Sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent - Isa 40:1-8

 

                                           Advent 3

                                           Isa 40:1-8

                                           12/15/24

 

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.”  In our text today, God speaks a word of comfort and encouragement through the prophet Isaiah.

It was a word that would be needed because the nation was being unfaithful to God.  Isaiah began his prophecy by writing: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: ‘Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.’”

Isaiah wrote during the eighth century B.C. He lived at a time when God’s people were divided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.  Yahweh had warned in Deuteronomy that if the people were unfaithful they would be removed from the land. He called his people to repentance through the prophets, but they would not turn away from their false gods and sinful ways.

Yahweh brought judgment upon the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. when he used the Assyrians to conquer them and take the nation into exile.  Judah was spared at this time by God’s intervention to save Jerusalem.  But she did not learn from what had happened to the northern kingdom. She continued sinning despite God’s warning that such action would lead to exile for the nation.

In 587 B.C. Yahweh used the Babylonians as his instrument of judgment.  They destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, and took the people into exile in Babylon.  Yet already through Isaiah God had provided a word of hope.  Yes, the nation would go into exile.  But God would act dramatically to bring them back to their own land.

In our text, God speaks comfort to his people because the time of their judgment has ended. Isaiah writes, “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”  The prophet describes how God is coming to deliver his people using the metaphor of a highway. 

God was coming, and every obstacle needed to be removed. The prophet says, “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.”  Isaiah described this deliverance by saying, “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

The Lord kept his word.  In 539 B.C. the unexpected occurred as the Persians under King Cyrus defeated the Babylonians.  Then in 538 Cyrus issued a decree that the Judahites could return to their land and rebuild the temple.  God had acted dramatically through his instrument Cyrus to bring the people back.

Like the deliverance of Israel from Egypt in the exodus, the rescue of Judah from exile in Babylon was the saving action of God that revealed his glory.  And this action by God in the Old Testament pointed forward to what God would do in Jesus Christ as he revealed his glory to bring salvation to all people.

God prepared the way for Jesus through the work of John the Baptist.  Matthew tells us that John came preaching in the wilderness of Judea as he declared: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” John called people to repentance because the kingdom of heaven – the reign of God – was about to arrive.

Matthew explains that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of our text from the prophet. The evangelist says, “For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

John called upon people to confess their sins.  He administered a baptism of repentance which people received from him.  By receiving John’s baptism people demonstrated that they were repentant as they looked for God’s reign to arrive.  They removed the obstacles that stood in the way of receiving God’s saving glory, just as Isaiah says in our text: “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.”

John the Baptist announced that he was preparing the way for One more powerful than he who would bring God’s reign.  He said, “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. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

This mightier One would bring God’s reign.  He would bring God’s end time judgment.  John proclaimed, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

John prepared the way for Jesus Christ.  During the season of Advent we are getting ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Son of God.  In the fullness of time God sent his Son into the world. But when he arrived, he did not look like John expected.  He did not come as a mighty and powerful figure bringing the Last Judgment. Instead, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, he entered into the world as a helpless infant.

Jesus Christ entered the world in a way that John did not expect.  And then he brought God’s saving reign in a way that could not have been a greater contrast from John’s preaching.  Though he had no sin, Jesus received John’s baptism of repentance.  He did so in order to take on the role of being the Servant of the Lord – the suffering Servant who would bear the sins of all.

From the moment of Jesus’ baptism his ministry was directed toward one goal – the cross.  After Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ, Matthew tells us, “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Our Lord explained why he was going to die.  He said, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Jesus offered himself on the cross as the sacrifice for our sin.  He received God’s judgment in our place in order to win forgiveness for us.

The dead body of Jesus was placed in a tomb. It appeared that he could not possibly be the One about whom John the Baptist had spoken.  But on the third day God the Father raised Jesus from the dead.  God vindicated Jesus and showed that he had been powerfully at work in the cross.  And in the resurrection God defeated death and began the resurrection of the Last Day.

Our risen Lord has now ascended into heaven.  He has been exalted to the right hand of God.  And as we heard last Sunday, he has declared that he will return in glory on the Last Day.  Jesus Christ is the coming One John the Baptist announced.  He is the One who will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.  He will do so in his second coming.

