February 19, 2012: 2 Kings 2:1-12, Psalm 50:1-6, 2 Corinthians 3:12-13; 4:1-6, Mark 9:2-9

“And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

As Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John (an event testified by Peter again in his second epistle), it was revealed to them, and us, that Christ Jesus was not simply the fulfillment of the law and prophets, but finally the final Word of God to this world. That as Elijah and Moses (representatives of the law and prophets) met Christ in the air until the Father spoke from the cloud, they did so to testify that in Jesus, the world was to look and listen to Him alone for the absolute truth to be found.
And this is illustrated in our 2 Corinthians text today. Reminding them of the Exodus story, the Israelites begged for Moses to wear a veil over his face because after he had been in the presence of the Lord on Mt. Sinai, his face shined and radiated of God’s glory. But this was too much for them-a sinner, God told Moses in Numbers cannot see the face of God and live-and so just the reflective brilliance that Moses gave off was unbearable for them to handle because with it, Moses also brought to them the law that did nothing but to condemn them for their sin.
But now, Paul reminds, in Christ Jesus, we have seen God’s gracious face, because in Him, we have found our sin atoned for in His cross. That the light of the gospel is not harsh and accusatory as the law is, but shines forth the love, grace and mercy of the Son who gave up His life for the redemption of the world. Thus, as he says, the veil is removed when one turns to the Lord, because no longer does God speak only a word of wrath at our sin, but follows that up with the face of His Son, whose blood covers over all that has been done.
Which means that we can and must look no longer and in no other place than to Christ for any and all words from and about God. For the message of the law and prophets-that God is certainly angry and at wrath over the sin we hold and do in our lives; that He will not have us place our faith, love and hope onto the things of this world; that He cannot abide our idolatry of trusting in our own thoughts, desires and words over and above His own-this is a message that certainly condemns you because it reveals you for who you truly are as you live in yourself and in this world.
But as the Son was given to remove the veil of these accusatory words of Elijah and Moses with another Word so now, as the Psalm declares today, God will judge His people under His own righteousness; under the righteousness of the Son. Therefore, the disciples were instructed to remain quiet about this event until Christ had been crucified, buried and raised on the third day-for the final work of God was that in Christ, sin, death and the power of the devil have been defeated and destroyed by His forgiveness, life and salvation. That only in the faith that Christ Jesus was condemned under your sin and died your death so that His righteousness and life might be given to you, will you actually be able to understand and now your God aright.
So, as the next time we see Elijah is when he joined Moses to meet with the Lord Jesus Christ on the mount of Transfiguration, what we find is that God ensures that the Gospel, the good news of Christ Jesus, is given to the world so to save it. For when Elijah and Moses met Him in the air, it was to declare that while the law and the prophets certainly pointed toward the coming Messiah, Christ had been given to fulfill and outdo them with the Word of grace that flowed from Him. That in Christ Jesus, the world would find the One who took on the forces of sin, death and the devil all so that they might be defeated when He rose triumphant over hell and the grave on the third day.
Thus now, you must learn to look and hear, not to what this world might say to you, but solely to what flows from the lips of your Lord. For while yes, Elijah and Moses certainly still have a word to say to your life-their work to expose the sin and idolatry that we ensnare ourselves in does the work of God to lead one to sorrow and repentance for such things. However, their voices must be silenced when Christ enters into your ears, for God has decreed that faith in Him and His sacrifice brings out forgiveness of your sins and the promise of life out of your death. That now, the devil has no right to tempt you to believe that you have out-sinned God’s love, for the Son was given to you by the Father so to die and rise so that you might find the love and life of heavenly righteousness.
And so, there is no need for three tents any longer, because your only home is to have Christ Jesus, alone, as your Savior and Redeemer. For it is only He that brings peace into the storms of this world; into the storms of loved ones who die, of health that fails, of a life bound to sin. It is only He that actually brings about the end of the accusing finger of the law and the probing questions of the prophets by shining the light of the mercy of what His death and resurrection does into your hearts. That it is only He that speaks a new Word of grace into your world, speaking the Word that declares all you must do to find a promise that overcomes all things, is to place your faith onto this One and to, as the Father bids you do, “Listen to Him.” Amen.

February 12, 2012: 2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30, 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1, Mark 1:40-45

“Moved with pity, He stretched out His hand and touched him and said to him, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately the leprosy left him and he was made clean.” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

If you notice today, there is a vast difference between the way the world works and the way God does when it comes to what is required for forgiveness, healing and restoration. For in the two cases with those affected by the disease of leprosy-Namaan the Syria general and this unnamed Galilean man-each reminds us that while the government must always be paid, the work of God is free for all who believe, for any payment has already been applied.
For look at what happened with each. When Namaan headed out for Israel, 2 Kings tells us that he took with him 10 talents of silver, 6ooo shekels of gold and 10 changes of clothing-a vast amount of wealth, all with the intent to seek to buy the healing he needed. And likewise, the man healed by Jesus of leprosy was reminded to go to the temple and to pay, according to the Levitical code, what was required for his restatement into the religious and social life of society-a payment which included birds, wood, yarn, hyssop, grain and lambs to be bought and sacrificed by a priest. In both cases, it was understood that nothing is free in this old world and all must be ready to pay the piper if you want something done.
But, of course, we end up finding out that the case of both Namaan and the leprous man show, that while payment is required and understood in regards to this world, but it is not with God. Both of them were healed solely out of the grace of God-it was according to the Word of Elisha and Jesus that ended up with both men restored, completely. Thus, Jesus said, “I will,” and the man was made cleaned immediately-only then was he sent to show and pay the priest as a testimony to them that there was One in Israel who had the ability and desire to restore those beset and rejected by death and disease. Instead, all they had to do was to hear and believe and so received their desires. “Go and wash seven times” Namaan was told and it was done to him as promised.
And this is really no different today. For, when we are honest with ourselves, we are still in the practice of continuing to believe more in ourselves than God. For it is true and we understanding clearly that we required to give up a little cash whenever we head down to the clinic. But at the same time, we saw seek to buy or influence an outcome we desire or need when it comes to God. For which of you have ever sought to bargain with God to receive what you need? This is seen whenever we start a prayer with the words, “If God, You will do this for me, then I will…” Or perhaps it works the other way for you, saying “If I do this God, then will You…?” Either way, it is no different than Namaan seeking to pay off Elisha for the healing he needed (and 2 Kings 5 continues the story with Namaan doing such) and for the leprous man in Mark needing to pay the requisite sacrifice in order to be restored to society-for all of these means is a seeking to purchase an outcome you want.
Therefore to think one can somehow sway or convince God by your pennies is to trust more in the ways of this world than the will of your God. It is a matter of distrust to believe that even your God knows not your cares and worries so to believe it is in your capacity to persuade or make a deal with Him. Elisha chastised the King of Israel for his willingness to focus on his own abilities rather than to remember the power of the Lord and His prophet. For in the end, no amount of your piety or prosperity will finally be able to overturn the greatest of your problems-the darkness of the grave.
So now, it is time to learn to live solely by faith alone, even as the world might take away your life. It is time to learn the meaning of grace and see that your Father in heaven knows you better than you do yourself. For what was Christ given to do for this old world? Was it not to take upon Himself the power and wrath of your sin; to suffer under the condemnation of your death; to be placed into the damnation of your hell, all so that His resurrection would benefit you in the forgiveness of your sins, the promise of life from your death and the eternal glories of a life everlasting? And if He has done all this for your sake, then how could He forget you in the midst of the darkness of the things of life? What more could you offer to God that is worth more than the blood of the Son?
But to live by faith is to live believing even when you find not a cure for your disease or a easing of your pain and loneliness. It is to live resting forever in the knowledge that nothing of this world can finally overtake the promises you receive in Christ Jesus your Savior. It is to live knowing, that even in the midst of your striving and struggles, if Christ has died already for you, then nothing of this world can overcome His work and will. It is to live trusting that not even death itself, now, can replace the work of Christ’s shed blood is redeeming you from the death of this world. It is to live as Paul said today, imitating his faith that trusts Christ even as he was beheaded in Rome.
So begin, then, to view just who your God is as David did in Psalm 30 today, knowing that there is nothing, now, but a song of grace to be sung by all who know that their God has promised to sustain them in the face of all things. Know, even, that in the midst of your troubles and struggle, God’s Word of salvation is greater than any enemy you can encounter in this life. Trust, finally, that God doesn’t need your gold and silver to give you a promise, but He has bestowed this upon you, already, in the Word and the Sacraments given to you for your hope, life and salvation. Amen.

