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Christmas 1–“Goodbye” (Luke 2:22-40)

C-15 Christmas 1 (LHP) (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.

Saying goodbye is always a hard thing to do. I remember when I left Indiana in 2005 and made my way out to Wyoming. I said goodbye to family and friends, to my then-fiancée, and all that I knew that was comfortable to me and entered a world that was unknown. It was difficult to say the least. I knew that I would see family and friends and my fiancée again. I would talk to them, email them, see them on the computer. But it would not be the same as seeing them in person and it didn’t make saying goodbye any easier.

As we look at our Gospel reading for today, we see the time has come for Mary to be purified following her pregnancy and also the presentation of Jesus in the temple. It has been 40 days since Jesus was born and so they make their way to the temple for the necessary rituals. A sacrifice had to be made, either “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” For Jesus, if He were to be given into service of the Lord, He 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 way possible. On the 40th day of His life, Jesus is presented to the Lord, as Luke records: “And…the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law.”

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 was there in the temple, a man named Simeon enters the temple. He doesn’t enter it on his own accord, but he does so at the urging of the Holy Spirit. Luke says, “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.” Simeon enters the temple and sees the Holy Family, goes to the Child and “took him up in his arms and blessed God.” This was an unusual thing to do, as it was the custom for the parents to offer the child to God. But now, here is a stranger that takes Jesus and offers Him to God. What kind of a person would do such a thing? But remember, Simeon did not do this on his own, but rather he did this as he was led by the Holy Spirit.

When Simeon saw that poor young couple coming into the temple to offer a sacrifice according to the Law, and the sacrifice, he knew it was not Mary and Joseph who would redeem their Son with the humble sacrifice. Simeon knew that their Son would redeem them, because He was the sacrifice.

As Simeon takes Jesus, He blesses God and says, “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.” He isn’t making a request of the Lord for Him to bless Jesus. Rather, he is making a statement of fact: “you are letting your servant depart in peace.” Simeon’s service in the temple as a watchman waiting for the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises is at an end. The watch is over; the servant can retire in peace. With the eyes of faith, Simeon sees more than a babe in his arms; he sees a Savior dying on the cross; he sees salvation for all people, both Israelite and Gentile. This is Simeon saying goodbye. For him, this is a not a sad goodbye, but rather a joyful goodbye. He is able to leave this world now, not in sorrow over what may or may not have occurred, but instead leaving this world in joy at seeing the promised Christ.

How is it that Simeon saw all of this in this child, just a little more than a month old? Mary and Joseph were an obscure poor couple and Jesus looked no different than any other 40-day old male child. Simeon could see all of this because “the Holy Spirit was upon him.” He could sing this wonderful song because God opened his eyes.

Joseph and Mary marveled at the words spoken by Simeon, but he is not finished yet. He shows insight that could come only by special revelation of the Holy Spirit concerning the destiny of this Child. Israel would be divided over Jesus – He would cause some to fall and some to rise. For some, Jesus would be a rock of offense over which they would stumble; for others, He would be the living rock of salvation.

What an example of faith that Simeon had. Simeon fully believed that God was going to make good on His promise and save His people from all their sins through the Savior He would personally send into this world. Through the working of the Holy Spirit, Simeon was promised by God that he would behold the Messiah with his own eyes in his lifetime, before God would call him home to heaven. Simeon waited. He was faithfully patient, trusting that God knew what He was doing and was doing it all according to His divine timeline, working all things for the good of His people. Simeon had faith that God would work this promise and plan when the time was right. Now having personally beheld God’s all-redeeming plan of salvation in the flesh, in his arms, Simeon was joyously relieved. It doesn’t matter whether Simeon was 25 or 95 years old. He could now die perfectly happy and content, fully knowing and trusting that God was keeping His promise and actively saving His people from all sin, death, and damnation. He knew what was really important in terms of life and salvation, and he knew that he was holding it right there in his very arms. 

Saying goodbye is always hard. It is often filled with emotion and uncertainty of what is to come. Israel had no idea of what was to come in the years ahead when this Child would begin His ministry. However, Simeon was able to say goodbye without fear of what was to come because he saw God in the Christ child. Today, we are able to say goodbye without fear because we have seen Christ as well, in both His Word and in His blessed Sacrament of His body and blood. We sing this song of faith with all of the Church, both here and in heaven, as we leave our Lord’s Table from where He feeds us. There is only thing left for us to say: goodbye. 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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Christmas Day–“Light” (John 1:1-14)

C-14 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.

There are certain words of our text that leap off the page to get your attention: “In the beginning, the Word, God, life, light.” As you begin to delve deep in John’s writings, you feel you have entered a new level of God’s truth in Jesus Christ. John’s Gospel is unlike Matthew, Mark or Luke’s Gospels. He trumpets the Christ and the glory of God in Him. He switches on the floodlights and opens the drama of God’s work of salvation.

The drama starts “in the beginning,” before anything existed. We are reminded of the opening words of Scripture: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This speaks of the same period when only God existed and all creation was but a page in His eternal plan. But now, we have a new reference point: “In the beginning was the Word….” At first glance, “the Word” is abstract, with no definition of what John means by it. Within a few words of this opening verse of his Gospel, John identifies what he means by “the Word:” “…and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “The Word” is the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity. This is a title for Jesus and tells us important things about Him: it tells us that Jesus is God. Even before John says “the Word was God,” we know Jesus was because He was “in the beginning” when only God existed. Not only was the Word God, He was “with God.”

Today we gather in excitement and joy. After all the waiting, Christmas is finally at hand. After spending weeks in preparation, we wonder if we have done everything or if everything we had done was really worth the effort.