As we prepare during Advent to celebrate Jesus’ first coming, and as we look forward in anticipation to his second coming, Isaiah’s words fulfilled in John the Baptist’s preaching continue to address us.  Isaiah says, “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

These words lead us to consider the things that we place before God – the things that our actions demonstrate to be more important to us.  They cause us to ponder the ways that we put other activities before the reception of God’s Word on Sunday and during the week.  They cause us to consider the recurring sin that we take for granted. They call us to repent and remove these things. 

We repent and turn in faith toward Jesus Christ, for in him the saving glory of God has been revealed.  Our Lord has given us forgiveness and eternal life.  In Holy Baptism our sins were washed away.  There we were born again of water and the Spirit.  As a new creation in Christ we already possess eternal life with God.  Death cannot end this life – it cannot separate us from God.

Through the Sacrament of the Altar we experience the glory of God as Jesus Christ, who is still true God and true man, comes to us in his body and blood.  Here the Lord gives us the very price he paid for our forgiveness – his body and blood given and shed for us.  The Lord comes bodily to us in the Sacrament and this action points forward to his return in glory on the Last Day.  The risen Lord gives his body and blood into our bodies as the pledge and assurance that our bodies will be raised and transformed to be like his when he returns in glory.

The Spirit of Christ uses these gifts to strengthen the new man in us.  He prompts and enables us to share Christ’s love with others.  We do so by serving others and putting their needs ahead of our own.  Jesus told his disciples, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Advent leads us to prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ by repenting.  We confess the sin that is present in our life.  We turn away from and remove those things that stand in the way of our life with God.  We turn to Christ and his Means of Grace by which the saving glory of God is revealed to us. As Isaiah says this morning: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

 

   

 

Sermon for second mid-week Advent service - Lk 1:39-45

 

                                           Mid-Advent 2

                                                                                            Lk 1:39-45

                                                                                           12/11/24

 

     There is joy when a pregnancy is announced.  We are glad to hear that a new life has been created, and that a child is being added to the life of the parents.  In our day this announcement often occurs on social media as the parents post the image of the child inside the womb. 

     There is even greater joy if we know something about the background that led up to the pregnancy.  When there have been struggles with infertility we are especially happy that a child has been conceived.  When a couple has had all boys or all girls, and finally there is going to be a daughter or a son we are glad that the parents are going to experience the unique differences of having a child of the opposite sex.

     In our text this evening, Mary has just learned the amazing news that her relative Elizabeth is pregnant.  Elizabeth had been barren, and was now too old to have a child.  But Mary has learned that Elizabeth is five months pregnant and so she goes to see Elizabeth to share in the joy of this child.

     Our text begins by saying, “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah.”  Mary lived in Galilee in the north.  Now she hurried in a journey to Judah in the south.

     Mary’s trip was prompted by the appearance of the angel Gabriel.  Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah – the One who would be on the throne of David forever.  When she asked how this would be since she was a virgin the angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God.”

     Gabriel announced that Mary would conceive in a way that had never occurred before.  Then, to support the truth of his assertion, he said: “And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

     Mary believed the word of God delivered by the angel. She believed that it was true for herself. And she believed that it was true for Elizabeth. Her belief was demonstrated by action as she journeyed around ninety miles to Judah in order to see Elizabeth.

     We learn in our text that Mary entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby John leaped in her womb.  Gabriel had told Zechariah that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even while in his mother’s womb.  Now the Spirit prompted John to react as he came into the presence of Mary who carried Jesus inside her.

     The Spirit of God left no doubt about what was happening.  Our text tells us that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. This means that she was prompted by the Spirit to speak words that provided divine revelation.   

Elizabeth exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Elizabeth declared that Mary was blessed among woman.  She was, because she had been chosen by God to carry and give birth to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Elizabeth added that in a yet different way, the child in Mary’s womb was blessed. She said, “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Prompted by the Spirit, Elizabeth confessed that the baby in Mary’s womb was her Lord – her God.

And then Elizabeth explained how she knew this.  She said, “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”  The Holy Spirit caused John to react in the presence of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth what this movement by the baby in her womb meant.

And then Elizabeth commended Mary for her faithfulness – for her trust in God.  She said, “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”  Gabriel had spoken an incredible and life changing word to Mary.  But she had received this word in faith.  She believed that God would do what he had said.

