Sermon for the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord - Mt 2:1-12

                                                                                                 Epiphany of Our Lord
                                                                                                 Mt 2:1-12
                                                                                                  1/6/17

When was the last time that you asked someone to give you directions? As someone who drove in the 1980’s and 1990’s, I can remember when this was how you got to somewhere that was new. If you didn’t know where you were going, you asked for directions. The other person described the roads to take, and in particular noted the streets you needed to turn on while probably also mentioning some notable landmarks along the way.

You probably haven’t asked for directions in a long time. If you are a younger driver, you may never have asked for directions in your life. Around the year 2000 internet sites like MapQuest were available that provided directions to any place that you wanted to search. You would print out the directions which were step by step instructions on how to get to a place. Of course if you were driving alone this meant that you had to be looking down at the directions while driving. And if you missed one part of the directions and got off course, you were out of luck.

By around 2005 companies like Tom Tom, Garmin and Magellan were producing navigation devices at a price that many people could afford. These used the GPS signal not only to give you directions, but also to show you where you were and help you get back on course if you made a mistake.

And then in 2007 Apple released its first iPhone and began the smart phone revolution. Ten years later basically everyone has a smart phone. These phones use GPS and have navigation apps so that everyone has in the palm of their hand the ability to get to any place they need to go. Our phones show us where we are, where we need to go, and even talk us through our trip turn by turn.

Directions and navigation stand at the center of the events that occur in the Gospel lesson for the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord. We learn that magi from the east arrive in Jerusalem. The magi were the learned men of the ancient world. Their knowledge encompassed what today we would call, astronomy, astrology, divination and magic. 

We don’t know where the magi came from – Persia and Babylonia are the most likely options. They showed up at Jerusalem, and asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Now the image in every picture of the magi that you see is that of exotic men on camels following a distant star. But the Greek of our text makes it clear that this is not at all the ways things happened. Literally, the magi say that they saw a star “at its rising.” 

The magi saw some kind of astronomical event that seemed to them to be unique – something that could be described as “a star at is rising.” And this event prompted them to believe that a Jewish king had been born. Most likely the text of Scripture in Numbers chapter 24 was the source of this. There the seer Baalam guided by Yahweh says, “I see him, but not now, I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.”

The people of Judah had been taken into exile in Babylon. Certainly they had taken the Scriptures with them. After the Babylonians were conquered by the Persians, they lived under Persian rule. There was ample opportunity for magi in these lands to come into contact with the text of the books of Moses.

The surprising thing is that when they saw this star and its rising, and associated it with birth of a Jewish king, they chose to make the trip in order to honor this royal birth. We don’t why they felt the need to do this. And surprise is a good word to use because a person in first century Judaism was not used to hearing positive things about magi – certainly not in relation to the true God, the God of Israel.

You may have noticed that I have not used the term that is most often employed to refer to these individuals: “wise men.” I haven’t because the phrase “wise men” has a very positive connotation. However, the Greek word used here had negative connotations for Judaism. Trapped in paganism, they were the people who were not wise – the people who couldn’t provide any answers, while God’s people like Joseph and Daniel could.

Unexpectedly, these guys – magi – showed up in Jerusalem. They didn’t follow a star there. Instead, they went to Jerusalem because to tem, that was the logical place where you looked to find a new born king of the Jews. And instead, they found Herod the Great, who although he descended from Israel’s enemy Edom, was reigning over the home of Judaism.

Herod the Great was a survivor. No matter how many times circumstances had been stacked up against him, Herod had always managed to come out on top. He did so because he was smart and he was ruthless. So he asked the chief priest and scribes about where the Christ – the Messiah was to be born. They told him it was Bethlehem, because the prophet Micah had written in the eighth century B.C., “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

Did Herod believe it? Probably not. But when it came to potential threats to his power, Herod didn’t take chances. So he sent the magi off to Bethlehem with instructions to find the child and send him word so that he too could come and honor him. We don’t have to guess what he would have done – Herod thought nothing killing his own children. 