That is precisely why we need a word such as this today. It declares a “no” to the empty routine and darkness of the made-upness that Christmas tends to turn into and return the focus to what this day is all about: the birth of Christ.

Christmas is all about God coming to seek and to save us. He does this through the Child that is born today. This is not just any child that is born, but it is the very Son of God, the Word made flesh. John tells us much in our text today, but a key phrase that he returns to is “light.” He calls Jesus the “light of men” and “the true light.”

God, compassionately viewing His creation, saw humanity cowering in the gloom of sin. He saw us tumbling to our deaths in the moral and spiritual darkness that engulfed us. He who once said, “Let there be light” as the universe was created, echoed that command anew to bring to this planet a Light more powerful than the sun. It was to be His Son, in whom indeed there would be life—life that He would live; life meant for now, and a life that would go on forever. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” He said. “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Because of Him, we need not stumble in the darkness any longer, for Jesus lights the way.

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.”

There in that manger, the battle between light and dark was joined, the war between life and death encountered. Isaiah foretold centuries before, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.” But Jesus Himself put it more simply, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

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.

In spite of the fact that creation rejected its creator there are some who receive Him by faith. Although the world rejects the Eternal Word who is the light of life, the Holy Spirit does produce faith in some. This faith is a new birth that gives believers the right to call themselves children of God.

How does the Eternal Word do all this? Today’s Gospel has the answer. “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.” Here is Immanuel. Here is salvation.

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.

May the light of Jesus bring life to you this Christmas. May His sparkle gleam within your soul, and may the devilish darkness that threatens us be banished by the true light that never fades. 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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Christmas Eve Candlelight–“Christmas Facts” (Luke 2:1-14)

C-12 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.

For Detective Joe Friday, there was only one thing that he wanted: “Just the facts, ma’am.” That is what Luke lays out for us in our Gospel reading this evening, just the facts. Because of Luke’s description, we can be certain that what follows is factual and historical.

From the facts we gather the following: Caesar Augustus was emperor of Rome at the time. He issued a decree that a census should be conducted. The governor of Syria was Quirinius. The Census of Quirinius refers to the enrollment of the Roman Provinces of Syria and Judea for tax purposes. From this we have a date and time in history, showing to us that this not a story of fiction, but rather an historical account.

People from all over were on their way from their current place of residence back to Judea to be counted for the census. Luke records for us one such couple who were on their way to Judea: Joseph and his betrothed, Mary, who was with child. The journey from Nazareth to Judea was about 80 miles. The trip would be about four days for the average person, but with a pregnant woman, the trip could have taken nearly a week.

During their time in Judea, it was time for Mary to give birth to her child. A birth at this time would have been primitive, compared to modern means. There were no nice, sterile hospitals. There would have been no epidural shot for the expectant mother to help ease the pain. Ideally, the birth would take place in your own home. However, for Joseph and Mary, they were far from home.

Upon their arrival, trying to find a room was next to impossible because of the increase in population due to the census. The only place available for them to stay was nothing more than a barn of an innkeeper, the same place where the animals would eat and sleep. This was not the Hilton by any means. In fact, your cheapest budget motel would be a step up from where they were.

There, in an innkeeper’s barn, Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. With no crib for a bed, she used the next best thing available to her, what we call a manger; in reality, probably nothing more than a feeding trough. This is the bed of the Savior. It is not lavish. It is not plush. It is rough. It is crude. It is demeaning to say the least. We would never imagine placing our newborn child in anything short of a nice warm bed and yet we see the Savior in anything but that.

All in all, not a glorious welcome for the Savior: a long journey for His pregnant mother, no room for the parents, no proper place for the Savior to be born. This is not how everything is to happen, is it? Is this how the Savior was to make His grand entrance into humanity?

Why shouldn’t the Savior enter the world like this? The world that He entered isn’t one that is nice and neat. It isn’t one that has everything in good order according to God’s Word. This world is just as rough and crude, if not more, than the manger that Christ was born into. Our Lord wasn’t born into a perfect world. He was born into an imperfect world in order to make it perfect. Mankind’s salvation depended on this little Child that was born in a barn and laid in a feeding trough. The manner of His birth was in keeping with His mission: “The Son of Man did not come 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, from start to finish.

This announcement of Jesus’ birth was not one that was meant to be kept to those in the immediate area. The angel made an announcement to the shepherds in the fields, heralding Jesus’ birth. In reality, the angel’s announcement was a bit of an understatement. The angel said, “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.” This is not good news. This is the greatest news that one could ever receive! This is the news that humanity has been waiting for since God had promised a Savior all the way back in the Garden of Eden. This has been a long time coming, as in thousands of years and now, God’s promise has been fulfilled.

What a truly spectacular sight to behold, an angel of the Lord appearing and delivering such good news. But the evening’s events aren’t over yet. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”” This song of the angels has a double focus: in the highest heavens there is resounding glorious praise to God for His generous gift of a Savior; on earth, there is peace for people on whom God’s favor rests.

It is unsure how many constituted the multitude of which Luke speaks of, but one thing that we can be certain of is this: this was truly a remarkable and awe-inspiring scene to behold. It was so inspiring that the shepherds left their flocks and immediately made their way to Bethlehem in order to see this Child that the angels had spoken of. Very few people in Bethlehem were aware of the Baby lying in the manger; only Mary and Joseph were in on the secret of His divine origin. All of that changes as God goes public with the good news. The shepherds are the first to hear the good news. King David has been a shepherd out in the same fields as these shepherds and now news of the birth of one greater than David is broadcast to the shepherds. They could not keep this news to themselves. Luke says,

The message that the shepherds spread was not so much about the baby in a manger; rather they shared the angel’s message that the Savior is born. They shared the message that the prophecies of old had now been fulfilled and that the long-expected Messiah was now here.