We heard last Wednesday that Gabriel told Zechariah of how John would go before God in the spirit and power of Elijah to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.  We learn in our text that even before he was born, the Spirit was using John to bear witness to Jesus Christ.  John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb because he was in the presence of the Son of God.

Uniquely endowed with the Holy Spirit, John carried out his prophetic role when he was still in the womb.  We learned last week that John was the “prophesied prophet” – he was the one about whom the prophet Malachi had spoken.  He was also the one prophesied by Isaiah in the words, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

John carried out his ministry as he called people to repentance and administered his baptism.  He pointed people toward Jesus Christ as he said, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

John’s beginning was a miracle worked by God.  He was the prophet sent by God to prepare the way for Christ and to bear witness to him.  Yet Luke also tells us, “But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.”  Herod Antipas imprisoned John the Baptist.  And then later he had John beheaded.

John the Baptist is the one who prepared the way for Jesus Christ.  In tonight’s text, we see John bearing witness to Jesus while both of them are still in the womb.  John will experience an unjust death. And in his death he foreshadows what will happen to Jesus.

During Advent we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  We prepare to stand in awe of the incarnation.  We see in our text tonight that the baby Jesus in Mary’s womb is the Son of God.  Conceived by the work of the Holy Spirit, he is true God and true man.

But Advent also directs our attention toward the purpose for which the Son of God entered into the world.  Jesus Christ came to be numbered with the transgressors.  He came to be the suffering Servant prophesied by Isaiah.  He came to be the sacrifice for our sins.  He died on the cross to redeem us from sin – to free us from it.

Jesus was crucified and buried.  And then on the third day – on Easter – God raised Jesus from the dead.  He was raised as the One who is still true God and true man.  But he was raised with a body that was transformed so that it can never die again.

Because of Jesus Christ we have forgiveness before God.  We know that death cannot separate us from Christ, and that he will raise us up on the Last Day.  These are gifts that we receive by faith – as we believe and trust in Christ. They are gifts that we receive by faith – as we believe and trust in God’s Word.

And so we listen to Elizabeth’s words in our text as she says about Mary: “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”  We follow the example of Mary by believing the word that has been spoken to us by the Lord.  For in this way we have forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.  

 

 

      

 

 

   

Sermon for the Second Sunday in Advent - Lk 21:25-36

 

         Advent 2

                                                                                    Lk 21:25-36

                                                                                    12/8/24

 

            On Monday, April 8 this year, thousands of people descended on our area.  People drove in from other states – from as far away as Iowa – in order to be here in our location.  Lutherans were contacting Good Shepherd to see if they could come and set up in our parking lot.

            The reason for the attention was that we were right in the path of the total solar eclipse that was going to take place.  People wanted to experience this unique event and they were willing to travel in order to be here.

            While the total solar eclipse was impressive as it looked like dusk in the middle of the day – there was nothing surprising about it.  We knew exactly what day it would happen. We knew what time it would happen.  And so, people were prepared.  They set up to watch it – some with special telescopes to get a better look and take pictures.  They had their special sunglasses.  Amy and I put our lawn chairs in the backyard and sat there in order to take it in.

            In the Gospel lesson this morning, Jesus talks about cosmic signs in the sun, moon, and stars.  But unlike the total solar eclipse that we experienced, these events will be completely unexpected.  Rather than being something enjoyed, they will be a cause of fear.  They will announce the arrival of the Last Day as Jesus Christ returns in glory.

            Our text takes place during Holy Week.  Some present with Jesus were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings.  The temple built by Herod the Great was one of the wonders of the ancient world. However, our Lord responded, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

            The disciples wanted more information about this dramatic assertion.  Jesus said that false prophets would come in his name.  They would hear about wars. There would be earthquakes and famines. The disciples would bear witness to Jesus and would experience persecution. He said, “You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake.”

            These things would take place in the time leading up to destruction. However, the sign of Jerusalem’s destruction would be very clear.  Jesus said, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.”  Armies would surround Jerusalem in order to lay siege to it, and that would be the sign that the temple was about to be destroyed. 

Jesus gave instructions to his followers about what they should do when this occurred.  He said, “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it.”

