gave thanks. The Samaritan recognized that Jesus had healed him. Jesus deserved his thanks, as well as that of the other nine. The more we recognize the Source of our blessings, the easier it is to see the connection between the gifts we receive, the thanks we give, and the praise we render to Jesus.

Jesus speaks wonderful words to the former leper when He tells him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” It was the faith of the ten lepers in Jesus Christ that saved them. They believed Jesus and His Word enough to go to the priests. They had faith in Jesus that He would heal them.

All of His ministry, Jesus was in the business of healing and forgiving. Today He still is. He heals our physical illnesses and our spiritual sickness. He forgives leprous sins that eat away at our spiritual lives, and He gives us the faith to live a new life of appreciation and thankfulness.

Those words of Jesus are words that we long to hear, aren’t they? The wonderful gift of faith that we have in Jesus is what makes us well, what forgives us our sins. Jesus has not healed you from leprosy, but He has healed you from something infinitely greater than leprosy: your sin. Jesus died on the cross to deliver you from the diseases of sins, death, and the devil. You and I have been healed from this disease. In the waters of Holy Baptism, the forgiveness won by Christ on His cross was applied to each of us. There, God called us by name, placed His name upon us and forgave us all of our sins. That is more than enough reason to give thanks and praise to God!

Gratitude flows out of life in the Spirit of God, a new life begun at Baptism and strengthened at the holy Supper, the Eucharist, a Greek word that means “thanksgiving.” We celebrate with appreciation and thanks the death of Jesus for our sins and the life of the Spirit in us. So we follow the example of the Samaritan in spontaneous gratitude, in thankful witness. And, as we thank God for all His blessings, we learn to practice gratitude toward one another.

For us, we are thankful for all that we have: our material blessings, the privilege of being called children of God, the wonderful gift of forgiveness of our sins. For all this and more, we cry out with the psalmist, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” Amen.

Posted on

Last Sunday of the Church Year – “Christ Comes Again” (Colossians 1:13-20)

[mp_row] [mp_span col=”12″] [mp_row_inner] [mp_span_inner col=”12″] [mp_heading]

Last Sunday of the Church Year – “Christ Comes Again” (Colossians 1:13-20)

[/mp_heading] [/mp_span_inner] [/mp_row_inner] [mp_row_inner] [mp_span_inner col=”12″] [mp_code]

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 Epistle, which was read earlier.

The day has arrived when we flip the calendar. Another year has ended, another year is set to begin.  I don’t mean a calendar year, but a Church Year. The sun has set and yet it has risen again. Looking at the words of St. Paul, we get a glimpse of what has and what is to come: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

All around, we see darkness. The darkness that we see is not a physical darkness, but a spiritual darkness. This spiritual darkness has great power, both over our lives and in this created world. The darkness can seem very powerful at times, almost as if it controls and reigns over us. We know that there really is a king of darkness, and he is very powerful. But for as powerful as Satan is, there is One who is even more powerful than he: Jesus Christ.

Our text from Colossians is a fitting text for the close of a Church Year because it speaks of what has come and what will come on account of Jesus Christ. Darkness has been overcome and we have the forgiveness of sins. That is a promise that has been made and a promise that has been kept. A new King, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is now reigning over heaven and earth, and all authority of darkness has been broken.

All too often, the darkness of this world seems to be strong, as if it might seem as if there is no end to it. That is because this truly is a “domain of darkness.” Satan, the prince of darkness, revels in deception, temptation, and fear; in other words, sin. These sinful actions strive in the darkness because they originate from darkness. We were very once very much a part of that kingdom because our sin cast us out from the kingdom of light, Christ’s heavenly kingdom. Even now, we still feel the effects of that dark domain in our lives. We face the separation of God. The temptations and deceptions that we face in this world are just what Satan wants to happen. The pull of sin causes discouragement and despair in our lives, ever reminding us that we cannot live up to the expectations as those created by God. We despair that we cannot do enough to earn our salvation. We know that this is not the way that God intended things to be.  Something must be done to bridge the gap between God and man. That’s where Jesus comes in.