February 5, 2012: Isaiah 40:21-31, Psalm 147:1-11, 1 Corinthians 9:16-27, Mark 1:29-39

“And He said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

It is a bit strange that St. Mark tells us, that when people came looking for Jesus after He had worked these miracles in Capernaum, He declared that He must be on His way, for He had come to take this message of good news out into the world. That His work was to heal old women from their fevers; to heal those who are sick with various diseases; to cast out many demons; to preach the Kingdom of God for repentance-and to continue to do it after and outside of Capernaum. That, Mark tells us, after His Sabbath day’s work, He left early Sunday morning, in order to be on His way onto the next town.
Now this sounds surprising to our commercial ears in America. For if one is interested in building a base, in creating a viable business model, in developing a network of supporters, shouldn’t they stick around for awhile and continue to make people excited about what you are doing? Shouldn’t have Jesus done more like the Super Bowl and spend at least the following week continuing to build momentum around what He was doing in the world? Shouldn’t He have stuck around in Capernaum long enough to at least make sure that His “buzz” gathered at least one media interview?
Yet, at the first sign of a gathering enthusiasm, Jesus tells His disciples that He must be on His way even though people were searching for Him. It was as though He couldn’t wait to get out of dodge and be onto the next town. In fact, He even gives a strange answer to the news that people were looking for Him-that He must be on His way because that is what He had come to do. That His very work was to continue to do what He had done in this city. That it was to not simply to gain followers, but to save the lives of those, everywhere, who were in need of salvation.
And while this is surprising, it was done because of the problem with humanity. Because, isn’t this is where people usually miss the work of God? Too often, one hears that one has become disillusioned or disappointed with God because what they had hoped for did not come true. That people begin to doubt God or about God because they had determined His existence was tied to the fulfillment of something they needed, something they had prayed for. That in the dark times of our lives, are we most apt to begin to wonder if there even is a God, because we are always waiting for the “big show” to catch our eye.
But that has never been the way God has worked. This is what He says today in Isaiah. In fact, the prophet says the very facts of creation should reveal to people just what sort of God they do have-something the Psalmist sings of today. That God isn’t there just in the big, flashy events, but is concerned about the grass growing and the rain falling because such things effect even the least of all creatures.
Instead, the work of God comes in the places where we often will not and do not look for it; where God is often hardly remembered to have been working. So Jesus wouldn’t stay in Capernaum, where He could have received the acclaim and the nightly news to cover His every move. But He left in order that, as He said, He might preach to the next towns, for that is why He had come out. He left so that He might not be sought according to our desires, but so that faith might be given room in which to save those whom He calls.
Thus, Christ was given unto this world to do what is least expected of it because this is exactly what God knew needed to be done-to heal, to save, to bring good news to those who are in desperate need of it. That His work isn’t simply tied to the way we might expect it to come or be given, but is found in the little things; in the small, still voice that says there is hope in the midst of hopelessness, that there is another Word to those who have been silenced, that there is a new life to those who are dead in sickness and despair.
This is why Paul’s only boast was in the message of his gospel-that of Christ, and Him crucified. That while God can and may heal as He did in Capernaum that day, but Paul understood Christ’s most important work in the world was the fact that He let Himself be taken to the very depths of hell by the sins of this world, so that He might defeat and destroy them in the new Kingdom He established in His resurrection. That now faith in Him and His work on the cross offers more than just a brief alleviation from the aches and ills of the body-but gives one the promise that at the end of all time, the grave must and will give you back up to life and Christ.
Thus, “the Lord takes pleasure,” the Psalmist says today, “in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love.” For faith alone finds and holds what the glories of the birth and the death of Christ gives to those whom He seeks and finds in this world-for it grasps onto the word that says, even in the midst of sin, death and the power of the devil, all things have been overcome in the death and resurrection of this Savior. Faith takes hold to this Word, to this splash of water, to this bit of bread and wine, and so trusts it to be true, even if our bodies and world seeks to convince us otherwise.
Therefore we place no hope or trust on this world and in our lives-for whatever we hold or do not in our hands, is finally not why Christ Jesus was given for us. That it is not whether the cancer in our bodies is healed or our dreams are fulfilled that determines the full extent of God’s care over us in Christ-but that we know we actually have a God who does care, who does see, who does know the ills and needs of this life. That it isn’t whether or not we have or are the great, grand or mighty-but that we can believe that in this One, we have the truth that our sins have been forgiven, our death will be overcome by life, and our bondage to the devil has already been set free.
And for these things, Christ surely doesn’t need the acclaim and coverage of a Fox News Channel-but simply of your faith. Amen.