The destruction of the temple, like the destruction of the first temple in 587 B.C., was an event that could be described as the day of the Lord.  It was a dramatic action of judgment by God.  But it did not stand on its own.  Instead, each of these actions pointed to the great and final day of the Lord. And so Jesus’ description of the destruction of the temple leads him to talk about the events of the Last Day when he will return in glory.

Jesus says in our text, “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”  Our Lord describes a scene of cosmic distress. These will not be expected events.  Instead, they will be sudden, unexplainable, and frightening.

These cosmic events will be the prelude that announces the Last Day.  Jesus says, “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  Our Lord tells us that he will return in power and glory. All will be confronted by the risen and exalted Lord.  Yet Jesus says that those who believe in him should welcome this event because it is the arrival of redemption.

We are in the season of Advent.  The name Advent is based on a Latin word that means “arrival” or “coming.”  During Advent we are preparing to celebrate the first coming of the Son of God as he entered into our world. 

At Christmas we will celebrate a humble scene.  The virgin teenager Mary will give birth to a baby.  She will wrap the child in swaddling clothes and lay him in a manger – in an animal feeding trough – because she and Joseph are away from home and have not been able to find lodging.  The baby will spend his first night where animals are kept.

In the humility of it all we find the greatest paradox. The baby is a human being, born of a mother as we all are.  But he has been born to a virgin because the Holy Spirit has caused the conception. As Gabriel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God.”

The baby in the manger is the Son of God.  As Paul told the Colossians, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” The infant is the Creator of the universe.  The apostle said, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.”

This humility – this paradox – is just the beginning. As the Son of God, Jesus Christ had no sin.  He lived perfectly as he carried out the Father’s will. But at his baptism he submitted himself to a baptism of repentance.  There he was designated as the Servant of the Lord – the suffering Servant who bears our sins.

The humility became humiliation as Jesus Christ was crucified.  In weakness and shame he was mocked by those below. But in this humiliation we find the paradox of God providing forgiveness for us.  Paul told the Corinthians, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” By his suffering and death Jesus redeemed us – he freed us from sin.

There did not appear to be any paradox as the tortured, dead body of Jesus was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb.  Instead, it looked like God had been completely absent.  But on Easter, God raised Jesus from the dead.  By this action God demonstrated that he had been powerfully at work in the cross of Christ to give us forgiveness.  And in Jesus’ resurrection, God was at work to defeat death and begin the resurrection life that will be ours.

The risen Lord was with his disciples for forty days.  He left no doubt about his resurrection as he ate and drank with the disciples, and taught them.  He created new disciples as he appeared to James and the other brothers of the Lord who had not believed in Jesus during his ministry. And then he was exalted to the right hand of God as he ascended into heaven.  On Pentecost the exalted Lord poured forth the Holy Spirit on the Church.

Today, the Spirit brings God’s saving reign to us through the Means of Grace.  Through the Word of Scripture, and the visible Word of the Sacraments, the Spirit delivers the forgiveness that Jesus has won for us.  He nourishes and strengthens us as we walk by faith.

But the season of Advent places more before us than a preparation to celebrate Jesus’ birth.  It reminds us that the Son of God who came into the world once, will arrive a second time.  It focuses our attention on the second coming of Jesus Christ when he returns on the Last Day.

The contrast between the Lord’s first and second coming could not be more stark.  At Christmas he was a helpless baby in manger, and no one except for some shepherds knew he was there.  But on the Last Day he will be the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  His arrival will be announced by cosmic signs that will shake creation.  All of humanity will  be confronted by the exalted Lord as they must appear before his judgment seat.

For now, we walk by faith and not be sight. We do not know when Christ will return.  But in our text, Jesus provides instruction for how we need to live.  He says, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.”

Jesus warns us against having our hearts weighed down by the cares of this life.  He spoke in similar words when he explained the parable of the sower by saying: “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.”

The greatest threat to faith is not some existential crisis about the truth of the Christian faith.  Instead, the greatest threat comes from the many things of this world that draw away our attention from Christ.  We live in a secular world – one that has no place for Christ and does not care about him. 

When we allow our interests and thought to be shaped by this world we are on our way to losing Christ.  Most often people don’t reject the faith. Instead, they just drift away from Christ as they are carried along by the world’s attitude about sports, hobbies, sex, wealth, entertainment – about the cares and riches and pleasures of life.

