Sermon for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord - Christmas Eve: Lk 2:1-20

 

   Christmas Eve

                                                                                                            Lk 2:1-20

                                                                                                            12/24/25

 

           

This year there has been an intense national focus on immigration and what should be done about illegal aliens who are now living in the United States. And so I guess it’s not surprising that in the days leading up to Christmas there have been a number of individuals who have tried to drag Mary and Joseph into the discussion by comparing their experience to these modern situations. However, any attempt to do so reflects a lack of understanding about the historical setting in which they lived.  And these same historical facts help us to understand how God was at work in the birth of Jesus Christ.

When Mary and Joseph travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, they never left one country and entered into another. They were, in fact, within the kingdom of Herod the Great the entire time. The Romans had conquered this area in 63 B.C. However, their typical practice on the eastern end of the empire during this period was not to take direct control over lands. Instead, they established client states that served as a buffer zone that separated the Romans from the Parthian and then Persian empires.

These client states were ruled by petty kings, and Herod the Great was one of these kings. Herod ruled a kingdom that was larger than the one over which David had been king. In an impressive display of being a survivor, Herod had managed to ingratiate himself to whichever Roman leader happened to be controlling Palestine at that time. Herod ran the affairs of his kingdom, but there was no doubt about who controlled him. He answered to the Roman emperor.

As our text indicates, at the time when Jesus was born, that man was Augustus.  For more than fifty years, the Roman Empire had been racked by wars as leaders vied for control. Augustus had come out on top, and he took actions which transformed the Roman Empire into something that was truly ruled by one man – by him.

Our text begins by stating, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” Augustus ordered a census, and normally a census led directly into Roman taxation.  The available evidence indicates that typically a census was done for lands that were under direct Roman rule. But in this case it apparently also included lands that were under their indirect control – a land like the kingdom of Herod the Great.

And that probably explains what our text describes: “And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.”  Normally a Roman census was done according to where a person lived. But there was some accommodation to local settings, and so in the Jewish land of Herod it was done on the basis of family lineage.

Joseph and the pregnant Mary had not travelled to Bethlehem for the purpose of living there. They weren’t “immigrants.”  And there was nothing illegal about their activity. In fact, quite the opposite, the only reason they were in Bethlehem was because they were obeying what the government had told them to do.  I’ll have more to say about that in a moment.

There was no doubt that the timing of the decree was terrible for this young couple. We learn in our text that Mary was pregnant, and it turns out that when they made the trip she was close to giving birth. When they arrived in Bethlehem they didn’t find the normal accommodations. They probably expected to stay in an extra room at the home of extended family. The Greek word translated as “inn” in our text doesn’t mean a place where travelers rent a room. There is a different word for that, and Luke uses it in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Instead, the word used refers to an extra room in a house that’s available for use. The influx of people for the census probably meant they weren’t the only extended family who showed up looking for housing. When Mary and Joseph arrived, there was no more room in the house, and so they were given the next best thing available – a stable where animals were kept. This is the reason that when Mary gave birth, after she had done the typical practice of wrapping Jesus in swaddling cloths, she did the very unusual action of laying him in a manger.

Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem because of forces over which they had no control. An emperor had issued a decree.  A king was obeying by implementing it. And they had to obey. But what we now know, is that the emperor was subject to the One who controls all things.  St. Paul told the Galatians, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.”

God acted at the right moment according to his plan. He, the Creator of all things, had used empires in the past as the tools by which he carried out his purposes. He had used the Assyrians, and the Babylonians, and the Persians. He had used Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar, and Cyrus. And now he was using the Romans and Augustus. He used them to cause Mary and Joseph to be in Bethlehem at the time when Mary gave birth to Jesus.

God was at work doing great things.  Yahweh had promised David that he would establish the throne of his kingdom forever. He promised that this Messiah descended from David would be the One who would bring God’s end time salvation.

Through Isaiah he declared that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon the descendant of David. He said, “And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.” This One would destroy the evil and he would bring peace. He would be as our Old Testament lesson says, “the Prince of Peace.” He would bring a cosmic peace in which “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb.”