January 29, 2012: Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Psalm 111, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Mark 1:21-28

“They were astounded at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

It is interesting that the first thing Mark notes of Jesus’ ministry, isn’t the signs and wonder, but that they crowds were astonished by His teaching. That instead of stating that they were struck by who He was or where He was from or that they were drawn to Him by His charisma, charm or personality, it was His teachings and what He said that had brought the crowds. That Jesus first gained renown through the way His teachings, wisdom, and knowledge was set in direct contrast from the rest of the world’s teachers, wisdom and knowledge.
For it’s not that these people had never heard teaching before. But the difference that awoken their minds and hearts was the way and the what Jesus taught. For unlike the scribes, who would teach by speculating on a Biblical text, often only reciting the arguments of others in contrast to their own, Jesus instead taught them with an authority, Mark tells us, with a Word that had strength and power behind it; with a Word that cut to the heart, laid people bare, and declared its own truth. That His Words were not merely a speculative adventure in search and debate, as what so often passed and passes as theology, but came with a force that actually did what it said and said what it did.
And looked what happened when Jesus spoke as such. Fishermen left their boats and family to follow Him; demons shrieked, screamed and cowered in fear; the crowds couldn’t seem to get enough of Him. For instead of spending His time trying to convince people of truth through an endless meandering of questions and discussions, Jesus didn’t waste time but spoke Words that cut to the quick and got something accomplished. Instead of merely talking about what was needed, Jesus did what needed to be done.
And so with Jesus, the crowds found someone who, even when confronted with a demon possessed man, refused to argue with it, to speculate on the nature of his condition, to chide him for not being pious enough so to avoid this problem-but He spoke to and at the problem and ordered the demon to leave, and so ended His work with a restored man. That Jesus gave a different Word and work than what was offered by the teachers of the world-that He actually gave that man the healing he wanted, the forgiveness he sought, the life he so desperately needed. Instead of leaving that man to search for his own answer, as did the teachers of the law, Jesus astounded the people because He gave him another Word-the Word of the Good News of God.
And you see, that is still the difference between Jesus and the world today. For as Paul said in 1 Corinthians-the difference between true and false knowledge lies, not in what you can know, but in who you know. That all the world can offer to you is a word of law-a word telling you to do more, to try harder, to make more sacrifices. Isn’t that the nature of our fear over the economy? The lie was fed that the riches of this world is what makes one happy, and so we mortgaged our futures for a transient lie. Of course, when they begin to disappear, as all things of this world must, one soon begin to realize that no amount of worldly wisdom or knowledge actually delivers any real hope and change.
Which is why not even a new president will solve your true problem, because what you need isn’t a different program but a different existence. That you need a Word from One who speaks as God, as Moses foretold in Deuteronomy-to speak the Word of God over and above all forces in this old, fallen world. And so, as the Psalmist said today, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom-and to fear the Lord means nothing less than to look nowhere elseyou’re your final faith, truth and life than in the One who comes in the name of the Lord God.
And so Jesus-the One who came into this world bringing with Him the Kingdom of God in the shedding of His blood on the cross-has come into your world again today, bringing the power and strength and work of God into your life and situations, and leaves to you something more than this world ever could. He comes near again on this Sabbath day and has come into the midst of a people who need, not a word of encouragement, but a Word of real and actual hope.
For as the world can offer you no help with the sin that plagues you, the sickness you deal with, the pain and heartache you experience, and the death you will face-with Jesus you are given One who comes and gives a Word in which to hope upon and live within. That He gives you, not some transitory promises of this world, but the good news that, while this world and what it has is passing away, the Kingdom He brings is eternal and gives you life and it abundantly. That He comes, not merely to give you hope for tomorrow, but a hope for eternity-giving Himself in the Word, water and the bread and wine of the Supper-giving Himself for the forgiveness of your sins, the resurrection of your body and your life everlasting.
As the Apostle Paul reminds, true wisdom lies, not in this world, but in the wisdom of God in Christ Jesus. For that is a wisdom that shuts the mouth of all scoffers and says regardless of what you are going through-pain or sickness or sin or fear or the loss of everything-Christ has been given into the world to give to you another Word and promise, a Word that says the things of this world, though very real and difficult, cannot end the power of God working in His death and resurrection. It is wisdom for which He was killed and raised in order to take your eternal enemies and defeat them, giving you the hope that this world is not all there is. It is wisdom that makes known that your Father is so concerned over you that in Christ, He moved heaven and hell for you to know the height, the depth and the width of His mercy. Amen.

January 15, 2012: 1 Samuel 3:1-10, Psalm 139:1-10, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, John 1:43-51

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

This final word from the Apostle Paul today sets the stage for his previous statement in chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians. That, Paul is saying, in the matter of ethics, morals and holy work by those who place themselves in the Church, it is not built upon the law of Moses (although certainly Moses does have something to say about these things); nor is it founded upon an idea that our works somehow earn God’s favor (although the way we conduct ourselves in this life are to be a reflection of our confession). But the reason Paul called for the Corinthian, and by extension, the entire Church, to live within a moral bound, is because of faith in the Christ who died and rose for sinners.
For, Paul declares, the freedom Christ has given to His chosen is not for our indulgence and license. That while things might be lawful for us, not everything is to be allowed-for how we act and live in this world finally reflects just what we believe in and live by: God and His Word or the devil and his lies. For, Paul points out, faith is more than just an ascent to a belief-faith involves the divestment of one’s own thoughts so to be defined by another. That faith declares we are no longer our own, but to be given to one whom we believe to hold a greater truth.
And this is an important insight, then, on God’s understanding of sin. For it says that sin isn’t simply a private affair; that it isn’t just a personal matter left to oneself. But it is seen to be an affront to the very sovereignty of God because it ends up being a disordering of one’s faith. That sin is our own declaration that we believe we are free to do, to be, to act according to what we desire and want. That sin finally is the song of ourselves-it is your cry that you are your own god and so get to decide what is right and wrong, good and evil, in your own eyes.
Which means that the reason Christ was given to the world so to win the victory over sin, death and the devil on the cross, was so to defeat this attempt to be a god unto ourselves. That as Christ died under the weight, wrath and penalty of our sin-actually becoming sin, as Paul says in his second letter to Corinth-He did so in order to destroy sin, within itself. His entrance into the bondage of death and hell was in order to break their hold over His creation, so that now faith would pave the way to live a new Kingdom to break forth and a new life in which one can now have. Jesus pointed this out to Nathanael today when He said that in Him, one would find heaven open and the angels ascending and descending on the Son of God-for in Christ alone, does one find the work of God located, centered and active; that He alone must be followed, if one is to find and know God in this world.
For that reason then, because of our baptism into Christ Jesus, what you do in this life declares just where your love truly abides. That our actions, Paul reveals, are not simply our choices for the day, but ultimately the declaration of just where our faith abides. For as we have been bought, been redeemed, with the price of Christ’s very blood, so we now find ourselves owing our only hope and life to Him and so must abide alone by His desires, Word and will.
That is why Paul is dead-set on protecting you here in Corinthians because he knows that to live according to one’s passions separates you from the God who died and rose to have you, completely, for His own. For just as His death bought you back from condemnation to death and the devil, so now you have been joined with Christ and His eternal life, holiness and salvation. That there is nowhere in which one can hide their deeds from God, for He is the One who once called Samuel, even when he knew God not and is the One, David confessed in the Psalm, who is forever before and after you. Thus to seek your desires in anywhere else, then, is to place Christ in past and to deny Him as your only Redeemer and Savior.
Therefore, Paul says today, you are to flee from sexual immorality; you are to flee from idolatry; you are to flee from the lies, gossip, neglect and whatever else you hold so dear in your life-and so worship the God who placed Himself in your place to take and destroy the terrors of hell that hang around your neck. You are to flee from uniting yourself to any other idol of this world, which only leads to death in the end, and cling only to this promise that in Christ, you are forever known and seen by the Father, and now, David sung, the Kingdom of God is the place of eternal security. You are to flee from even yourself, so to be placed solely into the death and resurrection of the God who bought you with the price of His life.
“For you are not your own,” Paul says, and now you can only live for and by the Word of this One who have redeemed you back from sin, death and the devil. You are to fall only upon, in faith alone, the One who loves you to the extent that He gave and still gives, His very Body and Blood so that you might trust in Him and so be saved. That you can finally, “Come and see” this One in whom you will find a life that is actually free to do the things that are beneficial for you-not only to God, but finally to your neighbor as well. Amen.