Our Lord Jesus warns against this.  He says that we must be alert to the threat.  Instead, we need to be focused on Christ and his Means of Grace.  We need his Word to be present in our life during the week.  We need that Word to guide our thought about what is right and what is wrong; about what is important and what is not.  We need to spend time with other Christians as we help one another to keep our focus on Christ and his will for life.

Advent tells us that the Christ who came into our world once, will come again.  And in this, we find encouragement and hope.  The risen and ascended Lord who has won salvation for us will return in glory.  He will vindicate his people. Those who believed in Christ will know the joy of living with God forever.  Those who rejected Christ or who drifted away from him will learn how terribly wrong they have been as they are consigned to hell. 

Jesus tells us that his return on the Last Day will be an awesome sight.  It will instill fear in those who have not believed in Christ. But for those of us who believed in the risen Lord – who have prayed for his return – it will be a joyful sight.  As Jesus says in our text, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

  

       

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

Mark's thoughts: Where do I find God for me?

 

Where do I find God for me?  This is more than the question of where we can find God.  It asks where we find God for me – for my benefit and salvation. I have had people tell me that they “go out in nature” in order to be with God.  Certainly, God is everywhere, and his creation bears witness to him.  Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1). 

However, such knowledge can only reveal that the God who made this creation is awesome, powerful, and overwhelming.  And in turn, it tells us that we are inconsequential.  As the psalmist wrote: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4). “Going out in nature” tells me nothing about how God views me … or if he even does.  It certainly doesn’t reveal God as present for my benefit and salvation.

During Advent we are preparing to celebrate the incarnation of the Son of God – we are preparing to celebrate Christmas.  John tells us, “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” (John 1:14). The Son of God became man, without ceasing to be God.  We hear in the Gospel for Christmas Eve, “And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6-7).

Where do I find God for me?  We find him in the manger for there God has entered our world and revealed himself.  He has revealed himself in Jesus Christ who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.  The baby in the manger is God with us – Immanuel (Matthew 1:23).

Yet he is not just God with us.  He is God for us – God for me.  He is God present to save us from our sin (Matthew 1:21) and from death.  St. Paul wrote, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  By his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has won for us forgiveness and eternal life with God.

In the incarnation we see that God works through located means. He worked through means of the flesh of the Son of God – the baby Jesus.  It was located because he was lying in the manger in Bethlehem.  One did not have to look around trying to find where God was for me.  Jesus Christ was in the manger in Bethlehem.

We do not have to look around in order to try and find where God is present for me now.  A beloved seminary professor, Dr. Norman Nagel, used to say, “A God who is everywhere is no better than a God who is nowhere, if he isn’t somewhere for me.”  The incarnation of the Son of God provides the model for how God continues to deal with us as he delivers the benefits that Christ won by his death and resurrection. 

God uses the located means of the Sacraments.  He uses water in a font.  He uses bread and wine on an altar.  Through Baptism we share in Jesus’ saving death (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12).  In the Sacrament of the Altar Jesus gives us his true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.

I do not have to look around wondering where God is for me.  He is present for me – for my benefit and salvation – in the located means of Holy Baptism and the Sacrament of the Altar.  Here he deals with me as a whole person – body and soul.  He does so because Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection has won salvation for the whole person. 

Jesus’ first coming celebrated at Christmas points to his second coming.  However, his second coming will be very different.  No one will wonder where God is as Jesus returns in glory. St Paul wrote, “For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).  The risen and exalted Lord will raise and transform our bodies (Philippians 3:21).  All people will appear before his judgment seat (2 Corinthians 5:10) as Christ declares us justified through faith in him.  And we will live with our Lord forever in the creation which he has renewed (Romans 8:19-23).

    

 

 

 

 

Sermon for first mid-week Advent service - Lk 1:5-25

 

        Mid-Week Advent 1

                                                                                    Lk 1:5-25

                                                                                    12/4/24

 

            “And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” That’s how Luke introduces Zechariah and Elizabeth to us in our text. He tells us that they were faithful people of God. 

            Yet our text immediately adds another piece of information: “But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.”  We learn that Elizabeth had been unable to have any children, and now they were too old to expect that it could happen. 