The trip to Bethlehem was not the first unplanned difficulty that Mary had experienced.  Her pregnancy itself was unplanned and unexpected. The angel Gabriel had appeared to Mary and announced to her that she would give birth to the Messiah. The angel said of the child: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

            When she asked how this would happen for her, a virgin, Gabriel revealed breathtaking news: “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 Spirit of God caused Mary to become pregnant with the One who is the Son of God. When Joseph who was from the line of David took Mary and the unborn child as his own, Mary’s child became part of David’s line.

            God was doing great things. He had used the Emperor Augustus to bring Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem at the time when Mary was to give birth to Jesus the Christ – the Messiah. He had done so because this fulfilled his word that he had spoken through the prophet Micah: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

            And in our text we learn that God announced the great things he was doing. An angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds in the area around Bethlehem with the glory of the Lord. He told them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of 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.” The angel declared that the promised Messiah had been born in Bethlehem.  This was good news of great joy for all people because as God’s Word had declared, this One was the Savior – the One who brought God’s end time salvation.

            But in the midst of all this, there was one puzzling fact. The angel concluded by saying, “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  They would know they had found the right child, when they found a baby in a manger – in a feeding trough for animals. When they went to Bethlehem, they found exactly what God had revealed to them. They found Mary and Joseph, and the infant Christ lying in manger.

            Our text tells us that God is doing great things.  He uses an emperor to fulfill his word. He sends his Son into the world. He provides the descendant of David who is the Messiah – the One who brings his end time salvation. And yet when the shepherds come to see it they find only a helpless baby lying in a manger.   A baby in a feeding trough? One would be hard pressed to find a more humble scene.

            In this we begin to learn that God does big things in ways that look small – in ways that don’t look like what they really are. Jesus is the Son of God – the Christ who brings God’s end time salvation. The reason that we need salvation is the sin that exists in our lives from the moment of conception – the sin that finds it source in the disobedience of Adam. Conceived in sin, we then live in sin. We do not trust in God, and put him first. We act in selfish ways as we ignore the needs of our spouse, children, parents, and friends. We are jealous of the success and wealth of others as we covet.

            Jesus Christ was in this world to be the means by which God provided the answer to this sin. Sin evokes God’s wrath and judgment. As God had said since the beginning, sin brings death. And so God sent forth his Son to take your place and redeem you. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, Jesus is true God and true man.  At his baptism he took your place and then went to the cross. The baby was in the manger on Christmas Eve, so that the man could hang on the cross on Good Friday.  Jesus received God’s wrath and judgment against your sin as he died on the cross.  St 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.” 

            A man dying on a cross appeared to be nothing – less than nothing. But on the third day God raised Jesus from the dead. He raised our Lord who is still true God and true man with a body that can never die again. He vindicated Jesus and showed that the cross had in fact been God doing the greatest thing for our salvation. In the resurrection we see that Jesus is the Christ who brings God’s end time salvation, because he is the beginning of the resurrection of the Last Day.

            The risen Lord is now the ascended Lord seated at God’s right hand. He will return in glory on the Last Day and bring all that Isaiah described about the Messiah.  He will judge and condemn the wicked who will be powerless before him. He will raise up our bodies and transform them to be like his own. He will renew creation and make it very good once again – a place of peace for man and all of God’s creatures.

            The God who acted in Jesus Christ is still doing great things today. But like the infant Jesus in a manger, they often look small and humble. He is doing it right now. This is not a big and impressive building. I am a nobody in this world – just a man proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But this word in this place is good news of great joy for you. Through this word the Spirit of Christ is giving you forgiveness and sustaining you as the child of God. This word is the power of God for salvation for all who believe.

            On the altar you see nothing more than bread and wine. But in a few moments Christ will take that bread and wine and use it to give you his true body and blood, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. He will come into our midst bodily and give to you the very price he paid for your salvation. The risen Lord will give his body and blood into your bodies in the guarantee that he will raise your body and make it like his own on the Last Day.

            Jesus Christ is doing these things now. They may look small, but they are indeed great for it is the crucified and risen Lord who is doing them.  And they will keep us as God’s people until the day when Christ returns in glory  - the day when God does great things in great ways that all will see.