The promise of the Messiah in the Old Testament is now fulfilled. The Word was made flesh in the form of an infant, and that Word made flesh died so that the gates of heaven would be opened for us sinners. Here is Jesus, our Savior, the Anointed One and our Lord. 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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Christmas Eve–“Immanuel” (Matthew 1:18-25)

C-11 Christmas Eve Early (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 is the Gospel which was read earlier.

“‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house/Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” Tonight is the night. Tonight is when the kids will place the cookies and milk out for Santa, staying up all night, hoping to get a glance at the Jolly ‘ol Fat Man. When the sun comes up, it will be all about the presents under the tree. Sadly, for many, that’s what Christmas is all about. However, Christmas is more than just Santa Claus and presents. Christmas is all about a promise being fulfilled.

The prophet Isaiah records these words: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Now, the time has come for the prophecy to come to bear. However, things are not working out as Joseph had planned. He was betrothed to Mary. She was for all legal purposes his wife. Everything was perfect in this betrothal except that Mary was pregnant. How could she do such a thing by cheating on her betrothed? What is there for Joseph to do but to divorce her? He didn’t want to see any more shame come upon Mary than what would come about by her having sexual relations with someone other than Joseph. He thought very little of the shame that would fall upon himself. He was only trying to look out for Mary, regardless of how she treated him.

Fortunately for Joseph, God had other plans in mind.

In a dream, an angel appeared before Joseph revealing who this Child is that Mary is carrying: the child is conceived by the Holy Spirit. This is a union unlike any other union, for this is truly God’s union. This is a union of God and man with one intended purpose: to forgive.

This child which 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 into the heavenly Canaan.

This is the true meaning of Christmas. It is not about receiving lots and lots of presents. It’s 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.” This echoes the words of Luther in his wonderful Christmas hymn, “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come.” He writes: “This is the Christ, our God Most High, Who hears your sad and bitter cry; He will Himself your Savior be From all your sins to set you free.”

This is who the promised Messiah is: the One whom will set you free from your sins. He will forgive you all of yours sins by His blood that will be shed for you on the cross. He comes to take away all sin from you and me and from all people. Jesus became flesh to fulfill God’s Law and to redeem you, to buy you back from death. 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.

On account of the Babe of Bethlehem, you will live and not die. Because of Him, you receive that second birth with God’s name placed upon you in your Baptism, marking you as one of His beloved children. All of this is yours as a gift, a gift that comes in the form of a Baby born to meek and mild parents.

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. This Child that is born comes to save all people, regardless of who they are. Again, we hear the words of Luther: “This is the Christ, our God Most High, Who hears your sad and bitter cry; He will Himself your Savior be From all your sins to set you free.” This one stanza encapsulates why Christ came: to set you free from all of your sins. This is what was foretold all the way back in Genesis. They had been waiting and waiting for the promised Messiah and now her He was, but now what they had expected. No one had expected the Messiah to be born in a lowly manger amongst the animals. No one had expected the Messiah to be born to such lowly parents, yet that is precisely how this Savior of the nations was born. He was born to earthly parents and lived an earthly life for all those here on earth, for you and for me.

This is who the Messiah IS and not who we WANT the Messiah to be. We want the Messiah to be one who will make all of our problems disappear, someone who will make our lives easier. That is not the Messiah promised to us in the Scriptures. The Messiah that is promised in the Scriptures is the One who would give His life for the life of God’s creation. St. Matthew writes, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

That is precisely what Jesus does, beginning on this night. He begins His mission of redemption for God’s creation by coming into this world, born of Mary and Joseph. All this happened according to God’s preset plan and under His control. More than that, as we look back at the history of the world, particularly as recorded in Old Testament Scripture, Christ Himself is the proper fulfillment of everything, and the Key to the Bible’s interpretation. He is the center and heart of the Old Testament as well as the New. He is what God intended all along.

This is especially important because the plan of God is for you. His working throughout Old and New Testaments was in preparation and fulfillment of your salvation.  He prepared centuries and millennia before Bethlehem, back to Isaiah’s prophecy seven centuries before, to King David, to the Israelites in Egypt, and even back to the Garden of Eden, when a Seed of Woman was promised some four thousand years before Christ was born. This entire grand, perfect plan was for you – so that God could save you through the Blood of this perfect Baby, who would be sacrificed in your place.

So it is the same for you as it is in the pages of Scripture: Christ is the center and heart of your life. Who you are is not seen in your external actions, but in Him.  You do not have to make your lives right. You are already perfect in the eyes of God, the only Judge who matters. Your life is not a series of merely human events. Your life is transformed by the work of God in Christ Jesus your Lord, for He has done mighty things for you.  Your righteousness is perfect because of the work of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. 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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Advent 4–“Beauty of Christmas” (Luke 1:39-45)

C-9 Advent 4 (Lu 1.39-45)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.

Women in our culture today are too often celebrated for what they look like instead of who they are. There are the advertisements that if women were only to take this pill or have that surgery, try this brand of cosmetics or join this exercise club, they could improve their appearance and look like all the women that grace the grocery store magazines.

In today’s Gospel reading, we meet two women. Luke never bothers to tell us what they look like. He doesn’t mention whether or not they are runway model material. He pays no attention to their sense of fashion. Nevertheless, he shows them for what they are: truly beautiful women.

The first woman that we meet in our text is a rather young woman, probably in her teens. Her name is Mary. She was betrothed, or engaged, to a man older than her by the name of Joseph, a carpenter by trade. This might have been a betrothal made in heaven, but there was a complication to all of this: Mary found herself with child. This did not occur because she cheated on her betrothed; rather, the angel proclaimed that her child would be conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary, a virgin, had been chosen to be our Lord’s mother. And she received this news with beautiful humility: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord.”