January 8, 2012- Genesis 1:1-5, Psalm 29, Romans :1-11, Mark 1:4-11

“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Apostle Paul today in Romans hit upon the bottom line understanding which we all need to know. For, instead of using moralistic, therapeutic religious speech that so often fills our lives, churches and pulpits these days, Paul goes right for the jugular in exposing the problem with us. So he says that it is not that we just aren’t good enough or that we don’t try hard enough or even that we need to realize that all we just need is to be a bit better-but that our ultimate dilemma is that we are finally nothing but dead men and women!
And less you try to believe Paul is only using hyperbole and speaking of this “death” as a state of mind or inability to rise above our situations, you are wrong. No, when Paul says that we in our sin we are dead, he means just what he says-that our sin has literally killed us as we are and in our place. That in fact, this present, physical life is like a movie preview-that what we see here today is simply a waiting game for the final shoe to drop when with our physical death will reveal to us our spiritual situation. That our actual state is such that, as we are within ourselves, we are truly in bondage to sin and thus dead to God.
And what this means then, is that there is nothing inside of yourself that actually holds any worth toward God. Now, to be sure, God’s creation is still good, as He described it in Genesis this morning. But we are no longer living in that state of perfection-ever since sin enter the equation, there is nothing, finally, that is good about us-we are evil, corrupt and fallen in our natures. And we see this working out in all of which we do. We lie, cheat and steal; we gossip, complain and backbite; we neglect, ignore and forget because we think only of ourselves and our desires. So Paul warns that the grace of God does not lead to license to sin because he knew that sinners will seek at anything to justify their actions.
And this, of course, then changes the very reason Christ Jesus was given unto this old world. That He wasn’t given to be a religious guru, offering for you to embark on the next great spiritual journey; He wasn’t given to be a new Moses, giving you some law in which for you to work out your own salvation; He wasn’t even given to be a Saturday night buddy, being the designated driver so that you can indulge the pleasures of your flesh.
No, when Christ was crucified under the letter of the law, Paul says that He was being condemned and made to be the sinner of all sinners in this world and so died to everything that defined Him, and us, as human. That He died to sin, Paul says, once and for all-that His death was a true and final death because one who dies cannot die again in this life. But in the same line then, as He was raised over death and the grave on the third day so He was raised forever over that which holds this old world in bondage: sin, death and the power of the devil. That a new existence was opened for all mankind; and no more would we be held forever in the grips of a slavery with no hope in finding release.
Which means that what your baptism did for you, wasn’t some simple, pious and sentimental event, around which we oodle and coo over the sweetness of it, but was finally your very resurrection over your death! That we actually were killed in our sin because we were baptized into Christ’s very death. That we were placed into the very hell Christ descended into for three days, because we are united to and with Him in all things. But on the other side of that, so you have also been raised over hell and the grave because Christ Jesus was raised over the same on Easter Sunday. That you have been brought back to your God because you were placed into Christ’s eternal and glorious victory.
And so now, in baptism you have been redeemed and restored to your God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For that was the entire reason surrounding Christ’s own Baptism by John in the Jordan we heard from St. Mark. Note, Jesus does not come, like the others, confessing their sins for the forgiveness of baptism-but He arrived so to fulfill all righteousness and to hallow, make holy, all water as being the place where heaven, again, is opened for all who place themselves under its flow in God’s very Name. That as He so deeply entered into our world that He took our flesh upon Himself, so His divine nature so completely has opened for us the way for forgiveness, life and salvation.
Thus it is time to realize that, that same Spirit which hovered like a dove over the creation at the beginning, which descended on Christ in the Jordan, now hovers over those who have been made anew in Christ and His baptism. That just as those heavenly beings, as David sung, are adorned with a splendor of holiness, so it is that you have been clothed with the glories of Christ’s death and resurrection at your baptism. That now, as in Christ you have been completely forgiven and restored back to the Father, so His grace is not to be a means for indulgence, but for faith-to now live a life of repentance over your sin and a life of absolute trust that only what is good, true and holy will be found in God and Him alone.
Therefore, as we find the waters of the Jordan flowing over the head of our Lord Jesus, so we find God speaking His Word over His creation once again. That now, the old is over and the rough skin of animals which once covered our sin and rebellion to God has been replaced with the soft covering of the Lamb of God which clothes you with the mercies and grace of redemption. That the food of the wilderness, the food of meagerness and scarcity, has been replaced with the bread and wine of the eternal wedding feast. That now, even the chaotic waters of sin and the grave have been finally calmed in the peace of eternal life that flows over the heads of all who are God’s own beloved. Amen.

January 1, 2012- Numbers 6:22-27, Psalm 8, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 2:21

“And at the end of 8 days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

What does it mean that we find Christ Jesus being named and circumcised in the Jerusalem temple 8 days after His birth, as we do today in Luke? For circumcision and the law was given only, as Paul said, to be the guardian over God’s chosen people. That Abraham and his descendants were circumcised as the sign that they, though separated and condemned because of sin, had been chosen by grace to be the people of God. And the law came to Moses, not to be a means of salvation, but to be the custodian over God’s people to keep them from running after the gods of their own choosing.
But Christ had no need to be placed under such. For Christ Jesus was actually born outside of the law, because the law is only for the lawbreakers. For, as He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, in His birth to the Virgin Mary He was not bound to the working and penalty of the law since He was sinless. The law had no accusations on Him even at His birth and so had no reason in which to subscribe and live under it, for He was finally beyond it.
Which means that as He was found here in Luke, Christ was being placed in the same situation and condition of all humanity. Even though this birth and child was indeed something greater than anything else which had been, yet He would not be found outside of His humanity, outside of the very people He was born unto. That though He was outside of the law-and in fact, was the very author of the law itself-He placed Himself under its letter and power, so to be accused and condemned by it as are all mankind.
Thus, as Christ received His name the day He was circumcised under the letter of the law, so He united Himself fully with the people He had been incarnated of. That now, the law was His law and its accusations and condemnations would attack Him as it does for the rest of creation. He would be found in the exact same place as the people He came for; that He would be now placed under a law that found its fulfillment in condemning the world under the curse of death. That with this event today in Luke today, we find Christ begining His work that would find its completion as He entered death on the cross of Calvary.
And that, of course, is the very nature of that Aaronic blessing given to us in Numbers today. For where is the creation of this blessing, but in the God alone who blesses and keeps; who makes His face shine and is gracious; who lifts up His countenance and gives His peace? But just how does this blessing come to people who have been separated from God’s graciousness because of their sin and death except by One who entered into our life and overcame its final outcome? Just how can those who are condemned to hell and the grave be kept and find peace apart from the One who was circumcised into the same law that was destined to hold all under a guardian until faith arrived?
Therefore, you see, your only hope in the life must lie on this One we find given unto the temple 8 days after His quiet birth in the lowly cattle stable. For God in Christ was given unto this old, fallen, dark world to become man, absolute man, with all our flesh and blood and ills and problems and sickness and death. He was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary in order to enter into our situation and bondage to the law, sin, death and the devil so that when He would be raised to life, real life, on the third day, even the law with all its accusatory conviction would be done away with for those who are baptized into Christ Jesus.
Which means that now for you, as you believe in this Jesus Christ alone for your only forgiveness, life and salvation, you are no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, even male or female, for you are now Abraham’s offspring, according to the promise. Not that you are changed in your personhood-you are who you are in your creation-but as Christ placed Himself to the entirety of the law, so now all who live in Him, by faith alone Paul reminds, are a new creation, raised anew in the glories of Christ’s victory over sin, death and the devil. That in your faith in this One you find given to you in the manger at Bethlehem and on the cross at Jerusalem, you are now given that new name which David declares is more majestic than anything else-the name of God’s own blessed children.
And now, as Christ received the name given to Him by the angel when He was still in the womb, the sinlessness of this Jesus now rests upon the forgiveness of all who are repentant over their sin. That His divine eternalness is given to you in the promise that death itself will be forced to give you up in a resurrection on the last day. That now the salvation of the One whose name means, “The Lord saves,” Jesus, is bestowed upon you as He gives of Himself in His very Body and Blood in the Supper He died to give to His own blessed people. Amen.