           

 

 

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Advent - Dt 18:15-19

 

    Advent 4

                                                                                                                        Dt 18:15-19

                                                                                                                        12/21/25

 

                       

What do you think of when you hear the word “prophet” in the Bible?  Most likely, you think of someone who foretells future events. Advent is certainly a time that makes us think about this since we focus on the prophecies of the Old Testament that were fulfilled in Christ.  Prophets like Isaiah said what God would do in the future, and then God’s action accomplished it. So when the virgin Mary becomes pregnant with Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, Matthew tells us, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”(which means, God with us).’”

Yet while this is the association that we usually have, it really isn’t very accurate. To be sure some prophets did make prophecies about the future. But this was in fact a small part of their work.  Instead, the primary task of the prophet was to declare God’s Word to the people.  His work was to teach them about God’s ways, and to call them to repentance when they sinned. This was the basic task of prophecy, and it continues to be the case when we find prophets mentioned in the New Testament.

This understanding is very important as we come to our text today from Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy we have the words that Moses spoke to Israel as they were about to cross over into the promised land. The adults who had refused to enter the promised land, had all now died in the wilderness.  It was a new generation – most of whom had not experienced the exodus – that were about to cross over. And so Moses reviews what God had done and teaches the people about God’s law – his Torah.

Moses begins our text by saying, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’”

Now the thing that probably catches our attention is the fact that Moses identifies himself as a prophet. We don’t normally think about Moses in this way. Instead, we usually associate him with the Law given at Mt Sinai – we identify him as the “law giver.”  But in Hebrew, the word translated as “Law” – Torah – is based on a root that means “to teach.” Law is not an inaccurate translation, but we need to understand that the Torah is God’s teaching about how the people are to live according to his will.  It is God’s Word.  Moses is the one who gave God’s Word to the people, and so he is rightly called a prophet.

In our text we learn that Moses became the prophet who spoke God’s word to the people because the people couldn’t bear to hear from God directly. After the exodus when they came to Mt Sinai, Yahweh descended upon the mountain. It was an awesome scene as there was thunder and lightning. There was a thick cloud on the mountain. God descended on the mountain in fire and the mountain trembled as smoke went up like a furnace.

In response the people said, “Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire anymore, lest I die.” They wanted nothing more of a direct encounter with Yahweh. So Moses took on the role of being a mediator. After God enacted the covenant with Israel, Moses went up on the mountain to receive the Torah. Moses was before God and this began a pattern in which he continued to do so. When he returned from these encounters with God, the skin of his face was shining and he had to put a veil over his face so as not to frighten the people.

Moses was not permitted to enter the promised land.  He died and was buried by God. At the very end of Deuteronomy we are told, “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.”

Scripture calls Moses a prophet, and says that there was no one else who could compare with him. This was so because Moses knew God face to face – he encountered God’s presence in a way that no one else did. In addition, this passage calls attention to the powerful miracles for which God used Moses. There were the ten plagues on Egypt, and the crossing of the Red Sea.  There was water from a rock, and the bronze serpent on a pole.

At Mt Sinai the people did not want to encounter God directly anymore. In our text, God says, “They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.”

Yahweh promised to raise up a prophet like Moses. And note what this prophet will do. God says that he will put his words in the prophet’s mouth so that he can speak God’s word to the people. The word of this prophet will be the word of God, and anyone who ignores this word will receive God’s judgment.

As you would expect, the words of our text attracted interest among Jews at the time of Jesus. In addition to the prophet like Moses, God had also revealed through Malachi that he would send his messenger to prepare the way. He said he would send Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord arrived.  We hear the questions about these figures swirling around in today’s Gospel lesson as the priests and Levites come to John and ask questions about who he is.

But because of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection we have no uncertainty regarding who the prophet like Moses is. In the book of Acts Peter declared to those at the temple, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.”

God had glorified Jesus in his resurrection and ascension. Peter said that he is the One, “whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.”

Jesus is the prophet like Moses promised by God. Moses said that this future prophet would speak God’s Word. John tells us in his Gospel that Jesus is in fact the Word become flesh. He is the Son of God incarnate among us – God himself speaking his word to us.  Jesus spoke on his own authority. In the Sermon on the Mount he repeatedly said, “You have heard it said, but I say to you…”  Jesus is the One who reveals not only God’s love for us, but who also instructs us in how to live as those who have received God’s saving reign.