Following this exchange, the angel informed her that her cousin Elizabeth was also pregnant. Elizabeth, being much older than Mary, would have been an ideal mentor for her in her pregnancy so she plans a trip to Elizabeth to tell her of the good news.

Once the two women were together, Mary had to share the good news with her cousin. One can only imagine the sheer excitement that Mary had in telling Elizabeth, not wanting to leave out any of the details of what had transpired, for this truly was a miraculous event that had taken place and that would take place in the near future as well.

As Luke records for us, “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.” What an event this little interaction was between the offspring of Elizabeth and Mary’s announcement. John the Baptist was already pointing to the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. John was already looking forward to what the child of Mary would accomplish.

What magnificent imagery we have so far in our text. We have a wonderful announcement from Mary to Elizabeth regarding the birth of the Savior of the world. John the Baptist leaps in the womb of Elizabeth upon Mary’s announcement. Mary and Elizabeth are rejoicing in the news. Then Elizabeth says something that changes the scene: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

Here you have a young pregnant teenager and now all of a sudden, she is blessed among women! And not only is she blessed among women, so is the child that she carries. I don’t know many pregnant teenage girls who are deemed blessed among women. In fact, there are those teenage mothers who would consider themselves anything but blessed among women. But Mary wasn’t considered blessed among women because of who she was or what she had done. Rather, she was blessed among women because God the Father had chosen her to be the bearer of the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. Elizabeth praises the faith of Mary. Mary is the object of God’s blessing because God has visited her and she has responded in faith to God’s promises.

What clearly stands out is the presence of Jesus. Everything that happens is a response to the presence of God in the flesh – the baby inside Mary. The presence of the Lord causes a physical response by the child John in Elizabeth’s womb; the praising of Mary by Elizabeth, and Mary’s beautiful hymn that comes just a few verses later. Elizabeth proclaims Jesus in the womb of Mary to be cause of her blessedness, just as Christ in His Church is the source of her every blessing. Blessedness is a condition for which God alone is responsible. Mary’s blessedness is the result of an act of divine grace which God gives to her as a gift. Mary is blessed because of the presence of Christ in her just as the Church is blessed because Christ dwells in her.

As we look at Elizabeth and her words of blessing to Mary, how are we to understand them? Elizabeth says, “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” It refers to Mary’s faithful response to the angel: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Mary receives the word of the angel in faith and places herself in submission to that word. Elizabeth now affirms what Mary said to the angel.

Luke’s record of the Visitation is one that is filled with blessings and honor and glory. But of great importance here is faith. Mary has no proof other than faith in the words of the angel. Elizabeth has no proof except the faith that she has in Mary’s story of the events that brought her to her doorsteps. You and I have no proof other than God’s Word. Does this baby look like a Savior? Does He look like a king or Lord? Maybe all of this is just made up or maybe just dumb luck. Or, this could be how God desired His divine plan of salvation to work out for us.

Our Lord could have chosen to be born in beautiful Jerusalem or maybe even in glorious Rome. Instead, He chose to be born in lowly Bethlehem, the least among the cities of Judah. He could have chosen to enter into the family of the high priest or to be born into royalty. Instead, He chose to be born into the family of a carpenter with a poor young maiden as His mother. Beauty appears to be absent from this scene, especially when we look at the words of Isaiah: “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” But there lies the true beauty. This child would endure the ugliness of the cross, showing to us the true beauty of the Father’s will for us, His beloved children.

Our Lord did not choose to enter into some perfect and ideal world. He chose instead to enter our world, with all of its flaws and blemishes. Why? Because He loves us, with all of our flaws and blemishes. Yes, He comes to wash away the blemish of our sins. He presents us, His Church, as His Bride, clothed in baptismal splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that we might be holy, without blemish. This is the true beauty of the incarnation, the true beauty of Christmas. 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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Advent 3–“No Doubt” (Luke 7:18-28)

C-6 Advent 3 (LHP) (Lu 7.18-28)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.

An important question is asked today in our Gospel reading, one which has great ramifications. The question is this: “Are you the one who is the come, or shall we look for another?”

At first glance, it might not seem like that big of a question at all. Or, on the other hand, this could be about as big of a question as one could ask, for you see, the answer that we give to this question on the day of our death reveals our eternal destination.

Leading up to our text for today, we see Jesus coming onto the scene in a very big way. Following His Baptism, Jesus is tempted into the wilderness by the devil. As He begins His ministry, He heals a man with an unclean demon, many who are sick that have been brought to Him, He calls His disciples and He begins His preaching ministry. He heals more individuals and eventually raises a widow’s son from the dead. News had spread of what Jesus had done and the disciples of John come and report all that has happened to him. John calls two of his disciples and sends them to Jesus to ask if Jesus is the one who is to come or should they look for someone else.

This question has been interpreted in two ways. First, some hold that John himself was still convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Coming One, but he wanted to renew the faith of his disciples and therefore sent them to Jesus to be strengthened. Others see this questions as an example of how even such a person as John, the herald of Christ, could waver. As a prisoner, isolated and cut off, he might have fallen prey to doubts. In either case, the question John asks through his disciples gives Jesus the opportunity to again point out his role as the Messiah, the servant of God.

Jesus sends the disciples back to John, instructing them to report what they had heard and seen. Jesus points to His miracles, including also the raising of the dead at Nain, as evidence that He is the one promised in the Old Testament. His message to John and to all of us: don’t look for any other messiah because the true Messiah is here.

The question that John poses is still a valid question for us today. Many today doubt and question whether or not Jesus is who He says He is, if He can do what He says He can do. Jesus responded to John’s question with more than just “yes” or “no.” He showed those who were there that He was the fulfillment of the promises that God had made long ago through the prophets. Jesus showed that He is the Messiah by the signs of His healing and His preaching.