God has rescued you and placed you under the authority of His Son. God has delivered you from the authority of darkness and transferred you to the reign of His Son. This happened because an event in history happened: redemption by the death of Jesus, God’s beloved Son. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for all our sins and bought us back from darkness. The redemption price was sufficient; the rescue was complete because of who Jesus is.

Paul gives to the Church a wonderful definition of who Jesus Christ is in our text. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” If you want to know what God is like, God’s image has been given to us in Christ, for we were created in the image of God. However, through man’s sin, that image was lost. There would be no way for mankind to restore such an image. The sole way for that image to be restored was through Jesus. It is truly miraculous that we are here at all. Why is this such a miracle? Precisely because we are sinners.

Christ is nothing short of our King, as Paul describes Him. He is the one who created everything there is, including you and me. He’s the one who sustains our lives and sustains the world in which we live. He creates earthly thrones and powers, and He holds the authority to rule over all things. That is how He overcomes this domain of darkness, with the light of His glory, “the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Listen to these words of Paul again: “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” On the cross, we see Christ ruling as only He can rule. On the cross, we see His love, His compassion, His humility in action, reconciling us to God our Father, forgiving our rebellion and making our peace. On the cross, we see Christ shedding His own blood, and promising us that holiness will flow through our veins for eternity in heaven.

What a wonderful joy to see how this all worked out, from start to finish. God created the heavens and the earth, including His greatest creation, mankind. Mankind is created in the image of God to be holy and perfect. Through Lucifer’s rebellion, a new variable enters creation and mankind is exposed to it: sin. This new variable destroys the relation between Creator and creation, separating us from God. As horrific as that sounds, and it truly is horrific, God saw fit to implement a way to restore creation to the Creator. He made a promise to Satan, one that would not or could not be broken, regardless of how hard Satan tried to break it.

The promise is fulfilled when Christ our Lord comes to earth in an unglorious fashion. He is born to lowly parents in a manger, nothing more than a feeding trough. He grows in stature and makes His way to a hill called Golgotha where He gives His life on a cross for the sins of the people: for the thief on the cross who asked for Jesus to remember him in His kingdom. He gives His life for those who curse His name. He gives His life for your sins. Christ gave His life so that we, His Church, might have life. He continues to give us, His Church, life by His Holy Word, in which He tells us both Law and Gospel, His Holy Absolution, with which He declares our sins forgiven, and His Holy Supper, through which He gives us His sin-purging and faith-strengthening body and blood.

As the Church’s Head, He rose from the dead as the first to do so. His return in glory is the day that we too will rise again. Christ did exactly what God had promised in the Garden so long ago. He did this to restore creation to its rightful place as God’s beloved creation. We are no longer under the condemnation, the danger, the fear of our sin. God has rescued us and redeemed us by the blood of the Lamb. One day, Christ will indeed come again to take us with Him. Until then, we continue to wait in eager expectation for His coming in all of His glory, both in His nativity and again on the last day. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

[/mp_code] [/mp_span_inner] [/mp_row_inner] [/mp_span] [/mp_row]
Posted on

Pentecost 26 – “Do Not Grow Weary” (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13)

[mp_row] [mp_span col=”12″] [mp_row_inner] [mp_span_inner col=”12″] [mp_heading]

Pentecost 26 – “Do Not Grow Weary” (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13)

[/mp_heading] [/mp_span_inner] [/mp_row_inner] [mp_row_inner] [mp_span_inner col=”12″] [mp_code]

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 Epistle, which was read earlier.

Do you consider yourself to be a “goody two-shoes?” Maybe you were called that growing up, defining you as a good person who never did anything wrong. It implies that you only do good, that you never do anything wrong or anything that goes against the norm. Thessalonica was not a city of “goody two-shoes,” but that didn’t stop Paul from encouraging them: “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.”

Because of troubles caused by the preaching of the Gospel in Philippi, Paul and Silas traveled to Thessalonica. The short time spent there was enough for the seed of the Gospel to grow into a strong congregation. Following their departure of Thessalonica, Paul received uplifting news from the Thessalonians on progress in their Christian life, but he also heard of their hardships because of the faith and their worries about the fate of those who had died before the second coming of Jesus. To ease their discomforts and strengthen their faith, Paul writes to them what we know as 1 Thessalonians, encouraging them to stay firm in their faith, to continue to abound in love to one another, and to be ready and take comfort in the imminent return of Jesus. He also clarifies that those who “sleep in the Lord” will rise first when Jesus comes.