God used Moses to work signs and wonders – to work miracles. Miracles were a feature of the prophets who followed Moses. This was especially true of the ministry of Elijah and Elisha. During his ministry we see Jesus do the same kinds of things that these ninth century B.C. prophets had done. He healed lepers, provided miraculous feedings for crowds, and raised the dead. By his actions Jesus demonstrated that he was the prophet like Moses.

Moses and the prophets who followed him spoke God’s word. They often worked miracles. And there is one more thing that characterized their ministry: they were rejected, suffered, and died.  Moses gave the people God’s word and they repeatedly disobeyed. They worshipped the golden calf. They refused to enter the promised land. They worshipped the false god Baal at Peor.

Moses bore the burden of the people’s continual rejection. They grumbled at Moses about not having food. They quarreled with Moses about not having water. He faced a rebellion led by Korah. At times he felt overwhelmed by it all. When they complained to Moses about the manna he said to God, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?” And then he added, “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

The people ignored the prophets who followed. We hear in 2 Kings, “Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, ‘Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.’ But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God.”

The prophets suffered. Elijah felt that his ministry was a failure. He said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”  Jeremiah was threatened with death and thrown into a well. And the prophets were killed. As Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!”

Jesus was the prophet like Moses who came to suffer and die.  He said, “Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.”  Yet this season of Advent prepares us to remember that Christ is more than just a prophet. He is the Son of God who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary.

Moses knew God face to face. His face shown as it reflected the glory of God. But Jesus is the Son begotten of the Father from all eternity.  As the writer to the Hebrews tells us, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

Moses was the mediator between God and Israel. But Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and all peoples of all times. St Paul told Timothy, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”  Christ suffered and died on the cross as the sacrifice that has won forgiveness.  He was, as John the Baptist declared “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

In his life and death Jesus was the fulfillment of all that was written in the Old Testament. He was the Christ. He was the Servant of the Lord. He was the temple as God dwelt with his people. He was the sacrifice. And he was the prophet like Moses. By his suffering and death Jesus won forgiveness for us. And then on Easter God raised him from the dead. In the resurrection, death has been defeated and eternal life has begun.

On the evening of his resurrection Jesus said to the disciples, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

In our text today God says, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”  Jesus continues to speak God’s Word to us. He does so through the Scriptures which have been inspired by his Spirit – the Spirit breathed Word of God.

But this raises the question: Are you listening?  To listen means that we must take time out of our other activities. We must set aside time to listen. This shouldn’t be surprising. After all, we make time for the people and things that are important to us.

In order to listen to Christ’s Word we need to hear, read, and study the Scriptures. So how much time did you spend listening to Jesus Christ this past week? What place does God’s Word have in your daily schedule?

The Scriptures are the means by which Christ comes to us. Through them we receive the forgiveness that he has won by his death and resurrection. Through them the Spirit strengthens faith in Christ so that we can trust in God in the midst of every circumstance. And through them Christ teaches us what life looks like for those who live according to God’s will.

Your life will be better if you read God’s Word.  Your marriage will be better if you read God’s Word. You will be a better husband; a better wife; a better Christian if you read God’s Word. That is Scripture’s own witness about itself. St Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

So find a regular time in your day to read Scripture. And take up a pattern of reading that is going to lead you through God’s Word. I strongly encourage you to use the one that has been adopted by the spiritual resources of our church body: it’s found in the Treasury of Daily Prayer and through the InPrayer app on your phone. It’s the insert in your bulletin, and is on our church website – complete with a link to those texts.

Through the Scriptures we receive the crucified and risen Lord. We listen to his word by which he comforts and strengthens us.  He teaches us how to live as God’s children, and provides the Spirit who makes this possible.

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon for third mid-week Advent service - Lk 2:22-32

 

   Mid-Advent 3

                                                                                                            Lk 2:22-32

                                                                                                            12/17/25

 

           

            Are we cheating tonight? It seems like a reasonable question. The theme for the sermons this year in our mid-week services is “Advent Songs of Salvation.”  Now Advent is, of course, a time of preparation as we get ready to celebrate Christmas.  Our focus is on how God acted to bring his promises to fulfillment in Christ.

            It seems very natural to look at Old Testament texts like God’s promises to Abraham and David. The prophecies of Scripture – in particular, those of Isaiah – are obvious choices. The information provided by Matthew and Luke about the events that led up to the birth of Jesus stand out as Scripture for our consideration during this Advent season.