What faulty expectations might we have about Jesus? The people of Jesus’ time thought of Him as a great earthly king, one who would kick out the Romans and restore Jerusalem to all of its glory from the days of old. Others thought that the Messiah would be a great prophet. But for us today, who do we think Jesus is? What do we doubt about His life and His ministry? Is He who He says He is? Can He really forgive me my sins like He claims that He can? Can He really give to me everlasting life because of His death and resurrection?

The answer to all of these questions and more is yes. Yes, He is who He claims to be, the Christ, the Son of God. Yes, He can and does forgive you all of your sins. Yes, He can and does give to you everlasting life on account of His life, death, and resurrection.

There should be no doubt as to whether or not Jesus is the one who is to come. John was right all along. Jesus is a prophet, but not just a prophet. He is the prophet. He is the one to whom Zephaniah speaks of in our Old Testament reading for today: “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save….”

Jesus fulfills all that had been prophesied about Him. He was born of woman, being one with us sinners. He became the least in the Kingdom of God while on the cross so that He could make us sinners the greatest in the Kingdom by faith. Jesus is the One to whom we can look to for assurance with all our doubts for He has reconciled us to God.

Here is a question: Are you—right now—under the reign and rule of Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior and King? The answer, of course, is “yes.” You see, from the perspective of history, we are greater than John the Baptist because we know and hold to the whole salvation story. We know the truth that “It is finished.” We know that Christ Jesus accomplished all of salvation in His all-redeeming life, death, and resurrection. Not even John the Baptist understood all that. Remember: John, the greatest of anyone on earth, still didn’t fully understand what Christ and His ministry was all about. He didn’t understand that Christ’s glory necessarily involved a cross. John only saw the victorious, glorified Jesus at the end of salvation history. He only understood the triumphant Christ, who would bear the righteous winnowing fork and put the axe to the tree. He didn’t get that this same victorious Christ had to first suffer and die. As a consequence of this misunderstanding, John struggled. When times got really tough and he was languishing on death row in prison he struggled and wavered and doubted, and understandably so. 

During this Advent season of penitential preparation, we consider our doubts and other sins. As we consider these sins, their consequences and punishment should terrify us. How wonderful it is to learn that in Jesus Christ we have all of the signs of God’s promise. We have the signs of His miracles and His teaching, but especially we have the sign of His crucifixion and resurrection that earn forgiveness for our sins and give us the promise of life everlasting in His gracious presence.

Today, we rejoice that the Son of God came into the world to offer Himself up for us as our substitute and to take away our sins. We rejoice that by His resurrection, He has opened heaven for us. We rejoice that, although our sin is great, our Savior is greater. We rejoice in the way He came to conquer our sin. We rejoice in the way He now comes to offer forgiveness to all people. We rejoice in the way He will come to give eternal life to all who believe in Him. 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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Advent 2 – "Prepare" (Luke 3:1-14)

C-4 Advent 2 (Lu 3.1-6)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.

“Hear ye, hear ye.” Those are familiar words in times of the medieval courts when the herald would announce the arrival of royalty. The herald had no other job than to announce when certain individuals would enter a place, making it known to all that the highly esteemed individual is here. In today’s Gospel reading, we see the same thing taking place. John the Baptist comes onto the scene as the herald of all heralds. His announcement trumps any announcement that has ever been made or that will ever be made, for he comes as the herald of Jesus Christ.

When we last see John, Luke reports, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” Now, John makes his public appearance. It is not initiated by John but by the Word of God that came to him. God called on John to prepare the way for Jesus.

John had a mission: “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Zechariah, John’s father realized that John was destined for something special. He says, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins….” John did exactly what his father said that he would do. He did exactly what God had called him to do.

John the Baptist was the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets. As an Old Testament prophet, he pointed forward to the coming Messiah, the Christ. John himself fulfills some of the prophecies of the Old Testament, as we see in today’s Old Testament reading from Malachi. John himself was a sign that the Savior was about to appear on the scene in a very public way.

John did what prophets do. He spoke the truth concerning the coming of Christ. He didn’t try to win friends. He wasn’t interested in popularity contests. He knew that his calling was to proclaim Christ, not himself. What John preached was not always popular, not always nice. He was the perfect forerunner to Christ because not everything He preached was always popular or nice either.

While many thought that John might be the Christ, he is only the herald of the new covenant established by Jesus. He directs the people’s attention to one “more powerful” than him who is come. John enables us to prepare and be prepared for the way of the Lord. He does that by the message that he preaches.

John’s message is one of repentance and forgiveness. Those listening to John’s message believed that their status with God was secured because they were Abraham’s offspring. That meant that their salvation was forever set in stone. Who needs repentance if they already have salvation? If salvation were already secured for the descendants of Abraham, there would be no need for John to be a herald because there would be no Christ to herald about.

Repentance was necessary then and it necessary today. As he says, “the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” The need for repentance is now. The need to turn from our sinful ways is now. That is the message that John the Baptist comes preaching. His proclamation of repentance begins by making the people aware that they are sinners. What does John say about those who believe that they are already righteous? He calls them a brood of vipers. This is not without significance. It echoes back to the Garden of Eden and man’s fall into sin brought about the serpent. Instead of being righteous, they are instead offspring of Satan.

It is harsh to hear that we are not righteous. It is even more harsh to hear that we are sinners. But that is exactly who we are: sinners in need of repentance. That is why John’s message is so important: it begs repentance. It begs for forgiveness. We hear all about our sinful nature and what that means for us. It means death and damnation. It means eternal separation from God. John’s message is one of sweet Gospel to our ears. There is One who is coming to save us from our sins. There is One who is coming to give to us everlasting life. There is One coming who is forever bridging the gap between God and man, One who will trade His life so that we can have life. That forgiveness comes in the form of Jesus, of whom John is preparing the way for.