December 25, 2011- Isaiah 52:7-10, Psalm 98, Hebrews 1:1-12, John 1:1-14

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!” Grace and peace to you God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

If last night was a silent night, with the breaking of the dawn on this Christmas Day, let us break forth into this song of joy the Psalmist set forth today. For as the light, not only of the physical sun, but finally of the very Son of God, has broken upon us, is there anything else we can do other than to proclaim our joy, to the world, of the giving of our salvation?
For as the Apostle John began his gospel with speaking of Christ Jesus, not in His infant birth, but in His eternal glorious Godhead-he places us in the proper place where our Christmas celebrations must lie. For beyond the sentimentality of the Santa Claus-Peanuts-candy cane season this has become (and I am not saying any of those things are wrong), the true Word that should be on our lips is the one that reminds the world that with this birth, the Word became flesh and dwelt, lived, among us and in whom we have now seen the very glory of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
That it was He through whom the world was made and without Him nothing that we see today would and does exist. That He was the true light of the world-a Light that shines into the darkest of all things-death itself-and overcame it with the brilliant light of His resurrected glory. That He was given into this world, so to be rejected and reviled by all so that He might make satisfaction for our sins, reconciling you and me to the Father for our justification, redemption and salvation.
Which is why to truly understand the joyous sounds of Christmas, one must not forget just what truly was given that day long ago. For beyond the silent night, the entire heavens were repeating with sounds of joy-for in Christ Jesus, the separation between God and man was erased and the sin of Eden was being overturned with the birth of this Child. That in Him, the radiance of the of glory of God shown upon this old, dark world and the One who is greater than the angels who announced His birth to the shepherds was given so to make purification, Hebrews attests today, for our sins.
Thus, as the feet are beautiful, Isaiah tells us, of those who take this glad tidings of good news to the world, let us again, sing to this world in all we do, this new joyous song of our Lord’s birth. Let us not be afraid to make a little noise, today, tomorrow and forever, and speak of the fact that in Christ, the Lord has indeed comforted His people by redeeming them in this One who was given to be our freedom. Let us ring loud and clear of this beloved hope we have received, again, this day-that our God loves us so much, that He refuses to remain in heaven, but comes to us as a Child; comes to us in the body and blood of His Supper.
Let us, open our big mouths this Christmas morn and go tell it on the mountain what the glories of this birth does finally mean to the world. Amen.

December 24, 2011: Isaiah 9:2-7, Psalm 96, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-20

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

While the night described in Luke this evening was certainly a holy night, it was hardly a silent one. We have the din of the crowds that filled the streets of Bethlehem-so many that Joseph and Mary were resigned to the barn because no rooms were available. There are the shouts and sounds from heaven as the angels burst onto the scene to proclaim the birth of the very Savior of the world. The shepherds certainly was a noisy lot that evening-not only amongst themselves at the sight they saw, but also in their telling and retelling of the event to those they met in the streets after what had been declared to them was found to be true. And add onto that the actual birth of the Baby Jesus-the crying and screaming that accompanies childbirth certainly filled not only the stable, but finally to all within earshot.
And doesn’t this still happen among us, as we meet with shouts of joy, of acclamation, of glory, praise and elation of this holy night? Are we not often as excited and wigglely as a child is on Christmas morning with a tree brimming over with gifts? And is this night, perhaps all the year, where we suddenly stop behaving like stoic Lutherans and are so unable to sustain ourselves any longer, that we actually fill our lives and our homes and our churches singing and exaltation?
So why has this evening become so associated with silence? Well we know that it isn’t because we are not excited, not overjoyed, not ecstatic over the birth of the One who, as the Apostle Paul preached in Titus, gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness. Hardly. Instead, I think we so often meet this night with the silence of our hymns under the light of our candles precisely because of what this birth does mean for us. For beyond all the joy and excitement and exaltation we know we hold because of this night-in the awe of what this actually says, does and means for us, we are left utterly speechless.
For the announcements by the angels that night is nothing less that earth-shattering. To know that on this day, a Savior, Christ the Lord, was born unto us, is absolutely amazing. For we are hardly a people to be mentioned in this life, let alone for someone to be born for. With the sinful desires we hold; the acts of selfishness we commit each day; the backbiting and gossiping we partake in with and about others, would seem to be a state in which would preclude us from having anyone, let alone the Son of God, to come to and for us. With all the ways in which we fight and worry and place our faith on all that which is NOT God, it is very surprising news that God would come to save this, to save us.
Yet, that is exactly what did happen; that is exactly what God did do for you and me. That it was because of people precisely like you that a child was born, that a Son was given. For what we find with this birth is a God who does not regard sin to be unworthy to come and die for. We find that with the giving of this Child a God who believes that mankind is actually worthy to die for and so to save. We find that with coming of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, this is a Savior who loves people just like those lowly shepherds; people just like you.
For the miracle of Christmas is that God-my God, your God, our God-reveals His love and mercy for us in the giving of the Son to the world so to save it through His death and resurrection. That His work was for people exactly like us-that His birth in a lowly cattle stall declared that God came for those who have nothing, are nothing, know nothing within themselves. That as the shepherds once found the promised signed lying, wrapped in a manger, so they found the One who was given so to save and redeem all those who hold no hope or comfort within themselves-that this message of good news of great joy, that leads the world to receive it in majesty, awe and thanksgiving, is the most amazing news one could ever receive.
And I suppose then, that because of that, this holy night certainly does becomes a silent night. Amen.