            And so in our Advent Songs of Salvation we have looked at the Magnificat that Mary spoke when she met Elizabeth, and the Benedictus that Zechariah declared at the naming of John the Baptist. Tonight we take up the Nunc Dimittis that was spoken by Simeon. But Simeon spoke these words when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. Naturally, this is an event that took place after Christmas.  So are we cheating by using this for Advent?

            The answer is: sort of. These are events that occurred and words that were spoken after the birth of Jesus.  However, our text describes how Simeon had been faithfully waiting.  His words point us to God’s promises in the past.  While spoken after the birth of Christ, they focus our attention on how Jesus was the fulfillment of what God had said before his birth.

            Our text begins by telling us that Mary and Joseph came to Jerusalem and the temple for two reasons.  They were obeying God’s Word – his Torah – as they redeemed Jesus as their first born son. They were also there to offer sacrifices for the purification of Mary after she had given birth.

            We learn that there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. It is often assumed that he was priest, but the text never actually says this. Likewise, it is often assumed that he was old. The text never says this either, but that does seem to be the implication of what we hear.

            Simeon was righteous and devout. He faithfully lived according to God’s Word – his Torah. We are told that he was waiting for the consolation of Israel. He believed the promises of God’s Old Testament prophets as he looked for Yahweh to bring salvation to his people.  He expected God to act.

            In addition to this, there was something very unique about Simeon. We are told, “and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Simeon experienced the work of the Spirit in a very distinct way – in a way that resembled the prophets of the Old Testament. Luke tells us, “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.”

            The Spirit of God had revealed to Simeon that he would live to see the Christ come into the world. This was the descendant of king David who would bring God’s end time salvation. As he said through Jeremiah, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’”

            Prompted by the Spirit, Simeon entered the temple at the same time that Mary and Joseph were there with Jesus. The Spirit caused Simeon to recognize Jesus as the One promised by God. He took the baby in his arms and blessed God as he said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

            Simeon said that now he could depart in peace according to God’s word. He had been waiting for the consolation of Israel. Simeon had been promised that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Now, he held in his arms the One promised by God.  God had kept his word.  He had fulfilled his promise. And so Simeon could now die in peace.

            He could die in peace because as he looked upon this child he was seeing God’s salvation.  This is what God had promised to to do. He had said through Isaiah, “The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”

            We are told that Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. He says in our text that Jesus is for the glory of his people Israel.  He is salvation for them. But through Simeon God reveals that his action for Israel was about more than just Israel. Simeon says of Christ that this is the salvation God has “prepared in the presence of all peoples.”  The Christ is in fact “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”

            God’s saving intention has always been for all peoples. After the Fall, he said that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. He promised Abraham, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  God worked through Israel, but his work wasn’t only for Israel.  Instead, Israel was to be means by which he brought salvation to all people.

            God had chosen David’s lineage as the one from whom the Christ would be born. Just as he called the nation of Israel his son, so he called the Davidic king his son, for the king was Israel reduced to one.  The Christ – the Messiah – stood in the place of the nation. 

            But in Isaiah’s prophecy, Israel is also identified with the Servant of the Lord. And this meant that the Christ was also the Servant. Isaiah tells us that the work of the Servant was about more than just Israel.  God says through the prophet, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” And in the first text in Isaiah that describes the Servant God says, “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations.”

            Jesus was the Christ who descended from the house of David.  At his baptism he was anointed, not with olive oil like kings before him, but with the Holy Spirit. And at his baptism God the Father identified Jesus as the Servant of the Lord when he said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

            God had said about the Servant that he would be a light to the nations so that God’s salvation would reach to the ends of the earth.  And shortly thereafter he said of the Servant, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

            Jesus Christ died on the cross as the Servant of the Lord who received God’s judgment against our sins. And then on the third day, God raised him from the dead. God conquered death for us through the resurrection of Jesus.  Because of Easter, Jesus Christ provides the light of forgiveness and life that pierces the darkness of sin and death.

            In our text Simeon says that he could depart in peace according to God’s word. We are now able to say the same thing. We have peace with God because of Christ. St Paul told the Romans, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” We have peace with God now. And we have a peace that will be true on the Last Day when God raises the dead and pronounces the final judgment. We have that peace according to God’s word, for in the Scriptures he continues to give us forgiveness by his Spirit and strengthen us in faith.