Things seemed to be going well for this congregation, with the occasional bump in the road. What a feeling to know that the Gospel was at work among these people, even in the midst of false teaching that was going on, that the vast majority remained faithful to the teachings of Paul and Silas and were growing in their faith. For Paul, what more could you ask for? That’s what every pastor wants to see taking place in a congregation. However, things would not remain like this for long.

Just weeks later, Paul received news that all was not as well as he was led to believe. Unfortunately, Paul was busy elsewhere proclaiming the Gospel and couldn’t return to Thessalonica to help this congregation out. Instead, Paul does the next best thing and writes 2 Thessalonians. What could have happened to cause such problems within the congregation? The problems lay with the false teaching of Christ’s return. As we looked at last week, there was the false teaching that Christ was coming again and it was going to be any day now, and so Paul writes, “For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.” This false teaching of Christ’s return prompted some to quit work, to stop producing for their own needs and of the community. They now had time to interfere with others.

For the Thessalonians, they needed to keep their eyes focused on the teaching of Paul, the teaching of Jesus Christ. Those who were “walking in idleness” were a detriment to the Thessalonians and their faith. These idle Christians had been taught what was wrong with their actions. They had been warned that to continue in such a way of life was living in sin. They could not plead ignorance of their sin. Since they refused to repent, the congregation had to take the next step and exclude them from the family of God. This separation was to be done in love, as a warning to an erring brother about the seriousness of sin. The motive, to demonstrate true brotherly love for another person’s soul, is important. For even this sin of idleness, which may seem insignificant in many people’s eyes, can endanger a person’s soul if left unchecked.

We are not to be idle, because that is contrary to Christ’s will. While Paul is talking about not being idle in our vocations, whatever they might be, he is speaking more of our idleness when it comes to watching and preparing for the coming of Jesus Christ. While there was the teaching that Christ would come again, they did not get the timing right. They were preparing for Christ’s second coming as if it were happening today. They disregarded their earthly vocations and in turn, caused problems within the community in both secular and spiritual ways.

Christ will indeed come again. However, we do not know when His second coming will be. That does not mean that we are not to prepare for His return. Our Lord tells us to watch and be ready for His second coming. That is the emphasis that Paul places upon the Thessalonians and that is the emphasis that is placed upon the Church today, especially as we come to the close of another Church Year with eager anticipation for Christ’s second coming, as well as preparing our hearts to remember His first coming and what that means for us. We see salvation work out for us from birth to resurrection.

In spite of what the Thessalonians faced from the idleness of some, they were to remain steadfast in the faith. In spite of what the Church faces today, we continue to persevere, continue to look to the cross, look to Jesus for our salvation. We see salvation as it worked out for us by Jesus. We bear witness to what Christ has done and do not neglect our vocation as witnesses of Christ. Some in Thessalonica became complacent in their faith because of the false teaching and it threatened their salvation. The very same can happen to us as we become complacent in our faith, expressing that we don’t need to attend church because we’re already forgiven. If we use that thinking, then we are saying that we don’t need Jesus anymore because He already forgave our sins once.

For the Church, she must remain faithful. Paul encourages us to “not grow weary in doing good.” His words are not just mere words meant to make the Church feel good about herself. They are an evangelical encouragement, based on the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says to us not to envy those who are idle. They are sinning, and that will only harm them in the long run. Rather remember Jesus and the love He has for you. Remember how Jesus was willing to serve you, how He died for you in order to forgive you all your sins. The Church is not made of busy bodies but of bodies who are busy with the work of the Lord. We are busy with receiving the gifts that He brings to us in Word and Sacrament. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

[/mp_code] [/mp_span_inner] [/mp_row_inner] [/mp_span] [/mp_row]
Posted on

Pentecost 25 – “The Coming of Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, 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 Epistle, which was read earlier.

As we near the end of another Church Year, there is a focus on our readings: the return of Christ. That is the focus of Paul in our text: “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him….” When people think about the end of the world, it often seems they are ready to believe any rumor that comes along. This happens especially when people have not carefully studied what God says about that day. It seems that some of the Thessalonians were no different. A false notion about the end of the world was circulating in their congregation. The result was that some of the Thessalonians were becoming “shaken in mind or alarmed.”