John’s warning was indeed sharp. The purpose of the message was to strike fear in man’s conscience so that he might stop realize his lost condition. The only one who is capable of repairing that lost condition of man is Christ.

The reason why the season of Advent is so important is because it shows us the need of a Savior. Hearing John’s message can cause great fear in us, knowing that we might be a tree that does not bear good fruit. Those to whom John is preaching to begin to ask the simple question, “What then shall we do?” The answer is simple: we look to Christ. We look to the cross where Jesus took judgment upon Himself in our place so that we might be forgiven. In our Baptism, we receive the benefits of Christ’s atonement for us, the forgiveness of our sins.

All of this, as John says, leads to fruits in keeping with repentance. It leads to actions of love towards our neighbor. This is mercy; mercy that we show to one another as God has shown His mercy towards us through Christ.

The message of John seemed much like the coming message of Christ, the message foretold in prophecies of old. It was only logical for them to ask if John was the Christ. He preached with such great power that many people thought that he might be the Christ. He points to one more powerful than he who is coming soon, Jesus Himself.

For as great as he was, John the Baptist was nothing more than a prophet. He points to Jesus, the One who took our sins to the cross and exchanged them for righteousness. He baptizes with water and the Word for the forgiveness of our sins. He is the One who comes to us still today through His body and blood, making you new, clean by the blood of the Lamb, freeing you from your sin by His death and resurrection. 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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Advent 1 – "Bookends" (Luke 19:28-40)

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.

It’s the beginning of the end. Or is it the end of the beginning? Today’s Gospel reading comes up twice in the Church Year: the First Sunday of Advent, today, and Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, leading up to the death of Jesus. Though we see on Palm Sunday Christ’s entrance to Jerusalem marking His impending death, we see in our text for today the beginning of a new Church Year, and in its beginning, it points the Church toward Calvary.

For the Christian, we begin the season of Advent today. It is the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus, in other words, the period immediately before Christmas. If there is one word that best captures the meaning of the season of Advent, it is probably waiting. During Advent the church confesses the wisdom that Jeremiah spoke so long ago: “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

The Church this First Sunday in Advent directs her attention to the final chapter in the saga of salvation. And that is as it should be, for crib and cross go together. You cannot have one without the other. This astounding little bundle of joy was born to save, in other words, to die, and to lay down His life in payment for the sins of the entire world.

Likewise, there is no salvation apart from God in the flesh of Jesus. It was no heavenly principle or concept that died, but a real man, with real flesh and blood like ours. In order to remove the just penalty for our sin, He first took on a human body, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Crib and cross, cross and crib; like bookends, they enclose the whole story of God’s salvation in His incarnate Son.

On the scale of human events, this Palm Sunday ride doesn’t really seem so big. It was humble. Jesus rode on a donkey. He sat on a saddle of outer garments, actually, which served as coats, and cloaks, and blankets at night, and protection against sand storms, and as an all-around, multi-purpose garment. That is what the disciples threw on the backs of the donkey. Others lined the road with their cloaks, and still others cut branches off of the local palm trees and carpeted the path of Jesus with those. Some took the palm branches and waved them and called out “Hosanna.” It wasn’t as impressive as we might think, but there was more here than meets the eye.

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 people, “Behold, your king is coming to you.”

That is what Advent prepares us for, the coming of in the infant Jesus. During this season, we take the time to have a history lesson of our faith. We take a little time to refocus and reorient ourselves to God’s interaction with us—the coming of our Lord and Savior to us and for us for the sole purpose of living and dying for us and our sins. The nativity of our Lord certainly is an important part of this divine and compassionate interaction. The womb of Mary and the Bethlehem manger are the starting points for Jesus Christ’s long, purposeful march to Calvary for our salvation. But that’s just it. These are the starting points of our salvation history. These are not ending points for a different Bible story. All too often mankind’s salvation is treated as two separate historical narratives though. A baby named Jesus was born at Christmas time and that means joy and peace on earth. Coincidentally, we also celebrate a thirty-three year old man named Jesus who suffered, died, and was resurrected at Easter time, which means peace in heaven and forgiveness for all mankind. However, today, we look not at the cross as much as we do the crib.

Why was Jesus conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary in a humble little stable in Bethlehem? Because of our sin; because of our complete inability to bring about our own salvation in any way, shape, or form! This is precisely what makes Advent a penitential season no different than Lent. This is precisely why the Palm Sunday account has been the traditional Gospel lesson for the first Sunday in Advent for centuries. This account serves to take us back to the real reason for the season. The manger only makes sense when understood through the lens of the cross. 

In this season of Advent, we prepare ourselves for Christ’s coming. It is a time of repentance, a time of sadness over sin, for it is our sin that made it necessary for the Son of God to come into the world in the first place. But while it is a time of repentance, it is also a time of hope and joy. Since we are sinners, we have a Savior to redeem us. Just as we have seen the end of another Church Year, we mark the beginning of a new one, but it also marks the beginning of a new era for us all: an era that has Christ as its Head, and we as His redeemed children.

Advent is the spark of hope in the darkness of sin. It is the anticipation of rescue from the pit of despair. It is generation after generation of sacrifices that remind us of our sin and also point forward to the Savior from that sin. It is an emptiness waiting to be filled.  The traditional Advent is a time of repentance that prepares us for Christmas in much the same way that Lent prepares us for Easter. It is a time for examining oneself and finding sin.  It is a time to contemplate the idea that we desperately need God to come into this world and rescue us.