Tonight we see that Simeon was waiting in faith as he looked for the consolation of Israel. The Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Christ. At the temple God revealed the infant Jesus to Simeon. He declared that now he could depart in peace according to God’s word because Simeon had seen God’s salvation – a salvation which is light for the Gentiles.  Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we too have peace according to God’s word. We have a peace that is true now and on the Last Day.

 

 

 

Sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent - Mt 11:2-10

 

    Advent 3

                                                                                                                        Mt 11:2-10

                                                                                                                        12/14/25

 

 

            “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?” That’s the question that Jesus addresses to crowds in our text this morning.  John the Baptist was in prison, and he had just sent to disciples to Jesus with a question. After Jesus had sent a response to John and they had departed, Jesus said to the crowd about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?”

            People certainly had gone out into the wilderness to see John the Baptist. Matthew tells us that John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. John was a striking figure as he wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. He had a clear message as he proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  John called all people to repent of their sin because the kingdom of heaven – the reign of God – was about to arrive. God was about to act in a powerful way, and in preparation for this people needed to turn away from sin and towards God in faith.

            The location of John’s ministry stood out.  His ministry was in the wilderness of Judea. The wilderness called to mind how God had acted with Israel before bringing them into the promised land. It generated the expectation that God was doing something powerful in the wilderness once again that would bring deliverance to Israel which languished under Roman rule.

            And John carried out an activity that made him the object of interest: he baptized people. We are so used to hearing the name “John the Baptist” that we fail to realize why he received it. John was called the “Baptizer,” because that is what he was doing – baptizing people in the Jordan River. But he was identified in this way because he was doing something that no one else had ever done. There were all kinds of ritual washings in first century Judaism. But in all of them, the individual applied the washing to himself. In contrast to this, John’s baptism was something he applied to others. Nobody had ever seen anything like it.

            All of this made John the Baptist a celebrity. Matthew tells us, “Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” And it’s not just the Gospel writers who say that John was a big deal. Writing some sixty years later, the Jewish historian Josephus reports about the great popularity that John the Baptist’s ministry generated.

            John called people to repent. He didn’t hold back, and it didn’t matter who they were. When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”  John announced that the reign of God was coming, and it was clear that he meant God’s end time action.

John declared that God was going to send a figure more powerful than he and said about the coming one, “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. 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 warned that all people needed to repent and turn in faith toward God.  It was not enough simply to assert that you were part of God’s people because of your background. He said, “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now 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.”

John the Baptist called everyone to repent – and that included King Herod Antipas. Herod was married, but he desired Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. So Herod divorced his wife, and Herodias left Philip to marry Herod.  John condemned Herod for this. And then Herod showed John who was king by having John thrown into prison.

We hear about John the Baptist during Advent for two reasons. First, John prepared the way for Christ and so we hear about John as we prepare to celebrate how the Son of God came into the world.  And second, John called all people to repentance.  We are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But in order to do so, we must be clear about why the Son of God entered into our world in the incarnation.  He did so because of our sin – sin for which we must repent.

We repent as we confess our sin.  We call it what it is – sin against God, for that is the nature of every sin. We give far more time, attention, and money to our hobbies, sports, and entertainment than we do to Christ and his Means of Grace. We harbor anger in our hearts, and ignore opportunities to help others.  We covet the success and wealth of others, while taking for granted the many blessings God has given to us.

John teaches us to confess sin as we turn in faith to Jesus Christ for forgiveness.   But he also says, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”  He reminds us that forgiveness is not the end of things. Instead, as those who have been baptized into Christ – as those who are in Christ – we then turn away from sin. We don’t willingly just keep doing it. Instead, we make changes so that more and more we live in God’s ways instead of those of the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature.

In our text Jesus says, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?”  John was a powerful figure who declared God’s word and confronted sin. He was no reed shaking in the wind. Our Lord asked, “What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.” People had not gone out to see just another king who was part of this broken world.

Then Jesus asked, “What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’” Jesus said, that yes, John was a prophet. However, he was more than just another prophet. He was instead the fulfillment of God’s word as the Lord came to his people.