Our magi are not wise. They don’t know where to go. It is the word of Scripture – God’s Word – that must tell them to go to Bethlehem. And they don’t know where in Bethlehem to find Jesus. Instead after leaving the king and heading for Bethlehem we hear in our text, “And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

It is God’s star that must guide them. It’s only about six miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. On this part of the journey – and only on this part of the journey – what is described here as a “star” actually led the magi to the very spot where Jesus was. It was miracle. It was God’s doing, not anything that fits what we experience in everyday life.

We hear that after God had brought them there, they went into the house, and “they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” They bestowed gifts to honor a king. And then, just as God had intervened to bring them there, he warned them not to return to Herod and they went home a different way.

The message of the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord is really very simple. It shares with us the surprise that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the Gentiles. He is the Savior for those who do not descend from Israel. By his grace, God has included those who had no right to be included.

The old man in us doesn’t really believe that. We think we deserve to belong. We take it for granted. After all, our family has always been Lutheran. Our family has always been Christian. It’s our right. Of course we are part of God’s people. It’s assumed.

What is assumed to taken for granted. What is taken for granted is ignored. And so, we look around tonight and consider how many people aren’t here to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord because they just decided not to come. Or we consider how many people aren’t here on a Sunday morning just because they choose to do something else. Or we consider how often we choose to do something instead of spending time with God’s Word.

Tonight we pause to consider that it is magi who arrive at the house in Bethlehem in order to worship the infant king. They are not expected to be there. They really shouldn’t be there. And yet by his grace, God has led them there. A star at its rising prompted their journey to Jerusalem. The words of God’s Scriptures sent them to Bethlehem. God’s star guided them to the very spot where the baby Jesus was to be found.

Their presence – and the fact that the Holy Spirit has shared this event with us in the Gospel of Matthew – says that this Savior is for all people. He is your Savior. Gentile though you may be, by God’s grace he sent Jesus to die on the cross for your sins. And then on the third day he raised him from the dead.

It’s a surprise. It’s a blessed surprise that brings forgiveness and eternal life. Our text tonight is one of Gospel that leads us to a renewed recognition of the precious gift we have received. We have received what we did not deserve. We have become what we were not. And now we get to live in this truth.

Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord.  On this day we remember and celebrate the visit by the magi.  In this event, God began to reveal the saving glory of Christ which is for all people.  The Divine Service is at 7:00 p.m. tonight.

Scripture:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. (Matthew 2:1-12)

Collect of the Day:

O  God, by the leading of a star You made known Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles.  Lead us, who know You by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Mark's thoughts: Making changes in the right way - The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord

 

(Baptism of Jesus - St. Mark's, Venice, Italy)

If you grew up in the Lutheran church using The Lutheran Hymnal, you never celebrated a Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. Instead, January 6th was the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord and the Sunday immediately following was the First Sunday after the Epiphany. On the Epiphany of Our Lord the Gospel reading was the account of the visit by the magi (Matthew 2:1-12). The Gospel for the First Sunday after the Epiphany was the visit by the boy Jesus to Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-52).  

However, when Lutheran Worship appeared in 1982, the First Sunday after the Epiphany became a subtitle and “The Baptism of Our Lord” became the central name for the day. The Gospel readings in both the one year and the (at that time brand new) three year lectionaries were the accounts of Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:4-11; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22). This trend continued when the current Lutheran Service Book appeared in 2006. Here the headings in the Altar Book and the bulletin insert have only “The Baptism of Our Lord” and the hymnal includes a specific proper preface for use in the Service of the Sacrament on this day. 

There is never a question of whether the rites and associated parts of the Church’s worship, like the lectionary and church year, change. Change has occurred throughout the Church’s history and will continue to occur. Instead the real question is about how and why it occurs. The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord is a very good example of change which was rooted deeply in the Church’s past practice and emphasized an important biblical truth that had often been overlooked. 

The word “Epiphany” is based on a Greek word that means “to appear.” During Epiphany we rejoice that the saving glory of God appeared in the world in Jesus Christ to save us. Beginning in the third century A.D. we learn about a Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6 in Egypt and the eastern Church. While the earliest evidence for the Feast of the Epiphany focused on the baptism of Jesus, by the fourth century this Feast of the Epiphany included the baptism, the birth of Jesus, the visit by the magi and Jesus’ miracle at Cana of turning water into wine (John 2:-12). Each of these were events in which the glory of God appeared in the Savior Jesus. 