December 18, 2011: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16, Psalm 89:1-5, Romans 16:25-27, Luke 1:26-38

“And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

As we have now lit all four of the Advent candles; as we have begun to sing the “O” antiphons of Advent (that is the 7 stanza’s of O Come, O Come, Emanuel); as we have prepared our house and life for the celebration of the Nativity of our Lord-we are reminded, one final time, by the Virgin Mary this morning of just how we are to receive His coming into the world.
For just as the Annunciation of Mary was the start of the fulfillment of the promise made to David in 2 Samuel this morning, so the promise made to Mary by the angel Gabriel is something than we are still waiting for to be finally seen. For on the one hand, we do live and know that in Christ Jesus, the Word of God has been fulfilled. He was the “house” promised to be a kingdom that stretches forever; His cross was the throne that reaches to all generations, as our Psalm sung, the house that established God’s steadfast love and faithfulness to all who have been called to faith.
But yet, we are also waiting for that throne to come to complete sight in the world. For the forgiveness, life and salvation given in Christ is received only by faith today; we live under His eternal victory only by a Word, some water and a bit of bread and sip of wine. That we confess in the Creed each week that we are waiting for the Lord’s 2nd Advent to come to us, to bring about the end of sin, death and the devil and to establish, by sight, the Kingdom of everlasting blessing.
And just in the same way, Mary found herself having to wait for the promised coming of Christ. For nine long months, she sat in the expectation of what it might be for her to hold the very Son of God in her arms. For over 38 weeks she waited, watching and anticipated the coming of her salvation. For the majority of a year, she held bated breath for the outcome of her faith in the angel’s words.
And yet she did it, even against all hardship that this pregnancy brought to her, living upon these simple words recorded by Luke that, “I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” That she received this word with utter faith, holding to only the belief that God’s will, will be done; that God would bring His Word to completion. That any wonder she held-even the wonder, she stated in verse 34, of how one who had never been with a man could conceive-was replaced with a trust that God is able to do what He desires; that with God, nothing is impossible.
And so, as we now sit and wait, trusting not with our eyes, but with our ears that God’s Word will do what it has promised too. For we live under a weight and judgment because of the sin and rebellion that all who are born hold. That we are born under the curse of the Father who is angry that our sinful natures, which lead us to seeking our wills, our wants, our ways over that of Him and our neighbor. That we are burdened with the fact that we will wind up gaining a cold grave for a lifetime of work; that no matter how hard we try to get ahead in this life, all it takes is one accident, one mistake, one phone call and our world as we know it will come crashing down around us.
But yet, we also live with the news that our God is so gracious and concerned over us that He gave His only Son to be wasted and destroyed under our sin so that in His resurrection we might be forgiven. We live with a Word have a God who hates the facts of our bondage to sin, death and the devil, and so fell under their power in order to overcome them in the power of Christ’s triumph over death. And we live we a belief that still have a God who has not forgotten us, that He continues to send His Holy Spirit so to give us Christ and His victory in the Word and Sacraments that we are surrounded by in our worship.
Thus, like Mary, we must learn to live to let nothing is that is found today, came yesterday or arrives tomorrow to gain our vision or receive our attention, for whatever is of this world is here one moment and gone the next. We must learn to trust that this world is not all there in; that the gifts we buy today are nothing in comparison to the gifts God will bestow upon the one who holds onto Christ Jesus alone. That we must not believe in the promise this world offers to those who live for it; we must not trust the hope if we compromise on our core beliefs we will get easy tomorrow; we must not even begin to follow the demands the sin in your life and so give them attention and love.
Instead, let us learn from Mary today and remember just where our true love, hope and faith lie. Let us strive to know and live alone upon the promises God made and makes in the coming, in the Advent, of the Son of the Most High, yesterday, today and forever. Let us not be deterred from laying hold to God’s promise of life and freedom in the power of the Spirit who works in your life because of the victory of your Lord and Savior. Let us receive the promises which await all who wait upon the second glorious revelation of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ,
And we are wrap up another time of Advent, let us not ever lose the sight, lose the hope, to lose the trust that this world is not all there is, but that we are finally waiting for the world which is to come, when our Lord Jesus comes again and brings about His justice for us and we will receive the grace, peace and mercy that will never end. Amen.

December 11, 2011: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, Psalm 126, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-8, 19-28

“He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,” as the prophet Isaiah said.’” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

John the Baptist was not the one, he declared to a nation waiting for the expected Messiah-that he was not the One in whom they waited; that he was not the outcome of their faith. That they had not found the One in whom their hope would be realized, the One in whom they would be given what they had prayed for and needed. That they would need to continue to wait, to look, to pray for God to give the One in whom would fulfill Isaiah’s promise to heal, to bind, to bring a good word of grace, peace and mercy.
And so he told them that the Light of the world had not yet been revealed to those living in the darkness of sin and death. That the One who would overcome the power of the devil which holds all people in bondage to a sin which tempts and condemns them and to a death that kills and separates them from all they love-had not yet been given to this world so His work might overcome such things. That the One whose sandals he was not worthy even to untie-the job fit for a servant-had not yet taken the stage to draw all who desire life and forgiveness to Him.
Instead, John did everything he could to draw people to look not at him, but to wait, to look for this One who was coming. That everything he did was to point away from himself, so to direct people to look for the One coming into the world to save it. Thus, he dressed in camel hair and ate nothing but locusts and wild honey to show that he was just as under the condemnation of sin as all mankind is. His only word was for the world to repent of their sins and wait for God to act so to save them. That his baptism was nothing but to prepare the world to receive the One who would baptize with fire and salvation.
Thus, John’s entire life was to do nothing but, as the Apostle says today, “to bear witness about the light.” His was a life spent, not in drawing and gaining what he wanted unto himself, but to call the world to look away and onto the One who gives what is really and truly needed. That he desired to know nothing, to do nothing, to have nothing other the Christ who was being given to save, redeem and give to him what would be forever and everlasting.
And this speaks of our life as well. In our dash and cash world, we are people who fall for the counterfeit often. That we are quick to grasp onto any and everything that promises us the fulfillment of our dreams and desires. That we are always ready to tie our truck to that which seems good and glorious. Thus, we are a bandwagon people-cheering for the winners, following that which offers us a promise today.
Yet, as Isaiah points out, what so often seem to be forever today, can become ruins and devastation tomorrow. John asked the Pharisee’s who had they come out looking for, knowing that they had only ran out to the Jordan because they were looking for a Messiah that captured their imaginations of greatness and glory. Therefore, he point out, that which promises peace and security, happiness and bounty today will leave you broken and tossed aside when it all comes down to it. That at the end of it all, all we can receive in the things of this world is a cold grave to be placed in.
Thus, what John called from those who came to him, was to look not to the things of today but to wait, to long, to look for the One who comes with something real, something solid, something true with Himself. That he called for people to turn away from what asks for your attention and cheering and instead wait for the Lord to come and give you what cannot be ever taken away. And he calls for you to leave behind whatever it is that gets in your way-and only you can know that which has even taken your attention off of the promise of Christ this Advent-so to place nothing higher than living a life worthy of your Savior.
For as we take this time in Advent, we do it to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Savior and Redeemer-both in celebration of His first in Bethlehem and finally His second at the end of all time. That Paul’s admonition in Thessalonians is an extension of the Baptist’s call in John-that nothing, not our comforts, not our desires, not even our sport teams-are to come before our preparing ourselves to receive our God, today and forever. So, we abstain from every form of evil, conform ourselves by the law; we do not despise the prophecies, the preaching of God’s Word, both law and gospel; we do not quench the Spirit, the giving of the sacraments-because what is more important in life-the pleasures of the flesh and this world or the peace, grace and mercy of our God?
Thus, we are to prepare our eyes and hearts and minds by laying aside everything that takes away our focus on what the coming of the Light of Christ means and does for us. That we must lay nothing before our eyes that will distract us from forever remembering that our Lord Jesus was given to the world so to die under the penalty of our sin in order to give us the hope and victory that the darkness of this world will be forever replaced. We must trust nothing in our hearts that does not place foremost the promise of forgiveness and life that the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus gives to those who believe unto Him. And we must think of nothing in our minds other than the truth that we are also waiting for the coming of our Savior in glory to redeem unto Him those whom He gives His very Body and Blood for eternal salvation.
So let us, again, hear the cry of the one in the wilderness-to make way in the path of the Lord-in all that we do and say and believe. Amen.