Therefore, in this season of Advent, let us prepare our hearts once more for our Lord’s coming. We can enjoy the many traditions in this world that have sprung up around Christmas, but let us also hold fast to the eternal meaning of Advent. We are sinners and we need a Savior. God the Son came to take on human flesh in order to be that Savior. He still comes in order to offer His salvation. On the Last Day His coming will raise all the dead and all who believe in Him will live with Him forever in a new world of eternal joy and peace. During this Advent let us remember how He came, how He will come, and how He now comes. 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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Last Sunday of the Church Year–“God’s Forever Salvation” (Isaiah 51:4-6)

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 Old Testament, which was read earlier.

Maybe you’ve seen the commercial, either this season or years past. It has a guy and a girl with usually a gold necklace or bracelet with a sparkling diamonds. His expression to her is one of eternal love to her. At the end of the commercial you hear the tag line: “diamonds are forever.” The question we have to ask ourselves is this: is it really?

Granted, for all practical purposes a diamond may outlast most of us. But will it last forever? That’s a long time, a very, very long time. In fact, God says through His prophet Isaiah that we are to consider the heavens and the earth and know that “the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner….” Eventually, everything will be destroyed, even diamonds.

When we look at God’s salvation, it is different in this manner. Though the heavens vanish like smoke and the earth wears out like a garment, God’s salvation is forever. It is forever already now and not yet. There is a now to God’s salvation, for it has gone out to His people. Something has been done. God seeks our attention today to come to Him with a simple invitation: “Give attention to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation….” God used His prophet Isaiah to prophesy of the coming Messiah. This Deliverer would be the Great Servant of the Lord. God had announced His coming through Isaiah in chapter 42. This Servant was the One in whom the Lord would delight and on whom He would put His Spirit. In Isaiah 49, we hear the words of the Servant Himself.

Even though we already have that salvation from God, we wait for the full enjoyment of God’s salvation. When Christ comes again at the end of time and the dead in Christ are raised for eternal life in the new heaven and earth, then the full enjoyment of that which we already have will be ours. There is a call to enjoy and to hope for God’s salvation, a call for all the peoples.

If you were a Jew living in Babylon at the time of Isaiah, you may have thought that any hope of a return to Jerusalem remained a hopeless and impossible dream. The once glorious city now lay in ruins. All the beauty that once belonged to Zion and Judah had disappeared. During the period of captivity, the Promised Land remained nothing but a wasteland. Yet God promised to have compassion and to bring joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and the sound of singing again to His people. The faithful were not to despair. They were to listen to the promises of God, because God wanted to reinforce their faith with His promises. The deliverance He promised drew nearer. Israel was going to be saved.

Isaiah is a crafty wordsmith here in our text. He doesn’t say anything that doesn’t have meaning. When he says that “the coastlands hope for me,” the word is suggestive for all the world’s peoples. That means that Christ is not just reserved for the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people, but that the coming Messiah will indeed come to save everyone. This indicates the blessings God intends for all peoples: salvation and righteousness. God declares sinners right and holy. Through faith in that declaration, they are saved from the consequences of sin. Both are God’s; they do not come by human effort or merit. They are a wonderful gift that comes only from God. His wonderful and gracious declaration and its consequences endure: even though the earth and the heavens will disappear and vanish, God’s righteousness and salvation will endure.

For the Christian, we look to God and wait in hope for His coming. Today, we focus on His second coming. We yearn for the return of Christ, knowing that God is able to satisfy, help, and save His people. We wait in hope for His glorious return, but we also wait in hope in for the first coming of Christ that we anticipate in the weeks ahead.

This salvation that is offered is offered to all. God invites all peoples of all nations to experience His true and forever salvation. That means that salvation is offered to you. That means that salvation is offered to the vilest of persons as well. In our hearts there are people whom we would love to see excluded from heaven and from God’s forgiveness and salvation. However, God knows no such distinction. St. Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

God’s salvation is forever given by God and no one else. There are many who seek forgiveness through other means and there are many who seek to provide that forgiveness through other means. Life itself may seem to offer salvation. We seek salvation through self-help books and works that we do. We fill our lives with those things that promise salvation or the things that we think will provide salvation. Isaiah reminds us though that “they who dwell in it will die in like manner.” You see, everything will pass away. The things of this world. The false promises of salvation and the like. But the one and only thing that will remain is God and His steadfast love for us.

These words from God through the prophet Isaiah are not a matter of selfishness on God’s part. These are words that are a matter of reality and truth. The salvation that God offers is the only true salvation. He is the One to whom we will all answer. It is through Him that we can have life and have it abundantly.

The salvation that our Heavenly Father provides for us is a gift that will last forever, even beyond the passing away of the heavens and the earth. There is a difference between what God offers and what the world offers. God is willing to say so. In fact, He is so willing to say so that He sends His own Son to the cross in order to prove it and to show that the promises of God are never broken. His salvation lasts forever.

His righteousness will never fail. God’s righteousness did not fail to secure our salvation. Jesus said, “It is finished.” For three days He lay in death’s dark tomb. Even then, God’s righteousness did not fail to vindicate Jesus by raising Him from the dead. And even now, God’s righteousness will not fail to finish the work He has begun in us by the Holy Spirit’s power.