Last Sunday our Old Testament lesson was from Malachi chapter four which began with the words, “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble.” Malachi spoke of God’s end time action. In the previous chapter he said, “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; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.”

Yahweh referred to “my messenger” who would “prepare the way before me.” Now Jesus quotes Malachi using the words, “who will prepare your way before you.”  The pronoun “you” in the quotation refers to Jesus, because John has gone before Christ. But Malachi had said the messenger prepares the way for Yahweh. And in this we see that Jesus is Yahweh coming to his people.

Jesus declares that John has fulfilled God’s word – he is the prophesied prophet of the end times. He is the fulfillment as God comes to his people.  He is the unique figure through whom God has acted.  He has played a role in God’s plan of salvation that had never occurred before. And so Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.”

But John was also only the one who prepared the way for Christ. And in Christ the kingdom of God – the reign of God – had come upon the world. God’s end time action was present and at work. Something new was here – something different from what John or any of the prophets before him had experienced. And so Jesus said, “Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This was a difference determined not by the individual, but by Jesus Christ who was here in the world bringing God’s reign.

Jesus says that John the Baptist marks a great transition. He declares, “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.” In last week’s Old Testament reading God said through Malachi, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” Jesus identifies that John as the Elijah figure promised by God.

But it is at this point that some confusion may arise.  God had said through Malachi, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.”  However, now, John the Baptist was in prison.  John had prepared the way for Jesus. Jesus the Christ was here, and yet the Last Day that John had announced seemed nowhere to be seen. The wheat wasn’t being gathered into the barn, and the chaff was not being burned up.

And in fact Jesus says just after our text, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.”  Christ uses John and his imprisonment as an example of something that sounds like the opposite of the Day of the Lord.  He says that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.

In these words, the Lord describes the surprising character of how God works.  Jesus Christ is Yahweh who has come to his people – he is God in the flesh as the One who is true God and true man.  His presence means that the end time action of God is occurring.  But the Son of God did not enter into the world in order to act in overwhelming might and power.

At Christmas we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We will celebrate a baby lying in a manger. There is nothing impressive about this. This humility will continue in Jesus’ ministry as he experiences opposition from the religious leaders. They will resist him. In the next chapter we learn, “But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.”

Jesus brings God’s reign as the violent take him by force.   The Son of God permits himself to be arrested, tortured, and crucified. He does so, not because he is powerless, but because this is the will of the Father. The Father sent the sinless Son of God as the sacrifice for our sin.  The just God justly judged your sin as Jesus died on the cross. As Paul said, “By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh.”

It did not look like God’s reign – his kingdom – when Jesus Christ died on the cross. But on Easter God raised Jesus from the dead. He vindicated Christ as the faithful Son who had carried out the Father’s saving will. The resurrection revealed that the crucifixion had been far more than it appeared to be. It was in fact the most powerful action by God to free us from sin. And in the resurrection, God has defeated death in the resurrected body of Christ.

John the Baptist was in prison for speaking the truth of God’s Word. Soon, he would be executed. Jesus says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Our Lord says “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” because the appearance and the reality seem to contradict one another.

The kingdom of God – the reign of God – is now present in Christ’s Church. The saving work of the Spirit takes place through the Word and the Sacraments. But the kingdom of heaven  suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. In places like Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, and Syria this happens literally. Christians are seized and killed because of faith in Christ.  In our country we are thankfully spared physical harm. But we know how our culture often mocks the Christian faith. To be a faithful Christian on a college campus today is to live in a setting that is antagonistic. Many Christians find themselves in work settings where they are not allowed to be open about their profession of Christ.

These things seem discouraging. But our Lord says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” He signals to us that his kingdom is present and at work in the midst of this situation.  We know this because he is the Lord who died on the cross and rose from the dead.  In the risen and ascended Lord we find strength and confidence to walk each day in faith.

We do so each day because we know this will come to an end on the Last Day – the Day of the Lord.  John said that One more powerful than he was coming who would gather the wheat into the barn, and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.  He expected the One who would bring the final judgment. John did not understand the timing – that Christ came first to suffer and die. But he was exactly right. The ascended Lord will return in glory on the Last Day. He will vindicate his people before all who mocked and opposed them. He will judge and condemn all who act against his Church.  And he will welcome us to the marriage feast that has no end.