What was this false idea that was circulating amongst the Thessalonians? Paul does not say much about it, except to say, “the day of the Lord has come.” This was a very important point for Paul to make because there were those who were preaching that Christ had come the first time and died; because He is dead, He won’t be coming a second time. Paul makes it clear that Christ will come a second time and we will be gathered to Him.

The Christians at Thessalonica heard the Word of God, but they were hearing lots of other things as well. They believed the word of false prophets that the end was coming very soon. They had given up all activity and waited for the Lord to come. They fell for a false prophet’s lies. For this reason Paul wrote, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in our text: “Let no one deceive you in any way.”

The Thessalonians did not need to have someone else interpret the signs for them, for they had the Word, as the Lord had given it to Paul. We have this same Word, which the Lord has given us. He speaks clearly regarding the Last Day. We get sucked in by the fiction of the end times, and we believe the fiction as if it was Gospel, and we reject the true Gospel that comes from God’s Holy Word. We despise preaching and God’s Word, and we do not gladly hear and learn it. Our minds are made up; we do not want to be confused by the facts. But the fact of the matter is that if we confess a truth other than that which is proclaimed in Holy Scripture, we will surely be damned to hell.

The problem with the Thessalonians, as Paul describes, is that they forgot. They forgot the message that Paul had told them. They forgot the message of Jesus and instead adopted a message of false teaching. The problem that the Thessalonians had with regards to the false teaching is that it was damning. There was no salvation in that teaching, but only the proper teaching of Jesus Christ and who He is and what it was that He came to do, and what He will do in the Second Coming.

Paul is describing the work of the Antichrist, though he does not use that term in his letter. The purpose of this “man of lawlessness” is to oppose and exalt himself “against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”

Lawlessness such as this wreaks great havoc upon the Church. It fills the people of God with doctrine that sounds good to our itching ears but damning in the process. What is the Church to do in the face of such false doctrine? Buying into it, we sacrifice our eternal life with God our heavenly Father. Paul tells the Thessalonians to stand firm in the faith that they have been given. They are the chosen ones of God. God chose them “as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” While the Thessalonians may be misguided by the false teaching present in Thessalonica, they are still sheep, loved by the Lord and therefore to be loved and cared for by Paul, a servant of the Lord. Paul thanks God for them because they are “brothers” in the one true faith. Paul thanks God for them because God chose them before time began, elected them to be His adopted children, blessed them with the gift of His Spirit, and by the sanctifying work of that same Spirit set them apart from the rest of an unbelieving world to believe the truth of the Gospel and be saved.

All of this is important to Paul because the Thessalonians were called through the Gospel. They were called through the Gospel, not through their own inventions. They didn’t make themselves believe; they couldn’t, they were “dead in transgressions.” No, God worked this miracle through the good news of the Savior from sin which Paul, Silas, Timothy and others had been privileged to bring to them. The Gospel originates with God Himself, but it becomes our own when we take hold of it through faith, given to us by the Holy Spirit. When that happens, we also share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection victory becomes our resurrection victory, and we life to the full, just as He promised.

This is our Gospel as well. It is ours because God has given it to us time and time again. He gave it to us when He removed us from the Garden and gave to us a promise. He gave it to us in a Baby. He gave it to us on the cross. He gave it to us at our Baptism. He gives it to us in the words of absolution. He gives it to us in the Lord’s Supper. He has given to us the Gospel of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ “so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He has given us the Gospel so that we may believe and not be led astray by Satan and all of his temptuous ways. He has given us that Gospel so that we may remain steadfast in His Word until the second coming of His Son, who will gather all Christians to be with God forever. Having this promise of eternal life in heaven given to us now and fulfilled there, we rejoice, and we look forward with eager anticipation to the Last Day, for the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to endure these last days on earth until THE Last Day, whenever that will be. St. Paul exhorts us, saying, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” Until then, we remain steadfast in His Word, trusting in the promises which He has given to us, never doubting that His Word will do what it says it will: give to all believers forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. 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.

Powered by Qumana