The western Church also began to observe the Feast of the Epiphany. Just as in the eastern Church, the earliest sermons in the west also spoke about these four events. In fact it was often called the “day of epiphanies” (dies epiphaniarum). Despite this similarity, the course of development led to a different focus in the east and west. 

The churches at Rome and North Africa observed Dec. 25 as the feast of the incarnation when they celebrated the birth of Jesus. When the eastern Church adopted the Dec. 25 date from the west in the late fourth century A.D., she associated it with the nativity of the Lord and the visit by the magi. The baptism of Jesus and the miracle at Cana became the focus of Jan. 6 

At the same time, since Rome only associated Dec. 25 with the nativity of Jesus, when she adopted the Jan. 6 date from the east, the visit by the magi became the only event associated with this feast. This became the practice in the western Church. The Gospel readings for the baptism of Jesus and the wedding at Cana were often read on nearby Sundays. Beginning at the end of the eighth century, Epiphany was given an octave day (the eighth day after a feast during which it was celebrated), and the Gospel lesson assigned was the baptism of Jesus. 

During the eighteenth century, Roman Catholic churches in France began to observe the octave day of the Epiphany as the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This feast became part of the Roman Catholic calendar in 1960. In turn, this development prompted the change that occurred in the1982 hymnal, Lutheran Worship. 

In the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord we see a long and slow development in the life of the Church. When the First Sunday after the Epiphany became the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, it was a change. However, it was a change that was based upon a broad and rich history of practice in the Church. It was not a change created by one pastor for his congregation, but instead reflected the practices of churches and regions acting together.
  
But even more importantly, it also helped to hold up before the Church a central biblical truth. Scripture sets forth the baptism of Jesus as a key moment in God’s plan of salvation. It is not by chance that it marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The Spirit descends upon Jesus in his baptism. Peter says in Acts that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38). The language of “anointed,” from which we obtain the related word “Christ” (Greek for “anointed one,” just as Messiah means “anointed one” in Hebrew) tells us that Jesus is the Christ – the Messiah – who fulfills the various Old Testament passages that speak about God giving the Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-2; 42:1; 61:1-2). 
  
Jesus explicitly claims this about himself when he reads Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue at Nazareth and declares, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:16-20). Jesus descends from King David. But he was not anointed with olive oil. Instead he was anointed with the Spirit of God! And this means that he was the One who fulfills the prophet’s words about the shoot from the stump of Jesse upon whom the Spirit will rest (Isaiah 11:1-2):

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. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:3-9).

As Jesus is anointed with the Holy Spirit at his baptism, God the Father says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17 ESV). The Father speaks words from Isaiah 42:1:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Yet these words reveal to us that Jesus is not just the Christ – the Anointed One. He is also the Servant of the Lord. And if he is the Servant, then he is also the suffering Servant of Isaiah chapter 53. He is the One about whom the prophet wrote:

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken,smitten by God, and afflicted. 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. (Isaiah 53:4-5 ESV)

Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of his ministry as he takes on the role of the suffering Servant. He identifies himself with sinners in order to take our place on the cross. As Jesus said, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 ESV). From the time of his baptism, Jesus’ mission moves straight toward the cross. The devil’s temptation of Jesus occurs immediately after the baptism (Matthew 4:1-11) because the evil one is trying to derail Jesus’ mission by getting the Lord to serve himself instead of obeying the Father’s will and serving us.

At the very moment when Jesus begins his saving mission, the Holy Trinity is revealed clearly for the first time. We are reminded by the Baptism of Our Lord that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity tells us about more than just the inner relationship of the persons of the Trinity. The Holy Trinity tells us about who God is for us. Our very knowledge of the Trinity bears witness to the dramatic saving action of God on our behalf. We only know about the Trinity because the Father sent forth the Son who was incarnate by the work of the Holy Spirit. The Son entered into our world in order to save us, and this event has revealed to us that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To confess the Holy Trinity is to confess the God who has acted to save us. 

And of course the revelation of the Holy Trinity at Jesus’ baptism calls to mind the Lord’s institution of Holy Baptism when he said:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)

Jesus goes into the water in order to die for us on the cross. And now in the water of baptism we share in his saving death, just we also receive certainty that we will share in his resurrection on the Last Day (Romans 6:1-5).