November 27, 2011: Isaiah 64:1-9, Psalm 80:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Mark 11:1-10

“And those who went before and those who followed where shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

As we find this scene from Palm Sunday today in Mark, we find the promise once given to King David by God in 2 Samuel 7-the long cherished hope of the Messiah which would come from his family-being fulfilled here, and which is a perfect place in which to begin the Advent preparation for our celebration the coming of our Redeemer and Savior at Christmas.
For as the crowds, before and after, shouted out at that the One who comes in the name of Lord is certainly blessed and brings with Him salvation and deliverance (the meaning of the word Hosanna)-they acknowledged the hope and faith of all who came before and who followed the coming of Christ into His glory during that Passion week. That they were receiving their King, who came riding in on the donkey prophesied in Zechariah, and were shouting to the world just what was happening with Christ’s triumphantful entry.
And they did this because what more do people who are in need of salvation and deliverance from their bondage to sin, death and the power of the devil, need other than to have their salvation and deliverance rend open the heavens, as Isaiah preached, and to come down and accomplish such? For Christ had been given to the world for this very moment in Mark-this was His “victory” lap, per se-this was His declaration to the world that its King was coming to sit upon His throne. And when He was lifted high upon the cross that Friday, He announced that this King ruled out of weakness and death; that He reigned as He gave Himself over to sin and death for His subjects.
So, as they cried out that this was their “Hosanna;” that this One was the blessed One of God; that this was the One in whom they had been waiting for to arrive to bring down God’s grace, love and mercy upon a world in waiting-they were preparing the world so to look for God nowhere else other than in this Man, Jesus Christ. They were singing the song that only those who, by faith, as Luther noted, can sing-for they were singing of the fact that only in Christ’s death and resurrection does one find forgiveness from their sin, life from the death and salvation from their damnation. They were proclaiming that if you are to find any bit of hope from a life and world that does nothing but seeks your pain, sorrow and destruction, it will be found only in this One who came to die and rise so to defeat and overcome all of this old, fallen world.
And thus, as we begin this new church year with the season of Advent, we do it remembering and heeding the words of that crowd and to look upon this One alone to prepare our hearts, ears and mind not simply for the celebration of His first Advent in the lowliness of the a manger, but finally of His coming again in all glory, honor and power at the end of all time.
For we, too, are in need of One to come to take away our sufferings-both today and forever. That we are in the place where Isaiah prophesied Israel would be-alone and in exile from our God because of our bondage to sin and death. That we are unclean because our wills are in love with the filth and destruction we surround ourselves with each day. That we have denied our God as we fill our lives with the false gods of this world-whatever you place your love and trust in as it take precedent over God and His Word, His Church, His Will. And because of that, we are doomed to fade like a leaf and our iniquities take us away to our graves.
And yet, we join with that crowd long go, seeing our Hosanna, our salvation and deliverance, heading into Jerusalem on that Sunday in order to do nothing but to be rejected, condemned, denied, crucified and buried. We do know of the One who suffered under all the sin, hatred and evil of the world so that when He was raised to life again on the third day, He would become the only way for those who have nothing left of themselves to hope upon. That we are witness, again, to the image of Christ Jesus willingly and boldly heading toward the day of His death-riding on the back of a lowly colt-so that His humiliation would lead to the exaltation of all who repent, believe and are baptized unto Him.
And because of this, then, we are mindful not to forget the mercies our God has had on us, and to so leave behind the cares of this world. This is Paul’s reminder to the Corinthians today-that as we are being sustained in the grace of the Father in the death and resurrection of the Son, we are not lacking in any spiritual gift and so are not able to resist the temptations of the devil, the world and our sinful flesh. Thus, our season of Advent becomes an occasion not to indulge on the festivities, but to begin, again, anew in the grace and peace of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, we take note of the Psalmist and ask that once again, our Lord might have us use this Advent in preparing ourselves in prayer, praise and repentance so that He might shine His face upon us again and so we be saved. We use this season, as we get ready for the joy and festivities of Christmas, to remember that we are sinners who have been forgiven, not by the works of our hands, but solely by the grace and love of God the Father by the sacrifice of the Son, in which we trust through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word and Sacraments. And because of it, we are able to give thanks always for the fact that this One, will return again at the end so to bring to sight this hope we hold by faith alone today-all the while being sustained until that day by keeping before our ears these words that “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!” Amen.

November 20, 2011: Isaiah 65:17-25, Psalm 70, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Matthew 25:1-13