God’s call to listen is a call to look to Him and away from all the false hopes that the world offers. It is a call to seek His eternal salvation, to yearn for it more than we do for all the things of this world. While none of us can claim to this perfectly, it is precisely for this reason that God’s salvation is so precious and pure, for His righteousness will never fail. It is His salvation that will last forever. He calls us to receive what He has provided, and He promises that will be forever glad. 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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Pentecost 25–“Forgiveness and Faith” (Hebrews 10:11-25)

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

Forgiveness. It is a wonderful thing to receive. We can’t get enough of forgiveness. It just makes us feel better to know that we are forgiven. Now, granting to someone else forgiveness, well, that’s another story. That one is harder to do. However, regardless of the cost, we are called to forgive others. That’s what we pray: “and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Forgiveness was the role of the priest. He would make the sacrifices on behalf of the people all in order to forgive them of their sins. These sacrifices forgave sins, but not forever. Atonement would be needed in the future in order to have your sins forgiven again. The people knew that. The priest knew that. They knew exactly what was necessary and would do what was necessary in order to be forgiven, time and time again. Daily, the priest would perform the same sacrifices. He would offer a one-year-old unblemished male lamb, along with a grain offering of 1/10 ephah of fine flour mixed with 1/4 hin of olive oil, plus a drink offering of 1/4 hin of wine. Twice a day, the priest stood there, day after day, with the same sacrifices. What clearer indication could there be that such sacrifices could never take away sins?

But now comes a new Priest onto the scene. His name is Jesus. He is not like the priests of old, for He is our Great High Priest. While the sacrifices of the priests of old would need to be repeated, the singular sacrifice of Jesus would not need to be repeated. The writer to the Hebrews says in our text, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” By Jesus, He has perfected man. This is man being brought to the completeness that God had in mind for him. Peace and pardon, harmony and heaven were God’s goal for man. “Those who are being sanctified,” that is, all believers, have been brought to this blessed goal of forgiveness, of salvation, because of Jesus.

If Jesus isn’t enough to testify of His work, the Holy Spirit also testifies to what He does. Quoted from Jeremiah 31, the writer showcases what happens in this new covenant of God: “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Here is what you receive: forgiveness. This forgiveness is not like forgiveness granted by the priest that is granted following each sacrifice. This forgiveness is granted because of Jesus Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice of Himself. Notice what is said: “Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.” Once sin has been forgiven, no one has the right to demand additional sacrifices and no one can offer any sacrifice for sin either.

When God has totally sent away our sins, when He has forgiven and forgotten them because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, why talk any more about them or look for additional sacrifice for sin? Instead, the talk should be about hearts that are rejoicing for what He has done, with grateful praises for what we could not do ourselves. That is what the writer to the Hebrews wants to emphasize to the Church. We need not focus on our sin but rather rejoice in our forgiveness.

As we turn our attention to the end of the Church Year, we are ever reminded of the return of Christ and His final judgment. Instead of focusing on what we have done and what we have left undone, we should focus on what has been done for us and what that means for us. This New Covenant established for us by Jesus Christ is for all nations. As God has promised to remember ours sins no more, this gracious attitude of God the Father toward us is now written on our hearts. We are His people who know Him, our iniquities are forgiven, and our sins are remembered no more. In Holy Baptism, we are His sons who are presented to the Lord “with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

We already know that Jesus was the great sacrifice. Now we see Him as the great High Priest, who made the sacrifice. He offered Himself. What encouragement we have because of Christ’s sacrifice and offering. Because of Christ, “we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus.” We are able to enter the holiness that is heaven. This was something that we could not do because of our sin, but through Christ, all sin that we have inherited from our first parents and which we have committed has been forgiven and now we are able to enter heaven, the dwelling place of God. And notice what allows us to enter: “the blood of Jesus.” It isn’t what we do; it isn’t what we earn. It is only what Jesus does for us that we can enter heaven and receive that wonderful gift of everlasting life; there is no other way.

Looking at what Jesus did, He opened heaven to us. This indicates that heaven was closed to us but is no longer. It was closed because of man’s sin, closed to you and me. The sacrifices of old gave glimpses into heaven but were not enough to forever forgive the sins of the people. But now, heaven stands opened; opened by Jesus with His death on the cross.

As a closing to this portion of his letter, the writer to the Hebrews says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” These are not just some trite or empty words that he speaks. Nothing strengthens our hope for heaven more than the fact of God’s faithfulness. How can God lie or change His mind? He promised the eternal crown of glory, and He will place it on our heads. To such a hope we are to hold to without wavering, holding it near and dear as a promise of God – and we know that if God makes a promise, He keeps His promise.

We spur one another on in the faith that has been granted to us by the Holy Spirit, coming together as the body of Christ centered on His Word and His promises of forgiveness and eternal life. From the heart filled with love, God-directed actions will flow from faith. Those who neglect or avoid coming together with other Christians remove themselves from the influence of those who can spur them on. This may explain why some people stay away from assembling together. They do not want to be spurred on to action. Just as a body needs food to stay alive, we too need the heavenly food which feeds us: Christ’s body and blood and His Word. When we join with fellow Christians, we continue to be spurred on to remain faithful to the Word of God, both in worship and in Bible study, to remain faithful of our need for the continued assurance of the forgiveness of our sins proclaimed when we confess our sins and that sweet absolution knowing that our sins are forgiven.

The focal point that the writer to the Hebrews is centering on for the Hebrew Christians and the message that resounds today is the need to remember our Lord’s death. We are to draw near to the death of Jesus, because in the death of Jesus, we are reminded of the words which Paul wrote to the Romans, “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.” We are to hold on to the death of Jesus, because His death gave to all who believe everlasting life. Finally, by remembering Christ’s death, we consider others. For believers, that means that we continue the Great Commission, by making disciples, by sharing the Good News of the Gospel to others. It also means that we extend care and compassion for our neighbor, both in their needs of body and soul.

We stand to lose more when we absent ourselves from worship, from the Word and Sacraments and when we absent ourselves from other Christians. In those times when we lose our faith, we should not fear, because our heavenly Father has given us His Son who promises that “[He] will be you always, to the end of the age.” 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.