            Infertility continues to be a burden in our day, and we have great compassion for couples who struggle with this.  But we also live in a world that takes it for granted that we should be able to control how many children we have – that we should be able to avoid having children.  God’s Word taught his people to view children as a blessing, and to desire as many as the Lord would provide.  And when this didn’t happen, people drew the conclusion that the woman was somehow at fault before God. Elizabth refers to the reproach among people that she experienced when barren.

            We learn in our text that Zechariah was a Levite, and was part of the division of Abijah. The Levites had been divided up into groups. They did not live in Jerusalem but instead came there to serve in the temple when their division was on duty.  Available evidence indicates that this would take place twice a year, for a week at a time.

            Incense was offered twice a day in the temple, and this was a time of prayer.  As we sang tonight from Psalm 141, “Let my prayer rise before you as incense.” We learn that following the custom of the priesthood, Zechariah was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.  This was probably one of the few times – if not the only one – when Zechariah would have this honor.

            It turned out to be a memorable experience in a way that Zechariah could not have imagined.  While he was in the temple an angel of the Lord appeared standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Zechariah was fearful, but the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.”

            The angel announced that Zechariah and many others would rejoice at the birth of this child.  He said that the child would be great before the Lord and would be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. Then the angel described the work that John would do. He said, “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

            It all seemed to be too much to Zechariah. He said, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” But the angel responded, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

            Gabriel spoke the truth.  Zechariah was unable to speak when he emerged from the temple.  He could only make signs to people outside. And when Zechariah had completed his duty and returned home to Elizabeth, she did conceive a child. She kept herself hidden for five months, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

            In our text tonight, Gabriel announces that John the Baptist will be born.  He says that John will be uniquely endowed with the Holy Spirit - filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.  Set apart for God, he will carry out the work of a prophet as he turns many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.   This language of “turning” indicates that he will call the people to repentance. He will exhort them to turn away from their sin, and to turn back to God.

            This endowment with the Spirit sets John apart.  And then we learn from Gabriel that “he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah.”  Here, “him” refers to “the Lord their God” in the previous statement.  John the Baptist will go before the Lord God in the spirit and power of Elijah. And Gabriel says that he will “make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

            These words are drawn from the end of the book of Malachi.  There Yahweh announces, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple.”  God said that he would send his messenger who would prepare the way for him – for God – as he came to his temple.  And then later God adds, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.”

            Gabriel reveals that John the Baptist will be the promised Elijah figure – the prophet sent by the Lord to prepare the people for his coming.  John’s ministry will be part of God’s end time action.  It will set the stage for the great and awesome day of the Lord.

            The season of Advent draws our attention to John the Baptist.  During his ministry, John was the one who prepared the way for God’s coming.  He was the Elijah sent by God. He did make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

            But when God came, it was as the man, Jesus Christ. During Advent we are getting ready to celebrate how God came into the world.  Yahweh, the God of Israel, did not arrive in the might and power that we would expect.  Instead, God the Father sent his Son into the world through the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit caused the virgin Mary to conceive and give birth to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

            During Advent we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ – the One who is true God and true man.  The baby in the manger on Christmas Eve is God present to bring forgiveness and salvation.  But he is God present in the humility of a helpless infant.

            This humility points forward to the way in which he will bring God’s saving reign. As we heard in Sunday’s Gospel lesson, he did not enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as a conquering warrior.  Instead, he entered on a donkey.  Jesus came to Jerusalem to offer himself as the sacrifice for our sin.  He came to be nailed to a cross as he fulfilled the Father’s saving will. 

            Jesus Christ was the presence of God’s end time work as he brought salvation. God demonstrated this as he raised Jesus from the dead on the third day.  He vindicated Christ as the Savior and began the resurrection of the Last Day in him.

            John the Baptist was sent to turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He was called to preach repentance in preparation for the arrival of God’s reign.  He was to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

            During Advent, we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth.  We do so, not by putting up a Christmas tree or buying presents. We prepare by repenting.  We confess our sin which was the reason that the Son of God entered our world.  And we turn in faith to Lord who was crucified for us and then rose from the dead.  For when we do this, we are ready to celebrate the birth of the Savior.  We are ready to celebrate why the Son of God entered into our world.  We are ready to celebrate what he has done by redeeming us from sin.  And we are ready to celebrate what he will yet do when he comes again on the Last Day and gives us a share in his resurrection.