These central truths of God’s revelation are found in the baptism of Jesus. Those mentioned here only scratch the surface of the theological reflection that the baptism of Jesus generated in the early Church (for an excellent study of this, see Kilian McDonnell, The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan: The Trinitarian and Cosmic Order of Salvation). And yet, a Gospel text about the baptism of Jesus does not occur on a single page of The Lutheran Lectionary that was used with The Lutheran Hymnal. The Baptism of Jesus was completely absent. The change of adding the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord has in fact addressed an important oversight for the good of the Lutheran Church. Change does happen in the worship of the Church. And change can be good – when it occurs in the right way and for the right reason.

Sermon for the Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus

                                                                                  Circumcision and Name of Jesus
                                                                                   Lk 2:21
                                                                                   1/1/17

When I was growing up in the Lutheran church, we had “Confirmation class” in seventh and eighth grade. Now it may surprise you to hear that I hated doing catechesis in eighth grade. This wasn’t because I didn’t find the material interesting. No, from first grade on I had always been very interested in the Bible and the Church. I enjoyed the first year of catechesis and was probably a handful for my pastor as I asked questions that he didn’t normally field in Confirmation class.

However, the second year in eighth grade was miserable. And that was because we did the exact same thing for the second year in a row. I was bored out of my mind and hated going to Confirmation class. I already knew that I wanted to be a pastor, and I promised myself that I would never do this to anyone else.

That is part of the reason that at Good Shepherd we have two alternating years of catechesis. In one year we walk through the Small Catechism and focus directly on covering the doctrinal content. But in the other year, we focus instead on biblical readings that summarize the key events and themes in God’s plan of salvation. Along the way we cover the doctrinal content of the Small Catechism as it arises in individual biblical texts. And of course Learn by Heart teaches and reinforces the Small Catechism every year.

Once I was a pastor, I discovered that in addition to avoiding the repetition I had hated as a youth, this approach had another needed benefit. We live at a time when Christians have less basic knowledge about the content of Scripture than in the past. This is not something that is learned at home in the way it once was. People are less apt to view Sunday school as an important learning experience for their children. Now those are areas I certainly want to try to help improve, but at least the year of biblical readings guarantees that no one is going to finish catechesis at Good Shepherd without learning about the key texts of Scripture. 

And if I am being honest, I have found that every other year it provides another moment that I was always enjoy. Of course, we talk about Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham. In doing so, we read part of Genesis chapter 17 where God changes Abram’s name into Abraham, which means father of many. Next God’s says, “This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.” 

And then, I get to ask the seventh and eighth graders: “So what is circumcision?” Now his is guaranteed to produce a delightfully uncomfortable silence and to make the catechumens squirm. Because in most cases they either have an idea of what it is, or they know exactly what it is – but there is no way they want to say it out loud. After all, what middle school youth wants to say the word “penis” in front of their peers and an adult? And more than that, who wants to say this word at church?

Yet this sets before us a rather interesting – and I suppose strange – fact about the theology of the Old and New Testaments. A central and key factor – circumcision – is something that today we don’t really don’t talk about. After all it does seem kind of strange to be talking in church about cutting off part of the male organ – and note how I have slipped into euphemism here. Or, and this is probably a bigger reason, because circumcision is not something we think about at all. I mean in our world, it is something that is done to basically every male baby. It usually happens before we even take the baby home and it’s not something that we see done – I mean, I don’t want to see it done to my child. When nearly every baby is circumcised in this way, it’s just no big deal.

And yet, if we are to understand God’s Word and the event we are celebrating today, we have to recognize that for God’s people in both the Old and New Testament it was an incredibly big deal. As we just heard in the words from Genesis chapter 17, circumcision was the sign of the covenant. Commanded then by the Torah, it was a physical mark on a pretty important part of the man’s body that said that yes, he was part of the Yahweh’s covenant people.

It was a very obvious sign in the ancient Greco-Roman world that existed in Jesus’ day, because people of this culture were never circumcised. In fact they viewed circumcision as a bizarre and foolish mutilation of the body. What could be more stupid!