“Then the Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, in this parable from St. Matthew this morning, bids us all to stay alert, to remain awake, to keep the watch for His second coming unto glory. He bids us not to lose sight of our confession in the creed, that He will come again to judge the living and the dead. He bids us not to fall asleep in the darkness of this world, as Paul echoed in 1 Thessalonians today. He bids us not to forget that the time and hour will be like a thief in the night, coming at a time when we least expect it.
And so, this parable is speaking not to two separate peoples, but to the church catholic, that is, the entire Christian Church on earth. For the distinction between the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom, is not a distinction between believers and unbelievers, but is the difference between those who already believe. All 10 do go out with their lamps, waiting to meet the bridegroom coming to his wedding banquet and so to enter into this joyous occasion. All 10 know and are known by the groom and all 10 have been invited to the feast
But yet, what separates them is that, even though they fell asleep because of the late hour and long wait, is when the shout was given, only 5 had prepared themselves for such a delay and were ready to trim their lamps with the extra oil, all the while the other 5 had to leave to seek out the oil sellers and so were shut out of the wedding hall and missed the banquet feast. The 5 foolish virgins, as Christ called them, lost their chance at entering into the marriage supper because they had not anticipated the long wait and were not prepared and finally were shut out when the groom did come.
Which makes this parable to be a direct warning to those who are still of Christ’s church today. For as a parable speaking to and about the end of all time, Christ would have you finally know and focus on one thing here today-and that is to be found within the camp of the 5 wise virgins, awake, prepared and alert for His coming; to be sober as Paul exclaims, even though the wait for His return has been so very long.
For the Bridegroom of the parable is none other than Christ Jesus Himself and He will return at the end of all time to be united to His Holy Bride, the Church. His Church, pure and virginal in their baptism into His death and resurrection, are at wait for their Groom to come and take them into the banquet hall so to celebrate their wedding into the victory over sin, death and the devil He gives as a wedding gift to His beloved. And when He does arrive, His bride will be gathered to Him, whether they await in life or in the grave, so to enter into His rest and forever receive the glories of forgiveness, life and salvation Isaiah spoke of today.
And until that day happens, you must be found waiting and prepared, with oil at the ready so to trim your lamps when it does arrive. And what does that mean? Well, what are lamps for but to lighten the darkness; to replace the shadows of the night with the brightness of the day? And oil is the means in which the light is given and fed and the way it is continued when the wick burns down and dries up. So to be prepared with enough oil to last the time until Christ, our Groom, returns to bring about what we hope in, is to be found always alert, always at watch, always awake with a faith that will not succumb to the rigors of the wait.
This is why Paul exhorts us to keep awake and stay sober today-for the difference between those who trust in the Lord rather than trust in the world is the difference between night and day. That those who live in the night, seek and revel in the things of the dark, Paul says, and they preach “peace and security,” believing that everything will forever stay the same. And there even in the church are such people, as Peter reminded last week, saying that because He hasn’t returned in 2,000 years, the promise of His 2nd coming cannot be understood as real, but simply spiritual-and so everything will remain the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
However, as Paul countered, those who have been redeemed from the darkness of sin and death by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ do not belong to the night. And so we do not look to and live for this life, but we are sober and alert, always bearing in our minds and bodies the marks of our crucified Savior, and so ever mindful to never let the light of our hope be dimmed with a lack of faith. We do not become drowsy under the passions and pleasures of this world, but we stay vigilant, adorning ourselves with the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of hope, crying out with David in the Psalm, for the Lord not to delay any longer, but come again, and to come quickly.
And if we hold in our faith to the end, we will not be left out nor denied by the Groom as the 5 foolish were, because we waited and did not deny Him to the world, as Jesus said in Matthew 10, that “whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” That if we hold to this faith, we will not be left dead in our trespasses, but are and will be raised to eternal life because of His death and resurrection. That if we wait in the hope and patience that Christ will return, we will ushered into the hall when our Bridegroom arrives and we will forever sit down at the heavenly feast, even as we are given a foretaste of this feast to come, in the Body and Blood of our Lord’s Supper today. Amen.

November 13, 2011: Daniel 7:9-14, Psalm 2, 2 Peter 3:1-14, Matthew 25:31-46

“Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Frightening thought and consideration given today by Jesus in Matthew. That, Christ tells us, there are truly only two divisions and distinctions to be made in this old world-that one is either a sheep or a goat, and nothing other is measured against one in the end. No wonder the end of the world is such a worrisome and upsetting proposition to read and hear. Is that why we relegate texts such as these today to only a couple of Sunday’s at the end of the church year?
So, what DOES it mean, as Jesus makes this distinction, to be a sheep, and given the blessings of the Father in eternal life, rather than a goat, earning the wrath of the Father unto destruction? Well on the one hand, it is not located in the works that one does. For the works Jesus mentions the sheep doing versus which the goats do not are not any special, extraordinary works that someone may do-they are the common, everyday aspect of what it means to live in society. That to feed those who are hungry and visit those who are alone is not rare, but takes place every day.
And besides, one doesn’t even need to be a Christian to do such works. Anyone, at any one time, can and do such things in their daily walk. That, Christians are not the only ones who do these things, even if they become extra works of mercy to those in need. Thus, it is not the type of work done that qualifies-for if it were, then Jesus would not be the only way to the Father, as He declares in John, but salvation would be given to whoever and whomever did such work unto the least of these, whether or not they believed in Jesus Christ as Savior.
Which leads into the other reason why it is not the works, themselves, that earns one the kingdom. For, as the Psalmist states today, God sits in His heaven and laughs at the work and counsel of the kings of the earth. That is, God considers the works of our hands, if they are being done in the expectation and belief that they earn or merit God’s approval and grace, to be a laughing matter because there is nothing mankind can do to gain anything from Him. Peter proves this today by reminding the world what God will expose concerning the works done on earth at the end. And those who scoff at what He truly desires, will receive God’s judgment of fire that has been prepared and is being held in waiting.
So, what counts before the Father to whether one is separated to the right or the left; to be called a sheep or a goat, is to understand what it means to be a sheep in the first place. For what did Christ say in the John 10? “I am the good shepherd,” He declares, “The sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.” That to be a sheep of Christ, isn’t according to anything you might or might not have done. It isn’t considered and reckoned by your own works or worthiness. But to be a sheep, and so to be separated to enter in to the Father’s rest at the end of all time, is nothing more than to believe in Christ the Son; it means to do nothing other than to trust and follow the Savior wherever He leads and gives Himself-to follow His voice, and His voice alone, in this world; to follow that where He leads, it will be for your good and benefit.
One can see why, then, the sheep in the parable didn’t even know they were doing these works-they were not concerned about what they were doing, but in their faith they were simply doing what they found needed to be done. In their faith, they weren’t looking or counting their works, but simply had loved their neighbors because they has already loved their God. The goats, however, were very concerned about which and what were the “right” works needed-they lived focused only and seeking their own status according to their self-worth. They had no regard for what God had said nor were they concerned that those of God’s were cared for through their service.
So, we see that it is by faith, and faith alone, that one is separated as a sheep or as a goat. For faith is such that one knows they have and hold nothing good in themselves; they look not to what they can do or achieve but simply hold to the mercy of God the Father in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus the Son. They know that it is in Him that the sin which has condemned them to that eternal fire created for the devil and his angels, was taken by the One who allowed Himself to be placed on the cross and descended into hell for their sake, all so that, as they were baptized, they would be united into Christ’s resurrection which overcame all things. They know that all they can do is to cling to the promise of forgiveness, life and salvation that is given to them in the Body and Blood that was broken and shed by the One who took death and the grave willingly, all so to give His own a new life and future in their redemption.
And as sheep of faith, they, you, now await, in longsuffering patience, for the Son of Man, as Daniel saw, to return in His glory, honor and dominion on that Last Day, so to raise the dead and gather all the redeemed and elect into their reward that has been prepared, as Jesus promises, from the foundation of the world. We do not turn aside when the goats of this world seek you to lose your hope by trying to convince you that God and His promises are simply but fairy tales, but you go forth knowing that your Savior will return one day to gather His beloved to Him. And we continue along in our lives, living by faith, love, holiness and godliness, serving those who have been given to us-from our children, our spouses, our family, friends and neighbor-loving them as Christ has first loved us; giving unto them what they need, even as we have been supplied by Christ’s victory over sin, death and the devil, of what we need from now and into eternity. Amen.