And so it is that in our text for today – the shortest text you will probably ever hear me preach on – Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to be circumcised. The account of Jesus’ circumcision on the eighth days is a single verse sandwiched between the Christmas gospel and the later visit to Jerusalem when they meet Simeon and Anna. It shows us that Mary and Joseph were faithful parents who obeyed God’s word. First, they brought Jesus to be circumcised in accordance with the Law. And at this event when a name was given, they called him “Jesus” – which means “Yahweh saves” - just as the angelic messenger had directed them.

Mary and Joseph are the instrument here by which God’s saving plan is fulfilled. Jesus is circumcised in accordance with the Law of Moses. He is circumcised as part of God’s people Israel – the nation God called is son. He is the descendant of King David whose royal descendants were also called God’s son. Jesus is in fact God’s Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, yet as the incarnate One he has taken on the role of being Israel reduced to One. He has come to fulfill all that the Davidic king was meant to be. He has come to fulfill all that Israel was meant to be. As we will hear this coming Friday on the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, he came to be the true light to the nations.

Jesus submitted to every requirement of the Law in order to be the perfect sacrifice for the sin of all people. Writing to the church in Galatia, Paul said, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” He came to redeem us – to free us from the curse that God’s law directs toward all who disobey his eternal will. Jesus did this by receiving God’s judgment against sin in our place. And then in his resurrection he began the life of the new creation.

At his circumcision the incarnate Lord receives the name “Jesus.” He is called “Yahweh saves” when he is circumcised and it is by being circumcised that he is Yahweh saving – God working out the salvation of all people.

This happens as Mary and Joseph are faithful in their vocations – their callings as parents. They weren’t always faithful. You aren’t either. And that is why Jesus is there being circumcised. He is there because Yahweh is saving through him. He is bringing forgiveness and salvation to all people. And that means that Jesus’ circumcision will bring about an end to circumcision itself. 

Jesus came to fulfill the saving purpose of Israel and the first covenant – the covenant made at Mt Sinai. In our epistle lesson Paul says that the Law of Moses played its role from the founding of the covenant at Mt Sinai until the coming of Christ. It restrained Israel from sin and kept them separate from the pagan nations as they looked for Yahweh’s Messiah.

But with the coming of Christ it no longer plays this role. Instead by the shedding of his blood on the cross Jesus has established a new covenant. This covenant includes all people – Jew and Gentile – alike. It includes you. Circumcision is not the sign that has been commanded for this covenant, and so circumcision itself is no longer a matter of spiritual and religious significance. When it comes to being part of God’s people it’s, “Do it. Don’t do it. Whatever.”

You don’t have to circumcise your son. You don’t have to avoid pork. You don’t have to worship on Saturday. The Law of Moses was filled with very specific commands about the way things were to be done. When you begin to look at things, it sounds like Jesus has freed you from having to do a great deal. He has, and in an even more significant way he has because he has freed you from having to do anything at all in order to be saved. You don’t have to do anything because you can’t do anything. Jesus has done it all and gives it to you freely as a gift – a gift received by faith.

But that doesn’t mean that you are free to do whatever you want. Paul told the Galatians, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” You are free in Christ to keep the law of love.

And that brings us back to our text. There we see that Mary and Joseph are fulfilling their vocation – the calling that God had given them as parents. They are serving God by serving Jesus as they bring him to be circumcised. You are free to follow their example. As parents that means you are free to serve your children by reading Bible stories with them and having family devotions – even when schedules make it hard to do, or not everyone is there. You are free to use the Small Catechism at home in precisely the way it was intended – in exactly the way it says at the beginning of each section: “As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household.” You are free to bring them to Sunday school – even when that means coming to church a little earlier or staying a little later. 

You are to serve your neighbor in every vocation where God places you – to be the means God uses to care for your husband or wife, father and mother, employer and employee. We may not have the detailed kind of legislation that you find in the Law of Moses, but God has not left us without direction. He has provided descriptions in his Word of what this life looks like. Some of the most helpful are gathered together in the Table of Duties of the Small Catechism. Check them out this week. They are a great place to start.

We celebrate today the Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus. Jesus was circumcised by faithful parents in what was really, the first event of Jesus’ mission. Jesus Christ came to be the Messiah – the Davidic king who was Israel reduced to One. He came to be what Israel was meant to be as God’s light to the nations in a fallen world. He is circumcised and receives the name Jesus because though him, “Yahweh saves” us.